An Arranged Marriage

by Jan Hahn

  Lady Catherine stood opposite him beside a small table on which she tapped her forefinger as she continued to list her objections to me. "But she has no family, connections or fortune! Is this to be endured? It must not, it shall not be! You must secure an annulment at once, Darcy! I absolutely insist upon it!"

  "And I respectfully insist that you discontinue giving orders in my house, Aunt. I am a man full-grown, beholden to no one, and I shall marry whomever I please. I have already married and I shall not make any provision to end the marriage. I must beg you, therefore, not to importune me any further on the subject." He then offered her his arm as though he would escort her from the room.

  "Not so hasty, if you please. I have by no means done. To all the objections I have already urged, I have still another to add. I am no stranger to the particulars of Miss Bennet's younger sister's infamous elopement. I know it all; that the young man's marrying her was a patched-up business, at the expense of her uncle. And is such a girl to be your sister? Is her husband, the son of your father's servant, to be your brother? Heaven and earth - of what are you thinking, Nephew? Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?"

  "You have said quite enough, Madam," Mr. Darcy said, his eyes black and narrowed. "I shall hear no more of this. I beg your leave, Ma'am." He started toward the door and saw me standing there, knowing I had heard the terrible accusations. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he did, Lady Catherine also became aware of my presence.

  "Aha! So there she is! Eavesdropping at the door on a private conversation."

  "It can hardly be considered private, Lady Catherine, when the pitch and volume of your voice may be heard throughout the house," Mr. Darcy said. "We can have nothing further to say to each other. Good day."

  He strode toward me and taking my arm, hastened me from the room, but his aunt was not so easily deterred, for she followed, pointing her umbrella in our direction as though to physically stop us. "This will not do, Darcy! I shall not have Georgiana brought up in that girl's presence and under her influence! I shall take steps to have her removed to Rosings and my care. It is the least I can do for your poor mother."

  Mr. Darcy halted and faced her once again. "And just how do you propose to do that, Lady Catherine? I am my sister's legal guardian."

  "But you are not the sole guardian. My nephew Fitzwilliam shares your responsibility and once I meet with him, he and I shall journey to my solicitors and petition the court to have you declared unfit."

  "Unfit?" Mr. Darcy was incredulous. "You would attempt such an assignation of my character, Aunt?"

  She blinked several times and modified her tone slightly, making it more placating. "Darcy, you know how dear you are to me. Can you think this is my desire? Why, it was the wish of your mother and I from your birth that you would one day become my own son, wedded to my dear Anne. But if you persist in this ill-judged alliance, I cannot in good conscience allow Georgiana to remain in this house, exposed to this unfeeling, selfish girl's lack of character. Duty and honour forbid it. And I am sure Fitzwilliam will be in agreement with me, as well as the Earl and Lady Matlock."

  "Then with all due respect, Madam, go to it," Mr. Darcy said evenly, indicating with an outstretched arm that she should exit through the door from which she had entered. With an obvious sniff at me, Lady Catherine raised her head and turned for the door. Mr. Darcy, however, had one more thing to say. "Be advised, however, that Colonel Fitzwilliam stood up with me at our wedding. He congratulated the both of us on our union, and his parents have already called upon us and given us their best wishes. In fact, they have invited us to a ball to be held at Eden Park tomorrow evening."

  Lady Catherine's eyes bulged and her mouth flew open, but she could not speak. Truly, I feared for a moment she suffered from apoplexy, but only for a moment. "And this is your final resolve, Darcy! Very well. I shall now know how to act. Do not imagine, Miss Bennet, that your ambition will ever be gratified at Rosings. Neither you nor Darcy will be welcome there again until my nephew recovers his senses! I take no leave of either of you. You deserve no such attention. I am seriously displeased."

  And with head high and nose even higher, she stalked out the door.

  Mr. Darcy was seething; I knew not what to say, and so, I waited. He stood watching his aunt's retreat and at last said, "I apologize for the ill-treatment Lady Catherine has rendered you, Elizabeth. I shall make it a point from this time forward to refrain from criticism of your family. None of them can begin to exhibit such abominable behaviour as my aunt."

  He bowed stiffly and strode briskly up the staircase. A flood of emotions fought their way through my being and I neither knew whether to feel relief or anguish. I made my way into the breakfast room and sank upon a chair, grateful for the cup of coffee the servant placed before me. I supposed Lady Catherine would be ill-pleased at the news of Mr. Darcy's marriage to me, but I never dreamed it would cause her to break relations with him...or that in such a rift, he would choose in my favour and defend me with such fervour. It seems I had a champion!

  ~ * ~

  The next day, Saturday morning, presented the first occasion for Georgiana to truly warm toward me. It even resulted in her discarding formality and addressing me by my Christian name. All week she had, in her own gentle and unassuming manner, pestered her brother for permission to attend Lord Matlock's ball, but Mr. Darcy refused, adamant that she was far too young.

  "But I am almost seventeen, Wills," she said that morning at the breakfast table for the umpteenth time. "My birthday is less than two months away."

  "You have not yet come out, Georgiana, and I shall not have you endure the scrutiny of the ton until you have."

  I was surprised that the young girl wished to attend the dance, as she had proved far too reticent to enter into any other social obligation with alacrity, but for some reason she would not give over about that evening's entertainment.

  "I shall be out after Easter. You and Lady Matlock have already settled upon the date I am to be presented. That is scarce six or seven months from now. What could it hurt for me to attend tonight's ball?"

  "I shall not have every fortune hunter in town eyeing you before that time!" Mr. Darcy slammed down his cup of coffee with such emphasis that it sloshed out upon the tablecloth. "You are not going, Georgiana."

  "Even if I promise to dance with no one other than the Earl or Richard?"

  "Once you dance with anyone, you shall be fair game for every young blade in the city."

  "I fear there will be a scarcity of young blades in attendance tonight," Colonel Fitzwilliam said, entering the dining room at that very moment without waiting to be announced. "Good morning, Mrs. Darcy, Georgiana, and you, my overwrought and highly agitated cousin." He smiled with the last remark, as I did. "I am not accustomed to seeing your colour so high this early in the morning. Pray, tell me what all the racket is about."

  "Come in, Fitzwilliam." Mr. Darcy's tone sounded less inviting than his words.

  "Will you not join us in some breakfast?" I offered.

  "A cup of tea will suffice, but someone take pity and explain what has my cousins at each other's throats. No, let me guess: Georgie wants to attend my parents' ball and you do not want her to, Darcy. Am I correct?"

  "You are." I spoke quickly before either of the two resumed their carping.

  "Wills is being somewhat stubborn, Richard. He says I am too young to go and I am almost seventeen!"

  "The fact is you are now sixteen, Georgiana," Mr. Darcy said, "and too young to attend a ball. That is all there is to it."

  But his sister would not let it rest. Her obstinacy truly surprised me, for I had never seen this side of her. "I have even promised to dance with no one other than the Earl or you, Richard, and still he will not relent. Pray, talk to him."

  "Ah," the colonel said, "and what makes you think I wish to spend the evening dancing with the likes of you?"

  Her only reply was to make a face at him and I could not refrain from laughing.
Mr. Darcy, however, did not.

  "If she dances with anyone, she will be fair game for any who ask," he repeated. "You know that as well as I do, Fitzwilliam."

  "Well, that may be, but I have it on very good authority that tonight's ball shall be quite intimate. The majority of the ton have not yet returned to town what with this being the season for grouse and pheasant as well as partridge. Most every young so-called blade remains in the country in search of game they can shoot rather than dance with."

  "I fail to see why your parents are even hosting this ball then," Mr. Darcy said.

  "Well, it happens to be in honour of your new wife."

  I was surprised to hear this and evidently so was Mr. Darcy. We both looked at each other as though to ask why? Fortunately, we remembered that we were a newly married couple and recovered in time to make the appropriate responses of gratitude.

  "My mother knows that Elizabeth will be unable to meet the majority of our friends because of their absence, but after all, she is a new bride and we must make her feel welcome."

  "Thank you, Colonel," I said, "that is most kind."

  That provided even more impetus for Georgiana's argument. "And if I stay at home, think what impression that will give, Wills. People will say I do not welcome my sister-in-law."

  "They will say nothing of the sort." He rose from the table and headed for the door and I could see that he was not open to any more discussion.

  "Mr. Darcy," I said before he left the room, "might I offer a compromise?" When his response was nothing more than a frown, I ventured on. "If Georgiana agrees not to dance at all, but to remain in my company, would you allow her to attend?"

  "But that would limit you. Shall you give up dancing the entire evening just so she can go?"

  "I shall. I am not inclined to dance and as we both are well acquainted with your abhorrence of the art, we may be quite content remaining on the side with her."

  "Well," Colonel Fitzwilliam said, "I trust the two of you will concede and at least lead the first dance, as is the custom when you are the honorees. And if you do, I suppose I might sacrifice myself and tend the child during your absence." Once again, Georgiana screwed up her face at him, but he only laughed.

  "Very well," Mr. Darcy said, "if you are sure about this, Elizabeth, I shall go along with it."

  "I am sure." Our eyes met, transmitting an unspoken understanding between us that united us in our solicitude for Georgiana. He turned away at last and departed the room with Colonel Fitzwilliam following.

  "And now, young lady," I said, turning to my sister-in-law, "whatever shall you wear at this late date?"

  She smiled the biggest smile I had yet seen on her pretty face. "My aunt has already taken me shopping, Elizabeth. I returned with a beautiful blue ball gown. Shall we go up and see it?"

  I agreed, of course, thrilled that she had called me by name, and we spent the morning selecting gloves and shoes and ribbons for her hair from the vast array she had brought home from her visit with Lady Matlock. We actually giggled at times during our visit and I felt my heart lighten almost as it had when at home with my younger sisters.

  That evening Fiona did her best with my unruly curls and when she was through, I was surprised to see how well she had succeeded in taming them into a pleasing array. The silver combs provided just enough sheen in my dark hair to suit me. When I stepped into the silver gray gown and she fastened up the back, I caught my breath at my image in the floor-length mirror. The touch of black lace inside the silk neckline proved much more provocative than demure and it appeared to me that the scoop neck was cut even lower than I remembered. Lady Catherine's angry accusation that I had won her nephew by my 'arts and allurements' suddenly echoed in my ears. If Fiona had not been there, I think I would have immediately changed the dress for my familiar black. I longed for the safety of its dark concealment. But the maid was all too excited and I could not think of an excuse for such action.

  "Oh, Ma'am, you will turn every head in the place tonight, you will!"

  I dismissed her remark and sent her into the dressing room in search of my wrap, but only so that I might quell the tremor I felt upon seeing my image in the mirror. Why had I ever consented to leave off my mourning clothes? And why did I feel so exposed having done so?

  She had just returned with the shawl when we heard a knock at the interior door between my room and Mr. Darcy's bedchamber.

  "That be the master," Fiona said, smiling, as she hurried to turn the knob. Sure enough, when she opened the door, there he stood dressed in formal evening clothes, more handsome than ever. "Here she is, sir. All ready for the ball."

  "Thank you, Fee," he said, keeping his eyes on me. "That will be all."

  I suppose that she curtseyed before departing, but in truth, I could not tell you, for I was not conscious of anyone other than Mr. Darcy. His presence filled the room until the walls suddenly seemed much too close. He walked toward me, his eyes sweeping up and down my form. I waited. Was he displeased? I could not tell, for he did not smile or frown. He just looked and looked and looked.

  At last, I broke his gaze and lowered my head. I knew I blushed at his inspection and if he were to reprimand me for my choice of gown, then let him do so at once so that I might change back into my familiar dress and be done with it. I closed my eyes in anticipation of his rebuke, but they flew open when, instead, I felt his hands at the base of my neck. He stood very close behind me and encircled my neck with a delicate gold chain containing a perfect black pearl quite large in size, encrusted with diamonds on either side. I gasped at the beauty of the rare pearl that appeared to match my gown in colour, a luminous silver gray.

  "I am glad I chose this trinket now that I see your choice of gowns. Perhaps our tastes are more in common than we first thought."

  "It is a beautiful necklace." I fingered the pearl as it lay against my bosom. "Thank you."

  "You are welcome and thank you for wearing something other than that blasted black."

  No compliment. No kind words about my appearance. Not one solitary word of approval other than I was not wearing black. Well, why should I have expected more? This is Mr. Darcy, after all, I reminded myself. I gathered my shawl from the bed and swept out the door he held open, my head up and my teeth placed tightly together. Lord, give me strength to get through the night without throttling him!

  Georgiana chattered throughout the carriage ride to Lord Matlock's estate, an unusual amount of conversation on her part, for which I was grateful. She talked because of nerves while I remained silent for fear I would say more than I should. Mr. Darcy answered in one-word sentences except when he reminded her more than once of her agreement to remain on the sides of the room within my view at all times. Even his dour mood could not dampen her excitement, though, and I was glad to see that at least one of us looked forward to the evening.

  When Lord and Lady Matlock had called earlier in the week, I was glad to learn that she was nothing like Lady Catherine, and Mr. Darcy had said privately that her thoughtful demeanor reminded him of his late mother. She was kind and welcoming, although somewhat curious as to my background. The Earl seemed much like Colonel Fitzwilliam with his genial manner and I soon felt at ease around him. Their estate just outside London reflected their status in society, for it was grand enough for any lord and lady. Tonight it shone with candles and crystal, elaborate autumn floral arrangements on each table, and a polished inlaid walnut floor in the huge ballroom awaiting dancers made up from the throng of richly dressed people who filled the room. If that was considered an intimate gathering, I wondered at the size of a grand ball. Before the first dance began, I had met more couples than I would ever be able to remember. If Mam? could see me now, would she not be undone by such fancy finery! It would take her a full two days just to describe the lace on the ladies' gowns to my Aunt Philips.

  I rejoiced to see Mr. Bingley stride across the large room, a smile stretching his countenance from ear to ear.

  "Mrs. Darcy, I
say you look exceptionally well tonight," he said, bowing to me. "And you, as well, Miss Georgiana," he added upon seeing her.

  "Thank you, Mr. Bingley. Are your sisters and Mr. Hurst not with you tonight?"

  He looked around and nodded across the room at Caroline whom I happened to know had seen me when I first entered the room, but had not as yet, bothered to speak. She could not escape now and so she and Mrs. Hurst made their way through the throng and greeted us. Caroline was in her usual feathers and satin and Mrs. Hurst's ample bosom almost fell out of her low-cut velvet dress. Well, at least these people and their clothing were familiar to me. I endured the sisters' false compliments as well as I could and when Caroline stood far too close to Mr. Darcy than any single woman should, I simply turned my head. Tonight I would have given him to her in a heartbeat.

  "She is tolerable, I suppose, but not pretty enough to tempt me." Suddenly those words from a year ago reverberated in my ears. I recalled his utterance of that contemptuous statement as clearly as if he had said it again. I turned to look at him out of the corner of my eye, but he was deep in conversation with Colonel Fitzwilliam. Would I ever be able to forget his rudeness? And did he still consider me only tolerable? That would explain his earlier lack of compliment.

  Just then the musicians finished tuning their instruments and the first dance of the evening began. The Earl motioned for Mr. Darcy and I to lead the way and I took a deep breath, as he held out his hand to me. We circled the room and then lined up with the other couples following us. As the sprightly tune began, we moved together in a semi-embrace before parting to move back into position. I held my breath when his arm encircled my waist, but fortunately, we had only to look into each other's eyes but a moment. The number was long and I held hands with many men, making my way down the line opposite Mr. Darcy. Each time I met my temporary partner's smile with one of my own, only to have it banish upon facing Mr. Darcy's somber countenance. Did the man never smile when dancing? Could he not at least pretend some enjoyment of dancing with his wife?