“I suppose that is true enough.” Theo pulled his feet back and crossed his arms.
Not so very long ago, he would never have done that. They would have ended their exchange in a huff of prickled feelings and tart words. How very much had changed since then.
Theo slid down in the seat and parked his feet on the squabs beside Darcy.
He swept Theo’s feet off. Boot heels thudded on the floor boards. But some things would not change. Perhaps that was for the best. Theo would not be Theo without a bit of mischief in him. Darcy chuckled.
“What are you laughing at? A man about to be noosed has little to laugh at, or do you take lightly tying a knot with your tongue you cannot untie with your teeth.” Theo snorted.
“I do not take it lightly at all.” Darcy ran his knuckles along his jaw. “Particularly when I consider how easily none of this might have ever been.”
“You are truly and utterly besotted, Brother. I never thought to see you in such a condition.”
“I confess, I did not either. But I cannot repine for it.” Darcy looked directly into Theo’s eyes. “Or anything that has come as a result.
Theo scratched his head. “It is rather remarkable, is it not? Whilst it was uncomfortable, I never truly appreciated how…”
“Ill-suited?”
“Yes, that will do. Ill-suited our family situation was. I believe our mother would be very pleased were she with us today.”
Darcy glanced out the side glass. The church was barely visible in the distance. “You are right. I think she would have liked Elizabeth.”
“No doubt, she would. You are a fortunate man, to have found a woman—”
“Willing to put up with my disagreeable and taciturn nature?” Darcy laughed. “I do not deceive myself. I will never be truly agreeable like you and Bingley.” Was it wrong to so enjoy Theo’s look of astonishment?
“Perhaps not. But she has smoothed many of your rough edges and made you far more tolerable.”
“Tolerable enough?”
“I suppose.”
“But not enough to tempt one for more than brief spells in company?” Darcy’s brows twitched.
“Georgiana and I have noticed. It is a good thing.” Theo leaned his head back. “Georgiana will be receiving suitors before either of us is ready for it.”
Darcy huffed. “I do not care to think about it. I am merely thankful that I will have Elizabeth by my side when that happens.”
“I believe Georgiana is even more pleased by that.”
“What of you?”
“What do you mean? I have a promising career before me, a bevy of good friends…”
“A wife, Theo, what of that?” Darcy steepled his fingers in front of his chest.
Theo coughed. “What need have I for a wife? My housekeeper is efficient and without one I need not worry about hosting company, only enjoying the hospitality of others. I have companionship enough and should I desire—”
“I do not need to know.”
“Perhaps not.”
“Still, I think you are in need of a wife yourself.”
Theo jerked upright. “Do not even think it. What is more, do not mention the possibility to Elizabeth.”
“I have no need; she has already mentioned it herself. She has already identified several ready candidates.”
“I have no interest—”
“Anne for example.”
“I would sooner shoot myself—wait, I would shoot you first, then myself. And surely, Elizabeth would not approve of that outcome.”
Darcy fought to keep a straight face. So this is what Theo found so amusing for all those years. No wonder his steadfast persistence in the sport. A man reaps as he sows, does he not? “Your friend, Sir Monty, has several sisters does he not?”
“I have no interest in Monty’s sisters. They are…not suitable.”
“Do not forget, Fitzwilliam’s sister.”
“She is only slightly less dreadful a prospect than Anne.”
Oh this was too rich! Darcy forced his smile back. “But she is very proper.”
“Indeed she is that. I hardly consider myself proper enough for her and she would happily make me aware of that every moment of my life. No, I do not need a woman bent on reshaping me into her image of a husband.”
“It is not so very bad a thing…” Darcy’s brow’s flashed up.
“For one as flawed as yourself, I would have to agree. But I am quite content with who and what I am. There is no need for a woman to come in and improve upon what I already consider—”
“Perfect?”
“Hardly. Satisfactory, I consider it satisfactory.” Theo ran a finger along the inside of his collar.
“As would I.”
Theo stared. “I am not sure I will ever get used to that. I might even come to miss grouchy old ‘Prince William’.”
“Do not ever tell Elizabeth you called me that.”
Theo snorted. “Ah-ha!”
“Or I shall unleash her mother’s matchmaking proclivities upon you.”
Eyes bulging, Theo threw up his hands. “You have my word.”
“I thought that enough to convince you.”
“Indeed. We are nearly there, you know. In just a few minutes, nothing will ever be the same again.”
Darcy swallowed hard. “A daunting thought; but I have no doubts. This is one change I can embrace wholeheartedly.”
“And I am sure you will.” He winked
What could he do but reward Theo with the sour look he so desired.
The coach rolled to a stop. They jumped out and ascended the steps to the church.
“Do not look so fierce. Why else did you ask me to stand up with you but to have me cheer you with my good humor?”
“Because you are my brother…and I am glad of it.”
“And I too.” Theo extended his hand.
Darcy took it and shook it firmly. “I hope, one day, to see you as happily situated as I.”
“I will stand up with you, but that is as close to priest-linked as I intend to be. You may keep the parson’s mousetrap for yourself.”
EPILOGUE
London, 10 June 1812
Dear Mrs. Reynolds,
Hah! I knew you could not rest without a full description of William’s nuptials. I doubt you will ever get a satisfactory account from my brother, since apparently he saw nothing but his bride during the entire event. I never thought to see him so besotted!
I will refer you to Georgiana for any detailed description of the lace and silk involved, but I will tell you the bride looked lovely. I suppose I should say the brides looked lovely, since Elizabeth’s eldest sister, Jane, wed William’s friend, Bingley, in the same ceremony. A double wedding was a wise choice in this case, since I doubt the mother of the brides could have survived such excitement twice. Such a fluttering of nerves and handkerchiefs you have never seen! You would have dosed her in an instant with your special tincture of lemon balm.
Mrs. Bennet, I am sorry to say, was sufficiently recovered by the time of the wedding breakfast to consider the fate of her remaining unmarried daughters. You might think marrying off three daughters in two months, she could rest on her laurels for a time, but no. That woman is terrifying! At every turn, she would push her unmarried daughter Miss Katherine in front of me, apparently in the hope that William’s condition might be contagious to me. Alas, the new Mrs. Darcy is by far the most interesting of Mrs. Bennet’s brood, and Miss Katherine is merely a washed-out version of her elder sisters.
I must confess I flirted a little with the other Bennet daughter, Miss Mary, who earned my sympathy via the misfortune of being the only plain one in the family and generally disregarded by the rest. It was most satisfying to see a little color in her cheeks afterwards as a result, but I had to take to my heels when Mrs. Bennet approached yet again with Miss Katherine. Mr. Bennet, in the meantime, seems to be determined to take on my old avocation of needling William for his own amusement. As an expert on th
e subject, I must say he shows some promise!
Naturally our family provided its share of the entertainment as well. Colonel Fitzwilliam was in attendance since, as he said, unless he witnessed it with his own eyes, he would never truly believe William had taken on a leg-shackle.
Cousin Anne insisted upon coming as well, which was hardly surprising as she has taken to insisting upon going to any event any of us attend. I live in fear she will turn up in my club one of these days! But she was well behaved, at least by her own standards, which is to say she only made half a dozen outrageous utterances. While she did stare fixedly at my friend Monty’s cravat, she managed to restrain herself from taking any direct action.
As for Monty, he could not miss the wedding because he is determined to put in an appearance anywhere Georgiana might happen to be. He is only doing so to annoy me, I believe, but I had my revenge. I told Mrs. Bennet he was a wealthy baronet and unmarried. He could not turn tail and run quickly enough!
Then it was all over. William and Elizabeth departed, still starry-eyed. I rode back with Monty and the Colonel, where we proceeded to enjoy an evening you would disapprove of, thanks to two bottles of William’s finest port which Richard had been clever enough to liberate from Darcy House the previous day.
As for William and me, our truce remains in effect, and I anticipate his new bride will not permit any change in that status. You will be amazed when I return to Pemberley at Christmas—at William’s insistence, I might add, al-though your plum pudding may have something to do with it as well—at how civil we have become, something I once thought quite impossible. I can see you shaking your head and murmuring, “I told you so, Master Theophilus!”
Yours, etc.,
Theo Darcy
Postscript—You are not under any circumstances to allow the cook to leave before she has written down her receipt for ginger cakes!
Want more of Theo Darcy?
Read his letters at:
http://www.thedarcybrothers.com
Dedication
To all the Readers who supported us during the
creation of The Darcy Brothers,
whose many comments, Poll votes and plentiful
feedback not only helped us to shape this
tale but also gave us so much
encouragement along the way.
Without you, this story would not be what it is!
Acknowledgements
Our thanks to the authors of Jane Austen Variations whose support and encouragement throughout this journey has been priceless; to readers David McKee and Evie Cotton whose enthusiasm and weekly Reader’s Perspective posts nourished our creative energies; to Jan Ashe and Ruth whose help as a beta reader has been invaluable; and to Regina Jeffers for her participation in early plot discussions.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Monica Fairview
A confirmed Jane Austen addict, Monica Fairview used to be a literature professor, but her compulsion to write something other than scholarly articles pushed her over the edge, and resulted in her first published novel, the Regency romance, An Improper Suitor.
Now she dedicates whatever time she can spare from raising a very active daughter to writing and reading –and more writing. Born in London, Monica lived in the USA for many years. She loves to chuckle, read, and visit historical places. Sometimes she enjoys doing nothing at all. When she has the time.
So far Monica has written two Jane Austen sequels. The Other Mr Darcy focuses on Caroline Bingley and introduces Mr. Darcy’s American Cousin Robert, while The Darcy Cousins on Georgiana Darcy. A short story of hers appeared in Laurel Ann Nattress’s anthology Jane Austen Made Me Do It, featuring a number of your favorite Austenesque authors, published by Ballantine. She has written one neo-Victorian/futuristic novel based on Pride and Prejudice, Steampunk Darcy, and a traditional Pride and Prejudice Variation Mr. Darcy’s Pledge (Vol. 1)
Visit her website at: http://www.monicafairview.com
Maria Grace
Though Maria Grace has been writing fiction since she was ten years old, those early efforts happily reside in a file drawer and are unlikely to see the light of day again, for which many are grateful. After penning five file-drawer novels in high school, she took a break from writing to pursue college and earn her doctorate in Educational Psychology. After 16 years of university teaching, she returned to her first love, fiction writing.
She has one husband, two graduate degrees and two black belts, three sons, four undergraduate majors, five nieces, sewn six Regency era costumes, written seven Regency-era fiction projects, and designed eight websites. To round out the list, she cooks for nine in order to accommodate the growing boys and usually makes ten meals at a time so she only cooks twice a month.
Visit her website: http://randombitsoffascination.com/
Cassandra Grafton
A fan of Jane Austen since having to study Pride & Prejudice for her English Literature O Level examination in 1978, Cassandra has been indulging her passion for all things Austen for many years. Having long wanted to be a writer, the two came together in recent years, and she is now publishing her endeavours in the hope that readers will enjoy delving into her stories as much as she enjoyed creating them.
A former college lecturer and then PA, she is British born and bred (though she did live in the USA for five years). Cassandra has two grown up children and splits her time between Rafz, Switzerland, where she lives with her husband, and Regency England, where she lives with her characters.
Visit her website at: www.cassandragrafton.com
Susan Mason-Milks
You might be surprised to learn that when Susan read Pride and Prejudice for the first time in the eighth grade, she was not impressed! That changed when she saw the now famous 1995 mini-series version of the story. Deciding to give Austen another chance, she read all the novels and fell in love. Her favorite Austen book is Pride and Prejudice with Persuasion a close second.
She says, “Writing stories inspired by Austen’s books offers a way to spend more time with characters I’ve grown to love. Just because the book ends, it doesn’t have to be the end of the story.” Her first novel was Mr. Darcy’s Proposal with another in the works for 2015. She was also co-editor and contributor to Pride and Prejudice: The Scenes Jane Austen Never Wrote.
When people catch her day dreaming (which is often), she always says, “Oops, gone to Pemberley, again.”
In addition to writing, her other loves include singing, reading, walking, and yoga. She currently lives in Seattle with her husband, two very naughty cats, and Lucy, the Tibetan terrier, occasionally called the Tibetan terror.
Visit her website at: http://austen-whatif-stories.com
Abigail Reynolds
Abigail Reynolds may be a nationally bestselling author and a physician, but she can't follow a straight line with a ruler. Originally from upstate New York, she studied Russian and theater at Bryn Mawr College and marine biology at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. After a stint in performing arts administration, she decided to attend medical school, and took up writing as a hobby during her years as a physician in private practice.
A life-long lover of Jane Austen's novels, Abigail began writing variations on Pride & Prejudice in 2001, then expanded her repertoire to include a series of novels set on her beloved Cape Cod. Her most recent releases are the national bestseller Mr. Darcy's Noble Connections, Mr. Darcy's Refuge, A Pemberley Medley, and Morning Light, and she is currently working on a new Pemberley Variation and the next novel in her Cape Cod series. Her books have been translated into four languages. A lifetime member of JASNA, she lives on Cape Cod with her husband, her son and a menagerie of animals. Her hobbies do not include sleeping or cleaning her house.
Visit her website at: www.pemberleyvariations.com
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
EPILOGUE
The Darcy Brothers Page 37