Elizabeth gave him an amorous smile and placed her hands upon his shoulders.
Darcy swallowed. “And what of your maid?” he asked hoarsely. “Will she not be waiting to assist you before you retire?”
Trailing her fingers along the edge of his cravat, she said, “That is one advantage of growing up in a house with four sisters. Having but one maid to share between us, I have grown quite accustomed to seeing to myself. In fact, I have long since dismissed Sonia for the night; however, if I later find I am in any particular need of assistance, then perhaps you can see to me personally, sir.”
She kissed him then, a long, sensuous kiss that succeeded in melting away any remaining fragments of his reserve. After a moment, Elizabeth backed away from him, a mischievous smile playing upon her lips. Darcy watched, mesmerized, as she made her way to the door, her hips swaying, and turned the key in the lock. She then moved toward the fire and, reclining fully upon the large leather sofa before it, beckoned to him. “Will you not come to me, Fitzwilliam?” she asked, her voice soft and inviting. “Will you not make me yours once again?”
Darcy watched as Elizabeth slowly ran her hand from the elegant curve of her neck down to her full breasts. An inarticulate sound rose in the back of his throat.
“Come to me, my love,” she whispered.
Who was he to argue?
Chapter 14
Mrs. Bennet’s voice had increased to at least ten times her usual volume as she eagerly informed Jane and Elizabeth of her plans for the day. Much to his consternation, Darcy heard her even before he reached the bottom of the staircase in the main hall. Slowing his pace, he struggled against an inclination to seek refuge in his study. Perhaps, I could say I have a pressing matter of business to attend to? Then he thought of Elizabeth and sighed.
They had parted not five hours earlier, after passing some of the most tender moments of his life in front of the fire in his study. As he recalled those blissful hours with fondness, the need to gaze once more upon her face became overwhelming. Drawing himself up to his full height, Darcy steeled himself against his future mother-in-law’s boisterous effusions and forced his legs to continue toward his original destination. After crossing the main hall and taking several deep breaths to subdue his annoyance, he nodded to the servant to open the door to the dining room. In the next moment, he entered and took his place at the head of the table. Another servant approached and began serving his breakfast.
“Do not be ridiculous, Lizzy,” Mrs. Bennet proclaimed. “Of course, you will need new gowns. Six at the very least, and most likely more. Since you have been clever enough to catch yourself such a rich husband, I am sure your father will not mind the expense one bit, for he must realize that your marrying Mr. Darcy will certainly throw your sisters into the paths of other rich men.”
Darcy took several swallows of tea in order to dislodge the toast he had choked on, then glanced sharply at Mrs. Bennet before allowing his gaze to dart toward Elizabeth. It was precisely as he had suspected—she appeared to be in misery.
Her cheeks blazing with mortification, Elizabeth muttered, “Mama, please,” as she wished for the floor beneath her to open up and swallow her whole. Though she did not dare look at Darcy, she could feel the intensity of his penetrating eyes upon her. He must be disgusted by my mother’s lack of decorum! she thought, feeling no small amount of shame. For her to say such a thing in front of him—and while she is a guest in his own home, no less! Without a doubt, Fitzwilliam must be questioning the soundness of his decision to marry me, for how could he possibly believe the daughter of such a silly and vulgar woman could ever make a suitable mistress for Pemberley or a proper wife for him? I would not blame him in the least if he is, even at this very minute, regretting his rash decision!
Seeing Elizabeth in distress pained Darcy, and he found himself wanting to do nothing more than offer her comfort, to go to her and wrap her in his embrace, but he knew he could not. He looked instead to Mr. Bennet, who, Darcy noted with a touch of irritation, was observing them all with an expression of repressed amusement. Seeing he was to have no ally in his future father-in-law, Darcy cleared his throat and said as amiably as he could, “I take it then, ladies, that a visit to the modiste is the order of the day?”
Georgiana was quick to answer. “Oh, yes, Fitzwilliam. I thought to take Miss Elizabeth to Mrs. Duval’s in Bond Street.” Then, turning to Elizabeth, she said, “Mrs. Duval has always been very accommodating whenever I have had the need for a special gown to be made in very little time. I am sure she will be delighted to design your trousseau, Miss Elizabeth. Her work is truly excellent and she currently has the most beautiful pale yellow silk in the window. I do believe the color would look lovely on you.”
Elizabeth gave her future sister a warm, appreciative smile. “Thank you, Miss Darcy. I am looking forward to seeing it. Indeed, I am quite certain Mrs. Duval will have many beautiful things in her shoppe.”
“Lizzy, have you not always said you longed to own a yellow ball gown?” chimed Kitty. “I daresay now that you are to become Mrs. Darcy, you shall most likely have twenty!”
“Kitty, I would hardly need twenty ball gowns,” Elizabeth said. “Indeed, I have very little need even for one.”
But her mother agreed with Kitty, proclaiming that Elizabeth would surely have twenty if she wanted them, for Mr. Darcy, as rich as he was, could certainly afford to buy her as many as forty such gowns and very likely more. Elizabeth felt her mortification increase.
* * *
All the ladies departed for Bond Street shortly after breakfast, the number of gowns Mrs. Bennet insisted they must purchase multiplying with the passing of every ten minutes. Jane and Elizabeth did all in their power to discourage their mother’s thinking—and speaking—quietly stressing the impropriety of spending so much of their father’s money on so many gowns, but to little avail. Georgiana, equally as uncomfortable with such talk, attended them in relative silence.
Before they had departed, Darcy had taken Georgiana aside. Knowing Elizabeth would certainly not be of the same mind as her mother, who had appeared more than eager to overspend her father’s limited funds, he had given his sister strict instructions to make certain she paid very close attention to each additional item Elizabeth favored and to secretly charge them all to her own account. This included the designs of certain gowns Elizabeth would not have the resources to purchase while she retained her maiden name. He was adamant that, as his wife, she would want for nothing, but, most especially, the pale yellow ball gown her sister had spoken of at breakfast. In fact, after learning that Elizabeth had always desired to own just such a gown, Darcy had become quite determined to see to it that her father would not absorb the cost of that particular item. He wanted to see her eyes light up with pleasure when he presented it to her after their marriage, just as her beauty and vivacity caused his heart to swell each and every time he so much as thought of her.
As soon as the ladies set foot in the modiste shoppe, their party was met by a young assistant who made her way to Georgiana.
“Good morning, Miss Darcy,” she said. “How can I be of service to you today?”
Georgiana smiled. “Though there are several items I may wish to acquire, Miss Granby, we are here today to shop for a trousseau for my future sister.” She linked her arm with Elizabeth’s.
Miss Granby quickly—and rather openly—surveyed the Bennets, who were by no means dressed so fashionably nor so expensively as Miss Darcy, before offering Elizabeth a somewhat restrained smile. “Of course,” she said. “Allow me to offer my congratulations, Miss…”
Elizabeth raised her brow. “Bennet. Thank you,” she returned with equal coolness.
Miss Granby gave her another haughty look and said, “Well, Miss Bennet, please follow me, and we shall get you started.”
Though Georgiana thought she had made it clear to Miss Granby they were there primarily to shop for Elizabeth’s trousseau, she could not but notice with some distress it was
she who received the solicitous attention of Mrs. Duval’s staff, and not her future sister. The lengths to which the staff went to be of service to her while almost pointedly ignoring Elizabeth bordered on shocking to the privileged girl, who was quite accustomed to receiving the very best of service. Indeed, she could not comprehend how Miss Granby and the other assistants attending them could behave in such a cool, condescending manner to the Bennets and, especially, to the future Mrs. Darcy. She turned to Elizabeth several times with an expression of real concern and no small degree of embarrassment, only to see her respond to Miss Granby’s rudeness by raising a brow and addressing the woman in an arch manner that appeared to express her total lack of intimidation. If Elizabeth was truly bothered by the staff’s indifferent attitude toward her and their lack of basic courtesy, Georgiana was forced to concede she did a convincing job of hiding it.
Indeed, Elizabeth hid her distress very well. Though she could not admit to being surprised by Miss Granby’s initial haughty attitude toward her, she was both startled and pained to see the contrasting deference so pointedly paid to Georgiana in her presence. No doubt her future sister was used to receiving preferential treatment wherever she went, but given the circumstances, Elizabeth had expected at least some form of conciliatory acceptance and civility toward herself, if not toward the members of her family.
Whether it was the elegance of the establishment or the elegance of the wealthy patrons in it who cast many not-so-surreptitious glances in the direction of their party, Elizabeth found her mother uncharacteristically reserved for such an occasion. Not even the vast array of lace, of which Mrs. Bennet had long held very decided opinions, could rouse her to her usual overzealous effusions. As a matter of fact, considering her two youngest sisters were also surrounded by the finest muslin and silk money could buy, they, too, seemed surprisingly subdued, exhibiting far better behavior than Elizabeth had ever imagined possible.
After sitting for so many hours in one attitude, examining patterns and selecting fabric and trim while being ignored by the staff, Elizabeth was in desperate need of a change of venue. Making her excuses, she rose and made her way to the other side of the shoppe. She was in the midst of admiring a beautifully embroidered pair of silk gloves when she happened to overhear two assistants engrossed in a rather animated conversation. Though they spoke in hushed tones, their voices carried easily to Elizabeth.
“But you must admit she gives every appearance of being a gentleman’s daughter, even if the gown she wears is not of the finest muslin.”
“She is the daughter of a gentleman, I hear, but he owns a rather meager estate—nothing to Mr. Darcy’s—and she is rumored to have several relations in trade.”
“In trade? My word! Are you certain?”
“Yes, and I cannot imagine why Fitzwilliam Darcy would lower himself to offer for a woman who is apparently so unconnected and penniless. She has a dowry of only fifty pounds per annum, I hear!”
“Fifty pounds! When, for years, he has had his pick of far more refined women with fifty thousand?”
“Precisely. It makes one wonder.”
“Can there be any real affection on his part, do you think? You never know. Perhaps he lost his heart to this little country beauty.”
The other assistant snorted. “His heart? You mean his head, more like! I overheard Caroline Bingley, whose brother is Mr. Darcy’s oldest and dearest friend, tell her own very great friend, Cecelia Hayward, that Mr. Darcy was drawn in while he was a guest in her brother’s house. It was all so shameful to watch, she said. And shocking! Why, whenever the two of them were in company together, he could not tear his eyes from Miss Bennet’s well-featured charms, so to speak. Perhaps they were caught in a compromising position, and he is being forced to marry her. In any case, he certainly cannot go through with this marriage to such an unconnected woman.”
“No, certainly not. Can you just imagine what his titled relations will say when they hear about the match? No doubt the earl will put an end to the engagement straight away!”
They tittered loudly. “Oh, yes. Knowing Lord Matlock, he will be outraged over the disgrace his nephew will bring upon their entire family. You mark my words, there is no chance we shall ever see poor little Miss Bennet return as Mrs. Darcy. She will be sent back to the country in shame, and he will be married within a fortnight to his well-dowered cousin or another woman of the ton, who is far more suitable.”
Elizabeth had heard enough, and, shaking, she turned and walked out of the shoppe. Georgiana joined her only moments later, an expression of concern etched upon her face.
“Miss Elizabeth, are you well?” she asked.
Elizabeth swallowed down the hot lump that had lodged in her throat, and looked away.
“Pay them no mind,” she continued as she placed her hand on Elizabeth’s arm. “Anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing you and Fitzwilliam together can be left in no doubt of your love for each other. What those two women said inside was horrible, but it was nothing more than gossip, maliciously purported by Caroline Bingley, no less. She has always aspired to catch my brother, and now she is angered that all her scheming has come to nothing. And as for my uncle, I know he will love you. He is not so concerned with birth and connections as he would have the rest of London believe. The most important thing to him, and to my aunt, is that Fitzwilliam is happy, and they will be reassured of that the moment they see the way he looks at you.”
Though Elizabeth was touched by the words her future sister offered, she could not soon forget the rude treatment she received, the unkind remarks and the hurtful gossip she overheard, nor the resulting pain associated with it all. That morning, the happy prospect of ordering new gowns for her trousseau had greatly appealed to Elizabeth, but considering the emotional cost she was required to pay, she no longer felt equal to the task. She was eager to be away from Mrs. Duval’s shoppe as soon as possible and not at all looking forward to having to return.
* * *
While Mrs. Bennet, Jane, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia were eager to continue their shopping excursion in another part of London, Elizabeth and Georgiana chose to return to Darcy House. When they entered the foyer, it was nearly teatime, and Georgiana was informed that her brother was entertaining none other than Lord and Lady Matlock in the music room. Elizabeth, at Georgiana’s urging, accompanied her future sister, and when they entered the room, she saw an elegant older lady and two finely dressed gentlemen engaged in easy conversation with Darcy.
Georgiana’s eyes lit up with pleasure. “Aunt Rebecca, Uncle Henry. How wonderful to find you here.” She kissed them both before turning to the other gentleman. He appeared to be no more than several years older than Darcy. “Hello, Cousin. Have you come to meet Miss Elizabeth, or are you here only to tease me mercilessly, just as you always do?”
He laughed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I am always eager to tease you, dearest, but I confess to being quite curious about the young lady who has finally managed to captivate my infamously imperturbable cousin.”
Smiling wide enough to show his dimples, Darcy hastened to Elizabeth’s side. “Elizabeth, please allow me to present my uncle and aunt, Lord and Lady Matlock, and my cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. Aunt Rebecca, Uncle Henry, Richard, it is my very great pleasure to introduce Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire.”
Lady Matlock smiled kindly. Her husband addressed Elizabeth stiffly. “Miss Bennet, allow me to offer my congratulations to you. My nephew has been rather negligent in his duty, I am afraid, and saw fit to inform us of his engagement to you only the other day. If you are truly all he claims, I daresay you will find much happiness in your union.”
Elizabeth understood him. The earl did not yet know her, and despite whatever Darcy had told his family, his uncle would reserve judgment on her. She chose her reply carefully. “Thank you, Your Lordship. Your nephew and I have already shared much happiness. He is one of the most intelligent men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing,
to say nothing of his kind and generous heart. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have earned the affection and esteem of such an excellent man.” She exchanged a look of affection with Darcy, who moved even closer to her and brushed her hand with his own.
The affectionate action was not lost on Colonel Fitzwilliam, who grinned at having caught his reserved cousin performing such an impropriety in front of his parents. Never before had he seen his cousin so besotted with a woman. Now that he thought of it, he could not remember ever having seen Darcy besotted with a woman. He observed Elizabeth with interest while his mother engaged her in conversation.
Though his cousin’s fiancée had seemed somewhat reserved at first, she was now listening with rapt attention to Lady Matlock as she related some story about her own courtship with the earl. Elizabeth leaned in then and, smiling archly, said something that caused the older woman to laugh. The earl merely harrumphed, but his twitching lips indicated his amusement.
By the end of the visit, it was obvious to Darcy his relations were impressed by Elizabeth’s wit, candor, and keen intelligence. It pleased him beyond measure to see that even the earl did not remain unaffected by her charms. The older gentleman had become more animated as the hour wore on; his eyes turned often upon Elizabeth with interest and, perhaps, even a touch of admiration.
Darcy saw them all to the door with regret. He kissed his aunt and slapped Richard on the shoulder. Before Lord Matlock quitted the house, he took his nephew aside and muttered, however grudgingly, “She’ll do, she’ll do.” A small, satisfied grin played upon the earl’s face as Darcy bid him a good evening.
* * *
Dinner that evening passed in much the same manner as breakfast. Mrs. Bennet and her youngest daughters talked of the success of their shopping trip and of the vast number of new gowns they had ordered, while Elizabeth sat in mortification, and Mr. Bennet silently laughed at their silliness. Darcy, as could be expected, could find nothing so humorous in the scenario at his table, especially given how Georgiana and Jane seemed to glance repeatedly at Elizabeth throughout the meal, with expressions of concern. It was not until the very last course was taken away that he discovered, through Mrs. Bennet’s loud ranting, their trip to Mrs. Duval’s shoppe had not gone at all as they had anticipated.
Truth about Mr. Darcy Page 15