by Linda Wells
“What is it?” She whispered.
He turned her around so that her back was to his chest and rested his chin on her shoulder. He reached his arms under hers and opened the lid. Her gasp swelled his chest. “This was my grandmother’s favourite necklace.” He lifted it from the box and carefully placed it around her neck.
Elizabeth touched the simple diamond choker with shaking fingers. “It is so beautiful.” She turned and kissed him. “I do not know what to say. Thank you for trusting me with your family’s treasures.”
Darcy smiled warmly into her eyes. “You, my love, are my greatest treasure; this necklace is merely an adornment.”
Elizabeth turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, “I love you, and not because of this magnificent gift, but because you are the man I always dreamed would love me. I can not imagine marrying anyone but you.”
Darcy swallowed the lump in his throat and held her face in his hands, tracing her lips with his thumbs. “I am …” He moaned and his lips fell upon hers. As she began to lose herself in his kiss, the sound of William’s horse awakened her to their location.
She gently put her hands on his chest and pushed away. He only clung tighter. “William, we must stop, we may already have been seen.”
He held her and murmured. “I do not care.” Elizabeth managed to loosen his grip and slipped off of his lap.
“Yes, you do.” She held out her hand. “Come, we should tell Papa what has happened.”
He stayed seated, staring at her, then closed his eyes and nodded. “Very well, I agree that we need to inform him of this morning’s events, but I also believe that it would be wise to announce our engagement before Lucas makes any of his claims public.” He took her hand and stood.
To her surprise, he lifted her up and placed her on the horse. Seeing her settled, he took a hold of the bridle and began walking beside her. “Do I seem incapable of walking, Mr. Darcy?”
He smiled. “I do not think you incapable of anything, Miss Elizabeth; however you may recall that you did not receive much of a lesson the last time we kept company with a horse.”
She raised a brow and held onto the unnecessary reins. “Whose fault was that?”
He laughed. “Well, mine perhaps, but I do believe I had a willing partner.” He met her gaze and she stopped pursing her lips and smiled.
Across the field John watched the couple depart. Their obviously tender behaviour confused him. It was not the image of Darcy he had built in his mind. He shook his head, no, of course he was correct, something was wrong with Darcy and Elizabeth in her innocence was fooled. John was determined to learn the truth and rescue her. He rubbed his swollen jaw and debated how he would explain his bruises to his parents.
The couple arrived at Longbourn just after nine o’clock. The rest of the family was just beginning to rise after their late evening and the servants were busy with their duties. Only Mr. Bennet witnessed Elizabeth sliding down the horse’s flank and into Darcy’s waiting arms. And only he saw those arms wrap around his daughter as the man bent to bestow a lingering kiss. Mr. Bennet was standing in the hallway when they entered the house, hand in hand.
“Mr. Darcy. I would like a word with you immediately.” Mr. Bennet’s face reflected his anger.
“Mr. Bennet that is exactly what I would like with you. Events have transpired this morning of which you need to be informed.”
Mr. Bennet recognized the deadly serious expression on Darcy’s face then looked to see the equal emotion on Elizabeth’s. Their unexpected reaction startled him from his anger over their displays of affection. “Well then, come in. Lizzy, please leave us.” She began to protest when Darcy spoke.
“Sir, I ask that Miss Elizabeth remain.”
Taking in their solidarity, he nodded. “Very well, then. Come in.”
They entered the bookroom and closed the door. Between the two of them, the story of John’s behaviour and their reactions was told. To say that he was shocked was an understatement. “He tried to compromise you while proposing? Are you well, Lizzy?” Mr. Bennet looked at his daughter with great concern.
Elizabeth smiled. “Yes, Papa. Mr. Darcy was my rescuer.”
Darcy reached over and took her hand, kissing it. “You were defending yourself most effectively, I am only happy that I arrived when I did.”
Mr. Bennet watched the tender regard between the two and realized he could no longer delay the inevitable. “Thank you sir, for defending my daughter.” He noticed the swollen hand. “It seems you will be in need of her nursing once again.” Darcy flexed his fingers and smiled at her.
“I will gladly accept it.”
Elizabeth raised her brow. “Are you sure? I could always send for your valet.”
“I was trying to follow the rules of propriety.”
Her eyes danced. “Well we seem to fail that quite regularly, sir.”
He kissed her hand again. “William.”
Mr. Bennet cleared his throat, interrupting the exchange. “I believe that I should call on Lucas Lodge.”
Darcy immediately focused on him. “I will accompany you, sir.”
He shook his head. “No. I am, although it seems merely ceremonial at this point, still Lizzy’s guardian and you sir, despite your displays, are not her husband … yet. It is my duty to warn off Lucas and threaten to call him out if he persists.” He sighed. “It is evident, however, that the announcement of your engagement should occur sooner than I anticipated.” He spotted the necklace sparkling around Elizabeth’s throat. “Your mother’s raptures will be deafening, Lizzy. If you wish to spare my hearing, perhaps you could reveal that rather impressive gift after I have left the house.”
Elizabeth touched the jewels and blushed. “Yes, Papa.” Darcy drew out the old velvet box and gently removed the necklace from her throat. A knock at the door alerted them that breakfast was ready and they made their way to the dining room.
Mrs. Bennet stared in surprise to see Darcy joining them. “Mr. Darcy, this is an unexpected pleasure, what brings you here so early in the day?” She looked from her daughter to her husband and back to Darcy, suspecting what had happened. Jane looked at Elizabeth with wide eyes and she smiled back, nodding her head.
Mr. Bennet cleared his throat. “Well, I am pleased to announce that Mr. Darcy has asked for Lizzy’s hand and I have granted my consent and blessing.”
As predicted the effusions were deafening, “Oh my Lizzy! My dear, dear girl! You have done it! I knew that this correspondence with Miss Darcy would help you to capture her brother’s eye, and it did! Oh and what a fine husband you will make for my Lizzy, Mr. Darcy! What pin money, what jewels you shall give her! And she will be a good and obedient wife for you, will you not Lizzy!” She barely drew breath.
Elizabeth grasped Darcy’s hand under the table and he squeezed hard. She leaned over to him. “I am so sorry that you have to witness this, William.” The table was awash with excited feminine voices, all voicing their opinions of the match, Elizabeth’s future, wedding plans, and general excitement. Lydia and Kitty were demanding new clothes along with Elizabeth’s trousseau. Mary made suggestions from her sermons about the proper conduct of a betrothed woman. Jane sat and watched them with obvious longing, and Mr. Bennet felt a growing sadness in his heart.
Darcy looked over the general melee and smiled. “This may come as a complete surprise to you Elizabeth, but although perhaps your younger sister’s behaviour should be refined, I welcome this excitement. I look forward so much to being part of a family, and I hope that they will come to visit us at Pemberley. I cannot wait to fill our home with the sounds of our children, even if it means I will never have a moment’s peace again.”
Their fingers entwined and she leaned in close to him. “It is my dearest hope to fulfil your wish, but when you do find those moments of peace, I want them to be spent in my embrace.”
Darcy stopped before he kissed her, but whispered in return. “That is where I belong.”
Chapter 19
“What do you think Darcy’s reaction will be to our interference with Catherine?” Lord Matlock asked Richard. They were comfortably ensconced in two armchairs before a roaring fire in his study at Matlock House in London.
Richard took a sip of wine and looked thoughtfully at the portrait of his grandfather hanging in a corner of the room. “If I know Darcy, and I like to think that I do, well at least as much as anyone can, I believe that “interference” is exactly the word he would use and he is feeling very unhappy with his relations at the moment.”
“I was afraid of that. Well there is nothing to be done for it now. I hope that he will see reason once he cools down.” Lord Matlock glanced at the portrait as well. “My father would be appalled with Catherine’s behaviour.”
“I do not really remember him. I must have been … six at the time that he died.” He looked at his father, who nodded.
“He lived to see most of his grandchildren born.”
Richard sat up. “I imagine that he lived to see both Aunt Catherine and Aunt Anne reject their marriages.”
“And their children.” Lord Matlock sighed. “It broke his heart. Mother was gone fairly soon after Anne married, so she thankfully did not witness it. Darcy’s grandmother on his father’s side doted on him, but I doubt that he remembers it, since she died when he was about four or so. Well, I do hope that he understands that we acted out of concern for both him and Georgiana.”
“What was it like for him? I mean, I have heard tales of the parties and the rumours of infidelity at Pemberley, but nothing of what he actually experienced day after day. He never speaks of it. I know that he did not even seem to acknowledge his mother’s death.”
Lord Matlock was silent for a few moments. “I remember paying a visit, unannounced, to Pemberley one time. I was admitted to the house, of course. The servants were silent, unusually so. Not even gossiping as the maids worked, you know how they are.” He closed his eyes, as if seeing it in his mind. “I asked if anyone was about, and was told that Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were in her study. I started walking that way and heard a woman’s voice pleading with someone. I followed the sound and found Mrs. Reynolds, the current housekeeper, and Darcy’s governess bent in front of an armoire in a room next to the study. Darcy was hiding inside of it. They saw me and looked quite frightened and relieved at the same time. I did not understand why until I opened the door and pulled him out. He must have been no more than five. He was curled, hugging his legs, but not crying. He just stared at me. I tried to hold him and ask what had happened, but he said nothing. From the next room I heard raised voices, it was my sister and brother arguing. Darcy cringed at the sound then put a finger to his lips and pressed his ear to the door, listening, and when they finally emerged, he smiled and tried to win their attention, and was told to be quiet and leave them. He flinched at the reprimand, and I suggested bringing him to Matlock to visit for awhile. My sister was indifferent, but my brother said that his son would not leave home. I never knew exactly what they did, but that is a small example of his early life.”
Richard was aghast. “I knew that he was essentially told never to express weakness, but I had no idea that it was beaten into him.”
“I do not know that it was. There was undeniably an absolute absence of affection from his parents, and at some point he just stopped trying to express it or win it for himself. It may all have been verbal abuse, or simply the exposure to his parent’s unending fights, I can not say, I was not there. It is rather extraordinary that he became the good man he is, it could so easily have gone the other way. I suppose that his governess is responsible for that.” He paused. “I have been thinking long and hard about his declaration of affection for this Miss Bennet. For Darcy to feel so strongly, well to allow himself to express emotion as he has about this woman is truly an exceptional event. I wonder just what this woman has done to break through the walls he put up around himself. It actually makes me ashamed that I would try to dissuade him from his choice.”
“Then why have you, knowing all of this?” Richard asked, sitting forward and studying his father carefully.
Lord Matlock met his eye. “I suppose that I can not forget that little boy, trying desperately to win some affection from his unhappy parents, and I am afraid that this woman has taken advantage of him. I pray that it is not the case, but I could not protect him when he was a lad. I had no right to take him from Pemberley, and now that he is an adult, I can not protect him either. All I can do is talk.” He looked down. “I am counting on you Richard, to go and find out if he is truly making the right decision.”
Richard sat back again. “James thought that he was a fool. I admit to perhaps feeling some of that same sentiment, but was willing to support him and believe that what he has found is real.” He nodded. “Well, I am on leave now, and I believe that I will invite myself to Hertfordshire. Will you return to Matlock?”
“Yes, Catherine is under control, and as long as she does not get wind of Darcy’s marital hopes, I imagine she will behave. I will not put it past her to try and disrupt his plans if he has proceeded with his courtship.”
“But Anne has said she will not marry him.”
Lord Matlock laughed. “She is angry now, Son. He has refused her daughter and ruined her long-held plans. Do you truly believe that she will allow Darcy to find peace and happiness? If I know my sister, she will be vindictive and try to stop him somehow.”
“You have threatened her to stop interfering!”
He laughed again. “She has nothing left to lose. Surely she realizes that our threat of Bedlam was simply to shock her. She will end in the dower’s house with the rest of her settlement, so why not on her terms? She would like that better than simply being banished there by Anne. No, Catherine is not through, I am sure of it.”
“She is not quite sane, is she?” Richard asked.
Lord Matlock shrugged. “I honestly do not know. She is a bitter woman.”
“Well, I have some things to finish up here in London, and then I will go to Hertfordshire in a day or so. I will let you know what I find.” Lord Matlock stood and placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I hope that you find a happy man.”
DESPITE HIS protests, Mr. Bennet was very pleased that Darcy insisted he accompany him to Lucas Lodge. Confrontation was not something that he did well, standing on the side and making observations, whether to himself or others; that was something that he could do, but taking on his neighbours over improprieties committed upon his daughter, no, he was glad for the company. Particularly as Darcy, now officially engaged to his daughter, had every right to be there, as he vehemently argued in the bookroom after breakfast. Mr. Bennet examined his future son-in-law. His expression was unreadable as ever, but it was clear that he would not frighten easily. “How is your hand?” Mr. Bennet asked as he watched Darcy wince when he pulled on his glove before mounting.
“It is a bit larger than it was this morning.”
Mr. Bennet laughed. “Well, it was done in a good cause. Have you ever struck a man before?”
Darcy glanced at him. “No, I have actually never expressed much emotion over any subject. It has earned me a reputation of being rather cold from the whisperings I have heard.”
Mr. Bennet tilted his head. “Did you feel that to express emotion was ungentlemanly? I do not mean emotion of the heart so much as emotion such as anger or even fear?”
Darcy’s face became like stone. “I was encouraged to express nothing at all to anyone at anytime.” He stared straight ahead. Mr. Bennet wondered what sort of upbringing this man experienced. Darcy wished to redirect the conversation. “Sir, how do you wish to approach the Lucas’s? They are your friends and neighbours; I will speak only if you wish it. I am here to demonstrate my devotion to Elizabeth and support of her family.” Darcy relished the new right to use Elizabeth’s Christian name publicly.
“In all honesty, Mr. Darcy, I do not know what I will say. I think that we should see what our reception is fir
st.”
Nodding, he looked out into the distance, losing himself in thoughts of the morning. He did not lie. He had never in his life hit a man, or even defended himself. All of those years of admonishment by his father not to ever express emotion, and the neglect by his mother, had taken their toll on him. When he was older, stronger, wiser, he used his wits to extricate himself from difficult situations, or more likely to avoid them all together. The only man who ever challenged him enough to drive him to desire violence was always Wickham, and for him, he always walked away. His father’s seemingly blind devotion to him made Darcy hesitant to ever put him in his place. He knew now, after thinking it over for years, that he was afraid that if he knocked down Wickham, he would lose whatever affection his father did hold for him. Perhaps that is why Wickham felt that he could take Georgiana away, he felt that Darcy would never fight back.
They arrived at Lucas Lodge and dismounting, approached the door. Mr. Bennet glanced up at Darcy. “Thank you for coming with me.”
Darcy looked at him with appreciation. “It is my honour, sir.”
The housekeeper took them to Sir William’s study where he stood in surprise. “Gentleman! What brings you here this fine morning?” He waved them to seats, offered them drinks and settled in behind his desk, smiling expectantly.
Mr. Bennet looked at him quizzically. “Has Lucas been here to see you this morning, Sir William?”
“John? No, he was off early on an errand, and I believe he was going to inspect the drainage. He has really been throwing himself into his estate duties of late.” He chuckled. “I believe that was at Eliza’s encouragement.” He grinned at Mr. Bennet then catching Darcy’s piercing gaze stopped and cleared his throat. “Well, so, ahem, John is out, so may I be of service?” He looked between them.
Sighing, Mr. Bennet began. “It seems we are to be the bearers of bad news. Lizzy went for a walk this morning and Lucas came upon her. He took the opportunity to present his suit in a most unwanted and insistent manner, to the point where she had to slap his face to convince him to let go of her.” Sir William’s smile fell away and he stared at Mr. Bennet. “Mr. Darcy was riding and came upon the scene in time to witness the slap and Lizzy attempting to escape your son by climbing over a stile. He rapidly rode to her aid and in the course of the confrontation struck Lucas three times.” He looked at Darcy who nodded.