“He has taken on some of the more dangerous missions and has been rewarded handsomely for it,” Richard mentioned. “I myself went on one or two of those missions but stopped going when my mother heard of it. She was so beside herself with worry that she had my father talk with me. I agreed to be more discreet in front of my mother. Of course, my father understood. Being the second son, I have to make a name for myself, and the rewards for some of these missions is very tempting.”
“I am sure my aunt would rather see you marry an heiress then fighting the French,” Darcy commented.
“Yes, that is what my father said,” Richard said as he leaned back in his chair. “Anyway, Hathaway did say when he is done serving in the military he plans to return to Lambton. He has taken the old Wellborn place, and he plans to make a go of it.”
“It is a good bit of land,” Darcy commented. “I considered buying it myself and leasing it out, but when I heard from Mr. Fletcher that it was Hathaway looking to buy it, I withdrew my bid. I know John has always wanted to further his prospects and he is a good man, I am very glad to have him as a neighbor. Besides, Mr. Hathaway will be glad to have him nearby I think, now that he is getting on in years.”
“John is such an adventurer at heart,” Richard commented. “I am not sure I see him ever truly settling down. He loves to be in the thick of it; he loves the action.”
“And what about you, Richard?” Darcy asked him. “What do you plan to do?”
Richard shook his head and laughed, “I plan to find some very agreeable, young, rich heiress who is willing to overlook all my many flaws and promptly marry her.”
“I am surprised you did not add beautiful to the list,” Darcy laughed.
“Well it would be of some help if she were beautiful, but I will settle for pretty and wealthy,” he joked. “If for no other reason than to please my mother.”
Chapter Five
Elizabeth tried to keep her racing heart calm as the carriage approached Hallowell. Again she found herself feeling astonished that such lovely estates should exist so near to London. Hallowell was a lovely home, with beautifully sculpted trees and shrubs that lined the lane leading up to the house. She took in a small breath and did her best to keep her nerves under control. She looked over at William who was sitting just across from her and thought about the conversation they had just before they prepared to leave. He came in while she was finishing dressing and asked if she would remember not to address him by his given name this evening, especially in front of his aunt and uncle. He explained that both his aunt and uncle were very proper, and always expected the strictest observance to what was right and proper. William told her that his aunt might not look kindly on her less formal use of his given name. When she asked him if he took issue with her for using his given name, he assured her he did not. Elizabeth knew that it was customary in polite society to use formality when addressing others. Even those family members closest to you were often addressed in a more formal manner whilst others were present. Her mother always addressed her father as Mr. Bennet. She remembered thinking when she was younger that it was very odd that her mother should never call her father by anything other than his surname. She always thought how very cold and unfeeling it was that her mother never seemed to have any expressions of love for her father. Perhaps it was because there was so little love or affection demonstrated between her parents that left her unwilling to address her own husband in such a way.
Elizabeth looked over at William again and realized he was looking at her. As the carriage came to a stop, her stomach churned just a bit. She took in another small breath and considered what might lay ahead. She waited as the others got out of the carriage, but made no motion to move when Darcy reached out to take her hand in his.
Darcy moved over and sat next to her on the seat, “Is everything all right?” he asked her. “You look very pale.”
Elizabeth looked up at him and shook her head. “I wonder if your aunt and uncle will like me,” she said. “If something as trivial as calling you by your given name might upset Lady Fitzwilliam, what other things might she be watching for? What if I should say the wrong thing or mention shopping at the wrong warehouses?”
Darcy took her hand in his. He could feel it tremble just a bit. “My darling Elizabeth, I did not mean to upset you or cause you to be uneasy about meeting my family. Please, forgive me?”
Elizabeth saw the love in his eyes, and all at once she felt better. She reminded herself that as long as William loved her, it mattered very little what Lord and Lady Fitzwilliam thought of her. She summoned her courage and smiled at him. “There is nothing to forgive, my love. One look at you and I find I am feeling myself again,” she said somewhat playfully. “Although, I think perhaps you have forgotten yourself, sir,” she teased him further. “I thought tonight you were supposed to address me only as Mrs. Darcy. After all, we are in polite society, are we not?”
He saw the glint in her eyes and the smile on her lips. “You are quite right, my dear, it truly is another unpardonable offense on my part. I cannot imagine what Lady Fitzwilliam would have said if she had heard me address my own wife with such familiarity in the company of others.”
Her smile widened, “Truly, you are very forward, Mr. Darcy,” she smiled mischievously. “You take entirely too much liberty with me. To think you would be so presumptuous as to call me Elizabeth.”
“And will you chastise me for my indiscretion, I wonder?” He teased her in return.
Elizabeth nodded her head. “Of course, such a transgression cannot go unpunished.”
“And what reprimand can I expect for such imprudence?” Darcy pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed it softly as he looked into her beautiful brown eyes. He had worried that she would be upset with him for asking her to call him Mr. Darcy for the sake of his aunt and uncle. But again she surprised him; she seemed to be in good humor and was as playful with him as she always was.
Elizabeth laughed and shook her head no. “I will not tell you. Better to let you imagine what I will do to you, I think. But I do have something in mind, Mr. Darcy,” she whispered softly as he stood up and helped her from the carriage.
Darcy’s heart beat just a little faster. “How delightfully you torture me, Mrs. Darcy,” he whispered into her ear so only she could hear. He extended his arm and said, “Shall we go in?”
Elizabeth placed her arm on his, as he escorted her into the drawing room to meet his aunt and uncle. Lady Fitzwilliam stood near her husband. She was very elegantly dressed in a deep royal blue gown. “Lord Fitzwilliam, Lady Fitzwilliam, this is my wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy,” he said as he introduced her to them.
“It is so very nice to meet you both,” Elizabeth said.
Lady Fitzwilliam walked over and took Elizabeth’s arm in hers. “Come along, my dear. I have so been looking forward to meeting you,” she said as she guided her over to the sofa to sit down. She looked at Elizabeth and smiled, “Now tell me, my dear, what have you been doing since coming to London?” she asked her.
Elizabeth thought for a moment, “Well, we have been to dinner with my Aunt and Uncle Philips, and to the theater,” she told her. “We will be attending Lady Knowles’s Ball the day after next, and yesterday we met with the Admiral and Mrs. Godwin.”
“It sounds as if you are off to a good start,” she told her. “Admiral and Mrs. Godwin will be arriving soon. Mrs. Godwin always likes to come late.”
“She did mention she would be attending this evening. I found her to be a very amiable acquaintance, and I very much enjoyed my time with her and the admiral,” Elizabeth told her.
Lady Fitzwilliam smiled, “She will be very happy to have Miss Bennet with them, once she and Mr. Godwin marry,” she commented. “Now tell me, have you been shopping?”
Elizabeth nodded, “Yes, we took my sister to several of the shops in Cheapside to buy her wedding clothes,” she told her. “My aunt took us to the shops she herself often frequents.”
Lady
Fitzwilliam looked over at Mary. “Your sister seems a very quiet sort of girl. Richard tells me she is rather reserved?” she commented.
Elizabeth looked over at Mary, then back to Lady Fitzwilliam. “She can be a bit reserved, I think,” she said. “I believe knowing Mrs. Godwin will help her as she learns to navigate her way in London Society.”
Lady Fitzwilliam replied, “Mrs. Godwin will take very good care of your sister, my dear. She is a very kind, gentle sort of lady with a very good nature. I believe she is one of those very rare people in the world who always look for opportunities to help others whenever she can.”
“That sounds very much like my sister Jane,” Elizabeth told her.
Lady Fitzwilliam looked over at Jane, “Mrs. Bingley is very beautiful,” she told her. “And I have heard from my son that your sister, Miss Catherine Bennet, has the voice of an angel. He said she sings beautifully. He commented that he cannot ever remember hearing someone sing so well before.”
Elizabeth smiled, “Yes, she does. I think we were all rather pleasantly surprised to hear her sing. We only recently learned of her talent for it while we were visiting my family in Meryton.”
Lady Fitzwilliam watched Elizabeth carefully. She hesitated for a moment, then said. “Tell me, Mrs. Darcy, have you settled in at Pemberley?” she asked her.
“I believe I have, yes,” she told her. She looked over at William and sighed. “I am quite content with my life there. Mr. Darcy is truly the best man I have ever known, and I find that I feel blissfully happy to be married to him.”
Lady Fitzwilliam smiled, “I am delighted with your answer, my dear,” she told her. “You said exactly what I hoped you would say. You did not mention Pemberley or your husband’s wealth, but rather, spoke from the heart of your love for my nephew. I think you are exactly the kind of wife Lord Fitzwilliam and I always hoped William would find.”
Elizabeth smiled, “Thank you, Lady Fitzwilliam, for saying so,” she told her.
“Now, unfortunately, we must talk of less pleasant matters,” she began to say. “You know that Lady Catherine has come to visit London?”
Elizabeth was not sure where this topic of the discussion was going. “She did write to Mr. Darcy only just this morning saying that she had arrived,” she said.
“Did she?” Lady Fitzwilliam commented. “And did she send her regards, or was there another purpose for the letter?”
“I believe she wished to express her desire to see Mr. Darcy, the Colonel, and of course, Miss Georgiana,” she told her.
Lady Fitzwilliam leaned back on the sofa and shook her head, “Then it is just as I suspected,” she said. “She wished to see them and purposely exclude you?”
Elizabeth nodded her head, “I do believe Mr. Darcy said as much, yes.”
“Well, do not take it to heart, my dear,” Lady Fitzwilliam told her. “Lady Catherine did not approve of me either in the beginning. She was adamantly against Lord Fitzwilliam marrying me. My family comes from Scotland, you know.”
“No, I did not know. The Colonel did not mention anything about that,” Elizabeth said feeling somewhat relieved.
“Oh yes, my father is from Edinburgh, and my mother was from London,” she explained. “Even worse, my father was a lawyer and not a gentleman who owned land. Lady Catherine was not at all pleased with her brother marrying someone so clearly beneath him. Of course, given time, she came around. But when we first married, she was very difficult.”
“I think I understand what you mean. She has been very difficult for Mr. Darcy. She refused to come to the wedding and still wishes to have nothing to do with me,” Elizabeth admitted.
Lady Fitzwilliam took in a deep breath, “Lady Catherine is a very stubborn woman. I know she had her heart set that William would marry Anne. However, I can assure you that it never was a desire of his mother’s. Anne Darcy was not an overly complicated woman, but she did lead from her heart. She would not have wished an arranged marriage on William. I believe she saw how much Lady Catherine suffered under her own arranged marriage to ever accept that for her own children.”
“Lady Catherine’s marriage was not one of love?” Elizabeth asked letting her curiosity get the better of her.
“No, it was her father, Lord Fitzwilliam, who arranged the entire thing. Lord de Bourgh was older than Lady Catherine by at least several years. From what I understand, he was a very wealthy gentleman with a kind heart. He lost his first wife when she died giving birth to their second child. Then, not long after, his only son came down with a terrible fever and died a short time later. His life was plagued by tragedy, I am told. When he became acquainted with Catherine and Anne’s father, I do not believe he was looking to marry again. Nevertheless, he knew his duty was to provide an heir to keep his lineage going and leave his vast wealth to. I think for his part he truly did love Lady Catherine. Although, I cannot say the same for her,” Lady Fitzwilliam told her. She took in a deep breath and said, “You have another sister I believe, by the name of Mrs. Lydia Wickham?”
Elizabeth felt her heart beat a little faster, “Yes, my youngest sister is in Meryton right now, but will be coming to London for Mary’s wedding.”
“Richard has told me that Mrs. Wickham is expecting her first child,” she commented.
“Yes, she is,” was all Elizabeth said.
“Babies are such wonderful blessings,” Lady Fitzwilliam said with a smile on her face. “When you and Mr. Darcy have your first child, I think Lady Catherine might come around. After all, who among us can resist the sweet smile or cooing of a newborn babe?”
Elizabeth was not sure what to say, so she chose to say nothing at all. She looked over at William and thought about his reluctance to have a child just yet. She watched as he talked with the Colonel and Captain Hathaway. As she watched him, she thought about their ‘someday’ room at Pemberley and hoped when the time came her husband would be as pleased with the news as she would be. At that moment, Darcy looked over and saw her gazing at him. He smiled as their eyes held each other for a moment, then he turned back and continued his conversation. Elizabeth turned her attention back to Lady Fitzwilliam, but before she could say anything more, Admiral Godwin and Mrs. Godwin were shown into the parlor to join them, and introductions followed.
Mrs. Godwin walked over and took Mary’s arm in hers and began walking about the room. “Come now, Mary; you are far too wonderful to be sitting in the corner. I must see you chatting with the other ladies about the room.”
Mary smiled nervously, “I do not mind sitting on my own. I often find I have nothing to talk about with the other ladies anyway,” she admitted. “I suppose I can be rather dull.”
Mrs. Godwin furrowed her brow, “Come now, I do not believe that is true. You, being so very accomplished a reader, as well as your love for music, have much more to talk about than perhaps even you realize,” she told her. “Let us go and join Lady Fitzwilliam and Mrs. Darcy. I am sure they are eager for some good conversation. Lady Fitzwilliam is a great talker, and I am sure by now has worn your poor sister completely out. You and I will give her some relief and join in the conversation, shall we?”
Mary hesitated for a moment but then allowed her future mother-in-law to lead the way. “All right I will try,” she said softly.
As they came up to Lady Fitzwilliam, Mrs. Godwin said. “Now ladies, we have come to keep you from gossiping all night,” she teased her old friend.
Lady Fitzwilliam smiled warmly as she greeted her friend, “Now truly, Margret, you know very well I never gossip,” she assured her. “I only ever talk about current family affairs in the politest of company.”
Mrs. Godwin laughed, “Yes, my dear Lady Abigail, I know you are the soul of discretion, but I am sure you have had adequate time to bring Mrs. Darcy up on all the goings on,” she teased her.
Lady Fitzwilliam laughed, “Oh my dear friend, you do know me too well,” she said. “Of course, you are quite right; I think perhaps it is time to discuss something more ente
rtaining. You must tell me, what new book have you been reading? I so enjoy hearing of what new and interesting things you learn.”
“In truth, I have not been reading anything new of late. However, Miss Bennet was sharing with me about a book she read not long ago all about America and the Indians,” she said rather dramatically. “It really is very interesting,”
Lady Fitzwilliam’s eyes brightened, “Oh please, do share with us, Miss Bennet. I love to hear tales about other places.”
Mary swallowed and calmed her nerves, “Well, if you like…” she began to say as she shared with them the interesting stories she had read.
Mrs. Godwin smiled; she knew Mary was not a wallflower. She knew she would blossom given the right opportunities.
Caroline stood off to the side of the room watching as the other guests mingled with one another. She considered how was it possible that everyone around her should be having such a wonderful time, except for herself? Besides the Bennet sisters, she thought those in her company to be of superior birth and rank, so by all accounts, she should be enjoying herself, but she was not. She could not explain it, but since coming to London, she had felt out of sorts. Caroline looked over and saw her brother with Lord Fitzwilliam, Mr. Godwin, and Mr. Darcy. Her brother seemed perfectly content, but then again, Charles was truly an amiable young man who was seldom in a foul mood. She narrowed her eyes as she considered Mr. Darcy. It was true he was handsome, but she could not help but think of what Elizabeth had said to her before about finding someone to love her and be loved by in return. Try as she might to dismiss such overly romantic notions, those words kept coming back to torment her.
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