He smiled, “I felt I needed some fresh air,” he told her. “What did you wish to speak to me about?”
“I thought if you have no objections, I was thinking perhaps we might stay on in London for just a little while longer instead of returning to Pemberley so soon,” she suggested.
Darcy furrowed his brow, “I thought you wanted to spend Christmas at Pemberley?” he said, somewhat surprised.
“I do,” she told him. “But now with Mr. Fitzwilliam and Caroline soon to wed, I thought we might stay.”
“I am sure my cousin will understand our desire to return to Pemberley,” he told her. “After all, you did hear him say he wishes it to be a very small and simple affair.”
“I know, but I would very much like to be there for Caroline,” she told him. “She has asked that Jane and I stand up with her.”
Darcy narrowed his eyes in confusion. “I feel as though I have missed something. When did you and Miss Bingley grow to be so close?”
Elizabeth hesitated for a moment, “I did not mean to say that she and I are close or intimate friends. However, we have spent much time together, and I think we better understand each other than we once did,” she told him. “Their wedding is to be in ten days. If we were to remain until after their wedding, that would still allow us time to return to Pemberley in time for Christmas.”
Darcy sighed heavily, “Elizabeth, Georgiana and I have always spent Christmas at Pemberley,” he told her. It is a tradition we have had since we were children.”
She reached out and placed her hand on his, “I am not asking that we remain in London for the duration of the season, but rather, that we stay a while longer,” she told him again. “Besides, both Kitty and Georgie have received so many cards; it would be rude not to remain and take tea with some of the ladies and allow the gentlemen to call on them.”
Darcy felt himself feeling a bit agitated, “I should think that if we stay for three days more, that will allow enough time for anyone who wishes to do so to call. I can see no reason why we must remain a further fortnight before returning to Pemberley,” he snapped at her just a little.
“William, there is no need to be impatient with me,” she said, somewhat surprised by the tone in his voice. “There are other reasons I would like to stay longer. It would afford me a little more time with Jane, and then there is my father...”
“I did not mean to sound so very agitated, forgive me,” he told her. “What about your father; has something happened?” he asked, his voice filled with concern.
She shook her head, “No, Papa is well. It is only Lydia has been difficult,” she told him. “She wishes to return to London…”
Darcy rolled his eyes as a mixture of both relief and agitation washed over him. “That is exactly the reason we should not remain. If we return to Pemberley, she will be easier for your father.”
“William, I thought if we stay just a little longer, we could perhaps go to Longbourn for just a few days, and that would allow me to see my father one more time before Christmas,” she suggested.
Darcy shook his head, “No. I am sorry, Elizabeth, but that will not be possible. The weather is changing; travel will be that much more difficult. I do not believe we can travel to Longbourn and then back to London before Owen and Miss Bingley marry. It would be very difficult to manage and still make it to Pemberley in time for Christmas.
Elizabeth chewed her bottom lip and considered what he said, “I will admit to you, I had not thought of that. If we cannot go to Longbourn for me to see my father, could you do me this one thing? Would you consider writing to Wickham and impress upon him to go to Longbourn and spend time with my sister? She is lonely, and I believe it would go a long way if Wickham were to come…”
Darcy shook his head, “I am sorry, Elizabeth,” he told her, cutting her off. “That is something I will not do! I have already involved myself in Wickham’s affairs far more than I ever hoped to! I am sorry for your sister, but I cannot do anything more!”
She was hurt by the abrupt and agitated manner in which he spoke to her. She felt her own temper getting the better of her and decided it would be best to leave. “Very well then, if that is how you feel,” she told him before she turned and walked away.
Darcy stood there, watching as she went. He knew she was upset; however, he felt in this instance, he was right to take a stand. He did not wish to have any further involvement with Wickham if at all possible. Darcy was certainly not going to go to George Wickham and plead with him to go and see his wife no matter how much Elizabeth wished him to. He was determined that it would be best for him, Georgiana, and Elizabeth to return to Pemberley and allow the gossip of London to subside. He pulled the letter he received from Lord Knowles only that morning from his pocket and read it over again.
Mr. Darcy,
In light of the recent birth of your sister-in-law’s child, I find that I am unable to continue our business ventures at this time. As much as I would like to, I cannot allow the conduct of your wife’s family members to go on ignored. Lady Catherine has informed me personally of the scandal surrounding your wife’s sister, Mrs. Lydia Wickham, and I cannot afford to align myself with such a family. The fact that she has produced a child that could not possibly have had the benefit of marriage is disgraceful. I should think that it would serve you well and be in your best interest to put as much distance between yourself and Mr. and Mrs. Wickham as you are able. I was willing to overlook your marriage to Mrs. Darcy although I thought it an imprudent match, but this latest disgrace is too much!
Lord Knowles
Chapter Thirty-Two
Elizabeth was up early the next morning. She had thought a great deal about the argument she and William had the day before. She did her best to understand his reasoning in wanting to return to Pemberley so soon after Georgiana’s ball. To her way of thinking, he was the one being stubborn and unreasonable. She was hurt by the fact that he seemed to be placing so much importance on his tradition of spending Christmas at Pemberley. And yet, he had given very little thought to how she might be feeling about being away from her father and Jane. She went down to breakfast but had very little appetite. She sipped her morning tea and halfheartedly listened as Jane and Caroline talked about her upcoming wedding.
“Elizabeth, will you join us? We are going to the dressmakers today.” Jane asked her.
She sighed, “I believe I will stay here today,” she told them. “I am sure Kitty would like to go, and so might Georgiana.”
“Are you feeling unwell?” Jane asked her.
Elizabeth shook her head, “No, I am well; only a bit fatigued. I think I would like to go for a walk and then perhaps spend some time reading.”
“Very well then,” Jane said as she turned to leave. She reached the door and stopped, “Lizzy, are you sure everything is all right?”
Elizabeth smiled, “Yes, I am sure,” she told her. “Go and help Caroline choose a dress. Do not concern yourself with me; I promise you, I am well.”
Jane smiled, “We will not be long,” she told her.
Elizabeth sighed heavily as her thoughts returned to William. She wondered why it was that he would be so very insistent on returning to Pemberley. It was not like him to be so stubborn and unwilling to compromise even a little. She finished her tea and decided what she needed was some fresh air.
Darcy called out to Elizabeth as she walked past his study, “Will you come in?”
She smiled briefly, “Yes, William,” she responded as she stepped inside.
He could tell by her demeanor and her silence that she was still not happy with him. “I wanted to tell you I will be out this afternoon. I am to meet with Mr. Fletcher, and then I will meet with Lord Ashworth after that.”
Elizabeth’s head shot up at the mention of the man’s name, “You are meeting with Lord Ashworth today?” she repeated what he said.
“Yes, I am,” he said, taking note of the look on her face. “Does this upset you?” he asked.
&nb
sp; Elizabeth had forgotten that William was considering involving himself with Lord Ashworth in some business affairs. She wanted to warn him but was not sure how she could without revealing what Caroline had told her. “I…” she began to say but stopped.
“Elizabeth, if something is troubling you, then by all means, tell me,” he encouraged her.
She sighed, “I can only say that I do not believe you should have anything to do with Lord Ashworth. He is not an honorable man and should be avoided,” she told him.
Darcy was just about to ask her how she knew these things when she said, “I cannot tell you any more than what I have said. Lord Ashworth is every bit as much a scoundrel as Wickham, and should not be trusted.”
He could see she was determined to say no more, so he said, “Very well, thank you for telling me this,” he said as he got to his feet. “I will return after I meet with Mr. Fletcher.”
Elizabeth could see he was annoyed with her for not saying more. She bit her bottom lip and called out to him, “William,” she began to say, but stopped.
He turned to look at her. “Yes, was there something more you wished to tell me?”
She shook her head, “No,” she told him.
“Very well,” he said as he left the room. She sighed heavily and walked over to the window to watch him leave. She stood there for a few moments as the carriage rode out of sight, then she turned to leave. As she walked past the desk, she saw a letter crumpled up on the floor. She picked it up and was about to throw it into the fire, but hesitated in doing so. Instead, she opened it and saw that it was addressed to Darcy from Lord Knowles. She quickly scanned it over as her eyes flashed with anger. “That insufferable woman!” she gritted out between clenched teeth.
Lady Catherine sat in her parlor sipping her tea with Mr. Collins, Charlotte, and Anne. The conversation was, of course, the coming out ball of Georgiana Darcy. Collins sighed, “I am sorry to say, your ladyship, that it is true; Elizabeth did disappear for quite some time not long after dinner was served. In fact, she was gone for so very long that I believe more than half the guests finished their dinners without the pleasure of her company. It was clear that Mr. Darcy did not know where she went. I noticed myself that he kept looking towards the doorway, waiting for her to return. I do believe he became rather agitated when she did not come back as soon as she should have,” he said.
“Most shocking!” Lady Catherine announced.
“Well, I am sure there must have been some reason for her to be away so very long, but I could not discover what it was. Of course, being a keen observer of people as I am, I happened to notice that both Mr. Fitzwilliam and Miss Caroline Bingley were not present for dinner either.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes, “Elizabeth was not gone for so very long…” she mumbled under her breath.
Collins heard his wife’s murmuring and cleared his throat just a little. “Of course, I will admit that the house was very grand and that both Miss Darcy and Mr. Darcy were perfectly agreeable. I found myself thoroughly enjoying my conversation with your niece and Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
Lady Catherine shook with anger, “I find the entire thing revolting! To think, that she would behave so shocking at my niece’s coming out ball! That she would just disappear and abandoned poor Georgiana is unconscionable! One can only wonder where Miss Bennet was, or what she was doing! To open herself up to such gossip and speculation is most grievous! Has she no shame!” she railed against Elizabeth.
Collins raised his brow in disapproval, “I myself was very surprised by her conduct, Lady Catherine, I must admit. It really was quite shocking. I am sure if I noticed that she was away, many others in attendance did as well,” he told her. “And who knows where she might have been, or whom she was with! After all, I did observe her dance with several of the young men.”
Lady Catherine closed her eyes and shook her head in disgust, “I am only thankful that my dear sister did not live long enough to see such shame brought to her family. How my nephew has been brought low by this vile and contemptible woman! How my niece will suffer for his disregard of tradition and what is right!”
Charlotte shook her head, “Mr. Collins, that is not true. Lizzy did not dance with several young men; she only danced with Mr. Godwin and with Colonel Fitzwilliam,” she corrected him. “Besides, it was a ball; dancing is expected. Even Lady Belmont danced, as did Lady Fitzwilliam!”
Lady Catherine narrowed her eyes, “Perhaps you were not as observant of the evening's goings-on, Mrs. Collins, as Mr. Collins was,” she suggested. “I am sure there were times when perhaps you were occupied that he must have noticed Miss Bennet’s conduct, and you did not” she snapped at her, completely ignoring everything that Charlotte had said.
Collins nodded his head, “Very true, Lady Catherine,” he nodded his head. “In fact, there were a number of occasions when you remained in the dining room with your mother, and then again with your sister and Mrs. Bingley, that you did not observe my cousin’s actions as I did.”
Charlotte placed her teacup down on the table, “If you will excuse me, Lady Catherine, I believe I should like to go up to my room and rest before dinner,” she told her. “I am feeling rather fatigued at the moment.”
“Of course, Mrs. Collins; in your very delicate condition, you should rest more often,” Lady Catherine told her.
Once Charlotte was gone from the room, Lady Catherine remarked, “I must say, Mr. Collins, your wife’s desire to defend the inappropriate conduct of her friends does speak to a certain naiveté she has where Elizabeth Bennet is concerned. I am very glad you are capable of seeing things as they are.”
“I have remarked to Charlotte on several occasions that she cannot turn a…” he began to say when lady Catherine cut him off.
“Tell me, what else happened at my niece’s ball?” Lady Catherine demanded. “Did you take note of the guests as I requested of you?”
“I did,” he said as he fumbled around his pocket, looking for the paper he had written down some names on as soon as he returned from Windham House.
Lady Catherine rolled her eyes, “Really, Mr. Collins; if you cannot even do a simple task like this, of what use are you to me!” she snapped at him. “My express purpose in bringing you to London was so that you might help me keep an eye on my nephew and that woman! I hope you have not failed me!”
Collins shook his head as sweat formed on his brow, “No, Lady Catherine, I promise you; I wrote down all the names I felt were of any importance as soon as I returned,” he told her as he frantically searched his breast pocket. He closed his eyes for a moment in relief as he found it. “I have it,” he said as he took the note from his pocket.
Lady Catherine sighed heavily, “Very well then, I am waiting!” she snapped at him again.
Collins quickly opened the note and began reading off the names to her. He went through as many as he could remember and had written down. “Lady Belmont and her nephews did come, as well as Lady Simmons and Mr. and Mrs. Wicket were there with their daughters.”
Lady Catherine narrowed her eyes and shook her head, “Many of the names on that list do come from some of the better families of London society. I am sure Lady Belmont’s decision to attend was at the urging of my sister-in-law, Lady Fitzwilliam. Of course, Mrs. Wicket came; she has two daughters to marry, and Lady Belmont’s nephews are all very acceptable young men. I am sure my niece must have spent time with each of Lady Belmont’s nephews.
Mr. Collins furrowed his brow, “I only recall seeing Miss Darcy dance once with Mr. Edmond Belmont, although both Mr. Walter Belmont and Mr. Nicholas Belmont did dance with my cousin, Miss Catherine Bennet.”
Lady Catherine seemed all the more agitated by this bit of information. “If Georgiana did not dance with Lady Belmont’s nephews, then whom did she dance with?” she demanded to know.
“I was not able to watch her all evening, Lady Catherine. However, I did see her dance with Colonel Fitzwilliam on at least two occasions. I believed she da
nced with both Lieutenant Godwin and Captain Hathaway.”
“Captain Hathaway?” she narrowed her eyes, “I do not believe I am familiar with that family,” she commented.
Anne looked over at her mother as she lifted the handkerchief to her mouth and coughed just a little. “You would not know Captain Hathaway, Mother,” she told her. “Nor would you be acquainted with his family.”
Lady Catherine looked over at Anne, “The name does sound familiar to me, but I cannot recall where I have heard it before,” she remarked. “Who is Captain Hathaway, and whom are his connections?”
Anne cleared her throat just a little, “Captain Hathaway is the son of Mr. Darcy’s tenant. Mr. Hathaway runs the apple orchards at Pemberley. I remember him from the summers when I use to go and visit with my aunt and uncle before my father died.”
Lady Catherine had a look of shock on her face, “Am I to understand that my niece, Miss Georgiana Darcy, danced with a common farmer at her coming out ball!?” she cringed. “This is worse than I could have ever imagined! Has Miss Bennet no regard at all for what is right, for rank and tradition!? This is not to be born; to think my sister’s children are marrying so far beneath them! How can this be that a Darcy would dance with a farmer!”
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