A Covenant of Marriage

by C. P. Odom

  “It has been a trying time for me with your house closed and you and your new wife unavailable. I had to do without your company as well as having to buy all my own drinks. So, yes, I shall accept a glass of brandy. Most handsome of you, I am sure.”

  He winked at Elizabeth, who struggled to hide a smile at Fitzwilliam’s usual light-hearted banter with his cousin.

  “And, to show you my gratitude,” he continued, accepting a glass from Darcy, “I shall give you fair warning. Mother and Father are following close behind me. I had to kick Marshal Ney to a gallop to arrive here first. They are most anxious to become acquainted with your new bride even though Aunt Catherine has already attempted to poison them against our friend from Hertfordshire. I always wondered why you let this lady escape from Kent without declaring yourself.”

  Darcy swirled the contents of his glass then glanced over at Elizabeth.

  “To be honest, I did declare myself in Kent. In fact, I offered marriage, though my proposal had to be one of the most ill-served applications in history.”

  Fitzwilliam stared at his cousin in silent amazement.

  “I hope you do not mind,” Darcy said to his wife. “Since our marriage, I find I am weary of keeping everything to myself.”

  “I understand completely,” she said gently. “I am guilty of the same fault. It would be better for both of us to be more forthcoming, at least with those we love.”

  “Elizabeth refused me,” Darcy said to his cousin. “Part of her rejection was due to some misconceptions conveyed by Wickham, but a goodly part was all too well-deserved.”

  “And it took you years to settle these differences?” Fitzwilliam asked.

  “We have only finished resolving the last of our disputes quite recently. The primary reason for such a delay was, until last Saturday—the day of our marriage—we had not met since Kent.”

  Fitzwilliam looked back and forth between Elizabeth and Darcy, both of whom seemed to be sharing some private jest.

  “That is correct,” Darcy said finally. “Four years ago. You see, it happens that I had made the acquaintance of Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle, and…”

  ***

  Fitzwilliam was still visiting when his parents called, and he eagerly stepped forward to perform the formalities. His introduction of Elizabeth was exceedingly fulsome and laudatory, and although it caused her cheeks to redden with embarrassment, Elizabeth was warmed by the graciousness of both Lord and Lady Matlock as they offered their congratulations.

  Although she found Fitzwilliam’s parents amiable, Elizabeth discerned the manner in which Lady Matlock’s shrewd eyes observed both of them closely. Without doubt, Darcy’s aunt was assessing what she saw and comparing it to what she had been told by her sister.

  At least they do not appear to have taken Lady Catherine’s words without question, Elizabeth thought. They give every appearance of wanting to determine the truth about our marriage for themselves. And the look in Lady Matlock’s eyes bodes well, I think. It is one of amused satisfaction, unless I am mistaken.

  The couple seemed to want to be certain about the kind of young woman their nephew had married, despite the reassuring testimony of their son, so Elizabeth was not overly surprised by the deft manner in which Lord and Lady Matlock separated the men from the women after they concluded a short conversation together.

  She and Darcy shared a tender look of encouragement as he lifted her fingers to his lips before escorting the gentlemen to his study while his aunt went about her task with the utmost civility.

  “It appears you have made our nephew quite happy,” Lady Matlock said as Elizabeth poured her a cup of tea and added milk. “Darcy has always been rather reserved and taciturn in temperament, but now he seems to do naught but smile and laugh. Tell me, how did you come to be introduced?”

  “I first became acquainted with him when he accompanied Mr. Bingley to Hertfordshire. Mr. Bingley had leased an estate three miles from my home and was quite eager to join in the activities of the neighbourhood.”

  “But Darcy was not so eager, I should guess.”

  “No, he was not. He was much as you described him: reserved and taciturn. I am afraid he did not make a very good impression on the local families.”

  “But he appears to have made a better impression on you.”

  “No, my lady,” Elizabeth said steadily. “I have to admit I was not one of your nephew’s greatest admirers. In fact, I disliked him rather thoroughly, and I thought he held the same poor opinion of me.”

  “That does not sound like the makings of a romance,” Lady Matlock said, sounding amused rather than offended at Elizabeth’s admission of antipathy towards her nephew.

  “No, it did not, though I found out later I had been wrong about William’s feelings towards me. He admired me, but I had no hint of it at the time.”

  Lady Matlock looked at Elizabeth thoughtfully. This composed and forthright young lady bore no resemblance whatsoever to the impertinent treasure hunter her sister de Bourgh had described. She appeared completely disinclined towards deceit, even admitting her initial lack of inclination towards her husband. If she had been interested only in Darcy’s fortune and station in life, Lady Matlock had to believe she never would have admitted anything similar. With that thought in mind, she decided that meeting Elizabeth’s frankness with honesty of her own might be the best way to proceed to put her suspicions to rest.

  “You appear to be much more candid than I had expected given the report received from my sister,” Lady Matlock said.

  Elizabeth nodded. “William and I have agreed there is little to be gained in trying to conceal how…extraordinary…the events were leading to our marriage—at least to our close friends and family. Since you are one of the closest relations he has, I am sure your primary fear was that your nephew might have married a woman interested only in his fortune and improving her station in life.”

  Lady Matlock gave a nod at the accuracy of this young lady’s summary.

  “In my defence, I would submit that, if such had been my object, I would have accepted him when he first offered marriage four years ago.”

  “Four years ago! I heard no mention of it.”

  “Remember his reserve and reticence? Of course, there is the possibility that, given certain unfortunate events, I might have changed my mind and been more interested in his name and his money at this time than I was four years ago. I assume you have been informed of my family’s misfortunes.”

  Lady Matlock only nodded. There did not seem to be anything to say.

  “I hope you will acquit me of having such motives if I inform you that he and I had neither seen each other nor had any written contact since the night I refused his offer of marriage. Afterwards, I returned to my home in Hertfordshire and ceased to give him any consideration, especially given the disasters that overtook my family. However, I have since learned that the same was not at all true for him, despite my rather forceful rejection of his assurances.”

  Elizabeth paused to take a sip of her tea while Lady Matlock sat silently listening as she resumed. “As surprising as it was, William had not forgotten me in the intervening four years, nor had he lost his affection.”

  “Quite astonishing,” Lady Matlock said softly.

  “To be sure. The first hint I had of the error in my assessment came when, to my complete astonishment, he came to Longbourn without notice.”

  “To present you an offer of marriage, I assume,” Lady Matlock said with a smile.

  “Not to me, my lady.” Elizabeth then recounted the details of Darcy’s visit to her father with a proposal and written marriage articles.

  For several moments, Lady Matlock could only stare at Elizabeth in incredulity, but finally her lips curved into a smile of delight.

  “An arranged marriage, then?” she said, almo
st laughing as she spoke. “So Darcy did not chance your refusal this time—he went directly to your father?”

  “He did,” Elizabeth said wryly, “and I confess I was rather put out when my father told me he had already accepted William’s offer. But William has powers of persuasion you have likely never seen, and in little more than a week, he has convinced me of my errors, both in misjudging his character and in not recognizing he is a different man than he was four years ago. I may not have been content with the arrangement initially, but I assure you I am now quite pleased with him as my husband.”

  “The earl must be informed of this!” Lady Matlock said with a laugh. “We were similarly married by the arrangement of our families, and I have also become quite fond of him over the years.”

  She did not mention that her husband’s family had arranged the marriage because they were well aware their son was a rather naïve individual who was inclined always to trust the people he met. Such tendencies were ill-suited to one who would have the management of a great estate and fortune when his father died. More than one noble family had been reduced to penury by the incompetence of a son who inherited his father’s title and lands, and the former Lord Matlock had specifically chosen a shrewd young woman to balance his son’s deficiencies. The fact the couple had grown loving over time had been an unexpected but welcome benefit.

  Lady Matlock smiled at the remembrance. “My husband and I have always been fond of Darcy, but we grew concerned he might never marry. I am pleased he has both found a wife and displayed such unsuspected talents so as to completely change your opinion of him in such a short time.”

  “He is an excellent man,” Elizabeth said. “I do not believe I could have found a better one no matter how long or how far I searched. I do not deserve such good fortune.”

  “Well, with such testimony, I believe my fears have been put to rest. I shall so inform Lady Catherine though I cannot make any assurances she will listen to what I have to say.”

  “I appreciate your effort, my lady. I freely admit William could have made a much more advantageous marriage, and I do not want to cause difficulties between him and his family.” As she said this, Elizabeth remembered her distressing conversation with his sister, and she was uncertain she could ever find a way to contend with Georgiana’s antipathy.

  “Elizabeth, Darcy has no need of additional fortune or social position, but he is in severe want of some happiness in his life. From what I have seen today, he is completely smitten with you, more so than I ever anticipated seeing. And his demeanour is so radically improved that I am convinced he is more likely to find felicity in marriage with you than with anyone else.”

  Lady Matlock leaned over and embraced Elizabeth and kissed her on both cheeks. “Thus, on behalf of my husband and myself, I bid you welcome to our family.”

  “Thank you,” Elizabeth whispered when the older woman released her, and she gratefully accepted the offer of a handkerchief to dab at the corners of her eyes.

  ***

  The earl and countess stayed well past a half-hour, and Lord Matlock was highly amused by Darcy’s retelling of his marriage arrangements with Elizabeth’s father.

  “I shall inform my sister of my complete acceptance of your union, Mrs. Darcy,” Lord Matlock said as he reclaimed his hat and gloves from the butler. “However, since you have met my sister, you must be aware that I cannot promise success in changing her resolve. She is exceedingly stubborn once she has made up her mind. But I promise I shall do my best, especially in light of Anne’s declining health.”

  “How she can cling to the notion that Darcy and Anne were engaged has always been a mystery to us,” Lady Matlock offered. “I know Darcy never proposed marriage, but perhaps she thinks that, simply because she and Darcy’s mother had decided on the match, nothing else was necessary.”

  “I cannot remember Mother ever mentioning a possible match with Anne. It was only after her death that Aunt Catherine began to speak of the expectation that Anne and I would marry.”

  “One hesitates to think a sister could either delude herself or invent such a story completely, but what Darcy says is true,” Lord Matlock said with a sigh. “I cannot recall any discussion of such a match until after Anne’s death. She was so young. It is distressing, very distressing.”

  “But I have to think that, if Darcy’s mother were still alive, she would have loved you,” Lady Matlock said, embracing Elizabeth one final time. “We entrust you with the care of our nephew, and perhaps you might convince our youngest son that he needs to do something about his unmarried state.”

  “I shall do my best on both matters.” Elizabeth laughed, glancing over at Colonel Fitzwilliam, who pretended not to hear his mother. “I am afraid I may have more hope of success with the former than the later, but I shall try.”

  “It is past time you settled down, my boy,” boomed Lord Matlock. “The war against Bonaparte is over at last, and you can no longer claim that service to the crown takes precedence over your life. Why, your regiment will be disbanded in a few months, and you will be on half-pay.”

  “Elizabeth has an elder sister of beauty and charm with a fortune of ten thousand pounds,” Darcy said slyly. “Since all of you are invited to Pemberley for Christmas, I shall introduce you.”

  “Darcy…” Colonel Fitzwilliam said threateningly.

  “Think nothing of it,” Darcy said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I am glad to offer my assistance for a favourite cousin.”

  With a laugh, the Matlocks departed with their son in tow, and Elizabeth raised an eyebrow to Darcy as soon as they were alone.

  “Well, you would have to admit Richard would make an acceptable husband for Jane,” Darcy said with a sheepish smile.

  “Oh, he is amiable, to be sure,” Elizabeth said. “When I first met him in Kent, I might even have sought an attachment had he not made it plain he had no interest in a wife with such a modest fortune.”

  “I could introduce him to Caroline Bingley. She has twice the fortune of your sister. But I do not think she would make Richard nearly as happy.”

  “Perhaps you should take the matter directly to my father and your uncle,” Elizabeth said sweetly, and Darcy laughed and leaned over to give her a quick kiss.

  “Given how well it worked for us, it is a thought to keep in mind, is it not? Who knows what might happen during that happiest of seasons?”

  ***

  “Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bingley and Miss Bingley,” announced the butler from the door, and Elizabeth stood up and turned to face the new visitors. As Darcy reached the door, Bingley grasped his hand enthusiastically as she moved to join them.

  Elizabeth was not distressed by the cold reception she got from both Georgiana and Caroline though she noted Darcy’s disapproving look out of the corner of her eye. She was pained to see the distant manner in which brother greeted sister and promised herself she would address the problem again with Georgiana, hopefully with more tact and less anger this time. Her sole excuse for reacting to Darcy’s sister with such disdain previously was her sheer surprise at meeting such implacable dislike so unexpectedly.

  Bingley, however, was the same open, genial gentleman as ever, and he almost bounced with happiness as he congratulated Elizabeth on her marriage to his friend. If he had any hint of his wife’s opinion, he did not show it, and he cheerfully enquired about the health and welfare of all of Elizabeth’s relations and his friends from Hertfordshire. He gave no sign of discomfort at greeting the sister of the woman for whom he had once shown such preference and appeared at ease and unruffled as he related to his wife his many memories of his months in residence at Netherfield.

  Elizabeth felt any lingering anger with Bingley slip away as they talked. Perhaps he could have been happy with Jane, but that matter was more than four years in the past. He was happy with his wife, and Bingley enthus
iastically described the exploits and mischief of their son. Seeing such a happy and contented man, Elizabeth was glad she and Darcy had reconciled their differences. How could she have continued to harbour anger with her husband when she was prepared to forgive his friend so easily?

  As for Georgiana and Caroline, Elizabeth stifled a sigh as the two women studiously ignored her. Though she wished she could have managed to alleviate Georgiana’s aversion, she did not feel nearly as generous in regard to Caroline. That was especially true since she was well aware that Bingley’s sister had likely fanned the flames of Georgiana’s ill opinion of her.

  The Bingleys stayed only a short time since the volume of visitors had begun to increase. Several of Darcy’s friends from Cambridge called to wish him joy on finally joining the ranks of the married, and it was apparent from their cheerful stories that Darcy had been as reserved as a student as when she first met him. The group departed only after securing Darcy’s promise to dine with them when he returned from Pemberley.

  Darcy was even more talkative and sociable when the Gardiners called, and they were followed by a greater number of Darcy’s more casual acquaintances, mostly men from his clubs. The number was so extensive that Elizabeth thought her head would swim from trying to remember their names.

  Of course, neither Lady Catherine nor her daughter made an appearance. Darcy had not expected Anne to make the journey since she was so dreadfully weak she hardly left her rooms.

  Elizabeth did not regret her ladyship’s absence, especially after learning of her attempt to poison Lord Matlock against her, but she was saddened that she would likely never have the opportunity to know Anne de Bourgh any better.

  Elizabeth was exhausted by the time the hours for visiting had passed, and she did not complain as Darcy led her above stairs. She longed for the quiet solitude of Darcy’s bedroom and the solace of her husband leisurely making love to her.