Trapped at Rosings

by Emily Russell

  Mrs Gardiner was not diverted. She regarded Elizabeth steadily as she spoke.

  “I am sure you are not as easy about this marriage as you seem, my dear. You have always been a romantic and wished to marry for love. Now you must wed a man you do not care for. How will you reconcile yourself to it?”

  Elizabeth shrugged. She was not offended by her aunt’s words. Her sensible, plain speaking was one of the attitudes she most valued especially when compared to her own mother’s nerves and hysterics.

  “I shall simply have to learn to do so. There is no way around it now. I am sure I shall find resources that will reconcile me to the match. After all, we will not be the first couple who do not marry for love, and others before us have made do. I cannot imagine it will be much of a marriage, anyway. Mr Darcy will not impose on me. I believe he will rarely be with me. Perhaps we shall find a way to muddle through.”

  “Is that what you would want?” asked Mrs Gardiner. “A half-marriage while you live separate lives?”

  “It is not what I would want most of all, but it is what I am sure Mr Darcy and I would want under the circumstances of being married to one another. We will find a way to be in one another’s company as little as possible.”

  Mrs Gardiner sighed and looked into the fire. “None of us would have wanted this for you,” she said. “Not even your mother. But Lizzy, may I offer you some advice?”

  Elizabeth lay her head against the back of the sofa and released a breath.

  “Yes, please. I appreciate anything you think might help.”

  “Give Mr Darcy a chance.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes flew open.

  “Pardon…?”

  “Now, don’t get missish. I know you are a sensible girl — too sensible to avoid falling in love just because you have been advised to do so. I am just saying; do not decide you have made your mind up about Mr Darcy. Be willing to be surprised by his character.”

  “I already know his character.”

  “Do you? The man he revealed himself to be last night? Did you think him capable of that?”

  Once again, Elizabeth’s mind went back to the memory of Darcy holding her while she cried. He comforted her with such kindness and tenderness. No, she did not know he could behave so. Her colour deepened, and she hoped her aunt and sister would attribute it to her recent tears.

  “Will you promise me to at least give yourself a chance at happiness?” Mrs Gardiner pressed. “I know you think him proud and disagreeable but remember, you have only seen him among strangers and in situations where he was uncomfortable. You may not yet have seen who he really is. And we must also allow for your influence over him. Perhaps your lively manners will warm him up and make him less reserved.”

  “Perhaps…”

  “And Lizzy…”

  Elizabeth looked at her aunt reluctantly.

  “I hope you will not allow your fancy for another man to stand in your way. Learn Mr Darcy’s character on his own merit. He is to be your husband after all. You owe him that much.”

  Elizabeth nodded, but the conversation made her uneasy. Mr Darcy to be her husband. She could hardly believe it. How could this all happen so fast?

  Sensing her niece desired a change of subject, Mrs Gardiner spoke of the plays they had seen and the parties they had attended since Jane had been in London. Elizabeth seized on the change of topic with relief, and the three ladies spoke together until the study door opened. Elizabeth tensed and braced herself. She could hardly bring herself to look at her uncle, but she saw only Mr Darcy.

  He bowed to the ladies then looked at his betrothed.

  “Your uncle wishes to speak with you,” he said. He hesitated. “I will return to see you later if that is agreeable.”

  “I am rather tired,” said Elizabeth. “It has been a long day as you know. I plan to retire early.”

  “Of course. You must rest. I will come tomorrow morning then.”

  “Oh. I am afraid I must…”

  Darcy frowned. “I will come tomorrow morning,” he repeated in a tone that brooked no opposition. Elizabeth was about to brook it anyway, but before she could, he added in a softer tone, “I am anxious that you and my sister should become acquainted.”

  The arrogant Miss Georgiana Darcy, whom Wickham informed her was as proud as her brother. Elizabeth sighed. Well, if this lady was to be her sister, there was no avoiding their meeting. She nodded. Darcy gave her a brief nod then bowed and took his leave.

  Mr Gardiner was seated at a chair when Elizabeth came in. He rubbed his face and gestured for her to sit down.

  “Mr Darcy has told me about your ordeal,” he said gently. “I am so sorry you had such an experience, my dear. I hope they capture the fellows.”

  “So do I. I would hate to think of anyone else going through what we did. But Mr Darcy believes they will be far away from Hunsford by now. They had quite a head start before Colonel Fitzwilliam found us.”

  “Ah yes. As to that…” Mr Gardiner removed his spectacles and sighed. “Well, there is no other way about it. I wonder why so many people were there to find you?”

  “Who knows? Lady Catherine seemed to have gathered half of Kent about her for the expedition. I am sure she regretted it when she saw us together.”

  “I hope she is the only one with any cause for regret,” he said gently as he watched his niece’s face. “I know Mr Darcy has never been a favourite of yours. Is there a chance the time you spent with him might have changed your mind about that? Have you seen something in him you could like?”

  Images of Darcy flashed before Elizabeth’s eyes. Darcy holding her as she wept. Darcy comforting her in her fears. Darcy telling her it would degrade him to marry her. Darcy showing no remorse for his treatment of Wickham. So many Darcys dancing before her and she had no idea which was the one she would encounter most when they married. It was a worrying prospect.

  “I have seen other sides to Mr Darcy, but I cannot say my opinion has altered greatly,” she said carefully. “Aunt has urged me to give him a chance and see if my opinion of him might change. I have assured her I will though I have little faith in it.”

  Mr Gardiner sighed. “I have given him my provisional permission, and I told him I will write to your father to inform him of the news. I hope there will be time for you to get to know one another and perhaps for him to improve on you before the wedding. But even if he does not, I know you, Lizzy. You will always make your mind up to be happy no matter what your circumstances. I am sure you will find a way to have joy in your marriage even if it did not come about the way you hoped.”

  “You have greater faith in my abilities than I do, Uncle, but I hope you are right. And as I promised Aunt, I am willing to try at least.”

  “Good girl.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “Now, as to what happened, how are you, my dear? Mr Darcy tells me you were not injured, but if there is anything you need, I hope you will not hesitate to ask me.”

  “You are too good,” said Elizabeth. The relief of being among the warmth, care and familiarity of her family after such a strange day was so overwhelming, she felt she was in danger of crying again. “If there is anything I would like, it is to sleep. I am exhausted, and it is making me feel far more than I should. I am sure once I have slept things will appear better than they do now.”

  “Of course, my dear. You shall sleep in Jane’s bedchamber.”

  Elizabeth left her uncle’s study. Jane accompanied her to her room and sat beside her until Elizabeth finally fell asleep.

  Chapter 14

  The unfamiliar sound of carts and drays outside her window woke her up the next morning. Elizabeth blinked and turned towards the window, almost expecting to see the apple tree that had stood outside her room at Hunsford. Instead, she saw tall buildings and a street lamp. Rather than bird song and the clucking of Charlotte’s poultry, she heard the cries of merchants, the laughter of maids on their way to market, and the rumbles of passing carriages. Of course. She was
in London. She must have slept away all the rest of the evening and throughout the night. Elizabeth stretched and yawned and lay on her back, staring up at the canopy as she recalled the events of the day before.

  It was the first full day of her betrothal to Mr Darcy. She groaned and would have pulled the sheets over her head if she had not recalled he was to visit that morning, bringing his sister with him. She would have to sit between the two proud Darcy siblings, no doubt while they looked down their noses at the Gardiners, her dearest relations apart from Jane and Father. She sighed and reluctantly pulled herself from the bed.

  Elizabeth stopped on the stairwell when she heard voices coming from the parlour. Surely they could not be here already? It was far too early for visitors. With a stab, she recalled Mr Darcy was no longer just a visitor. He was almost a member of the family and as such, would have the privilege of calling outside normal hours. She closed her eyes and braced herself to see him.

  Darcy rose when she came into the room. He had been sitting beside Mr Gardiner and to her surprise, seemed to have been engaged in pleasant conversation with him. There was still a trace of a smile about his lips from whatever they had been talking about. He bowed to her and seemed ill at ease.

  “Miss Bennet. I hope you are rested?”

  “I am, sir. And you? I hope your injuries are healing?”

  “They drive me mad so I believe that is a good sign,” he said. “Will you allow me to introduce my sister to you?”

  Elizabeth barely concealed a grimace as she nodded. Darcy turned to where a young girl sat partly hidden by a winged back armchair. She looked as if she had desired to avoid being noticed by anyone in the room and at first, Elizabeth saw this as the famous Darcy pride until the girl was before her.

  Georgiana Darcy was tall, like her brother but unlike her brother, there was a deep blush over her face. She forced herself to look at Elizabeth and said she was glad to meet her in a voice so low, Elizabeth had to strain to hear her. She glanced down again as if relieved the ordeal of speaking was over. Elizabeth felt an unexpected ache for her. Poor girl. She could see nothing of pride in this lady. She was merely excessively shy and anxious and found it painful to be in a room with a crowd of strangers. Elizabeth smiled at her and offered her hand. Georgiana took it and her colour deepened.

  “I am so happy to meet you, Miss Darcy,” she said. “I have heard so much about you. I understand you are a superior performer of music.”

  “Yes.” Georgiana looked up, suddenly mortified. “I mean, no. That is — I do love to perform music, but I do not believe I am a superior player— “ She glanced at her brother who smiled at her fondly.

  “You will find my sister is modest, Miss Bennet. She delights everywhere she goes but will not own her talents.”

  “Well, I hope some evening we shall play together,” said Elizabeth. She smiled at the young girl, and she returned it. Darcy cleared his throat.

  “I hoped we might take a walk before breakfast,” he said. “Your aunt and uncle have been kind enough to… “ He gestured towards them, seeming almost as embarrassed as his sister.

  “We have invited them to join us, dear,” said Mrs Gardiner. “But you will have plenty of time to walk before it is ready.” She leaned forward to embrace her niece. As she held her close, she whispered, “Remember, you agreed to try.”

  Elizabeth sighed and nodded. She pressed her aunt’s hand and looked at Darcy.

  “I will fetch my coat.”

  However much she was tempted to walk with Jane and allow the Darcy siblings to walk together under the excuse of a long separation for both sets of siblings, Elizabeth knew it was her duty to walk with Darcy. Perhaps spending more time in his company might at least make him familiar enough to her that she would not anticipate their marriage with dread.

  “I am not familiar with this area,” Darcy began as they walked down the street.

  “I should not imagine you would be,” said Elizabeth, recalling his scathing remarks about her relatives. Darcy took a deep breath.

  “What I mean to say is I am not familiar with this area to know where to walk. I took the liberty of finding out some nice places hereabout. I have been told there is a pretty park close to here which has been allowed develop into a sort of wilderness. I thought it the kind of place you might like.”

  Elizabeth was surprised by his consideration and at first, could not think how to respond.

  “As long as we encounter no cottages and men in kerchiefs, I think it sounds splendid,” she said with a smile. Darcy smiled down at her.

  “You can make jests already?”

  “I find it helps me to joke about troubling events. It helps me gain perspective and is a far more pleasant way to think of it than in— “ She glanced up at Darcy and blushed. “— than in dwelling on what might have happened.”

  “I am glad of that,” said Darcy. “I hope you know if it troubles you and you would like to talk about it, I am always willing to listen. It is an experience we shared, and few others can be expected to understand it.”

  “What a strange connection to share,” said Elizabeth. “I am surprised I did not dream of it again last night.”

  “I thought of you when I was at home and hoped you would not. I did not like to think of you in distress.”

  “I think then we were in danger of them returning. They might have come back at any time during the night with more men and more weapons. If they had, we would have been helpless and that knowledge no doubt affected my sleep.”

  “Yes, I was fully aware of that myself. If they returned, the best plan I could think of was to stand behind the door and hit them over the head with the stool.” Darcy pulled a face. “It was not the best plan, perhaps, but I was a little short on options.”

  Elizabeth smiled at the thought of Darcy standing behind a door, hitting villains over the head one by one.

  “How embarrassing for them if you had defeated them in such a manner.”

  “I hope if they are caught, they are far more than embarrassed.”

  Elizabeth could not disagree.

  “How is Miss de Bourgh?” she asked. “I have been thinking about her. She has been so intensely bound up with her mother all her life that this separation must be a difficult one even if it is good for her. How does she fare?”

  Darcy sighed. He offered Elizabeth his arm as they came to a busy road, filled with passing carts and drays.

  “She is well, but she is shaken. She does not know what this split with her mother will mean for her. Is it perpetual estrangement or a temporary fight that will blow over? She struggles to imagine a life where her mother is not hanging over everything she does, and while that might sound like a blessed relief to you or me, it is all Anne has ever known. She feels great guilt for leaving her mother alone even though she understands her mother is responsible for her isolation.”

  “Do you think she will wish to return?”

  Darcy shrugged. “I cannot say so soon. I hope not. I have long wished to help her and see her live free of her mother’s influence. Between the two of us, Miss Bennet, I have always doubted my aunt’s claims of Anne’s illnesses. It seems to me if you’ve lived your whole life being told you are weak and ill, you will believe it and affect the symptoms. I have persuaded Anne to spend at least a month with Georgiana and Richard before making any decisions about her future. My hope is she will feel such an improvement in her health and spirits by such a time, she will become more independent. She has agreed to that much at least.”

  As they walked, Darcy led her down a small lane Elizabeth had never noticed before in all her time coming to stay with the Gardiners. Jane and Georgiana followed behind. Elizabeth glanced back and saw Jane attempting to draw the young girl out. From Georgiana’s smile, she seemed to have success.

  The end of the lane led to a small heath with rich woodland all around. Elizabeth gasped.

  “I cannot believe I have never discovered this before. And I pride myself on my abilities to
discover new places. You have put me to shame, Mr Darcy.”

  Darcy smiled. “Well, I am glad to be the means by which you make discoveries,” he said. “As we walked here, I fervently hoped it would meet your good opinion. I know you are particular about how nature should be.”

  “This answers my ideas perfectly.” Elizabeth looked around with shining eyes. The trees were rich, and in bloom and by walking among them along a little woodland path, Elizabeth could almost believe she was in the countryside, far away from the hustle and noise of London.

  As they walked, Darcy cleared his throat.

  “I have given thought to where we shall live after we are married. I hope my ideas are agreeable to you,” he said. “My main estate as you know is in Derbyshire. I intend we should travel to Pemberley after the marriage and that will be our principal home. I will also take you to Darcy House tomorrow. It is where we shall spend much of our winters. I am sure you will wish to put your mark on it, especially on my mother’s rooms, which will soon be yours.”

  “Oh.” Elizabeth lapsed into silence. Darcy frowned.

  “Does it not meet with your agreement?”

  “Does it matter whether it does?”

  Darcy stopped walking and turned to face her. He still frowned, and his face was grim.

  “Of course it does. It matters a great deal. I want my wife to be happy.”

  “That is kind of you, sir, considering the circumstances of how I am to become your wife.”

  “You will still be my wife,” he said earnestly. “No matter how it came about. And I have always determined I shall treat my wife with respect and kindness.”