Smoky Dreams

by Jaeza Rayleigh

  "Dance to my tune," Lady Catherine said again, tugging at her string, that was really a gaudy golden cord.

  "No, the music is mine," Mrs. Bennet shrieked, tugging the strip of lace she held instead of a string.

  "The steps are already chosen for you," Caroline Bingley screeched, a bright orange ribbon in her hand.

  "You must dance," Lady Lucas insisted, pulling at another strand.

  Others he could not identify surrounded him as well, pulling and pulling, but never freeing him to spin away. Wickham sat at the top of a stone column nearby, laughing.

  "You always tried so hard to avoid this, Darcy. You see what happens the moment you drop your guard. All your control is gone. Everyone really does want a piece of you and now you are tied up too tightly to escape."

  As he was tugged in a different direction, he saw Miss Elizabeth. She stood back from all the claimants, not a part of their fight. In her hand was a sage-green ribbon, the color he thought looked so good on her, but it hung loosely at both ends. It seemed she was not part of the battle to control him. Instead, she looked at him with pity and kindness, perhaps even with love. She examined the ribbon in her hand as if seeing it for the first time and then looked back at him again. With a smile, she walked around the group of claimants who all still tried to tell him he belonged to them. As she went, the ribbon trailed behind her, twisting and expanding the way smoke from a chimney spreads as it floats out into the sky to join with the clouds. As she passed each of the others, they became hidden in the green, their strings cut and hanging limply. She finished the circuit to stand beside him and now he was a man again, dressed in evening clothes, while her ribbon had wrapped around her as well and turned to a sage-green ballgown.

  "I think this is your dance?" she said, offering her his hand. He heard the music begin in the background.

  And then he woke.

  Darcy sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. It was still early, he knew. Untwisting himself from the tangled bedclothes, he tried to forget the feeling of being pulled in all directions. He could not help wondering if the nightmare was trying to tell him something. Then again, it had been a nightmare, despite the pleasant ending. He stood and stretched. Maybe by the time he dressed and went downstairs there would be some coffee ready in the breakfast room.

  It was not quite as early in the morning as he had thought when he first woke up. Or, at least, it was not by the time he made it downstairs after fumbling over the fastenings on his clothes like a tiny child who had never dressed himself before. Eventually, he was presentable and could make his way to the breakfast room, although he still felt rumpled and not at all well-turned out.

  Miss Elizabeth and her father were already there, as was the coffee. He gratefully took the cup she offered him and sipped at it in silence, letting the taste and the warmth spread through his mind as well as his body.

  "You look as if you had a difficult night," she said when he set down the nearly empty cup. "Would you care for another cup?"

  He nodded, and she refilled it, adding just the right touch of cream and sugar. "I had some strange nightmares," he said after thanking her.

  "Too much of Mrs. Bennet going on about the hedgerows?" Mr. Bennet quipped. They had told Mrs. Bennet the news of Mr. Collins the evening before. Her effusions had been loud and somewhat nonsensical. It was largely her fear, Darcy knew, especially now that they did not know who would inherit under the entail. So far as Mr. Bennet knew, Mr. Collins had been the last eligible heir. He and Mr. Phillips would have to study the entail document to see what provision had been made if the family line failed to produce a male heir.

  They had finally calmed her with frequent reminders that Miss Bennet was to marry Bingley soon and her new son-in-law would not allow his family-by-marriage to suffer should they be displaced from Longbourn. Darcy looked at Mr. Bennet a little more clearly now that the coffee was taking effect. He wondered if his host had suffered some nightmares of his own. After all, the breakfast conversation was noticeable by its absence.

  That situation continued as they ate. Mr. Bennet excused himself before the other two were finished, saying vaguely that he would see them in the study later. He left the breakfast room door open, but that appeared to be all the steps he felt he needed to take for propriety's sake.

  "I did not have any nightmares," Miss Elizabeth said, "but I have been thinking about Charlotte. When she first told me that she was engaged to Mr. Collins, I was shocked. We have been friends for years, and I have always known she is more practical than I, but I never realized how being out for so long with no sign of any suitor had left her willing to take whatever respectable offer might be made. Of course, I did not consider Mr. Collins respectable or, at least, acceptable, although I know in the strictest sense he was. I tried to be glad for her sake, but my own feelings of disgust towards Mr. Collins along with my anger at the injustice of being continually upbraided by Mama for having refused him myself made it difficult and put a strain on our friendship. I must admit to being glad she is free of him, although I know this now leaves her back in a place of fearing she will never marry."

  Darcy took a sip of his third cup of coffee. "I will admit to sharing your relief for your friend. Whatever Mr. Collins's flaws might be, and I suspect there were many, I was even more worried at how she would fare under the direction of my aunt. I warned Miss Lucas, but she told me that having a home of her own, not being a burden to her family, was worth living in even such difficult conditions as those I had described facing the earlier mistresses of Hunsford parsonage. Perhaps you will think me officious, but before I learned your friend was betrothed to Mr. Collins I was wondering if I might be able to somehow introduce her to a wider circle of possible eligible suitors. I appreciated her assistance in helping me understand your anger with me, and I respect and like her. There must be some good man who is looking for just such a woman as his wife and I would like to help bring them together if I may."

  Miss Elizabeth laughed softly. "She was certainly your best advocate with me, even during your last visit. She always told me she thought you held me in much higher regard than I imagined. On your return, she braved my displeasure and challenged me to see the truth about you. Do you really think you can find an acceptable suitor for her? I would like Charlotte to be happy in her life."

  "I can try. As we walked back from Lucas Lodge yesterday, I was already considering all my acquaintance to see who I might know that would appreciate her qualities. I have a few ideas but am not sure how best to contrive a meeting. I am also wondering about her dowry. Do you know about how much she has?"

  "Not much at all. That is why I suggested to Papa that it would be fair to give her whatever can be realized from the sale of Mr. Collins's goods."

  "Let me deal with the sale when the time comes."

  "So, you can add a little to the proceeds?"

  "I cannot simply make a gift to a woman with whom I have no family connection."

  "True enough. That would certainly excite some expectations in many quarters and might damage her reputation instead of helping her. Even the sale will need to be done with care."

  "I will hand the task over to an agent in London on your father's behalf. No one need know the agent will also have my instructions to follow."

  "You are sneaky, sir. I would not have thought it of you."

  Darcy grimaced. "I would not have thought it of myself, but sometimes a little sneakiness is justified."

  "For the sake of a friend, I might be able to agree." Miss Elizabeth took a last sip of her drink and stood. "I think I shall go join Papa. I expect this morning will be one for reading, not discussion. We had far too much of that yesterday evening."

  Darcy finished his drink and stood as well. "I suspect you are correct. Perhaps he might allow me to borrow his desk. I have a few letters to write. I just need to retrieve my papers and I will join you."

  The maid was already cleaning their dishes off the table as Darcy and Miss Elizabeth walked together
through the open door of the breakfast room.

  ~*~

  The day seemed to drag somehow. Whether it was the influence of his nightmare or just the atmosphere in the household, Darcy could not quite shake a feeling of something being out of kilter. As he wrote a letter to his steward, he thought about the situation. For a man so little respected or liked, Mr. Collins had definitely made an impact with his death. Miss Lucas, of course, had the strongest reason to regret him, perhaps not on a personal level, but the security he had represented.

  For the Bennet family he had always represented little more than a place marker – the person who would inherit after Mr. Bennet passed. From what Darcy had heard, the man did little to make himself liked, much less loved, by his behavior on the one and only visit he made to his relatives, beyond exciting Mrs. Bennet's hopes he would marry one of her daughters. He might have, had he chosen his target with more sense. Darcy suspected Miss Mary would have accepted him, although he considered her far better than such a man deserved, as he did Miss Lucas.

  Darcy expected Lady Catherine was furious and likely to have taken her parson's death as a personal affront. He wondered if she would find yet another toadying fool to take the living. There always seemed to be one available somewhere, although Mr. Collins had been a cut above all the others she had found. He almost laughed at the idea that the man truly was a superior fool. His aunt would be hard pressed to find another court jester, that is parson, of his caliber as quickly as she might wish.

  The morning eventually passed away as they pursued their quiet activities. In the early afternoon Mr. Phillips arrived in response to a request from Mr. Bennet. He reported the roads were now largely clear of snow and the stream was running in its proper bed.

  "It might be better to remove the tree sooner rather than later, though," he added. "It is already beginning to block branches swept down by the melting waters. Before too long it may form a dam again."

  Mr. Bennet nodded. "I suppose I cannot procrastinate too long on that one. I would hate to be caught in the mud like we were before. If the weather is still clear tomorrow, I will send some men out to cut the tree into smaller pieces and move them out of the way."

  After Darcy greeted Mr. Phillips, he excused himself, so the men could complete their business. As he turned to leave, Mr. Bennet stopped him.

  "I would appreciate your viewpoint as we go over the entail papers. You manage a large estate and have worked with many legal documents. As a result, you might see something we have missed."

  "If you truly wish me to be here, I will be happy to assist."

  The three took the seats by the fire and Mr. Phillips used the chessboard on its stand as a table. Taking out the documents from an inner pocket he untied the tape and opened them out before putting them down.

  "We know Mr. Collins had no legitimate issue. That makes the end of his line of inheritance a simple matter, since it is common knowledge that he was his father's only legitimate child and previous research has established that as fact. Based on your family records, we know of no other legitimate lines of descent under the terms of the entail. Legally there is now no heir, apparent or presumptive."

  "That is good, is it not?" Mr. Bennet asked.

  "It might be, but for a flaw in the layout of the entail. It is very clear on the order of succession through male heirs of your family, but it has no language to account for the current situation in which there is no heir who meets the conditions of the entail."

  "Well, what can we do? It seems a hopeless case."

  "If I may," Mr. Darcy interjected. "It actually presents a good opportunity if you act now. If you were to go to court now, while you live, you can request that either the entail be broken, as the requirements it lays out are invalid, or that a decision on an alternative order of succession, one you suggest, be added as a codicil. If you wait and let it all be determined after your death, the result is unlikely to be positive for your family. By acting now, you stand a better chance of breaking the entail entirely, leaving you free to pass on Longbourn to one of your daughters or to be held in trust for the oldest of your possible grandsons who is willing to take on the name of Bennet. What you should not wish to happen is for the estate to be divided up or sold to support your family. That will not do well for them, the estate and your tenants or the community. It is also the most likely outcome if you wait and do nothing about the entail."

  "Taking on the name of Bennet, hmm. That was how Mr. Collins's grandfather gained his name. He inherited a small property from his wife's father by taking on her family name. Unfortunately, he lost it through mismanagement several years later. Yes. I could stipulate Longbourn to be the dowry of the oldest daughter whose husband is willing to change his name for it. Bingley has no need to do so, nor do you should Lizzy eventually choose to accept you. It might work out well for Mary or Kitty, especially if you or Bingley can find a good man among your acquaintance willing to change his name for a small estate." Mr. Bennet looked thoughtful.

  "Mr. Darcy is courting our Lizzy?" Mr. Phillips asked in a tone of mild disbelief.

  "Unofficially," Mr. Bennet replied before Darcy could say a word. "She is still deciding whether he is tolerable enough to tempt her."

  Darcy sighed and shook his head. "No, I will never live that down. Even if she has forgiven me, it will still come back to haunt me for the rest of my days."

  "That is what family is for, my boy. To humble you when you start to feel too proud." Mr. Bennet gave him a wink and a smirk.

  "Well, I think she would be a good match for you, and you for her," Mr. Phillips said seriously. "I also think we have a good chance of breaking the entail if, as Mr. Darcy says, we act now while you are still alive to state your wishes, Brother."

  "I am an indolent fellow by nature. You know that, Phillips. Still, this is important enough that I must act. I will rely on you to prod me as needed once the process begins."

  Darcy requested permission to read through the entail document. After reviewing it carefully, he began a discussion with Mr. Phillips on the places where the intent of the entail was discussed. Together they drew up a list of ways to challenge the entail or argue for a change to it, while Mr. Bennet listened and made occasional comments. By the time Mr. Phillips was ready to leave, all three had both hope and a plan.

  When Darcy found a chance to discuss their meeting with Miss Elizabeth that evening as they shared a semi-private moment in the sitting room after dinner, her reaction did not surprise him. As he expected, she was glad of the possibility the entail might be broken, and happier still they had spurred her father to admit the need for immediate action. She did have an objection to the plan, though.

  "While I agree the estate should not be broken up, and I like the idea of it becoming one of our dowries, I do not like the thought of any of my sisters being married just for the sake of the estate."

  "I respect that," Darcy replied. "I would not wish a man to marry Georgiana just for her dowry and have no wish to see the same happen to any of your sisters." Who I hope will one day be my sisters, he added in his thoughts, but decided not to say aloud.

  "But how will we know? How will you know when a man asks for Georgiana's hand? There are so many men who are charming and plausible like Mr. Wickham. How can Mary, Kitty or especially Lydia be protected from them?"

  "Georgiana has learned to be wary and to question the intent of anyone who seems too friendly. I will watch out for her and investigate any man who seeks her hand. Believe me that I will not be concerned with wealth and status, but with character. My little sister is too precious to trust with a man who is known as a gambler or a rake." Miss Elizabeth nodded in approval as he continued. "Dealing with the legal system is never quick or easy. By the time anything is decided, Bingley will be married to your sister. He will act to protect the rest of you and, if he asks, I will act on his behalf even if I have no standing to do so on my own."

  At his look when Darcy said the last, Miss Elizabeth blushed. She k
new he referred to his hope to marry her. She could not look him in the eye as she replied, "Well, I must hope all will work out for the best." She lapsed into silence then, and Darcy did not press her further.

  ~*~

  The whole Bennet family looked forward to the company they expected to find at the New Year's Eve party hosted by Mrs. Long. Other than the brief visit to Lucas Lodge, it had been two weeks since any of them had been in company other than their own and that of the Netherfield party.

  Once again, the invitation included Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley, along with the acknowledgment that Darcy's sister was not yet out and would not be expected to participate beyond what her brother felt comfortable in allowing. When Georgiana told him that she was looking forward to spending time with some of the young ladies she met at the Goulding's home, Darcy gave his permission for her to go. He was still relieved when Miss Kitty spoke to assure him.

  "I will stay near Georgiana," she said. "And when the dancing starts, I will stand up with her if you do not wish her to dance with any of the men present."

  "Bingley and I will each take a turn with her," Darcy confirmed. "And I hope for one with you as well, Miss Kitty, but if she wishes for more time on the floor, I will deem it acceptable if you or one of the other young ladies wish to indulge her."

  Georgiana smiled happily at both her brother and Miss Kitty. She had feared to ask if she could dance, in case the answer was negative, but now it was all settled.

  As they gathered in the entry before boarding the carriage, Darcy was sorry to see Miss Elizabeth was not wearing a sage-green gown like the one in his dream. She was, in fact, wearing the same gown she had worn to the Netherfield ball, a creation of ivory threaded with gold. It looked very well on her all the same, and he did notice she had updated it with sage-green ribbons at the neckline and had a few more braided through her hair. As he handed her into his carriage with Georgiana, Miss Mary and Miss Kitty, Darcy felt a stab of jealousy for Bingley. His friend would be able to announce his betrothal to the company this night and have an accepted place by Miss Bennet's side. Darcy had no such rights.