A Hasty Decision

by Wynne Mabry

  “We might talk among ourselves, but we’d never betray him outside the house,” summed up the general feeling.

  If he could have looked upon this scene, it might have brought tears to Mr. Darcy’s eyes. He was in his study doing his best to read and trying to ignore the sound of carriages coming and going. The morning passed by without any arrivals. So did luncheon and most of the afternoon. Mr. Darcy began to think that he might have the evening to himself again, but at 6:00 his wife and her mother arrived.

  Mrs. Jenkinson was not with them. He queried this, and Lady Catherine replied that the companion was remaining at Rosings for the time being. It was not directly said, but he could guess that she had been left there because of her previous interference. Anne looked excessively miserable, which made him wish that her mother had not been so unkind.

  It was an uncomfortable evening. His wife said almost nothing, while his aunt talked a great deal about anything and everything except for personal matters. Despite her detachment and Anne barely looking at him, Mr. Darcy still had a strong sense of being very unpopular with both of them. Between their coldness and his anticipation of the trial ahead of him, he felt more and more awkward as the minutes ticked away.

  At last Lady Catherine announced that they were all in need of an early bedtime. She led the way out of the drawing room and upstairs, she said,” You both know what needs to be done.”

  Mr. Darcy thought that he saw mutiny in the look which Anne flashed at her mother. They each went into their own chambers, and twenty minutes later, he went through the connecting door into hers, feeling a great distaste for what must happen next.

  “What took you so long,” Anne snapped, rather surprisingly. He had not imagined her to be in any hurry. But that was explained by her next remark. “It is your fault that I have nobody to care about me. Mother said that Mrs. Jenkinson has to stay at Rosings until we have a proper marriage.”

  “My fault?” he cried indignantly. “You are the one who did not want me in your bed, and I obliged your wishes. Nor was it my idea to deprive you of your companion. I do not want you to be miserable.”

  “Yes, you do. You do not care at all about my feelings.”

  “You do not care about mine, or anybody’s for that matter. If you did, we would not have so many stupid arguments.”

  “We would not argue if you were not so unreasonable.”

  “You do not think it has anything to do with your attitudes?”

  “Of course not. If you would only do what I want, like having nothing to do with the Bennets, then we would have nothing to argue about.”

  “It is as simple as that, is it? I am expected to follow your dictate, and then all will be well? Perhaps you would prefer me to leave your room now. I shall be happy to comply.”

  “No, you will not leave. If I have to do that nasty thing to get Mrs. Jenkinson back, then I will.”

  “Mrs. Jenkinson is in my employ now. I shall send a carriage for her in the morning. You do not have to do anything in return.”

  “You only say that because you want to get rid of me and marry Miss Bennet instead. Mother told me that you were talking of an annulment again. But I will not let you marry her. She is not going to take my place in society.”

  Mr. Darcy felt his doom settle upon him. It appeared that Lady Catherine had cleverly used this threat, as well as the banishment of Mrs. Jenkinson. ““I have no thoughts of marrying her. Or of marrying anybody for that matter,” he said. “I only had in mind the state of our marriage. Considering that, I think an annulment would be the best thing for you as well. You do not seem very happy.”

  “I am perfectly happy,” she cried. “And I like having my own home.”

  “Rosings is your own home. It does belong to you.”

  “Try telling that to Mother. She gives all the orders and never lets me do anything. Anyway, I prefer being in London. I have lots of friends now, and more superior company. At Rosings we had to make do with people like Mr. and Mrs. Collins.”

  “You do not seem to like me at all, and you are terrified of having me in your bed.”

  “Mother says that I must endure that, so I will.”

  “If you can,” he muttered.

  “I can. I shall prove it to you right now.” She threw off the covers, spread her legs apart, and said, “Go on then. Use me quickly and get it over with.”

  Had any man ever had to endure such unenticing words? Her eyes were tightly shut, and her face displayed her disgust. Mr. Darcy only wanted to walk away, but then he would have to face his aunt instead. Perhaps she was even outside the door now, listening to make certain that the deed was done. He would not put it past her to force him back into the room if he left. He was certainly not having that sort of humiliation.

  Taking up a position upon the bed, he copied his wife’s example and closed his own eyes. That was the only way he could manage the business, and even then, it was not easy.

  She screamed at the first touch and kept on screaming, but this time she did not struggle. Her mother’s threats held their sway over her. In order to achieve the restoration of her companion and the satisfaction of defeating a perceived rival, she was able to be resolute. There was no physical incapacity either. In a moment, Mr. Darcy’s hope of freeing himself was ended.

  He could not manage to complete the act though. The situation was too uncomfortable, and he was overwhelmed with a repugnance which made his task impossible. As he got out of the bed, she was still screaming for all the household to hear. The neighbourhood too, perhaps. He pulled the covers back over her, but instead of being grateful for that little act of compassion, she threw something at him as he was leaving. It missed him and shattered against the wall, and then she burst into tears.

  Hurrying out of the room, he heartily wished that Mrs. Jenkinson was there to settle Anne’s distress. His aunt could have had a little more compassion for her own daughter, whose screams she must have heard. But no, Lady Catherine de Bourgh had never been one to give any consideration to feelings. Wealth and superiority were all she cared about. Anne might be a shrewish wife, but she had also been a victim to her mother’s overwhelming desire for their estates to be united in order to increase their consequence in the world.

  Mr. Darcy felt very sorry for his part in that. He should have had more regard for her feelings as well, but it had never occurred to him that she had any. He had been almost as bad as his aunt. Not quite so obsessed with consequence, but lacking regard for human connections instead of worldly ones. His value for them had come too late, and now he was paying the price for not opening his eyes sooner.

  PART FOUR

  No Light at the End of the Tunnel

  Mrs. Jenkinson had been restored to Anne. Lady Catherine, satisfied that she had prevented an annulment, had returned to Rosings.

  “But I shall be back if I deem it necessary,” she had informed Mr. Darcy. “I have instructed Anne to tell me if you do not make regular visits to her chamber. And I want to hear that a child is expected before long.”

  He wondered if Anne would really do tell her mother if he failed in this instruction. And what constituted regular visits? Once a week? Perhaps once a month. Could he summon up the will even for that? And did he really want to try to have children?

  It would be easier if he could get along with his wife, but that was not likely as long as she was convinced that all the fault was on his side. Still, he knew that he had been abrupt in many of his dealings with her. Although he had no intention of letting her dictate his life, he needed to be as kind as possible.

  They had not quarreled once since her mother’s departure, but that was not any great feat. She and Mrs. Jenkinson had not been wanting to have much to do with him. The few times that they had been in the same room as him, they had talked with each other or not at all. After a few days of this, he decided to give both them and himself a break by going away for the short time which remained before Georgiana was due to return.

  He drove ou
t of London without having any particular destination. Letting whimsy guide his journey, he explored an unfamiliar area, stayed in a couple of charming villages, and took some long pensive walks in the countryside. On one of these, he stood in the middle of a tall wood, looking up at the sky through a gap in the trees. It reminded him of the light at the end of Fritchley tunnel, which he had seen a couple of years ago.

  “Is there any light at the end of my tunnel?” he asked forlornly.

  But as he carried on walking through the quiet wood, he talked himself out of self pity once again. There were other things more important than his troubles. He had only begun upon the improvements which he wished to implement at Rosings, and there were other good works which could provide him with meaningful occupation. He could keep busy in that way.

  With worthwhile endeavours, his books, and the comfort of friends, he could make a satisfactory life. But that matter of friends had to be settled for once and for all. He must have that conversation with Anne about ways in which they could move forward constructively.

  Putting the first part of his resolution into immediate action, he returned to London by way of Kent and spent several productive hours with the steward there. For his aunt he spared only half an hour. He would rather have avoided her altogether, but it was wiser not to cause offense, and she was bound to hear about his presence on the estate from Mr. Collins, who had ferreted him out.

  “My dear Mr. Darcy, what a surprise it is to come across you,” he had said, suddenly appearing in a place where there was no reason for him to be, which made Mr. Darcy very doubtful that it was a surprise. The parson’s garden afforded an excellent view of the estate, and it was very like him to seize upon any opportunity for ingratiating himself.

  Lady Catherine demanded to know why Mr. Darcy was there without Anne, but fortunately she accepted his reply that he was only on a quick trip of business. He took luncheon with her and listened to the village gossip, grateful that she did not say anything more about his affairs, or his supposed affair. Their recent conflict was not mentioned, and Elizabeth’s name did not come up in any way, thank goodness. It was not an especially pleasant visit, but at least it was not contentious.

  He returned home the same day as Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley, but intentionally later than they were due to arrive, so that Anne would not get the idea that he had gone to Netherfield and spent time with Elizabeth. For good measure, he intended to mention the work he had done at Rosings, emphasizing the business aspect of his trip.

  He never had the chance to do that though. Upon entering the house, he heard the sound of raised voices.

  “I suppose it was too much to hope for any serenity in this household,” he muttered to himself, hurrying upstairs to see what was going on. There were three people in the drawing room; Anne and Mrs. Jenkinson, who were both seated, and Georgiana, who was standing in the middle of the room with her hands raised in some emotion. As he walked in, she was saying, “Of all the stupid things you have done, Anne, this is the absolute worst. It was intolerable of you to cause Miss Bennet so much distress.”

  Mr. Darcy heard these words with a sinking feeling. “What has caused Miss Bennet distress?” he asked his sister.

  Georgiana turned about and looked at him awkwardly. “The accusation of being your mistress.”

  “He looked at Anne. “How can you have done this? Was it not enough to accuse me?”

  “I have done nothing,” she protested.

  “It was our aunt,” Georgiana said. “She made the journey to Meryton just for the purpose of haranguing Elizabeth on the subject and ordering her to end this supposed affair.”

  Mr. Darcy was horrified. It had never occurred to him that Lady Catherine would go so far in her efforts to stop an affair which had never existed. “Did you ask your mother to do this?” he asked Anne.

  “No, I did not. She did not even tell me that she went there. But I think it was a very good idea. If you must be friends with Miss Bennet, which I think is foolish enough, then you cannot carry on with her as well. I am glad that mother put a stop to it.”

  He sighed. “There is no carrying on. I wish you could get that into your head.”

  “Of course there is not,” Georgiana cried. “It is ridiculous that you think Elizabeth capable of it, Anne. You have offended my dearest friend for the most absurd reason.”

  “I do not think it absurd,” Anne said stubbornly. “Neither do Caroline and Louisa.”

  “They are just being nasty. And you thought my friend a bad influence. You should take a good look at the spitefulness of your own friends.”

  “How dare you insult my friends. They are far superior to yours.”

  “No, they are not. They are odious creatures, but you cannot see it because you are so spiteful yourself,” Georgiana shouted. “I am sure nobody would be surprised if my brother did have a mistress. Who would want to be stuck with a wife like you?”

  “What a dreadful thing to say! I will have you being so vulgar in my drawing room.”

  “I am sure I do not want to be in your drawing room.” Georgiana whirled about and rushed out.

  Mr. Darcy went to follow her.

  “You will stay here, Fitzwilliam,” Anne commanded. “I want to talk to you about Georgiana’s behaviour.”

  “No, I will not stay,” he said, not even looking back. “I am fed up with your complaints.”

  A Necessary Separation

  “I am sorry for shouting,” Georgiana said. “That was unladylike of me, but I am not sorry for being rude to Anne. Elizabeth was mortified by our aunt’s accusation.”

  “I am sure she was. I feel quite dreadful about it.”

  “She was even thinking of staying in Hertfordshire, but I thought that would only make her look guilty.”

  “No matter what either one of us does, it seems that Anne will continue to think us guilty, but I am glad that Elizabeth did not succumb to our aunt’s pressure. And I can understand the frustration that led you to shout. I was even angrier when she accused me of this, but you must try not to lose your temper with her. Too much anger changes a person, and I do not want that for you.”

  “It also seems that she and I cannot live in the same house together.” Georgiana sighed.

  “I think it would be better if you do not. Frankly, I do not care if she is offended. Not considering the dreadful things she has said about me. But I do not want you to suffer from any more of this discord.”

  “Could we just send Anne back to Rosings?”

  “Our aunt would only bring her back again, and there would probably be more accusations. Anyway, I do have an obligation to keep my wife. I think it would be better if you go elsewhere. Not as a punishment, or because Anne wishes it, but because I would rather see you in a happier environment.”

  “I am quite willing to go anywhere. Should I go to Pemberley? Or perhaps the seaside again?”

  “I do not see why you should be driven out of London and away from all the pleasures that you have been enjoying. What if I were to ask Mr. Bingley if you could stay in his house?”

  “I can think of no happier situation, but do you not think it would look very strange for me to be staying directly across the street from my own home?”

  “Who would even know the difference? We visit them so often that their visitors are used to seeing you there. Anyway, I am not especially bothered by appearances. I think it is too late to be worrying what people think. It must be obvious to many people that Anne and I do not get along. No doubt we are already much talked about.”

  “Surely people would not gossip about you.”

  “They would gossip about anybody, my dear sister. It is no use hoping to be immune, but you must try not to mind it.”

  “I only mind on your account, but I shall try not to think of it.”

  “It is better not to. Let us go and visit our friends now, and I shall talk to Bingley about having you stay. I must tell him everything though. It is only fair for him to know the risks
of associating with us.”

  “He already does. Elizabeth felt that he should know and be able to say if he did not want her in his home. He said that his choices would not be dictated by unfair accusations or the possibility of gossip.”

  “Oh. Yes, naturally Elizabeth would have been honest with him. That is very like her. And this sort of loyalty is just like him. It is good to have such friends. At least, I hope they are still friends. She might be angry with me for bringing all this trouble upon her.”

  “No, I am certain she is not. In fact, she was worried about causing you trouble. I did tell her that none of this was her fault.”

  “No, it is certainly not. Everything is my fault.”

  “I think it is Anne’s. You cannot keep blaming yourself just for marrying her. She had the chance to have a happy marriage, but she would not make the effort. You tried. I saw that you did. You must stop blaming yourself.”

  “I have quarreled dreadfully with her.”

  “Not at first. Only after she started saying the most dreadful things. You were kind and patient and did everything she wanted. You have to let it go, Fitzwilliam. There must be an end to blaming yourself. A person cannot live like that.”

  He smiled. “When did you become so wise?”

  “It has been coming on for some time, but I believe it began at Ramsgate. I was so disappointed in myself, but then I realised that I could not go forward with so much self-doubt. Neither can you.”

  “No, I suppose I cannot. As you say, we must move forward.”

  They went across the street together and found all three of their friends sitting together.

  “I have come on two errands,” Mr. Darcy announced. “First I wish to apologise to Elizabeth for my aunt’s behaviour.” He looked at her. “There are not sufficient words to express how sorry I am that she treated you so appallingly.”

  “I do not blame you,” she said at once.