Mrs. Fitzwilliam

by APRIL FLOYD

  Elizabeth knew her brother spoke the truth. Since the Fitzwilliam’s had no knowledge of their grandson, they would not understand her insistence on the money. It mattered not as it was her decision to refuse or accept the townhome.

  “I would prefer a monetary settlement if the Fitzwilliams are agreeable. The stipend from the War Office is not enough to keep a townhome, you see.”

  Margaret Fitzwilliam made a noise in her throat that assured Elizabeth she had just made a terrible error. The earl placed a hand upon his wife’s arm. It was a gesture of restraint but Lady Matlock would not remain silent.

  “What sort of lady refuses the most generous offer of a London townhome?”

  Elizabeth maintained her composure, “I would only sell it, Lady Matlock. Is that what you would prefer? Perhaps it would be best if your solicitor and mine met privately to work out an agreement. I do not wish to make enemies of my late husband’s family.”

  She stood abruptly and Charles hurried to join her.

  Mr. Darcy and the earl stood and Elizabeth was surprised when the gentleman from Derbyshire suggested a far more generous offer than his aunt and uncle.

  “If Richard were living, he would be the next Earl of Matlock and nothing would be denied him from the family coffers. Mrs. Fitzwilliam, as his widow, shall have the same consideration. I will not accept less as it is your wish I become your heir, Uncle Reginald.”

  Lady Matlock pushed past her husband and Mr. Darcy and approached Elizabeth. “You married my son because of his connections but you shall be terribly disappointed to find yourself returned to Hertfordshire without a penny. Oh yes, I had your family investigated. There is not enough wealth there to provide a decent dowry for any of your unmarried sisters. You shall remember this day and your insolence and weep for what might have been.”

  Elizabeth closed the distance between herself and the lady. “I knew nothing of Richard’s connections until after we wed. To me, he was a soldier and a gentleman of character. I never understood his reasons for turning his back on his own mother, but I must say you have made it quite clear this afternoon. Good day.”

  Turning swiftly away and taking Mr. Bingley’s arm, Elizabeth quit the room. Her heart raced from the confrontation until she thought she might be sick. “Take me home, Charles, to Hertfordshire. They shall never know the truth.”

  Mr. Bingley did not argue with her, for now was not the time. Mr. Darcy found them by the front door as the butler called for their carriage.

  “Elizabeth,” he began, his agitation removing all pretense, “Wait! My aunt is not herself. She has lost both her sons and her grief is a bitter one. Please allow me to escort her to her rooms and then you may speak more plainly of your needs to my uncle.”

  Elizabeth wondered at his insistence. The advice he’d given his uncle only moments ago had surprised her as did his entreaty now.

  “Mr. Darcy, I would never discount the suffering of a mother but I cannot agree to their offer. It is best settled however they see fit with my solicitor. There is nothing to be gained by remaining under this roof and subjecting myself to their censure. It breaks my heart to know Richard came from such a family.”

  Mr Darcy could not argue her point. A strong urge to wrap Elizabeth in his arms and assure her his family would provide for her as she wished overcame him. He maintained his composure though his heart skipped a beat in his chest.

  “I will tell my uncle you have accepted the offer and see that a suitable sum is deposited into an account for you here in Town. They cannot stand against my wishes or they may lose me as their heir.”

  Elizabeth did not know what to say. Mr. Darcy looked at her with such pleading it pricked her heart. He held his own grief for Richard.

  Her eyes softened and a small smile played at the corner of her lips. “Sir, your support is appreciated. I had not thought you would be an ally when I saw you there in the parlor. After all, you were not fond of me when first we met in Meryton. I recall your insult to this very day.”

  His face burned a deep crimson and Mr. Darcy shook his head. “I was most unsettled that evening. You must forgive me for the foolish slight. It was Charles’s insistence that I dance which brought out the worst in me.”

  Mr. Bingley laughed and placed a hand on his old friends shoulder. “Tis true, Lizzy. Nothing makes him as cross as a ball.”

  “Every savage can dance, Bingley!” Mr. Darcy said as he winked at Elizabeth.

  “My forgiveness at the slight is yours, sir. I do not wish to leave here without at least one friend from amongst Richard’s family.”

  Lady Matlock’s voice, strident with anger, found them and Elizabeth took Charles’s arm. “Let us go, brother. I do not wish to argue with her again.”

  Mr. Darcy watched the woman he admired leave with his friend as his aunt appeared at the stairs above him. “You have no right to go against us, Fitzwilliam. She will have nothing, I tell you!”

  “Aunt Margaret, you do not mean that. You loved Richard and he loved her enough to marry her. We shall do all we might to honor his memory by caring for his widow. She is family, after all.”

  Lady Matlock glared at him and turned away. “Reginald, take me upstairs. I cannot abide his disobedience another moment. He is worse than even Richard was in his last years.”

  Darcy grimaced as his heart twisted at her meanness. Richard had been far wiser than he to leave the Matlocks and live his own life.

  How Darcy wished he might do the same, but he could not allow the family fortune to be broken apart or lost. It was never the title he cared for but the legacy of the Fitzwilliam family. He would marry one day and provide the heirs his cousins had not. Fortunes and titles must be preserved.

  Chapter 5

  Elizabeth waited until she and Mr. Bingley were seated in his carriage before she spoke again. “What do you make of Mr Darcy’s behavior? I did not expect an apology nor his support. It unnerves me if I’m honest.”

  Charles shook his head. “Darcy is a good man, though he is often his own worst enemy in polite company. I believe he and I might mend our friendship since he has taken up for you against the Matlocks.”

  “He looked as though he’d seen a ghost today. I wonder if that had to do with you.” Elizabeth swiped at imaginary lint on her skirts.

  “Oh, I’m quite certain it was seeing you that unsettled him. And knowing you wed his closest cousin. Caroline has told me he admired you at Lucas Lodge that evening though she could never understand why.”

  Elizabeth raised her head quickly at this bit of news. “And you believed her?”

  “Oh, I know it was true Lizzy. Caroline was most angry and shocked as she had hoped Mr. Darcy would love her. Instead he admitted his ardor was for you.”

  The idea that Mr. Darcy might have found her tempting elicited a loud snort and Mr. Bingley was startled into laughter at this most unladylike noise.

  When he had regained his composure, Charles grew serious. “It is a good thing he favors you. His word will sway the Matlocks. I expect we will hear from their solicitor in but a few days’ time. Would you care to see the townhome they will give to you and young Richard?”

  Elizabeth had not thought they might reconsider. In fact, she thought it highly likely Lady Matlock would withhold every penny and forget Elizabeth existed.

  “If only to please you,” she replied but followed with an admonition, “but we must return home to Jane soon.”

  Charles tapped on the roof of the carriage a little further down the road and they were stopped at the front door of a magnificent townhome. Elizabeth noted its proximity to Matlock House. Charles helped her down from the carriage and led her up the steps.

  “We are not going in are we?” Elizabeth asked, her voice a desperate hiss.

  “We are indeed. There is staff present because they thought you might take their offer this day. Lady Matlock may be a fearsome foe, but she would never have her friends and neighbors gossip over how the widow of her second son was installed in
an empty townhome.”

  Raising the brass knocker, Mr. Bingley nodded further down the road. “Darcy House is just there, the one with the dark green door.”

  He turned and winked at Elizabeth. She elbowed him sharply in the ribs. At that moment, the door flew open and Elizabeth nudged her brother.

  “Mrs. Fitzwilliam, I presume?”

  The distinguished gentleman seeking her identity must be the butler and Elizabeth nodded to him, a small smile curving her lips. “I am. And you are?”

  The butler stepped smartly aside and with a flourish of his gloved hand, bade them enter. “I am Mr. Harley, ma’am, your butler here at Fitzwilliam House. Please accept my deepest condolences on the loss of your husband. The colonel was my favorite from amongst his family, but I beg you not to repeat such a scandalous admission from a mere servant.”

  The man bowed his head just a moment too long and Elizabeth knew he must have cared deeply for her husband. “I am honored to make your acquaintance Mr. Harley. Richard mentioned several times that his love for soldiering was due to your influence.”

  The butler forgot himself and took her hand. “I cannot tell you how it pains my heart to know it, Mrs. Fitzwilliam. Would that he had never seen a battlefield. I shall serve you as long as you wish it so.”

  Elizabeth felt a warmth in her heart that bloomed throughout her body. How odd it was that a servant truly welcomed her into the Fitzwilliam family and grieved her husband as one of his own.

  The butler offered a tour of the townhome, but Mr. Bingley remarked they would not be long. The man bowed to Elizabeth and left them in the entryway. Mr. Bingley placed an arm around her and pulled Elizabeth close. She rested her head on his shoulder and gave a deep sigh.

  “It has been enough today, Lizzy. Let us go home to Jane, Rose, and Richard. I should not have brought you here.”

  “No, it was wonderful to meet Mr. Harley. If we shall settle here, at least there is yet another friend to greet us.”

  Charles felt a sharp twist in his chest for his widowed sister. Their meeting with Richard’s family had shaken her confidence. “You are welcome at Bingley House as long as you wish to stay, Lizzy. And there is your aunt and uncle. Do not allow today’s events to bring you unnecessary pain. You have many friends and family standing by your side.”

  As they turned to leave the townhome, Elizabeth took her brother’s assurance to heart. She was not alone in the world and she had shown the Matlocks she was not one to dismiss.

  But their behavior worried her when it came to her son. How might they react to the news of his existence? As she hurried down the steps of Fitzwilliam House, a cold gust of evening air sent a chill through her that matched the one squeezing her heart.

  Chapter 6

  Two days after the disastrous meeting with the Matlock family, Mr. Darcy arrived at Bingley House with his sister Georgiana in the early afternoon.

  As the Darcys entered the salon, Mr. Bingley and Jane welcomed them while Elizabeth took her measure of the pair. Her eye was drawn to Mr. Darcy and the heat rose in her cheeks as she recalled Mr. Bingley’s mention of the man’s adoration at Lucas Lodge.

  She looked to his sister to avoid further discomfort. Georgiana Darcy was close to Lydia and Kitty in age, but much more reserved than Elizabeth’s younger sisters. She stepped forward and Elizabeth was compelled to meet her halfway. Mr. Darcy made the introduction and his gaze unsettled Elizabeth.

  “Elizabeth, this is my sister Georgiana. She and Richard were quite close and I could not come alone once she knew I was visiting Bingley House.”

  Before Elizabeth might speak, Miss Darcy embraced her. The young lady held onto her and Elizabeth knew it was her connection to Colonel Fitzwilliam that gave her comfort.

  “It is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Darcy. I am so very sorry for your loss.”

  Miss Darcy released her and pulled an expensive cream-colored handkerchief from her skirt pocket. After a moment of dabbing her tears and leaning against the comfort of her brother’s arm as he moved closer, she smiled at Elizabeth. “How very kind you are to think of my grief when your own must have been unbearable.”

  Elizabeth swallowed the sadness that had gathered in her throat. “It is a terrible thing to lose a husband and one so wonderful as Richard was to me. I was most fortunate to have been his wife.”

  Mr. Bingley cleared his throat and Mr. Darcy turned away from the ladies. “Charles, I am sorry to visit unannounced but I came with good news for Elizabeth. The Matlocks have agreed to transfer Richard’s accounts and I have the key to his townhome.”

  Charles hurried to his side and clapped Darcy on the back. “I wager your influence has brought this about, old friend. Shall we discuss the particulars in my study?”

  Mr. Darcy agreed but turned again to Elizabeth as she sat upon a sofa with his sister. He pulled something from his pocket and handed it to her. The metal keys clanked against one another in her palm as his fingers brushed hers.

  The thrill that ran through her body could not be attributed to receiving the keys to her new home and she looked away as her cheeks burned. Mr. Darcy’s touch had awakened the widow transforming her into a woman with needs once again.

  He straightened and watched as she held the keys in her lap. Elizabeth glanced up, hoping he might meet her gaze but shy at the same time. His eyes sparkled with bemusement and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Georgiana and I would love to accompany you to Fitzwilliam House today and give a tour.”

  Miss Darcy brightened and touched Elizabeth’s arm. “Oh please say you will let us show you the townhome! There are so many memories to share, I promise not to cry again.”

  Elizabeth could not refuse the young lady and agreed to the outing. “I would love that, Miss Darcy. I am grateful for your kindness.”

  It was all she could say without allowing Mr. Darcy to see the excitement that threatened to reveal itself if she spoke to him.

  In Bingley’s study, Mr. Darcy humbled himself before his friend. “I have come to speak with you as well, Bingley. I was a terrible friend at a most important moment of your life. Might you find it in your heart to forgive my folly? Mrs. Bingley is the picture of beauty, round as she is with child. I have never seen you so happy. You seem different now, more serious.”

  Bingley was moved by his old friend’s speech. “Time heals all wounds Darcy. And awakening to the sight of the love of your life every day tends to change a man. Your apology is accepted and I must offer one of my own. I ought to have told you Richard married Lizzy but he asked me to keep his confidence. I am sorry to hear of his brother’s tragic death. I was moved by the grave losses your aunt and uncle have endured, though they were most harsh with Lizzy. I cannot bear to think of losing our little ones.”

  Bingley could not hide the bright crimson that stained his neck as he remembered himself.

  Darcy sat by the fire and warmed his hands. “How many children have you now, Bingley?”

  Careful to avert his eyes, Charles lied to his friend. “There is Rose, our eldest and errr...Thomas.” He chose one of young Richard’s middle names in the nick of time. He had been prepared to speak the child’s first name.

  “I am happy for you Bingley, truly. And pleased you ignored my advice. I would be honored to meet the young Bingleys when they are able to be present.”

  Charles gave a nervous laugh and reached for his cigar box. He was determined to divert the conversation from the children. “They are the loveliest children you shall ever meet, save your own one day. I saw how you looked at Lizzy in the salon earlier. Do you still fancy her eyes?”

  Darcy was caught off guard by this question but he relaxed deeper into his chair as he accepted the cigar from his friend. “I would only say she is even more tempting than I remember. As she is now family, would it not be scandalous to pursue her?”

  “She has been a widow for over three years, Darcy. As for family, well, Richard found her most appealing and the two of you w
ere always in agreement on almost every topic, were you not? I can’t think of any man your cousin would wish to protect her more than you.”

  An awkward silence descended and each man entertained thoughts that would shock the other. Bingley thought how desperately his sister needed a man like Darcy to help raise young Richard.

  Darcy thought he wished to know the pleasures his cousin had known before him and not from a place of jealousy. No, he wished to have Elizabeth Bennet Fitzwilliam for his own and give her the life Richard had been denied because of the war.

  In the salon, Elizabeth and Jane were busy with Miss Darcy. She quizzed Elizabeth relentlessly on her life with Richard. When she had got every answer she desired, she turned and spoke with Jane about her marriage to Bingley.

  “He is such a handsome and amiable gentleman! His sister Caroline hoped he might marry me one day. Did you know?”

  Jane glanced at Elizabeth, that fleeting look sisters exchange at such moments passing between them. “I did not know,” Jane said though in truth the Bingley sisters had expressed such wishes during their time in Meryton.

  Elizabeth knew such subterfuge did not come easily to her beloved sister but Miss Darcy left her little choice.

  “We only met Miss Bingley briefly the first time, before she returned to London with your brother and the Hursts. She has mentioned you only once after Jane and Mr. Bingley married, and that was to say how she wished to see you again when she returned to London.” Elizabeth hoped her reply was believable.

  Jane stood as the children had come into the salon, Nanny trailing behind them.

  Elizabeth bolted from her seat and went to her niece and son, her heart racing so she thought she might faint. Miss Darcy’s exclamation of delight froze her in place as the young lady moved toward the children.

  “Mrs. Bingley, what precious angels you have! What are their names?”