A Spring Sentiment: A Pride and Prejudice Novella Variation (Seasons of Serendipity Book 2) (11 page)

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For hours it seemed the staff and occupants of Matlock House were in a flurry. Lady Sefton’s group was to leave first, though the woman had changed her date of departure at the last moment, forcing the Darcy group to await her pleasure. It was nigh upon noon before her carriages were packed and gone from the lane and Darcy’s own carriages could be packed and readied.

“At this rate, we’ll be lucky to reach Pemberley before dark.” Mr. Darcy growled as he looked at the high position of the sun. Elizabeth linked her arm into his and smiled.

“It shall be fine, William. We have a few days at Pemberley before we must be back in London for the engagement schedule your aunt has put together.”

“Yes, remind me to thank her ever so much for back to back teas and balls in the first days of our return.”

His fiancee erupted into giggles and her mirth at his sourness began to melt the aggravation of leaving later than he had planned. The two of them began to lose themselves in each other on the grand steps of the Matlock Estate as a cloud of dust heralded the arrival of a single rider entering the lane. With all of the Bennet sisters and Miss Darcy, plus Lord and Lady Matlock outside, the head footman rushed forward to greet the express rider and receive his missive before pointing him towards the stables. Smoothing his livery, the footman handed the note with his white gloves to Lady Matlock. She opened it and swiftly read the contents.

“No!” she gasped, handing the letter to her husband. He also read the note and took a deep breath. Approaching his nephew and his intended, the Earl coughed slightly to break the gazes of Elizabeth and William.

“It appears there has been an accident and your uncle was seriously injured. I’m truly sorry.”

The Earl handed the note to Elizabeth and bowed. Her hands shaking, Elizabeth accepted the note and read to the point of where her aunt described her uncle’s accident before she cried out and dropped the letter. Mary stepped forward as Elizabeth turned to Darcy’s arms for support, but the colonel reached the letter first.

“Please, allow me.” The colonel read the note and offered his arm to Mary. “Your Uncle Gardiner lives, but his carriage crashed some four days ago in London. The Bennets are asked to gather back in Cheapside”

“How could two tragedies strike our family so suddenly?” Kitty wailed. Georgiana embraced her friend and confidante.

“Sssh, sssh, the counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations,” Georgiana said in a soft tone, trying to provide comfort.

For a few minutes the party seemed frozen, stunned at the news and reflecting on the scripture quoted by the youngest of their family. Finally the colonel broke the spell.

“Right. Givens, Hampton, take the Bennet luggage and put it all on this carriage. Move all of the Darcy luggage to that carriage.”

“Richard! Those are my carriages!”

“Holmes!” The butler of Matlock House appeared from just inside the house. Colonel Fitzwilliam continued his barking orders. “Tell Mr. Pratt to pack my belongings, we leave in fifteen minutes.”

“Richard! A moment of discussion if you please.” Darcy shouted, finally getting his cousin’s attention.

“Leave it, Darce. You must go to Pemberley, you told me as much last evening. It’s been months. I shall escort the Miss Bennets to London, and you and Georgiana can meet us in a fortnight.”

“But—”

“Now, let’s show these ladies inside and perhaps give them a moment or two of refreshment?” The colonel ignored his younger but wealthier cousin and offered his arm to Miss Catherine so that she could be escorted in as he still held Miss Mary’s arm. The Earl nodded to his son in respect and followed his lead. Stuck without a better idea, Darcy had no choice but to escort Elizabeth and Georgiana inside.

As they climbed the stairs, he whispered to Elizabeth. “I am sorry, but he is right. I’ve been away for half a year, and there are responsibilities I cannot put off any longer.”

“It’s perfectly fine, William. I will miss you, but I know you will hurry to London as soon as you are able.”

Releasing Georgiana’s arm so that she could precede them inside, Darcy took a moment to lock eyes with Elizabeth, who was still tearing up.

“You have my word.”

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Chapter Ten

Smug satisfaction dissolved to tediousness as George Wickham shuffled up the worn steps to Sally Younge’s boarding house in the wee hours of the morning. Finished with his duties for the day, he was dog tired, wanting nothing more than a hot meal and his bed. Unfortunately, there was Mrs. Younge, tapping her foot, waiting for him in the foyer.

“You’ve lied to me.” Her eyes slanted, she crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Those Bennet girls have been back in town for over a week! Where’s the one you fancied? Nab her and be done with it, so Mr. Darcy hastens to pay you off.”

Wickham yawned. “She did not leave her mother. Only the older four are in town.” He smiled slightly as he thought to himself that if he were Lydia, he would have avoided the work as well. The older Bennet girls all left at sunup to hurry to their Uncle’s warehouse and rarely returned until nearly sunset. He couldn’t see Lydia Bennet being much help in such circumstances unless they desired an orchestra of complaints each day.

“You said this would work. You said if the uncle was injured they would all rush to London.”

Wickham shrugged and tried to walk past her, but Sally Younge slammed her hand to the wood door frame and blocked his way. “These dalliances of yours, they’re pennies compared to the pay off we both deserve. Find a way to fix this, or find another place to stay.” She glared at him menacingly, and the tall, dumb footman she kept near her side seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

With a flash of charm, George smiled and ducked under her arm. “Careful now, there will be none of that. Threats aside, you need me, Sally girl, or you have nothing on old Darcy.” Whistling a bar tune, Wickham also sleazed by the footman back towards the kitchens. He knew it wouldn’t be much longer that he could keep her happy, but as long as she needed him, he would be safe. Once she tired of this scheme, he had better be long on his way. Sally Younge did not keep many witnesses to her dealings, and he knew too much with too little of her heart attached to him.

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The bell above the door rang in the large warehouse on Cordwainer Street. Elizabeth Bennet wiped her sweaty brow, inadvertently swiping a black line of dust across her forehead. With another heave, she moved the crate in front of her to a stack next to her and used a crowbar to pry the lip of the top lid. The tall visitor made his way to her and in the dust-fairy filled grayish sunlight, she knew right away that profile was none other than her intended.

“William!” she shouted and grinned as she sashayed around the maze of crates, but stopped just before him as she self-consciously realized she was quite filthy.

“This is where I find you? Aunt Maggie has been beside herself that she has had to make regrets for you at numerous teas and parties you promised to attend.”

Elizabeth lifted the corner of her apron to wipe her hands. “I’ve sent notes to Lady Matlock to send my regrets in advance! I couldn’t possibly sit in a parlor, sipping tea, while my Uncle recovers and there is so much work to be done.”

“Work! You are a gentlewoman! Does not your Uncle hire enough staff to manage his affairs?” Darcy scoffed at the room around him as he finally looked at the tasks where her other sisters were employed. Mrs. Gardiner, very round in her midsection, walked with a board and made notations over each crate the ladies opened, various shop boys ran around opening crates for the ladies and moving them. Only his fiance was taking it upon herself to work alone. He shook his head. “Forgive me, madam, for taking up so much of your time. My presence here is unwanted and unnecessary.” He bowed and began to walk away.

“William!” Elizabeth cried out, feeling very frustrated that she had protected her family and, in the process, offended her fiance. She started to walk after him, but his longer gait was too long when he wished it so. By the time she caught up, he was already out the door and stepping back into his carriage. She watched the equipage roll away, slowly feeling her embarrassment turn to anger. If he couldn’t see the good in what she was doing, then perhaps it was best he leave and play the dandy. She had no time for such frivolous men in her life.

The Darcy carriage rolled to a halt in Mayfair and no sooner had Fitzwilliam entered his domicile than the tinkling piano music stopped and his younger sister Georgiana rushed to the foyer. “William, you are back so soon! Could you not find Elizabeth?”

“Oh, I found her! First, I attended the tea Aunt advised me was set for today in her letter. I sat for twenty minutes listening to those old harpies ruminate about the size of my purse and person and then toss slyly derogatory remarks about Elizabeth’s absence. I hastened to the Gardiner home, but she was not there, either. Finally, a stable hand, of all people, tipped me off that all of the Miss Bennets were working in the warehouse from dawn to dusk!” Darcy walked past his sister to his study to pour himself a drink. She followed him.

“But, I don’t understand. You are here. And she is there?”

Darcy knocked back the brandy and wiped his mouth, then straightened his cravat. “Oh, I expressed my displeasure. I am assured she will think twice before resuming these tradesmen duties.” Georgiana slanted her eyes at her brother and huffed out.

“Marlborough!” she shouted, “tell them to bring the carriage back around!”

“Georgiana!” Darcy exclaimed, in shock that his sister would dare to raise her voice in the household. “Where on earth are you off to?” He walked out of the study to see her donning her bonnet and sliding on her gloves.

“Where you ought to be, Brother.”

“But . . . I said . . . you couldn’t possibly be thinking . . . “ Darcy squeezed his eyes shut and pinched them with his right fingers. How? How was he cursed with two headstrong women in his life? He felt Georgiana approaching him and opened his eyes.

With her beautiful brown eyes, she pouted with the practice of a young girl accustomed to manipulating the men around her. Her voice, however, dripped with venom. “She needed you. You abandoned her.” She shook her head and walked out the door that the butler now held open.

Exasperated, Darcy picked up his cane and hat from the front table and followed his sister. The entire carriage ride, she refused to speak to him, and Darcy’s mind began to reel at the set down he was about to experience. The more and more he played the facts of the situation in his mind, the more his behavior abhorred him. He had indeed allowed the matrons of society to cloud his judgment so poorly that, in the process, he had hurt the one person he cared for the most.

As the Darcy carriage returned to Cordwainer Street, Georgiana made sure to be handed out of the carriage first, nearly knocking her brother back into his seat. He groaned at the physical message she was sending to him and prepared himself for the worst.

Once inside, the Bennet girls hastened to welcome Georgiana, and as she explained why she had come, Mary wasted no time in finding her closest friend an apron to protect her gown. Darcy stood and watched the miraculous efficiency of the women -- the hustle and bustle of the warehouse did not cease for one instant, and any kind command they gave, the shop boys expeditiously carried out. It truly was a marvel, but his more balanced observations were interrupted.

“Lizzie is in the office. I believe you two could use some privacy,” Mrs. Gardiner said, then scurried right past him to help Georgiana with what looked like a crate of cosmetics. He snatched his hat off of his head to hold it in front of him and hesitantly took a few steps towards the office. Inside, Elizabeth was furiously writing. Papers of sums and figures laid scattered on the desk.

“Elizabeth?” She ignored him, so he tried again, approaching the desk this time. “My darling, please forgive me.” She continued to scratch her thoughts, then threw the pen down. Leaning back in the chair, much reminiscent of her uncle, the fierce look on her face took him aback.

“What can I help you with, Mr. Darcy? As you can see, we are quite busy this afternoon.”

At a loss for more to say, he took the seat in front of the desk. “I . . .” He inhaled a deep breath. “I was wrong to chastise you. You, who are so kind and sweet, of course. there was no choice but for you to help the family that took you in, your poor relations in trade.”

She arched her eyebrow. “My poor relations in - - “

“What I mean is your relations in trade. They certainly are not poor, but they are not as high in society, of course, but then again . . . .” he stammered and struggled to clarify his thoughts.

“Mr. Darcy, I am confused. Yes, you were wrong, but if you still look down on my Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, then, sir, I am at a loss for what our future could possibly be. These people you so naturally dismiss are paragons of virtue. Good day, sir.” She resumed her scribbling, leaving Mr. Darcy dumbstruck in his seat.

For a few moments, neither said anything until Darcy shook his head. How had the world become so topsy-turvy to him? This was unacceptable. And he would not be the one dismissed! He was a gentleman. As he now saw it, there were gentlewomen who needed his help. He stood and noticed Elizabeth flicked her eyes up for a briefest moment, then resumed her purposeful disregard of his person. He removed his coat, tugged off his cravat and placed them on his chair. Again he noticed she glanced his way while trying to hide her interest. No matter, he thought and actually began to smile as he rolled up his shirtsleeves.