Imperative: Volume 1, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (20 page)

“Yes.”  Darcy stepped back and cleared his throat.  “Did Miss Elizabeth purchase anything else?”

“Not yet.”  She grinned and winked.  “But she is looking at dress patterns right now.”  Tilting her head to the curtain she saw his eyes widen. 

“She is here?”  He turned and just caught a glimpse of Elizabeth’s eyes and the strap of her stays on her bare shoulder when the curtain closed up.  Walking to the curtain, he reached for it when he heard the seamstress clucking at him.  Instead, he clasped his hands and looking down, spoke softly.  “Elizabeth?” 

There was a pause.  “Yes, Fitzwilliam.  I have no solution yet, sir.”

“Neither have I.”  He sighed. 

“I beg for one more night before I give up.” 

“Never give up, but I fear that one night will not be enough to resolve this situation. I fear that we will be just as lost months from now when we reach the point of no return. I am as desperate as you.  You
are
desperate, are you not?”

Elizabeth smiled, and cracking open the curtain, noted the dark circles beneath his eyes.  “Desperate . . . for what in particular, sir?”

“Your forgiveness.”   He whispered to his boots.  “How you must hate me for demanding so much of you . . . I apologize for my arrogance.  If you wish to walk away, I will understand.” 

“That would be impossible sir, I am indecently dressed.”

“Lord, give me strength.”  Darcy groaned. 

“Why are you here, sir?”

“You give me no answer.”

“You have asked nothing of me, you only made a statement.  Now what brings you here, were you following me?”

“I thought you had gone.”

“And?”

“I wished to know what you were purchasing.”

“Nosy.”

“Yes.”  He at last smiled and looked up, and could just discern her silhouette through the curtain.

“My shopping was interrupted by your aunt.”  Elizabeth smiled when he closed his eyes, and she decided he had been tortured enough.  “Fitzwilliam, I am inside this shop to purchase a gown for our wedding.”  Elizabeth slipped a hand between the curtains and entwined her fingers with his.  “Will I see you at church tomorrow?  Will you sit next to me?”

“I will be waiting for you, and I will, with your permission, bring the settlement for your father to sign afterwards.”  Her laugh brought him more relief than he could possibly express, and he tightly squeezed the hand in his grasp.  “What colour will your gown be on Tuesday?”

Her head tilted and she tried to make out his face.  “Ivory.  Why?” 

Darcy smiled and kissed her hand.  “Go buy your gown, dear.  I will see you tomorrow.”  He let go and nearly laughed to see Elizabeth’s shadow with her hands on her hips.  Before she could speak, he bowed to the fascinated seamstress, and handed her several notes.  “Only the best for her, madam.”

“Yes, sir!”  She eyed the huge sum in her hand with her mouth agape. 

Darcy ran across the road to his carriage.  “Well?”  Bingley demanded.  “What were you doing in there?  You are smiling like a well-fed cat.  It is most unlike you, Darcy.” 

“Do not worry, Bingley, I am certain I will find something to frown about before long.”  Darcy’s lips remained upturned.  “But for now, I suggest that we enjoy the novelty.” 

Chapter 7

“T
hat is all he knows?”  Judge Darcy threw down Darcy’s express with disgust Sunday morning.  “He could not send someone after him?”

“I believe that was his request to me, he is a little preoccupied?”  Richard said tersely while watching the pacing man, and noted his grunt.  “Wickham’s friend mentioned Mrs. Younge.  We certainly know her name, but why he would return to her is beyond me.  He is not destitute; he has the funds to purchase the lieutenancy in the militia.   Why go to someone who Darcy knows was complicit in Georgiana’s ruin?  No, he would go the opposite direction.  I bet that he told this Lieutenant Denny her name on purpose to distract us.   He knew Darcy would be asking around, he knew that Miss Elizabeth would tell him his name.” 

“A boarding house.”  Judge Darcy’s eyes were cold.

“There must be hundreds of them in the city, Father.”  Samuel noted cautiously.  “It could take weeks to find hers.”

“Perhaps.”  The judge growled.  “Regardless, I am sure he is in London, he can hide with the rest of the rats anywhere in this city.” 

“Darcy suggested that we call in the men we used before to start searching.”  Richard settled into a chair.  “The leader will be meeting me tonight.”

“How will you pay them?” 

“Darcy provided me access to some funds.”  Richard smiled grimly at the Judge’s raised brows.  “He will spare nothing to see this man taken down.”

“Pardon me, sir.  Lady Catherine de Bourgh is here for you?  I have placed her in the drawing room, she is most insistent that she be seen.”  The butler waited expectantly and seeing his master’s curt nod, left the room.

“Aunt Catherine?”  Richard sat up.  “What would bring her here?”

“I imagine it has something to do with our nephew.”  Judge Darcy drew a calming breath and looked at the other two men.  “Well, come along; let us see what that woman has to say.” 

Richard and Samuel exchanged resigned looks; nobody in the room had any fondness for Lady Catherine.  They trekked up the stairs and Judge Darcy bowed to her and Anne.  “Lady Catherine, what brings you here?”

“Where is my nephew?”  Lady Catherine demanded.

“Why I am right here, Aunt.”  Richard smiled and bowed.

“Not you.”  She glared at him.  “Darcy!  I was told he was in London, but when I arrived at his house, I find it closed up, no answer!  What is that about?”

“The knocker is down, Aunt.  You could have gone to the servants’ entrance . . .”

“How dare you suggest such a thing!” 

“Well if you had, you would know that Darcy has returned to Hertfordshire.   He intends to come to London on Saturday after his wedding, although I suspect that entertaining relatives will not be on his mind.”  Richard smiled to see her disgust and heard the poorly disguised guffaw behind him from Samuel. 

“Hertfordshire!”  She groaned and turned to Anne.  “I knew that we should have remained there!  We should have sought out that friend of his and waited!”

“What is the point, Mama?  She probably has his friends bewitched as well.”  Anne snapped.

“You were in Hertfordshire?”  Richard crossed his arms, shaking his head at her audacity.  “Perhaps there is something I might do for you, Aunt?”

“Fitzwilliam, what are you doing here?  You have no connection to this family.”  Lady Catherine eyed her nephew suspiciously.

“Of course I have a connection, am I not cousin to Darcy?”   He turned to Anne.  “You look well, Cousin.”

“Thank you, Richard.”  She said dismissively.  “As do you.” 

“A week with Darcy’s port can make any man look well.”  He turned back to his aunt.  “I have been staying at Darcy House, you see.”  Lady Catherine startled and he laughed.  “I assure you Aunt, conversation with us here for a short time will not delay your machinations further.  I do not see you haring back to Hertfordshire today, not in this weather.”  He nodded to the steady rain.  “Come, vent your frustrations.”

“I assume this has something to do with our nephew’s decision to marry?”  Judge Darcy indicated two chairs and nodded to his housekeeper to bring tea.

“Ridiculous fool.”  She glared and took a seat. 

“You disapprove, then?”  He sent quelling looks to Richard and Samuel.

“Only his choice.”  She spat.  “Elizabeth Bennet is an ill-bred, insolent, obstinate girl with little beauty and no charm. She will bring him down; she will make him a laughingstock!  How dare he pollute the shades of Pemberley with such an unworthy person!”

“You have met Miss Bennet?”  Judge Darcy took a seat as the younger men did.  “You can understand my concern, Lady Catherine.  I may not be master, but Pemberley is my home.  I agree that the mistress should be someone outstanding, and suitable to the position, just as my dear mother, your sister, proved to be.”  He saw her chin rise in agreement and turned to Anne.  “I thought that you would have been ideal, my dear.”

“Oh.”  Anne started.  “Thank you, sir.  I have always thought that would be my home one day.”

“Not just Pemberley, but Rosings.”  Judge Darcy shook his head.  “He is being very foolish.”

“Pardon me, sir.”  Richard’s brow creased and he leaned forward.  “We were in agreement to support Darcy’s choice.  Have you changed your mind?”

“Not at all, I will stand by my nephew, but that does not mean I have to like it.  It is not too late to dissuade him, even if the settlement is signed, he can easily pay off the family for breaking the engagement.  If they sued him, I would make sure that it was handled quickly.”

“Sir, are you forgetting Darcy’s wishes?”  Richard said carefully.  Lady Catherine sat up and looked sharply between them.

“I am not at all, I have considered them thoroughly.  What more ideal choice would there be for his wife, than Anne?”  Judge Darcy looked at him meaningfully then to the weak woman who looked around the room disinterestedly.  Richard sat back and puffed out his cheeks.  Clearly Darcy’s uncle was suggesting that Anne could not carry a child, and assuming Georgiana’s as her own would be perfect.  “Marrying Anne would give him two great estates, he is not thinking.  How rare is the opportunity to marry a woman who has such a dowry?  By all rights, Rosings should go to de Bourgh’s blood!”

“It will.  It will go to Anne’s son.”  Lady Catherine said positively.  “Her son with Darcy.”

Richard hesitated, Judge Darcy’s idea was absolutely sound, and it kept the secret within the family.  After all, Darcy already accepted that if Georgiana had a boy, Pemberley was to be his.  But then he thought of his suspicion that Darcy was in love, and looking at Anne, inwardly shuddered.  “No Aunt, he will marry Miss Elizabeth Bennet, I cannot see him changing his mind, and I will stand by his decision, even if it is foolish.  I will be travelling to Hertfordshire for a ball and the wedding; I look forward to meeting her.  Do you honestly see her as so poor?  I cannot imagine Darcy being swept up by someone as low as you describe.”

“She is not without intelligence.”  Lady Catherine acknowledged grudgingly.

“Mama!”

“She stood up to both of us Anne.  It was insolent and ungrateful, but . . .  I agree that she was provoked, but she did not back down.  She defended her position.”  Seeing Richard’s brow rise, she immediately barked, “But she will fail amongst our society!  I will make sure of that!”

“Why?”  Richard folded his arms and sat back.  “What good does it do you or any of the family to publicly reject Darcy’s wife?”

“He has defied me with this choice.  He has offended Anne and disregarded his mother.  I will not pretend to some happy ideal of family when I have been thus insulted!”  She looked at the judge.  “I am sure you agree that your child should show respect and follow your orders.  Undoubtedly your son understands that.”

“Regrettably, my son is not unlike our nephew in displaying obstinacy.” Judge Darcy acknowledged bitterly and stared unflinchingly at Samuel.  His son raised his chin for a moment, and then looked away.  Judge Darcy refocused his disappointment.  “And so Rosings is lost.”

“I will marry you, Anne.”  Richard winked.

“I will do far better than you.”  She sniffed.

“I am still the son of an Earl.” He offered.  “An unworthy second son.”

“Do not ever refer to yourself that way!”  Judge Darcy growled.  “You and I have earned the respect we receive; we were not born to it.”  Standing, he paced angrily across the room and went to stand at the window, staring broodingly out at the street below. 

“I was just wishing to relieve the tension, sir.  Instead I seem to have increased it.”  Richard looked to Lady Catherine who was watching the judge curiously.  “What are your plans, Aunt?  Will you return to Rosings?”

“I am undecided.”  Her eyes took on a calculating look.  “What is your father’s position?”

“I understand that he too was turned away from Darcy House this week, which came as a surprise since I was not aware of his presence in Town, but Samuel here confirms seeing him at Easterly’s office.  However, I have not heard from him.  I do expect that my sister is relieved to no longer be a pawn in this chess match of yours.”  Smiling at her glare, he shrugged.  “She would have done it if necessary, but I hope that she will be just as glad to marry on her own.  It is an attitude that you should adopt, Aunt.”

“Do not order me about like one of your soldiers.”  She barked.  “I deserve your respect!”

“I was not denying it.”  Richard sighed and looked from one brooding adult to another, then saw Samuel’s gaze fixed upon his father’s back.  “What say this?  Samuel, are you free to travel?”

“Travel?”  He turned and looked to Richard.  “Where?”

“Hertfordshire.”  Richard waved his hand over the room.  “I am expected at Netherfield, undoubtedly they have another room for you, and I am sure that Darcy would be glad for your company.  I feel that perhaps my aunt’s and your father’s emotions are running a bit too high to be welcomed into this stranger’s home.  At least you and I have met Bingley.”  He looked at the judge.  “I promised my parents that I would meet Miss Elizabeth and if I found her to be anything less than worthy of my cousin’s hand, I would tell him so before it was too late, not that he would listen.  Samuel, you can form your own opinion.  We are perhaps more capable of impartiality.  Can you break away for a week?” 

“I am not certain, court just resumed . . .”

“Of course he can.”  Judge Darcy spoke up.  “You work in an office; they can do without you for a period.  I will speak to your superiors.”

“I . . . I will speak to Mr. Easterly myself, Father.” 

“You forget that I found you that position.”  He growled.  “Everything I do is with you in mind, our legacy, our name.  There is more than one Darcy at Pemberley.”

“I appreciate that, sir.  But . . . I am a man now, and I would like to do some of that legacy building on my own.”