Imperative: Volume 1, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (90 page)

Lord Matlock started with his vehemence, “I did!  Only yesterday!  I have no idea what he has up his nose this time.”  He watched as Darcy walked past the comatose man and picked up the fallen snuffbox.  He opened it and examined the remaining contents.

“Do not smell it or you may be at its mercy.”  Richard held out his hand and took a look, then wetting his finger touched it and dabbed a tiny amount onto his tongue.  Spitting into the fireplace, he shook his head and looked down at his brother.  “Opium.” 

“Opium!  No wonder his behaviour has changed.  His valet was using laudanum to relieve the diarrhoea from the arsenic.”  Lord Matlock sighed.  “And now he begins a new addiction, no wonder the rapid change in behaviour.  He did not know how much to take.”

“I thought that opium depresses the man?”  Samuel said curiously and coloured when they looked at him.  “I wish that Father could take it, but Mother says it is impossible.”

“Your father suffers?”  Darcy’s brow creased.

“Very much.  And it has grown so much worse in the last months, but the depression has been with him for years.”  Samuel said quietly.  “I would like to ask for your advice, William.”

“Of course.”  He grasped his shoulder briefly and looking at his uncle, nodded to Gladney.   “You know that I want him gone from my house?” 

“I am overwhelmed with your tolerance up to now, Darcy.  This was to be a brief visit, one for mending our relationship.  Clearly that has been a failure.”  Lord Matlock looked down at his son.  “I will have the drug taken from him.  It is the addiction, not him.  He will be horrified to know what he has done.”

Richard studied his brother.  “I doubt that, he has done enough while under the influence and it has not stopped him before.” 

“He only hurt his own interests before; perhaps he did remember what it was to be a family last night.  It was a wonderful Christmas, Darcy.  The children were quite small when we last experienced anything remotely similar.”  He saw Richard nodding and noticed Samuel looking at his feet.  “You have a good wife.” 

“It is about time you recognized that; I count my blessings every day.”  He spoke quietly, but undeniably with the voice of the estate’s master.  “I expect you and Aunt to apologize to Elizabeth before you leave.  My wife has been a resident of this home for less than a week, and in that time she has been put through trials worthy of Hercules and has emerged triumphantly.  She did nothing to deserve such treatment other than rescuing me from a hellish marriage to one of my miserable cousins.  I should be bellowing at you and demanding your immediate exit, but quite honestly, sir, I have wasted enough of my time already. You will understand my saying now that you should not expect an invitation back here anytime soon.”  Darcy cleared his throat and closed his eyes.  “I have left Lizzy alone too long.”  He looked down at his cousin.  “I leave the baggage to you.” 

“HOW IS YOUR HAND?”  Elizabeth slipped her arms around Darcy’s waist and rested her head over his heart.  He had found her pacing the hallway outside of the library and led her into his father’s old parlour.  

“Sore.”  He rubbed his hands over her shoulders.  “I am so very sorry.  If I had any idea he might truly have tried to seduce you . . .  I thought it was all words, distasteful innuendo, nothing more.”

“No, it is my fault for not recognizing that he was implying anything over the entirety of his stay.   I feel such a fool.  I should have told you when he made me uncomfortable.”

“No, no.”  Darcy entwined a long curl in his fingers.  “No dearest . . . your innocence does you credit.  I do not want you to understand such things.  I . . . I want you to only know the kindness of love and not to look at conversations with suspicion.”  He searched her eyes.  “Even if it leaves you vulnerable.  Yes, I know what is on the tip of your tongue.”

She smiled and reached up to caress his hair.  “I like that you know me now.”  His mouth lifted a little, and he leaned down to kiss her softly.  “Will, do you want me to be innocent because Georgiana is not?”  She heard his sigh and he answered the question by pulling her tightly to his chest. 

“And I just berated my uncle about leaving children ignorant.”  He closed his eyes.  “I should have known that would bite me, I just did not expect it so soon.”

“She approached when I was walking the hall waiting for you.  She told me that she was suspicious of her cousin’s conversations with me.  She recognized it as familiar to . . .”

“Do not say it, Lizzy.  Please.  Do not speak that name again.”  His hands rubbed over her possessively as he looked to the empty spot on the wall where Wickham’s portrait once hung.

“I am so grateful you came when you did, I thought that I could have left the room, but after seeing his mood change so quickly, I am afraid that I might have been overconfident.”  Darcy’s hold tightened and she knew that he agreed.  “How did you know where to find me?”

“I stopped off to pay a call before we went to the conservatory.  Which I imagine will have to be put off again.”  Elizabeth looked up when he sighed and they kissed.  “Georgiana saw me leave the washroom and said that I would find you in the library.”  His brow creased as he thought over the brief conversation.

“Perhaps this is a turning point in our relationship.”  Elizabeth hugged him.

Darcy’s cheek rested on her head and he stared out into the hallway.  “Why do you think that?”

“She supported me, she went to find you.”  He was quiet and she squeezed his waist.  “Tell me.”

“She did not say that you were facing our cousin’s advances, Lizzy.  She just said where I would find you.”  He let go and looked down at her, and read her confusion. 

“I cannot believe that she wished for me to be caught in an incriminating position with your cousin, Will.  We got on well last night, and I intended to speak to her when we returned today because she seemed particularly quiet.” 

“That is how she was last night when I spoke to her, at least to start.”  Darcy’s voice was low.  “And then she cried.  I needed you darling, so much.   Her moods, I do not recognize her!  One moment quiet, another teary, another unreasonable . . . you are a woman, is this . . .” He let go and waved his arm, trying to get the thoughts out.

Elizabeth laughed, letting go of his waist and capturing his hand.  “Is this what you have to expect from me?”

“Is it?”  He begged.  “I swear it is not dissimilar to the display I just witnessed from Gladney and I know what caused his momentary madness!”

“I think I am past the moodiness of youth, and I am certainly not carrying strange powders in my reticule.”  Darcy’s relief was visible and she laughed again and poked her finger into his belly.  “However, dear man, when you get me with child, I may turn into a terror!” 

“I would adore getting you with child, Mrs. Darcy.  If we ever have a moment alone.”   He took a hold of her shoulders, ignoring the dull throb of his right hand and stared down at her dancing eyes.  “You and I have been far too lax in our lovemaking of late, and it is my fault entirely.  I should be turning towards you when I am burdened, not hiding away.”

“You take on too much blame, Mr. Darcy.  Last night we were too sleepy to play.  No punch tonight.”  Elizabeth tugged on his neck cloth.

“Agreed, love.”  He laughed.  “And I will not be so kind and allow you to sleep a perfectly good morning away.”  Elizabeth’s eyes lit up and she nodded as he leaned down to capture her mouth in a kiss.

“Mr. Darcy?”  Mrs. Reynolds appeared and Darcy groaned softly before he straightened to face her.  “We have Viscount Gladney all tucked up.  His man said that he must be coming down with the flu.”  She clucked her tongue.  “I will have some nice broth sent up when he wakes.  Poor man, fainting and hitting his head on a table!”  The Darcys exchanged smiles when she began to leave and then turned.  “Oh, Mrs. Darcy, I was in here earlier with Miss Darcy while you were out, and she was asking what became of that portrait of Mr. Wickham.  I told her I did not know, but that I had seen you carrying one out of here recently.”

“You did?”  Elizabeth glanced at Darcy. 

He spoke quickly.  “I asked her to take it down, Mrs. Reynolds.  He is not family and I see no reason to honour him as such.”

“Well sir, I can honestly say that I have thought that very thing for years!”  Nodding her approval, she bustled away.

“It seems that we have our explanation.”  Darcy looked back to the empty spot on the wall.

“And an answer to whether her feelings continue for him as well.”  She returned to his open arms.  “The family will be gone tomorrow.  And we can begin again.”

“I am sorry, dear.  I will make it clear to her that I was the one who demanded the portrait be removed.”  Darcy kissed her. 

“Good, then she can be angry with you for a change.”  Elizabeth smiled and he sighed, and kissed her hair.  “Will?”

“Hmmm?”

“Tell me about the passion flower and how to make it bloom.”

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest and his lips found her ear as his hands glided down her back to her bottom, pressing her firmly to his groin.  “Can you not feel it blooming now?” 

“Yes, but I want to admire it.  May I hold it in my hands?”

Darcy groaned.  “Good Lord, Lizzy!  You show no mercy!”

“Are you certain that you want me to be so innocent?”  She looked up at him with a smile and caressing his face gently, she laughed as his eyes burned into hers.  “I did not think so.”   

Chapter 28

“A
h, the angel awakens.”  Richard’s boot continued prodding sharply at his brother.  “Welcome back from the Land of Nod.” 

Gladney’s eyes opened and he blinked blearily as he was kicked again, “What the devil are you doing?” 

“Good for you!  You can feel it!”  He gave him one more solid jab with his heel and sat back in his chair.

“What are you talking about?”

“I bet you haven’t had any feeling in your sorry body in months, other than that of snot running from your nostrils.  How does it feel to actually sleep naturally?”  He watched as his brother touched his nose and saw his eyes darting around. 

Gladney’s hand fell heavily upon the table beside the bed and coming up empty, he cried loudly, “Boyce!” 

“What do you want your valet for?  There is a piss pot right by the bed, I daresay you can aim into it, and sober you just might hit it.”  Richard smiled at the glare he received. 

“I will piss on you first.  What are you doing here?”  Opening a drawer, he threw the contents on the floor while his brother’s tongue clucked.  Sitting up further, he scanned the room. 

“It is not here.”

“What is not?”  He asked suspiciously.

“The box full of your magic powder.  Smashed to smithereens, it is!  Darcy threw it against a wall, quite a sight!  I love to see him in a fury, especially when it is not directed at me.”  Gladney stared as Richard smiled.

“Boyce!”

“He is gone as well.  Father dismissed him yesterday and sent him off to the post station in Lambton with a month’s wages and a lukewarm recommendation.”

“He did
what
?  What gives him the right to dismiss my man!”

“He has every right, he paid his salary.  He needed to be gone. Father could not trust him to go behind his back and continue to be your supplier after he had ordered him days ago to cut you off.”  Richard leaned forward and growled as Gladney tried to leap from the bed.  “No more, Bertie.  No more of this habit of yours.  I knew you were a gambler and whore-monger, but I had no idea you were in love with this poison that you breathe up your nose.  Opium now?  No, we caught you in time for this one.  I have seen enough wounded men become slaves to it.  At least they have the excuse of pain or memories they wish to stop reliving.  What is your excuse?  The burden of the title?   Boredom?”  He snorted his disgust.  “If I had not been away these past years, you know,
earning
my living, I would never have let you fall so far.  Father and Mother were far too tolerant of you, and too silent.  Now the estate is nearly in ruins, not to mention the tenuous grip we have on protecting the family name.”

“Shut up, Richard.  You have no idea . . .”

“How hard it is to be the heir?”  He raised a brow.  “Tell me about it, Brother.  Weep on my shoulder and I will stroke back your hair.  What an excellent reason for snorting arsenic!  And here I thought it was because you wanted a longer cock.”  Gladney swore and then grimacing, rubbed the lump on his jaw and clutched his stomach.  Seeing his expression change, Richard smiled.  “Darcy did that.  Rather a nice strike.  I wonder how his hand is feeling this morning.”

Gladney stared.  “He hit me?

“You are damned lucky he did not kill you.  Walking around with your cock in your hand?  Trying to seduce Elizabeth?”  Seeing his eyes widen, Richard’s laughter was loud.  “No memory of it?  What surprises you, that you would try to seduce your cousin’s wife or that you would even consider touching a woman you have disdained in every sober moment you had since you arrived?  That sweet woman had no idea what you were about, if she did, I promise you that Darcy’s fist would have been nothing to her foot in your crotch.”  Leaning forward he grinned.  “It seems when your guard is down you see the beauty she is and wished for a taste.”

“And you have not?”  He bristled then gingerly he touched his face and winced.

“Of course I have!”  Richard sat back and crossed his legs.  “I am not immune to a fine pair of eyes, spectacular breasts, and hips that beg to be clutched, but I am capable of relegating my musings to my head, like most of the rest of the male population.”

Gladney looked at him warily, “What did I do to her?” 

“You are alive; obviously you were stopped in time.  The drug bought you a modicum of charity, but no chance of forgiveness.”  Richard watched his brother’s eyes close and his voice softened.  “Do you often have lapses?”  Gladney gingerly touched his face and nodded.  “Places you have been or just the activity?”

“Both.  I sometimes have great clarity of thought and sometimes I am a muddled mess.  I have awakened from a binge to find that I have friends telling me how entertaining or frightening I was, but they never suspect I am under the influence of any drug, I suppose they were under the influence of their own poisons.”  Richard nodded and Gladney’s head shook.  “I might have won a great deal at cards or wakened with an unidentified woman in my bed.  One time I . . . I swear that I was in a law office.  I am under the impression that learning about Pemberley made me infuriated.  Why, I cannot begin to imagine, maybe it was Darcy’s freedom from an entailment, I do not know.” Gladney stared out of the window.  “Maybe I wanted to confirm Georgiana’s dowry.”