To Refuse Such a Man: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (7 page)

London, Darcy House

For the most part, the day was off to a very good start. The
manner in which Elizabeth and Miss Georgiana Darcy were getting along was a further testimony to Darcy that Elizabeth would be an excellent mistress of his homes. He suspected that Elizabeth had been misled by Miss Bingley’s fervent commendations and had been taught to expect his sister to be proud—one who thought meanly of others in comparison to herself. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Like Elizabeth, Georgiana was kind and considerate of others. If he had but one complaint about his sister, twelve years his junior, it was that she was shy. Darcy was certain all that would change with Elizabeth’s help.

Darcy glanced at the mantelclock. He had been sitting with the ladies for some time, doing his best to ignore his future mother-in-law’s excessive praises about her second eldest daughter’s good fortune. He started to entertain the idea that his time, as well as his composure, would be better served away from Mrs. Bennet, if only for an hour or so, while Georgiana and Elizabeth got to know each other better. Such behavior as he observed in Mrs. Bennet caused a stirring of sympathy for the man who would soon be his father-in-law.

Having spent so much time at Longbourn of late, yet very little of it in Mr. Bennet’s company because the latter was always disappearing into his library for hours, Darcy swore he would not employ such stratagems in order to escape his family. His first afternoon in his own home in a similar circumstance as one Mr. Bennet likely enjoyed on a daily basis gave him to know that it simply must be done.

Georgiana’s soft voice interrupted his musings. “Brother, I should like very much to give Miss Elizabeth a tour of the house. We would be very honored were you to join us.”

“A tour sounds like an excellent idea; however”—here he looked at his future wife, his expression begging for understanding—”I have matters that have gone unattended for far too long that I must address before returning to Hertfordshire.”

Elizabeth’s smile confirmed she was not wounded by what might very well amount to abandonment on his part. Her teasing further confirmed it. “No doubt your brother is eager to seek solace after spending the better part of the past hour entertaining discussions of laces and finery.”

Mrs. Bennet said, “I shall be delighted to see the house as well.” She turned to Mrs. Annesley, Georgiana’s companion. “Pray you will accompany us, for I shall have several recommendations for improvements to the rooms, I am sure. I do wish to keep track of them—surely you will do the job nicely.”

Elizabeth was appalled. She knew her mother could be vulgar, but she had hoped that being in Mr. Darcy’s home might give her cause for more reverence. “Mama!” she cried, wondering what her future sister-in-law must think and hoping and praying that Mrs. Annesley had not taken offense.

Mrs. Annesley replied, “Indeed, I shall be happy to accompany you all. I never tire of seeing the many splendors of Mr. Darcy’s home.”

With that, Darcy watched as the ladies all stood and quit the room. Then he did likewise. He had not made it very far down the long hallway when he heard his butler speaking with someone at the door. Moments later, he heard the piercing voice of one of the most irritating people of his acquaintance. Miss Caroline Bingley.

What on Earth is she doing here?
He raked his fingers through his hair. The last thing he wanted was to have Elizabeth’s first visit to his home marred by Miss Bingley’s presence. He quickly made his way to the door, but he was too late. The young lady and her sister, Mrs. Hurst, were being shown into the room he had recently vacated. He passed by his butler who threw him an apologetic look. Darcy held up his hand. “I shall handle matters.”

He marched into the room. Bowing, he said, “Mrs. Hurst, Miss Bingley, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

The younger woman said, “Surely you did not expect us to stay away knowing that you had returned to town. Pray you have come to your senses and freed yourself from the notion that marrying that Eliza Bennet to save her from a scandal of her own making is the best way to handle matters.”

“Pray how did you come to be aware of my being in town, Miss Bingley?”

Unabashed flirtation flittered across her face. She batted her eyelashes coquettishly. “I have my way of knowing such things, sir.”

“Then you ought to know that when I returned to London I was not unaccompanied.”

The color drained from Miss Bingley’s face. “Surely you did not venture to town with any of those savages. What are you thinking, sir, to be exposing anyone from Hertfordshire to our society?”

“Miss Bingley, if we are to continue our acquaintance then you had better learn to speak about my future wife and all her family with proper deference.”

“Surely you do not mean to say that you would turn your back on one of your closest friends merely for the sake of people of no consequence to the world.”

“It is true that your brother and I are the closest of friends. You and I can boast of no such attachment. As he has always regarded the Bennets highly, I can honestly say there is no danger of the two of us going our separate ways because of my decision to marry Miss Elizabeth. In fact, were your brother in town, I am sure he would be most eager to renew his acquaintance with Miss Jane Bennet, whom I also accompanied to London.”

“Then it is a good thing he is not in town. To the extent it is in my power, I shall do everything to assure that he stays away for so long as it takes to keep him out of danger.”

“If you consider my future wife and her sister to pose a threat then you ought not to be here. In fact, I invite you to leave before the ladies complete their tour of the house.”

“Do you mean to say they are here—at Darcy House? The two of them? Miss Eliza
and
Miss Bennet?”

“Indeed, both ladies are here as well as my future mother-in-law. Oh, and let me not forget to mention that Mrs. Gardiner, Miss Elizabeth’s aunt, also is here. Heaven forbid that it should be made known that you have been spending time in the company of such people.” Darcy strolled over to the door. Pulling it open, he saw his butler standing there. “Please see these ladies out of my home.”

“As you wish, Mr. Darcy.”

“Furthermore, I am not to be disturbed by uninvited guests for the remainder of my stay in town,” he said in a lower voice.

“Yes, sir.”

Darcy returned his attention to the Bingley sisters. He bowed. “Good afternoon, ladies.” Without brooking his uninvited and equally unwelcomed callers’ protest, he quit the room.

~*~

The most promising thought lingered in Elizabeth’s mind throughout the tour of Mr. Darcy’s home:
To be the mistress of such a place will truly be something.
What a saint Mrs. Annesley had been, suffering Mrs. Bennet’s effusions with such patience and grace. There was little wonder that Mr. Darcy trusted her with his sister’s care.

Elizabeth’s aunt, Mrs. Gardiner, an elegant, intelligent woman, more than once took Elizabeth aside and remarked on what a beautiful home it was. Elizabeth could not help but agree. She was impressed by everything she saw, and she could well imagine living in such a place for years without changing a single thing. The expression on Miss Darcy’s face and the joy in her voice spoke of her pleasure in having passed so many of her days of youth roaming those very halls. Talk of both her late parents was necessary every now and again, allowing Elizabeth a telling glimpse into Miss Darcy’s character as well as her brother’s.

Elizabeth had always taken it for granted that a family was comprised of two parents: a father and a mother. She began to consider that having lost both parents at such a tender age must certainly have defined the siblings. She knew and understood how the difference in their ages must have fashioned Mr. Darcy’s decision to provide Miss Darcy with her own establishment.

No doubt, he felt she needed greater stability than a life with a single gentleman, whose prospects are always increasing, affords.

Still, she could not help considering how much joy it would indeed bring the Darcys once they were all living together at Pemberley.

Standing apart from the others, Elizabeth watched and admired her own sister Jane and Miss Darcy. The two of them had so much in common: gentle natures, angelic countenances, and soft manners.
No doubt, Miss Darcy will grow to rely on Jane as much as I do.

The anxieties that accompanied Elizabeth from Cheapside to Grosvenor Square earlier were fading with each passing moment. The day had turned out perfect in every way. Nothing could pierce Elizabeth’s joy, and a part of her soon began to miss the one person who had made it all possible—Mr. Darcy. Desiring some time alone with him before her party returned to Cheapside, Elizabeth made some excuse of wanting to refresh herself and then quit the party.

Descending the winding stairs, she heard raised voices. A proud woman whose countenance bore a slight resemblance to a picture of the late Lady Anne Darcy that Elizabeth had admired not fifteen minutes earlier was standing there badgering the butler.

The tall, large woman, with strongly-marked features which might once have been handsome, cast her eagle eyes upon Elizabeth. “You there, servant girl, I demand to see my nephew at once.”

Her nephew?
Elizabeth recalled Mr. Darcy telling her that he had two aunts: Lady Ellen Fitzwilliam and Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the former an elegant, amiable woman and the latter likewise elegant but not very agreeable.
This one must surely be the disagreeable aunt.

“I beg your pardon, your ladyship,” said Elizabeth.

“You heard me! Locate your master at once. Tell him that his insolent butler refuses to grant me an audience with him.”

The austere man said, “I am afraid you have made a grave mistake, my lady. The young lady is no servant.”

By now, Elizabeth was standing directly in front of the unpleasant aristocrat. “Sir, if you will allow, I shall handle this matter.”

With that, the butler bowed and went on his way, thus leaving the two ladies to their own volition.

“Who are you to be speaking to that gentleman in such a way? Surely my nephew has not employed someone as young as you to oversee his London home.”

“I am Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and I can only surmise that you are Lady Catherine de Bourgh. I would like to say it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but I would not wish to have the start of our relationship marked by a lie.”

“So you are the impertinent little upstart who has used your arts and allurements to entice my nephew into forgetting what he is about. How dare you speak to me this way?”

Elizabeth conjured a serene attitude. “Your ladyship, if you will join me in the drawing room,” she said, already heading that way. As the household’s future mistress, she did not intend to be a party to a spectacle with one of Mr. Darcy’s relatives that might very well be spoken of for years to come.

When the women were inside the room, Elizabeth closed the door. “Pray, have a seat.” She did not expect their conversation to be pleasant, but she did not mean to be intimidated. “May I call for refreshments, your ladyship? Will you take tea?”

The older woman reared her head in stunned indignation. “How dare you comport yourself as though you have the right to preside over my late sister’s home?” Refusing to return the slightest bit of civility, her ladyship narrowed her eyes. “Do not think I am a stranger to you or your situation, young lady. I know it all. You are the second eldest daughter of a supposed gentleman whose Hertfordshire estate, such that it is, barely sustains his family.”

She shook her head in disdain. “Five daughters all out and the eldest is not married, and none of you have had the benefit of a governess or the masters. What’s more, your home is entailed to none other than my vicar, Mr. Collins, who may very well turn your mother and all your sisters out as soon as your father passes. You have no fortune and no connections, and you dare to stand before me and make a mockery of my own noble family by presuming to stand in my late sister’s shoes. Have you no shame? No dignity? No sense of right and wrong?”

“These are heavy complaints against me and my family, but if Mr. Darcy has no objections, then why should you?”

“My nephew is an honorable, decent man who has fallen victim to the sins of lust and deprivation—dare I suspect copulation given the likes of you.”

Elizabeth did not intend to allow such a salacious slur to go unchallenged. She looked at the older woman sharply. “How dare you speak to me this way?”

“Do you deny you have used your feminine wiles to their greatest advantage and caused my nephew to forget his duty to his family? That is precisely my purpose in coming all this way to see him. I did not expect to find you here. I rather hoped he had put some distance between the two of you since he hastily proposed marriage to you, so he might gain proper perspective. However, you are here and it is just as well.

“You strike me as a reasonable young woman. Surely you can see the folly in such an unequal alliance. Your situation is so far beneath my nephew’s as to be considered laughable. What’s more, you know nothing at all about him, else you would not be standing here.”

“What is there to know, other than he cares for me, that he is an honorable, respectable man, and that he and I are to be married?”