Vampire Darcy's Desire (37 page)

“You are astute,Your Lordship.”

“Your aunt is quite taken with your bride, Fitzwilliam. I dare say my sister would approve most wholeheartedly.”

 

A week from the day they had spent an evening at the opera with her family, Darcy’s coach arrived at Pemberley. Elizabeth, as they drove along, watched for the first appearance of Pemberley Woods with some perturbation, and when at length they turned in at the lodge her spirits were in high flutter. This was her home—their home—where she would spend her days and nights with Darcy.

Looking out the coach’s window, she noted the expanse of the park.They entered it in one of its lowest points and drove for some time through a wood stretching over a wide extent.“Pemberley in the spring and summer is the most beautiful of places,” Georgiana assured her.

Elizabeth nodded. Her mind was too full for conversation, but she saw and admired every remarkable spot and point of view.They gradually ascended for half a mile, and then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where the wood ceased and Pemberley House instantly caught the eye. She remembered Darcy’s words from that first night in the Netherfield library.
It is a large, handsome stone building, standing well on high ground and backed by a ridge of high woody hills with a stream of some natural importance in front. Its banks are neither formal nor falsely adorned.
He had described it
perfectly, and Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty was so little counteracted by an awkward taste. At that moment she felt to be mistress of Pemberley might be something. “It is magnificent, Fitzwilliam,” she said.

Darcy allowed himself to breathe and to release the tension he held high in his shoulders. He had waited and watched for Elizabeth’s reactions as the coach drew nearer to the house. “Your approval is important to me, Elizabeth.” He clasped her hand in his. If Georgiana and Mrs.Annesley did not travel with them, he might have pulled Elizabeth onto his lap and kissed her properly. Instead, he leaned across her and pointed out places along the route where he planned to make improvements. He spoke of maintaining the natural order of the land. Finally, they descended the hill, crossed the bridge, and drove up to the door.

Once the coachman let down the carriage steps, Darcy descended first. He helped Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley alight, and then he reached into the coach to take Elizabeth’s hand.“Welcome to your new home, Mrs. Darcy,” he said softly.

She glanced up at the pink gold brick façade of the house; the late afternoon winter sun reflected off the rows of windows, making the place glow with light.“What is the superlative form of magnificent?” she murmured. She took his proffered arm, allowing him to lead her forward, all the while keeping up a litany of adjectives to describe Pemberley, intent on finding the right one. “Splendid—resplendent—glorious—grandiose—sublime—stately—superb—imposing—radiant.”

Darcy chuckled at her nervousness.“I believe the house cannot live up to such praise,” he whispered close to Elizabeth’s ear.

“Was I saying those words out loud?” Elizabeth was shocked.

“You were, my love.” He locked her arm close to his side. “Let us meet the assembled staff.”

Elizabeth glanced up to find two lines of servants gracing the entrance steps to the house. She took a deep, steadying breath and allowed Darcy to usher her forward. With each of the servants,
Elizabeth took the time to look them in the eye and to address them courteously. She told them all she would learn their names in time and begged for their patience while she learned about the estate and about them.

“Behold the conquering hero,” Darcy joked after excusing the staff to their various duties. He lifted her gloved hand and planted a kiss on the inside of her wrist.Then Darcy replaced her hand on his arm to make the last of the introductions. “These three, Elizabeth”—he gestured to the remaining servants in the front foyer—“are the real experts on Pemberley. Among them, they have nearly seventy years of service to the Darcys. They keep the house and land running in my absence. This is Mr. Harold, my steward; Mr. Lockwood, my butler; and Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper.” The men bowed and Mrs. Reynolds curtsied. “It is with great pleasure that I present my wife, Elizabeth Darcy.”

Mr. Lockwood spoke first. “Mrs. Darcy, we were elated to hear of the master’s marriage and the fact of his return to Pemberley for Christmas. I speak for the entire staff in saying your presence here is a welcome renewal of this household.”

“That is very kind of you, Mr. Lockwood.” Elizabeth fought back tears.These people loved Darcy and wanted the best for him; they wanted to see him well settled, with children in the nursery. She regretted that part of their dream would never happen. She made a silent vow to help Georgiana marry a man she adored and find domestic happiness. Pemberley would lose the Darcy name, but Georgiana’s children would bring the estate what Elizabeth’s marriage could not give it.

She received like praise from the other two before they all returned to their tasks. Georgiana withdrew to her quarters, followed closely by Mrs.Annesley.

“Alone, my dear,” Darcy leaned down to whisper close to her ear.Then he winked at her before saying loudly, for the sake of the servants, “May I show you some of the lower rooms before we freshen up?”

“That would be pleasant.” Her voice trembled.With the departure
of the servants, Elizabeth let her guard drop and, naturally, her energy seemed depleted.

“Would you rather see your chamber first?” Darcy felt her sag against him.

Elizabeth looked up at him sheepishly. “Would you be offended? I do want to see the
entire
house, but it is a bit daunting. Might I bolster my reserves first?”

“We will change for dinner and then call upon Georgiana to add her insights about Pemberley. I am eager for you to see the house and grounds, but we will have a lifetime together.The house and grounds can wait.”

“A lifetime? A lifetime with you, Fitzwilliam—how horrendous, my dear!” She winked at her handsome husband.

He chortled and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. “Yes, my darling, it will be horrendous for me, too.”They ascended the main staircase, arm in arm.

Wickham waited in one of the out buildings of the village of Meryton. By changing himself into the image of a new recruit, he had discovered there were no productive clues into the deaths of the dark-skinned bar maid or the recently dowered Miss King. One of the noncommissioned officers had told him there had been no repeat attacks and Colonel Forster felt the deaths were the crimes of a drifter who had moved on.Wickham found such conjectures amusing.The average British citizen held
no
understanding of the evils of the world.And it gave him some sense of security to know no one looked for him in these cases.

After determining that his acquaintance James Denny was on assignment out of the country—and no one would be the wiser—Wickham waited for one of the Bennet sisters to attend their aunt in town.As far as he could tell from his first stay in the area, one or more of the Bennets came to the township daily; but although he had waited for several hours, none of the Bennets appeared on that day.

Finally, he spotted Charlotte Lucas and one of her sisters entering the outer limits of the village. Assured of his appearance,Wickham stepped from behind the door and strode towards the Lucas sisters.

“Mr. Denny,” Charlotte Lucas greeted him and offering him a curtsy.Wickham smiled at her.“It is pleasant to meet you today.”

The woman was plain—as plain as they came. He preferred his converts to be attractive. From the Bennets, he would choose the oldest sister, Jane Bennet, or maybe the buxom Lydia Bennet.As far as he was concerned, Elizabeth Bennet Darcy’s beauty ranked third of the five sisters. However, he needed to keep all his options open. Wickham thought that if he could not capture one of Mrs. Darcy’s sisters, Charlotte Lucas might do. She was known as Elizabeth
Darcy’s best friend. Wickham bowed. “Miss Lucas,” he said, “you are looking well today.”

“Thank you, Mr. Denny.You are most kind.” Charlotte blushed.

“May I walk with the two of you?” He offered an arm to both ladies, but he paid little attention to the younger sister. Although the girl was much more attractive than her older sibling, Charlotte Lucas had what he needed right then: intimate details of Elizabeth Darcy’s life.

They walked the length of a street, and Maria Lucas pleaded to be excused to the local mercantile. Wickham hated niceties: He thought of himself as a man of
action.
Societal demands bored and irritated him—too many rules. He had to keep reminding himself that, to Charlotte Lucas, he was James Denny. He waited with seeming patience while Miss Lucas agreed to excuse Maria, and then Wickham began a
seduction
.Today, he would seek only information, nothing more. Alone with Charlotte, he favored her with one of his best smiles.“Have you had word from Miss Elizabeth?”

Charlotte waved to an acquaintance before turning her attention to the junior officer. “Oh, yes, Lizzy writes of her marriage plans. Of course, I have had no news from her in several days, but that is to be expected.” She relaxed in his presence. Wickham thought how foolish that would be under normal circumstances.

“Then you approve of Miss Elizabeth’s marriage?” Wickham knew all about the wedding, but he needed to make small talk—needed to continue building her trust.

“Lizzy always said she would marry only for love, and although Mr. Darcy is quite wealthy, I must believe Elizabeth feels deeply for the man.As Lizzy’s intimate friend, I cannot see her marrying, even for a man of Mr. Darcy’s consequence, without true affection between them.”

Despite how much he hated to admit it,Wickham held similar assumptions. From what he knew of the Darcys, they held each other in high regard—although he hoped to change that. “With such a fortuitous match, Mrs. Bennet must be beside herself with happiness.”

Charlotte laughed.“So she told my mother—several times.”

“It is a shame Mrs. Darcy’s family and friends were denied the pleasure of sharing her special day.”

“Miss Bennet was with Lizzy, and her mother’s brother lives in London. I am sorry not to have been there, but if Lizzy is happy, then I am satisfied. Mr. Darcy did not want to wait, as Christmas approaches. I imagine that with the winter, the roads to Derbyshire are often not passable. He wanted no delay once Lizzy agreed to his suit. It was all very romantic; after leaving with his friends, Mr. Darcy rode back to Longbourn to claim her heart. What woman could resist such gallantry?”

The retelling of the romance irritated Wickham, and he fought to hide his feeling. Darcy had returned to Netherfield to thwart Wickham’s plans for revenge.
Somehow,
Darcy had learned of his abduction of Elizabeth;Wickham still had not solved that mystery. Darcy had married Elizabeth Bennet because her father had found them together in the deserted house. He had witnessed the scene himself. Darcy’s constant need to do the honorable thing sickened Wickham. Again, he reminded himself he was James Denny, who would be happy for the couple.Aloud, he said,“Mr. Darcy’s behavior surprises me; I never suspected his preference for Miss Elizabeth.”

“None of us did, Mr. Denny, but we share in their joy just the same.”

“Did Miss Bennet remain in London after the ceremony?” On his way to Meryton, Wickham had worked out a detailed plan to claim one of Elizabeth Darcy’s sisters as part of his reprisal and as a warning to the woman to withdraw her support for Darcy. He had decided on Jane Bennet, who appeared to be Mrs. Darcy’s favorite sister; she was also the prettiest one.
Do I need to make another choice?

“Mrs. Bennet reports that Mr. Bingley returned to London. I am sure Jane’s mother would not allow her eldest daughter to leave if it meant a like withdrawal from Mr. Bingley’s attentions. Mrs. Bennet has never hidden her desire to marry off each of her daughters to a suitable match. Mr. Bingley would fill that role admirably.”

Although he took no interest in local gossip,Wickham chuckled.
“I dare say he does.”They now sat together on a public bench outside the village church. “I have not seen any of the Bennets in the village for nearly a week. Has there been a falling out with Mrs. Phillips?”

Charlotte appeared amused. “You seem awfully interested in the Bennet family.”

Wickham shifted uncomfortably; he must not raise her suspicions, especially if he wished to abduct one of Elizabeth’s sisters. He forced his body to lounge back, giving the impression of being perfectly at ease, although his mind speculatively weighed all she shared.“They are lively girls and gentlemen admire such amiability, but my real concern comes from their sudden withdrawal from the company of men such as me.You would tell me, Miss Lucas, if you knew of any offense I unknowingly offered the Bennets. I would need to beg their forgiveness if that be so.”

Charlotte looked shocked by his words. “Heaven forbid, Mr. Denny! I hear nothing but praise on your behalf,” she protested.

Stepping up his game, Wickham assured her, “It pleases me to hear so; I would be chagrined to know otherwise.”

“I would say Mr. Bennet’s concern for his daughters’ safety outweighs Mrs. Bennet’s search for husbands for her girls.” Charlotte laughed, as if sharing a well-kept secret.

Glancing at his hands,Wickham’s heart pounded in panic.The crown marking on the back of his hand was becoming clearer. He normally wore gloves to cover the mark, but he removed them when he sat with her on the bench. He needed to withdraw; his ability to shift to James Denny was coming to an end. “Even that opinion gives me some comfort, Miss Lucas.”

Charlotte now stared at him.

Wickham smiled, although her close inspection made him uneasy.
Has the image faded
? “Is something in error, Miss Lucas?”

Charlotte snapped out of her deep thoughts and flushed with color. “It is nothing really; just a trick of the light. I know you to have brown eyes, but just now they appeared a storm-cloud grey.”