Imperative: Volume 1, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice, page 5
“Thank you, Richard. I hope that she wins your good opinion.” He laughed softly. “I pray that I do not lose hers.”
Richard clapped his back. “I was under the impression that you have yet to earn it!”
“THANK YOU, MR. BINGLEY.” Jane smiled as he led her to a seat in the dining room.
“It is my pleasure, Miss Bennet.” He smiled just as brightly and looked up to see Elizabeth hesitating at the door. “Miss Elizabeth, please, take this seat beside me.” He held the chair opposite Jane and waited for her to be seated, and then stood behind his chair. “I am rather enjoying playing host. I will be very sorry to see you leave this morning. Is there any way that I might persuade you both to stay?”
“Really, Charles.” Caroline sniffed. “Miss Bennet is clearly well, and surely her family misses her.” Looking towards Elizabeth, she glared. “And Miss Elizabeth certainly was never needed at all.”
“My sister was a great comfort to me, Miss Bingley.” Jane said quickly before Elizabeth had a chance to speak. The sisters exchanged glances. Elizabeth had told Jane of Darcy’s observations of Caroline and they had agreed not to antagonize the jealous woman, the meal the evening before had been tense enough.
“I believe that your mother was of a mind that her presence was unnecessary. Clearly it was, since she spent her time beguiling Mr. Darcy instead of caring for you.”
“I hardly set out to ensnare him, Miss Bingley.” Elizabeth said coldly and received an exasperated look from Jane. “The nature of his proposal was as much a surprise to me as it was to everyone else in this room.”
“Then why did you accept?” Caroline demanded.
“She would be a fool not to.” Hurst snorted and tore open a roll to slather with butter. “It is Darcy after all. Bingley, did not Darcy say something about the Bennet girls?”
“Undoubtedly.” His eyes darted uncomfortably between them and he looked at his brother pointedly.
“Yes!” Caroline crowed. “Mr. Darcy said that their relations in trade would materially lessen their chances of marrying men of any consideration in the world!”
“Then Pemberley is an estate of little consequence?” Elizabeth asked sweetly.
“Pemberley of little consequence? Why, Miss Elizabeth, I realize that you have never been, but surely you would discern from our conversation that it is a home of great significance.” Caroline rolled her eyes at Louisa.
“Oh forgive me; since you pointed out that I and my sisters were unlikely to marry distinguished men, I assumed that you meant Mr. Darcy. I am engaged to him, am I not?”
“That is not what I meant.” Caroline snapped.
“Oh?” Elizabeth took a sip from her glass of wine. “What did you mean? Did you mean to quote something that Mr. Darcy said, or should I say misquote or take out of context something that he said in order to turn me against him? I assure you Miss Bingley, any attempt on your part to intimidate me from him will fail. Somehow I do not see you as his mouthpiece.”
“He did speak of your fine eyes, Miss Elizabeth.” Bingley jumped in hurriedly.
Elizabeth blushed and spoke shyly. “Well, that is a quote I am glad to accept. Thank you, Mr. Bingley.”
“He did disdain your connections, Miss Elizabeth.” Caroline declared. “Only days ago! How he could suddenly propose to you, I do not know. What did you do to him?”
“Do?” Elizabeth laughed. “You witnessed the entire event, Miss Bingley! And this statement of my connections that he made only recently, I cannot help but wonder what he was thinking as the words left his mouth. However I will not presume to understand his mind. I do believe that his proposal to me should give you cause to rejoice.”
“Rejoice!” She gasped.
“Miss Elizabeth, how can you possibly make such a statement?” Louisa demanded.
“Easily, Mrs. Hurst. You are agreed that Mr. Darcy is a man of consequence, are you not?”
“Yes.” She said slowly and exchanged glances with Caroline.
“And he has chosen me, whatever the reason, despite my unfortunate connections?”
“Yes.” She sighed impatiently. “What is your point?”
“Why simply this, my connections to trade are only through an uncle, yours and Miss Bingley’s are through your father, an even more significant relationship. If Mr. Darcy might entertain marrying a person like me, then perhaps some other gentlemen will consider you, Miss Bingley! What happy news for you!” Elizabeth smiled widely and looked to Jane who was shaking her head.
Hurst snorted loudly and reached for his glass. “She has you there, Caroline.”
“I can hardly be compared to Miss Elizabeth!”
Louisa nodded. “I should hope not!”
“Could we please change the subject?” Bingley begged. “Miss Bennet, I hope that you will be well enough to enjoy the ball I am planning.”
“Oh Mr. Bingley, you surely do not have to hold a ball to satisfy my sister’s request.” Jane said softly.
“I must indeed; I will never disappoint a lady, even one as insistent as Miss Lydia.” He relaxed and smiled. “I was thinking we would hold it on Tuesday next, that would serve as a fine celebration of your pending nuptials, Miss Elizabeth. At last perhaps, you might accept a dance from my friend?” He cocked his head when she blushed. “He would be delighted, I am sure.”
“I would be glad to accept him at last.” Elizabeth said to her plate. “If he asks once again.”
“I will be sure to tell him that upon his return.” He winked and looked to Jane. “And you Miss Bennet, I hereby beg for your hand for two sets. The ball is in celebration of your recovery after all!”
She smiled gently, “Thank you, Mr. Bingley; I will be honoured to dance with you.”
“Mama will be pleased.” Elizabeth nudged her foot under the table, and received a kick in return.
Caroline and Louisa listened to the conversation and exchanged glances. Darcy may be lost, but it was not too late to save their brother.
“WELL, WHAT IS THIS all about, Fitzwilliam?” Judge Harding Darcy asked as the gentlemen took seats in his study Sunday afternoon. “I was surprised to receive your note last night, but shocked to see you sitting across the aisle in church this morning, perhaps you Richard, more so than your cousin.” He smiled and Darcy smirked when Richard shrugged.
“I am not the most diligent churchgoer, at least when Mother is not about to make me feel guilty. When I marry and have children to chivvy, then I will behave.”
“I find it hard to believe anything will make you behave.” Samuel Darcy grinned and gave Richard’s shoulder a friendly shove as he walked by. “You have been ruined by the Horse Guards.”
“Never criticize a man in blue. We may be younger sons, but that does not make us any less hardy.” He patted his sword. “Not all of us are useless.”
“Not all of you had your places handed to you.” Harding nodded with appreciation. “You make me proud.”
“Thank you, sir.” Richard nodded. “So I am forgiven my less than admirable churchgoing practices?”
“You will require a strong woman to be your partner in life.” Harding laughed. “Lest we ever see you settle down.”
“If I find a sweet woman like Mrs. Darcy, I will be lucky indeed, sir.”
“Hmmm.” Harding nodded at the reference to his wife. “Well?” He looked between them. “I had no expectation of you returning to London for at least another month. That was the plan. You were to be away from Pemberley so there would be no requests to visit and to allow Georgiana to recover undisturbed.” His sharp eyes moved between the two young men. “Has something developed in her quarter? Have you learned anything of Wickham’s whereabouts?”
“No, sir. He is still at large, and we have no confirmation of a wedding.”
“After all this time, I think that we can assume that no wedding took place.” His relief was obvious and he turned to his son and clapped his back. “Samuel is prepared to marry his cousin immediately.”
“Father …”
“It is agreed that this is best plan for all of us.” Turning to Darcy he caught him studying Samuel. “What is the news?”
“Well.” Darcy looked away from the uncomfortable young man and sat forward while clasping his hands. “It seems that our worst fears have come to fruition. We believe that Georgiana is with child.”
“Damn it!” Harding’s face instantly reddened. “Are you sure? How do you know? She had no symptoms when you found her.”
“Aunt Susan wrote to me at Netherfield with her suspicions, she waited some time to tell me, as Georgiana waited to tell her, but it seems that she may be just over a month, at least less than two, along.”
“Susan wrote to you?” His eyes widened in surprise. “When was this?”
“I received the letter on Friday.” Darcy saw a flash of anger in his uncle’s eyes. “I was devastated as well.”
“Yes … So this is likely the result of her last days with Wickham, after months as his supposed wife, it happened just as she was found.” His voice became low and dangerous. “If I ever find him …”
“I am afraid you will need to join the queue, sir. Darcy has first dibs, and I assure you, I am right behind him.” Richard growled. “If Darcy was not hell bent on bundling Georgiana off in the carriage the moment she was found, I would have torn that village apart finding him.”
“If he had not made his ransom demand, I doubt that we ever would have located her, at least until he abandoned her and she somehow managed to send us word. I still fail to understand him, why he did not marry her and demand the dowry …” Darcy closed his eyes and drew a breath. “I am avoiding the subject. The fact remains that she is with child.”
“Well, that ends my involvement.” Samuel spoke and faced his cousin. “Forgive me, William. But I will not marry her nor raise Wickham’s child.”
“You will marry her!” The judge growled and missed Darcy and Richard exchanging looks. “You will marry and when the bastard is born we will send it to some couple to raise, pay them off to take it, something. Its fate is inconsequential. We will put out word that the baby was born early and died, and that will be the end of it. With luck it will die on its own. You will marry immediately.”
“Father. No.” Samuel drew himself up. Clearly it was taking a great deal of strength to stand up to his formidable parent. “I like my cousin, but I do not want to marry her. She is far too young, and while I entertained the idea of saving her reputation from ruin, I … I want my choice of wife to be my own.”
“You will do as you are told!”
“Uncle.” Darcy jumped in. “I appreciate this effort to protect the Darcy name with the desire to keep the secret between as few people as possible, and not needing to disguise the truth to some potential suitor one day, but I agree with Samuel. Georgiana is far too young to marry, regardless of her ruin and foolish behaviour. I will not demand it of her. Thank you for even considering it, but I prefer to see you remain my cousin, not my brother.”
“Thank you.” Samuel said quietly.
“You both are fools!” The judge cried. “What will you do with your unmarried sister when she is great with child? And what do you intend to do with her bastard?”
“I will raise it as my child.” Darcy said softly. “I will make it my heir if it is a boy.”
“You impregnated your sister?”
“No!” Darcy was horrified.
“Then what?” Harding demanded. “How did she become with child? How does this save her? How does it save her reputation? If I can ask the questions so will everyone else who you meet.”
“I will marry. My wife and I will, at the appropriate time, announce her pregnancy and from that point we will remain at Pemberley, seeing nobody until the child is born.”
Harding’s face became a thundercloud of fury. His glare was as frightening as if Zeus himself had descended from the heavens, lightning bolt in hand. Leaning down he gripped the arms of Darcy’s chair and growled. “YOU will marry? YOU will pollute Pemberley with a bastard heir? My father, my ancestors will be walking the grounds, rising from their graves in fury! How DARE you presume this!”
Not in the least intimidated, Darcy’s fury was the equal of his uncle’s and he pushed him off from the chair. “THIS child is OUR BLOOD! I will not abandon it!”
“I thought that your father despised disguise of any sort, you clearly are not the same.”
“I hate disguise, but I have been embroiled in it since Georgiana’s disappearance. If I can save this child and my sister by marrying, so be it. I will not ask my cousin to do what I can. I will not ask him to marry a cousin when I refuse to do the same with Anne or Cathy.” He looked to Samuel who nodded gratefully. “This is my father’s grandchild. He would have done the same.”
“No, he would have disowned her.”
“Uncle, your anger is understandable, I am sorry for it. Your support and advice is appreciated, and I hope that I continue to receive it. But I am the Master of Pemberley, and my decision has been made.”
Harding studied his nephew in silence for several pregnant moments then straightened and meeting his identical blue eyes, nodded. “Indeed, you are the Master of Pemberley, and master of your fate.” He held out his hand and shaking Darcy’s, leaned to embrace him. “We take care of the family.”
“OH PAPA!” Elizabeth leaned in the doorway to the bookroom and rolled her eyes. “Surely there is another man with Bennet blood in his veins who can be named the heir of Longbourn!”
He smiled and set down his book. “I am afraid that Mr. Collins is the only one, unless you were to look to his male relatives.”
“They are undoubtedly of the same mould.” She sighed and took a seat across from him. “Will you join us? He has promised to read from Fordyce. Mary is intrigued.”
“You have convinced me to stay here.” They smiled at each other.
“Mama follows him around, decrying the value of everything. I believe that she has most of the silver hidden in the attic, along with the best china.” She laughed. “She is so offended by his presence that she has forgotten my engagement and has not mentioned it since he arrived! That is an accomplishment!”
“A worthy one in my estimation. I have no desire to contemplate your departure from this home. I regret my blessing.” His eyes dropped to his lap. “What will I do without you, Lizzy?”
“Please do not make me feel worse than I do already.” She said softly.
Immediately he looked up. “You regret this decision? Say the word, Daughter, and I will rescind my blessing. No settlement has been signed, I will write to him immediately.” Elizabeth watched in astonishment as her father’s hands searched with uncharacteristic speed through the piles of papers strewn across his desk. “He left his address with me somewhere … here!” He said triumphantly and found a calling card. On the back, written in a strong hand, Elizabeth could see an address. A little frisson ran through her. That was the address of her future home.
“Papa, stop!” She cried.
The smile left his lips. “You … do not wish for me to break the engagement?”
“I made a promise to him.”
“You do not know him.”
“So there will be countless things to discover, it will be an adventure.” She said determinedly. “Charlotte tells me that it is more important to first secure a husband and then learn all his faults after the wedding.”
“Spoken like a true spinster.”
“Papa!”
“Tell me that she is not.” He looked at her pointedly and smiled at her reluctant nod. “Very well. You have not changed your mind.”
“No.” Elizabeth said softly. “But I am still overwhelmed and terrified of the decision. I have taken my new understanding of his admiration and thought over every encounter, every moment of our acquaintance, even if it was just seeing him at church or while he was riding with Mr. Bingley or Mr. Hurst, and of course our every conversation.”
“And what have you concluded?”
She smiled. “I realized that my eyes were always drawn to him. I could not look away when he was present, even when I was determined not to look I found myself contemplating him; and that to my great surprise, I discovered that his eyes were always on me. I thought he was looking for fault, now I know differently.” She blushed and her voice grew soft again. “I realized that I strained to catch his voice amongst the murmurs of the crowd, and … that my first impression, my first thought of him, was correct.”
“Oh?” He leaned forward and folded his hands. “And that was?”
“No, Papa. One day perhaps we will be friends enough for me to tell him, but only him.”
“Friends.” Mr. Bennet shook his head. “Where did you form your notions of marriage? Surely it was not from this house.”
Avoiding an answer, she asked. “Are you not friends with Mama?”
“I suppose.” He looked to his hands and sighed. “She is a silly thing, and Lydia is her younger reflection. Kitty is not much better, although perhaps she has a touch of sense somewhere in the fluff of her head. Mary is … I do not know what to make of Mary. Far too earnest. Jane is my poised and lovely peacemaker, and you …” He looked up to her. “I will miss with all of my heart. Please do not forget Longbourn when that man sweeps you away into his rich world. Look in on us, look after your sisters, I fear that your mother is not strong enough to …” He stopped when he saw her concern. “Forgive me, my dear. You are the first of my daughters to leave the home, I suppose that I am exposing my age.”
“Papa …”
“Mr. Bennet!” Mrs. Bennet flew into the room. “Mr. Bennet, your heir is driving me to distraction, please come and join your family. Lizzy! You can talk to anyone, come occupy this man!” Father and daughter exchanged smiles and shrugs.
“Come, Lizzy. Your talents are needed here a bit longer.”
