Mr. Darcy's Decision: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice Page 9

  Elizabeth could sense her husband’s discomfort but wanted to placate his temper so she spoke as calmly as her angry feelings would allow. “You could not speak plainer, ma’am, I should think we are both of us very far away from mutual familiarity. I certainly do not seek it, but I think we should both be ready to adopt civility in its place,” she said, adding with a glance at Darcy, “for your nephew’s sake, your ladyship.”

  Lady Catherine breathed deeply and looked at Darcy. “Fitzwilliam,” she snapped,“it surprises me, but your wife has some idea of manners and with your interests so dear to me I concede that we must give the appearance of courtesy.”

  “We must indeed, madam,” said Darcy. “I insist upon it and request your blessing and congratulations on our marriage.”

  Lady Catherine narrowed her eyes at Elizabeth then addressed Darcy again. “I agreed only to being courteous! That, for now, will have to suffice. If I should see the chance of liking your wife a little I shall not reject it, but I have known her to be headstrong in the past and that I do not approve of.” She turned sharply to Elizabeth and studied her. “You do seem a little less forthright than I remember. Perhaps the dignified life Fitzwilliam has provided is proving corrective to your willfulness.” She smiled but did not appear genuine.“You see,” she continued,“I am not at all harsh on you, Elizabeth.”

  Darcy rose from his chair, his expression was firm. “I cannot allow you to be misled into believing that I am the kind of husband who will sit by and hear his wife insulted. Elizabeth, contrary to your opinion, is too sweet to endure such abuse and her love for me, I believe, is too strong to allow her to freely offend you in her turn. I suggested in my letter to you that we reconcile our differences. That, madam, is the purpose of your visit here. I demand an immediate end to this reunion if your intention was merely to dishonor the woman I love.”

  Lady Catherine laughed coldly. “Love? How whimsical you have become, Fitzwilliam. I care little for love and I care far less for its destructive heat. Our families have thrived due to more than mere fancy. As you are aware, an admirable mix of honor, duty, culture, and heritage is the backbone of Pemberley, that cannot be broken, but love,” she said scornfully, “what will be left to you when its fickle flames die out?”

  Elizabeth rose. “I fear, your ladyship, that we have started badly. I for one do not know what will give you recompense other than to know that the love you scorn is now as much the backbone of Pemberley as all the pompous, proud, and narrow rituals you uphold.”

  “How dare you abuse me with such language, Miss Bennet, what gives you the right to discredit the customs of our heritage, you who are little more than a fortune-seeking provincial girl. You should learn some respect for nobility and history; they are the things that represent true strength. Nothing can weaken their power.”

  Elizabeth flushed with anger.“If that is so, Lady Catherine, you can have no reason to fear that as simple a thing as my love could ever be a threat.As for my fortune hunting, I never sought anything but affection and in that I have indeed become rich.”

  Lady Catherine was tiring of Elizabeth’s retaliations and she stood to excuse herself. “My journey has fatigued me, I wish to take a short rest. I trust my room is ready, Miss Bennet.”

  Darcy called for a ladies’ maid and guided Lady Catherine to the door. “Some rest will benefit you, you are showing signs of exhaustion and confusion,” he said.

  Lady Catherine was very obviously insulted by her nephew. She raised her voice and her hand. “I am merely a little overburdened from traveling but my mind is quite clear.”

  “Then you will, from now on, have no difficulty in remembering that my wife is no longer to be referred to as Miss Bennet.”

  Lady Catherine glared at her nephew but before she could concoct a fitting retort he interjected, from the hint of a smile that crossed his lips it seemed he took pleasure in doing so. “It would not do if you were to publicly address the mistress of Pemberley inappropriately, you are usually so attentive to these matters.”

  The suggestion of a smile grew on his face and took a considerable time to fade. Elizabeth, weary from the distressing conference, was glad to see it for she was filled with feelings of anxiety and her husband’s good humor was a comfort to her.

  CHAPTER 12

  “Not so hasty, if you please. I have by no means done. To all the objections I have already urged, I have still another to add.”

  It could not be said that the relationship between Lady Catherine and Elizabeth improved greatly over the first days of the former’s stay at Pemberley, but the cool civility that both adopted was not seen as unexpected or felt to be unbearable. Elizabeth soon had opportunities to speak with Mary, though she had never been as close to her or any other of her sisters as she was to Jane. Mary, when afforded respite by Anne’s regular bed rest, would take tea with Elizabeth or join her in a walk, though she was not so passionate about the outdoors as her elder sister and of late Elizabeth had resisted temptation and limited herself to strolling within a very few yards of the house. Her conversations with Mary rarely amounted to anything much for the girl’s predilection for moralizing inevitably gave her discourse a reproachful flavor.

  As much as was possible, given the contrasts of and the conflicts between the various members of the given company, a peaceful atmosphere reigned on the estate. Caroline Bingley took to entertaining Lady Catherine by day, for apart from Darcy and Georgiana, the elder woman considered the younger the only person present, excluding her nephew, who was worthy of her attention. Elizabeth felt only gratitude that both could tolerate each other as she had little time for either by choice.

  An agreement, unspoken only but nevertheless quite fixed, that all parties should confine their meetings to dinner provided a polite method of avoidance that proved satisfactory to all concerned. Elizabeth fared well enough at these gatherings for she was at ease in her new home and always felt her husband’s staunch support for her. She was not afraid of Lady Catherine, but she was uncomfortable in her company. Anne, when her various frailties allowed her to join them, rarely spoke. When she did, she did so quietly to Mary. Caroline focused her attention on Lady Catherine or Darcy but she was conscious that her gaze must not be perceived to be aimed in his direction too often. Georgiana stayed close to her brother and Elizabeth whenever she could.The Gardiners kept themselves quite hidden away and were seen so little as to raise speculation about whether they had returned to Cheapside.They infinitely preferred the intimacy and solitude of their estate cottage to Lady Catherine’s company and were the only people present at Pemberley who could avoid the woman without condemnation.

  Lady Catherine was as ever she had been; her penchant for fawning observers had not faded and Caroline, Anne, and Mary made an adequate if small band of admirers in front of whom she could hold court. She was mindful to abstain from overt verbal criticism of Elizabeth whenever Darcy was present, but she regularly took the opportunity to express her dislike by giving Elizabeth disdainful looks. Lady Catherine had made a study of giving disdainful looks and believed that they could be more effective and insulting than words, though she was notoriously adept at vicious speech also. Anne and Mary were, each in their own way, impervious to the tangled and bitter feelings that are so often prevalent in certain types of human spirit, so most of Lady Catherine’s barbs to Elizabeth went unnoticed by them. In contrast to their oblivion, Caroline Bingley missed not a single tightening of the de Bourgh lips, she observed and relished every nuance. Not one of Lady Catherine’s spiteful looks went undetected by Caroline, and it gave her immeasurable satisfaction.

  By the time the second week drew near Caroline Bingley had formed a close alliance with Lady Catherine. Miss Bingley, never so inventive as now, formulated the means to enjoy private conversations with her ladyship. Mary and Anne de Bourgh took little pleasure in what they considered to be idle talk. Both preferred the occupation of moralistic debates which they would carry out in Anne’s room in order that her
weak body could rest whilst her mind was being suitably exercised. Darcy and Elizabeth went about their business, relieved that Caroline had taken the responsibility for Lady Catherine’s daily entertainment.

  “Miss Bingley,” said Lady Catherine one afternoon, “I understand that your family also has the misfortune to be associated with the Bennets.” Caroline looked quizzically at Lady Catherine who spoke again,“I hope I have not caused offense?”

  Caroline spoke in a cultured whisper, “No, your ladyship, I assure you no offense has been taken. Indeed you are right, my brother Charles is married to Jane Bennet, Eliza’s older sister. Admittedly, she is the prettiest of the Bennet brood and a sweet-natured girl. None of the other Bennets are so tolerable as Jane, she is quite set apart from the rest.”

  Lady Catherine sneered. “They make quite an art of beguilement these Bennet girls, two of them have negotiated their paths in life most profitably.”

  “Indeed they have, ma’am. I do not know how they can bear to congratulate themselves on their good fortune when it has been the cause of so much unhappiness for two other, dare I say, more deserving and well-bred young ladies.”

  Lady Catherine’s surprise was obvious. “Two young ladies? Another poor girl has suffered rejection in the cruel way in which my own daughter was obliged to?Who is the unfortunate creature?”

  Caroline Bingley smiled. “Why, it is Georgiana, your ladyship.”

  Lady Catherine made no attempt to cover her astonishment. “Are you implying that my own niece was to marry your brother? I heard nothing of this.”

  “Then you must allow me to elaborate; it was a plan as yet in its infancy, but it was generally thought, amongst those in our family at least, that it would be a most suitable match for all concerned.”

  “Indeed, it would have been, Miss Bingley, but tell me, Georgiana displays no signs of desperation, was she very attached to your brother?”

  “The relationship had not yet begun to develop, your ladyship, which I concede is a kindness, for Georgiana is a delicate soul, one cannot imagine how she would have stood up to such a usurpation.”

  Lady Catherine, whose facial expressions could change swiftly, looked forlorn, then determined. “Tell me, Miss Bingley, what attempts if any were made to prevent your brother’s entrapment? Surely he was warned off.”

  Caroline’s mouth was set in a grim line, only her harsh words could prize it open.“Darcy did try at one time to persuade Charles that a better choice could be made, but it seems that once he had made his own pitiable selection he felt no compunction to prevent my brother doing so also. It is very sad, ma’am, but thereafter it seemed that interference would be pointless.”

  Lady Catherine gave a small laugh. “In circumstances of such severity, interference is never pointless and must always be thought acceptable.That the results of intervention are not always successful is something of a cruelty I confess. I went to great lengths to thwart my nephew’s senseless plans and it cost me dear, but to no avail, there is little justice in the matter and no benefits at all can arise from the marriage.”

  “They speak of happiness and love, your ladyship,” said Caroline.

  “Oh yes, they speak of happiness and love, but self-gratification should not be the first consideration where marriage is concerned. I believe honor and duty should always take precedence, particularly over affairs of the heart. Oh yes, Darcy thinks himself in love, I am sure.” She paused for a moment, then she went on, “But consider, there is always the possibility that he could be persuaded to think himself out of it.”

  Never were two women better practiced in the art of dramatizing the slightest impropriety or fault in others. The overexaggerated news of Charles Bingley’s supposed intention of betrothal fueled lengthy conversation and debate and made a great occasion for the two to berate those beneath them with vigorous animosity. So triumphant were they in outlining all that was undesirable in the Bennets that they had not a second to spare where they may have had the inclination to examine their own inhumanity. Thus they spent their hours, two ladies of supposed good breeding, engaged in the shared and vulgar entertainment of giving vicious critical observation and harsh opinions of whichever Bennet made a ready victim. They showed the cruelest disregard for Elizabeth, each for their own very different reasons, and it united them further.

  Lady Catherine always preferred the company of a well-bred woman with a vicious tongue to that of a commoner with a kind heart. She had never been truly kind herself, although she had often been materially generous, but at the root of her benefaction her need for worship and gratitude was to be found. It was unthinkable that Lady Catherine de Bourgh should be devoid of adoration. She had recently lost her most avid admirer Mr. Collins, and Caroline Bingley, although not obsequious in manner, provided a satisfactory replacement. Now, enchanted by Lady Catherine, her character seemed set to worsen.

  Elizabeth happily indulged Lady Catherine and Miss Bingley in their soirées. She arranged for tea and every refreshment and delicacy to be taken to them as often as they liked. It was her suspicion that the nature of their conversation would be bitterly set against her, but she was willing to pay this small price and indulge them, for their absence was her reward.“I am quite happy to be the object of their scorn,” said Elizabeth to her husband. “I am sure it gives me as much amusement to think of them pulling apart my character as it gives them to do so.”

  Darcy was concerned.“They have sense enough between them to keep their venomous opinions from me at least.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “Oh yes, only a privileged few earn their respect, and you are one of those few, they would not wish to displease you though they take delight in grieving everyone else.”

  “It is sad, Elizabeth, that Bingley, one of the most excellent men I know, should have such a sister.”

  Elizabeth stared at Darcy. “It is sad that you, an excellent man yourself, should have such an aunt, but such are the blessings of family where we have no choices and must be tolerant. At least we may determine who our friends shall be,” she said.

  “And our lovers,” said Darcy quietly.

  Elizabeth kissed her husband on the cheek. “And our lovers,” she repeated thoughtfully.

  CHAPTER 13

  “This was a lucky idea of mine, indeed!”

  Although it was not often spoken of, Darcy knew that Elizabeth was frequently preoccupied with thoughts of Lydia’s dilemma. She was restless and concerned. No further news had come from Longbourn. Darcy and Elizabeth bore between them the ominous quiet that settled around them like the barely audible breath before the scream of despair. At times Elizabeth wanted to return to Longbourn, but knew that neither her presence in Hertfordshire nor her absence from Derbyshire would achieve much. She felt, so quickly into her marriage, the tight reins of duty constricting her. Should she flee Pemberley she risked alerting Lady Catherine to the scandals that were germinating within the Bennet family. She did not fear her husband’s wrath for he was consistently supportive of her wishes. But she grew frustrated, her desperate need to prove their marriage a worthy one was made greater by the fear that it could be tarnished by her family. Oh, if Wickham had married Mary King there would have been no beginning to the disgraces and heinous scandals that tainted them. But Mary King was long gone, the girl and her fortune saved from Wickham and despair.

  The past seemed to hold all the answers now that it could be viewed from the advantageous position of the present. If Lydia had not gone to Brighton. If she, Elizabeth, had revealed Wickham’s true character. If her own dear husband had not thought so gallantly of her to effect such a generous rescue of her sister. Her thoughts gave her no comfort. She knew too well the fruitlessness of trying to prevent a disaster that had already happened. Lady Catherine was fixed in her disdain and Elizabeth feared that further revelation of her family’s impropriety would raise that dislike to an irreparable level.

  All the while Lydia kept to her bed at Longbourn, weakened by her confinement and her d
espair. Her mother spent her time equally between her own bed and Lydia’s bedside, coming in when another worry occurred to her and distressing her daughter further. “Lydia, Lydia,” she shrieked, waking her daughter, “if you are never to see Wickham again, which I suspect is the case, then we must keep things very quiet when the child comes.”

  Lydia groaned, “I am still a married woman mother, I am not ashamed.”

  “No indeed, but think of the child, what a life it would have with no father and a mother with no prospects in life.” She made a point of thinking for a while. “We will keep this whole business quiet, I cannot bear to have it all around Meryton. I have thought about this, Lydia, and you must do as I say. I shall say you have been very ill and will soon travel to Derbyshire for the air,” she nodded with satisfaction and went on,“and if anyone should suggest you would be better remedied in Bath I shall have a fit, anyway, you can stay at Pemberley. God knows your sister can spare you the hospitality and afford the expense without noticing it.We will say that Wickham insisted you be with your family while you recover. It vexes me not to reveal how ill he has treated you, but it will be best to hide the dreadful truth about the man, it will look better on you, child.”