Chapter 14
Judge Darcy was a genial and practical man, not given to agitation or exaggeration.
His sister was thus understandably curious when, after reading an express, he deliberately walked to the decanter, poured a generous amount of brandy, and gulped it.
Mrs. Ashcombe was in her sixtieth year and had been a widow for twenty of them.
She was the eldest of her siblings and older than Judge Darcy by fifteen years.
She may have given up the Darcy name on her marriage some forty years ago, but had all the stubbornness and self-importance inherent in the family.
It could be said that these traits tapered down in the siblings, with the oldest having the greatest share of these prized family characteristics.
Had Miss Elizabeth Bennet been introduced to this aunt of Mr. Darcy, instead of Lady Catherine, she would have been much more understanding.
It would be apparent to her that what she had taken for disdain and haughtiness were family heirlooms he was safeguarding with zealous devotion.
Miss Bennet may still have refused his proposal, for she had her own stubbornness, but she would definitely have been more polite as one was to the sick and ailing.
Alas Mr. Darcy had not been so fortunate and was probably the first Darcy in the history of Darcies to have been called to account.
Mrs. Ashcombe cleared her throat to draw her brother’s attention and then raised an eyebrow in inquiry.
“Fitzwilliam seems to have got himself in a bit of a situation in Hampshire,” Judge Darcy replied as he walked back to take his seat.
“Why? Is the estate dilapidated, or the family in dire straits? I had thought Hardwicke a sensible fellow.”
“It has nothing to do with the estate, but a lady who he seems to admire,” her brother massaged his forehead.
“I would think that should be cause for celebration. I was beginning to doubt he admired women at all.”
“Agatha!” her brother exclaimed.
“Do not look so scandalised, it is unnatural for a man his age to never look towards any lady. Well, who is this lady? Is she unsuitable?”
Judge Darcy rolled his eyes and handed over the letter to his sister who read the whole thing at an alarming pace that belied her age.
“I think I should go to Hampshire. Hardwicke was family and a decent enough fellow, I should pay my respects to his widow,” Mrs. Ashcombe responded as she folded the letter.
“Do not cause trouble, sister. Fitzwilliam is already overwhelmed,” Judge Darcy replied in a tone that clearly suggested he had no hope of altering his sister’s plan.
“I am going as a family obligation, not for causing trouble. London is exceptionally dull these days.”
“You could easily go to Ashcombe park. Both your sons seem to be enjoying the country air.”
“Whatever am I supposed to do in the company of sons? Men have no conversation and even less sense,” Mrs. Ashcombe responded as she got up and walked out of the library.
Judge Darcy stared in the direction of his sister and muttered, “I hope this Miss Bennet has all the courage that Fitzwilliam attributed to her, for she is surely going to need it.”
Darcy, unaware of his relations meddling, was having a most productive day, or so he thought.
The steward at Pemberley had responded to his inquiry regarding a capable man for Willowmere in the form of a cousin.
A young lad of one and twenty had turned up with a letter of recommendation early that morning.
Once the man was fed and rested, Darcy immediately resumed his plans to build the drainage.
Mr. Grant had arranged for the labourers, and with the new steward now present, there was no reason to delay the work.
By afternoon, the work was in full swing when the first problem occurred.
The drain would not take shape, the ground kept collapsing.
The labourers finally gave up declaring that the soil beneath would not hold.
Mr. Grant could be heard muttering that the whole endeavour was foolhardy and new owners should not be over-ambitious.
Darcy decided to ignore the man as he was too tired to argue.
He had been inspecting the ground and trying to understand the lay of the land, but had concluded that he needed some older maps or estate documents before he could proceed.
As a result, he was muddy and sweating profusely.
The nearby tenants had pulled up buckets of water for those working and Darcy poured the whole bucket on himself without any care for his appearance.
He was drenched in water with his clothes dripping, but the coolness relaxed him a bit and he walked towards his horse.
It was with immense shock that he saw Miss Bennet standing next to his horse.
“Mr. Darcy! Forgive me, I did not realise. I did not mean to, that is to say I was hoping for a word,” she stammered on seeing the man with water dripping from his hair and his clothes plastered to his body.
“I, I was on the field,” Darcy muttered, trying to form words.
He could not conceive of a worse moment to meet the lady.
She already had a low opinion of him but now she would also consider him touched in the head.
Quickly apologising for his appearance, he mounted his horse and rode off cursing himself, the mud, and the bucket.
He had just turned the corner towards the dower house when he saw the carriage in his yard and could not stop the expletive that came out of his mouth.
“Fitzwilliam, have you lost all sense of decency or does this cottage not possess a place to wash?” his aunt greeted him as he entered the house.
“Aunt Agatha! Welcome to Willowmere. How are you?” Darcy replied with exaggerated politeness.
“Do not take that tone with me. Go and refresh yourself, you are hardly fit for company.”
“I was not planning to be in company,” Darcy muttered as he left his aunt’s presence to wash and dress himself.
He came down within an hour, intent on understanding his aunt’s motives and thinking of the best way to make the lady return to London as early as possible, but she was nowhere to be found. Finally, he questioned a nearby maid.
“Oh! The lady left for the main house. Something about this house being a gardener’s shed.”
Darcy was shocked in silence for he could not fathom what could cause his aunt to impose on a house in mourning.
Miss Elizabeth would now consider his whole family demented and senile.
Rushing out of the house, he walked as fast as possible to the main house and was soon announced in the parlour.
The scene would have been comical if not for Darcy’s acute embarrassment.
His aunt seemed to have made herself at home in that room and was sitting on the chaise with all her luggage strewn about the room as if it were a coaching inn.
“Fitzwilliam, there you are. I was just telling Miss Bennet that I am family and you could easily vouch for me. But on second thoughts I am not so sure if that is such a good idea. The lady holds you in contempt or so I have heard,” Mrs. Ashcombe commented from her seat causing him to close his eyes in embarrassment.
“Miss Bennet, I apologise on my aunt’s behalf. I am not sure what she means by this display,” Darcy pleaded to the lady who for once seemed to be lost for words.
“A chamber has been prepared for you, madam. The luggage will be taken upstairs soon,” the housekeeper interrupted, breaking the silence.
“Well nephew, I have been on the road for some time and need my rest,” Mrs. Ashcombe followed the housekeeper, leaving an embarrassed Darcy in the company of a delighted Elizabeth.
“How many aunts do you have, sir?” Elizabeth asked, suppressing her humour.
“Four, two on the Fitzwilliam side and two on the Darcy side. You have now met one of each,” Darcy replied, chagrined.
“Am I likely to meet the other two? I think I would prefer some notice to prepare for the experience.”
“None of my aunts, or rather, any female relations are in the habit of providing notice. They are all a force to be reckoned with and the world just adjusts to their momentum,” Darcy closed his eyes and covered his face.
“Well, that does account for some part of your character. I was intent on forming a detailed sketch at Netherfield, but now I understand I was missing some vital information,” Elizabeth replied cryptically.
Looking at the resigned gentleman in front of her, Elizabeth finally realised why Mr. Darcy had fallen for her. Her impertinent manner and independent thoughts would have been completely at home among these ladies.