Chapter 20
Hours later, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam were enjoying a small repast in her sitting room when there was a loud knocking on the door. The happy couple looked at each other in confusion. Neither had expected any interruption unless they called for a servant to take away their dishes.
“Enter,” said Fitzwilliam.
Mrs. Pritchard, the housekeeper, entered and said, “I do apologize for interrupting at such a happy time, but I am afraid the Duke of Essex has arrived and is demanding to speak with you both.”
Elizabeth and her husband looked at each other. She could see her own dismay reflected in his face. Though they had expected him to arrive at some point, he was earlier than they had hoped.
“We shall be down presently,” said Fitzwilliam
As quickly as she could, Elizabeth fixed her hair so that it was no longer obviously disheveled. Though it did not have the polish that it should have, at least it was not embarrassingly messy.
Once that was done, the two of them descended the stairs, only to find her father, the Duke of Essex, pacing back and forth in the front drawing room. As soon as they arrived, the duke practically exploded.
“Elizabeth, what in blazes do you think you are doing?” he cried.
“After all I have done for you, all I have given you, you repay me by eloping with the one man I specifically forbade you to see? You must be out of your mind! We will have this marriage annulled immediately. It is not too late to hush things up. You will then come home, and we can start all over.”
“No, Father,” said Elizabeth. “I will not be coming with you. The marriage has been consummated and cannot be annulled.”
For a few moments, there was silence, though it was pregnant with the duke’s outrage as was obvious by the way his face grew red and his eyes bulged slightly.
“You what?” he yelled. “No matter. If I offer enough inducement, I am certain I can make it happen. As for whether consummation has taken place…” Here he shot a venomous look at Fitzwilliam.
“It makes no difference. If I can get you married to someone else quickly enough, no one will ever know. That is what we shall do! There is always that nice young man who came to see me. Who was it? Oh yes. The Earl of Ransford. He seemed hard up for money. I am certain he would not object to a hasty wedding, if I can only find him.”
Elizabeth’s father began pacing, and his words descended into muttering as he sifted through all the options he could think of.
“Father!” said Elizabeth sharply, snapping him out of his musings and mutterings.
When the duke looked up at her once again, she said, “You would have me abandon a good man who married me out of love and respect, despite knowing you would withhold my dowry, only to throw me at every wastrel with a title in all of London? Have you no desire whatsoever for my safety and happiness? Do you even know what such men would do to me once they have my fortune?”
“I do not know,” she continued, “but to be quite frank, I do not wish to know. I have learned enough from Lady Priscilla to know that it would be a fruitless, joyless, absolutely miserable existence, with no hope of any happiness whatsoever. Is that what you want for me? Is that all I mean to you?”
As the duke stared back and forth between Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth could tell that her words had been comprehended. For the first time, she felt as though he had actually listened to what she had said rather than simply hearing what he wished to hear.
He opened his mouth to speak, but then he closed it once again. He repeated the process once more. Eventually, he said, “I do not wish you to end up like Lady Priscilla.”
“Then, please, Father. Please, let me stay where I am. I am happy as I have never been before in all my life, and Fitzwilliam is a good man. You know he is. He will treat me well.”
Fitzwilliam bowed to the duke and said, “On my life, I would never willingly allow any harm to come to Elizabeth.”
“Besides, Father,” said Elizabeth, “I do not truly believe I will lose any social clout by this marriage. Between my status as your daughter and the wealth of Mr. Darcy, there will be few, if any, drawing rooms that will be closed to me.”
It was not something she cared about in the least, but she hoped the argument would sway her father and erase any remaining doubts.
After another few moments of silence, the Duke of Essex said to Elizabeth, “You are truly happy? More than at Longbourn…or Pollaner…or even here in London?”
“Truly, I am happy. There is no place that makes me happier than simply being by Fitzwilliam’s side.”
At this declaration, Elizabeth felt Fitzwilliam grasp her hand and give it a squeeze as though telling her silently that he agreed wholeheartedly with her statement. With an effort of will, she kept her gaze on the duke.
Her father slumped, as though all the fight and power had suddenly left him. It reminded her a great deal of the end of their last argument in London, just before she left for Bath.
“My girl, my sweet Elizabeth, all I ever wanted was for you to be happy,” he said.
“You must know that. I thought I was doing my best for you. Honestly, I still think you are making an error. Even with my backing, there are some who simply will not associate with those who are not of rank. Still, I cannot deny that your husband is a good man, and I am certain he will treat you well.”
The duke’s gaze landed on Fitzwilliam and sharpened noticeably. “I assume, since this wedding was rushed and, since Elizabeth had no male relative to speak on her behalf or enforce her legal rights, that there is no marriage contract?”
“That is correct,” said Fitzwilliam. “However, I have already set aside enough funds to furnish Elizabeth with two thousand pounds per annum in pin money, the same she would have had even with a contract. The principle will be hers upon my death.”
The duke’s eyes narrowed. “I would like to see this in writing,” he said, “and I would like to see your will.”
“Of course, Your Grace,” said Fitzwilliam. “At your convenience.”
The two men talked for a few minutes about settlements and enforcing them. In the end, the duke agreed to give Darcy Elizabeth’s dowry on the condition that he sign a contract directly with the Duke of Essex and his heir promising that Elizabeth would receive the stated pin money and inheritance.
When they were done, Elizabeth’s father embraced her. When he let her go, he said, “Truly, you are happy? It is not too late, you know.”
Elizabeth smiled with as much joy as she had in her heart. “Truly, Father. I am happy. Even more so now that I have your blessing.”
The duke seemed struck by the intense happiness which radiated from her smile.
When he recovered, he said, “That is what I wanted to see. Don’t be a stranger, Elizabeth.
Let me see your smile once in a while and tell me about your life.
I look forward to any granddaughters you see fit to bless me with. ”
Elizabeth’s smile shifted into a grin. “Only granddaughters? What about grandsons?”
The duke shook his head with a softly wry grin. “Boys are nothing but trouble. Fitzwilliam can have them. I just want my beautiful little granddaughters who will certainly share their mother’s beautiful smile.”
Elizabeth embraced her father and said, “Thank you. Thank you ever so much, Father. For everything. For keeping me safe. For educating me. For providing me with a home. And for letting me go. Thank you.”
Once she let him go, he departed quickly, with just the barest of farewells, but Elizabeth thought she saw the tiniest hint of tears gathering in his eyes.
When he was gone, Elizabeth turned to her husband who said, “Well, my dear, shall we return to our previous rather pleasant activities?”
With all her heart and with all her passion, Elizabeth kissed her husband. When she had a brief moment to speak, she said, “Nothing could make me happier, Fitzwilliam.”
With a flourish, Fitzwilliam literally swept her off her feet, causing Elizabeth to giggle in a most unladylike fashion. He did not put her down until they were in her bedroom.