Chapter 24 Sir Gareth Beaumont
A week after the Fitzwilliams were married, the Rosings party was gathered in the drawing room when the butler announced a morning caller.
“Sir Gareth Beaumont.”
The company rose to welcome the amiable gentleman. Richard cast a worried glance toward his cousin, who answered with a lifted brow, as if to ask whether he had warned the man away.
With the slightest shake of his head, Richard indicated that he had not.
Sir Gareth bowed over Anne’s hand, and then he was introduced to Jane. Everyone in the room observed the instant his eyes fell upon the fair-haired Bennet sister. The gentleman was plainly struck by her beauty.
Richard glanced toward Darcy once more, this time with amusement, and Darcy returned the look with a faint grin.
Anne ordered a fresh pot of tea while Richard made the necessary explanations.
“Beaumont, you must offer me your congratulations. I married my childhood sweetheart a week ago.”
Sir Gareth’s brows rose in surprise.
Anne moved nearer to Richard, and he took her hand and pressed a kiss upon it. “Mrs. Fitzwilliam accepted my hand and has made me the happiest of men.”
Sir Gareth bowed to the lady. “Allow me to offer my congratulations, Mrs. Fitzwilliam.”
He turned back to Richard. “I imagine you shall sell out now?”
“Sit down, Beaumont. Yes, I filed the papers last week and expect my release by the end of the month. Matters have been expedited since my mother-in-law lies above stairs in grave condition.”
“Lady Catherine is unwell?”
“Yes. She suffered an apoplexy, and Dr. Miller does not expect her to survive the week.”
The gentleman said, “I am very sorry, Mrs. Fitzwilliam. I know you have always been close to your mother.”
Richard sought to turn the conversation. “One of our guests has likewise fallen ill. You danced with Miss Bennet at the Harvest Home festival, did you not?”
“I did. Miss Elizabeth is ill?”
“She was caught in the storm that was threatening when you left us last week. She has been brought low by an inflammation of the lungs. She now recovers under the care of her sisters. Miss Bennet came from Hertfordshire to nurse her.”
Sir Gareth inclined his head respectfully toward Jane. “My sincere wishes for your sister’s recovery, ma’am.”
“Thank you, sir. Dr. Miller assures us her recovery proceeds rapidly.”
“Miss Bennet, perhaps you would benefit from an airing. Have you been much confined indoors attending your sister?”
“I have, sir, though I do not complain. The Fitzwilliams’ hospitality has exceeded every expectation.”
“Miss Bennet, will you walk with me? The sun shines today, and the weather is unseasonably warm. I believe you would be quite comfortable wearing a pelisse and gloves.”
“I should like it very much, sir, if my sister may accompany us.”
“Certainly.”
Jane smiled. “I shall return in only a few minutes, sir. I must fetch my things and collect my sister.”
Darcy rose and followed after Jane.
He paused outside Elizabeth’s chamber as Jane stood in the doorway.
“Miss Bennet, perhaps Miss Elizabeth might also benefit from fresh air. This chamber adjoins a small parlor with a balcony overlooking the gardens. If you approve, I shall sit with her there while you and Mrs. Collins are out.”
Jane turned to her sister. “Lizzy, do you feel equal to sitting up for a few minutes?”
Elizabeth reclined upon a fainting couch, dressed in her nightdress, though wrapped in a heavy dressing gown.
He added, “Sarah may remain with Lady Catherine, and Georgiana may join us on the balcony. My sister has likewise been too much confined indoors.”
Jane’s face brightened. “That would be exceedingly kind of you, sir.”
He returned her smile with a bow. “I shall fetch my sister and make the necessary arrangements.”
When he had gone, Jane hurried to the couch where Elizabeth sat.
“There is a caller below stairs. Sir Gareth Beaumont, and he was very struck by me. I saw him start the instant he first looked at me, and afterward he scarcely ceased staring.”
All three sisters giggled like young girls.
“He has asked me to walk with him.” She turned to Mary. “But you must accompany us, sister, or it would be improper.”
“I shall fetch our pelisses,” Mary said.
Jane knelt before Elizabeth and slipped her shoes upon her feet. “Come, Lizzy, let me arrange your hair.”
Elizabeth rose while Jane straightened the wrapper and retied the ribbon at her waist. She then pinned back several loose curls.
“There. That shall do very well. Your hair is prettily disordered, and you look remarkably fetching, especially now that your lips and complexion no longer bear that bluish cast.”
Elizabeth smiled. “You are very pert today, dear sister.”
“Oh, Lizzy, he is exceedingly handsome.”
“And what of Mr. Bingley? The very gentleman you swore had broken your heart so completely that you should never recover, at least not in this life? Do you set him aside so easily?”
“Lizzy, in times such as these, it is best not to possess too good a memory. Pray forget I ever uttered such nonsense. Mr. Bingley is forgotten. He left me without so much as a farewell or by your leave. He belongs among the undeserving, as Papa would say.”
Mr. Darcy returned then with his sister.
Georgiana hurried to Elizabeth’s side. “Lizzy, you look much improved. Your lips are pink again.”
Elizabeth laughed, though the exertion immediately brought on a fit of coughing. Jane pressed a handkerchief into her hand, and Mary offered her a glass of water. When she had recovered, Jane collected her pelisse from Mary, and the two sisters hurried away to walk with Sir Gareth Beaumont.
“Miss Elizabeth, you do appear much recovered, ma’am. Allow me to escort you to the private parlor adjoining this chamber.” He offered his arm. “Georgiana, will you support her from the other side, dear?”
Elizabeth nearly laughed aloud as the siblings carefully escorted her from the room, finding them excessively solicitous. Yet by the time she reached the adjoining parlor and was settled in a cushioned chair upon the balcony, she was breathless and struggling for air.
Mr. Darcy looked at her with concern. “Are you quite well, Miss Elizabeth?”
She met his eyes. “Yes, sir, only a little short of breath. I forget at times that I am recovering from a serious illness.”
She saw his concern deepen and added quickly, “Pray do not distress yourself on my account. I feel much improved, and Dr. Miller insists that I rise from my bed each day. He warned me that if I remain abed too long, I shall grow weak.”
He relaxed somewhat. “I should not wish to cause you any harm, Miss Bennet.”
“No, sir. I would not have accepted your kind invitation had I not remembered Dr. Miller’s strict instructions, nor would Jane have permitted it.”
He chuckled. “Yes, your gentle sister can be remarkably firm when the situation requires it.”
“Mr. Darcy, will you tell me what you know of Sir Gareth?”
“What would you wish to know, ma’am?”
“Is he a good man? Do you know whether he indulges in any vices?”
His eyes held a smile as he replied. “He is a gentleman of excellent reputation. He does not frequent the gambling hells, drink to excess, or indulge in darker dissipation, ma’am.
You need not fear for your sister. He is a respectable man, and were he ever to seek Georgiana’s attentions, I should consider it a very desirable attachment and do all in my power to encourage it. ”
Elizabeth smiled. “I am very happy to hear it. I ask only because Jane said he seemed very affected when he first laid eyes upon her. My sister is exceedingly modest, sir, and generally does not perceive such attentions for what they are.”
Darcy laughed softly. “So what you mean is that if your modest sister observed his admiration, then his attentions must have been very marked indeed.”
“Yes, sir. That is precisely what I mean.”
Georgiana listened with great interest.
“Well, Miss Elizabeth, when Sir Gareth was first introduced to your sister, he was so struck by her beauty and manner that he forgot both to bow and to speak. Beaumont is usually celebrated for the elegance of his address, yet I swear upon my honor that he stood quite speechless and could do nothing but stare at your lovely elder sister.”
Both Elizabeth and Georgiana burst into laughter. The exertion immediately brought on a fit of coughing, and Elizabeth bent forward protectively, one arm wrapped about her aching ribs.
Mr. Darcy rose at once, anxious and uncertain how best to assist her, but Georgiana hurried to fetch more water.
“Here, Lizzy.”
The coughing subsided. Elizabeth accepted the water and drank most of it.
“Forgive me, sir. I have made quite a spectacle of myself.”
“No, Miss Elizabeth. I think only of your health. I feared you could not recover your breath.”
“I am better now. Pray, continue your story. I shall endeavor not to laugh again.”
He continued describing Sir Gareth’s obvious admiration for Miss Bennet and ended by saying, “I am not one who indulges in fortunetelling nor in matchmaking, but I foretell that Sir Gareth has lost his heart and will be making an offer of marriage to your sister within weeks.” He spoke with mock gravity.
“And if he does not, then I foretell that another young buck in the neighborhood will snatch her from beneath his nose.”
Elizabeth pressed her lips to her handkerchief to hide her smile. Georgiana Darcy said excitedly, “How romantic. And I shall be here to witness it all.”
Elizabeth leaned back against the cushioned chair, and he asked softly, “Are you tiring, ma’am? Shall we return you to your bedroom?”
Elizabeth raised her hand so that a ray of sunshine washed over it. “No, sir. I have longed for sunshine and fresh air. This is heavenly, though I hope I do not fall asleep.”
Georgiana took her hand. “Never mind, Lizzy. If you fall asleep, you will not offend. We both know it is only because of your illness.”
Elizabeth returned the pressure of the girl’s fingers. “Thank you, dear.”
Darcy continued to relate all he knew of Sir Gareth. He described his fine estate, his family, and his military service. Elizabeth fixed her gaze upon him and listened intently. At last, he saw that she had fallen asleep. He looked toward his sister. “We have tired her out, Georgie.”
“Fitzwilliam, I fear she will grow cold if we leave her here.”
He gently shook Elizabeth’s shoulder. “Miss Elizabeth, let us return to your room so that you may rest.” Her eyes fluttered, but she did not wake.
He turned to his sister. “Georgie, open the doors. I shall carry her back to bed.”
He bent near and whispered into her ear, “Elizabeth, I am going to carry you back to your room.” Then he lifted her carefully from the chair.
She stirred faintly, but then her head settled against his chest, and he felt her nestle closer to him.
The fragrance of her hair and the softness of her form stirred him deeply. This woman filled a place in his heart that had long stood empty. He felt the quiet pull of his affections as he laid her gently upon the bed and assisted Georgiana in drawing the covers. Then they withdrew from the room.
Love and happiness filled his soul as he walked down the hall away from the woman he adored.
He turned to his sister. “Georgiana, though you are not yet out, you may go down to the drawing room to observe Sir Gareth and his infatuation for yourself. They will not remain outdoors much longer, for the afternoons have begun to grow cold. I intend to go out on Ares before it grows too dark.”
“Thank you, Fitzwilliam.”
He smiled indulgently. “You are most welcome, dear.”
Darcy saddled his own horse and rode out to the tower.
Upon arriving, he tethered Rowan to a thick ivy vine clinging to the outer wall and slowly surveyed the lower floor of the ruin.
The chamber possessed a hard-packed dirt floor and high arched openings on either side through which the cold autumn air drifted freely.
He ascended the narrow stair and paused upon the landing where Elizabeth had led him. Then he continued upward until he reached the secluded chamber where they had spent the night together.
At the time, he had been so consumed by concern for her welfare that he had scarcely permitted himself to think of the warmth of her body nestled against his own.
She had slept in his arms. He had drawn her tightly against him, hoping to preserve enough warmth in her chilled frame to prevent illness from her wet clothing and the fierce wind that had battered the tower.
Yet he remembered all of it now.
The soft curves of her figure had awakened a deep longing within him. He remembered how her fragrant curls had brushed against his chin and how, unable to resist the temptation, he had slipped his fingers through them. And he had discovered then that her hair was wonderfully thick beneath his hand.
He descended the stair once more and again saw her as she had lain upon the stone landing, cold and nearly lifeless.
A sharp pang of regret moved through him.
He ought to have forced her to return with him, wrapped in his greatcoat.
But he had yielded to her wishes. In the end, he had asserted his own will and carried her to Rosings.
He remembered the long ride home with painful clarity. She had rested in his arms, chilled and exhausted, nestled against him. Secretly, selfishly, he had wished to keep her there forever.
At length, he mounted his horse and rode out through Westerham and beyond, allowing the cold wind and steady rhythm of Rowan’s stride to settle his thoughts.
When he finally returned to Rosings, he retired at once to his room and sat down to write to his solicitor, instructing him to prepare a marriage settlement.
At the end of the week, he would ride to London to obtain a marriage license. He would review the settlement, sign it, and dispatch it to Mr. Bennet without delay. He would not wait one unnecessary day longer.
He intended to marry Elizabeth as soon as she accepted his hand and possessed sufficient strength to stand beside him before the rector.