Chapter 19
“There is something of great delicacy about which I wish to speak to you, Sinclair,” said Lord Matlock, choosing his words carefully.
They were sitting at a table slightly apart from the rest of the group in a large room at their club.
The other gentleman looked at him with curiosity, so he continued.
“It regards Eve.”
“Eve, my wife? What did she do? You seem quite serious; should I be worried?”
“I am very serious; I am sorry to upset you, but drastic measures are required. Her actions intentionally jeopardised the good name and peace of my family.”
“I must demand that you be more specific when you bring such a serious accusation.”
“A few days ago, she sent a letter to my sister Catherine with offensive content directed to my nephew Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet—the niece of our late friend Mr Gardiner. This action brought painful consequences to those whose names were maligned and to others associated with them.”
As he spoke, Lord Matlock grew angrier. Lord Sinclair paled.
“How can you be certain it was Eve?”
“My sister Catherine told me. Should I ask her to hand me the letter?”
“No…no—that will not be necessary. Please accept my apologies on behalf of my wife and myself. I cannot imagine what Eve was thinking; sometimes she is just…
How can I atone for this unfortunate outcome? What should I do?”
“There is no reason for you to apologise, and no compensation is possible. I depend on you to take the proper measures to avoid similar situations in the future. I was thinking… Your estate is beautiful. I have known Eve since she was an infant, and I am certain that spending a few months there for the summer would benefit her. Solitude can be rewarding at times.”
“True… I think that to be wise advice. Again, please accept my apologies…”
“There is nothing further to say on the matter. Let us return to the others.”
“Matlock, please do not think me oblivious to what happens around me. I see and hear everything. It is just that…sometimes I am weak. Doing what is proper is not always easy. Eve is a very beautiful woman. I know you never approved my marriage, but there was little I could do. I am not as strong as you.”
“I am not as strong as you believe me to be, Sinclair—not at all. As for your marriage—I only gave you my opinion as a friend. It was never for me to approve it or not. But enough of this. I trust you will find the best solution.”
“At least I will search for the best solution; I can promise that.”
The discussion ended in awkward tension for both gentlemen as they reunited with the group. Lord Sinclair seemed to have lost most of his joyousness, and he was more silent than ever; it was no surprise when he made his farewell rather sooner than later.
The evening ended at Matlock’s house with a pleasant dinner and a single guest—Mr Stoddart.
As Lord Matlock guessed and feared, it was revealed that Lady Catherine visited the editor of The Times earlier that day, insisting that an announcement be posted in the next edition, announcing the engagement of Mr Darcy to Miss Anne de Bourgh.
With great effort, Lord Matlock managed to maintain a calm appearance as he tried to explain to his guest—without maligning the good name of their family and his sister—that such an announcement was in error.
Mr Stoddart was quick enough neither to miss the truth behind the earl’s words nor to ignore the potential interest in such gossip.
But his wisdom assisted him in choosing the side he should take.
The interest of the editor was overcome by the gentleman’s common sense and his awareness that Lord Matlock was not to be trifled with.
Therefore, Mr Stoddart politely accepted the explanation without further inquiry; he even suggested that Lord Matlock should be certain that such an announcement had not reached other newspapers, too, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises.
After dinner ended and Mr Stoddart left, the three gentlemen were enjoying a brandy in the library when the door was thrown open. As Lord Matlock feared, the day, which started so badly, turned even worse.
“Did you know Darcy is already engaged to that Bennet girl?” Lady Catherine cried.
“Catherine, where have you been? You disappeared like a lunatic. What were you thinking?” Lord Matlock instantly became as furious as his sister, and no attempt by his sons succeeded in calming him.
“I warned you to behave reasonably or you would be forced to return to Rosings. You will leave the house first thing in the morning.”
“Did you know Darcy is engaged?” she repeated. “Her father himself informed me of it, and her horrible mother nearly drove me insane with her deranged outburst. That woman is out of her senses, I am telling you! What should we do? What should we do?!”
“CATHERINE! Silence, not a word more! You are not allowed to speak about anyone being insane! You are completely unbalanced! Yes, I do know Darcy is engaged, and I could not be happier. I imagine he will be married as soon as possible, so there is nothing you can do. I shall ask servants to prepare your luggage!”
“You have been to Hertfordshire? To Longbourn?” inquired the viscount.
“Oh, and just so you know—Mr Stoddart had dinner with us today. Do not expect to see your preposterous announcement in the newspaper. What was in your mind to do such a thing? Can you imagine the consequences if the announcement appeared and then Darcy married Miss Bennet? Can you imagine what that would mean for poor Anne—and for our entire family?”
“Stoddart is a betrayer; I shall go to other newspapers instead!”
“You have been to Longbourn?” the viscount repeated while everyone ignored him.
“Go to your rooms until the morning, or I shall be forced to throw you out this very moment. Gibbs, help Lady Catherine to her apartment, and be certain her carriage is ready at daybreak,” the earl addressed a stunned servant, lost in the middle of the din, then the earl himself took his sister’s arm and directed her out of the library.
The viscount and the colonel looked at each other in frozen disbelief.
“You must be correct; she surely was at Longbourn,” the colonel finally replied sternly.
∞∞∞
As soon as Mrs Bennet’s nerves allowed her to calm and she felt well enough to inquire after her sister Gardiner’s health, Mr Bennet suggested that Jane tell her mother and younger sisters all the details of their long trip while he discreetly invited Darcy and Elizabeth to follow him into the library.
Immediately, Darcy began a formal address regarding his proposal to Elizabeth, but the elder gentleman interrupted him with a wave of his hand.
“Indeed, sir, as I already told you in my letter, I could not think of anyone better for my Lizzy. I feel grateful and honoured by your request, and I never gave my consent as warmly as I do now. But we shall talk about all this later. What I wanted to tell you before my wife does is that we had a most surprising visitor earlier today.”
Darcy’s countenance softened and warmed with each of the gentleman’s words, but the final statement did not make an impression on him. He turned to Elizabeth with a small smile, certain that she was the one to guess about the visit.
“Can you not guess who the visitor was, Mr Darcy?”
“Me?” He was completely lost, searching for a sign of mockery.
“You indeed, as the matter concerns you quite a lot. I dare say not everyone in your family approves your engagement with Lizzy, am I correct?” Mr Bennet was positively amused, but Darcy turned pale and silent, staring at his host with obvious worry.
“Lady Catherine was here?” Darcy’s voice sounded lost and incredulous. Mr Bennet laughed.
“She was, indeed. I must say, Mr Collins’s description did not do her justice. Lizzy dear, it seems she was quite upset with you; she declared you ungrateful that, after she invited you for dinner at Rosings, you somehow deceitfully charmed Mr Darcy.”
Elizabeth blushed and attempted to laugh, but Darcy’s distress pained her. She tried to form a reply, but the gentleman spoke first.
“Mr Bennet, words are insufficient to express my regret for the dreadful situation you endured. I never suspected such a thing might occur; please forgive me, I—”
“Sir, there is really no need for such distress. I had quite an amusing time, and it became even more diverting when Mrs Bennet returned home unexpectedly. Did I mention that Lady Catherine’s loudly expressed indignation allowed Mrs Bennet to discover the secret of your engagement?
Mrs Bennet and half of Meryton, to be more specific. ”
“I am truly sorry, sir, truly sorry,” Darcy repeated.
“Do not be sorry; nobody ever made Mrs Bennet so happy. My only concern is about Miss de Bourgh. I understand it was expected that you would marry her? How does she bear your engagement? This is not something to trifle with.”
Without even asking permission, Darcy poured himself a glass of brandy then managed to reply coherently.
“Nobody expected me to marry Anne except my Aunt Catherine. Please be assured that I did not break my word, nor did I pain anyone with my engagement. I happened to speak to Anne a few days ago when she arrived in town. She was quite happy about the news, I might say. The matter of a marriage between us was long settled.”
“Good. Now, be so kind as to pour me a glass of that brandy, and have a seat. Now would be an excellent time to give me more details about your arrangements.”
Elizabeth breathed in relief and glanced at Darcy; his discomfort was still darkening his expression, but he attempted to speak lightly as he informed Mr Bennet about what they decided.
Mr Bennet interrupted him a few times in obvious good humour, declaring he had expected the news of their engagement since they shared those few short letters.
He then asked Darcy whether the invitation to Pemberley was still valid since he already secured Elizabeth’s hand and did not need to be polite any longer.