Chapter 12 #2
Colonel Fitzwilliam resisted rolling his eyes by a narrow thread. “She is very thin, and possibly frail, but a large portion of Mrs. Jenkinson’s job is as Anne’s enforcer.”
“Enforcer? What the devil are you talking of? What exactly does she enforce?”
“Perhaps that is a bad choice of words. She is more of a minder than anything else. She monitors Anne, keeps her calm, and keeps her from hurting herself or others.”
Darcy ran a hand down his face. “Are you in earnest? You are not having one of your jokes?”
“The blood on your face will tell you how earnest I am, Darcy. I have known of her temperament for years.”
Darcy was incredulous. “Years? Why did you never say anything? How did you find out? Why was I not told?”
They had finally made it to the colonel’s room, and he called in his man to see to Darcy’s injury. “Don’t worry, Tiny has plenty of experience with this sort of thing.”
Tiny was the colonel’s batman, so called because of his enormous size. His name was one of many things about the army Darcy did not understand. The large man came immediately, assessed the injury, and was soon cleaning Darcy up and applying a plaster to his forehead.
“Talk,” said Darcy, staring darkly at his cousin. “Now.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam had the gall to look perfectly unruffled. “What is there to say? Anne’s temperament is uncertain, made worse by her harridan of a mother. Though I have never seen her lose her temper as badly as today.”
“How did you come to learn of it?”
“Father told me. He wished me to be on my guard when we visited.”
“Dare I ask how he learned of it? And did he not wish me to be on my guard as well?”
Colonel Fitzwilliam ignored his cousin’s pique. “It is possible he has always known—he is her uncle. But from what I have heard, when he visited a few years ago and told Lady Catherine that Anne ought to learn how to play the pianoforte, she bit him.”
“Bit him!?”
“Yes. I did not believe it myself until Father showed me the teeth marks. He left for London the day after it occurred, and I happened to be in residence in Town.”
“Good God. Why was I never told?”
Fitzwilliam shrugged. “Father may have thought you knew. Or perhaps he thought it would not matter to you.”
“Not matter?” roared Darcy. “How could it not matter? She just broke every item in that room because she heard something she did not like. How could such a woman ever be mistress of Pemberley?”
“Easily enough. She wouldn’t. Anne comes with Rosings—you could easily marry her and bring her companion to Pemberley to manage her, or leave her at Rosings with her mother, at least part of the year. Father assumed you would take a mistress and be married in name only. Plenty of people do it.”
“I need an heir!” Darcy cried, his disbelief mounting by the second. “A legitimate one!”
“Yes, I know you do, which is why I never would have let you actually marry her.”
Darcy looked at him shrewdly. “You knew she would do this. You did it on purpose so I would see what she is.”
Fitzwilliam shrugged. “Not entirely. But you did refuse to listen to me when I told you she was unstable.”
“You never said she would do that!” he cried, pointing angrily toward the room the mayhem had occurred in.
“I did not know she would do that! I thought she would scream and rail at you for a while. Besides, would you have believed me if I had said it was possible?”
Darcy was about to retort when he paused and thought of what the colonel had said. “I do not know. But I will certainly remember this for the future.”
“Cousin, I doubt anyone will forget what happened today.”
“Charlotte, may I speak with you?” Elizabeth asked as she approached her friend in the parlor.
Charlotte was darning socks and smiled briefly at her friend. “Of course.”
Elizabeth settled onto the small sofa across from her friend’s chair. Charlotte looked very domestic, sitting in front of the window with her darning, a simple morning gown of pale blue bringing out similar flecks in her soft grey eyes.
“I have always envied your eyes, you know,” she said absently.
“What?” Charlotte asked, disbelief in her voice. “Whatever are you talking of?”
“You know how my mother has always spoken. She went on and on about Jane’s blue eyes—as blue as the sky, as blue as a cornflower.” She sighed. “Kitty and Lydia also have blue eyes, and even Mary’s are a soft green.”
Charlotte tilted her head in understanding. “And yours are brown.”
“Like shoe leather, or a dog’s fur, or burned gravy,” quipped Elizabeth, only partially teasing.
“Like your grandmother’s,” said Charlotte stringently. “Old Mrs. Bennet was a wonderful lady. She was always very kind to me. She used to buy me sweets at the shop in Meryton.” She went back to her mending and added, “Besides, when has your mother’s opinion ever set you on your head like this?”
Elizabeth sighed again. “I know you are right—I’m afraid I am not myself of late.”
“I wonder what could be responsible for that?”
Elizabeth ignored her friend’s teasing. “You know, it is funny, but I have not thought of any of this in ages. But when I saw you there, looking so pretty and contented, I couldn’t help but remember.”
Charlotte flushed at her friend’s compliment. “Well, you should forget it as quickly. You are one of the prettiest girls in Hertfordshire, second only to Jane in Meryton, as you well know.”
“But we are in Kent,” she said, her usual teasing tone returned.
Charlotte shook her head and tsked at her friend. “What have you truly come to talk to me about?”
“You know me too well, my friend. Mr. Darcy told me that he is going to speak to Lady Catherine today. I am afraid she may make things rather uncomfortable for you here.”
Charlotte looked thoughtful. “Yes, I fear you may be correct.”
“Would you wish to accompany us to Town? There will be plenty of room in Mr. Darcy’s carriage, and you may be our chaperone instead of the maid.
You may stay on with me at the Gardiners’ if you wish or continue on to Meryton with Maria.
I’m certain Mr. Darcy would send you in the carriage if I asked him. ”
“Oh, he would, would he?”
Elizabeth flushed. “He is very generous.”
Charlotte pinched her lips to hold in her laugh. Oh, how Elizabeth’s tune had changed! “Perhaps I should. It is pleasant weather for traveling, and the more I think on it, the more I think Lady Catherine will be perfectly horrid when she hears of your engagement.”
“We are not engaged, Charlotte,” said Elizabeth gravely.
Charlotte waved off her concern. “It is only a formality at this point.”
Elizabeth sighed, knowing her friend could not be corrected, but also knowing that Charlotte would not bandy such statements about in public, making them harmless. “So shall you accompany us to London tomorrow?”
“I believe I shall. I must prepare.”
She immediately put away her darning and Elizabeth penned a note to her aunt and uncle, informing them of the change in plans. She must find a way to get it to Rosings so that Darcy could send it express for her. She was certain Mr. Collins would not go out of his way to assist her.
“Charlotte, could I find an express rider in the village?”
“Yourself?”
“Would it look too odd?”
Charlotte tilted her head thoughtfully. “Perhaps. I shall go into the village with you. That should not be so unusual.”
In less than an hour, the two of them had Charlotte’s trunk packed and had given instructions to the cook and maid.
Charlotte penned a note to her parents, and then they were off to the village.
An express rider was quickly secured at the inn and sent off to the Gardiners, and Charlotte’s letter was posted to Meryton.
They were on their way back from the village when Colonel Fitzwilliam came into sight on the lane.
“Good day, ladies. How do you do?”
“Very well, Colonel, thank you.”
“May I escort you back to the parsonage? If that is indeed your destination?”
“I should stop and call on Mrs. Clemson before I return, but you could escort Miss Bennet,” said Charlotte. She turned off at Mrs. Clemson’s house and Elizabeth fell into step with the colonel.
“Have you spoken to your cousin today, Colonel Fitzwilliam?” asked Elizabeth, eager to know if Darcy had spoken to Lady Catherine yet.
“Both of them, yes.” He gave her a significant look. “Darcy and I spoke to Anne not an hour past, and he is speaking with my aunt at the moment.”
“Is he?” She thought her voice sounded squeaky and nervous, but perhaps it was only her perception.
“Yes, I imagine it will be a short conversation, though not a forgettable one.”
She nodded, her eyes on her feet and thus missing his teasing expression.
“If I may be so bold, Miss Bennet, I believe my cousin has made a very good choice.”
Her eyes snapped up to his. “You do?”
“Of course. I said I would stand your brother if necessary, and I meant it. You will see no derision from the family while I am about.”
She pressed his arm. “Thank you, Colonel. That means a great deal to me.”
He nodded to her and they walked in silence for a few minutes before Elizabeth broke it, saying, “I do not know when you would ever need it, but I will stand your sister, should the need arise.”
A light sprung into his eyes and she wondered at it.
“I may take you up on that, Miss Bennet.”
She wondered what he meant, for she could tell from his expression he had something in mind. Thinking she would not get to the bottom of it this day, she said, “And when you do, you must call me Lizzy, as my sisters do.”
He smiled brightly. “I look forward to that day, Miss Bennet. And when it comes, you may call me Fitz, as my cousin does, or Richard, like my sister and brothers.”
“I will.” She promised. “Do you have many brothers? I know you mentioned an elder sister, but that is all I know.”
“Oh, yes, we Fitzwilliams are quite prolific,” he said with a grin, all traces of seriousness gone. “I am the fourth of five children.”
“Oh! I had not realized we had that in common.”
“Yes, one of many reasons we get on, I’m sure.”