Chapter 6 #2
“You used to be a reasonable, level-headed young man—not unlike your father at your age—but my brother-in-law was far too practical a man to have ever entertained such notions of vagary with any degree of seriousness, nor would he have encouraged his only son in such a direction. No, sir! George Darcy knew what he was about, understood the seriousness of his obligations, and fulfilled his duty to his family and secured a successful future for himself with a woman with affluence and wealth.”
“As we established yesterday, sir, your opinions on matrimony and society’s estimation of a lady’s worth versus my own are very different,” said Darcy, attempting to tamp down his annoyance with the turn the conversation had taken. “I see no reason to pursue this argument.”
The countess stared blankly at him, but the earl glared.
Darcy affected not to notice. “As for my father, his decision to marry my mother was ultimately his own. It certainly could not be said their marriage came at the cost of any personal sacrifice to himself. He forfeited nothing of his own happiness when their union was formed. Not only did my father love my mother, but he held her in the highest esteem.”
“Perhaps,” the earl allowed, “but you cannot be so na?ve as to believe their marriage began as such.
That George Darcy thought himself in love when he was first introduced to my sister is ludicrous!
Her opinions meant nothing compared to her title and her fifty thousand pounds.
Your parents were both practical people who recognised and embraced the full potential of their union for what it was—a brilliant alliance of two ancient, respectable families, vast property, and extensive wealth.
“I will not pretend that your mother did not have other inducements at her disposal beyond those of our family’s material riches to entice your father—she was, after all, a handsome woman and greatly admired in her day.
But let there be no mistake about it—your father’s devotion to her came later, as did her affection for him—several years later, after she had done her duty and given birth to you.
I had thought your father, as fastidious as he was about upholding familial responsibility and honour, would have explained to you the reality of their union long ago.
I now see such a task must fall to me, as does the matter of reacquainting you with the way the land lies in this family. ”
“You can have nothing further to say—” Darcy began, but the earl held up a hand to silence him and forged onward in his usual forceful manner.
“Be silent until I have done! I am patriarch of this family and as such I cannot, nor will I ever, condone the flippant attitude with which you have chosen to address the urgent business of providing your estate with an heir! Your obligation to your father’s memory, your sworn duty in this life, and your top priority is to make an advantageous marriage and sire an heir to continue the legacy you have inherited, and the fulfilment of your duty is overdue! ”
Lord Carlisle slapped his hand heavily upon the table.
“I should not have to remind you that the manner which you choose to go about fulfilling your obligations will not only affect your future, but that of Pemberley and Georgiana as well. You are not some inexperienced young buck who has only recently reached his majority, but a seasoned lord and master of a great ancestral estate in possession of an income and various other holdings worth nearly fifteen thousand pounds per annum!”
“I am capable,” said Darcy in a clipped voice, “of finding my own wife in my own time.”
“Given the preposterous convictions you are currently courting, you will be a bachelor forever! By God, it is not healthy! A man needs a wife! A man needs heirs, plain and simple! It is the order of the world, and I expect you to rise to the occasion and do as you are bid to preserve your rightful place in it. You will choose a wife. You will marry. You will sire an heir, and you will do so before Georgiana makes her debut next year so that you can provide your sister with the proper guidance required to one day assume her own place among London’s elite! ”
Silence fell upon the room and Lord Carlisle turned his attention to his discarded muffin.
Through a red haze of fury and indignation, Darcy glared at him.
Earl or not, family patriarch or not, he had no right to lecture Darcy as though he was an adolescent schoolboy!
Darcy’s outrage was such that he did not trust himself to speak.
His uncle appeared none the wiser, but Lady Carlisle, who had been soberly sitting across the table, gave Darcy a staunch look of disapproval and clucked her tongue.
“I suggest you calm yourself, Nephew. What your uncle says is true. You may not believe so at this juncture, but one day you shall awaken from this daze of perpetual bachelorhood in want of something more substantial and satisfying. Then, and only then, will you appreciate all your uncle has said.”
She sniffed disdainfully and cast a narrowed glance at her husband.
“Of course, you will never find what you seek in one of your clubs, Darcy, and certainly not in the arms of some cheap courtesan! You must think of Georgiana and of Pemberley. You must think of yourself and of your respectability. With the appropriate woman as your wife, you will increase your wealth, property, and position in society. The woman a man chooses is responsible for the making of that man.”
In her words and her tone and her countenance, Darcy recognised the tension and resentfulness present in his aunt’s own union.
Though still furious with his uncle for his officiousness, Darcy soon felt that fury begin to dissipate.
Their marriage, like so many marriages among those of London’s bon ton, had not been forged from affection, but born of convenience.
How ironic that a match of convenience inevitably becomes an inconvenience without a true admiration and respect for one’s spouse.
Knowing there was nothing to be gained by pursuing a topic none of them would ever agree upon, Darcy swallowed his ire and reached for his coffee cup.
His relations and their antiquated opinions would be gone soon enough.
He could feign civility for another half an hour and think of pleasanter things in the meantime.
Across the table, Lord Carlisle appeared perfectly content to enjoy the rest of his repast in silence, despite the lingering hostility in the air. He claimed another muffin and took a hearty bite. A shower of crumbs landed on his waistcoat, and he absently brushed them away.
Lady Carlisle turned her nose up at him and rose from her chair with an abruptness that made both men turn their heads with a start.
“Your uncle and I have given you much to contemplate this morning,” she said stiffly, “but we must be going before the hour grows later. I have other calls to make. I will, of course, convey your deepest regret to Lady Harrow and Lady Eliza when I have the pleasure of seeing them this evening. They will be extremely disappointed to forfeit your society. They had their hearts set on your attendance, as did I, but I suppose that is of little consequence to you.”
Rather than reply with a sardonic retort, Darcy inclined his head. “I thank you, Lady Carlisle.”
“It is of little matter,” she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“Since you seem to be so busy running after your friends, however undeserving they are, I will host an intimate dinner with our own dear friends upon your return to town next month, before you travel to Pemberley. Do make sure you attend, Nephew. You are a member of this family and it would be most unseemly if you were to twice fail to make an appearance.” With that, the countess took her leave.
The earl tossed the remainder of his muffin onto his plate with an oath and glared at the back of his wife’s head.
Exhausted by their antics and eager to have them gone, Darcy rose from his chair to see her out, but his stubborn uncle remained seated and placed a firm hand upon Darcy’s arm to restrain him.
Lady Carlisle noticed not. She had already bustled out of the room with her nose in the air as the train on her gown trailed gracefully behind her.
“Despite your high-handedness,” said his lordship, “you are smart enough to know you cannot possibly entertain mixed company without a wife on hand. Georgiana can act as hostess for a time, but certainly cannot continue once she makes her own match. You will need a woman in your home, Darcy—one who understands the art of pleasing your guests, as well as the art of pleasing a man.”
The earl gave his nephew a crass, meaningful look impossible to misinterpret.
Darcy struggled to repress a fresh wave of disgust. “Georgiana is not out and is therefore unprepared to leave my protection. As for myself, let me make one thing perfectly clear—I shall never abide any woman, especially one I have no interest in, being foisted upon my notice or paraded before me as though she were a piece of horseflesh! I will choose my own wife in my own time and will brook no opposition to my choice or permit any attitude of disrespect towards her should the future Mrs Darcy fail to meet with the approval of any member of society, including those of this family.”
His uncle, however, merely smirked and waved him off with a bark of coarse laughter.
“Go to the country and sow your oats at your friend’s estate for a fortnight or two.
I daresay you will find a fair bit o’ muslin to keep you well enough occupied until your return.
But once you are back in London, I expect you to go out more, mix with society, and find some pretty, young heiress who strikes your fancy.
It need not be Eliza Harrow if you are truly set against her. I will handle your aunt.
“If you do not wish to be shackled to your cousin Anne, however, I suggest you get to it before Catherine mistakes your bachelorhood for confirmation that you plan to appease her. God help you, Darcy, if she does! Lord knows you will find no earthly pleasure in that quarter. What a prissy, sickly thing that girl is! I would rather gouge my eyes out with a spoon than dip my quill in that inkwell.”
Though he had never found Anne de Bourgh appealing, Darcy muttered a retort on behalf of her honour and walked briskly towards the front hall where he could see his aunt standing before a gilded looking glass adjusting her pelisse. Darcy’s butler attended her.
Before he could set foot in the hall, however, the earl took hold of his nephew’s arm once more and yanked him to a halt.
“You had better take care in that blasted country shire. Be discreet about your pursuits, whatever they are, or you will feel the full weight of my temper when you return. I will not abide your name being linked with a scandal!”
Darcy could not remember a time in his life when he had ever looked forward to travelling any distance in a carriage with Caroline Bingley, but come the following morning, he settled into the seat opposite her in his own conveyance gratefully.
The last week had tried his patience severely.
His uncle’s expectations were the least of his problems. The most worrisome was Elizabeth’s reception of him once he reached Hertfordshire.
Added to that was the presence of one Mr Ellis.
How that gentleman might affect Darcy’s plan to engage her heart was anyone’s guess.
Darcy found he was no more prepared to face a rival for Elizabeth on this day than he had been eight days prior, when he first learnt of the man’s cursed existence from Bingley.
As the well-sprung coach-and-four rocked and swayed over the bumpy London road, jostling its three occupants while the driver negotiated deep, frozen ruts, Darcy made a half-hearted attempt to attend to the conversation at hand.
If Bingley noticed his friend’s distraction, he did not remark upon it, and Miss Bingley, Darcy had long ago discovered, was often gratified to receive nothing from him beyond an occasional monosyllable.
They travelled until midday before stopping at an inn, where they broke their journey and spent a comfortable hour before a blazing fire partaking of a repast of cold meat and other such fare before setting out once more.
Shortly after their carriage turned back upon the main road, both Bingleys succumbed to the effects of the rich meal they had consumed and the idle state of travel.
Darcy watched their eyelids droop and their heads loll against the back of their seat and sighed with relief.
At last, he was left to his own devices and in blessed silence.
It was not long afterwards that the rhythmic swaying of the conveyance forced Darcy’s own eyelids to grow heavy. He laid aside the book he had been attempting to read, stretched his tall frame as best he could upon the seat, and arranged a thick rug on his lap. Soon, he was asleep.