Chapter 6 #2
“I am sorry. I thought I heard you say you were to be married. But that is not possible. I must have misunderstood. Or…are you trying to mock me, Darcy?”
“Not at all, I assure you.”
“What do you mean, married? And in a week? Have you finally proposed to Anne?”
“Dear Lord, no.”
“Then whom do you intend to marry? I was not aware that you knew a woman well enough to consider even courtship. But marriage? Is it a matter of a ruined reputation? Are you being forced to marry? Not Caroline Bingley?”
“No, no, and good God, no! In fact, I had to insist quite heavily before my proposal was accepted. I am engaged to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Gardiner’s niece — well, the daughter of one of his cousins — from Hertfordshire.”
The colonel lifted his glass again and emptied it in one gulp.
“Darcy, we dined together just four days ago, and you mentioned nothing of the kind. When did you meet this Miss Bennet? When did you court her? When did you propose?”
“Patience, Richard, I shall tell you all.” Darcy settled into his chair again, crossing one ankle over the other.
“Miss Bennet is a respectable, charming, and intelligent young woman. Her father is a gentleman, the owner of a modest estate in Hertfordshire. Her mother died when she was an infant, and her father remarried. From her mother — who was from a wealthy family — Miss Bennet inherited a generous fortune of forty thousand pounds.”
“Really? Forty thousand pounds? May I ask what family?”
“She was the only daughter of Mr Sharp. Her father used the money he inherited from his own father and uncle’s family business to establish himself as gentry.
Not unlike the situation of Bingley, if you like.
Mr Sharp bought an estate in Oxfordshire and married the daughter of a neighbouring gentleman.
An old and respectable landed family, slightly impoverished.
When Miss Amelia Sharp married Mr Bennet from Hertfordshire, she came with a large fortune.
A very well-conceived settlement passed almost the whole of her mother’s portion onto Miss Bennet upon the premature death of Mrs Bennet.
Mr Gardiner is the son of one of her mother’s second cousins on her paternal line, and Miss Bennet considers him her uncle.
There are no other members of the family that I am aware of. ”
After a small pause to allow Richard to comprehend all the information, and upon his cousin’s sign to continue, Darcy put down his glass from which he had taken only a sip.
“I was introduced to Miss Bennet while she was visiting the Gardiners, and it did not take me long to know I wished to marry her — and I proposed. I did not mention it to you earlier because I was not certain she would accept.”
As he spoke, Darcy avoided his cousin’s unwavering gaze. He felt bad enough that he had concealed so many things from the colonel lately, but lying to his face was a despicable act, and Darcy lowered his head in an attempt to hide his mortification.
“If no reputations have been compromised, why would you marry in such haste? Why this urgency and secrecy?”
“Both Miss Bennet and I prefer a discreet wedding. She is not on the best terms with her stepmother, and I am surely not on the best terms with anyone at present. We thought it would be prudent to marry quietly and make the announcements afterwards.”
“I see… Then…will you tell my parents and my brother? Or Bingley?”
“Do you think I could tell your parents and rely on their discretion? I would not want Lady Catherine to find out and expose Miss Bennet to a scandal before the wedding.”
“My parents will surely raise many objections and will certainly disapprove of your hasty wedding, but I believe they can be trusted if you require it. Whether you tell them or not is your choice. I thank you for telling me, though I am still in shock.”
“I imagine. Now let us go to dinner. You said you were starved.”
“My appetite is gone, thank you, but I shall force myself to eat something while I ask you a hundred questions. You cannot expect your tale to satisfy my curiosity, not in the slightest. You must tell me everything, and I insist on meeting this Miss Bennet as soon as possible. When do you plan to visit her again?”
“I am not sure. Perhaps the day after tomorrow.”
The colonel nodded thoughtfully. “And where will you marry?”
“We shall be wed in our church.”
“Our church? You mean the one my parents usually attend? The Grosvenor Chapel? On Audley Street?”
“Yes, there is no other. But I thought your parents go mostly to St George’s and only occasionally to the Chapel? I hope all will go smoothly. Neither Miss Bennet nor I need more distress or more drama.”
“I imagine as much. Does she know about Georgiana and Wickham?”
“Only that my young sister married too young, to a man I do not approve of.”
“It might be a reasonable explanation for a betrothed, but it will surely be too little for a wife. If a scandal arises, it will hurt her too.”
“I am aware of that. And yet, there is nothing more I can tell her since I am not certain how things will progress. We should be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.”
“Wise words but unrealistic. So, speaking of Miss Bennet, I shall absolutely accompany you when you next visit her.”
“Very well, I have no objections.”
“Will you tell Bingley about your forthcoming wedding? Dear Lord, Caroline Bingley and Lady Catherine will be enraged. Both had claims upon your person. There are few things more dangerous than a furious, disappointed woman, and you will have to deal with at least two.”
“The only one I am concerned about is Anne — but not because I am marrying another. She has long known I shall never offer for her and we shall never marry. But make no mistake, Lady Catherine and Caroline Bingley have no claim on me, and their feelings matter too little even to consider them. Now let us eat! My appetite has just increased, Richard.”