Chapter Eleven
Darcy awoke full of pleasant recollections from the previous evening, though he had not long to savor these ruminations. He had only just sat down to breakfast with Richard and Georgiana, who agreed that he ought to call on Elizabeth at Trafalgar House, when he received a summons from Lady Catherine.
Darcy asked the messenger who delivered the missive to return to Lady Catherine with his acceptance; he would take tea with his aunt in an hour at the hotel. His cousin and sister stared at him in horror until after the messenger had left the house.
“Are you out of your senses, to be subjecting yourself to one of the old dragon’s tantrums?” Richard crossed his arms in front of his chest and grimaced at Darcy.
Georgiana opened her mouth and then paused and chewed her lip as she considered her words. “If Anne knows her mother has invited you, she may choose to absent herself.”
“If I wished to force my company on Anne, I would do so. Given her behavior in company, I have no wish to see more of her until she has been made to see reason – until she sees that depraved charlatan for what he is. Our aunt is a shrewd woman and has more experience in society that the three of us combined. I would like to hear what she has to say – as a relation, I believe I owe her that.”
Darcy knew he sounded dreadfully stodgy, the essence of what Anne had come to despise when presented with a more carefree suitor. But he was not sorry for his principles; he wanted only for her to learn to appreciate his steadiness over the flippant flashiness of Sir Sidney Parker.
He would not be dissuaded, and he knocked on the door of his aunt’s suite at the appointed hour. He was shown into the spacious parlor that connected the two bedrooms. Tea was laid out and sunshine poured in through the windows that overlooked the ocean, but Lady Catherine’s presence seemed to suck all the light from the room.
“Sit.” She made a cold gesture toward the chair across from her, and he did so with steely reserve. “I trust you know why you are here, Fitzwilliam.”
“To take tea. Will Anne be joining us?”
“I am not to be trifled with! Anne is the subject of this discussion, and it would not be proper for such an event to take place in her presence.”
Darcy’s lips curled into a mirthless smile. “Shall I surmise that she has gone off with Sir Sidney, despite your evident disapproval of their relationship?”
Lady Catherine’s confident posture deflated somewhat. After a minute of silently studying his aunt, Darcy no longer saw the formidable dictator who had frightened him all his life. He saw a woman who was tired of fighting with her only child when their futures were at stake.
“She will not listen to me, now that she is so close to reaching her majority. A quarter of a century of my efforts, dashed to ruins! She has been my life’s work, a spoilt child with no accomplishments who is so eager to escape my guidance that she will throw herself into the power of a seducer who flatters her vanity.”
“You know that I do not want that any more than you do.”
“Nobody could possibly desire it less than myself! Think of my situation!” Lady Catherine huffed her fearful displeasure, then narrowed her eyes at him. “I fear you, too, have fallen prey to a fortune hunter.”
“I was raised, like Anne, to be wary of such schemers. The difference is that I bear my parents no resentment to spurn me into foolish rebellion.”
“Do not tell me you are above foolishness when I saw how you carried on with that strumpet at dinner last night! There are rumors that you are actually courting her! Have you forsaken Anne entirely? Have you resigned yourself to her downfall? I have not, and I shall not! You are not released from your engagement to my daughter!”
“She released me from it, but I have not abandoned her, Aunt. I understand your apprehension, but I have jeopardized my own dignity by pursuing Anne to Sanditon to detach her from that libertine.” Darcy gave her a quelling glare. “And I will not tolerate any abuse of Miss Bennet. She is a gentleman’s daughter and a respected relation of one of the pillars of this community. Furthermore, she has willingly consented to feign an attachment between us to further my aim of regaining Anne’s affections.”
Lady Catherine recoiled, either out of surprise at his tone or at what he had revealed. She stood and began to pace near the table, and Darcy, comfortable in the ensuing silence, began to avail himself of the refreshments.
She spent several minutes lost in her own contemplation, her face betraying suspicion, calculation, and perhaps a little relief. “It is a ruse, then? You intend to inspire Anne’s jealous impulses?”
“Yes.”
“And you say Miss Bennet agreed to this? Well, that is mightily convenient. Do not be drawn in by her arts and allurements, Fitzwilliam! She must see this as an opportunity to draw you in and engage your honor.”
“Forgive me for contradicting you, Aunt, but you are entirely mistaken. Miss Bennet has repeatedly dismissed the overtures of Sir Anthony Denham, a titled man of good fortune, and even put paid to Sir Sidney’s attempt to flirt with her last evening. She does not want for opportunities , as you say.”
“Oh, that cad! Did he really flirt with Miss Bennet, and in the presence of my daughter? It is bad enough that he has ensnared her, and even refused my offer to compensate him for withdrawing his affections, but this betrayal is not to be borne! He might make a fool of himself as often as he chooses, but he shall not make a fool of Anne!”
Darcy blinked, not surprised that his aunt had resorted to bribery, but shocked that Sir Sidney had not accepted. “I am dismayed as you are, Aunt. Do not think I am unaffected by Anne choosing such a man over me.”
He ought not have hoped for any sympathy, for Lady Catherine only glared at him. “What did you do, to lose her affection?”
“Given the timing of her dismissal, I might suggest it had something to do with Pemberley burning. However, I have come to understand that her acquaintance with Sir Sidney began last October, when you were attempting to catch my cousin the earl for Anne. You would have thrown me over yourself if you could have secured a better match.”
“And as family, it would have been your duty to allow her that opportunity and rejoice in the noble connection!”
Darcy scoffed. “Do my affections mean nothing to you? You think I should be a dutiful and loving fiancé to Anne – if nothing better turns up for her. And if she is seduced by a lesser man, I must put my pride aside and resort to paltry deception to woo her back!”
“You are certainly doing a fine job of it, though the deception is so distasteful to you. Do not think I did not observe your behavior with that hoyden last night! It was a scandalous disgrace!”
“You will not speak of Lizzy like that!” Darcy bellowed and then caught himself. His use of Elizabeth’s name had not escaped his aunt’s notice.
“I see. Perhaps you believe you can have them both? That after your little ploy has brought Anne back to you, you may take the chit as your mistress? I will not allow it.”
“Nor would I! But what appalls me the most, beyond your egregious language, is that we want the same thing and yet we are quarreling. What can you expect to accomplish?”
Lady Catherine squared her shoulders. “I expect your absolute capitulation to the agreement we made. I will keep your sister’s secret, and you will ensure that Anne and I are both well provided for, for the rest of our days.”
“And if a dandy-brained duke danced into Sanditon tomorrow and paid court to your daughter, I suppose I would be of no further use to you.”
“I will not deny that it would certainly be appealing. I wish to spend the remainder of my days at Rosings, where I have been mistress for nearly thirty years. It is perfectly natural that I should expect such an arrangement when my daughter marries and presides over her husband’s estate. If he has no estate for her to preside over, then he shall assume control of Rosings and I shall endure an untenable existence in the dower house – unless Anne’s husband is a gentleman I can trust to treat me with the deference my rank deserves.”
Darcy’s mouth actually fell open. He should not have been astonished at her frankly stated avarice, but somehow, he was. “I have come to love her, Aunt. Do you not want that for her, in addition to your concerns of security?”
Lady Catherine shrugged. “Not especially.”
“All the letters she and I exchanged, bearing ourselves to one another – all this means nothing to you?”
“I had understood that you initiated the correspondence to quell your own apprehensions about the match.”
This was the truth, or it had been initially, but real love had blossomed where Darcy had least expected it, and his aunt only sneered at it. The silence grew uncomfortable, and Darcy finally stood and made ready to depart. “I suppose there is nothing further to be said.”
She reached for his arm. “Come now, Fitzwilliam; you quibble over hypothetical nonsense. There is no duke, and even your cousin Rupert is not a possibility. There is only you, or that drunken wastrel who will bankrupt Rosings within a year, and she will cheer him on in his debauchery. If you love her, why stand on your principles with me?”
Darcy made no reply, though he resumed his seat at the table. Realization alighted on him that he had already compromised his principles by engaging in the false courtship with Elizabeth. “Perhaps it is best to just have it out with her at once. I will speak with Anne, make my case and remind her of my enduring regard and my hopes for our future. It is all I can do.”
She swatted at him. “Pish, what is this? All you can do? Beg? And then accept her choice? That is not all you can do – you must keep doing what you did last night, if you are not serious about the… young woman.”
Darcy smiled as his aunt held back the barb she clearly wished to deliver about Elizabeth. “Perhaps I will arouse her jealousy, but it shall prolong my suffering and allow Sir Sidney more time to hold her in his thrall. Such falsehood is against my nature.”
“You carried it off well enough last night, despite it being against your nature! And I saw it all, you gave a performance worthy of the stage, for I was so convinced that I nearly beat you for it in the drawing room.”
Darcy smiled, his aunt’s words reminding him of the stepsister Elizabeth had affectionately described as fit for the stage. It had been utterly charming to hear her speak so well of so many people. He had only two relations worth her hearing of, and they were amongst the only other people he knew who had so much good to say of anything at all. He had only them, and Bingley.
He was a man of the world, yet his world had grown small and desolate. Elizabeth had taken her fate into her own hands, transforming from an insignificant country miss he had snubbed at a dance, into a celebrated public figure in this luxurious seaside community. The idea that she would give all that up to set her cap at a gentleman with a distant estate and a manor in ruins, who had spent two months living in a cottage less remarkable than the one that had been her own benighted uncle’s cast-off – it was laughable.
Darcy frowned at having wounded his own sensibilities, and then realized his aunt was speaking. “She did observe you a great deal and made no attempts to conceal her feelings. And I could see her annoyance with Sir Sidney, too. Clearly it has not been vexing enough to put her off of him, for they have gone out riding together this morning, along with her sycophantic companion and his dreadful sisters as chaperones – as if they would prevent him from importuning such a wealthy heiress! But mark my words, she will sour on him, the more she sees you with Miss Bennet and recognizes her jealousy for what it is.”
“So, you would have me continue? I should inform you that Miss Bennet has consented to this arrangement only for a fortnight. I must woo Anne back before then.”
It was satisfying to see Lady Catherine momentarily surprised. When she recovered, she simply said, “Then you had better get on with it.”
***
Darcy called at Trafalgar House only to be told by Lady Parker that Elizabeth was resting. “She slept poorly last night, else I would offer to wake her.”
“I hope that the pain is not too great for her.”
Lady Parker observed him curiously, and then shook her head. “So do I – that is, I believe her ankle is doing a little better than yesterday. I only wish her to be well rested, for she insists upon returning home tomorrow. I believe she fears for her supply of medicine.”
The lady gave him a knowing look, and Darcy chuckled. “She told you?”
“She promised Sidney that you would say nothing, but she made no such vow for herself.” Lady Parker’s eyes twinkled with the same mirth that Darcy had felt at the wording of Elizabeth’s promise to Sir Sidney the night before.
“Please tell her that I called – that I will call tomorrow at her uncle’s.”
“Certainly. And I hope we shall see you tomorrow evening at the Saturday Supper Club.”
He had forgotten, but nodded his assent and took his leave. The rest of the day passed rather slowly. His cousin and sister were pleasant enough company, once they had agreed not to speak of Anne or Lady Catherine. They read together, walked along the beach, had a fine dinner, and delighted in Georgiana’s playing at the pianoforte before retiring for the night. And yet, a feeling of listlessness lingered until he found solace in sleep.
The next day, Darcy called at Elizabeth’s home, only to be told by Sir Edward that she had not yet returned. “Saturdays are terribly busy, and my Lizzy cannot sit still when there is so much to be done. I should be so occupied in preventing her from over-exerting herself that I would get none of my own work done! She will come home in time to dress for dinner, once everything has been seen to here.”
“I shall look forward to seeing her this evening, then, Sir Edward.” Darcy bowed, but Sir Edward gestured to stay him.
“Not so fast, young man! You have called on my niece before, have sent her flowers and – I suspect – purchased her the gift of new books. You have made a public spectacle of carrying her in your arms through the rain. And I have observed the pair of you in company more than once. Now, I imagine a gentleman of honor might have something to say to a lady’s guardian about such marked attentions.”
Darcy recalled Elizabeth saying that she wished to be the first to speak to her uncle of their arrangement, though now he wondered if it had only been a means of putting off Sir Anthony by mentioning the courtship. He would have happily respected her request, but he could not remain silent in the face of her uncle’s challenge.
“May I speak candidly with you, sir?”
“I think you ought to. Come and sit down, I have no intention of toying with you as her father would.”
Darcy followed Sir Edward through the warm, sunny drawing room, to the small but elegant study. They sat down across from one another at the desk, and Sir Edward poured them each a measure of brandy. “Well now, you say you wish to speak candidly, which in my experience never precedes something as simple as I would like.”
“That is a fair assessment.”
Sir Edward sipped at his drink. “Am I going to like what you have to say to me?”
“Your niece is of age, is she not?”
Sir Edward let a heavy silence drag on before saying, “She is.”
“I understand she is also quite the mistress of herself, that she enjoys relative freedom in her pursuits.”
“She does. I must tell you, Mr. Darcy, that I hope you will arrive at your candor sometime soon.”
“Very well. I came to Sanditon on the heels of heartbreak. My cousin, a guest of this hotel, Miss Anne de Bourgh, recently severed our engagement in order to receive the unseemly attentions of your colleague Sir Sidney Parker. I arrived at your hotel intent on winning her back. Your niece took pity on me, hence we were offered the rental of your excellent cottage, for which you both have my tremendous gratitude.”
Sir Edward smiled and encouraged Darcy to go on.
“My sister has struck up a friendship with your niece, which I hope will be an enduring one. Upon observing that Anne misconstrued my appreciation of Miss Bennet’s kindness as something more, my cousin the colonel proposed a scheme that I initially dismissed as devious and misguided. However, when visiting Trafalgar House, he seized the chance to declare that Miss Bennet and I are courting, in order to arouse Anne’s jealousy, at which he has succeeded. It is worth mentioning that I believe Richard also understood this would discourage the unwanted overtures of Sir Anthony Denham toward your niece.”
“I am aware of his interest, and that it is not returned,” Sir Edward said carefully. “His motives evade me, but I do not trust him – indeed, I do not trust him not to turn this into a precarious situation for my niece. Has she actually consented to this scheme? Ah, but of course she must think it a lark.”
“That is what she expressed to me on both occasions when I assured her that I had no expectations of her agreement.”
“I see – so she persuaded you, and not the other way around?”
“Well, actually, yes.” Darcy chuckled a bit as he considered this. What a curious creature Elizabeth Bennet was!
“I can easily believe that! My Lizzy has a mischievous streak in her, and I fear I have not done enough to discourage that dolt who is so determined to chase her.”
“If I may speak plainly, do not assume my displays of courtship will sufficiently deter him, and this ruse is only temporary. Miss Bennet has consented to this charade for but a fortnight, by which time I fervently hope that Anne will have realized that I am a better man than Sir Sidney.”
“You expect her to think the man who pursues another to be superior to the one that flatters and indulges her?” Sir Edward chuckled and shook his head. “Well, when I say it like that, it does sound like what a lady might do!”
“To put it tactfully, I hope that her jealousy might cause her to examine her own heart and find that it still belongs to me, and that she has only been temporarily overwhelmed by the novelty of superficial flattery.”
“Tactful indeed! Well, I see. And what of my Lizzy, what of her reputation once you are reunited with your faithful lady, eh?”
Darcy was chagrined that he had not considered this as he ought to have. “I will certainly do her the honor of allowing her to cry off the courtship, so that she is not damaged by it. As she herself said, once I leave Sanditon with Anne, I shall be forgotten here.”
“Oho! She said that to you, did she? Well, I must give her some credit – she knows what she is about.”
Darcy began to relax a little. He liked Sir Edward. In their previous meetings there had been an air of insurmountable melancholy about the man, but when he spoke of Elizabeth, he seemed to come to life. Apparently she had that effect on people.
“Should anything untoward – unexpected – occur, I am a gentleman of honor and I would not allow your niece to suffer any lasting speculation.” Darcy had surprised himself as much as Sir Edward with this speech. He nodded to emphasize what he had said. “I will not allow this to end in disaster for her, when she has been kindness itself to me, and a true friend to my sister.”
Sir Edward refilled his glass and gestured for Darcy to partake of his own brandy. “I am satisfied, Mr. Darcy, though I must inquire if you are quite certain you prefer the one who fawns over an idiot in public?”
Darcy’s stomach lurched at the cutting question. “Anne was brought up with little exposure to society, to the evils of those who would prey upon the combination of wealth and naivety. I believe the fault lies not with her but with her mother, who has not given her the experience that might have equipped her to make such a judgment in the face of practiced charm. Furthermore, my aunt does greater damage to the situation by extolling her disapproval of Sir Sidney, which has increased his appeal as a form of rebellion after such severe restraint.”
“That is an astute assessment, if perhaps a bit too generous. But then, I was rather a dolt when I was courting my late wife, and it was fortunate for me that she was of a forgiving disposition.” Sir Edward leaned back in his leather armchair, offering Darcy a wistful smile. “I say, as you are a captive audience and desirous of my good option, let us speak of Derbyshire, sir. It is a topic I am immensely fond of….”
Darcy remained for another half hour, and by the end of his visit was rather convinced that he and Sir Edward were nearly friends.