Chapter 19
Elizabeth
“Ihave an idea,” Elizabeth said as she and William turned their steps back towards the manor house.
They had explored the forest, the cliff views, the further reaches of the garden she had walked through earlier that day, and they now strode across the treeless grassland where several cows, a handful of horses, and many sheep and goats grazed.
They could easily see, in this location, that there was nobody near enough to overhear them.
William was likely still thinking about their…encounter half an hour ago, when they had enacted one of his many dreams, because he sent a rather wolfish smile her way and asked, “And will I like this idea?”
She hated to bring him down, but she could not talk openly about her idea once they were back at the manor. “I am serious when I say that you may like it, but you probably will not.”
“Oh.” He looked sidelong at her and asked, “Does this idea have something to do with my irascible aunt?”
“Yes. I was thinking that she might try to begin a rumour that I was not a virgin on our wedding night. We assumed maybe she was considering something like that after inspecting the bedsheets.”
“Yes, we thought that that might be her goal. Although it does seem to me that she used to be motivated to use information about the family within the family, in order to manipulate others to do what she wishes them to do—but she always desired society to think well of the family, so she would always try to squelch rumours rather than start them.”
“Oh, I see. That makes sense.”
“Except, now—” William said, “now we are speaking of me, the person she had wished would marry her own daughter, and this will feel much more important than most topics, and she may be angrier about her plans being impossible now, because Anne might be seen by society as a spinster. Lady Catherine may very well wish to harm our reputations even though it would likely hurt everyone in the family, including Anne.”
Elizabeth considered the fact that they would not know what Lady Catherine wished to do until she did it, and then it would likely be too late to manage the problem.
“So, what is your idea?” William asked.
“I was thinking it might be wise for Cordelia and I to stage a little discussion about the wedding night. We could somehow ensure that the chattiest servant was nearby, and I could talk really generally, the usual woman-to-woman information, but then I could laugh lightly and say that, unlike most couples, not only was I a virgin, but you were as well. I could say something like we were in one of those blind-leading-the-blind situations, which could have resulted in a certain amount of hilarity but which, happily, turned out to be very agreeable.”
She watched his face, and he did clench his jaw as she began to explain her idea.
But he listened to the entire idea and then thought about it for the better part of a minute before he responded, “If you keep everything else general…I suppose it might be the kind of story that would likely catch on, be believed, and make anyone claiming something else to meet disbelief.”
“Should I add something about both of us being surprised by the amount of maiden’s blood? That is a real detail, and it could be useful to Cordelia, as well.”
This time he winced, but he ended up chuckling and said, “Why not? Just please do not speak of the gazebo today, the beach last night, the bathtub in London, the specifics of positions or body parts. And do not, under any circumstances, utter the number eighteen.”
“Eighteen?”
He grinned while shaking his head; the confusing expression was made more puzzling by his blush. He murmured, “Richard’s assessment as we dealt with my aunt’s supposed ‘evidence.’”
“Ohhhh.” Elizabeth laughed.
“When do you plan to have this little chat?”
She said, “Tomorrow morning will do. By the way, you and I agreed that we were going to consult with Richard about Anne’s health and her inheritance and her reputation, and then possibly write letters to Anne and the earl.
You might wish to have that talk with Richard, locked into the thick-walled study, while I have the talk with Cordelia somewhere spying ears can pry.
“Actually, I had already asked Richard to a private tête-à-tête tomorrow morning, and I had planned to talk about those topics. But right here, right now….”
“Yes, we very much should hurry back and make ourselves ready for the ball.”
The ball was held at a private residence, at the Craufords’ manor house just outside of Helston.
Elizabeth expected it to be much smaller than it was; the Rogers family brought a dozen houseguests, the Arundells family were accompanied by a half dozen more.
Mr Grylls brought his wife and eighteen-year-old daughter, who was just recently out in society Other families who were considered gentry were in attendance as well; Elizabeth considered that there were between fifty and sixty people at the ball.
As she always did, Elizabeth adored dancing with her William. The problem was that they both tended to become so caught up in each other, that everyone else ceased to exist. But in the second dance of the night, Elizabeth stood up for the first time with Richard.
The dance was surprisingly pleasant.
Even though it seemed a long time ago, Elizabeth had first met Richard only six months prior.
A month later, Richard had declared that he was in love with her—even though she was in a courtship with William at that point.
She and Darcy had both been angry with him, but he had apologised quickly and had been forgiven.
Forgiven but…. Elizabeth had told Richard flatly, “Do not go to the ball tonight,” back then, because she had not wished to dance with him but also had not wished to foment gossip because they did not dance.
Now, months later, Elizabeth was married to William, and Richard was engaged to Cordelia, and Elizabeth and Richard danced and talked easily while, nearby, William and Cordelia danced together. They were all grateful that things had worked out so well.
Of course, Elizabeth was not known at all to the people of Cornwall, and William was known only a little. They had both expected that most people would be far more interested in getting to know Richard, who was, after all, the new owner of Oakhaven, a significant estate in the area.
People were quite cordial to him and his intended. However, there was far more interest in the Darcys.
Some fluttered around, angling for an introduction or seeking a moment to talk to one or both of them, apparently interested because William was such a significant landowner, and he had married a much less consequential lady.
Some—mostly ladies—seemed determined to talk to Elizabeth about her wedding, and she assumed it was because of the article in L’élégante Assemblée.
Others—mostly men—wished to share their own ideas on the O.P. Riots with William.
It was a bit embarrassing to be so central to the ball, but Elizabeth was able to dance three times with William (being newlywed apparently gained them some latitude on the usual custom) and most of the other dances with a variety of pleasant enough men.
William, on the other hand, was so coveted as a conversational partner, Elizabeth was fairly certain that most people would not even notice that he had only danced with the women in his party.
It took nearly an hour to travel back to Oakhaven, and Elizabeth could tell that William felt slightly nervous—she supposed he worried that his aunt would have set fire to the manor house or something else equally dramatic.
Elizabeth did not think that Lady Catherine was truly mad.
Angry, yes; but not mad. And she had a plan for dealing with her husband’s most difficult relation.
First, she would have the planned discussion with Cordelia.
And then she would attempt the most audacious act of all: she would try to make friends with Lady Catherine.
After all, the lady was Uncle Henry’s sister.
William and Richard’s aunt.
Anne’s mother. (She did not know Anne, but William said she was neither hale nor hearty, but she had a good heart.)
Lady Catherine, too, must have something of a good heart somewhere in there, as well.
She hoped.