Chapter Fifteen
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MR. DARCY WAS tying his cravat as he stepped into the kitchen where Colonel Fitzwilliam, only in his shirt and trousers, not even a waistcoat, was speaking to Mr. Givens.
Mr. Givens was white-faced and silent, shaking his head as the colonel continued to speak.
“…understandably concerned, and I would not blame you for such a thing, but we are quite eager to preserve discretion about this matter.”
Mr. Givens looked up at Mr. Darcy.
“Mr. Givens,” said Mr. Darcy. “It is the middle of the night. Perhaps we should talk of this in the morning?”
Mr. Givens licked his lips. “Seeing as it’s not rightly any of my concern, sir, perhaps we need not talk of it at all.”
Mr. Darcy blinked. What to say to that. “Well, it is not your concern, I suppose, but you do work in this house, and I know you have a pride and sense of righteousness in your work. You would be concerned about who it is you are serving, and if there were any feelings now that you were having, we could discuss that in the morning. We know your salary is paid by the owner of this house, but we would be quite willing to add something to it ourselves for your trouble and for any emotional upset that might have been caused.”
“Bribing me to be silent, then, sir?” Mr. Given’s eyebrows shot up.
“No, not at all,” said Mr. Darcy, feeling off balance. He glanced at Richard, who shook his head at him.
“You are both quite eager to throw about coin,” said Mr. Givens, looking back and forth between them. “It must be so easy for men like you to do so.”
“It’s not as it looks,” said Mr. Darcy.
“You know, I don’t know that I wish to quite contemplate that,” said Mr. Givens, his nostrils flaring.
“My wife, Mrs. Darcy, she has never conceived a child,” said Mr. Darcy. “We simply thought perhaps I was the problem and that perhaps if… Colonel Fitzwilliam assisted, it might…” He could not quite end the sentence.
“It seems to me, sir,” said Mr. Givens, “that in such a case, an insemination could be done, could it not? It is done all the time with animals. There is no reason to…” He looked at them, his gaze settling on the colonel’s shirtsleeves. “And why all three of you were in there together, I certainly couldn’t say.”
“An insemination,” said Darcy softly. “Quite. Yes, that seems…” He cleared his throat. “Odd that we never even discussed that, isn’t it, Richard?”
The colonel didn’t answer, simply shaking his head yet again.
Mr. Givens shook his head. “I can’t claim to understand, you know, but I do sympathize, I must say. We all know that sin is a glittering temptation, and that we must struggle mightily to resist it. Each of us, sirs, falls short from time to time. This…” He looked back and forth at them. “Well, this is quite a falling, of course, but I know that for men such as yourselves, with all that money and with living in the cities, which everyone knows are simply dens of iniquity, that, well…” Mr. Givens folded his arms over his chest. “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, hmm? So, I shall say nothing, then. I shall say nothing, nothing at all. And I don’t wish your money, and I don’t wish to be bribed. No, sirs, I think I have discovered you in order to share with you that you must confess your sins rightly to God himself, and to get yourselves back on the straight and narrow.” He shook his head.
Mr. Darcy considered. Well, this was good then, actually, quite good. “Perhaps you’re right, Mr. Givens. Perhaps we have simply been sinking in our sin, deeper and deeper. And perhaps you discovered us just in time. Yes, indeed, we shall go directly to God and mend our ways. Shall we not, Fitzwilliam?”
The colonel smiled wanly. “Indeed, yes, we shall, Fitzwilliam.”
Mr. Givens furrowed his brow.
“Oh,” said Darcy. “My first name is Fitzwilliam. His last name is Fitzwilliam. It’s…” He cleared this throat. “Never mind. I wish to say that we are ever so grateful to you, Mr. Givens, not because of your silence, but because you have shown us the path to righteousness, just when we needed it.”
Mr. Givens eyed him.
Did he sound sarcastic? Rein that in, Will.
“You should go,” said Mr. Givens. “You should not remain near each other. Two men together like that, it’s not only unnatural, it’s deeply wrong. Why, God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of this sort of sin. You two are badly, badly into the worst kinds of vice, I think.”
“Indeed,” said Darcy. “So, we shall leave, then. On the morrow.”
“Yes,” said Mr. Givens. “If you do, I shall be steadfast to keep my word and tell no one. For if my sister hears one inkling of this, she would…”
“What?” said the colonel.
“Oh, my sister, she’s a bit chatty,” said Mr. Givens with a shrug. “Not only that, she has a number of friends across the whole country with whom she exchanges letters. She tells them positively everything.”
“Well, then,” said Mr. Darcy. “Perhaps we should wake Lizzy and simply leave now.”
“She’s having her bleeding,” said the colonel.
“Oh, Lord above, what is wrong with the both of you?” said Mr. Givens in horror.
They both glared at him.
“It’s only blood,” said the colonel.
“He’s not married,” said Mr. Darcy. “Ask any married man, Mr. Givens, how much he cares about such things.”
“God cares,” said Mr. Givens.
“Does he, though?” said Darcy. Really, Will, shut your mouth.
“It’s unclean!” protested Mr. Givens.
“What is?” came another voice.
They all turned to see Mrs. Bittleby coming into the kitchen.
Damnation, thought Darcy.
Mrs. Bittleby looked them all over. “Why, it’s past three in the morning. Why are we all up? Why isn’t he dressed?” She nodded at the colonel’s shirtsleeves.
No one said anything.
Mrs. Bittleby put her hands on her hips. “Something’s happened, and someone best be telling me what it is.”
“Emilia,” said Mr. Givens, “perhaps we might...” He cleared his throat. “The gentlemen think they’re going to make themselves ready and leave us, don’t they.” He shot Darcy a look.
“Oh, yes,” said Mr. Darcy. “We are, even now, preparing to go.”
“Why?” said Mrs. Bittleby. “Why on earth would they do such a thing?”
No one said anything.
“If you think to keep things from me, you’d best know that you cannot,” said Mrs. Bittleby to her brother.
Mr. Givens sighed. “No, that’s the truth. Sorry, both of you, but perhaps it’s for the best. You know what the bible says, do you not? ‘Be sure your sin will find you out.’”
Darcy sighed heavily.
“They are both lying with her,” said Mr. Givens. “I caught them all together, undressed, in one bed.”
Mrs. Bittleby’s eyes widened.
“And don’t you think to bribe her,” said Mr. Givens. “Emilia, tell them you will not take any money from them, that you will not hide this for them. They think to get away with their grievous, unnatural behavior, and we must not be thorns in their path to redemption.”
“Both,” said Mrs. Bittleby, looking at the colonel and then at Mr. Darcy. “Truly?”
“Emilia,” said Mr. Givens.
“Oh, yes, that’s horrible,” said Mrs. Bittleby. “Poor Mrs. Darcy. And during her bleeding to boot. Just horrible.” She giggled.
“Emilia!” said Mr. Givens.
“She’s an unfortunate woman,” said Mrs. Bittleby. And then she snickered.
“Oh, Lord preserve us,” muttered Mr. Givens. “You will not take bribes.
“Well, how much—”
“You will not ,” said Mr. Givens.
THEY LEFT.
MRS . Bittleby did indeed take bribes. The colonel himself paid her coin and he found out later that Mr. Darcy had paid her, too.
Whether or not she simply could not keep her mouth shut regardless or if Mr. Givens decided he must spread the word, word spread.
The colonel stayed over at Pemberley for nearly a week with the two of them before he decided to go and collect some of his things in London. He still had to decide about when and how he would resign his commission in the army. He had time to think it over, but he knew he would wish to be with his husband and wife instead of being called away to service. For now, he would consider his options and stay in Derbyshire. He had to impregnate Elizabeth, after all, and then he would wish to stay with her as she was increasing.
At Pemberley, they were all wary.
They did have a few trysts, the three of them, but they all felt even more concerned about servants knowing, and the real fear of being discovered tended to put a damper on things.
But when they spoke about it, they were all still quite resolved that they wished to be together, so he went to collect his things.
The servants looked at him strangely when he arrived in London.
His valet had been with him at Pemberley, so he knew nothing, but the colonel sent him to discover what was afoot, and his valet came back red-faced and stammering.
“I don’t know if I can repeat it, sir,” said his valet.
“Come now, Mr. Dalling,” he said, “I shall not punish you for saying anything. I must know.”
“I haven’t the words, sir!”
“It must have been conveyed to you in words, mustn’t it? Repeat to me what was said to you.”
“They said you are…” His valet swallowed very hard. “With Mr. Darcy. In your…” He shook his head. “Like that.”
The colonel sighed. “All right. Is that it, then?”
“Well, also, they say you have tupped his wife.”
He nodded. “And nothing more?”
“And that all three of you….” The valet cringed. “But that is the extent of it.”
The colonel nodded again. “And everyone in the house has heard this, I suppose?”
“It’s all over town amongst servants in all the houses! Everyone is speaking of it.”
He dragged a hand over his face.
“It’s true, isn’t it.” Mr. Dalling’s voice was dull. “You would not take me with you to the north and you were there with them, and—”
“Mr. Dalling, please.”
“If I resign over it, you would not give me a reference, I suppose.” His valet’s voice was duller still.
“Oh, God save us all, Mr. Dalling, I did not mean to—”
“What does it matter?” Now his valet was bitter. “If I mention I was ever employed by you, it will tarnish me.” He eyed him. “Are you attracted to men like that, sir? Are you attracted to me?”
“Out of my sight, Mr. Dalling,” the colonel decided.
“Is that a yes?”
“It is not,” he said firmly. “No, I’m not attracted to you. You’re the one undressing me , for heaven’s sake!”
Mr. Dalling stalked out of the room.
The colonel threw himself down into a chair and felt like crying. Well, this was bad, this was very bad, this was all the things they had worried about come to life. Perhaps it had been worth it in theory, but now, with it coming to fruition, what would become of all of them?
At least, the last time he’d been with Elizabeth, she had still been at the tail end of her bleeding, so it was unlikely there was an innocent child caught up in the scandal. However, he felt a pang, because he had grown attached to the idea of it, to his child, growing inside the woman he loved, and now…
He needed to write Darcy a letter.
Just then, he could not face the idea of it.
What would he even say?
Christ.