Chapter 3.27
In the drawing-room, the guests were having tea and brandy. Darcy greeted them briefly, then filled a glass of his own, while Elizabeth sat near Lady Matlock.
“Where have you been? Miles said you went to bring Elizabeth and Georgiana home? Where is Georgiana? I must know what is happening!” Lady Matlock demanded.
“Forgive me, aunt. We did not expect you today.”
“I know that, Darcy. I asked Richard to bring me, as there is something I need to talk to you about regarding this nightmare with Walford. I was told Elizabeth and Georgiana were out for a walk, and you hurried to bring them home!”
“We met Lady Amelia in the park. And with her was Lord Walford and his cousin. We had a fierce argument, and I sent Sarah and Emily home to avoid the girl witnessing such a conversation,” Elizabeth explained.
“Walford spoke to you?”
“He did,” Georgiana spoke from the doorframe. “Forgive me, Aunt, I intended to retire to my room, but I was told you were here.”
The two embraced, and the girl sat on the same settee.
“Elizabeth was extraordinarily brave! She confronted him and accused him of holding children in his house. And Lady Amelia was so rude and cruel! She offended Elizabeth very badly, and Elizabeth replied to her with such strength and confidence! And then Lord Walford accused Fitzwilliam of something and Elizabeth fought back, and they argued.”
Her turmoil made Georgiana’s words barely comprehensible and it was clear she was struggling not to cry. While she spoke, the others glanced from her to Elizabeth—who was no less distressed, only bore it with more composure.
“I told you what the solution is!” the colonel glared at Darcy. “He must be punished! I told you!”
“Oh stop being ridiculous, Richard,” Lady Matlock shouted.
“Darcy is already at the edge of his sanity, stop stirring him more! Men know of little else but fighting and measuring their manly strength! We should have another cup of tea, and you two should fill your glasses again. There are better and more efficient ways to deal with such a situation!”
“But Mother!”
“No mother, Richard! Keep your fists under good regulation, Colonel! Now, let us start from the beginning. Tell me all that has happened so far.”
For half an hour, with much effort, the party managed to carry on a sensible conversation. Georgiana’s distress reduced, Elizabeth regained her wit, Darcy and the colonel kept their tempers under control.
“So, Richard said Darcy is considering opening an orphanage or something,” Lady Matlock spoke.
Elizabeth quickly looked at her husband, her heart warmed with tenderness and gratitude. He had had no time to talk to her, but she had thought of the same thing many times in the last month. He smiled back at her.
“Yes, Aunt. I have not spoken with Elizabeth yet, but something must be done. There are those six children in Walford’s house and likely many more others. I cannot just take them from there and leave them on the streets again.”
“It is an excellent idea and if you are willing to put the effort into supervising everything, in finding people to run such a place, I may be able to help in some way. Many ladies would be willing to sustain such an endeavour and already support other similar charities. I have a small property twenty miles distant from London. It is a cottage, with a generous garden, that I inherited from my great aunt. I am not certain if Darcy knows of it. It is almost wasted, nobody has lived there for almost ten years. I would gladly donate it to you for such a noble purpose.”
The three Darcys gazed at the lady in disbelief.
“Aunt, that would be wonderful! That is so kind and generous of you!” Georgiana cried, embracing her.
“That is wonderful, Lady Matlock,” Elizabeth whispered with a grateful smile.
“Do not mention it; it is nothing really. I can also provide part of the necessary funds—from myself and through other donations. But the true effort would be to clean the house, to prepare it to be lived in, and to find a steward, teachers and several servants to run it. The garden is large enough so the children might learn gardening, raising chickens, pigs, one or two cows for milk perhaps. Darcy should know best. As I said, this is as much as I can do. The responsibility would lie on your shoulders.”
“That is more than generous, Aunt,” Darcy replied gratefully. “We will take care of everything else to make the plans successful.”
“Good. Now as for Walford—you may talk to Judge Darcy, you may prosecute him, you may be so foolish as to call him out—all would take time. There are other ways to bring his reputation in line with his actions, despite his name and connections.”
“I still insist on punishing him in the old, painful way,” the colonel mumbled, and Lady Matlock rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Do you know who the most powerful force in London is? Maybe more powerful than the Prince Regent? Whose good opinion once lost, is lost forever and will ensure you are banned from good society?”
Lady Matlock made a long and dramatic pause, while the others stared at her, anxiously waiting.
“The noble patronesses of Almacks! The so-called arbiters of London respectability. Those who decide who is good and who is bad in the blink of an eye! Elizabeth has already been introduced to Lady Sefton, Lady Jersey and Mrs. Drummond-Burrell. I have written to Lady Sefton, asking her to have tea with me tomorrow. I shall inform her about Lord Walford’s habits, and I shall warn her that Almack’s might be associated with his dreadful actions since he is admitted there and therefore has their endorsement!
And I will also mention Madame Claudette’s involvement.
Her shop will hardly survive, I assure you.
And that silly Amelia Rushford—I will speak to her parents!
Indeed, she wasted their investment in her education.
Despite what she has learned, she has remained a pompous simpleton! ”
As she spoke, Lady Matlock became more and more animated; her voice raised, her chin and shoulders lifted in self-confidence. Her attitude showed a strength which, although not as apparent as the men’s, was striking and impossible to ignore.
Colonel Fitzwilliam took his mother’s hand and kissed it, laughing out loud.
“My dear Elizabeth, in case you did not know, the most powerful and valued asset of peers, along with their name and wealth, is their vanity and pride! Once you step on it, you must bear the consequences. Walford will not even know what hit him! He will become a pariah before tomorrow’s dinner, and he will be thrown out of town by the force of the others’ disdain and reprobation.
I still wish to beat him too, but I suppose I could be satisfied with this approach instead. ”
“Richard, are you mocking me?” Lady Matlock asked severely.
“Not at all, Mother. How could I dare when you deserve praise? I applaud you, but I must say that you look even more impressive when you are angry!”
Darcy smiled approvingly, with a little nod of gratitude to his aunt. Elizabeth and Georgiana were still stunned and silent.
“You believe I am angry?” Lady Matlock replied. “Wait until Lady Sefton and Lady Jersey learn that their own honourability might be affected by association. Napoleon’s entire army will not be as dangerous as them! Now, I would like a glass of sherry if you do not mind.”
Lady Matlock stayed another half an hour and enjoyed two glasses of sherry before she decided to leave.
“Look at the time! I did not notice how late it was. I will see you again tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Will your ladyship call again?” Elizabeth asked.
The lady immediately minded her error.
“Yes, perhaps...We will see. Goodbye for now.” She left holding her son’s arm, and behind her, the Darcys pondered how right the colonel had been. The ladies’ vanity and pride could be more impactful than men’s rough strength. And undoubtedly more efficient.
∞∞∞
While Elizabeth and Georgiana were changing for dinner, Darcy could find no peace.
He was relieved to see some more transparent solutions to his concerns, but they were not enough.
He felt he should do more. He could not bear that Walford had addressed his wife and sister in such a manner, without any penalty.
Restless, he made an impromptu decision; he left word for his wife that he would return shortly, then left the house in a hurry. In the carriage, he found enough wisdom to understand he could not go alone, so he stopped at the Matlocks and asked to speak to his cousin privately.
“Darcy? What are you doing here? We just spoke an hour ago. Has anything else happened?” the colonel asked, worried.
“No. I want to talk to Walford. Will you join me? I thought it would be unwise to go alone. But please say nothing to your parents.”
“My parents are resting before dinner. Of course, I will join you! I am glad you came to fetch me. It would have been foolish to go by yourself. But do you know his address? I do not remember ever visiting him in London.”
“I have found out many things about Walford in the last few days; his address is only one of many.”
∞∞∞
It was dark when they reached Walford Manor; the house was fully lit, and through the window, many silhouettes could be seen, indicating there was a gathering being hosted.
For a moment, Darcy considered retiring and returning another day, but the colonel had already opened the carriage door and climbed down. Darcy followed him and knocked on the door, trying to calm himself.
The doorman readily invited them in, most likely considering them part of the party.
“We would like to speak to Lord Walford for a moment. In private. Please inform him discreetly that Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam are here to see him.”
The servant nodded and left. The two remained in the hall, listening to the sound of voices and laughter.
Lord Walford appeared, holding a glass full of brandy, followed by the marquis, throwing them an intrigued glare.