Vol 1, Chapter 11 #2
“I did? Ahem. She is the daughter of an inconsequential family with no wealth and low connections. They possess a smallish estate neighbouring the one that Bingley leased. I cannot think why I would have mentioned her name in a letter,” Darcy attempted to cover the gaffe.
“You mean letters, brother. Is Miss Jane Bennet her sister?” Darcy’s eyes opened wide. Surely, he had not mentioned her!
“Did I write her name as well?” Darcy asked, not imagining another possibility for his younger sister to have heard Miss Bennet’s name.
“No, William, you did not mention it. When I first told them that you had mentioned the name of a lady, Andrew mentioned something about being attracted to a lady with that family name. I had forgotten about that until on my last day with Aunt and Uncle Fitzwilliam, I heard them discussing Andrew’s decision to call on a lady named Miss Jane Bennet.
When I entered the sitting room, they must have changed the subject as I never heard her name again,” Georgiana informed her brother.
Darcy was gobsmacked. Had Miss Bennet somehow sunk her talons into his older cousin?
Was that why Bingley’s fortune was of no interest to her when a much larger one, not to mention a title, was in play?
He decided a call to Matlock House was necessary.
“Gigi, I have been remiss in greeting our aunt and uncle; I will go see them now.” Darcy stood abruptly.
“William, it is close to dinner time. Would not a call during calling hours be better?” Georgiana could not account for her brother’s strange behaviour.
Since she had moved back into Darcy House, it had seemed like some great issue was weighing her brother down.
When she had asked what was troubling him, William had dismissed her concerns.
And now this. What was it about her brother and the Bennets?
Darcy’s walk was much shorter than he planned.
As he exited his front door, he saw the Matlock town coach pull away from in front of his uncle’s house.
It turned in the square and passed him on its way toward the connecting road.
He could see all four of the Fitzwilliams in conversation within, though none of them noticed him.
He watched as the vehicle made a turn out of the square.
With nothing left to do that night, Darcy turned and walked back inside of his house.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Grandmother, grandfather, it is so good to see you!” Jane exclaimed as Lord and Lady Jersey were announced at Gardiner House.
“We received your note, granddaughter. How could we not join you to celebrate your courtship with young Hilldale,” her grandfather enfolded her in a hug. “Does he know the truth? I assume so if we were invited tonight.”
“He does, for I could not start our courtship off with a lie. Where are my uncles, aunts, and cousins?” Jane asked.
“Both Wes and Marie and their families had previous engagements that they could not easily break. We did, however, find one person we thought you would like to see,” Jane’s grandmother smiled cryptically.
“Hello big sister!” Jane heard and whirled around, opening her arms for her brother Tom to receive a welcoming hug.
“Tom! I did not know that you had arrived from Oxford already!” Jane exclaimed happily.
“I arrived at Jersey house not two hours ago and asked our grandparents not to mention my presence as a surprise to my much older sister when they accepted Aunt Maddie’s invitation,” Tom explained. “Hello Aunt Maddie, Uncle Edward,” Tom greeted the Gardiners as Jane released him from her hug.
“Only yesterday you agreed to a courtship, and today I find you in the arms of another man,” Andrew teased as he and his family entered the drawing room.
Introductions were quickly made by Andrew of his parents and brother to Jane.
Lord and Lady Matlock were impressed by Miss Bennet’s poise, and the Colonel thought his brother a lucky devil.
“This young man is my brother Tom. He arrived at our grandparent’s house from Oxford some hours ago.
I was not aware of the scamp’s presence,” Jane glared at her brother with mock indignation.
“Hello, Elaine,” Lady Sarah greeted her friend, who had not noticed her and her husband standing in the background during their introductions to her granddaughter.
“Sarah, Lord Cyril, I did not see you. How are you?” Lady Elaine greeted her long-time friend warmly.
“Matlock,” Lord Jersey acknowledged his colleague from the Lords.
“Jersey,” Lord Matlock returned and the two wandered off into a corner to talk.
“Tom,” Madeline Gardiner called her nephew over, “if you have some time, the children would love to greet you in the nursery.”
“I will go up and greet them soon, Aunt. It is good to see you and Uncle Edward again,” Tom gave his aunt a kiss on the cheek and excused himself from the company to go see his young cousins.
“I understand that you do not want my dour cousin Darcy to know the truth of your family at this time,” the Colonel, who had asked to be called Richard, reiterated.
“Please, Richard. It was not just his slight of Lizzy, but we got the idea that he did not approve of us as we were too far below him. We would prefer that he not know the truth for now,” Jane explained.
“If a betrothal is announced?” Richard pushed.
“Then he will be in for somewhat of a surprise,” Jane contemplated. “Mayhap he will learn not to make assumptions about people based on their perceived wealth and connections.”
“Jane, Lilly and Eddy tell me you promised to read them a story before they go to sleep tonight,” Tom reminded his sister on his return to the drawing room.
“When the sexes separate after dinner, I will go and fulfil my promise,” Jane smiled sweetly at her brother, the pleasure of the thought impossible to hide.
The butler announced dinner and the diners flowed into the dining parlour, ignoring precedence.
Tom Bennet found a seat next to Richard Fitzwilliam and was entertained by his tall tales from the continent, as was his sister who was seated opposite him and next to Andrew.
Andrew warned them to take his brother’s stories with a grain of salt, and Richard, in turn, put on an exaggeratedly aggrieved look.
At the summation of the repast that was enjoyed by all, Jane kept her promise to her cousins.
When the men re-joined the ladies, Jane was one of the last to perform.
Andrew discovered that she was beyond proficient on the harp and that her mezzosoprano voice was that of an angel’s.
It was rather late when the guests returned home after spending a most enjoyable evening with family and friends.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“A missive arrived from Edward this morning,” Bennet informed his family as they broke their fasts. “Our Jane has accepted a courtship with Lord Andrew Fitzwilliam.”
“And he is nothing like his disagreeable cousin?” Elizabeth was cynical.
“Lizzy, I thought that you had let your anger for Mr. Darcy go,” her mother asserted.
“What purpose is there to hold onto your prejudices against him? Even if Jane marries the Viscount one day, you will not be forced into Mr. Darcy’s company if that is your choice.
Just know that he is close with his Fitzwilliam cousins, so you have to decide if you are willing to cause a rift in the family because you refuse to move on. ”
“I suppose it is rather selfish of me, is it not mother? For some reason, his slight affected me more than it should have,” Elizabeth owned.
“You know what I think, Lizzy? I think that your visceral reaction was because at some level you are attracted to Mr. Darcy, so his slight of you has become far more than it should have,” Mrs. Bennet stated with a knowing look.
Before Elizabeth could deny her mother’s assertion, let alone with the vehemence it deserved, her father changed the subject. “At least you were not blind enough to fail to see that wastrel Wickham for what he is,” Bennet stated.
Wickham had tried to call on Miss Elizabeth a number of times with no success. The final time, Bennet had the officer shown to his study. Wickham had been his normal, overconfident self—that was until Bennet had spoken.
“Mr. Wickham, do you think yourself an intelligent man?” Bennet asked.
“Why yes, Mr. Bennet, I do.” Wickham had puffed up like a game cock.
“Would an intelligent man keep calling on a lady who was never home to him, or would that indicate an overblown sense of self?” Bennet asked, watching Wickham as he went still.
“Miss Elizabeth and I had a good connection,” Wickham attempted to salvage the situation.
“Is that what you thought? Why do you think that my daughter had her mother and me, and others in the family, stationed behind you when you spun that pack of horse manure to my daughter?” Bennet asked pointedly.
Wickham pasted a smile on his face in hopes that he would be able to charm his way out of a situation that was not going the way he had hoped. “Why would I, who saved a lady at the expense of myself, lie to your daughter?”
“Because that is not what happened, is it? The only way that you would help anyone but yourself was if there were a big reward in it. Additionally, you have all the hallmarks of a coward. I have had you investigated, Mr. Wickham. Based on what my investigator reports, any number of fathers or brothers of young maids that you have ruined or creditors that you have run out on would have happily given you the injury you claim was received due to altruistic actions on your part. I still do not know how you managed to fool your late godfather; however, it seems the son saw you for what you were!”
“Darcy! Damn him! If he is to blacken my name, then I will tell the world…” Wickham’s anger burned hot as Bennet cut him off.