Chapter Sixty-Two
By the time the Matlock carriage pulled up in front of Lucas Lodge, its older inhabitants were ready to faint away from anxiety.
They had no doubt whatsoever that the Earl and Countess had come to put an end to the engagement.
Sir William and Lady Lucas were even prepared to apologise for having let things go so far; after all, should they, given their own titles, not have known how impossible such a match was?
But Charlotte was determined not to let this happen; she had already made a mental list of all the reasons that Reginald should be permitted to marry her.
The Earl and Countess were announced and led into the drawing room, and Reginald and the Countess went at once to Charlotte. Reginald stood, beaming, while the Countess – of all things! – hugged Charlotte!
Charlotte stammered, “Your Ladyship, I –“
“Charlotte, my dear girl, you are to be my daughter! I have always longed for a daughter, you know, and had utterly despaired of either of my sons marrying and giving me one. I could not be happier, truly! Come, child, sit beside me and tell me about yourself.” She led Charlotte to a sofa and sat beside her, with Reginald on the other side, holding Charlotte’s hand.
The Earl sat near Sir William and Lady Lucas, who were side-by-side on a sofa. The Earl greeted them kindly, asking after their health, but neither seemed able to respond. The Earl immediately understood the situation. “Ah, I see. You thought we would disapprove the match, Sir William?”
Sir William looked at his wife, who took a deep breath and said, quite softly, “We rather did, yes. Charlotte is just the daughter of a knight, you know, and your son – well –“
The Earl lowered his voice. “Sir William, Lady Lucas, my son is a brilliant man, and as with many brilliant men, he goes his own way. He has been introduced to countless debutantes with impeccable bloodlines and huge dowries, and he has had no interest in any of them. We had quite given up, you know, and our second son is fighting on the continent, so his very life is at risk every day. Perhaps now you may imagine our joy upon hearing that Reginald was engaged to a young lady!”
“You are not here to forbid the match, then?” Lady Lucas whispered.
The Earl smiled broadly “Forbid it? On the contrary, we are here to help plan the wedding! But do not let my wife override your daughter’s own wishes; Eleanor can be rather forceful.”
Lady Lucas was so happy that it was all she could do not to weep tears of joy.
***
The Earl, the Countess and the Viscount were invited by Mrs. Hurst to stay for Christmas, and they were delighted to accept. This would give them a good deal of time to plan the wedding and get to know the bride.
After Christmas, the Earl and Countess planned to return to London, while the Viscount would ride like the wind to the Matlock estate to make certain all was in place to welcome his bride.
Despite her preoccupation with Reggie and Charlotte, the Countess managed to corner Mr. Darcy. “Well?” she demanded. “What of you?”
“I have not the pleasure of understanding you,” he replied, gravely.
“I have not heard you mention your country girl; have you given her up? I could scarce credit Georgiana’s letter, and now I think she must have been quite mistaken in the matter.
Have you been thinking about Miss Stanford, instead?
That would be a far better alternative. It is one thing for Reggie to marry the daughter of a knight, given his quirks, but it is another thing entirely for the master of Pemberley to marry the daughter of an insignificant country gentleman! ”
Mr. Darcy looked away; in truth, he had not spent a moment of time considering Miss Stanford, the young lady who met his requirements in every way.
Instead, he had spent considerable time thinking about Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
He could hardly say this to his society-minded aunt, and he did certainly not wish to admit that his “country girl,” as she had put it, had departed without a word to him.
Instead, he looked away and said, “There has been a good deal else to think about since Reggie arrived.”
His aunt scowled at him, but said no more about it.