Chapter 27
Darcy and Richard had set out on a grim task: to confront the earl and countess.
When they arrived, they were shown into a small sitting room, and first the countess and then the earl hurried into the room. The countess greeted them with her usual aplomb, and the earl was extra hearty as he said, “Son! Darcy! Wonderful to see you!”
“We never heard back from you, Nephew,” Darcy’s aunt said in an accusatory voice. “We sent so many apologies and despaired of ever again seeing your handsome face or hearing your voice.”
Richard just stood there, stony faced and in full uniform, complete with sword.
Darcy wore his usual impassive mask, but his voice was strong and a bit louder than was his wont.
“My wife,” he said, “was drugged into insensibility, put into a carriage without family, friend, or even servant, and taken far from her home.”
His aunt opened her mouth but did not say anything as he swept her with a cold, quelling glance. His uncle harrumphed but fell silent again as Darcy swung his glare in his direction.
“My wife woke up, hardly able to open her eyes and completely incapable of turning her head or sitting up. When she could finally move, she realised that she was in a strange room, in a strange building, in a strange landscape. Locked in.”
“Her sister—” the earl bleated.
He fell silent again as Richard made an abrupt, truncated motion towards his sword. For the rest of Darcy’s speech, the couple stood stiffly, looking in horror from one closed-down face to the other, then to their son’s clenching hands so near his sword.
“My wife was unattended except for a single woman who may have been deaf-mute. The woman offered no information, let alone reassurances, and answered no questions. Any woman in the country would be deeply panicked, weeping, and destroyed by the fact that she well knew that her eldest sister and erstwhile closest friend had helped with her kidnapping and unlawful captivity.”
His aunt dropped her eyes, apparently feeling some shame, but his uncle continued to eye his son’s hands.
“As I said, any woman in the country would be panicking and weeping and destroyed—but not my wife. No, she used her strength of body and of spirit to escape and to make plans to reunite with me, even as Richard and I were attempting to find out where she was.”
“We gave you the dir—” The earl stopped talking under the force of Darcy’s frown.
“As you undoubtedly know, we have been reunited far longer than she was held captive. Your plan failed, and we have married.”
“You are married?” the countess asked in astonishment.
“I was referring to Elizabeth as my wife; surely you noticed.”
“We thought you were just speaking in short form. ‘My wife-to-be’ or ‘my soon-to-be-wife.’”
“We are married, husband-and-wife. It is done and irrevocable.”
“Well, we did not realise she was of age, and we—”
“I have heard your lies. I have also investigated your lives. You are badly in debt. Stephen, especially, is in desperate need of funds. I have purchased those debts, and you need no longer worry about the moneylender destroying your family’s reputation.
Of course, I could do so. If I were to be as cold hearted as you, I would actually look forward to doing so.
But instead, I have decided to take Meadowbrook and Eastbourn off your hands.
They will be in trust for Elizabeth, as she was the victim of your crimes. ”
The countess’s mouth was open, but no sound escaped. The earl sputtered, “What? You cannot— What makes you think—? How dare you—”
Richard interrupted. “Father, I am already deeply ashamed of you. Please behave courageously and honourably at this point, so my regard for you might begin to recover rather than continue to plummet.”
Darcy presented his demand letter, written by his solicitors with air-tight language. He had included transfer of property documents with the letter.
The earl and countess huddled together, whispering. Darcy could tell that they were quite relieved, in truth, because the moneylender’s demands were even more worrisome.
It was only a few minutes before the earl strode to a table with ink and pen, and he dashed his signature over both sales documents. “This actually helps our family tremendously, Darcy; we heartily thank you.”
“I will arrange the engrossment and let you know when the final copies are ready to sign with witnesses,” Darcy said.
“It goes without saying that this transaction is not motivated to help your family, Uncle. You did a villainous thing, and you have not truly apologised for it—not in such a way that you take responsibility for your part of it and acknowledge how disgusting and horrid your actions were. I cannot punish you by doing the same villainous thing to someone you love because I refuse to sink to your degraded level. But I believe that your motivation was financial, and so my punishment is financial as well.”
The earl’s face began to redden.
Darcy was not finished. He said, “I have ensured that the proof of threats you made against the Bennets and their family will be safely kept in a bank vault. You had better hope that Mr Gardiner’s business continues to flourish, because if he has problems, I will suspect you and come after you.
The same goes for the Bennet girls—you ought to start praying that they do not end up in a compromising situation or other ruinous circumstance, because once again, if such an incident occurs, you will be under the microscope.
Last but not least, you might want to correct the persons and attitudes in your family that landed you in such extreme debt.
I doubt very much that it will be to my advantage to help you again. ”
The earl began to look like a scarlet fish with its gasping mouth opening and closing.
Darcy organised the papers, and Richard shook his head at his parents, condemnation on his face, and the two men left.
Richard went to Darcy House, stating that he was not sure he would ever again live at Matlock House.
“They agreed without even checking with their solicitors,” Darcy said to Elizabeth when they entered the house. “You, my dear, will soon be the owner of two estates, in addition to the five estates and one house in Town that we already own together.
“Wait—I will own more property than you? That is…not possible.”
“Well, legally, I own all of the Darcy properties, because I am a man. If you had owned the properties before I married you, and there was nothing in the marriage settlement keeping them strictly under your control, then I would have taken over the ownership of the properties. Basically, as a married woman, you cannot own property.”
Elizabeth took a fierce breath, but she did not rail against those unfair laws, because he went on: “However, I have set up these property transfer papers so that these estates are yours, with your Uncle Edward assigned as the trustee that holds and manages them. The documents say that the properties are for your ‘sole and separate use.’ Since we will be living together at Pemberley, I believe the most important aspect of this property is that you can leave them to whoever you wish in your will.”
“Frankly, Elizabeth,” Richard stated, “this is a remarkable—by which I mean an extremely unusual as well as beneficial—thing for a man to do. I have never heard of anyone doing anything like this for his wife.”
Darcy said, “And how many people do you know who had their wives carted away and locked up by their interfering families?”
“Yes, that is unique as well, thank goodness.”
“Thank you for all of your help, Richard.” Elizabeth’s sincere gratitude was apparent, and she added, “I already thanked you for your timely rescue, but now you have helped with the response to your parents, and I wish you to know that I appreciate it.”
“I appreciate your thanks, but I again apologise so very much for their ill behaviour. I have never been so ashamed of my family, especially my parents.”
“Thankfully, we are not our parents.” She laughed and added, “I myself am very grateful that I am not mine.”
There was a farewell dinner that night, as Elizabeth and Darcy would be leaving for their bridal tour the next day. After enjoying the food and conversation with Georgiana and Richard, Elizabeth and Darcy made the excuse that they were leaving early, and they went to their bedchambers.
“Are you as weary as you claimed to our sister and cousin, dearest wife-of-mine?” Darcy tenderly asked Elizabeth.
“I am so happy to have the property transfer completed, for I find myself weary of dealing with other people’s bad behaviour. I am not, however, weary of your particular brand of…shall we say improper behaviour?”
“I shall never be weary of my saucy wench’s behaviour.”
“I am equally tireless when it comes to my very own rogue.”
“Tireless? As in you swear to never, ever get tired? That sounds like a challenge to which I shall inevitably rise!”
“My dearest Darcy, you rise so frequently, seemingly without the least challenge anywhere on the horizon, I do not doubt the inevitability of you doing so now!”
And he endeavoured to prove her correct, just as she attempted to fulfil her careless promise of never tiring.
It turned out that, at some point, both fell asleep—as well they should!
—and when they awoke, he wrapped around her in the bed, the solid, rigid proof lay between them: he could rise even when they were both so tired they slept.
“I was correct, favourite husband—your rise is more inevitable—as in being far more frequent—than the rise of the sun. But my promise to be tireless was proved wrong. My apologies.”
“The fault is not yours, my love,” he whispered in her ear, which was conveniently positioned next to his mouth.
“The word tireless itself is part of the trouble. After all, it begs the question ‘tire less than who?’ Let us, on the journey we undertake today, attempt to prove that we at least tire of bed sport less than people who marry their first cousins, at the insistence of their uncles and aunts, for gain in fortune and consequence rather than for affection.”
Elizabeth turned within his arms so that they were face-to-face. “I think we can manage such proofs nightly, sir.”
“And daily, as well, madam.” Darcy proceeded to press his point.
Her response promised a very happy bridal tour…and a very happy marriage.