Darcy's Temptation (34 page)

 

When Darcy reached the top of the staircase, he turned to the left toward his chambers. “Mr. Darcy, Sir,” Henry caught his attention.“This way, Sir.”

“Henry, I am pleased to see you.” Henry served Fitzwilliam Darcy for many years, long before the passing of the elder Mr.
Darcy. Darcy followed the valet to what was once his father's chambers. Darcy stepped into the room, and memories of playing on the floor of this very room as a small child flooded his mind.

“My father's old room,” he mumbled as he turned round and round in the center of the floor. On sensory overload, flashes of memories invaded his mind. Nearly dizzy from the swirling images, Darcy grabbed his head for balance.

Henry immediately rushed to support his master. “I am here, Mr. Darcy. Let me help you to a chair.We are so pleased to have you back at Pemberley; the staff and your family felt your absence considerably. I arranged a bath for you and clean attire, Sir.”

“Thank you, Henry,” Darcy nearly whispered. “I will rest here until you are ready for me.”

“Yes, Sir.” Henry made his bow and exited toward Darcy's dressing room.

“Henry,” Darcy called.

The man paused at the door. “Yes, Mr. Darcy?”

“Am I to assume Mrs. Darcy has my mother's previous quarters?” Darcy did not know why he asked, but it seemed important somehow.

“Yes, Sir,” Henry nodded,“through the sitting room, Sir.”

Darcy nodded also and then leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes to think about his life at Pemberley and how everything had changed.

 

He sat, heart racing, trying to recapture his composure. Just stepping into this bedroom took Darcy's senses to another level. Images of his mother and his father surrounded him.The furnishings were different—more muted tones—more to Darcy's liking—but definitely his father's quarters. His father's dominating presence filled him as he sat there, trying to
remember his life—remember anything.
Could he do this again? Could he become the Master of Pemberley?

The elder Darcy warned his son repeatedly of those who would flatter him to become an intimate. Darcy learned his place in the world—an air of confidence and an aristocratic demeanor. He wanted desperately to replicate his father—a great man—a well-respected man.The elder Darcy came from a respectable, honorable, and ancient family. His mother Lady Anne came from a line of noble earls; she gave him his identity, his name of Fitzwilliam. But he lost all that—all that history—on the road to Hull. Now, he knew not what to do.
His responsibilities were so numerous. Could he be the man his father taught him to be? Darcy feared failure; he feared loss of respect—loss of face in society.

Another fear crept into his memory. As he circled the room moments ago, an image of the woman who was his wife flashed across the reaches of his mind. She lay across his bed, muddy and covered in blood, and he cut her clothing from her body, cleaning and bandaging her wounds. Tears streamed down his face, and he offered the woman endearments.
How could he love this woman so much and now have no feelings for her? How could he learn to love her again?
His wife's connections went against
everything
his parents expected of him, but Darcy could not turn the woman away. She carried the heir to Pemberley, and duty required he have an heir.

 

Darcy spent nearly an hour in his study reviewing the estate books before Elizabeth found enough courage to approach him. The light tap on the door told Darcy the moment he anticipated since leaving Darling Hall arrived. “Come,” he called automatically.

Elizabeth Darcy entered his study unsure of her reception. “Mrs. Darcy,” he said, upon seeing her enter the room. He left the desk and came forward to meet her. Darcy led Elizabeth to
a chair and took the adjoining one. Elizabeth searched his face for a semblance of her dear husband in the man seated across from her. Trying to get enough nerve to begin his conversation, Darcy cleared his throat twice and ran his fingers through his hair. “This is an awkward occurrence in which we find ourselves, Mrs. Darcy,” he still spoke formally.

“It is indeed, Sir,” Elizabeth tried to keep her voice even.

“I suppose I should offer you an explanation.”

Elizabeth looked about nervously, not wishing to meet his eyes with hers. “There is no need, Sir; your sister volunteered an explanation of your homecoming.”

Darcy looked at her shamefacedly. “I am sorry this brings you grief.” He tried to look directly into her eyes to relay his truth, but the depth of the emotions he found there bothered him, and he looked away without knowing. “I want to assure you, I will treat you with all the respect due you as my wife. I will do my best to allow my regard for you to grow naturally. Of course, our child will receive the best of care as the heir to this estate.”

“I understand your expectations, Sir, for our child,” Elizabeth stammered, “but I do not understand your expectations for me as your wife. Am I expected to pretend not to love you?”Tears filled her eyes.“The prayer the devil answers.”

“What? What did you say?”

“The prayer the devil answers,” Elizabeth muttered. “It is a phrase I learned from you, Fitzwilliam.”

“I know it well; my mother said it often.” Darcy felt the agitation inherent in the moment, and he strode to the window to ease his discomfort.

“I prayed continuously for your return,” Elizabeth lamented.“Little did I know my prayers would. . . .”

Darcy turned back to look at her.“I wish I could say something,” he whispered,“to make this easier.”

Elizabeth could hear no more; she bolted from the chair and fled the room without even a “by your leave.” Darcy stood in amazement. How had he become involved with such a highly emotional woman? She knew not even how to have a civil conversation. Many couples in society held no regard for each other, but they managed households with civilities. It was not his fault the last couple of years no longer existed in his memory. He hoped to make the best of a bad situation; he tried to do his duty by the woman. He thought he was being very reasonable.

 

Darcy sent for his steward to address the estate books. His ability to run his estate must be proven for the world to accept him, an area often addressed by his father; Darcy wanted to establish his worth. Mr. Howard came laden with his copies of the estate books to his master's study. Howard was made aware of Mr. Darcy's health problems, and the steward knew not what to expect. Mr. Howard had served Pemberley since the death of the former steward, Mr. Wickham, George Wickham's father. Demanding, the elder Mr. Darcy spent much of his time reprimanding Mr. Howard. Early on, Fitzwilliam Darcy chose to imitate his father, but the younger Darcy learned his lessons and took a more cooperative turn in the estate's business. Pemberley flourished under the son's control. Howard wondered if the young master would have to learn those lessons again, and would he have to once again withstand Mr. Darcy's criticisms?

“Mr. Howard,” Darcy began upon seeing the man, “thank you for coming so quickly.”

Mr. Howard made Darcy a proper bow. “We are happy to see you well, Sir.” Howard brought the estate books to Darcy's desk. “When we found your coach, we knew not what might have become of you, Sir.”

“You found my coach?” Darcy looked surprised.

“Yes, Sir, Mrs. Darcy had a premonition of what had
happened, and then she received the letter from Miss More, indicating you failed to arrive in Hull. Distraught, Mrs. Darcy sent us immediately to retrace your route. I do believe if Mrs. Darcy was not with child, your wife would have led the search party herself.”

“A premonition, you say?” Darcy tried to look amused but really felt agitation.

“Yes, Sir, Mrs. Darcy nearly swooned from her strong feelings regarding the matter.” Mr. Howard opened the estate books to the current pages.

Darcy shifted in his seat, disturbed by his own ideas.“When exactly did this happen?”

Mr. Howard paused to recollect when they attended to Mrs. Darcy's misgivings. “You could not have been more than two days out, Sir. Mrs. Darcy suddenly took on a dreadful feeling and collapsed in this very room. Mrs. Reynolds and Miss Darcy attended to her. I am unaware of all the particulars, but the irony of the situation once we knew of your not achieving Hull did not escape the men in the search party.”

Darcy sat back in the chair. He brought his fingers together in supposition, resting his chin as he meditated on what Mr. Howard shared about Elizabeth Darcy.
How could she know? Could she have arranged the attack? No, that was impossible. Elizabeth would not bring attention to herself if she were a culprit in his encounter.Then that meant they had an unusual connection—one not found in most marriages.
Darcy could not explain how confused the stories of Elizabeth made him. His brief observation of her told him his wife did not meet the standards of what his father drummed into Darcy. Yet, from all accounts, they had a loving—a trusting—relationship. Perplexity ruled his thoughts about the woman he married. How could they achieve some semblance of marital felicity?

Mr. Howard's voice brought Darcy's attention back to the books. “As you can observe, Sir, the recent changes instituted
by you and your wife proved wise ones.The estate is on solid footing, and the promise of new crops opened markets we did not anticipate.”

“Really?” Darcy seemed surprised.

“Of course, Sir,” Mr. Howard beamed. “Your insights proved themselves, and Mrs. Darcy's attention to the needs of the tenants creates a feeling of solidarity among them. They band together to help each other. I, personally, have seen nothing to compare to what you achieved here, Sir.”

Again, Darcy leaned back in the chair. “Would you explain how these changes affected the tenants? Give me specific examples.”

“There is a general feeling of—of—how to explain this—of congeniality.When Mr. Lucas hurt his leg last week, Meyers, Littleton, and Sanderson came to help him finish the plowing and mended Lucas's fence wall.Your wife and sister make regular tenant calls; they listen to the women and praise the efforts of the men.They bring food and comfort to the families.”

“From where does the food come?”

“Most of the food comes from the controlled kills,” Mr. Howard added nonchalantly, forgetting Darcy had no memory of this recent change in how the estate handled nature's tendency to allow some species to be more abundant than others.

“Controlled kills?”

“Miss Darcy's idea, Sir. Forgive me—when I spoke, I forgot about your recent attack. Miss Darcy reasoned we could cut down on poachers if we controlled the number of deer ourselves. We thin the herd periodically and give the meat to the tenants. In return, they help with repairs upon the estate. We become our own state, taking care of our own. It is quite simple in concept, but the positive tendrils have spread among the cottagers.”

“And this was my sister's idea? Are you sure, Mr. Howard?”

“Quite sure, Sir. Your family and I sat in this very room
when the plan came into fruition. Miss Darcy and your wife assumed much of the control of the estate while you were away. Your jointure on Mrs. Darcy proved prudent.” Mr. Howard's praise of the two women continued for several minutes.

 

At dinner, Darcy planned to extend his congratulations to Elizabeth for her insights in regards to the estate, but his houseguests, anticipating the strain of his first evening at Pemberley, all begged off and took their meals in their rooms. Earlier in the day, Mr. Bingley came briefly to Darcy's study to inform him he and Mrs. Bingley would depart from Pemberley tomorrow. “You are welcome to stay, Sir. Mrs. Bingley, as Mrs. Darcy's sister, should not be deprived of her relations on my account.”

Yet, Bingley insisted; the garbled relationships played havoc on Mrs. Bingley's kind nature, and he would remove her from Pemberley until Darcy could reestablish his position with his wife. Therefore, their absence from the dinner table did not surprise Darcy. Kitty Bennet, not used to confrontations, followed suit.

Edward insisted he and Anne had extensive wedding plans to discuss. Darcy did not believe him; he knew Anne did not want to witness the problems in Darcy's marriage. If Lady Catherine, according to Edward, thought Darcy might withdraw his attention from Elizabeth and take Anne as his wife, then difficulties would occur for his cousins.

Mr. Harrison, suspecting a change in the dynamics of the household, made an early exit and took a room at the Royal Crown in Lambton. He promised Georgiana to call tomorrow before leaving for Hines Park.

Finally, Darcy received word through her maid that his wife had a headache and would take a light meal in her room.As he sat down to dinner, Darcy found only his sister as company.

“It seems only you, Dearest One, seeks my company this evening.” Georgiana recognized the hurt in Darcy's voice.

“With Elizabeth's condition, I am sure today created problems for her,” his sister tried to reason with him.

“What can I do, Georgiana? I hear tales of my wife's resilience and her amiability, but I cannot justify my decision in regards to our father's directives.”

“Fitzwilliam, I admit Elizabeth is not what you say you want and is not what our father on first glance would find appropriate, but I know she is what you need. Our father would approve of how happy you are with Elizabeth. No one who saw the two of you together would think otherwise.” Georgiana laughed nervously. “Of course, no one except our formidable aunt.”

Darcy looked surprised to see his sister speak out about their aunt.“Lady Catherine? Obviously, our aunt would disapprove of my marriage to Mrs. Darcy. Lady Catherine would approve of no one except Anne as my wife.”