Imperative: Volume 2, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (11 page)

“And what exactly does that mean?”  Sophie glared.

“Only that the man who takes you will have his hand poised to clap over your mouth . . .”

“Stephen, that is enough.”  Mr. Kelly said sternly. 

“Good thing that the colonel has that sword . . .” Mitchell jumped in.

Sophie spun to face him, “And why is
that
?” 

Stephen pointed his fork at her.  “You like him; maybe you have set your cap at last.”

“That would be rich, Sophie and a soldier.  You hate them!”  Robert laughed.

Stephen ignored his sister’s indignant gasp and spoke to Robert.  “That’s just because Godfrey Watkins joined the army and broke her heart.” 

“Mrs. Godfrey Watkins . . . ugh.”  Mitchell made a face while his brothers laughed and Sophie’s face coloured.

“Boys.”  Mrs. Kelly said tiredly. 

“When are you going to marry the colonel?”  Adam asked, making the rest of the boys laugh harder.

“Papa!”  Sophie cried.

“That is enough.”  He looked around at them all.  “Colonel Fitzwilliam seems a good, genial, and undoubtedly admirable man.  I understand that he is the son of an earl, and it is common enough for such a younger son to be an officer, but I fancy that he earned his way up.  Nonetheless, such a man will probably not marry.”

“Why not?”  Sophie immediately regretted her question when her brothers grinned at each other.  “I am just curious!”

“Of
course
you are.”  Robert nodded emphatically.

“His life is in flux, my dear.  He is susceptible to deployment and his income may not be enough to support a family.”  He noted her brow creasing and threw her a hint of encouragement, “But then again, he
is
the son of an Earl and who knows what provisions have been made for him.  I liked him, but I agree there was something on his mind.  The Darcys, as well, I felt were somewhat subdued.”

Mrs. Kelly nodded, “You said that Mrs. Darcy’s sister was marrying yesterday. If they were close I can imagine that she was sad to miss it.”

“They should have had a double wedding.”

The family looked at Adam who was busily heaping marmalade onto his bread. 

“When did the Darcys marry?”  Mr. Kelly asked his wife.

“I did not hear.”

“What about that girl we saw in the window?  Did anyone ask about her?”  Stephen asked.

Mr. Kelly looked at his son.  “They were not volunteering information, so I did not pry.”

“Maybe it was a maid?”  Mitchell offered

Robert shook his head.  “That was no maid.  That was a well-dressed girl.” 

“She is probably not out yet.”  Mrs. Kelly took a bite of her toast.

Stephen disagreed.  “She looked old enough to attend a private party.” 

“Would you please stop analyzing them!”  Sophie stood.  “Honestly, can you do nothing else but seek out fault or . . .  mystery in everything?  Why not be pleased to have met them.  They were kind, polite people and they are far above us, but they came to our dinner with almost no notice.  I think that you should all be ashamed at your speculation.”

“Because the colonel probably will not marry.” 

“Robert, that is enough.”  Mr. Kelly said sternly.  “Stop teasing your sister.”

“Spinster.”

“Stephen.” 

“I do not see either of you married with children, because there are no women in the world who will have you!” Sophie looked from one brother to another, then nodding her head, left the room. Robert saw his father’s amused smile. 

“I could not resist, when have we ever seen her smitten with anyone?  She has had that stupid dreamy smile all morning.” He bit his lip.  “I do not want to see her heart broken.”

“I will kill anyone who hurts her.”  Stephen nodded and his smile turned into a protective glare.

Mr. Kelly cleared his throat, “Just remember, Son, when you call him out for looking at Sophie too long, be ready to run.  I daresay his blade is deadly accurate.” 

“From the looks of him, I would say that he is as fiercely protective of his family as we are.  And his cousin Darcy is, too.  I saw him watching to see how his wife was received.”  Robert rubbed his chin and looked out of the doorway after his sister.

“Yes, I noticed the same, for both men.”   Stephen watched Robert stand and walk out after their sister then looked to his mother.  “What is wrong with her?  She has never minded us teasing before?”

“I think that your sister is growing weary of being treated as another brother.”  Mrs. Kelly said softly and looked to her husband’s sad but understanding eyes.  “She wants a home of her own.”

“Sophie . . .” Robert found her near the front door, pulling on her coat.  “I am sorry, we all are.  Come back to the table.” 

“I am not hungry.”  She stood before a mirror and put on her bonnet. 

He leaned on a wall and watched her angrily tie the ribbons.  “You cannot possibly be in love with the colonel after one evening.”

She stopped and stared at him.  “Who said that I am in love with anyone?  I am just tired of forever being the butt of your jokes!  I am well aware of my age, and I know that good men are few and far between here, at least men that Mama and Papa would deem suitable for a gentleman’s daughter.  I have enough competition with all of the other daughters in this county.”

“Maybe Father could lease a townhouse in London . . .” Sophie looked at him incredulously.  “Fine, then we can go to Edinburgh for a month or so.  You know that there are bound to be a whole passel full of young men there.”  Seeing her eyes cast down, he tried again.  “I have some old school friends I can invite to come and visit.  I would never ask anyone who I did not trust with you . . .” 

Sophie finished tying her bow and sighed.  “Thank you.  I . . . I do not know what is wrong with me.  I guess that seeing Mrs. Annesley last night just made me a little frightened.”

“Sophie, you know that you will always be welcome in any of our homes.  Stephen and I would never leave you to have to search for a position as a companion or governess.”  He hugged her.  “Besides, you will find some good man and have a houseful of brats of your own.”  Letting go, he smirked.  “But of course he has to pass muster with us, first.  So choose wisely.”

“I pity the man.”  She said dryly and closed her eyes.  “Thank you.” 

“Where are you going?” 

“I thought that I would go walking.”  Seeing his expectant smile, she sighed.  “Down the lanes!”

“Robert!”  Mr. Kelly’s voice called.

“Yes, sir?”  He returned to the dining room.

“If you are finished eating, you can do something for me.  I want to get up another fox hunt before the season ends.  Take the curricle and go around to the neighbours, and invite them for . . . oh say, Tuesday?  Maybe stop by Sommerwald and invite Mr. Darcy and the colonel.  It would be interesting to see how they ride, particularly the colonel, being a cavalry man.”

“Yes, sir.  That sounds like an excellent idea, remove a few more of the vermin before the lambing.”

“That was my thought.”  He nodded.  “Sophie, go along with him. Keep him from accepting drinks from all of them.”

“That should be a nice challenge.”  She smiled.

“You make me sound like a drunk.”  Robert laughed and winking at his father, hooking his hand over her arm.  “Very well, come along Sophie.  We have some visiting to do.”

“WELL?”  Darcy settled into a chair after nudging his cousin’s shoulder.  “Do you care to explain the stupefied expression on your face or shall I begin interpreting it?  Not that it is unfamiliar to me . . .”

Richard raised one brow.  “Because you see it in the mirror each time to you go to check your hair?” 

“My hair is just fine.”

“It could use a trim if you ask me.  What is Parker doing with you nowadays?  Now that you are married, he has let you go.  I suppose that you will soon appear as a sausage stuffed into those fashionably tight breeches you wear.” 

“If you do not take your hand out of that jar of sweets
you
will.”  Darcy sat up and grabbed the jar away from him and placed it on his desk.  “Those are Lizzy’s.” 

“I am certain that she would share.” 

“You do not know my wife’s sweet tooth.”

“I believe that I do.  I heard your appreciation of something she was nibbling just this morning as I walked past your bedchamber.”  Richard snorted as Darcy’s cheeks pinked.  “Neck cloths can be quite useful at times, can they not?  How big of a bruise did your hungry wife leave?  And what will you feed her to stem that desire?”

Self-consciously, Darcy fixed his tie.  “I have no idea what you are talking about.”  He took the lid back off the jar.  “Have a sweet, with any luck the toffees will glue your teeth shut.”

“I thought that they were Elizabeth’s?”  He smiled as he reached in to find a lemon lozenge. 

“They are, but . . . if they are gone we have an excellent excuse to return to the confectioner’s in the village.”  A warm smile crossed his lips.  “A most enjoyable experience.”

“I can well imagine.”  Richard smiled and looked down.

“There it is.”

“Pardon?”

“What is bothering you?”  Darcy sat forward and pointed to his cousin’s mouth.  “Every time I speak of something particularly sentimental regarding my wife, you look as if you had lost your best friend.”  Richard stared and Darcy read his expression.  “Out with it.”

“I think it is perfectly obvious and I hardly need to spell it out.”  He said evasively.

“My loving my wife has nothing to do with your decision to leave the army, and nothing to do with Albert.”  Tilting his head he watched Richard.  “I think that you are ready.”

“Ready to do what, exactly?”  He demanded and groaned.  “You are speaking of marriage.”

Darcy smiled and sat back, watching a very rare shade of pink spread across his cousin’s cheeks. “Remember, I told you that the time to find a bride is before you are your father’s heir.”

Richard scoffed.  “That could be a decade from now.” 

“That may be true . . . or not.  I can only say how lost I would be right now without Elizabeth by my side.  I cannot imagine facing this alone or with any other woman.  You will have to choose with your head as well as your heart.  You have a tough slog ahead of you.”

“I need an Elizabeth.”  He murmured and started to chuckle when Darcy looked at him sharply.  “Seriously Darcy, relax.”

Letting down a little, Darcy studied him.  “You have known a great many women, has none of them struck you as wife-worthy?”

“I was not looking at them for companionship that lasted beyond sunrise.”  He breathed heavily through his nose. 

“So you want a woman who stimulates your mind?  Amongst other things?”  Richard laughed at the happy man and Darcy sat forward.  “You need to meet some nice girls.”

“I have hardly had time to attend the places where the nice girls lurk.”

“There was that dinner last night.  I was not paying much attention, but . . . was there anyone there who caught your eye?  I noticed you speaking with our host’s daughter a number of times.  Miss Kelly seemed nice.”

“She is more than nice.”  Richard said thoughtfully.

“Is she?”  Darcy retrieved the jar of sweets.  “How nice is she?”

“Not nice enough for you it seems.”  Richard grabbed for the jar and Darcy held it far and away from him.  “She said something of meeting you before, how can you not remember her?”

Laughing, Darcy stood and put the jar on a high shelf behind him.  “Forgive me, but I do not.  Do you remember every woman who has spent time in your arms let alone was introduced?”  Richard smiled ruefully.  “How old is she?”

“Four and twenty.” 

“So when I met her she was . . . eighteen, maybe nineteen?”  Darcy shrugged.  “I am sorry; I was not looking for love then.  I had more than enough of the female sex watching my travelling companions at it for months.”

Richard relaxed, “You poor innocent.” 

“Compared to you I was a celibate.”  He heard a long sigh and decided to stop picking on his old habits.  “I knew enough to begin without making a fool of myself with Elizabeth and now it is all . . .” He stopped when Richard’s brow rose.  “None of your business.  Go away so that I can play with my dear wife.  We are in desperate need of time alone.”

“I know that I cannot stay too long, as much as I would like to.”  He rubbed his fingers along the sides of the wingback chair.  “Why is it that no matter where you happen to be living, it feels more like my home than anywhere I actually belong?”  Darcy chuckled.  “Maybe I am just avoiding the inevitable.”

“Facing your parents and all that comes with it?” 

Richard drew a breath and sighed.  “What do you suggest I do first?”

“I would go to Matlock.  Now is ideal.  With the family away you can learn at your steward’s feet.”

“I think that a new steward may be needed.  Should he not have kept Father apprised of Gladney failing?”

“That was not his property to administer, but you have a good point.”

“How about that man of yours, Ferguson?”

“No.”

“It would be his great chance to run something more than Sommerwald.”

“He is mine.”  Darcy growled. 

“I will put it to him, you can take whoever runs Gladney . . .” Richard smirked.  “Oh very well, I will not steal the man you have groomed from afar.  Does Ferguson have an underling?”

“I will ask him.  I will speak to Barnes as well.” 

From upstairs they heard the pianoforte begin to play and Elizabeth’s voice added to the song.  The men stopped their conversation and smiled.  “Beautiful.”  The smile fell away from Darcy’s face.  “She sings so rarely anymore, at least she is feeling better today.”

“After missing the wedding?”  Darcy nodded and Richard watched him.  “Could you have gone?”

“How?  We barely left Pemberley in time before Georgiana suddenly blossomed . . .” His eyes closed.  “Lord, this is so hard.  I have not been able to speak normally with her since coming home at Christmas.  I try.  I want to . . . Elizabeth has finally managed to establish a friendship with her.  She has told Georgiana that she will not forget what she did, but that she feels it will do them no good to continually rehash it.  She was wrong, it has terrible consequences, but . . . life goes on.”