Imperative: Volume 2, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (79 page)

“Yes.”  He chuckled and gradually regained control.  They both drew deep breaths and stood smiling foolishly at each other.  “I have a proposal.”

“Yes?”

“Let us marry in the morning.”  Sophie’s mouth opened and he shook his head. “Hear me out.  Instead of waiting a week in nervous anticipation, trying to avoid . . . frankly something that neither of us wishes to avoid, let us marry and
be
married, in every sense of the word.” 

“I . . . While I have no objection . . . But our families . . . they travelled so far to be here, would it be . . . we cannot simply marry and disappear on our honeymoon.”

“What honeymoon?  We are going to Gladney!  I propose that we marry, and remain here for the first week.  We can enjoy our families who intended to be here that long, but we can do so as a married couple.  We can participate in the same activities, but we can be free to do so without the looming date of the wedding, and . . .”  Taking her by the hand, he pulled her to the gallery door where he pointed to Darcy and Elizabeth, embraced still but talking and laughing together as they looked up at the portraits.  “That is what I want for us, Sophie.”  He looked to her.  “They had no honeymoon . . . but look at them.”

“I admire them, too.”  She said quietly. 

“I realize that the wedding breakfast would not be ready, but . . . could we not celebrate it on the last day of everyone’s visit?”  He looked at her hopefully.  “Do you understand?”

“Yes, I do.”  She smiled and looked at his hand clasping hers.  “But . . . it is only a week, Richard.  And . . . would there be gossip about us rushing it?  Does your family need more, just to satisfy our desires?  It is not so much to wait a little to . . . We want to do this with no regrets, do we not?”

Richard read her eyes and then closed his.  “Of course, of course your reasoning is as sound as mine is passionate.  I base my desires on what I see my cousins display and I forget the sacrifices they endured for months to finally arrive at this point they live now.  I wished for the easy path.  Can you forgive me?”

“You asked to marry me sooner because you wanted me?  How can I think that is anything that is remotely wrong? It will be over in the blink of the eye, you will see.”

“I will see it more clearly when it is over.  Until then it is interminable.” 

“Does it help to know that I am miserable, too?”

“Yes, it does.”  He laughed. 

“Let us go to dinner, then, before we have any other foolish ideas.”  Taking his hand, they approached the gallery door and saw that the room was empty.  “Thank goodness, we did not have to walk past them!”

Richard kissed her and smiled at the sparkle in her eyes, “They never would have known we were there.” 

“LET ME BE THE FIRST to welcome you to the Fitzwilliams, Miss Kelly.”  Lord Matlock picked up his glass of wine and smiled at Sophie, seated on his right.  “We are glad to have you join our family and make a man out of our son.”

“Hear, hear!”  Richard cried from his mother’s side. 

“Thank you, but what is he now, sir?  Is not achieving the rank of colonel example enough of maturity?”  She smiled at Richard who puffed his chest and nodded around at the family. 

“You see?  I have chosen well!”

Sophie laughed and looked at his father, “Besides, I think that he has passed the age for sliding down drainpipes.”

“Richard, you told her of those stunts?  Did you think it would impress her?”  Lady Matlock sighed and looked to Mr. Kelly on her left, “I do hope that you know he is a responsible adult now.”

“I believe that I know why the colonel told that particular story.”  He smiled down the table at his daughter. 

Richard grinned, “Precisely, I thought it would elicit just the reaction I received.” 

Darcy nodded, “So you were attempting to be interesting.” 

“I do have a way of commanding attention.”  He said confidently.

“Or putting your audience to sleep.”  Elizabeth laughed along with the rest of the table.

Richard sighed, “Mrs. Darcy, will I never win your approval?  Have I not paid my debt?”

Smiling, she turned to Sophie.  “I am so happy for you, Miss Kelly!  I knew that you would be the one woman in the world who could take on this . . . soldier.”  She laughed when Richard groaned.  “One bit of advice, listen carefully to everything he says.”

“Because it is so wise?”  Sophie looked at him with a teasing smile.  Darcy and Gladney coughed while the Kelly family watched curiously.

“No, because he often says one thing and means another.” 

“Elizabeth.”  Richard said with a warning tone.  Darcy chuckled and Richard’s gaze settled on him.  “Your wife does not let go.”

“I agree, her clasp is quite ardent.  I find it exceedingly pleasurable to watch her.”  Darcy murmured softly into his glass, then taking a sip, turned his attention to Robert.

Richard nearly choked with surprise.  “Well, he has certainly come prepared to play!”

“Play?  Were you talking of a game?”  Cathy asked.

Richard glanced at her, “Ah yes, word games.  Darcy is excellent; it’s that enormous library of his.  He has an unfair advantage.”  Cathy’s brow creased and he smiled, “Do not mind me, I am a fool tonight.” 

“We all know that, Dickie.  Congratulations, you have chosen a handsome bride.”  Gladney nodded appreciatively at Sophie.  Richard offered him his hand across the table and Gladney sighed. “Good Lord, do not make a scene!  Mother will have a fit.”  They glanced at Lady Matlock interrogating Mr. Kelly about his sons and rolled their eyes.

“Well that is her talent, is it not?  I see that the mothers have spent a great deal of time arranging their gowns and jewels to their greatest and most intimidating effect.”  Richard smiled with Sophie’s gasp of surprise when he realized she had been listening to him.  “Did I read your mind, dear?”   He laughed and seeing that she was engaged in a new conversation, returned to his brother.  “You look almost human, Bertie.” 

“An unlikely accomplishment.”  He glanced at Anne seated beside Darcy. “My wife keeps a close eye on me when she is not fighting Cathy.” 

“Then she has no time at all.”  Richard grinned at Anne and looked over to Cathy, who was staring pensively at Elizabeth as she unconsciously touched her necklace and spoke with Lady Catherine.

Anne glanced at her husband, “We are not fighting.”

“Good for you, Anne, on both counts.  It is good to see you looking so well.”

“Thank you, Richard, both Albert and I feel well, do we not?”

“Never better.”  Gladney said flatly.

Sophie addressed him, “Lord Gladney, may I take this opportunity to thank you for your generosity?  I fear that Colonel Fitzwilliam might never have had the courage to propose when he did had it not been . . .”

“No, no, that is enough.  No more need to speak of it.  You two just get on with the business of marriage.”  Gladney looked to Anne.  “I will leave you to the inquisition.”  Turning his head, he looked out of the window and stared out at the estate.  His hand reached automatically for his absent snuff box and then up to brush at his nose.

“Look what you have started!”  Anne hissed.

“What did I do?”  Sophie whispered.

“You picked at a slowly healing wound.”  Lord Matlock sighed and spoke quietly as he watched his son.  “The situation is extraordinarily embarrassing to the whole family, no matter how true the statement is.”

“I am so sorry, Lord Matlock.”

“You were being honest and polite, that is all.  At least my sister did not chime in.”  Seeing Sophie’s confidence evaporate, he patted her arm. 

“How are you bearing up?  Do you miss it?”

Gladney looked at Harding and felt himself relaxing in his company.  “I cannot spend a half hour without wanting it again.  I fear it will be something I chase or run away from to the end of my days.” 

“I was not so much addicted mentally as physically, but there are times when I crave the release into oblivion.”

“Yes.”  Gladney sighed.  “Yes, you understand.”  

“Will you try it again?  Will you think you can take it?”

“I will think it regardless of how I feel.”

“Do not let a powder take this place from you.”  Harding urged.  “Be stronger than the addiction.” 

“All that I can do is try.”  Albert smiled and pushed his plate away.  “You do the same.”     

Samuel touched Elizabeth’s shoulder.  “What was Lady Catherine saying to you?  There was a glint in your eye for a moment where you looked like you wanted to let loose your opinion most vehemently.”

“You were watching?”  She laughed, “You are as terrible as Fitzwilliam!  What is it about you Darcy men?” 

“You are not going to tell me?  It was that distasteful?”  He leaned and grinned.  “Now I am determined to know.” 

“Go speak to the Kelly boys, they look a little lost.”  She noted Stephen and Robert staring and Samuel immediately jumped into conversation with them.

“What did Aunt say?”  Georgiana whispered.

“She informed me that it was time to produce an heir and has warned me that we will be discussing the subject.  I fear this will be our after dinner entertainment.  You must save me, Georgiana.  We must begin singing and not stop until the men join us.” 

“Oh Elizabeth . . . she means well . . .”

“Yes, and she meant well when she demanded to know why you stayed with Samuel instead of paying your respects to her before dinner, and then complained that she could not see you clearly without her spectacles, followed by the statement that her eyes will be perfectly fine if she wills them to be.”  Elizabeth laughed, “Expect to be summoned and exclaimed over.  If Aunt Grace was not occupied with Sophie and Mrs. Kelly, you know that she would have examined you by now.”  Elizabeth smiled at Georgiana’s obvious dismay.  “Now, Miss Kelly is in desperate need of cheering and Richard is clearly at a loss about how to do it from across the table, barring dragging her from the room and kissing her.”  Georgiana’s hand went to her mouth and she laughed. 

Elizabeth smiled at Sophie, “Miss Kelly, I do not believe that you have properly met my sister, Georgiana Darcy?” 

“Oh, no, I have not.  It was all a blur of names this afternoon.” 

Georgiana followed her sister’s encouraging nod, “I am so glad that you have accepted Richard, he has been so happy since he met you.  I remember how he was floating around Sommerwald . . .”

Elizabeth laughed, “Quite an image, if you think about it.” 

Sophie started, “You were at Sommerwald?” 

“Oh.”  Georgiana looked to Elizabeth.

“Yes.  Georgiana was visiting with us.  Of course we would not take her along to the visits to your home, she was only fifteen then.  We are only now going to start allowing her to attend private events in people’s homes, since she has reached sixteen years.”  Elizabeth squeezed her hand.  “But we did not socialize a great deal in Scotland, so you really did not miss too much.” 

“You are only sixteen?”  Sophie’s surprise was clear and seeing Georgiana’s embarrassment, spoke quickly, “I had no idea . . . Robert thought that he spotted someone in the window one time when he visited, but . . . that night that we stayed over . . .”

“I was ill in bed, that day.”  Georgiana said quietly, “Well, for the whole week.”

“It is not something that we would discuss in front of the gentlemen.”  Elizabeth added and noticed Darcy look away.

“Ohhh.”  Sophie smiled.  “It improves with each month, it is difficult the first year or so.”

“Only the first year?”  Elizabeth laughed and smiled warmly at Georgiana with the success of their ruse, “Someday I will retire my hot water bottles!”

Sophie bit her lip and glancing down the table at Richard, asked softly, “What did you mean, that he does not always mean what he says?”   

“He is as talented as my dear husband with putting his foot in his mouth.  I can proudly say that it improves with the comfort of marriage to a patient and not overly-sensitive wife.”  She encouraged her.  “He is not as tough as he pretends, at least with matters of the heart.”

“He is all soft on the inside.”  Sophie smiled shyly at him and Richard’s appreciation was evident.  “I cannot wait to marry him.”

“Tell him, not us.”  Elizabeth laughed.

“I beg pardon, Mr. Darcy, but I do not believe that we know that young lady.”  Stephen was watching Georgiana.  “She is . . . stunning.”  It took a sharp jab in the ribs from Robert before he tore his eyes away from her and met the ice cold blue of Darcy’s.  “Forgive me.”

“She is your sister?”  Robert asked. 

“Yes, she is, and if you were eavesdropping on the conversation, you know that she was at Sommerwald with us.”

“Yes, I . . . I am sorry that we missed her.”  Stephen murmured.

“She is sixteen, sir.” 

“Only sixteen?”  He sighed. “Too young.” 

“If your career is established in four years or so, then you may speak to me about her.  No sooner.  Shall we change the subject?”  He looked between them expectantly.

“There was another girl at Sommerwald, I heard of a . . . Miss Cargill?”  Robert looked at Stephen.

“Cargill?”  Harding jumped in,“Oh, that cousin who visited for a bit?”

“You have a cousin, Cargill?”  Lord Matlock asked.  Suddenly the table was quiet. 

“On the Darcy side, yes.  Quite distant.” 

“She kept me company for a time, since Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth were . . . still honeymooning.”  Georgiana said softly, “She was a constant companion.” 

“Speaking of companions, I am disappointed that Mrs. Annesley did not come.”  Mrs. Kelly asked.

“There was no need, Georgiana is hardly alone, and I believe that we can protect her from your elder sons.  Now young Mitchell is another story.”  Darcy smiled at Georgiana’s wide eyes.  “Too young for you?”

“I . . . I . . .”

“He is teasing you, Georgiana.”  Elizabeth smiled. 

“Oh.”  She blushed and the three families laughed together.  “Sometimes I just do not know what you are thinking, Fitzwilliam.” 

“My, that sounds familiar, does it not, Mrs. Darcy?”  He smiled and felt her foot on his leg beneath the table. 

“It certainly does.”  She tried to hide her surprise when he caught her slipper and rubbed her ankle.