Memory: Volume 1, Lasting Impressions, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (Memory: A Tale of Pride and Prejudice) (44 page)

“You left my imagination free to roam.”  She laughed to see his shaking head.  “What are you plotting?”

“May we leave it until tomorrow?  We can speak privately.”

“When are we ever able to really speak privately?”  She demanded.  “Please tell me or I will imagine so many horrible possibilities.”

Harwick had been watching the whispered exchange with a gentle smile on his face.  “Darcy, I recommend that you give in.”

“No . . .” Darcy laughed to see Elizabeth’s eyes flash and he felt his desire rise.  “I want to see just how imaginative you are Miss Elizabeth.”

“You are sure to see how stubborn I am, sir.”

“Sir?”  He said quietly.

“SIR.”  Elizabeth said emphatically. 

Darcy sighed and looked to Mr. Gardiner.  “Could we send a servant to have my carriage brought around?”  He turned back to Elizabeth.  “You are not the only stubborn person in this conversation.”  She stared at him open-mouthed and he rose to bow to Mrs. Gardiner then Jane.  “I wish you a pleasant evening.” 

Harwick winked at him and Mr. Gardiner chuckled as Darcy raised his brow at Elizabeth.  “Will you see me out, Miss Elizabeth?”

“You are so anxious to go, why do you need me?”  She huffed. 

“Lizzy!”  Mrs. Gardiner spoke softly.

“I will do it for you, Aunt.”  Elizabeth stood and walked past Darcy to the door and out into the hallway.  Darcy bowed again and left the room. 

Jane looked at everyone.  “They are fighting!  But I thought they were in love!”

The Gardiners sighed and Harwick looked sadly away from the doorway, and back to Jane and smiled slightly.  “I am sure that a cross word will never pass between us, Miss Bennet.”  Jane smiled happily with his words, and he looked back to the door.

In the hall Darcy stood by the front door, his hat in his hands, and glanced out of the window when his coach appeared.  “Well then Miss Elizabeth, I thank you for the very pleasant evening.  I am happy that our wedding day has been set, and I wish you a goodnight.”  He bowed and started to open the door. 

“That is all?”  Elizabeth cried.

“What else do you wish for?  I was under the impression that you were unhappy with me?”

She waved her arms at him.  “So this is the man I am marrying?  One who runs away from a discussion?”

Darcy stepped away from the door and looked down at her.  “What do you suggest?”

“Well at least kiss me and tell me everything is well between us.”  Her voice still held a hint of exasperation, but he also heard her worry.  In a flash she was wrapped in his arms and kissed fiercely.  Darcy’s one hand supported her neck, the other stole down to rest over her bottom and lifted her up to press tightly against his ever-present arousal.  “Ohhhh.”  She gasped when he tore his mouth away and spoke in pants in her ear. 

“When we marry, my Elizabeth, my love, a discussion of this sort will not end by us separating, I assure you.  I leave now only because if I do not, you uncle will have me standing before the altar at gunpoint in the morning.”  He broke away from her, stared intently into her eyes, lifted his fingers to touch her love swollen lips, then left the house.

Elizabeth swallowed hard and leaned heavily against the doorframe.  Her hand was on her chest, and she could feel her heart pounding under her palm as he drove away.  “Oh my.”

26 MAY 1809

Harwick confessed to me today that he is not at all offended by Elizabeth but is actually attracted to her.  My good sense tells me she is purely a bittersweet reminder of his lost wife, although my jealous soul cannot ever forget his words.  I am a fool.  I cannot begin to imagine losing Elizabeth and being forced to find a woman to bear me a son.  I would rather leave Pemberley to Georgiana than face that fate.  We have decided to write to Mr. Bennet and suggest, strongly, that he come to London and meet Harwick.  If Harwick travelled to Longbourn, I know that any possibility of marriage with Miss Bennet would be eliminated before he crossed the threshold.  Hopefully this sanctimonious patriarch will deign to appear.  Otherwise I am certain that Harwick will very nicely but firmly end his courtship and move on to find another willing woman. 

I dread telling Elizabeth about her father coming; I hate to cast any pall over our joy.  She was delightful today, so happy and playful.  She makes me smile and laugh, she is a pleasure to battle, she brings out boyishness in me that I thought was long dead, and I love her for it.  Her kiss in the study, if only she knew how exciting it is to have her kiss me!  My desire for her is painful; I can barely believe that I was capable of walking from the house with any dignity at all. I crave the day that I will at last make her mine and relieve for a moment this unending ache, before I must have her again.  Fifty-two days, why on earth did I choose a date so long away
!

Darcy set down his pen and closed his eyes tightly as his body inevitably reacted to his thoughts. 
Again, dearest?  What you do to me!
  He drew a deep breath and attempted to control the yearning; and giving up, retired for the evening.

26 May 1809

I can think of no better occupation than kissing Fitzwilliam Darcy.  Each time he seems to show me a little more, and when it ends, frustratingly soon, I am left wanting desperately for him to continue.  He pulls away and I wish to grab his lapels and bring him back!   I have discovered that he seems to lose all resolve when I kiss him first, he becomes very still and sways like a tall tree in the breeze and then he wraps me up so tightly in his arms.  Oh I could stay there forever!

Elizabeth looked up when Mrs. Gardiner leaned in the doorway.  “Are you well, Lizzy?  We grew concerned when you did not return.”

“Oh, yes Aunt, I wished to record my thoughts while they were fresh.”  She blushed and closed her journal.

“I see.”  Mrs. Gardiner walked in and touched her shoulder.  “You must be experiencing a great many new emotions.  I think that you and I need to have some conversation soon.  In only seven weeks you will be a married woman.”

“It seems so long.”  Elizabeth said unhappily.

Laughing softly, her aunt kissed her forehead and gave her a hug.  “It will be here before you know it.”

“ALL IN.”  The men threw their cards down and Wickham groaned.

“That’s it for you, I think.”  The grinning man scooped up the coins on the table and drew them back to his chest.  He tossed Wickham a shilling.  “Here, for your drink.”

“Very amusing, Scott.”  Wickham grabbed the coin and pocketed it.  “One more round.  I feel lucky.”

“And what will you play with?  I’ve got all your cash.”

He drew out a pocket watch.  “Here, this is worth a hundred pounds, a gift upon graduation from my godfather.” 

Scott picked it up and studied it, saw that it was not running and tossed it on the table.  “Five.”

Wickham snatched it back.  “Are you out of your mind?”

He shrugged and started counting the money before him, turning the pile into neat columns.  Wickham eyed it enviously.  “I’ll sell it and return to win my money back.”

“As you like.  I think you should find a new source of income. Cards are not your talent.  What happened to that widow you were entertaining?”

“Hmm?  Oh, she found a husband.”  He rubbed his jaw and picked up a paper that was abandoned nearby.  “I suppose a new widow would be easy to find.”  He ignored the war news and turned to the society page, and began searching the gossip for likely victims when a thought struck him.  “Darcy.”

“Who?”

Wickham looked up and folded the paper under his arm.  “Nothing.”  He stood and lunging forward, knocked over the stacks of coins and disappeared in a second, leaving Scott standing and shaking his fist in his wake.

Chapter 17

“D
O not slouch, Georgiana.”  Lady Matlock watched her niece with a critical eye.  “It is an honour to be at the table with the adults, and you must behave as one.”“But I have always sat with Fitzwilliam at dinner.”  She pointed out.

“He wanted the company.  When you are married, your children will eat separately until they are at least fifteen.”  She glanced at her son.  “As Layton can support.”

“Yes Cousin, I was relegated to the nursery for a long time, and once allowed to eat with my parents, I found myself wishing to return.”  He laughed and Georgiana giggled. 

“How was your afternoon with Darcy and Miss Elizabeth?”  Alicia asked.

“Oh, it was wonderful!  Fitzwilliam is so happy!   He smiled and laughed.  Miss Elizabeth is so good for him.”  She saw that everyone was listening, and looked down.  “He bought her a beautiful locket, and then gave the jeweller a curl of her hair to be made into a ring.  He had cut more than was necessary, so he had the rest bound with a gold clip, and purchased a little box made of mother-of-pearl.  He said it will fit nicely in the pocket for his watch fob.”  She sighed happily.

“Who knew that Darcy could be such a sentimental fool?”  Layton laughed.

“I think that it is wonderful.”  Alicia said softly, causing her husband to turn his eyes to her.

“So you approve of the match now?  I thought that you were in agreement that Miss Elizabeth is wholly unsuitable.”

“If you look beyond her status, there is nothing that is wrong with her.”  She saw Lady Matlock’s raised brows.  “Oh, well yes she certainly requires refinement and a great deal of instruction for moving in society, but in essentials, she is a precisely what our cousin needs.  No doubt she will quickly pick up what she needs to know, I understand that she is very quick witted.  The important point is that our unhappy cousin is at last happy.”  She smiled to see Georgiana nod.

“I am surprised at you.”  Layton studied her.  “I have never known you to tolerate anyone below our circle.”

“No, that is you, Husband.”  She glanced at him.  “I allow room for individual achievement without dismissing the entire population.”

“So you are saying that if you had met Miss Elizabeth on her own, without her attachment to Darcy, you would have befriended her?”  Lord Matlock asked with a small smile.

Alicia flushed.  “No, I suppose not, I would have passed her over.”

“So you are a hypocrite!”  Layton said triumphantly. 

She spoke coldly.  “At least I am willing to accept a family member’s choice.  Audrey likes her and she has spent hours in her company.  Do you not trust your own sister?”

“Audrey has stars in her eyes from what she perceives as love.”  Lady Matlock said quietly.

“Is it not love?”  Georgiana asked.  The table grew silent and each member contemplated their own marriage and thought of what Darcy had found. 

“It may very well be.”  Lord Matlock said softly and looked at his wife.  “Only time will tell.”  Clearing his throat he added, “I saw the notice in the paper about the engagement.  I expect that we will be hearing from Catherine soon.” 

“Oh, that is right, well that should be interesting!”  Layton rubbed his hands together.  “I lay down odds she will arrive here within a week, breathing fire!”

“No doubt.”  Lord Matlock said slowly.  “She may cause trouble.”

“Darcy told her in no uncertain terms that marriage to Anne was not a possibility.  Richard said that she was shocked and disappointed but seemed to accept that fact.”

“But did Anne?  She has heard that she was to marry her cousin since birth, and has had no opportunity to meet anyone else.  She is a bit old to be entering the marriage fray as a novice now.”

“I think that it is terrible that a woman be considered old at the age of three and twenty!”  Georgiana cried.  All eyes turned to her and she flushed and looked back at her plate.

“Have you ever thought that Anne was a little unbalanced?”  Lady Matlock asked.

“No more so than her mother.”  Layton laughed.

“I often wondered if the reason that my sister kept her at Rosings had nothing to do with her delicate health.”  Lord Matlock chewed thoughtfully.  “But then again, she is such a shadow of her mother; it is difficult to say what exactly the problem is there.  Well at least Darcy is safe from her now.” 

“OH DEAR.”  Elizabeth folded Charlotte’s letter and sighed.

“What is it Lizzy?”  Mrs. Gardiner looked up from her sewing and smiled at her.

“Mama has been crowing about my engagement and Jane’s courtship to the neighbourhood, claiming that it was all her doing.  She has been speaking freely of Mr. Darcy’s and Mr. Harwick’s assets.”

“That is not surprising; however in Jane’s case it is very premature.  Mr. Harwick has made no decision on their future.  He is courting her.”

Elizabeth nodded and sighed. “Mr. Darcy explained about the invitation to Papa.”  She thought of the emotional conversation they had in her uncle’s study the day previous and closed her eyes for a moment before glancing again at the letter. “At last I am Mama’s favourite, and all because of Mr. Darcy’s ten thousand a year.”

Mr. Gardiner cleared his throat.  “That figure is not accurate.”

She turned to him with surprise.  “What do you mean?”

“Although it could be said that his income from Pemberley alone is that amount, he has many other investments and properties.”  He saw her confusion and continued.  “Mr. Darcy felt that to expose his true income would actually make him an even greater target for women and parents conspiring to capture his attention.  So he chooses to tell those who he does not completely trust that his income is not less than ten thousand.” 

“Not less . . . It is more?”  Elizabeth asked with wide eyes.

“Significantly.”  He tilted his head and smiled.  “Would you care to hear?”

“No.”  She said emphatically.  “If there is reason to know he will tell me, but to hear of anything greater will likely frighten me further.  As long as the roof over my head does not leak, I am content.”  Mr. Gardiner chuckled and she laughed.

“I do not believe that will be a problem, dear.”  He stood and kissed her forehead.  “If you think about it, your mother feels the same about Longbourn, and the news of your engagement, as poorly displayed as it is and for as much as she has made you feel insignificant for all of your life, is a very important event for her.  Try to keep that in mind.”