Memory: Volume 1, Lasting Impressions, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (Memory: A Tale of Pride and Prejudice) (52 page)

“Wake up, Husband!”  Anne whispered, touching him and rubbing his back as she kept kissing.  “Wake up!”  She said louder.  When Darcy did not wake she became angry.  “WAKE!”  She cried.  At last he stirred, but still not awake he blinked and closed his eyes again, drifting back to sleep.  Anne kissed him determinedly, and in his exhausted haze, he thought he was dreaming. 

“Elizabeth?”  He murmured, and returned the kiss.  When he felt a response he kissed again.  “Elizabeth.”  He sighed, and without thinking drew Anne’s body to his.  “Oh Elizabeth, I need you, how did you come to be here?” His lips found hers again.  As he awakened further, his eyes opened.  “Elizabeth?” 

He received a sharp slap across his face.  “MY NAME IS ANNE!!!”  Again he felt the sting of her hand as he stared in horror at his nude cousin in his arms.  “I am your wife!!!  HOW DARE YOU cry another woman’s name!!”  Darcy jumped up and away, snatched his nightshirt from the foot of the bed and quickly donned it.

“ANNE!”  He bellowed.  “What the devil are you doing in here?” 

“I am coming to consummate our marriage, Husband.”  She said sweetly and crawled towards him slowly, a soft smile on her face.  “I have dreamed of this night.”  Darcy stepped further away from the bed and she leapt off and lunged forward to wrap her arms around his waist.  “Love me darling.”

“Good God.”  He whispered and fought to find an acceptable location to place his hands and push her away, and giving up, grabbed her shoulders to force her back.  His eyes darted around the room and he spotted her gown. 
She is delusional!
Forcing calm he moved swiftly away to grab the gown and noticed that she was standing still and looking very angry. 

“Why did you push me?”  She screeched.

“I was . . . being playful, Anne.”  He said steadily.  “You do not know the ways of the . . . marriage bed.”

“ohhh.”  Immediately she brightened and a happy lilt came to her voice.  “But you will teach me now, will you not, Husband?”  In a heartbeat she was back and clutching him.  “Why did you dress?”  Beginning to pull at his nightshirt she felt resistance, and then reached down to lift the shirt up to his waist.  “Ahhh!”  She smiled happily to find his decidedly flaccid member.  She grabbed at him and he quickly moved his hips away.

“Do not touch me there!”

“Why?”  She looked at him.  “That is what you want, is it not?  I watched the footman with the maid.”

“You what?”  He said in disbelief and realized she was still nude.  “Put this on, Anne.  Please.”

“The maid was naked.”  Anne shook her head stubbornly.  “Am I not pleasing for you?”  She spread her arms out and he closed his eyes to the sight. 

“I . . .I prefer that you be modest . . .I find it . . .enticing.”  He held out the gown and again a soft smile appeared on her face. 

“ohhhhhh.”  She slipped the gown over her head and he breathed in relief then looked around the room.
What can I do?
  Anne stood before him and smiled.  “Is this better, Fitzwilliam?”  Darcy’s head snapped up.  “Oh, you like me calling your name?  Fitzwilliam?”

“No . . .no please call me Darcy.”

“Oh, no that is not what a wife calls her husband!”  She slid back to him.  “Fitzwilliam, you may love me now.”

“No, no Anne, I . . . it has been a tiring day, I would like you to return to your chambers and we will . . .talk in the morning.”

“I will sleep with you!”  She ran to jump in his bed and he grabbed her arm. 

“NO!”  She stopped and turned.  Her eyes were angry again. 

“What did you say?  I am the mistress of Pemberley.  I am the mistress of Rosings. NOBODY TELLS ME NO!!” 

“I DO!”  He bellowed.  “YOU BELIEVE ME TO BE YOUR HUSBAND?  FINE, I WILL BEHAVE AS ONE.  YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY OVER ANY ESTATE ANY MORE.  YOU GIVE THAT UP WITH MARRIAGE.  YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO DO AS I SAY.  GO TO YOUR ROOM!!”

Anne smiled obediently.  “Of course Fitzwilliam, will you escort me?”

Darcy returned her to the guest chamber, allowed a peck on his cheek, and closed the door.  A footman was standing in the hallway staring fearfully at him.  Darcy pulled himself together and met his eye.  “Miss de Bourgh is ill.  Please locate Mrs. Jenkinson and have her come here immediately.  After that I want you to remain stationed here for the rest of the night.  Under
NO
circumstances is Miss de Bourgh to exit these chambers.  Am I clear?”

“Yes sir!”  The man ran down the steps to the servants’ quarters in the basement.  Darcy drew a deep breath and leaned against the wall, trying to take in what had just occurred. 

“She is insane, is that it?”  He tried to put it all together.  “Thank heaven I did not . . . how could I possibly think that she was . . .oh my Elizabeth, I am so very sorry.”  He closed his eyes and felt guilt overtaking him.  It did not matter that he had been asleep.  He had not touched a woman since the day he learned his father was dying, the day he met Elizabeth.  Until tonight.  His silent agony ended when footsteps pounding on the stairs entered his consciousness.  Mrs. Jenkinson appeared, a bottle clutched in her hand.

“Mr. Darcy, did she harm you?”  She was examining his face.  He touched his cheek and remembered the slaps.

“No, nothing damaging.  Is that some medication for her?”

“Yes, may I give it . . .?”

“Yes, by all means and when she is calm, I would like to speak with you, if you can leave.  The footman will tell you where to find me.”  The woman nodded and he could see her steady herself before entering the room.  He could hear Anne’s happy voice become angry when Mrs. Jenkinson offered her the drug, but after a protracted conversation, Anne seemed to calm, and there was silence.  Darcy slowly returned to his chambers and found a pair of breeches and a shirt, and went to wait in his sitting room, a quarter-hour later Mrs. Jenkinson knocked.  He invited her to sit down.

“Mrs. Jenkinson . . .what ails my cousin?”

“Sir, I have been forbidden to speak of it by Lady Catherine.  I value my employment, sir.”

“If what I suspect is wrong is true, I sincerely doubt that my aunt would be in any hurry to replace you with another.   She is quite renowned for her sharp address to servants, but you are valuable to her.”  He relaxed his grim expression slightly, “I will be sure to remind her of that if necessary.” 

“Thank you, sir.”  The older woman whispered. 

“Now, what can you tell me?”

“Miss Anne is a very good girl most of the time, sir.  She suffers so.”  She said earnestly, his raised brows encouraged her to continue.  “She had scarlet fever as a girl, a mild case, and was nearly recovered when it became rheumatic.  I understand that the fever was terrible, and it was touch and go for a long time.”  Darcy nodded, but had no memory of the event.  “The fever, they think, addled her a little.”

“A little?”

“Well sir, she was confused for a good long time, but she began to feel herself again, but the disease took its toll on her.  It affects the joints and heart, you know.”   She saw his agreement.  “Well sir, the disease also comes back from time to time, flare-ups, and well, each time is worse, and the patient recovers but they are weaker, in the heart, you see.”

“That does not explain her delusions.”

“No sir, Lady Catherine has not spoken to me of that.  She is afraid that word would get around and she might be sent to an asylum.  She could not abide that, sir.”

“For many reasons, I am certain.”  Darcy mused.  “Tonight my cousin was very alert, despite her delusions.  Can you explain that?”

“Yes sir, she usually only receives her elixir when she is to see you.  It wears off during the night.  She must have awakened . . .”

“Why does she only receive it . . .?”  He stopped and saw the woman’s face grow fearful.  “Never mind, I will speak to her mother.  May I ask; what does she take?”

“It is a mild dose of laudanum, sir, just enough to make her compliant, but still able to function.  We also use it to keep her calm when she becomes agitated.”  She looked at her hands nervously.  “I begged her Ladyship not to take Miss Anne on this trip.”

Darcy sighed and stood, then handed a guinea to the amazed woman who rose with him.  “I believe that you were correct in your feelings.  Thank you.  You will remain with her tonight?”

“Yes sir, thank you, sir.” 

He showed her out and wearily returned to the sitting room where he scratched out two notes.  He called the footman, and asked that the first be given to Lady Catherine’s maid to be delivered when her mistress woke, and the second was to be delivered at first light to Matlock House.  Glancing at the time when he returned to his chamber he saw that it was nearly four o’clock.  He stood still and took in the view of his bed, the bedclothes spread over the floor from his hasty escape.  He closed his eyes against the vision of Anne standing naked before him and shuddered with the memory of her hands under his nightshirt and grasping at him . . .
Never again can I sleep here!
  Instead he left the room for his study to sit and try to drink the disturbing assault away, and wonder what damage the fevers had done to his cousin’s mind, why she needed to be sedated to tolerate his presence, and why, in heaven’s name, would his aunt demand that he marry her?

Chapter 20

A
fter a sleepless night, Elizabeth decided that she needed to repair the rift that had developed with Jane.  She knocked on the open chamber door and smiled.  “Did you enjoy yourself?”  She entered and sat on the bed. “I was so dismayed with the attention.”“Were you?”  Jane said quietly after glancing up.  “It certainly seemed that you rather enjoyed it.”

She laughed and groaned.  “Oh, no those interviews by the so-called friends of Mr. Darcy’s family were not enjoyable.  I was trying so hard to not make a fool of myself in front of him.  I kept trying to remember Lady Matlock’s instructions, stand straight, look them in the eye, breathe, smile, disarm, charm . . .be intelligent but not a bluestocking . . .oh it was so difficult!  But Fitzwilliam by my side made it bearable.  He said that he was proud of me.”  She smiled happily and blushed a little.   “I wish that he would speak more, but I think that his stoic presence was really all that was necessary.”  Her words were met with silence as Jane moved about the room.  “Jane?”

“Oh, were you finished?”

“What has happened to you?”  Her tenuous good humour evaporated.  “I tell you Jane; I am tired of your . . .what is wrong?  Have I done something to upset you?”

“No, you do not upset anyone Lizzy; you are perfect in nearly every way.  You are witty and accomplished.”

Elizabeth watched her with narrowed eyes.  “And where am I lacking?”  Jane shrugged.  “How do you feel that you are doing with Mr. Harwick?  He seemed to try very hard to engage you in conversation.”

“He did, but he also spent a great deal of time looking your way.”

“If you spent more time endeavouring to capture his attention yourself, he would not be distracted by someone else!”

“Are you implying that I am dull?”

“I am saying that you are making no effort!  Jane, I am marrying Fitzwilliam Darcy, this silly jealousy over men looking at me is ridiculous!  Can you not see that it makes you look unattractive?”

“Mr. Bingley smiled and spoke to me.”

“Mr. Bingley smiles and speaks to everyone!”  Elizabeth cried in exasperation.  “And may I ask; why were you paying so much more attention to him than Mr. Harwick?”

“I was not!”

“Jane, I know that Mr. Bingley is a very comfortable man to talk with, but
he
is not courting you!  He is in no position to marry yet, and he
knows
that!  I am sure that you may be flattered by his easy ways, but do not mistake them for anything other than that of a man who is young and has not learned to curb himself.  You laughed and talked to him more readily than you ever did to Mr. Harwick, and he
noticed
, Jane!  He saw the difference!  What do you think that tells him?”

Jane’s face grew red and she stammered her excuses.  “I . . .I am behaving as I should with him.  I am being demure, I am not exposing my interest before he shows me his, I am doing as I should!”

“Did it ever occur to you that Mr. Harwick did expose his interest by calling on you to begin with?  Why do you think he is here?  Because he is indifferent?  You are the one behaving in that manner.  Why on earth would he be so frustrated with trying to talk to you that he would instead fall into a deep discussion with Mr. Singleton instead?”

“Mr. Singleton was intoxicated.  Mr. Harwick was keeping him occupied.”  Jane looked away.

“I grant that Mr. Harwick is a good man and very well might have been driven to protect Audrey from embarrassment by her husband, but if you recall, he was doing that while you were clearly enjoying speaking with Mr. Bingley.  Why would Mr. Harwick choose to compete with that?  He does not have to compete!  Jane, do you not understand?  Mama was incorrect; to attract a man you must do more than smile!  You must promote yourself!  Mr. Harwick has a whole city full of women to court.  He chose you for a reason, but that does not mean that he will offer for you.” 

“I will not remake myself for some man.  Mama said . . .”

Elizabeth jumped up.  “I cannot listen to more of this.  Mama did us and our sisters no favours, Jane.  You know it is true.  She drove Mr. Stewart away as surely as Papa hurt us with our nonexistent education and poor dowries.”  She left the room to go down for breakfast.  Finding Mrs. Gardiner alone at the table, she sat down heavily, and tried to hide the tears of frustration. 

“What is wrong, Lizzy?”

“I do not understand, Aunt.  I . . . I am so happy with Mr. Darcy, but Jane, Jane is so different ever since we found each other.  We used to be so close and now . . .I cannot seem to do anything right!”  She wiped her face and looked up.  “I apologized for my behaviour with Mr. Harwick at first, and I have come to like him very much.  I think that he and Mr. Darcy will surely become good friends.  But I am afraid that if Jane does not at least try to . . .”