The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy (8 page)

“Lizzy, you have another letter from Miss de Bourgh. She has become quite a faithful correspondent.”

“I like her very much, but I am sure she has many correspondents. I know I would if I lived in that big house and with such a mother! She writes a good deal about Charlotte, and, of course, Mr. Collins. But let us read this latest missive and hear what Miss de Bourgh has to say.”

Dear Elizabeth,

Knowing of your love for walking in the grove near the gazebo, I am happy to tell you that the first flowers of spring are now in full bloom. There are crocuses and red and yellow tulips, and some of the flowering trees are budding. It will be only a matter of days before they will burst into color. There are robins hopping about everywhere on the lawn, and Mr. Greene is already complaining of the rabbits eating his shoots. I am of the opinion that there are few gardens in the south of England that are as lovely as Rosings, especially at this time of year.

There is another garden of equal beauty, but it is in Derbyshire at Pemberley, the Darcy estate. So when I read your letter that you are taking my advice and journeying to the Peak, I thought I should write immediately to insist upon your visiting Pemberley’s gardens as they were designed by Humphry Repton and executed under the direction of Mr. Darcy’s father. They will take your breath away as the many beautiful peaks and valleys can be seen in the distance, and each garden is situated perfectly for some of the best views in the whole of the county.

All that is required is that you apply to the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, who is a wonderful woman, who dearly loves to conduct visitors through the manor house, and Mr. Ferguson, the head gardener, provides the same service in the gardens. If you do not go, you will be depriving both of the opportunity to show off their knowledge of the history of the estate.

“Oh, Lizzy, you must go,” Jane said, interrupting her sister. “How could you not? If you had accepted Mr. Darcy, you would have been the mistress of Pemberley.”

“I most certainly shall not go,” Lizzy said emphatically. “What if Mr. Darcy is in residence? What would he think of me touring his estate?”

“But I should think it would be an easy thing to find out if the Darcys are at home. I am sure when they go to Pemberley they must go right through Lambton, and the villagers will know because they will have seen the carriages and wagons go by. Ask the innkeeper if the Darcys are in residence, and if they are not there, why on earth would you not go?”

“If you are so interested in Pemberley, then you should go with Aunt and Uncle Gardiner.”

“I do not have the love of the outdoors that you do, and I have promised Aunt that I shall look after the children. Lizzy, do you regret your refusal of his offer? Is that why you are so reluctant to visit?”

“I try not to think about it at all. I am not happy with my performance in Kent, so I choose not to dwell on it as it serves no purpose.”

Lizzy reread Anne’s letter. She loved touring gardens and had seen some of Repton’s work at Woburn Abbey, and she had heard that Derbyshire had some of the most dramatic landscapes in the whole of England. As she had never been to the Peak, it would be wonderful to see such scenery.

“All right. If the Darcys are not in residence and if Aunt and Uncle agree, I would very much like to see Pemberley. Just from an aesthetic point of view, of course.” And both sisters laughed.

With a steady rain playing tattoos on the top of the carriage, Charles Bingley was organizing his thoughts as he rode to the Strand for the purpose of calling on his brother. With George being the eldest and Charles the youngest of nine children, Charles had come to regard his brother as a father figure, but today it was his intention to change that. He was no longer a boy, and as such, he should be allowed to make his own decisions. And the first decision he had made was his intention of renewing his addresses to Miss Jane Bennet.

“Charles, come in,” his brother said, clearly pleased to see him. “It is hard to believe that we live in the same city, we see each other so infrequently, but then you are often in the country, aren’t you?”

“I hope you do not mind, George, that I have called here at the office, but with all of the children, it would have been difficult to have a discussion.”

“No need to apologize. Seven children and grandchildren clinging to the legs of their favorite uncle is not conducive to conversation. I hope that there is nothing wrong. There was some urgency in the tone of your note.”

“No, it is not urgent. I mean, it is urgent, but not in a bad way,” Charles said, stumbling over his words. “I probably should say that it is important rather than urgent.”

George’s secretary brought in a tray and a pot of coffee. There was a coffeehouse next door, as the older brother had developed a taste for the brew and now preferred it to tea. After pouring the coffee, the secretary left, and George asked his brother to get to the point—whether it be urgent or merely important.

“Caroline, Louisa, Hurst, and I have been invited to go to Pemberley with Darcy and his sister, and we have accepted. It is my intention to stop in Hertfordshire on the return trip to London for the purpose of calling on Miss Jane Bennet. I know you do not approve of the lady. However…”

“Why do you say I do not approve?” George said, interrupting. “I have never met her.”

“But it was you who summoned me to London for that very reason.”

“I did not summon you. I asked you to return to discuss recent events. You could have said ‘no,’ and when you did not visit, I assumed that you had come to your own conclusion.”

“But Caroline said…”

“Said what? We discussed nothing. After Caroline wrote to me regarding Miss Bennet, I asked that you come to London.” Leaning back in his chair, he continued. “Charles, you must understand that in addition to being your brother, I have a fiduciary responsibility with regards to the management of our father’s estate. You have inherited a considerable amount of money, and I wanted to learn more about the lady, especially in light of your sisters’ objections and Mr. Darcy’s concerns.”

“That is why I have come—to discuss the matter. I mean, I wish to bring you up to date—to keep you informed.” Charles took a deep breath. “With regards to Caroline and Louisa’s concerns, in the past, they have accused me of falling in love too often and of not being resolute. Of this, I was guilty. However, it has been such a long time since I last saw Miss Bennet. I have been out in society and have met many charming young ladies, but I have no interest in them. My feelings for Miss Bennet remain unchanged.

“As for Darcy, he had objections to Miss Bennet’s family. It is true that the youngest sisters are all out in society and are three silly girls. But what, according to Darcy, is their older sister’s defect? He was unable to gauge the depth of Miss Bennet’s affections because of a lack of animation on her part. George, Darcy cannot have it both ways. He cannot criticize the young Bennets for being all emotion and then turn around and criticize Miss Bennet for not being emotional enough.

“I had allowed myself to be convinced that Miss Bennet held no affection for me, but in my heart, I know that is wrong. I sat with her. I danced with her. I talked with her. And I know that she cares deeply for me, but unlike her younger sisters, she thinks it is inappropriate to make a public display of her affection.”

George Bingley sat quietly listening to Charles speak with a degree of emotion that he had never before witnessed in his youngest brother. His words were coming from his heart, and it produced a natural eloquence.

“Charles, as you know, the Darcys are in the very top tier of society, and because of his affection for you, Mr. Darcy wants you to marry well. That is his primary concern.”

“But I do not give a fig about high society, George. I do not care that I shall never be invited to join Brook’s or White’s or to dance at Almack’s. I shall tell you in all honesty that I would not want to be a Darcy as it would require me to limit my circle of friends. And if the truth be known, Darcy finds most of the social aristocracy to be total bores and often complete fools. You only need to spend one half hour with his cousin, Lord Fitzwilliam, to understand why.”

“Darcy meant well, and it was at my request that he looked out for you.”

“What do you mean, looked out for me? When? I don’t understand.”

“What I am about to tell you must remain in confidence and must not be repeated even to Mr. Darcy,” George said, turning around as if the gentleman could be found lurking in a corner. “When Mr. Darcy returned from the Continent upon receiving news of his father’s death, he learned that the estate was in difficulty as a result of expansion of the existing manor house and gardens. It was a liquidity problem, which is a common disease of the aristocracy. Mr. Darcy came to me for assistance. I told him what needed to be done. He did it, and the problem was resolved. I was impressed by his calm demeanor, business acumen, and high moral standards. In our conversations, I mentioned that I had a much younger brother who had recently come of age. When I spoke of your love of horses, he mentioned that the Quigleys were hosting a hunt at their Leicester estate, and he offered to secure an invitation for you.”

“If I understand you correctly, without my knowledge, you set Darcy up as what—a chaperone, a guardian?”

“Neither, Charles. The friendship that evolved was genuine. As I have said before, you are a rich young man and a handsome one at that. There are so many members of the aristocracy who are stretched to the absolute limits of their credit. They come to me for help every day of the week, but when I tell them what must be done, they leave. So in order to secure additional funds, they are marrying their sons and daughters off to those of us who have no pedigree but who have plenty of hard cash. Mr. Darcy would know who these people are. My only request to him was that he alert me if such a situation developed.”

“But, George, Miss Bennet is not a fortune hunter. She is an angel. I was never so happy as when I was with her and never so unhappy since I have been deprived of her company.”

“Please do not misunderstand me, Charles. The example given in no way applied to Miss Bennet. Mr. Darcy’s concerns were her lack of connections and the difficulty she would have making her way in society. As to matters of the heart, I can assure you I am totally sympathetic. I was fortunate enough to marry for love. Although Hannah is the daughter of my tailor, I have never had a moment of regret. On the other hand, Louisa married for prestige and look what it got her. Well then,” George said, standing up, “the matter is settled. If you love Miss Bennet as ardently as you say you do, then you should marry her. So I say, go to it.”

As George walked his brother to the door, he remarked, “Charles, I can provide you with guidance, but in the end, the decisions are yours, as are the consequences. I only ask that you not judge Mr. Darcy too harshly. He thinks of you as his brother, and in that capacity, believed he was acting in your best interest.”

Charles left George’s office with a spring in his step. During their visit, the rain had stopped, and the sun had come out. It was a good omen. After his visit to Pemberley, he would continue to seek Darcy’s advice but with the understanding that any discussion was between equals. His only concern was for Miss Bennet. Knowing the financial situation of the family, Charles was hoping that in all these months no one else had made her an offer of marriage and that he had not lost her forever.

Whenever Anne came to town, Darcy always met her carriage at the inn at Bromley because as soon as Georgiana was with Anne, he would hardly be able to get a word in edgewise. So he greatly valued the uninterrupted time they shared traveling the London road. While waiting for the carriage from Rosings Park to arrive, Darcy had been going over their last meeting in his mind. Following Elizabeth Bennet’s rejection of his proposal and her accusations regarding Wickham, Anne had cautioned him that it would be imprudent to write a letter to Elizabeth while he was still smarting from the events that had taken place at the parsonage. But his character had been called into question, and he was determined to rebut her accusations. In the time it took for him to walk to the manor house, he was already regretting the tone of the letter, especially that part where he had written of “the total want of propriety so frequently betrayed by your mother, your three younger sisters, and occasionally even by your father.” In his haste to defend himself with regards to Bingley, he had made Elizabeth’s case for his showing “a selfish disdain for the feelings of others.” Anne was wiser than he.

Darcy saw through the window that Anne’s carriage, with the de Bourgh coat of arms emblazoned on its doors, had arrived. Assisted by Tetley, one of the many servants at Rosings, who would do anything for their mistress, and the ever-faithful Mrs. Jenkinson, Anne stepped out of the carriage and onto the dusty courtyard of the inn. The diminutive figure searched among the faces for her cousin, and a smile signaled when she had found him.

Because so much time passed between visits, Darcy was always taken aback by how frail his cousin was. That had not always been the case. She had been in robust health until she was nearly fourteen when she had become so ill that everyone believed that she would die. The realization by Lord and Lady de Bourgh that they had come very close to losing their only child resulted in the hiring of Anne’s nurse and constant companion, Mrs. Jenkinson, a sensible woman who understood Anne’s needs better than anyone. But the young Anne, who had raced Richard and Will through the gardens of Pemberley, was no more as the illness had taken its toll on her lungs. After her recovery, she sought to reassure her loved ones that the restrictions on her activities really did not matter because it was no longer proper for a “woman of her age” to be found chasing after boys.

After sharing a board of bread and cheese washed down with a pint of ale, the travelers set out for London. After exchanging news of their families, and with Anne cautioning her cousin that she would not tolerate repeated questions regarding her health, the two fell into an easy conversation while her nurse slept.

“Poor Mrs. Jenkinson,” Anne said with a slight laugh. “She can never stay awake when we travel. The rocking of the carriage causes her to fall asleep almost immediately, just like a babe in a cradle.”

“She is a wonderful woman. Each of you complements the other.”

Anne could hardly imagine her life without her companion. Because of her loving attention, life was bearable at Rosings. Although she knew her mother loved her, Lady Catherine’s overbearing personality was so oppressive that Anne used her illness as an excuse not to engage. As a result, she rarely spoke, and because of her mother’s penchant for dominating every conversation, she was left alone with her thoughts while her mother pontificated. It was only in the quiet hours after her mother had retired that Anne, Mrs. Jenkinson, and the head housekeeper would talk in her sitting room.

“Will, you have been a poor correspondent since you left Kent.” When Darcy furrowed his brow, Anne continued. “Oh, you are generous enough in sharing news about Georgiana, but as to matters that affect you, you leave me nothing but crumbs.”

“If you are referring to the situation regarding Miss Elizabeth Bennet, I shall own to it immediately. You were right, and I was wrong. I should never have written that letter.”

“And your feelings for the lady?”

“Unchanged. But there is nothing new there. I assume she is at Longbourn with her family.”

“I know that she is at Longbourn because I correspond with her.”

Darcy gave Anne a wary look. “And pray tell, what is discussed in your letters?”

“Oh, do not look so concerned. I speak of you only in the most general of terms. Since I lead such a sheltered existence and my circle of friends is limited, I write about Mrs. Collins and the friendship that has grown up between us. And then there is Mr. Collins, whose fawning and cooing over my mother provides comic relief. On Elizabeth’s side, she always inquires after Richard. She is concerned that Britain will be drawn into the wars on the Iberian Peninsula, and that he will be in the fight.”

“Do you think Elizabeth has feelings for Richard?”

“She likes him very much. But both are wise enough not to encourage the other, as his poverty is only exceeded by hers. And in my opinion, there was no spark on Elizabeth’s part. But why are we speaking of Richard? You say your feelings are unchanged, so what have you done in these four months to advance your cause?”

“I do have a plan, which is very sketchy at the moment, involving Charles Bingley. As I wrote to you, until recently, Bingley has kept his distance from me. He resented my interference in his affairs regarding Miss Bennet, thus my invitation for him to join us at Pemberley. Once there, I will admit to an error in judgment and will encourage Bingley to approach Miss Bennet for permission to renew his attentions.”

“Oh, I see what you are planning. Following this discussion, Mr. Bingley will proceed to Hertfordshire, where he will win anew the lady’s affections, and by virtue of your friendship with Mr. Bingley, you will find yourself in Elizabeth’s company once again. I think it is a splendid plan with one exception. It separates you from the object of your affection for several more weeks.”

“Yes, but I have obligations. I have recently become a venturer with George Bingley, Charles’s eldest brother. Along with other investors, I am involved in a scheme that will transform the Derwent Valley into a model for industrial development in England. A flannel manufactory is being built as we speak, and George insists on input from all the venturers. While I am in Derbyshire, he wants me to seek out other possible investors. I cannot complain as the man seems to spin gold out of straw, but I am a gentleman, not a man of business, and all of this is new to me.”

“But your plans to arrive at Pemberley in three weeks’ time remain unchanged?”

“Yes, you were very specific as to that date, although you have yet to tell me why we must be in Derbyshire exactly at that time.”

“Do you think you are the only one who has obligations?”

“No, of course not, but schedules had to be rearranged and…” Darcy went quiet. He could see he was at risk of hurting Anne’s feelings if he pressed the issue. But, good God, what obligations could she possibly have? By her own admission, she had a limited circle of friends, and her health placed restrictions on her activities. But he decided there was nothing to be gained by asking more questions. “I was more than happy to accommodate your request, and we will be there exactly at the time you have chosen.”

“Perfect.”