The Road to Pemberley (27 page)

Kitty smiled to herself as she reread the letter that had been delivered that morning to Pemberley with her name on it. Receiving her own mail on a meticulously polished salver from a whitegloved servant made her feel royal.

She had seen Mr. Denton on one other occasion—the day after her fall, when he kept his appointment with Mr. Darcy. The master of the house had allowed Denton to see her briefly before the two men sequestered themselves in Darcy's study for three hours.

Kitty had wondered what could keep the men talking so, but then, Kitty hadn't realized that Darcy held the advowson to the Lambton parish, nor had she known that he had only recently appointed Denton to the position.

What a great amount of responsibility Darcy held—appointing clergymen, acting as magistrate, caring for tenants, and making sure the land was producing enough so all in the area had jobs and food to eat. Her respect for the brother-in-law who had once terrified her grew.

“Are you sure you're well?” Kitty jumped at her sister's voice, so engrossed in her letter and thoughts of powerful men that she had not heard Lizzy walk into the room.

It had been three days since Kitty's foxhole incident, and she was more than fine—she was feeling downright caged. She wanted to walk and knew her ankle could withstand it, but Dr. Wendington had recommended three
full
days without walking, and Darcy insisted the instructions be followed to the T.

“You know I'm mended, Lizzy.” Kitty looked at Elizabeth, who was standing behind her, her hands gripping the settee where Kitty reclined. Lizzy was the one who didn't look well. Her skin was pale and she had lost weight. “But are
you
well, Sister?”

Mrs. Darcy clasped her hands together and looked up at the ceiling. Looking back down at Kitty, Lizzy said, “I have been meaning to speak with you about it.”

The drawing room door swung open, and Darcy strode toward his wife. “Lord and Lady Chalmer have just arrived. Lark is showing them to their rooms, and they should be down presently.” Darcy took his wife's hand, pressing a kiss to her fingers, and then held it between both of his. “You are up to this? They need not stay overly long.”

“How long, sir?” Lizzy smoothed his cravat.

“He tells me no more than a fortnight. His mother does not travel well, and they mean to continue on to London thereafter.”

Husband and wife turned toward the door as it clicked open.

“Darcy, you old dog! It is a pleasure to see you looking so well, and Pemberley is the jewel I remember.” A thin, dark-haired man, wearing a pomona green dress coat and gleaming Hessian boots, declared in a lazy manner as he walked into the room. The man, whom Kitty assumed was Lord Chalmer, had the most delicate wrists she had ever beheld on a man.

“Lord Chalmer, we are at your service.” Darcy bowed.

“Nonsense, Fitz, none of this ‘Lord' stuff for you. You have pulled too many devious pranks on me and we share too many secrets, so I believe ‘Lord' will not do at all.”

Lizzy smiled. “Was my husband truly a menace?”

“I am afraid to shock you, but yes.” Lord Chalmer straightened his jacket and ran two fingers over his mustache.

Elizabeth smirked as she regarded her husband with a sideways glance. “I am rather pleased to hear it.”

Darcy coughed, but Lord Chalmer continued: “On one occasion, he told me he would have my gig prepared. It would seem Darcy's idea of preparing a gig is very different from mine. The scoundrel
gathered a few of our classmates and they took the wheels off my carriage. Imagine, coming out ready to go to the club and finding just the box sitting there on the ground. He put the wheels back on later, but it ruined one good evening for me, to be sure.”

Kitty pictured the whole scene in her head, and thinking of this stylish man striding out to his carriage only to find it unusable—and it being Darcy's doing—brought on a fit of laughter.

“Ah, I see you've lost your good manners, Darcy. You have been remiss, letting me speak of Pemberley as a jewel and not introducing me to this very pretty jewel in the room.” Lord Chalmer gestured toward Kitty, his words causing a flame to spread up the back of her neck.

Darcy rolled his eyes at his guest. “Lord Chalmer, may I have the pleasure of introducing you to my sister, Miss Bennet.”

Lord Chalmer bowed deeply and then proclaimed, “I should have known by your beauty that you were a relation of Mrs. Darcy.”

“Lord Chalmer, it is an honor to meet a friend of Mr. Darcy's. He tells me you are to be here a fortnight? What business are you on?”

“Kitty!” Elizabeth chided her.

“I see you are direct.” Lord Chalmer regarded her with a smile one bestows upon a clumsy puppy.

Lark announced that dinner was served, and Darcy took Lizzy's arm.

Lord Chalmer rounded the settee and addressed Kitty. “Miss Bennet, may I offer you my arm?” She giggled, accepting it.

At dinner, they were joined by Lady Henrietta Chalmer, Lord Chalmer's mother. She sat regally, her back ramrod straight as she surveyed the room.

“You have a large home, Mr. Darcy.” Henrietta announced.

“We find it accommodates our needs,” he answered.

Lady Chalmer stabbed at her asparagus. “Where is your young sister? Why have you hidden her from my son? And from me as well?”

Everyone stopped eating. Lizzy stole a look at Darcy before she spoke. “Georgiana has been lately called to visit our aunt and cousin. She was sorry to miss your visit.”

The older lady harrumphed and addressed Kitty. “And you, you are the unwed sister of Mrs. Darcy. What is your name, child?”

“It is Kitty, ma'am.”

Henrietta's eyebrow twitched. “Kitty? Your parents named you after a ratting animal? It is a shame I wasn't there at your birth. I would have convinced them to name you something acceptable. I believe the name Florence would have suited your countenance.”

Lizzy kicked Kitty's shin under the table in warning. “It is short for Catherine, ma'am,” she said.

At this, Darcy let out a deep, rarely heard laugh. “Forgive me. I just imagined calling my aunt—Lady Catherine de Bourgh—Kitty. I believe she would send me to my room without dinner.”

“Of all the flowers in Pemberley's impressive gardens, you—dear Miss Bennet—are the most beautiful.” Lord Chalmer patted Kitty's hand as it rested in the crook of his arm. Lizzy was abed that day and Darcy would be holed up in meetings with his steward for much of the morning, so Lord Chalmer had suggested a walk to distract Miss Bennet and himself from the dullness of having no entertainment afforded them. Kitty had begun to disagree with him because there was much to amuse guests at Pemberley, but he would brook no refusal.

“I thank you, my lord, although many would call you a toad eater for such fine words.”

Chalmer flinched, and then gave a small nod. “My, you speak as no young woman of my acquaintance.”

Kitty stopped in her tracks, forcing him to do so as well. “Forgive me, did you take offense? It was meant as a joke.”

He pursed his lips, and placed both of his hands upon her shoulders. “Pretty Kitty. If you want to tease me…there are, well, many other ways I would like to be teased.” He slowly traced his fingers up and down her arms—feather light—as he spoke. The sensation made her tremble, noting which, Chalmer gave a Cheshire grin and then leaned down, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered. “And, my dear, I picture you
teasing
me in such a manner all the time; in fact, I can think of scarcely anything but that when I am near you, you are so intoxicating.”

Darcy crossed the room to where Elizabeth lay in their bed. He sat beside her, tracing his fingertips down her cheek.

“Have I told you yet today, dear Wife, how much I love you?”

Mrs. Darcy placed her hand over his, drawing his palm to her lips. “Only a hundred whispered times or so, but I do not tire of hearing it.”

Lacing his fingers through hers, he voiced the thought that had been nagging him the entirety of the past month. “I cannot be silent any longer, Elizabeth. I must know, I must know how you are feeling. I am afraid—”

His voice caught and Lizzy seized the opportunity to sit up and lay a finger over his lips. “I have caused you so much grief,” she whispered.

That bit of nonsense needed to be dispelled from her mind. Darcy pulled her into his arms, cradling her head against his shoulder. “Oh, my sweet wife, you could never, ever grieve me.” He
took her shoulders in his hands and set her at arm's length, so he could look into the brown eyes he adored. “I was grieved by the loss of our child, but that was not your fault. However, I am worried. You have grown ill.”

Elizabeth blinked back tears. “I cannot argue with you. I don't know what the matter is. In the past fortnight, I have come to tire rapidly, my head often aches, and anything I put into my stomach turns sour.”

Darcy nodded. “You are dwindling before me and it is torture to watch. You are so pale.” He brushed a stray tear from her cheek.

Elizabeth smiled. “Don't men like pale women? Isn't that quite fashionable?”

Darcy shook his head. “Not my wife. I fell in love with a browned beauty who refuses to wear her bonnet while out on her walks. She lets the sun kiss her cheeks and her nose freckle, and I love her for it.”

“I love you so much, Darcy.” Lizzy leaned against him and his arms immediately came up around her.

Between planting soft kisses in her hair, he said, “You feel warm. I will call for Dr. Wendington tomorrow, and I will send away the Chalmer.”

“I cannot have you dismiss an old friend.”

Darcy flopped onto the bed, a sardonic laugh on his lips as he put his hands behind his head like a pillow. “Friend. Friend indeed!”

“Are you serious, Darcy? You so rarely speak poorly about someone. What on earth is your relationship with the man?”

“We were roommates at school, but never friends. Albert Chalmer had all the same haunts and downfalls as Wickham. Gaming. Drinking. Women. He spent his years in that fashion.”

“No wonder you sent Georgiana away!”

“Indeed. If only we could have shielded Kitty, too, but I did not believe her ready to deal with my aunt for a long duration. But as to
the Chalmer, I received a note from a friend in town informing me that they are just short of losing everything. Both of their homes, their horses, and most of their staff—virtually gone. And they owe to creditors. I do not know the amount, but I must believe that they are in a great deal of debt. I am sure he was hoping to entice Georgiana to marry him and live off her fortune, the monster. Even if his worth were great, I wouldn't let her near him. It is beyond that man to love a woman.”

“But I cannot comprehend why you allow him to stay here.”

“Honor—or my old imprudent pride.” Darcy turned to his side and propped his head up on his fist. “I made a mistake in school. I tried my hand at gaming once, the races to be exact, and I lost a great deal. I did not have the courage to tell my father, whereas the late Lord Chalmer kept a steady stream of money flowing to Albert. I begged him to pay my debt and he did, but he made me promise that I'd be accessible to him had he ever a need. I have paid him back a hundred times since then, but he will not let me forget the promise. I made a deal with the devil that day.”