A Father's Sins: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (15 page)

With
many, “Thank you, sirs”, the staff left the room.

Lady
Catherine would have been appalled to know that Miss Bingley concurred with her
low opinion of this praise. The elder woman blurted out, “Of all the ridiculous
displays, Martin, this certainly outranks them all. They are servants! They are
only doing what they are supposed to do. You have ruined them, brother, just
you see.” Turning to her nephew, she added, “Were you shot in the arm or in the
head? I see that the loss of blood has affected your intelligence.”

Mr.
Bingley, usually not one to speak out against someone so elevated in position,
actually, against anyone at all, cleared his throat and spoke. “I am sorry that
you feel that way Lady Catherine. They are my staff to do with as I wish and it
pleases me greatly to know that Netherfield Park was able to provide what was
needed to assure a good outcome for my friend, Darcy. It was the least I could
do.”

Darcy
was stunned, as was Mr. Bingley’s family. Even Mr. Hurst showed a reaction,
waking from his usual catnap. Never had they heard Charles Bingley stand up in
opposition to any person. Always a peacemaker, his typical behavior was either
to remain quiet, change the subject, or walk away. It was impressive that he
felt so strongly about this issue. It showed his level of concern for his
friend.

However,
Mr. Bingley was not through. “Furthermore, any animosity toward Miss Elizabeth
Bennet is over.” Although he looked to his sisters as he spoke, he turned his
gaze also to Lady Catherine. “This is my home, and peace and good fellowship
will rule the day.”

Lady
Catherine gave a very unladylike snort and walked out of the room, demanding
that Anne and Mrs. Jenkinson accompany her. They were quickly followed by Mr.
Bingley’s sisters.
Who was this man
? Darcy could not have been more
pleased. Tension had been rife; however, it felt like the air was clearing.

Mr.
Hurst stood, clapped his brother-in-law on the back, and bowed to him. He came
up from his bow with a huge smile on his face. “I think this calls for a drink,
gentlemen. Ladies, would you care to indulge in a glass of sherry?”

Lady
Matlock, Georgiana, and Elizabeth declined the beverage.  Lady Matlock invited
her niece and her friend to her sitting room for some conversation. She already
had noted many impressions of Miss Elizabeth, but she wanted to learn more. It
had become apparent over the last week that she was intelligent, efficient, and
kind. Lady Matlock had also become aware of some of Elizabeth’s background.
Lady Matlock, herself the daughter of a Duke, understood how powerless women
who were not born to wealth and a title could be. The plight of someone with a
small dowry and a demanding parent rarely turned out well for the young woman.

Downstairs,
the gentlemen, after sharing Mr. Bingley’s finest brandy, with the exception of
Darcy, went to the billiard room for some entertainment. Darcy headed upstairs,
under the supervision of Gideon and Parker. Colonel Fitzwilliam had been
acquainted with the Bingley siblings, often meeting them in company with his
cousin Darcy. He was proud of Bingley for standing up for his own authority in
his household and told him so.

“I
would never mention the name of the lady, however, I recently became aware of
how damaging it could be to not express my opinion, if I indeed had an opinion,
when injustice is being done,” Bingley admitted to his brother-in-law and the
Fitzwilliams. “A particularly lovely woman of my recent acquaintance is torn
between pleasing her parents in a situation where her parents are blatantly wrong
and doing the right thing by her sister. I have been spending much time
thinking of this unwillingness to take a stand and it saddens me greatly. The
lady could have a wonderful future if she would just recognize how her
passivity is damaging to everyone, including her parents. I had hoped…..well, I
had hoped to pursue her for a courtship. But, I need to know that my future
wife would be willing to stand by my side and support me if it came to a
decision between me and her father. At this point, I do not trust that she
would put my interests above her parents.”

Colonel
Fitzwilliam could not help but respond. “Bingley, the very nature of my
occupation means that I am continually faced with the decision of whether or
not to stand firm, especially if I am given a ridiculous command by an
incompetent superior officer that I am confident will lead to harm. My rank in
the military demands instant obedience with no questions asked. No thinking is
allowed!” He chuckled, but it was a bitter sound. “What ends up happening is
that I am held accountable for someone else’s decisions. There comes a time,
though, when I can no longer keep silent. When the day is over, I have to live
with myself. Like a landowner, I am responsible for those below me and, unlike
others, I choose to do what I genuinely feel is best. Has it caused me
problems? Certainly, it has. But, it increases the respect my men have for me
and it allows me to go to sleep at night with my conscience clear. Certainly, I
have enough in my line of occupation to keep me from sleeping at all.” Colonel
Fitzwilliam stuck his right hand toward Bingley. “Congratulations for accepting
a tough lesson, learning from someone else’s mistakes, and putting it into
action. Good for you!”

Lord
Matlock became distracted from Bingley’s situation at hearing his youngest
son’s words. He knew that Richard carried his responsibility well; he was a
natural commander and strategist and of great value to the war effort. His son
may be in his twenty-eighth year and may have been on his own since finishing
university, but he was still his youngest. Typically, Richard rarely discussed
his actions in the military and he never spoke with him about the battles he
had faced. Richard had earned his current rank of Colonel, not allowing his father
to buy a commission of a higher rank. He knew that Richard confided his
experiences to Darcy and he was glad that they had that relationship. Lord
Matlock could only wish that Napoleon would no longer be a threat and that the
war with the French would end before Richard was called to the continent again.
Neither of these youngest sons had it easy. So much responsibility on such
young shoulders, yet both Richard and Darcy handled the burdens with admirable
success. It might be time to encourage Richard to resign his commission. He had
a small amount of his wife’s dowry set aside for an emergency and this appeared
to be just the time to use it. Lord Matlock only wished he had more to give. It
was expensive to be a gentleman, even with a title, where the income came from
the land. He would need to discuss with Elaine and Henry the need to tighten their
belts until they could keep Richard home.

The
conversation upstairs between the ladies was about Elizabeth’s travels and the
magnificent sights that carried such weight in history – the Parthenon, the
Coliseum, the Pantheon,  the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the ruins, the seas and
oceans, and the masterpieces of artists like Michelangelo, El Greco, da Vinci,
Bernini, and Canaletto.

“When
I was but four and ten years of age, I was able to purchase a set of journals
by the explorer George Vancouver. It is a fact that it was your brother,
Georgiana, who helped me locate those books in Hatchards. I devoured those
books and my excitement to visit faraway places was born. At the time, I knew
that opportunities to travel for young ladies in my situation were very
limited. However, I began to dream. When I actually had the opportunity to set
sail, I determined to take every advantage of learning all I could about the
people and places that I would visit. My father had encouraged me from a very
young age to read many different types of books and there were old maps to
study and journals of travels to read. My uncle and aunt, with whom I traveled,
felt the same sense of wonder and awe at what we were able to see. They have
one son and one daughter who were of an age to understand and appreciate what
they were seeing as we visited the many countries.”

“It
all sounds so very exciting.” Georgiana had a dreamy faraway look in her eyes.
Her Aunt Elaine felt the same way.

“You
know, it is quite odd,” Elizabeth pondered. “I have seen so much of the world
and so little of England. I have only ever visited London and places close to
here in Hertfordshire. If I could list the places that I would love to see, it
would have to include your home county of Derbyshire. I long to see the Lakes,
the Peaks, the cliffs of Dover, taste the waters of Bath, and see the moors. I
still have much to look forward to, do I not?”

Those
places were as familiar to Lady Matlock and Georgiana as the backs of their own
hands. They shared their impressions with Elizabeth of the places they loved
and longed to see again. Their appreciation for each other was growing by the
hour.

It
was not long before they were called to dinner. The evening ended early for
Elizabeth to catch up on some much needed sleep. As Elizabeth prepared for bed,
she thought of the changes that Mr. Darcy’s improved health made in her stay at
Netherfield Park. Propriety dictated that she not spend time in the privacy of
his bed chamber, since he no longer needed constant care; care that could now
be done by Parker. Speaking of her past was difficult because it brought up
worries about what her future might contain. But, there was nothing that could
be done now. Sleep beckoned.

Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire

The
next morning, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Hurst, Viscount Stanley, and Colonel Fitzwilliam
rode to Lucas Lodge to hunt with Sir William Lucas. The invitation had come the
day before and Darcy had longed to go. His nurse and his own common sense
delayed his participation to another time. He was able to dress and break his
fast with the ladies in the breakfast room. It delighted Darcy to see how
comfortable his sister was in her conversation with their Aunt Elaine and
Elizabeth. They were discussing the day’s events, when Lady Catherine walked
into the room.

“Darcy,
I need to speak with you this moment,” she demanded. Realizing that they would
have no peace until he acquiesced, he pushed himself back from the table and
asked her to precede him into Bingley’s library. On his way down the hallway,
he requested that the butler direct Lord Matlock to the library as well.

The
attack began the moment they entered the room. “Fitzwilliam Darcy, enough time
has passed for you to have sown whatever wild oats you young men are inclined
to sow and marry Anne. You need an heir and my daughter is prepared to provide
you one. Your father and your mother wanted this attachment and it is time for
you to see to your duty. My parson is at Longbourn and can be called today to
perform the ceremony. A special license can be purchased and the deed will be
done, joining Rosings and Pemberley into the largest estate in all of England.”

“No,
Aunt Catherine, Anne and I will not marry.” Darcy heard the door to the library
open and close as his uncle walked into the room. “My dear mother never wanted
me to marry Anne. She longed for both her children to marry for love and that
is my intention. I care for Anne as a cousin but it will never be more than
that. Anne has told me that she does not love me and that she has no desire to
marry at all.”

“You
foolish, foolish boy!” Lady Catherine paced back and forth in front of the two
men, unable to stand still at being so agitated. She was determined to have her
way. The red of her face deepened and Darcy was concerned his aunt would have a
fit of apoplexy and require assistance from Elizabeth for medical treatment. He
knew that his aunt would find that most displeasing. She continued in her rant,
“You will not find a woman more suitable to be Mistress of Pemberley if you
sift meticulously through all of society. She was born for that role and has
been trained to be such from her infancy.”

At
this outlandish statement, Darcy could no longer remain quiet. “Aunt Catherine!
How could you think such utter nonsense and speak it out loud. Anne, herself,
admits that she has been cosseted and pampered her entire life. She has never
been presented in London society, has never attended a ball, a dinner party, or
any of the entertainments typical of a woman of her station. I do love my
cousin, but you have to admit that she has no accomplishments, no talents, no
experience of interchange with others of our sphere. Nor, has she had to make
decisions for the running of a household. She would be overwhelmed and under-qualified
to be Mistress of any estate, not just Pemberley. How could you, her mother,
think otherwise?”

“What
do you know, Darcy?” His aunt replied, furious at his comments. “You spend
little time with your cousin. You do not know what she is capable of.” She
shook her finger at him. “I can see what is happening here. You have been
entrapped by that country chit. She has displayed her arts and allurements and
you, like your two foolish cousins, are ensnared. Well, she is low-born and
bred and would pollute the halls of Pemberley or Matlock if she were ever to
travel there. She has taken you in, Darcy.”

“Aunt,
this has nothing to do with Miss Elizabeth. Neither Henry, Richard, nor I have
been
taken in.
Miss Elizabeth has always acted with the propriety
consistent with any gently-bred lady, even under trying circumstances. She is
the daughter of a gentleman, as I am the son of a gentleman. In that, we are
equals.” As Darcy spoke, his anger grew. How dare she criticize Elizabeth? Her
promoting Anne was ridiculous. Anne recognized that she was weak in health and
not capable of fulfilling the demands of a husband or a large estate. How her
own mother could be so blind to Anne’s state of health was impossible to
imagine. “Aunt Catherine! For the final time, I will
not
marry Anne.”
Turning, he walked away from her. “I am finished with this discussion. If you
have nothing else, I would ask that you remove yourself.”

Lady
Catherine de Bourgh, too, had reached her limit. Pulling the letter from George
Darcy from her pocket she thrust it at Darcy’s back. “What say you to this,
nephew? Your own father made this legal arrangement just the year before his
death. Are you unwilling to obey the words of your beloved father? Are you
choosing to disregard your responsibility? Shame on you Darcy! Shame on you!”

Darcy
turned and looked at the letter as if it were a viper waiting to strike, not
moving his arms from his side. He knew from speaking with his sister what the
letter contained.

“You
dare accuse me of not accepting responsibility?” Darcy glared at her. “I have
been burdened with responsibility since I was in leading strings. My father and
my mother both trained me to accept accountability for all those under my
authority with kindness and diligence since I was but a lad. It has been my
sole focus since the death of my father to care for Georgiana and Pemberley in
a manner that is true and honorable. How dare you accuse me?” Suddenly weary,
Darcy dropped into a chair, continuing to ignore the letter in his aunt’s hand.
“Aunt Catherine, I honor you as the elder sister of my beloved mother. However,
in this matter I will
not
bend. I will not marry anyone not of my
choosing. This conversation is at an end.”

Lady
Catherine decided that retreat was the best defense at this time. “You may be
through with this conversation, nephew, but be aware that I am not done with
this. Tomorrow morning, whether Anne is well enough to travel or not, I shall
take this letter to our family solicitor so he can inform you that you are
under obligation as heir to Pemberley to obey.” With her parting words, she
swept out of the room.

Lord
Matlock had remained silent throughout the whole confrontation. He went to the
sideboard and poured two glasses of Bingley’s brandy. After handing one to his
nephew, he sat in the chair next to him and waited for Darcy to speak.

“Has
she always been like this, Uncle?”

“In
some ways, Son, yes she has.” Lord Matlock sipped his drink. “You may not know,
Darcy, but there is a large gap in age between her and I; she was already ten
years of age when I was born. As you are aware, the need for a son and heir is
critical to a titled family. There was no entail on Matlock, but the title
could only go to a son. For all those years, until I was born, Cathy was a
disappointment to your grandfather, the Earl; and I fear that he let her know
it. After I was born, I was told that she doted on me as if I were her own. It
was not until I was much older that I realized it was not love that motivated
her, but power. She thought to control me. By the time I came out of Cambridge,
she was well and truly on the shelf. Father had taken her to London for her
presentation and for several seasons, but despite her dowry and the fact that
she was the daughter of an Earl, there was no interest in her as a wife. This
had to be a difficult blow to her.  She was just over thirty years old when an
arrangement was made with Lewis de Bourgh. He was a spineless, dissolute man
who had inherited Rosings Park, a baronetcy, and a tidy sum from one of his
elderly uncles. Cathy jumped at the chance to marry when she realized that as
Mistress of Rosings and as the Lady de Bourgh, she would finally have control.
Lewis drank himself to death just before Cathy could inform him that she was
with child. After Anne was born, her new focus was on controlling every aspect
of her daughter’s life.”

“But,
I don’t understand, Uncle, why does Aunt Catherine feel so entitled to
interfere in my life?”

“Darcy,
your mother may not have told you, but I had a younger brother, Henry. He was
but two years younger than me. Since my father had his heir and a spare, when
your mother was born he no longer had reason to be anxious about having a son
to inherit so he spoiled your mother terribly. She was such a lovely little
girl and grew into a lovely woman. Cathy, even though she was an adult, was
bitterly jealous of the treatment your mother received.  Henry died just before
your parents married. By that time, jealousy was deeply embedded in my eldest sister.
It seemed to her that your mother had it all; the attention of her parents, the
love of a handsome, hardworking man, one of the largest estates in England, and
a son.” Lord Matlock shook his head sadly. “The only thing Anne Darcy did not
have that your Aunt Catherine has was a title, which was never a concern for
your mother. Darcy, with the combining of Rosings and Pemberley, Cathy would
have what is most important to her – power and control. Your cousin Anne would
be with you in Derbyshire and Cathy would finally reign supreme in Kent.”

“But,
Uncle, why would my father promote such an arrangement with Aunt Catherine?”

“There
is no doubt that your father had much good about him, son. He was insightful in
business and honorable to those below him. When it came to George Wickham, though,
he was blind. Since you were being trained to run Pemberley, he wanted Rosings for
Wickham.”

“What?”
Darcy was stunned. “Wickham would have bankrupted Rosings in a short time.”

“Not
with Cathy at the helm.” Lord Matlock sighed deeply. “What my sister did not
tell you was that her arrangement with George Darcy was made to soothe your
father’s conscience. As much as he loved Wickham, having a natural born child
was an embarrassment to him. I believe it was why he was so critical and
demanding of you. Yet, in spite of the embarrassment, he loved that mongrel and
felt guilty for not being able to give him the rights of firstborn. Because of
the circumstances of Wickham’s birth, he could not be married to Anne, so your
father wanted the next best thing, to be able to give the rake an estate. I
swear to you on all that I hold holy, Darcy, under ordinary circumstances,
George Darcy was an intelligent and fair man. However, I also swear that I will
do all in my power to see that you do not pay for your father’s mistakes.”

“Thank
you, Uncle. I greatly appreciate your support.”

“Darcy,
have you thought about what you want for your future?” Darcy wondered at the
direction his uncle was taking. “Truthfully, Darcy, Georgiana has quite
surprised me with her actions this past week. I did not know that she had it in
her to attend you like she has. I have heard her laugh more than I believe I
have ever heard her before. She attended you in the fashion of a mature young
woman and I could not be more impressed with her. I wondered at George Darcy
appointing you and Richard as her guardians, but the proof is before my eyes
this week.”

“Uncle,
thank you for your kind words, though I feel that Richard and I do not deserve
the credit for the niece you see here at Netherfield Park. The credit would
have to go to Miss Elizabeth, I believe. She has told Georgie several times
that she needs to ‘stand tall, you are a Darcy’. Georgie finds humor in this
because she is taller than Miss Elizabeth, but she also is developing
confidence. I could not be happier about this, Uncle.”

“And,
that brings me to the point. Miss Elizabeth. What are your intentions, Darcy?”

“In
truth, Uncle, I am in love with her. I am aware that this seems sudden; however,
we actually met briefly six years ago in London. I was impressed then with her
humor and intelligence. As I come to know her better, now I am even more
impressed. She is beautiful, kind, and generous. How could this not be of
benefit to my sister? Already we have seen the fruitage of their association.
And, how could it not be of benefit to me? What a partner she would make for
me, for Pemberley, and for any future children we may have.”

“Is
she aware of your feelings, son?” Lord Matlock could not imagine how any
resident of Netherfield Park could not be aware of the growing attachment of
these young people.

“I
do not know. I have not spoken of this to anyone, most certainly not to
Elizabeth.” He pondered whether she had recognized his feelings or if he had
mumbled his attachment to her when his fever was high. “I only hope I am worthy
of her.”

“Darcy,
you must know that your aunt and I will support any decision that you make in
this regard. It will be difficult for Miss Elizabeth to adjust to our society,
which can be cruel to someone not born to our circle. Cathy will surely not do
anything to make it easy for either of you. Are you willing to fight this
particular battle at this time?”