Colonel Fitzwilliam's Dilemma (2 page)

Will stood up, leaned over Lizzy, and kissed her brow. “Excuse me, my dear. I have business with my steward.”

Georgiana sighed as she watched her brother leave the room. “I still can’t get over the way Fitzwilliam now displays so much affection towards you in public,” she said. “I never would have imagined him to be so openly demonstrative. He always seemed so severe before his marriage, but now I see a very different side of him.”

Lizzy wanted to say that if Will had shown even half as much affection for her in company as he did in private before their previous house party, then a very great deal of mischief on the part of Miss Bingley and Mr. Wickham could have been avoided. Instead, she smiled and made no reply.

“You won’t let Lady Catherine interfere in my affairs, will you, Lizzy?” Georgiana seemed suddenly anxious. “She will insist upon knowing what is best for me, and I don’t have the courage to stand up to her.”

Lizzy patted her hand. “Fear not. She already thinks so ill of me that the blame for anything you do to displease her will be lodged at my door.”

“Oh, but that would not be fair.”

“No, perhaps not, but Lady Catherine’s censure cannot harm me.”

“I too received a letter this morning from Mama,” Kitty said. “She feels very left out of things now Jane and Mr. Bingley have moved to Derbyshire, and I am here as well. She seems to think you and Jane will need her support when your confinements get closer.”

Lizzy suppressed a shudder. That was the very last thing she required, and she had already told her mother so, in very direct terms. She now appeared to be trying less direct means of eliciting an invitation. Georgiana had spoken the truth when she said Will was now a far less severe, more tolerant person, but she was absolutely certain that new latitude would not extend to Lizzy’s mother if she came for a protracted stay. She would speak with Jane about it. Between them they would devise a means of keeping her away from Derbyshire, even if it meant applying to their father for his intervention.

It seemed cruel, but Lizzy didn’t feel equal to subjecting her husband to her mother’s inane chatter at such a happy time in their marriage. If Mama arrived, there would be no getting rid of her for weeks, and God help her, the prospect appalled Lizzy almost as much as it would horrify Will. She had never been her mother’s favourite daughter, and her refusal to accept Mr. Collins’s offer of marriage had caused a serious rift between them. Now that she was married to Mr. Darcy, she could do no wrong in her mother’s eyes, and Lizzy found it hard to forgive such transparency.

“Come, Georgie,” she said, sighing. “If we are to call on Lady Briar, we ought to get ourselves ready.”

“I shall be but a moment,” Georgiana replied, putting aside her napkin and standing up.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come too, Kitty?” Lizzy asked.

“Quite sure, thank you. I have a letter to write and a sketch of the lake I particularly want to finish while the light is right this morning.”

Chapter Two

Anne de Bourgh barely noticed the discomfort when their carriage passed over a rough piece of road and the wheels caught in a deep rut, rocking the conveyance on its springs and jolting its occupants. She was completely taken up by the melodic timbre of Mr. Asquith’s voice as he related tales about his adventures in the Indies. He had travelled to so many exciting places, seen so many things, and met so many interesting people. She, on the other hand, had been nowhere. In fact, she hadn’t very often left Kent. Her health was too frail for any unnecessary risks to be taken with it. As Mama was so fond of reminding her, considerable responsibilities would one day fall to her lot.

As if she could forget!

“Those people sound like savages, Mr. Asquith,” she said, gasping. “Were you not afraid for your life?”

Mr. Asquith smiled his beautiful, gentle smile and Anne felt her face flood with colour. He was such a handsome man, so charming, so well informed, so non-judgemental, and so tolerant of her many weaknesses. It would be so very easy to fall in love with him, and what a commotion that would cause.

“Not in the least. I was accompanying Master Harry back to his father’s plantation. Sir Marius looks after his slaves well, and they have no reason to complain. I have always found if you treat people fairly, they react in like fashion, Miss de Bourgh. It is my opinion people are not born evil or deceitful, usually they become so out of severe necessity.”

“Do you really think so?” Anne sat forward, feeling none of the breathlessness this simple exertion would once have caused her. “How extraordinary. I do not have your worldly experience, of course, but have often thought the same thing. I don’t suppose all poor people are thieves or malingerers, and they would much prefer to find honest work in order to provide for their families if they possibly could.”

“Quite so.” Mr. Asquith nodded as though she had made some remarkably deep, insightful statement and he concurred with her opinion. Earning his approval, even if she wasn’t sure she deserved it, gave Anne a ridiculous amount of pleasure. “Since talk of slavery being abolished has become so widespread, many informed people believe it will eventually happen, despite so much opposition to the move. I know Sir Marius hopes to persuade his slaves to remain with him in paid positions when the time comes, and I dare say they will wish to do so.”

“Because they know they are well off and have no cause for complaint,” Mama said briskly.

“Quite so, Lady Catherine. That is certainly true in the case of Sir Marius’s plantation. Almost all of his slaves seem rather content with their lot.”

“Then perhaps he is too tolerant and ought to work them harder.”

Anne tried not to feel jealous when Mr. Asquith bestowed one of his dazzling smiles upon her mama. “I believe a willing worker will always be more productive. I saw that for myself while on Sir Marius’s property. Some of the wretched creatures on adjoining plantations were not treated nearly so well and were unable to work so hard as a consequence.”

“Hmm, perhaps.”

As the carriage rattled along, Anne glanced out of the window. She was unsurprised that Mr. Asquith had the last word in this exchange with her mama, as he so often seemed to. It was rather extraordinary when one thought about it. Mama was nothing if not forthright in the expression of her opinions, but Mr. Asquith made his point with such charm and deference, even Mama couldn’t find fault with his manner. He wasn’t afraid of Mama. She appeared to respect his courage and intellect, just as Anne had always thought Mama privately respected Eliza Bennet, now Mrs. Darcy, for standing up to her during her visit to Rosings last year. So few people challenged her opinions that Mama didn’t always know how to react when it actually happened.

Mrs. Darcy. Anne briefly closed her eyes, revelling in her narrow escape. For years, she had known Mama intended that title for her. She had dreaded the day when it would come to pass, as she was sure it would, because everyone always did what Mama required of them. Frankly, Mr. Darcy frightened her. He was so severe, so…well, so everything she was not. He did not love her, but she had always supposed he wouldn’t be able to resist having Rosings as well as Pemberley beneath his stewardship. The very thought of sharing her life with such an aloof person had made her perpetually unwell, and she was heartily grateful to Mrs. Darcy for saving her from a situation that would have made her even more invisible than she already was.

But her relief had been short-lived. This visit to Pemberley, ostensibly to heal the rift between Mama and the Darcys, had actually been arranged so Colonel Fitzwilliam could admire her. Admire? Humiliation washed through Anne. She would be the first to admit she was no beauty. She possessed few talents and even less conversation. People made her so nervous she never knew quite what to say to them. Besides, her mother seldom left her with an opportunity to speak for herself. Even so, all and sundry plied her with compliments, simply because of who she was. It was all so shallow, so pointless. Anne abhorred being the centre of attention. She abhorred false flattery even more.

She wasn’t supposed to be aware of her mother’s efforts to bring her and the colonel together, but she had overheard Mama discussing it with Mrs. Collins. The colonel frightened her almost as much as Mr. Darcy did, but she knew he could not afford to turn his back on her, any more than Anne could refuse to do her duty. Dear God, why could she not have been born a farmer’s daughter, where she would at least have had some say in her own future?

Anne glanced across at Mr. Asquith, seated with his limbs elegantly arranged and his back to the horses, smiling at something her mother had just said. Oh, how she wished things were different. She knew nothing of Mr. Asquith’s family. He was very reticent on the subject, and strangely, to Anne’s precise knowledge, Mama had not made too many enquiries in that respect. Not that any were necessary. It was obvious to anyone with eyes in their head he was a gentleman without means. His education, his manners, his refined tone, and his elegant way of conducting himself, all attested to that fact. If only Anne was free to please herself… Of course, she never would be and so there was little point in having regrets.

“Are you warm enough, Anne?”

Her mother’s voice jolted Anne out of her reverie. It was amusing; until recently she was constantly being asked that question, but hadn’t noticed it was being posed far less regularly since Mrs. Jenkinson had left. When Mr. Asquith had first arrived at Rosings, she heard her mother explain to him about her frail state of health, and informed him that under no circumstances was she to be over-exerted. Anne gleaned a lot of information by listening to her mother’s conversations. Mama had a lot to say on every conceivable subject, whereas Anne was so quiet people often forgot she was in the room. That had proven very useful on more than one occasion. Mr. Asquith had merely raised a brow. He said he was sure that was a temporary situation and, as Miss de Bourgh grew older her health would most likely improve. No one had ever suggested she would outgrow her maladies before. They usually rushed to agree with her mother’s assessment of Anne’s situation, sympathised, and then pampered her.

Mr. Asquith did not do any of those things, and it was a liberating experience.

“How many more days shall we have on the road, Mr. Asquith?” she asked.

Anne had always found travelling exceedingly tiring, but then she had never travelled with such a compelling companion before. Enclosed in a comfortable carriage, with just her Mama and Mr. Asquith for company, put a very different light on matters, and she wished the journey could go on indefinitely. Better yet, she dared to pretend, at least in her own head, that it was just her and Mr. Asquith making the journey and that his glamorous smiles were all for her. She absolutely did not wish to face what awaited her at the end of this particular road, so put it out of her mind.

“Two more nights should see us in Derbyshire, Miss de Bourgh.”

Only two nights? Anne sighed. It hardly seemed fair.

***

Joshua Fitzwilliam received Eliza Darcy’s letter of invitation with a mixture of pleasure and a sigh of inevitability. He had used regimental manoeuvres as a legitimate reason to decline an invitation from Lady Catherine to visit Rosings the previous month, knowing full well why his presence was required there. Darcy had had the temerity to scupper Lady Catherine’s carefully laid plans by marrying Eliza instead of their cousin Anne, and now Joshua was expected to take up the role of heir apparent.

He moved to the sideboard, poured himself a substantial measure of brandy, and indulged in a second sigh. Part of him wondered what the devil was the matter with him. Marriage to Anne, procuring stewardship of a grand estate such as Rosings, would see an end to his financial problems. It would be a solution the majority of men would snatch up with both hands.

Unfortunately, Joshua had an annoying penchant for not following the majority.

He didn’t have feelings for Anne, but how many people in his situation could afford the luxury of marrying for love? Darcy had done so, and Joshua tried not to envy him his good fortune. With her flashing eyes and irreverent attitude, Eliza was one of the few women in England with the fortitude and will to induce his cousin to unbend as he embraced married life. Indeed, he had seen remarkable changes in Darcy when attending his house party just a few short weeks ago. And now their union was to be blessed with a child.

Don’t think about Darcy, he told himself, or Eliza, either. If he thought about the woman he had been so attracted to the first time he met her, it would get him nowhere. That was his secret, his cross to bear in solitude.

And so he returned his thoughts to Lady Catherine and her stark determination to see him wed to her daughter. It would indeed mean he would be set for life, but not on his own terms. Lady Catherine might live for many more years yet and was not the sort of person who would give up the reins of management until she was in her dotage. Worse, she would assume she could interfere in his marriage and tell Joshua how to behave. That was as unacceptable as resigning his commission would be, but both situations would have to be confronted if he decided to oblige his aunt.

Not all love matches endured, he reminded himself. His own brother had married a woman he was besotted with, thinking his regard was returned. She had married him, it transpired, for his title and position, thinking he was well set-up. Nothing could have been further from the truth, but Joshua’s sister-in-law had still run through what blunt his brother did possess in less than no time. Tobias did nothing to prevent her for fear of losing her non-existent regard. Joshua had lost all respect for his sibling when he saw the manner in which he allowed his wife to rule the roost, bringing the noble Fitzwilliam clan close to dun territory in the process.

Joshua took a long sip of brandy, thinking that marrying for financial security rather than personal fidelity might be the wiser course to take, after all. Not many couples found the happiness the Darcys and the Bingleys enjoyed. If his aunt was so anxious to bring the union about, he would lay down his own terms before agreeing to it. Only if Lady Catherine gave her solemn word to stand aside and let him manage the estate, would Joshua be persuaded. He would make her understand he would be the master of Rosings in reality as well as through marriage to her daughter, and that everyone would answer to him. In short, he would brook no interference from Lady Catherine.