Imperative: Volume 1, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (25 page)

“No.”  Darcy set it down and rubbing the ring, walked to the window and watched as a line of carriages began to roll up the drive.

“What is that Darcy?  It is not your father’s signet ring.  Odd spot for you to be wearing it.”  Richard saw him startle and his face coloured.  Without a word he slipped it off and placed it into his jewel case and locked it up, then strode from the room.  Richard let him go and stepping to the window watched as the door to a small carriage opened and an almost comically endless array of women began to pour out.  Fascinated, he counted them.

“Six!”  He laughed and noticed one, no, two men following in their wake.  “How on earth did they all fit?”   As they joined the line of guests waiting to enter the house and shook out their skirts, he noticed a tall figure in black approaching.  “Darcy . . .”  He bowed to one of the ladies then took her hand and kissed it, and nodding to one of the men, drew her away from the crowd and reentered the house.   “I will be damned.  He went and claimed her.”  Richard looked at the letter from his mother and without thought, broke it open and read.  “Good Lord, you welcome her?  You think she is some heiress?  What are you about, Mother?” 

DARCY TRAVELLED the corridors of Netherfield with Elizabeth on his arm, searching fruitlessly for some location of privacy.  At last a thought struck him and he turned them around, and tried the door to Bingley’s study.  It was locked.  “Damn.”  He said under his breath and started to move again, heading for the library.

“Fitzwilliam!”  Elizabeth commanded and refused to move further.  “Stop!”

“I must be alone with you.”   The distress in his eyes made her breath catch.

“Why?  What is wrong?”  Disregarding their company, she reached up to touch his face.  “Is it your sister?”

He startled.  “How do you know?” 

“I could not say.”  She smiled and gathered both of his hands in hers.  “When you have been with a man for so very long, you know everything without a word being spoken.”

A little smile appeared and she felt him relax slightly.  “That is a fine talent for you to have, knowing my lack of verbal proficiency.” 

“No doubt, but we will work on that.  What is wrong?”

“Nothing unexpected, but everything is wrong.”  He focussed on the support he saw in her eyes.  “She may be carrying a child but she is so clearly still one herself.  More so than she was before she ever met Wickham, I think.”

“Of course, that makes sense.  That was when she was safe.”  Elizabeth slipped her hand back around his arm.  “I imagine that she might even be denying the truth of her situation as well.”

“She does, I think.  She asks for my assurances.”

“Again that is expected.”  Darcy entwined their fingers.  “You are her father, Fitzwilliam, she wants your approval.”  Elizabeth noticed Mr. Bennet watching them and sighed.  Darcy noted the direction of her gaze.  “I suppose that I have mine, but I still do not understand why he acted as he did.”  She looked up to Darcy, “But I am grateful that you acted as you did.”

“Despite all that I have laid at your feet?”  He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her glove. 

“Well, I could do without most of it, I admit.”  Elizabeth laughed and was glad to see him smile again.  “We will take care of her, Fitzwilliam.  Nothing can be done in a letter, but we will be with her soon.”

“Do you know what to do?”

“I have not one idea.” 

“Then we are equals.”  He stopped and breathed out some of the tension.  “We have found no solution but I feel so much better with you here.  I . . . I found the separation since Sunday to be . . . intolerable.”

Elizabeth’s head tilted and her eyes sparkled.  “Did you?  Was that because you were stuck inside this mansion with a certain female?”

“That certainly did nothing to encourage a good mood.  At least she did not rattle my door in the night again.”  He mused and looked out over the crowd, not noticing Elizabeth’s stare. 

“Pardon?” 

“Hmm?”  He returned his gaze to her and was taken aback to see her eyes flashing and her lips pressed tightly together.  “Elizabeth?”

“She did what, sir?  Tried to enter your room, and what did she want?”

“Elizabeth!”  Darcy stared and a smile began to creep across his face.  “You are jealous!”

“I am . . . I am . . . did she bother you?”  She looked away from him and towards Caroline, but nothing could hide the flush of colour that overspread her bosom and up her face. 

“No dearest, she did not.”  He lifted her hand and kissed it.  “Nor will she ever.”  He chuckled and did not attempt to hide the delight in his voice.  “Sheathe those claws, Elizabeth.”  Laughing with her quick look he focussed on her lips.  “I need a kiss.”

“Well you will keep on needing one because I assure you, sir . . .”

“No, we agreed, no sirs.”  He admonished

“Fitzwilliam.”  Her lips pursed and she glared.

“That is better.”

“You are looking far too smug.”  Elizabeth let go of his arm to the sound of his protest. “I must greet Charlotte, and you should go and . . . be sociable.”

“Please forgive me and stay.  We will be dancing soon,” He said apologetically and lifted his chin, “See, the reception line is shortening.”

Elizabeth assessed the crowd greeting Bingley and Caroline at the door.  “It will be another half hour.”

“How do you know?”

“I just do.”  She turned and he caught her hand.

“Did you miss me?”

“Mr. Darcy, if I have to answer that question you are the most obtuse, inobservant, hopeless man I have ever met!”  Shaking him off she moved away, leaving him open mouthed.  Her backwards glance brought out an enormous smile, and he did not hear a word of the whispers around him as he stared off after her. 

“Was that Miss Elizabeth?”  Richard asked, and glancing down at his cousin’s breeches he bit back the guffaw that was threatening.  Instead he asked casually, “Is that Aunt Catherine?”

“Where?”  Darcy spun and searched the room then stared at Richard. 

“My mistake.”  He shrugged and examining the significantly improved state of his cousin’s appearance, cleared his throat and clasped his hands behind his back.  “Now was that your bride?  A little tiff?”

“No, yes that was she but no, no fight.”  Darcy relaxed and watched her greeting her friends.  “She restored my humour.”

“I see that.”  Richard watched her bearing the attention that her emeralds brought and creased his brow as a whirlwind of a woman cried loudly over her and her fine match.  Cocking one brow, he looked to Darcy who was grimacing at the sight.  “Someone in particular there?”

“Mrs. Bennet.” 

“She is pleased with you, I see?”

“Not me, what I have.”  Darcy added sharply.  “Not unlike any mother of the
Ton
.”

“Agreed.”  Richard sniffed and watched.  “But decidedly without the tact.”

“Agreed.”  Darcy sighed.

Lydia and Kitty bounced by with cups of punch splashing in their hands and admiring soldiers in their wake.  Their loud laughter was grating to both men.  Darcy looked down to his boots when Richard made some comments.  “Those are Elizabeth’s youngest sisters.”

“I see.”  Richard held back the rest of his opinion and noticed an elder man laughing at them.  Richard shrugged, thinking much the same and wondering where their father was, then noticed a smaller man bobbing before him, pointing between a young, unsmiling woman and a beauty who was speaking to Bingley.  The elder man was shaking his head and indicating the plain girl.  Darcy watched and did not hide his disgust.  “Do not tell me, another Bennet?”

“Her sister Mary and her father.  The cretin before them is Mr. Collins, Aunt Catherine’s pastor.”  Darcy’s restored mood was evaporating rapidly.

“The one this same father promised your Elizabeth to?”  Darcy nodded grimly.  “Have we missed any?” 

“Just Jane, but I expect she will meet your approval.”  He nodded to the woman who was speaking with Bingley.

“Ah, that is Bingley’s choice?”  Richard’s arms crossed and he watched her gentle smile and appreciated her lovely figure. “Now that one . . .” He looked to Darcy, “ . . . quite nice.”

“She is pretty.  But she smiles too much.”  He looked around, having lost sight of Elizabeth. 

“Smiles too much.”  He chuckled, looking away to Elizabeth who was laughing.  “And more than pretty, I would say quite the loveliest of the sisters.  It is a wonder that she did not attract your eye?  Why is that?  Did you suspect Bingley’s interest?”  He noticed Darcy’s complete distraction and shook his head, “In the far corner, do you see her?  Near Samuel?”

Jane left Bingley’s side and walking to Elizabeth, spoke softly.  “He asked me to dance.  He apologizes that he must open with Miss Bingley but asked me for the second.”

“Of course he did!  He likes you!”

“Do you think so?”  Jane looked back at him and saw that he was watching her even as he continued greeting guests.  “Perhaps he is just being polite.”

“Oh yes, I am sure that is it.”  Elizabeth laughed and nudged her.  “Did you tell him how happy you were that he asked?”

“I . . . I was everything proper.”  Jane whispered and hearing Elizabeth’s frustrated groan changed the subject. “Is that Mr. Darcy?” 

Elizabeth looked at the back of the tall man speaking to some neighbours and started.  “If it is, then he has transformed and taken my admonishment to heart shockingly fast.”  She approached the man and spoke clearly, “Mr. Darcy?”

“Yes?”  He turned and looked expectantly at her.  “Miss?”  Elizabeth’s mouth was open and her eyes were wide.  Samuel’s brow creased and he touched her hand.  “Miss, are you well?”

Elizabeth pulled herself together.  “Forgive me; I thought that you were
my
Mr. Darcy!”  The young man’s face broke into a huge smile.

“
Your
Mr. Darcy?  Are you, by chance, Miss Elizabeth Bennet?”

“I am.”  She laughed when he immediately bowed.  “Are you his relative?”

“I am.”  He laughed.  “I am his cousin, Samuel.”

“Well, I knew that a cousin was coming, but I thought it was a soldier.”

“Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam.”  Samuel looked around the room.  “There, amongst the red coats you see a man in blue?  That is he, and
your
Mr. Darcy is beside him.”  Elizabeth stood on her toes and tried to spy them while Samuel looked her over appreciatively.  “Do you see them?”

“Yes.  And I believe that the colonel sees me.”  Elizabeth blushed when she noticed the man’s piercing eyes rest upon her and then saw him turn to address Darcy.  Darcy’s gaze immediately found her and he nodded as his slight smile reappeared and his eyes warmed.  The two men began to make their way across the room.  “They are coming.”

“So they are.”  Samuel watched her expression and was pleased to see the light of expectation in her eyes, and then looked to find the same in Darcy’s.  “I will have to tell my cousin that you mistook me for him.”

“I see that you have a mischievous streak in you, just as he does, sir.”  Elizabeth smiled.  “How else are you similar?  Besides your passing resemblance.”

“Only passing?  Miss Bingley said it was remarkable.”

“Miss Bingley is . . .” Elizabeth held her tongue.  “Never mind.”

“A fortune hunter?”  Samuel whispered.

“Mr. Darcy!”  Elizabeth gasped and laughed.  “I will not play this game with you!  You are displaying more and more why you are decidedly not your cousin!”

“How so, please tell me.  I would prefer to emulate him than be different.” 

“You admire him?”  She tilted her head.

“Very much, he is a truly remarkable man.  You are a most fortunate woman, and I do not mean because of his wealth.”  Samuel smiled at the pleasure that clearly brought her.  “Come now, tell me.”

“Well, I can say easily that your cousin never would have initiated this conversation with a stranger, so everything that we have just said never would have been spoken.  We would still be standing in silence, you wondering why I stared and me wondering what on earth had happened to my betrothed to turn his blue eyes to brown, and his face to . . .”  Darcy and Richard arrived.  “And here he is.”

“You must pardon our interruption, but you were having entirely too much pleasure in my young cousin Samuel’s company.”  Darcy looked pointedly at him then possessively placed his hand on the small of Elizabeth’s back.  She started with the unexpected touch, and saw that Darcy’s gaze had not wavered from his cousin’s face.

“Young?”  Elizabeth smiled back to him.  “How young?”

“I am of age.”  He stood straight but dropped his gaze.

“Ah, that explains why there are no creases in your brow yet, sir, unlike your cousin.”  She saw Darcy’s brow furrow and rolling her eyes turned back to Samuel as she laughed.  “You are a newborn, then.  Therefore of no interest to a girl of twenty.”

“So you prefer older men?”  Richard smiled and bowed.  “Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam at your service, Miss Elizabeth.  Please note that I waited patiently to be introduced but took the matter into my own hands.”

“So you are excused for not following formality?”

“In this instance, yes.”  He looked her over carefully.  Darcy’s eyes had narrowed as he observed Richard’s examination, and then he took her hand to place on his arm.  She looked up, wondering at this second display of possession.  Richard noted Darcy’s protection and distrust.  “Stand down, Cousin.”

“The music is about to begin, shall we dance?”  Darcy spoke quietly, ignoring Richard.

“Of course.” 

“I would like your second, Miss Elizabeth?”  Samuel asked quickly.  Darcy frowned and she ignored him. 

“Of course, I would like to know you better as well.”

“Then in that spirit I request your third.”  Richard bowed.

“My goodness, I am overwhelmed!  Never have I experienced such a plethora of gentlemen!”  Elizabeth curtseyed to them.  “Thank you!” 

“Come, Elizabeth.”  Darcy said softly and led her away to the ballroom.  “It is about time that you and I danced.”  He heard the music starting.  “Alas, it does not seem to be a jig.”

“I should like to see you dance a jig.  I think that it would be quite amusing.”