Imperative: Volume 1, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (59 page)

“Yes.”  He glanced back at the table.  “It was short, a wish for a safe journey and a warning I suppose, to be prepared for nearly anything.  It seems that my optimism must be reined in. Suddenly I have lost my enthusiasm to return.”

“Are you worrying over seeing Georgiana?”

Darcy laughed resignedly.  “The closer it comes, the more I dread it.  I love her, I miss her, but I do not know how to tell her about Wickham and our plans for the baby.  I have only written long letters about nothing at all, except when I would talk about you.”  He touched her hair with a smile.

“I wonder how she really feels about me.”  Elizabeth saw his brow crease and shrugged.  “I think that I might be a little resentful.  At last you come home, but with a wife in tow.”

“She sent me away, Lizzy.”

“I think that her silence on the subject of your marriage is telling.  Without knowing your plans, she is surely curious what would make you marry so quickly, and perhaps blames herself for it. She may even see me as a replacement for her.  She is not necessary or wanted in your life anymore.”

“How can that be?  I told her I love her still!”

Elizabeth smiled.  “And you think that is enough, do you?  We women are a difficult sex.”

“I am finding that out daily.”  Darcy sighed and smiled a little to see her brow arch.  “What are you thinking about?  Are you wandering into the depths of my little sister’s mind?”

“I am wondering what might have led your aunt to send you that letter.”  Elizabeth picked it up and read, then bit her lip as she began to think.  “How long was Georgiana at her final location?”

He stared at his hands.  “I do not know; she would not speak a great deal when we found her, and has said next to nothing to Aunt Susan.  I could only draw conclusions from the state of the apartment and her condition.”

“How did he treat her?” 

“She is pregnant with his child, how do you think he treated her?”  Darcy suddenly snapped.

Elizabeth maintained her calm in the face of his anger; she knew it was not meant for her.  “He bedded her, that does not mean that he beat her.” 

“Are you defending him?”  He straightened and towered over her.  “You have met the man!  Is there any doubt in your mind that he is capable of the most heinous behaviour?”

“He was your friend growing up, you know him far better than I.  He has a long history of offensive behaviour.  Is he capable?  Yes.  I give you no argument there.   And yes, her circumstances upon her discovery were heartbreaking and he did ask for a ransom, for lack of a better word, but Fitzwilliam, think!  He did write to you and gave enough clues so that you could easily find her.  He stayed with her until you arrived.  He could have abandoned her, or sold her to some . . . I do not know, but I have heard enough about prostitution to know how easily she could have met that fate.  His behaviour is unforgivable, but he did keep her safe for four months and made sure that she was returned to where she belonged when he could manage no longer.”  Elizabeth felt the searing heat of his stare.  “I am not making excuses for him.”

“Thank God for that!”  He paced back and forth and ran his hand through his hair.  “Safe!  What are you doing?  Did you find him attractive?  Is that it?  Are you feeling sympathy for him?”

“That comment is beneath notice.”  She said coolly. 

Darcy felt the verbal slap and instantly regained control of himself.  “I know.  Forgive me, please.”  He turned and looked to her sincerely.  “Please.  I am incapable of reason when it comes to that man.  Please understand that.”  He saw her nod and pressed his lips together, thinking.  “
If
he cared so much for her, if he had these . . . tender thoughts, he would not have raped her.”

“Maybe for him it was not rape.”  Elizabeth closed her eyes when his mouth dropped open.  “Georgiana thought that she was in love, something he did convinced her of that.”

“Georgiana is a foolish child who forgot her upbringing and ran away with a silver-tongued cad.”

“She is a woman who will give birth in six months.”  Elizabeth saw his eyes widen as the truth of that struck him hard, and nodded.  “There, you are seeing it now.  You cannot look at your sister as a little girl any more.  She is a woman now; she has known what she thought was love, devotion, and betrayal from a man she thought loved her, and perhaps he did this time.  We may never know the truth.”

“Yes we will.  I will find that bastard . . .”

“Stop, we are talking about Georgiana.”  Darcy drew a deep breath while Elizabeth resumed the subject he wanted to avoid.  “She is pregnant, even if she does not wish to acknowledge it.  If she has not felt that baby move yet, she will very soon.  When we walk into Pemberley, we cannot allow her to revert back to whatever relationship you maintained with her before.  We may be whisking away the baby, and restoring her status as the unsullied Miss Darcy who will be presented to the Queen in three years, but in her heart, she has the experiences of a woman.  That cannot be unlearned.”

“She has more experiences than you.  I wish to God she had your sense.”  He closed his eyes and stood alone with his arms hanging loosely at his sides.  Elizabeth walked to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, and gratefully, he held her tightly.  “This is so wrong.  I cannot believe that he loved her, Lizzy.  I will not.  What we have is love.  What she experienced was a fantasy that became all too real.  I will not attempt to decipher Wickham’s mind.”  His mouth found her ear and he whispered.  “Georgiana is a woman physically, but I believe that she is still a child in her mind.  I have no idea what to expect when we arrive at home.  She may be ashamed, she may be defiant.”

“She may be both.” 

“Why did you tell me these things about Wickham?  Was it to explain her behaviour?”  Darcy pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and studied her.  “You would not purposely set out to upset me, you did this with reason.”

Elizabeth smiled and caressed his face with the back of her fingers.  “I did it because you have spent one week in your sister’s company over the past seven months.  You are undoubtedly going to be disappointed that she is not the same girl you remember from before this all happened. The reaction I just witnessed from merely the suggestion that she is changed is better seen by me alone, instead of her.  Whoever she is now, she is counting on you to put everything right again.”

“I will not rest until it is.”  He looked at her helplessly.  “But I do not know what to do.”

“Neither do I.”  Elizabeth hugged him.  “But it is better to be facing it head on.”  Darcy held her and she smiled against his chest.  “I am feeling tired, Will.  Would you like to lie down with me?”

“And rest?”  He whispered against her hair.

“After some exercise, rest would be welcome.”  Looking up she was immediately, tenderly, kissed, and she whispered softly, “Show me what you need.”

“TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DOMESTIC BLISS.”  Richard settled into the chair recently vacated by Elizabeth in Darcy’s study Sunday evening.  “This is warm.  Visitor?”

“Yes.” 

Darcy’s barely contained smile started Richard’s laughter.  “Let me guess, the warmth of this chair is from two bodies?”  Peering at his cousin, he discerned the telltale signs on his mouth of a happily occupied man.  “I imagine that you would rather skip this dinner tonight.”

“For more than one reason, yes.”  He indicated the decanter of port at his elbow.  “Some fortification before this family event?”

“Your family, not mine.  Yes, please.”  He watched Darcy pour and his brow creased.  “That looks different from the usual.  The colour is not as rich.”

“Good eye, but then you are intimately familiar with my wine cellar.  This is a wedding gift from your father.”

“Oh no, no, no, no.”  Richard leapt to his feet and taking the glass, poured it back into the decanter.  “No.”

Laughing, Darcy watched him take the stopper and put it firmly back in place.  “What is wrong?  I had a glass at Matlock House, it is not excellent, but it is surely not slop.”

“Darcy, do yourself a favour and feed it to the pigs.”  Shuddering, he pushed it away.

“I will give Lowry leave to finish it when we depart.”  Darcy smiled and sat on the edge of the desk, crossing his arms.  “Is your father still in Town?”

“Yes.  If he keeps fooling about, I will ride home with him.”  He cocked a brow.  “What happened at the theatre?”

“Our aunt discovered that I am not to be trifled with.”

“That sounds eerily like something she would say.  So she insulted Elizabeth and you gave her a stern warning?”

“Something along those lines.”

“You do not want to discuss it.”

“When we are at Pemberley, not tonight.  I just . . . want to get through tonight.”  Hearing Elizabeth’s voice, he looked towards the door.  “I pray that Uncle is not his usual caustic self.”

“I would not count on a warm welcome.”

“I would be pleased with tepid at this point.”  Darcy stood and unconsciously fixed his coat and checked his appearance in the mirror.  Richard watched and held his tongue.   Elizabeth arrived and stopped at the door.  “Dearest, you look just lovely.”

“Thank you.”  She looked down at the dress, pressing out an imaginary crease. 

“You do look very fine, Cousin.”  Richard offered softly, and smiled.  “That is a beautiful gown.”

Elizabeth raised a brow.  “One that is appropriate for London, sir?”

“Oh, here we go.”  Richard threw up his hands.

“I told you that she hates you.”  Darcy laughed and walked to take her hand.  “How shall we torment him tonight?”

“Do not encourage her!”

“Fitzwilliam does not need to encourage me, you give me enough all on your own.”

Richard stared with his mouth agape.  “I . . . I complimented you!”  

“I know. And you have apologized, but I sense that you are a man who needs to be held in check.”  Smiling, she looked up to Darcy.  “Woe to the woman who marries him!”

“She will have to be a tartar.”  Darcy mused.  “Perhaps Cousin Anne
is
your perfect match . . .”

“Please.”  Richard held up his hand.  “I joke about it, but I would not wish for it.” 

“A man of good sense, dear.”  Smiling, he kissed her cheek.  “Would you excuse me for a moment?  If you can bear my cousin’s company?” 

“Of course.”  She watched him go and turned back to Richard.  “Well, what shall we talk about?”

“I will let you choose.”  He eyed her and stood at rest.  “Then I will defend myself.

“No, no need.  Actually, I have to thank you.  Your warnings of my reception were, unfortunately, far too accurate.”

“Oh?”  Richard relaxed and sank onto Darcy’s desk.  “I am sorry to hear it, but I am not surprised.  Has it been so bad?”

“Your aunt inflicted a great deal of damage.  I can only be grateful that it is not a terribly busy time here.  And . . . having survived this past week, I think that I am better equipped to face whatever comes when we return.” 

“Nothing quite like live action training.”  He smiled.  “Not the same as reading a book on the subject.”

“Definitely not.”  Elizabeth looked to her hands and asked softly, “Does Fitzwilliam seem happy to you?” 

“With you, do you mean?”  Seeing her nod, Richard stepped forward.  “Ridiculously so.  Shall I observe and report at the end of the evening?”

“No.”  She looked back up and shrugged.  “I am not sure why I asked, and you of all people.”

“Perhaps despite my lack of manners, you know that I am honest, and to be trusted?”  He took her hand and bowed.  “I expressed my misgivings, which were ignored.  And I am glad of that.”  He kissed her hand.

“I leave for five minutes and you are accosting my wife!”  Darcy declared.  “Good heavens!”

“I think that we were expressing mutual admiration, Darcy.”

“I do not like the sound of that at all.”  Frowning, he took Elizabeth’s arm. “No more tète-a-tètes with my cousin.”

“You are a jealous fool.”  She laughed and looked back to Richard as she was steered into the hallway.  “Did you know that your cousin is jealous of statues?”

“Really?”  Richard chuckled when he saw Darcy’s face colour.  “Do tell!”

“ARE YOU WELL, FATHER?  You seem to be lost in thought.”  Samuel joined Judge Darcy before a painting of Pemberley.  “Will you make the journey home for Christmas?  Mother surely would appreciate seeing both of us.”

“Yes, I imagine she would.”  He drew a long breath and shook his head.  “No, no, I will remain here, I think.  You and the colonel can travel together.  Has his Father departed?”

“I do not know, we can ask Richard tonight.”  He paused and drew up his courage.  “Mother misses you.”  Seeing the sharp look Samuel dropped his gaze.  “Yes, Mother writes to me, yes she tells me that she misses you and dislikes the separation even though she has been very glad to aid with Georgiana.  Perhaps it was like having my sisters back.”  He saw his father’s face become stony as he stared at the painting.  Samuel kicked himself.  “Then I will bring her back here when I return.” 

“No.  She is better off at Pemberley, she of all people understands why.”  He said quietly then clearing his throat, his voice became stronger, “I am taking care of our family; she should not be working on me through you.  I will write to your mother.”  He glanced at his son.  “I do not want you speaking to her about these things again.  This is private, between a husband and wife.”

“Yes, sir.”  Samuel murmured.

“Good evening!”  Richard called from the doorway.  “Forgive me for coming ahead.  Your butler is not shirking his duties; the Darcys are occupying him with their coats.”

“The guests of honour.”  Samuel smiled and shook Richard’s hand.  “What does that make you?”

“The life of the party!”  Grinning, he happily accepted the full glass of brandy that was pressed into his hand.  “What is this?”  He took a sip and pointed to the landscape.  “Pemberley!  This is very finely done!  I would say it is better than the one that hangs in Darcy’s study.”  Stepping forward, he examined it closely as the judge smiled.  “Good heavens!  How many sheep are painted on here?”

“Not nearly enough.”