Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice Sequel Bundle: 3 Reader Favorites (102 page)

Roux rose and motioned him to a seat of honour. Other than somewhat mumbling his apologies, however, he took the chair evincing all punctilious regard. Albeit he appeared self-possessed, he was not. Notwithstanding the lack of proper costume, it had been a long time since he had entered a room such as this without Elizabeth upon his arm. His unease of society reasserted itself. Regrettably, the distinction of his seating included the company of Roux’s daughter, Celeste, to his right.

With Darcy’s first glance at her, he caught himself in a sharp intake of air. For he glimpsed Roux’s daughter in profile, and she had the same dark hair and round cheek as Elizabeth. The spell was broken when she returned his stare with a little snort of a giggle. She was exceedingly pretty, but her face was narrow, her eyes deep set. And though those eyes batted provocatively at him, they were not like Elizabeth’s. It was a fleeting moment, but it left him unsettled.

Celeste may well have misinterpreted Darcy’s expression, for she embarked upon an assault of flirtation with him that would have been worthy of Lydia Bennet Wickham.
Light conversation never came easily to him, but he did not want to offend his host’s daughter (whom he immediately deduced had more hair than sense), thus gave his own understanding of politeness and nodded noncommittally to her comments. His dinner neighbour had no intention of being slighted, and supposing her initial efforts were too modest, she gushed ever more grandly. She induced from Darcy, however, nothing but his infamous monosyllabic replies.

This bombardment of Celeste Roux’s romantic arrows was not quieted until she finally relented and put a spoonful of soup in her mouth. The conversational lull was usurped by their other dinner companions. All were French, and all had been politely waiting for their host’s daughter to desist before querying
Monsieur D’arcy
. He was asked what were the British intentions in light of their rout of Napoleon.

Not so fluent as Roux, his guests peppered Darcy with rapid French. Having to field questions of a political nature, in a language not his first, certainly did not remove his unease. Had he expected his cousin to shield him in some manner, he would have been disappointed. For it was apparent that the guests were under the misapprehension that Darcy was some sort of government emissary. Roux sat at the head of his table in beaming pride, obviously the producer of this misinformation of his relation’s appointment to government. (Darcy saw he should have been more forthcoming with his reason for being in France.) Another time he would have been amused (or possibly insulted, for though Roux might, Darcy hardly thought the label diplomat an elevation of his own status). This evening’s interrogation was the last thing he would have hoped for and he looked at his wineglass in gratitude.

Grateful too he would have been to find reprieve with his fork, but the entrée was
cochon de lait
and he despised pork. Hence, he made great pretence of moving the meat about his plate and imprudently swilled his wine. It was only over it that he took the time or had the inclination to glance down the table at the other guests.

Across the table, four persons down, sat Juliette Clisson.

She looked almost exactly as she had upon the walk in front of Harcourt. She did not look at him, listening in apparent raptness as she was to the dinner guest just to her left. Darcy dropped his eyes back to his plate (in such disorder he partook of several bites of pork before he realised his error). He could not stop himself from stealing a glance again just to make certain his eyes had not deceived him.

Certainly she had recognised his name, if not his countenance, when he was introduced. But the discretion that she had always exhibited upon his behalf had not abandoned her. That was most probably the reason he once had sought her company solely—her discretion. He knew she would not acknowledge his acquaintance in company. With Juliette Clisson dining with his cousin, Darcy looked about the table taking measure of the other guests. He knew Roux to be married, but after two trips to the continent, he had yet to meet Viscountess Roux. She was absent this night as well. In her place, even with his daughter present, were a number of women who appeared to be
filles de joie
. He had to wonder, in the light of the chateau’s lack of plunder when all around his were devastated, just what sort of home he had. A demimonde with vacillating politics?

The dinner companion to Darcy’s left (he did not catch her name, simply understood it as something with many vowels) he knew well, too, was a lady of expansive sensibilities. In his lengthy silences, she and Celeste Roux chose to parry each other’s
overtures to him. When the endless dinner ended, neither had truly deflected the other, thus each took possessively of an arm and escorted him into the drawing room. If he thought he would find respite with smoke, cognac, and the company of men in serious query of the most expeditious way to England, he was disappointed. French custom did not divorce the ladies from the gentlemen in after-dinner discourse.

Whilst demurring, Roux ushered him into the drawing room. Darcy dropped his arms, the motion insisting both women release him, and headed for the fireplace. It had always been his most useful ploy, this keen interest in the fire (the window, his shoes), by which manner he was normally successful in disassociating himself from his company. But not that night. When he reached the mantel, he turned abruptly, causing a chain reaction betwixt the closely ensuing females.

All told, it was all quite unnerving.

Roux, however, only refilled his wineglass. Resolving to fend for himself, Darcy took a generous swallow from his newly replenished glass, thereupon gingerly removed from his person the hand (which she was running lovingly beneath his lapel) of the woman with the unintelligible name. And, trying not to sound too prim, he did as courtesy demanded (stating the reverse) and thanked her for her attention.

“I am here upon a mission for my family, and have neither the time nor the inclination for diversion.”

She stamped her foot in petulance, and lamented, “The first handsome man I have seen in six months and I cannot entice him.”

Roux roared with laughter at this, “I see you denigrate your host as not handsome. I fancy I am too old to be thought that by such a young woman.”

The woman rethought her remark to Roux and offered, “You do not count, Viscount, for I have already enticed you!”

Roux roared again. His daughter apparently thought Darcy’s rebuff to the “woman to his left” in her own favour and smiled at him fetchingly, obviously not insulted by, or more possibly, oblivious to, the woman’s remark to her mother’s husband. Alas, it was difficult to think entirely unkindly of a man who did not mind a jest at his own expense. Roux was indubitably an irredeemable reprobate, but a charming one.

The woman stamped her foot again, “There are no men here, they have all been killed or are playing at battle. Even the footmen have maimed themselves in order to avoid conscription.”

Without compunction or further comment, the meretriciously inclined woman chose to plumb more inviting waters about the room. The Viscount smiled ruefully at Darcy, tapping his forefinger upon his wineglass as he did. Motioning toward Darcy’s just divested admirer, he inquired, “Are you all that weary from your sojourn?”

“I am fatigued from my trip, but that is not why I declined.”

Roux seemed taken unawares.

“Our Marie-Therese does not incite your ardour? Perchance you see another here to warm your bed.”

With Celeste gazing upon him with open devotion, Darcy was quite unable to determine if Roux included his daughter as part of his hospitality. Darcy decided he must declare his position as perspicuously as possible.

“I am quite happily married, Viscount.”

Roux guffawed, “What does that have to do with tonight, Monsieur Darcy?” Despite the provocation to pontificate, Darcy said mildly, “You, of course, have not met my wife, Viscount, or you would not have expected otherwise.”

“Our Voltaire said, ‘The gloomy Englishman, even in his loves always wants to reason.’ We in France fall less to reason and more to desire. You seem not to be your father’s son in that respect, for I am certain you have heard stories of his conquests.”

It took a moment for the spurious nature of this information to register to Darcy. When it did, he said rather stiffly, “Youth has its indiscretions.”

Roux laughed again, “I find it so amusing that our sons think their fathers have no desires of the flesh. They think us aging eunuchs. “

“Certainly not.”

“Of course you do! Gerard was not inconsolable, I assure you.” Resorting to
sotto voce
, Roux continued, “I must confess though, I cannot imagine how he only came to have but a single
batard
; I myself can count at least six and I was not so successful in amour as he!”

In defence of his father’s honour, Darcy very nearly made the mistake of letting loose his temper. He successfully contained it, taking another swallow of his wine (to busy his tongue lest it be otherwise inclined) knowing some men had need of assigning their own weaknesses to those about them.

Seeing the severity of Darcy’s expression, Roux realised he had trespassed, laughed charmingly again, and said offhandedly, “
On dit
, a rumour, of course. Only a rumour,
Mon D’arcy
.”

In occupation of wanting the matter to fall, Darcy checked his watch and saw he had spent enough time after dinner to reckon courtesy served. He almost made his apologies to Roux when he espied Juliette yet in the company of the man from dinner (who bore a seriously lubricious smile) and a notion set to work upon him.

He had posted letters to Elizabeth religiously, but at every turn was told it unlikely that they would find their way to England. Nothing other than military missives was accepted. Useless as the effort might have been, he nevertheless continued to write. This, only partly for the small chance of them reaching her; it made him feel a sense of propinquity to home.
Billets doux
to Elizabeth soothed his saturnine turns.

His presumption was that Juliette’s home was yet London. It was puzzling that she bechanced to be in the north of France, but implausible or not, for his purposes, he prayed she was going, not coming. In another time, he would never have considered entering into a conversation with her in such a situation. But it was not another time, another situation. He made his apologies, but only of immediate company, and thither he went.

When he excused himself from Roux and his daughter and made his way toward the lovely Miss Clisson, it occurred to Darcy that they might believe he was impugning his own declarations. As did her oily companion, who retreated forthwith of Darcy’s ingress to their group. Seeing this, Darcy hoped he had not interfered with any previous scheme Juliette might have laid, if only because he hoped to have her cooperate in a favour. To the contrary, she did not appear thwarted, but turned and held out her hand for him to kiss. As she did, she raised one eyebrow slightly and Darcy chose not to be reminded it was an expression he had often seen Elizabeth present him.

He took her fingers and kissed the back of her hand. The familiar redolence of her skin evoked memories that he would just as soon not be recalled.

“It has been a long time,” he offered.

Her agreement was only by way of a slight nod, and he wondered if she remembered the day he and Elizabeth saw her upon the street in Mayfair. If she did, she did not speak of it, she only stood in silence, perchance waiting to see what brought him over to her. He had never spoken to her in a strictly social situation and he shifted uncomfortably, a demeanour, nonetheless, she knew well.

Finally he said (a little stupidly, he was certain), “It is a great surprise to bechance you here.”

“Indeed, for myself as well,” she answered.

“What finds you here in the face of war?”

“I might bid you the same,” she countered.

Not inclined to banter, Darcy leapt directly to the point, “Do you fancy to return to England soon?”

She seemed taken unawares at this enquiry. However, she said that her overnight stop at Viscount Roux’s villa with friends was not simply an entertainment, for she was travelling even then to find passage to return to London. She did not say if Roux was an acquaintance of hers or her friends. His single-minded quest of her itinerary did not include why she was in his cousin’s house, just where she would go from there.

“I have only come from Verdun. I had hoped to persuade
mon pér
e to return to England, for he has only me. Both of my brothers died with the emperor upon his great conquest of Russia,” she gave a rueful laugh, “but Papa would not repair from my mother’s grave. There is only death here and he chooses to stay with the dead.”

Darcy said what he thought were the proper condolences, but found it difficult to make idle chatter when he had a specific reason to seek her conversation.

He bid, “Pray, are you returning to England directly?”

She said, “As soon as is possible.”

“I wonder…” he began and then uncharacteristically hesitated. Thereupon, he began again, “I beg you to grant me a very generous favour.”

“
Oui
. Of course.”

“With the chaos about, I fear I have been unsuccessful in getting a letter posted to my wife. Do you think it possible for you to take one to England with you?”

“
Oui
, of course.”

“It will be no trouble? I would not want to impose…”

The possibility of imposition compleatly explored, she told him she was to depart the next morning. He assured her he would have the letter for her before she took her leave. As he was preparing to excuse himself, Juliette initiated further conversation. This by way of announcing a false motive for his relinquishment.

“Please, I do not want to keep you from your companion,” she said, and motioned toward the company he had just left.

Across the room, Marie-Therese was eyeing Juliette with open hostility. Rarely feeling the need to explain himself, he, however, found himself doing just that.