Mr. Darcy's Forbidden Love-kindle (34 page)

As Georgiana entered the house, she began the requests that always accompanied a visit here. “Will you tell me again the story of how you and Uncle met? And how he chased after you until you caught him?”

Lady Ashcroft managed a small chuckle. “I have told you that story a dozen times.”

“Yes, but it is so romantic. And will we go to the gallery so you can show me his portrait and tell me once more how he hated standing still so very long and recount how you tried to make him smile so the artist would get angry?”

“If that is your wish.”

“You know I never tire of hearing you tell of Uncle Joseph.” Georgiana’s eyes clouded again. “I only wish I had known him.”

“I wish you had too, darling girl. He would have loved you so. He always wanted a daughter.”

By then they had entered the large foyer of the warm inviting home, and Mr. Parker, the short, balding butler, was hurrying forward. He greeted them warmly as he took their wraps and gloves.

“Lady Ashcroft, what a pleasure to have you here again!” He could not help beaming at Georgiana.  “And you, Miss Darcy.”

Georgiana blushed and nodded, while her aunt replied, “Thank you, Parker. I can truly say that it is good to be home once more.”

Mrs. Parker had managed to get ahead of them and was backing towards the grand staircase as she recounted all the preparations. “Your rooms are ready, and I have everything in place for your baths. The water is almost hot enough, and Cook will have dinner ready by the time you are finished bathing.”

“I can always count on you to have everything in order,” Lady Ashcroft commented as the housekeeper beamed with pride. Then she focused on her niece. “What say you to having trays sent to your sitting room after we have bathed? It will be more comfortable than just the two of us occupying the dining room.”

“That is a wonderful idea. I am really quite tired, but I was hoping to prod at least one story out of you before I fall asleep.”

Her aunt laughed. “Then let us hurry so we shall have the time.” Then turning again to Mrs. Parker, she added, “It is settled. We shall have dinner in Georgiana’s sitting room right after we finish with our baths.”

“Yes, madam.”

As the long-time housekeeper watched her mistress hurry up the stairs behind her niece, she recalled that when the Master had brought her here as a bride, Lady Ashcroft had instantly charmed them all and had taken her place as though she had always been a part of the household. Effortlessly carving out a spot in all their hearts, she could not have found a more fitting or more beloved mistress for Ashcroft Park. Their union had been ideal, and all was right with the world until the Master had been lost at sea. But despite the passage of time, his widow had stayed faithful to his memory and remained dedicated to his ancestral home and to the welfare of those who served there. No, not a one of them could complain of how they had fared, though they had known great sorrow.

Mrs. Parker had often dreamt of how life might have been had the Master not perished or had the child at least survived to term. Surely if the boy had lived, their lives would have been so very different. They would have had the joy of seeing their Master’s son mature into a man—someone to take his father’s place, and the Mistress would not have stayed away so much. But alas, that was not to be. Not only did the child die, but his mother almost perished as well—her sorrow being so great. Only Lady Anne Darcy, who had lost so much herself, had been able to reach her youngest sister.

It was likely due to the fact that Lady Anne brought young Master Darcy with her and he brought laughter back into the house. Then later, Georgiana joined her brother to brighten her life. Even now, these two are a balm to her soul! God bless them!

Suddenly aware that her eyes were pooling with tears, Henrietta Parker took a ragged breath and looked about to see if anyone had noticed. Though several maids were working in that area, none met her gaze. Taking stock of herself, she rose to her full height, put on her usual sober expression and went in search of a footman to carry the pails of hot water. After all, she always found plenty of time to dwell on what might have been when the Mistress left again.

~~~*~~~

Longbourn
Mr. Bennet’s Study

Charles Bingley was beginning to perspire under the steady, unsmiling gaze of Jane’s father. Mr. Bennet watched him much as a predator would study its prey.

It was bad enough that the man had taken Jane directly home after discovering them in the woods and ordered him back to Netherfield to await his summons, but he had not sent for him the rest of that day.

Finally, late in the afternoon of the next day, a note arrived ordering him to appear at Longbourn. And after obeying the directive, Bingley had been shown into the study and made to sit in a chair in front of Mr. Bennet’s desk for almost an hour before the gentleman actually entered the room.  Moreover, after taking his seat behind said desk, his host had stared at him for the next several minutes without a single word passing his lips. 

As for the Master of Longbourn, he was having a grand old time and finding it increasingly difficult to keep a scowl on his face. Bingley had gone pale and was squirming in his chair in a display of nerves that almost rivalled those of his wife at her worst. In fact, he had the impression that Jane’s suitor might bolt from the room at any moment, and since Mr. Bingley had acted so recklessly, he cared little if he prolonged the man’s misery. Unfortunately, to do that would prolong Jane’s suffering as well. Despite his instructions for her to wait in the parlour while he met with Bingley, he could hear her soft footsteps pacing the hallway outside. Perhaps, he thought, it was time to give her some relief.

“Mr. Bingley, do you wish to tell me the meaning of the audacious display of horsemanship—worthy of a circus performer, I might add—that occurred in my rose garden yesterday? Have you gone completely mad?”

Charles instantly coloured, faltering just a bit in his resolve. At the time he had not considered what her family would think of his exploits, wishing only to remove Jane from Mr. Lucas’ reach.

“I… I did not mean for things to get out of hand.”

“Oh? And did you stop to think that you might have injured my daughter?”

“No, sir.” Charles’ composure faltered as his head swung slowly back and forth. “I would never purposely do anything to hurt her. I expected to find Miss Bennet alone.  I intended to ask permission to court her, but… but that was not what happened.”

“Obviously.”

“I was thoroughly engaged in trying to think of how to ask Jane—Miss Bennet— to accept my suit, but when I rode around the trees and there he was courting my… my…”

“Your?”

“The woman I love.”

“And your love for my daughter provoked your inventiveness?”

“I honestly do not know what came over me. All of a sudden, I found myself racing towards her with the express intent of saving her from that cad.”

“Cad? Mr. Lucas is a cad?”

“In my eyes he is.”

“And though you made a spectacle of yourself and compromised my daughter, you do not consider yourself a cad?”

Bingley blinked several times before coming to his senses. Rising to the occasion, he squared his shoulders and steeled his resolve.

“No, sir, I am not!”

“Then why did you leave Meryton without declaring your intentions towards Jane and stayed away these many weeks without a word? Was that letter your sister sent not meant to crush her hopes?”

Mr. Bennet had always thought that Caroline Bingley might have embellished the letter in a bid to separate Mr. Bingley from Jane, and though he was not sure why, he had always had faith in the man.

“My sister’s letter?” Bingley mumbled, his mien darkening. “Caroline was to send a letter explaining why I had to leave so suddenly.”

“After you left, Jane was so despondent that when her mother learned that Miss Bingley had sent a letter, she demanded to see it. After reading the contents, she believed that Jane’s affections had been trifled with, so she brought it to me.” 

Mr. Bennet reached into his top drawer and removed the missive, tossing it across the desk. Charles picked it up to read.

Dear Miss Bennet,

I am sorry that we must cancel our dinner invitation. By the time you read this, we shall be on our way to London, as my brother has been summoned by Mr. Darcy to come immediately. It seems his sister, Georgiana, is returning to London, and he wishes Charles to be there to greet her. We are all looking forward to renewing our friendship with Miss Darcy, who is a lady of the finest calibre. Charles is not sure at this point when, or if, we shall return to Netherfield.

Yours truly,

Caroline Bingley

“That is preposterous! I was not summoned to greet Darcy’s sister. My heavens! She is only a child—fourteen years old!”

Charles stood and began murmuring under his breath as he paced. “I shall banish her to Scarborough! Yes! That is exactly what I shall do with that meddling—” Then he caught himself. “Darcy sent for me because my livelihood was in danger of collapsing, and he and my solicitor felt that I had to take charge of the situation. Had I been certain that I was not going to lose my mercantile business, I would gladly have declared myself to Miss Bennet before I left. As it was, I feared that all I could honestly offer her at the time was my name. I was not sure if I would have the means of supporting a wife if things continued as they were.”

“What events occurred, Mr. Bingley?”

“It was reported that one of my shipments of goods had been lost at sea three months ago, supposedly during a storm. It was a substantial loss. Darcy and I felt that something was amiss, so he helped me to find a solicitor to investigate. While I was here, I got word that another of my ships had suffered a similar fate, so I was forced to take immediate action. Though I have investments in many other areas thanks to Darcy, I cannot afford to lose my mercantile business.”

“Mr. Darcy is your advisor then?”

“He is my friend. And he is very knowledgeable in the ways of business, so, yes, he does advise me.”

“What would he advise you to do in light of the spectacular display of last evening?

The corners of Charles’ lips lifted in a small smile. “I believe he would tell me to declare myself and ask for Miss Bennet’s hand in marriage.”

“No courtship?”

“No. He would say that I should quiet the gossip certain to arise and wed as quickly as possible.”

For a long moment, Mr. Bennet studied the man who would become his son, savouring the fact that he had been proven correct about Mr. Bingley’s character. He offered him a small smile.

“If Jane agrees, you shall have your wedding in two months. I think that is sufficient time to satisfy the tittle-tattle of Meryton and Mrs. Bennet’s desire to plan  wedding.”

Charles jumped to his feet, grabbed Mr. Bennet’s hand and began to pump it. “Thank you! Thank you, sir! You shall not regret this!”

Mr. Bennet carefully extracted his hand from the excited young man, eager to urge him from the room and return to his solitude. “Make sure that I do not. Now, I think there is a young lady just outside the door who is eager to learn that I have not eaten you for dinner.”

Bingley knocked a stack of books off the edge of Mr. Bennet’s desk in his eagerness to get to Jane and began trying to pick them up.

“Shoo!” Mr. Bennet cried, waving his hand in exasperation. “I shall see to that later. Go find Jane!”

Right after the door slammed behind Bingley, Mr. Bennet heard Jane’s sweet voice exclaiming how happy she was, and then he held his breath waiting for her mother’s reaction. Shortly, loud cries came from the direction of the parlour.

“Oh, Mr. Bingley! I told Mr. Bennet that you would return to claim her! And I always said Jane was not so beautiful for nothing! Whatever was that dolt Mr. Lucas thinking, trying to insinuate himself into our family? Now, where is Hill? Hill? Oh, there you are! We must begin to plan…”

His wife’s voice trailed off the further she moved in the other direction, and Mr. Bennet chuckled to himself as he laid his head back against his chair and closed his eyes. If he were lucky, his wife would be so caught up in gowns, ribbons and planning a wedding breakfast that he would have many peaceful days locked away in his study. All of a sudden, one eye flew open.

Gowns? Ribbons? The breakfast? There will be no end to her spending!

~~~*~~~

Ramsgate
Gatesbridge Manor
The Dining Room

Lizzy was not fortunate enough to avoid John Wilkens altogether during her stay in Ramsgate; after all, it was his home. In fact, the morning after their arrival when Alfreda knocked on her door and asked if she was ready to break her fast, they made their way downstairs only to encounter the gentleman who was already in the dining room. He was eating and looked at her with an odd expression—one that Elizabeth could not interpret. And as she and Alfreda took their places at the table, he began to speak.

“Miss Bennet. It was kind of you to accompany Alfreda from London. I am also pleased that you shall have the opportunity to see the estate for yourself. Hopefully, being here, you will more readily comprehend the enormous expectations of anyone who aspires to fulfil the role of mistress. It is not to be taken lightly.”

He did not look as though he was delighted to have her in his home. In fact, Wilkens looked cross. Elizabeth ignored him as she continued to butter a piece of toast. After all, what could she say that would not make him angry?

She was not impressed with this dark, forbidding house or its dour occupants who, if she was an accurate judge, seemed not to own an ounce of happiness. Gatesbridge Manor seemed to suck the very life out of her, and Elizabeth had no desire to be its mistress. She had not been able to fall asleep the night before, even though she was tired and the bed was adequate. Eventually she had opened the heavy curtains and allowed the full moon to lighten the interior which had lessened her anxiety. Still, she could not shake the feeling that evil resided under this roof. Only recollecting that the book Fitzwilliam had given her was in her bag brought her a measure of peace, and she had retrieved it and read until she fell asleep.