Unforgiving Temper (70 page)

Richard's countenance turned somber at the
mention of Lady Catherine's name. “Yes, Father has told me all
about it. Fortunately, a report of her travelling abroad and a
sudden illness was all it took to convince the ton that she had
died. She is far enough away and Father has precautions in place
that would prevent any hint of madness being connected to the
family. It is a sad state of affairs, though. I am told any mention
of the family – not just you or Mrs. Darcy – sends her into high
dudgeon for days.”

“She was a very proud woman,” observed
Elizabeth quietly. “She could not bear to be contradicted. I
suppose with her rank and privilege, she had not had much
experience with disappointment. She thought she was protecting her
family. But to go to such extremes, to provoke Wickham to act as
desperately as he did, and then do so herself – it is unimaginable
even now!”

Richard shook his head slowly. “It was
nothing short of criminal for all of them. I will say, though, that
if anything good can be found in the whole affair, Aunt Catherine's
interference did have the unintended consequence of forcing you and
Darcy to recognize what your hearts were telling you. It is a bit
of a two-edged sword for everyone, is it not, Darcy?”

“No, Richard, it is not. I had already
decided to talk with Elizabeth and make a fresh start when I went
to Hertfordshire with Bingley. Aunt Catherine's meddling only
complicated the matter and put us both through months of misery
that could have been avoided completely.”

“Are you certain, Cousin? If I remember our
conversation at Burnham House correctly, you had not yet reached an
understanding with the lady. It was not until much later that she
truly had a change of heart; which was, of course, a result of Aunt
Catherine's interference. Is that not so, Mrs. Darcy?”

“In truth, my feelings were only just
beginning to change after our encounter at Rosings. It was not
until my stay at Burnham House that I truly knew my heart. I
suppose you could say she did us a favor – as unintentional as it
was; and as difficult as it is, I am willing to put it all behind
us. You must as well, Fitzwilliam. If you do not let go your
resentment, it will darken our own happiness, casting a shadow over
everything we do.”

“You cannot remember the worst of it, but I
do!” Darcy's jaw tightened as he and Richard exchanged a knowing
look. “I shall never forget the night I carried you out of
Grissholm's house!”

Richard studied the carpet at his feet as
Darcy's passionate words hung hauntingly in the air.

Even though she blushed at Darcy's words,
Elizabeth would not be dissuaded. Her determined tone swept the air
clean in one stroke. “Nevertheless, you must try; and you must try
to forgive your aunt. Would you choose as Wickham or Grissholm did?
Would you allow what cannot be changed to take away even the
smallest portion of our happiness together? Lady Catherine is
beyond ever acknowledging her part, and it does not matter. What
matters is that we let it go and look to the future.”

“I am not certain I can do that,” he said
quietly. In spite of Darcy's adamant expression, Richard could see
the effects of Elizabeth's quiet determination. She was exactly
what Darcy needed.

“We can choose to be happy in spite of her
actions, can we not?” Elizabeth persisted gently.

“Perhaps. I shall give it some
consideration.”

“That is all I ask, Mr. Darcy,”
Elizabeth winked at Richard, very pleased with the concession she
had managed to secure.

“The subject of our aunt has reminded me that
I wish to discuss the matter of Rosings while you are here,
Richard. Perhaps in a few days, once you have settled in? As you
already know, I was named heir to the estate in anticipation of my
marriage to Anne, which of course did not happen. The arrangement
was never changed and I find myself responsible for Rosings'
management. I thought you might have some ideas on the
subject.”

“I would be happy to give what advice I can,”
Richard responded, his brows rising in mild surprise as he gave an
answering nod; and then he turned the conversation to a more
neutral topic. “Tell me, Mrs. Darcy, how is your family? Are all
your sisters still in Hertfordshire?”

“No, they are not. Jane and Mr. Bingley
have recently settled in Lincolnshire. I fear my mother's daily
visits to Netherfield grew to be too much, even for their kind and
generous natures. Much to our delight, they are now but 30 miles
from Pemberley, and we see them regularly.”

“I am happy to hear it. And now that there
are two daughters in the neighborhood, do your parents find
occasion to visit often?”

“As luck would have it, my mother is kept
quite busy with three daughters still at home. My sister Lydia's
experiences, as a married woman and now a widow at sixteen, have
proved to temper her enthusiasm. She has grown very circumspect in
her behavior, though not so much as to diminish her liveliness
completely. My father writes frequently of suffering all the usual
commotion of his household without the benefit of rational
conversation. He declares that when Jane and I went away, we robbed
him of any “sensible” dialogue. Thus, on occasion he appears
impulsively at our door for a few days' stay. His visits are not so
frequent as to make it inconvenient; and not so long as to make
them disagreeable.”

“In short,” said Darcy good-naturedly, “we
see just enough of the family to make everyone happy!”

“Speaking of family, where is my ward? I half
expected Georgiana to come flying at me the moment I arrived.”

Elizabeth's smile expanded with delight at
the mention of her new sister. “She is not a child any more,
Colonel. You may be surprised at how much she has grown since you
last saw her.”

Before Richard could reply, the musical sound
of girlish laughter sounded in the hallway.

“Is that Georgiana?” he asked in surprise. “I
have not heard her laugh like that since Ramsgate.”

“Actually, that is Georgiana – and a friend,”
Darcy amended, trying to gauge his cousin's reaction. “Miss Rebecca
Ballard is visiting us for a few weeks.”

Richard's frown was instant. “Darcy, do you
think it wise to allow Georgiana's association with someone so
intimately connected to…um, past difficulties? I know you agreed to
look after Grissholm's widow and her sister, but that doesn't mean
you must invite the girl into Georgiana's sphere.” His meaning was
clear, and Elizabeth quickly responded.

“Colonel, please do not do Miss Ballard the
injustice of forming an opinion based on the actions of her
guardian. She is nothing like Lord Grissholm, as you will soon
see. She and Georgiana have many interests in common, and they have
both benefited enormously from the acquaintance.”

In the next moment, the door flew open and
Georgiana rushed into the room. Another girl of about the same age
followed her in, hanging back as Georgiana hurried to Richard's
side.

“Richard, I am so glad to see you!” She
hugged him enthusiastically, then leaned back with an assessing
eye. “You look ill. Was the journey from London so very bad?”

“No, Georgie, not really.” Leaning heavily on
his cane, Richard struggled momentarily to gain his footing, then
rose slowly to greet her. “See? A little slow, but I manage quite
well.”

“Well, we shall do everything in our power to
get you firmly back on BOTH feet. I have given this a lot of
thought, and I have the perfect plan! Rebecca and I shall – Oh,
what a goose I am!” Georgiana gasped in embarrassment and turned to
the girl standing shyly in the background. Pulling Rebecca forward,
Georgiana smiled apologetically. “May I introduce my cousin –
Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. Richard, this is my very good friend,
Miss Rebecca Ballard.”

Richard offered a small bow to the girl
without really looking at her. Notwithstanding Elizabeth's
assurances, her background and family history still made it very
doubtful the connection would be good for Georgiana.

“Miss Ballard.”

“Colonel Fitzwilliam. Georgiana has told me
so much about you. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

The sound of Rebecca's sweet, temperate voice
struck a delightful chord deep in Richard's chest, pulling his eyes
to her with sudden interest. He was surprised to see that the young
lady before him was nothing like he had imagined. She seemed to be
somewhat reserved, yet a quiet sense of confidence radiated from
her, drawing him in with a sudden need to know what she was
thinking. He found himself staring into the depths of a pair of
very lovely, very blue eyes that stared back at him with expectant
curiosity. The mass of auburn curls that crowned her head was swept
up in a simple style, perfectly complimenting her delicate
features. The gentle curves of her cheeks were highlighted by a
wash of pink, which was rapidly deepening under his gaze.

“…is that not right, Richard?” Georgiana's
voice filtered in from a distance. “Richard?!”

Hastily clearing his throat, Richard tore his
eyes from Rebecca. Darcy and Elizabeth's amused expressions did not
help his embarrassment, which was only made more acute by the
clichéd words that tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop
them.

“I beg your pardon, Miss Ballard, but have we
met before? You seem very familiar.”

“No, sir, I do not believe so.” Rebecca
answered softly, refusing to meet his gaze again.

“It seems unlikely,” said Georgiana, looking
puzzled. “Rebecca and I only met last year, after the wedding, and
I believe you were already in Spain by then. Perhaps you have been
to Cumberland? That is where she is from.”

Elizabeth rose from her chair and gathered
the two girls' arms, guiding them toward the piano with a
reassuring smile. “Single men often have the feeling they have met
an attractive young lady, Georgiana. Not at all uncommon, as you
will discover soon enough. I think you and Rebecca should play that
new duet you have been practicing. I am sure the Colonel would like
to hear it.”

“Oh, yes, that is a wonderful idea!”
Georgiana exclaimed, motioning to Richard with her free hand. “Do
come sit over here by us. I do not want you to miss a note.”

“I shall do better than that; I shall turn
for you, if you like!”

With Elizabeth's help, Rebecca and Georgiana
found the required sheets of music as Richard stood ready to turn
the pages. Satisfied that all was in order for the impromptu
concert, Elizabeth returned to Darcy's side, merely answering his
inquisitive look with a knowing smile. Settling into his arms, she
waited for the music to begin. Darcy's hand eagerly found hers,
entwining their fingers as the first strains sounded.

The trio's performance proved to be very
entertaining, particularly Richard's obvious interest in Miss
Ballard which brought a gentle rebuke from Georgiana when he failed
to turn the page at the right moment.

“It would seem the Colonel has had a change
of heart about Miss Ballard,” Elizabeth murmured softly, a
mischievous glint lighting her eyes. The sound of Darcy's
melancholy sigh in response caused her to turn in puzzlement. “Why,
Mr. Darcy, I thought you liked Rebecca!”

“I do, very much. She was not the object of
my thoughts, though.” Darcy gathered Elizabeth's hand into both of
his and kissed it. “I was remembering when you first played for me
– in London.”

“That was not the first, if you remember. The
first time was in Hertfordshire, at Lucas Lodge; when my friend
Charlotte put me on display.”

“
That
was for the benefit of your
neighbors. When you played at Burnham House, it was for me. You and
Georgiana played a duet. I saw how much you enjoyed one another's
company; and it was then I first began to hope your feelings for me
had changed.” He drew a long, deep breath and kissed her hair. “All
the struggles, all those tortuous months – it seems but a bad dream
now.”

“Yes, our time together has all but erased
those unhappy memories for me. This past year has been the happiest
of my life – and it is all because of you, Fitzwilliam. I cannot
imagine my life without you.”

“There is but one thing remaining to make our
life together complete, and it is only a matter of months now
before that happens.”

Elizabeth stole a quick glance in the
direction of the piano forte. “Do you think we should tell them our
news?”

“No, they will know soon enough. I should
like it to be our secret a little while longer.”

Elizabeth nestled into Darcy, wanting to
close the smallest gap between them and enjoy the feeling of his
body next to hers. “I do wish everyone could be as incandescently
happy as we are!”

“That is very generous of you, my dearest,
loveliest Elizabeth; but as there is only one of you in this world,
and you are mine, no one else can possibly be as happy as we
are.”

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