Colonel Fitzwilliam's Dilemma (26 page)

Dear God, what had he got himself into?

***

Anne sat beside Mr. Asquith on a bench in a pretty part of Pemberley Park, a good distance away from the house. She had a poetry book open on her lap but wasn’t reading aloud from it as she had done the two previous days. Instead, she looked up from it and smiled.

“What do you find so amusing, Anne?” Mr. Asquith asked.

“Mr. Collins.”

“Collins?” He elevated his brows. “I thought you disliked the man.”

“I do, more than you could possibly know. He came here to cause you harm, and took considerable pleasure from doing so, yet calls himself a man of God.”

“Many worse crimes have been committed over the centuries in the name of God.”

“I know that, and since we are talking in ecclesiastical terms, Mr. Collins is my personal cross to bear.”

“And yet he has managed to make you laugh.”

“I am laughing at him, not with him; there is a difference.”

“Certainly there is.”

“I overheard him telling Mama this morning that I ought not to be allowed to drive out with Colonel Fitzwilliam alone and that he would be happy to bear us company just to ensure the proprieties were observed.” Her smile widened. “Only imagine if he could see the two of us now. He would probably have apoplexy.”

“And would have a legitimate reason to claim he had been right about my character all along.”

“But we are not doing anything wrong.”

“We are alone.”

“Yes, but quite innocently.” Anne bit her lip to prevent herself from adding the word ‘unfortunately’. She had rather hoped that Mr. Asquith—Pierce as he had invited her to address him in private—would use the opportunity to…well, to do something to show his true feelings for her. Perhaps he had. By behaving in a gentlemanly fashion he had made it clear that he did not return her rather transparent regard.

“Even so.” Pierce scowled, presumably because he didn’t seem to find Mr. Collins’s clumsy attempts to interfere in her life amusing. “I trust Lady Catherine told him to mind his own business.”

“Oh but I am his business, or so he thinks.” Anne continued to smile, until Pierce reluctantly did the same thing. “The problem is that no one at Pemberley wants anything to do with him, as he discovered when he tried to intrude on our rehearsals.”

“He would be best advised to take himself back to Hunsford where he has a legitimate excuse to interfere in his parishioners’ lives.”

“He will not leave here until he is sure Mama intends to dismiss you.” Anne’s smile widened. “I don’t think Mr. Collins likes you very much, Pierce.”

“The feeling, I can assure you, is entirely mutual.” He fixed her with a penetrating gaze.

“You should smile more often, by the way. It suits you.”

Perversely, his words caused Anne’s smile to fade abruptly. “A few more days and I will have little to smile about. When Mama learns Colonel Fitzwilliam and I have decided not to marry, she will be furious with me. She will say it is all my fault, that I did not make myself agreeable to him.” She felt tears welling but impatiently brushed them aside. “She will most assuredly take you away from me as a punishment, simply because she knows I enjoy your society.”

“Hush now. Don’t get upset on my account.” He gently brushed an escaped tear from her cheek. “I am a survivor.”

“That is not what I meant.”

“I know you did not.” Pierce stood and half turned away from her, probably embarrassed by her immaturity. “Let us worry about the here and now and leave the future to take care of itself.”

In other words, he is anxious to leave me, Anne thought desolately. “What shall you do?” she asked.

“Find another position,” he said, not looking at her. “What else can I do?”

Chapter Seventeen

“You had best be off to Lambton, Cox,” Joshua told to his valet later that afternoon. “Even if Sheffield hired a saddle horse from Newcastle instead of springing for a private carriage to complete his journey, he ought to have arrived in the village by now.”

“Right you are, sir. I shall see you there later.”

“That you will.” Joshua flexed his jaw. “You know what you have to say?”

Cox nodded. “That I do, sir.”

“Keep your wits about you. By all accounts, Sheffield is nobody’s fool.”

Joshua stared out of the window for a long time after Cox had left, wondering if there was the remotest possibility of this plan actually working. They intended to play on a greedy man’s rapacious nature, along with his arrogant assumption that no female on the planet could help but fall for his looks and charm—especially one as sheltered and innocent as they planned to make Anne sound.

The difficulty was that Sheffield appeared to have developed a genuine attachment to Celia, damn his eyes. If she gave him the remotest encouragement during their meeting the following day, albeit unintentional, the product of her nerves, Sheffield might just decide he would prefer to settle for less blunt if it meant he could have Celia. Joshua groaned in frustration. If the man was that fargone, nothing they did to try to gull him into indiscretion would have the desired effect.

Joshua forced himself to give Cox an hour’s head start, filling the interminable wait by pacing the length of his chamber, deep in thought about his meeting with Celia earlier. Even if he did manage to get the better of Sheffield, he had come to the agonising yet incontrovertible decision that he would definitely not ask her to marry him. The only way he could show how much he loved her was by restoring her property to her and setting her free of all commitment to him.

He tightly compressed his lips as he withstood the debilitating pain brought on by his decision. Her desire to be kissed by him that afternoon implied that she enjoyed his society. She definitely hadn’t kissed him solely out of a sense of gratitude, but that was neither here nor there. Mrs. Celia Sheffield deserved time and solitude in which to consider her future, without Joshua around to muddy her thinking. He would leave here as soon as this matter was resolved, and of course after he had weathered the storm that would rage when he told Lady Catherine he would not be marrying Anne.

With a heavy heart, Joshua slid his arms into his greatcoat and left the house by the side door that led to the mews, anxious not to draw attention to himself. If he encountered Lady Catherine, she would most likely demand to know where he was going, and why. Fortunately, that situation did not arise, and minutes later he was cantering his horse down the drive in the direction of Lambton.

He left his mount in the care of the head groom at Lambton Inn, a man he knew well, and pushed open the door to the taproom. As he would expect at this hour, he found it crowded to capacity with thirsty men eager to wash away the dust from a day’s work with a tankard of ale or two. The noise of a dozen different conversations filled the air, as did smoke from a fire fuelled by peat that was obviously still damp. The odour of unwashed bodies and spilt ale barely registered with Joshua as he scanned the crowd, looking for Cox. He panicked when it occurred to him that a man of Sheffield’s ilk may prefer not to share the taproom with farm labourers, gardeners from the Pemberley estate, market traders and assorted locals. If he had chosen to hire a private room instead, Joshua’s plan would not even get off the ground. He released a long breath when he observed Cox at a corner table with a man who could only be Sheffield.

Joshua caught the landlord’s attention and ordered a tankard of ale. Then he stood to one side of the room for a moment, watching Sheffield, sizing him up carefully. It was impossible to tell how tall he was since he was seated. Even to someone as predisposed as Joshua was to dislike him, he had to concede the man was blessed with more than his share of good looks. Long fair hair fell across a face with features that attractively complemented one another—no crooked nose or jutting jaw to spoil the picture. He was dressed elegantly in the latest style, even if his boots still showed signs of dust from the road. It was obvious he felt perfectly at his ease in this environment as he banged his empty tankard on the table to attract the attention of the barmaid. He was served quickly. Millie had received instructions from Cox, and a healthy tip, to ensure the ale flowed. She flashed a flirtatious smile as she placed a full tankard in front of Sheffield and then bustled away to serve others.

“Hey, Fitzwilliam. I did not know you planned to come into Lambton this evening.” Cox waved to Joshua, just as they had agreed he would. “I thought you preferred to drown your sorrows with Darcy’s expensive brandy.”

“Needed to get away from Pemberley,” Joshua replied, pulling out a chair next to Cox and seating himself.

“This is the friend I was telling you about,” Cox said to Sheffield. “Sheffield, meet Fitzwilliam, the luckiest man on earth with a face like a badger’s arse to prove it.” Cox laughed at his own joke and slapped Joshua’s shoulder. “Sheffield here has just arrived from London.”

Joshua grunted and kept his attention focused on his ale.

“Sorry about my friend’s lack of manners,” Cox said. “You’d think that marrying one of the richest heiresses in the country would be cause for celebration.” Cox chuckled. “As you can see, Fitzwilliam is in raptures at the prospect.”

Joshua shot his valet an evil look that caused Cox to laugh harder.

“I’ve only been here for an hour,” Sheffield said, “but all I hear mention of is the great Pemberley. Is that where you’re staying?”

Cox nodded. “Darcy is Fitzwilliam’s cousin. I’m here for moral support.”

Joshua snorted. “Nothing moral about you.”

“I aim to please.”

“I hear there is a Miss Darcy. Is she your intended, Fitzwilliam?”

“Miss Anne de Bourgh is the lady in question,” Cox replied, because Joshua was concentrating on his brooding expression, and on his ale. “She is ten times more consequential than Miss Darcy.” Cox took a sip of his ale, warming to his theme. “Imagine an estate at least as grand as Pemberley, run by a widow who has just one child set to inherit the lot.” He paused for effect. “A daughter.”

“Is that what you’re in such a funk about, Fitzwilliam?” Sheffield asked, looking incredulous. “What great good fortune. It sounds like manna from heaven to me. Every man in the land would give his right arm to be in your boots, I shouldn’t wonder.”

“Any man with half a brain would agree with you, Sheffield, except it seems, for the would-be bridegroom.”

“And why is that?” Sheffield’s tankard was empty again. Glancing up, Joshua noticed that his eyes were glazing over. Good. Millie had obviously remembered Cox’s instructions and put a tot of rum into each of Sheffield’s tankards. He would never notice the addition against the strong spicy taste of the famous local ale. “I say, this ale is just the thing. Damned odd aftertaste, but it grows on a man. ” He banged his tankard down, and once again Millie replenished it in double-quick time, saving a saucy wink for Cox as she turned away.

“My lunatic of a friend has taken a fancy to another lady,” Cox said, rolling his eyes. “Claims to be in love, whatever that is supposed to mean.”

“What is this heiress like?” Sheffield asked, his expression calculating.

Joshua continued glaring morosely at the table, and again it was Cox who answered him. “Small, quiet as a church mouse, biddable, not bad looking but shy and unworldly. Spent most of her childhood fighting illness so she ain’t seen much of life beyond Kent.”

Sheffield, now definitely the worse for drink, leaned back in his chair and stared at the soot-blackened beams above his head. “Let me see if I understand you a’right. You have the chance to become master of a vast valuable estate, Fitzwilliam, with just a sickly wife and her compliant mother in your way.” A bark of a laugh escaped Joshua at the thought of Lady Catherine ever being compliant but he quickly turned it into a cough. “Are you out of your senses, man? You can buy a dozen other women once you’ve married into that sort of money.”

“That’s what I keep trying to tell him but it don’t do me no good.” Cox pulled a disgruntled face. “He’s got it bad for this lady of his.”

“Must be quite a stunner,” Sheffield remarked.

“She would never agree to be my mistress,” Joshua said, addressing the comment to his ale. “Anyway, she deserves better than that.”

“We always want what we can’t have.” Sheffield took another long swig of his rum-laced ale and smacked his lips together in appreciation. “I’ll tell you what. I will do you a good turn and change places with you.” He chuckled to show he was joking but Joshua could tell the idea had taken root. “Far be it from me to stand in the way of true love. Besides, it sounds to me like your Miss de Bourgh is ripe for the plucking.”

“Reads lots of romantic fiction, so she does,” Cox replied, “and expects to be swept off her feet with grand romantic gestures. A good-looking man like you could probably melt her precious little heart in no time flat, but it wouldn’t be any use. Her mama has quite made up her mind that only Fitzwilliam will do.”

Sheffield belched. “Changing the minds of mamas is something I excel at, along with avoiding irate husbands of course.” He chuckled. “Whoops, bit indiscreet there.”

“You haven’t told us what brings you to this part of the world,” Cox said.

“Ah, I have come to see my late brother’s wife. He made a fortune in Jamaica, bought an estate here and left it to me. Problem is his lovely wife didn’t know it and ain’t too happy about the way things have turned out. I reckon she’ll soon see sense though ’cause she sent for me.” Sheffield’s lecherous grin caused Joshua to clench his fists beneath the table. It was the only way he could be sure of not planting the man a facer for his insolence. “I think her and me could make ourselves very cosy back in Buckinghamshire.”

“Dare say you could,” Cox replied. “Shame about that. Perhaps you could have done Don Juan here a favour and taken Miss de Bourgh off his hands, but it won’t serve, not if you already have a love nest set up elsewhere. What you do after you tie the knot is another matter, but Lady Catherine would check up on you if you turned her daughter’s head and the slightest whiff of scandal would give her the excuse to cut off all relations.”