Imperative: Volume 1, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (22 page)

“You were flirting with me!”  He nodded and his smile and eyes reflected his unhidden admiration.  “You are wicked, sir.”  Elizabeth said nervously.

“Why do you still call me sir?” 

“To maintain distance.”  She looked up and their eyes locked.  Darcy’s nostrils flared and she unconsciously wet her lips.  Both of them felt the frisson that passed between their tightly clasped hands.

“Oh, what a beautiful carriage, Mr. Darcy!”  Mrs. Bennet appeared and peeked inside.  “I do hope that the wedding coach you order for Lizzy will be just as fine?”

Darcy startled from his gaze into his increasingly flustered Elizabeth’s eyes.  “Wedding coach, madam?”

“Well of course!  A man such as you always buys a new one upon his marriage!”  She beamed.  “Perhaps you might give your older one to your relatives?”  She looked over it admiringly and touched the fine finish as she stepped inside.  “After all we are giving you Lizzy.”  Darcy’s mouth opened and shut.

“Quite so.”  Mr. Bennet climbed in behind his wife and looked out of the door at the couple.  “We are giving you Lizzy; then again, I have not seen a settlement, so perhaps this conversation is moot.”

Darcy held back the retort that was on his lips.  “It is in my pocket sir, I was only awaiting Miss Elizabeth’s notice that she was willing to move forward.  She promised me a message, but it did not come.”

Elizabeth recovered herself and met his eye.  “Well I suppose I am committed as the good reverend just announced the wedding as fact.”

Barely audibly, Darcy spoke.  “Elizabeth Bennet, you challenge my last nerve.”

A soft laugh rose up to his ear.  “Good.  You need that, I think.  When have I said no, sir?”

“Never.” 

“Well?”

“I sat by the window all afternoon waiting for a note, a messenger, a pigeon . . . delivering some indication of invitation!  Instead I had to come to church and wait for you to finally appear, listen to the gossip of people I do not wish to befriend, and again you bait me with your every word and look.” 

“Moderate your voice, Mr. Darcy.  You are drawing attention and we certainly do not wish to inspire gossip, do we?” 

Darcy groaned and whispered.  “Has the ban on kissing you been lifted?”

“No.”  Elizabeth’s lips twitched.  “Now that I am aware of your bewitchment, I am holding that privilege hostage.  Do not look at me so, sir, or I will send you off to spend Sunday afternoon admiring Miss Bingley.”

“Rather than have the pleasure of your family?”  Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed.  “Forgive me, I am frustrated.” 

“You are not alone.” 

“You two have certainly learned the art of bickering quickly.”  Mr. Bennet spoke from above.  “The rain is beginning again; I think that we should commence our journey.” 

Darcy turned with a frown.  “Were you listening, sir?”

“You used it to your advantage, sir, why should I not use it to mine?”  The two men stared each other down. 

Mrs. Bennet waved her handkerchief.  “Mr. Darcy, please get in!  We must not risk you catching a chill!  You are joining us for dinner after you finish your business, are you not?”

“Of course, madam.”  Darcy heard Elizabeth laugh softly again as she stepped up before him.  He hurriedly offered his hand and barely restrained his desire to urge her forward by cupping her bottom with his palm.
 Nine months before I may touch you?  There must be another way
.

“IS THERE NO ENTAILMENT on Pemberley, sir?”  Mr. Bennet glanced up from the settlement.  “There must not be to have such freedom to dote on Lizzy as you do here.  Leaving her Pemberley should you die?  How can you do this?”

Darcy paused before answering, he had no desire to discuss this issue with Elizabeth’s father, and found it exceedingly intrusive.  It was also a very tender subject considering Georgiana’s situation.  “When I came of age sir, my father took the opportunity to break the existing entailment.  He disagreed with the belief that a daughter could not inherit if there were no sons, and wished to be assured that a child of his blood would provide the future heirs.”

“Not just Darcy blood, but . . .”

“George Darcy’s blood, precisely.  If I die with no children, Elizabeth will continue on there until her death, if she does not remarry of course, which would require her departure.”  He paused and looked down at his hands before continuing in a tight voice.  “Regardless of how her time there ends, the estate will then be held by my sister for her eldest son, or her daughter’s eldest son, who would of course be required to take the Darcy surname.” 

“I imagine that might be cause for some hard feelings by whoever the male next in line after you might be?”  Mr. Bennet asked.

“As that man was never raised to expect to become master, I do not see how that would affect his opinion one way or the other.  He has always known that the ascendency would follow his brother’s line.  As I am sure that had you a brother, he would have been comfortable with that fact.  We are not speaking of royalty and a throne here.  There are no battles to be fought over Pemberley.”

Mr. Bennet chuckled.  “Perhaps a few hundred years ago, if there was an earldom involved.  Well, stated that way, I can appreciate the difference.  Your father was merely doing his best for his children.  If only my father had been so thoughtful.” 

“Your example has brought home to me quite clearly the wisdom of my father’s admittedly unusual decision, and I will emulate it in the future.”  Darcy met his eye then continued on.  “Of course when my son is of age a new entailment will be created expressing this preference, and also protecting the estate once more.” 

“Why did you and your father not simply write a new entailment at the same time?” 

“We did.  My father died unexpectedly.  He took ill just after first entailment was broken and did not recover to sign the second.”  His fist clenched as he remembered that horrible day.  Drawing a deep breath, his face lost all expression.  “As there was no instrument in place, the courts naturally followed convention and Pemberley was mine, particularly as they had the old and new documents before them, so they understood his intent.  However until I have a son, Pemberley is merely protected by my will, and my honour.  Fortunately I am not of a mind to break up the estate, and am not in need of funds, so it is quite safe without the protection of an entailment in place.”

“It would be easy though to sell off a bit here and there to endow a pet project or two, such as funding a settlement for a wife with little dowry?”  Mr. Bennet raised his brows, “Or even to carve out estates for younger sons should you and Elizabeth have a large family.”

“That is true.”  He looked back down at his hands, but upon hearing the sound of Elizabeth laughing in the hallway he snapped to attention.  Both men looked to the door with wistful expressions, and Darcy turned back to Mr. Bennet and spoke clearly.  “In any case, sir, all that matters for our purposes today is your surety that Elizabeth will remain in Pemberley for her lifetime, she is safe.  I will not speak on this further.”

“Forgive me for prying; I can understand your reluctance to discuss it.”  Mr. Bennet straightened in his chair as Darcy regained his bearing.  “I am sure that you look forward to your first son being born and ending all of this legal work in one fell swoop.”

“Yes, I will treasure the day of my son’s birth.”  His gaze dropped back to his hands.  “As I know that Elizabeth will.”

“Well then . . .” Mr. Bennet studied him but knew that Darcy would never seek out his opinion.  “Let me sign this and we will be one step closer to that happy day.”  Quickly he scratched his name upon the three copies of the contract, and waving his hand over the drying ink, handed them over to Darcy.  “It is done.”

“Nearly.”  Darcy folded the papers and tied them together with a green ribbon.  “There is the wedding.”

Mr. Bennet flourished his hand.  “A formality.”

“But important, nonetheless.  There are the eyes of God along with that of the Courts.”  Darcy slipped the papers into his coat.  “I assume that we will have no trouble from you that day?”

“Do you mean will I suddenly refuse to hand her over at the altar?  No, sir.  My attempt was foiled and . . . I know that Elizabeth is better for it, even if I will regret it deeply.  I am grateful for your eavesdropping, sir.  I see her affection for you.”  Darcy’s eyes widened.  “You seem surprised, interesting.  But then I know my daughter where you are barely acquainted.  If that had been Collins who tried to kiss her as you did in my kitchen, I fear that he would still be doubled over and the future of Longbourn would have been very much in question.”  He chuckled as Darcy involuntarily crossed his legs.  “I will not tell her the truth of the matter before the wedding.”

“That is up to you, sir.” 

“No, that would be manipulation at a cruel level.  I hope that you might forgive me one day.”

Darcy said nothing, but looked up when he heard Elizabeth’s voice again.  “I pray that she forgives me for not telling her.”

“Well sir, I have never told you, have I?  You intimidated me by inference.”  Mr. Bennet smiled.  “So there is no deception, only a rumour that you chose to interpret to your advantage and that I did not attempt to deny.”

“I doubt that she will see it that way.  It is one of the driving forces behind my proposal . . . that and the description of Collins, otherwise . . .” Darcy stopped, not wishing to admit that he might have left Hertfordshire in an effort to separate himself from Elizabeth.  Instead he changed the subject.  “I understand that your wife is now urging Miss Mary on Mr. Collins.”

“You disapprove?”

“Knowing your reasons for wishing Elizabeth as his wife, I wonder at your complacence with this scheme?  You were set against offering her before.”

“But Longbourn would still serve as home to my family.”  He saw Darcy’s brows rise in mild surprise.

“I may not have the overriding love for my ancestral estate that you have for yours, but it is still home, and . . . I would like to see my family remain here, even if it is not the way I had wished.”

Darcy nodded.  “Just keep in mind the despair you witnessed in Elizabeth when she learned of your desire to force her marriage to Mr. Collins, and her continued disappointment in you.  I realize that Miss Mary is not Elizabeth, and perhaps she welcomes the idea, but . . .” He shrugged.  “Having met Collins, it is not something I would do to my sister, let alone a daughter, at least not without asking her opinion.  Particularly when you have a son-in-law’s promise to provide a home for them.”

“Well, as my desires have been quashed, I will leave it between the couple in question.  As you say, I will soon have a son-in-law who assures my family will be safe from the hedgerows.  The urgency is eliminated, at least on some level.”  Mr. Bennet rubbed his face and closed his eyes.  “This has been a particularly stressful morning.”

Taking his cue, Darcy got to his feet.  “Then I will leave you to your books.  I thank you for your signature, sir.”

“I regret that I made it so difficult for you and Elizabeth.”  He murmured. 

Darcy studied the man in his chair for a moment before quietly leaving the room and closing the door behind him.  He looked up and down the hallway, trying to determine Elizabeth’s location by the sound of the various female voices in the air when he spotted her crooking a finger at him from a parlour door.  He immediately answered the summons and entered the seemingly empty room.  “Elizabeth?”  The door shut behind him and he turned to find her leaning against it, her hands tucked behind her back.  “What game are you playing?”

She smiled at him.  “Escape from Mama.” 

Chuckling softly, he stepped closer.  “And what would Mama have you do?”

“Delay the wedding another fortnight so that she can have a spectacular wedding breakfast.  She told me that since you joined us and sat so attentively during the services, all of her friends are now clamouring to be invited, and to hold engagement teas and fetes.   Reverend Pierson’s declaration sealed it for them.”

“So they are not jealous?”  He smiled when she cleared her throat and jabbed her finger into his waistcoat.

“Oh yes, they are!  And they still wonder at our engagement, but none of them can deny the benefit of a connection to us.”  She laughed when he rolled his eyes.  “No, Fitzwilliam, it is not done out of affection, only gain.”

“At least I know that you do not marry me out of desire for gain.”

“That is certain.”  She said softly and looked down at her feet.

“Elizabeth.”  Darcy took her hand and bent his head to catch a glimpse of her face.  “Are you well?  Your father signed the settlement.”

“Of course he did.”

“Dearest are you crying?”  Darcy lifted her face and wiped the tear that appeared on her cheek.  “Do you not want . . .?”

“I do.”  She smiled bravely.  “I want many things.” 

“So do I.”  Darcy whispered and drew her into his arms.  “I understand your effort to maintain distance now.  I fear though that it is doomed.  We both like this position far too much to stop.”  He felt her head nod and closed his eyes, holding her closer, if possible.  “What is your scent?”

“A mixture of rose and lavender.”  She whispered.  “I made some perfume before the first frost.” 

“I will never smell those flowers again without thinking of you.”  Darcy rested his cheek on her auburn curls and closed his eyes.  “I want to kiss you so badly.”  Feeling her answering embrace, he kissed her temple.  “You feel the same?”  He drew away and smiled sadly.  “Perhaps . . .” He shook his head.  “I have something for you.”

“Oh?”  Elizabeth reached up to wipe her eyes and found his handkerchief in her hand.  “Thank you.” 

“Keep it.”  He smiled and taking her hands, led her to the sofa.  From inside of his coat, he withdrew a small pouch, and hesitated.  “I bought this when I was in London.”  Closing his eyes he gathered his thoughts.  “I wanted to give you something special.  Not to buy your affection or . . . suggest anything other than my overwhelming . . .” He struggled to find the words. 
How can I express affection?  I cannot speak my feelings for her until she can say them in return.
  “My . . . feelings of . . . happiness that you accept me.  And not because you . . .” Frustrated he looked away to stare out the window.  Feeling Elizabeth’s hand over his, he looked back to her.  “Forgive my tongue.”