Memory: Volume 3, How Far We Have Come, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (Memory: A Tale of Pride and Prejudice) (61 page)

“Nobody was dismissed.”  Elizabeth said firmly and continued before Lady Matlock could disagree.  “Mrs. Robbins was Rosa’s wet nurse and has become her nanny.  I would not think of replacing her.  She has no experience with young children.  All of hers died in infancy.”

“Oh.”  Alicia looked at Evangeline.  “How terrible!”

“Her husband died with the last, a broken heart she thought.  She was left to fend for herself, and fortunately we found her.  No, we will not cast her out, but we have made our unhappiness quite clear.  Now that the weather is cooling I am so afraid of the fireplaces.  How do you control Margaret?”

“She remains in the nursery with Freddy.”  Alicia looked at Lady Matlock, who was nodding.  “I suppose as they get older they will need to be able to roam more.  Of course they now have Annabel to play with.”  She smiled at Evangeline.  “I hope that you do not find an estate too soon.”

“I think that for my husband’s sake it cannot come soon enough.”  She sighed.  

“Look!”  Elizabeth pointed out of the window and the four women rose to their feet to watch Fitzwilliam and Darcy racing towards the stable.  “A wager; I am sure of it.”

“Richard is winning!”  Evangeline cheered.

“Fitzwilliam is always full of admiration when he speaks of Richard’s riding.”  Elizabeth smiled, watching her husband clearly fighting hard to overtake his cousin.  “Come on, love.”  She whispered, “Come on, come on, take him, Will!”  She at last cried. 

“Elizabeth!”  Lady Matlock declared.  “Control yourself!”

“Ride, Richard!”  Evangeline bounced, seeing even from that distance the reappearance of her confident husband.  “Thrash him!”

“Eva!”  Alicia laughed and put her hand on her shoulder, and watched them careen into the stables.  “He won!”

“I do not think it is over yet.  Look!”  Elizabeth pointed as both men leapt down and started a footrace to the house.  “What are they doing?”  They watched as the men ran up the steps and spun to the sitting room door when a commotion ensued below.

“Wife!”  They heard Richard bellow.  “Where is the mistress of this humble home?”  Elizabeth and Evangeline looked at each other and started to laugh. 

“Mrs. Darcy!”  Another deep voice called.  “Come out from hiding!”

“Hiding?”  Elizabeth hands went to her hips.  “If I am not mistaken, Eva.  Our husbands have been at their flasks.”

“Eva!”

“Well at least he remembered my name.”  Evangeline said incredulously.  “And to think I was crying over him a moment ago.”

“The last time that Fitzwilliam was so vocal, it was courtesy of your husband.”  They looked at each other, and Elizabeth, realizing that the wager had something to do with them, took off for the door.  “Will!  Here I am!”

“Aha!”  Darcy cried and started up the steps.  Fitzwilliam spotted Evangeline and gave chase to his cousin. 

“Not so fast!  I beat you in the race!”

“I will beat you to the prize!” 

“Careful!”  Elizabeth laughed.

“Richard Fitzwilliam, if you fall down those stairs and break something, I will strangle you!”  Evangeline declared.

“I have never seen such foolishness!”  Lady Matlock said sternly, but could not hide the smile on her lips.  Alicia stood with her hands to her mouth, and gasped as the two men stumbled up the steps, shoving each other like schoolboys to gain the upper hand.  At last they reached the landing simultaneously, panting and grinning before their wives. 

“What is this . . .” Elizabeth squealed as Darcy wrapped her up in his arms and immediately kissed her. 

“Richard!”  Evangeline was silenced just as quickly by his ardent kiss. 

Lady Matlock and Alicia exchanged wide-eyed looks and, as the exit to the stairs was blocked by Darcy, and retreat to the sitting room was blocked by Richard, the matriarch took out her fan and struck both men on their shoulders.  They jumped and let go of their wives.  “Boys!  Stop this foolishness this instant!”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Yes, Aunt Helen.”  They looked at each other sheepishly.  “Who won?”

“I would say it was a draw.”  Richard grinned down at Evangeline.  “I won the race, but his legs are longer.  I hope you are not ashamed.”

“Oh you silly fool, if I have you back again, I could care less who wins.”  Evangeline closed her eyes and hugged him.  Richard kissed the top of her head.

“I am back, my dear.”  He looked to Darcy and Elizabeth, she was caressing back his mussed hair and he was smiling at her, his palm pressed against her belly.  Fitzwilliam’s smile grew and he looked back at his wife and kissed her.  “We will be fine.”

“Well, I am going to Matlock to report this shocking incident to your Father.”  Lady Matlock tapped Darcy with her fan so that he would move from the head of the stairs.  “He will be most disappointed that he missed it.”  She turned and smiled.  “And most pleased that it happened.  Come Alicia, we have a dinner to prepare.”  Casting her eyes around at her children she nodded.  “Do not even think of missing it.”

“Yes, Mother.” Richard winked at Darcy.

“We will be honoured to eat at your table, Lady Helen.  Thank you.”  Elizabeth leaned on Darcy and he held her close.

“Stephen will definitely be annoyed to have missed this.”  Alicia sighed.  “I am disheartened that he did, too!”

“A Viscount behaving so foolishly?”  Lady Matlock headed down the stairs.  “Never!”

“Want to lay a wager on that, Mother?”  Fitzwilliam called.

Slowly, Lady Matlock turned to regard her son.  “I will pretend I did not hear that.”  A footman opened the door and Alicia smiled widely as she waved.  It closed behind them and the two couples burst into laughter. 

“Are you well now, Richard?” 

Looking down at Evangeline he nodded.  “Yes, dear.  This time next year, I hope that we will be on our own once again.” 

“And in the meantime, no more races, no more days spent proving yourself?”  She looked pointedly at his legs, and led him to the sitting room where he gratefully sank into a chair.  “Promise me.”

“You have my word as a . . . gentleman.”  Looking into her eyes, he smiled and then caught Darcy and Elizabeth watching them from the door. 

“He might just make a gentleman yet.”  Darcy said thoughtfully. 

“And what are the stakes for that wager?”  Elizabeth laughed when his eyes lit up.  “No!  I was not serious!”

“Too late, love!”

“I AM OFF TO MEET MICHAEL, dear . . . Damn!”   De Bourgh spotted a button hanging by a thread from his cuff and plopped down next to Mary.  Without hesitation, he reached over to her sewing basket and took up a needle, bit off a length of thread, and easily began stitching it back into place, all while leaving his shirt and coat on.  Tying it off, he raised his wrist to his mouth when he noticed a pair of scissors being held before his eyes.  He smiled and extended his hand for her to snip.  “Thank you.”

“You sew.”

“Oh.”  He returned the needle to her pincushion.  “Yes.”

“I am speechless.”

“Well it is not as if there were seamstresses shipboard.”  He sat back and grinned.  “All sailors can sew!  We had to maintain our clothes, and the sails needed to be mended from time-to-time.  Are you impressed?”

Mary nodded her head in disbelief.  “Do you embroider as well?”

“No.  But I knew some who did.  I tried knitting.”  Rubbing his jaw he laughed at her surprise.  “Warm socks are much valued commodities, my dear.”

“What other ways did you occupy yourself?” 

“Mmm.”  He looked up and thought.  “Reading, of course, lessons when I was a boy, there is always something to be cleaned or repaired on the ship, I carved a bit.”  He laughed.  “I made Mother a jewel box once from some bits of a ship that we blew up.  I think she has it up in her chambers.” 

“Amazing.  I do not know any man who is so handy.”

“You do not know that many men.”   He leaned forward and kissed her.  “And I am lucky to have caught you before you did.”

“I am glad that I did not have to meet them.”  Mary smiled and looked down.  “Perhaps we should offer your services to Robert.”

“Oh, and help to repair that cottage.  What did Jane say in her letter?”

“That she had no idea it ever existed.”  Mary picked it up and looked over the lines.  “I did not either, but I never went wandering around the fields.  I am surprised that Lizzy did not run across it at some point during her rambles.”

“Maybe she did.  From the state of disrepair, I can imagine her dismissing it and moving on.  Perhaps she thought it was haunted.”  De Bourgh laughed when she sighed.  “Isn’t that the subject of those gothic novels you read?”

“I do NOT read . . .”

He pulled one out from behind her cushion and held it up to her.  “Mrs. De Bourgh?”

“Ohhhhh.”  She grabbed it away.

“Not a scholarly text.”

“Hush.”  

“Will you be quoting words of wisdom or will you be wishing to act out the breathless lovemaking of the damsel in distress?”  He started to lean in when they were interrupted by a maid.

“Sir?  A letter for you?”  She curtsied and left the room.  Mary was blushing furiously at almost being caught in a kiss, and de Bourgh was just as embarrassed.  Quickly he opened the envelope and read. 

“It is from Mother, she is going to begin her journey home from Portsmouth, my coach arrived and she is more than ready to return here. She is probably en route now.”    He smiled.  “It seems that my sisters both have annoying mothers-in-law.” 

“Oh dear. What do they do?”

“They disagree with everything she does and as she says here,
I am far too old and sensible to argue with fools.
”
  De Bourgh laughed.  “That is my Mother.” 

“Does she feel that she is abandoning your sisters so soon after their sons were born?”

“Not when the new grandmothers have announced that they plan to remain until
their
sons return from sea.”  He lifted his brow to her.  “That could be months or even a year or more.”

“No wonder your mother is ready to return here!” 

“It seems that our honeymoon has at last reached its end.”  De Bourgh sighed.  “You know that she will have you at work when she arrives.  Visiting tenants, running this household, taking on Lady Catherine . . .”

“I will be glad to have her help.  I have muddled along with my lessons from Lizzy and Charlotte’s aid, but I am ready to take my place in the community.”  She lifted her chin bravely.

“Really?”  De Bourgh kissed her and held her hand.  “Honestly?”

“I think so.”  Mary whispered and seeing his smile, took his face in her hands and gave him a solid kiss.  “Yes!”

“That is my Mary!”  De Bourgh cheered.  “I never had any doubt.”

“READ YOURS, MR. BINGLEY!”  Kitty called. 

“Oh, let us see.”  Bingley opened his letter, and seeing his eager audience; he began very slowly, “September twelfth, eighteen . . .”

“The letter Mr. Bingley!”  Georgiana sighed.  “Not the date!”

He folded down the sheet and smiled at her.  “Patience is a virtue, Miss Darcy.”

“
Assume a virtue if you have it not
.”
⁹
Darcy said softly.

“Georgiana is learning patience dear; after all, she is the one who encouraged Mr. Bingley to write legibly, and that requires the patience of a saint.”  Elizabeth laughed and nudged him. 

“Perhaps I was referring to our guest?”  He raised his brow and nudged her back.

Bingley bowed his head to Georgiana, “Regardless of Darcy’s target, I must say that I appreciated the effort, Miss Darcy, all of my correspondents have expressed their relief.” 

“Thank you.”  She smiled and whispered to Kitty.  “It was awful.” 

Kitty giggled.  “Mrs. Annesley would put a stop to that soon enough.”

“I was a much less patient man, then.”  Bingley defended himself.  “I believe that I have improved.”

“Ours is wearing thin.”  Darcy looked at the letter.  “What news?”

Consulting the sheets again a warm smile spread over his face.  “Ahhhhhh, my sister is with child!”

“How wonderful!  They have been trying for years!”  Elizabeth clapped and Darcy waited for her to look around and kissed her, then drew her a little closer.  “What does she say?”

“She says that Hurst . . .” He laughed.  “Hurst was so stunned that he fell backwards, luckily into a chair, and required several moments of . . .
intense
swallowing before finally leaping to his feet and kissing her full on the lips!”  Bingley looked up at Darcy’s chuckle and the girls’ giggles.  “He patted her waist and declared them accomplished at last!”  Reading on he shook his head.  “That evening, Robinson came over for dinner and Hurst was on him, shaking his hand and proclaiming what a beautiful day it was, and eventually Robinson cottoned on to what he was about.  Good man.” 

“How is Mr. Robinson?  Does she say?”  Elizabeth asked.

“Hmm?”  Bingley’s brow creased as he read on.

“Bingley?”  Darcy watched him.  “Is Robinson unwell?  The baby?”

“No . . . no, um, Robinson found a promising governess and will take Wallace home with him soon.  Miss Martin sends her regards, Mrs. Darcy; she is helping Louisa with some sewing.”  He looked up and back to the letter, then folding it, stood.  “Excuse me, I . . . I forgot something that I need to do.  I . . . excuse me.”  He bowed slightly and left the room.  Everyone exchanged confused looks.

“What is wrong?”  Georgiana looked out after him.  “Is something wrong?  He was so happy.”

“I will go and see.”  Darcy squeezed Elizabeth’s hand and searched for Bingley, finding him at last in the billiard room, absentmindedly rolling balls down the table and watching them bounce off of the rails.  “Bingley?”

He startled and slipped a half-hearted smile on his face.  “So tell me of your visit to Matlock, it was a success?” 

“I believe so.”  Darcy said slowly, and closing the door behind him, went to take a cue from the rack on the wall.  He handed it to Bingley and took another for himself.  Automatically, Bingley began to set up the balls. “My cousin is not a man to admit weakness, particularly to his father and brother.  I realized that he needed to prove to himself that he was fit to take on an estate, and that he was no less a man for giving up his commission.  He just needed a reminder that he was there to learn and heal.”