The Houseguest A Pride and Prejudice Vagary (14 page)

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“Darcy! I didn’t expect to see you here today! Care for a go?” 
“Sir Malcolm. That is what I am here for.” They acknowledged each other and
donned their fencing vests. Darcy had always preferred to fence without a
helmet, as did Malcolm, and their strengths were such that they were each
other’s most challenging opponent. It was a good thing, because he was feeling
especially tense today after his conversation with Elizabeth.
Stepping into the center, they bowed, raised their foils, and waited for the
signal to begin. “EnGarde!” 
They circled one another, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
Malcolm was the first to advance, Darcy easily dodging his attack. They went
back and forth, parry, feint, glide, a small crowd gathering to watch them, as
was usual. They were both skilled and equal in size and strength, though it may
be said that while Malcolm was slightly more liked, Darcy was infinitely more
feared. 
By the third round, they each had a win behind them and were growing bored.
Toweling off before they began, Malcolm looked slyly at Darcy.
“I ran in to your aunt the other day, Darcy.”
“Did you?”
“Yes. Your sister was with her, as was a certain guest of yours.” He looked at
Darcy from the corner of his eye. “Quite enchanting, Miss Bennet.”
Darcy’s jaw clenched slightly. “She is a good friend of Georgiana’s.”
“I thought as much. She has excellent taste in books.”
“Books?”
“That’s where I ran in to them, at the bookstore. I helped her select a gift
for her father. I was surprised by her knowledge of literature. Fancy having an
intelligent conversation in a bookstore, with a lady no less! Singular.”
Malcolm was smiling abstractedly. He came back to the present. “You’ve been
keeping her quite to yourself, Darcy. That’s not very gentlemanly of you, you
know.”
“I am not in the habit of introducing my sister’s friends to all my
acquaintance,” he said evenly.
“Well, no matter. I shall have a chance to get to know her better at the ball
next Thursday. Are you attending?”
“Of course. It is at my uncle’s home.”
“I don’t seem to remember that ever being a good enough reason for you to
attend in the past, Darcy.”
“Yes, well, Georgiana will be going, so I will be there.”
“As will Miss Bennet. Tell me, is she here in town alone or are her family also
staying with you?”
Darcy didn’t like where this was going. “She is here on her own, as Georgiana’s
personal guest.”
“So if I wanted to call, I’d have to go through you then?” Malcolm gave him a
taunting look, but there was seriousness behind it.
“Malcolm, what are you getting at?”
“Nothing at all, Darcy. Just asking an innocent question. I suppose Miss Bennet
can tell me at the ball.” He was clearly enjoying this.
“Lady Matlock is fond of making her balls a bit heavy on the male side, so you
may not get a dance.” His face was smooth, without a trace of emotion, but his
eyes were stormy.
“I’ve already secured the supper set, but thanks for the warning. Shall
we?” 
His jaw clenching, Darcy stepped again to the center and lifted his foil into
position. “EnGarde!”
This time there was no circling. Darcy immediately attacked Malcolm, quickly
backing him into the corner. Surprised by his aggression, Malcolm took a moment
to respond, but managed to hold his own. Darcy was relentless; attack,
counterattack, cut. Malcolm parried and feinted and defended admirably, but it
was no use. Darcy was unstoppable; within minutes, he had a direct hit and the
match was his. 
The men stepped back, bowed to each other, and headed to the dressing rooms.
Darcy had no intention of talking to anyone. He nodded thanks to the various
words of congratulations, quickly changed, and headed out before Malcolm could
talk to him again; he didn’t trust himself to speak.
How dare he insinuate that Darcy was keeping Elizabeth to himself! Of course,
that was exactly what he was doing, but not for the reasons Malcolm implied.
His intentions were honorable; he was going to marry her, for God’s sake! He
didn’t need Malcolm butting in and mucking things up. How dare he ask him to
call? He was not Elizabeth’s father; far from it! 
And to think he’d had the audacity to secure the supper set! Darcy knew what he
was doing; he’d be able to escort her to the dining room and likely sit with
her, prolonging their time together. 
With a sigh, Darcy admitted to himself why he was really angry; he had intended
to ask Miss Bennet for the same set, so that he might be the one to sit with
her through dinner. Now he would have to watch her smile and laugh with
Malcolm. Ladies always smiled and laughed with Malcolm. 
Well, he wouldn’t let this get the better of him. He had determined to have two
dances with her, and two he would have. And damn what anybody said about it!
That night after dinner, as they were walking to the music room, Darcy stepped
next to Elizabeth.
“Miss Bennet, it occurs to me that I have only secured one dance with you at
next week’s ball.”
“That is correct, Mr. Darcy.”
“May I also request the last set?”
“The last set?” Her eyebrows shot up. “You may.” 
“Good. I look forward to it.” He smiled and entered the music room, leaving a
bewildered Elizabeth in his wake.

Chapter
11

Lady Matlock handed her things to the footman and
asked to see Miss Bennet. Hawkins showed her into a small sitting room at the
back of the house and went to find Elizabeth. Ten minutes later, Elizabeth
found herself sitting across from Lady Matlock sipping tea, and wondering what
on earth this was about.
“Miss Bennet, I am glad I’ve got you on your own for a moment. I wanted to
discuss the upcoming ball with you.”
“I’m listening, your ladyship.”
“I have located a few eligible gentlemen that I wish you to dance with and
consider on Thursday.”
“Excuse me?” Elizabeth stopped her cup in mid-air and stared blankly at Lady
Matlock.
“My dear, I’m sure you know how this works. You meet in a ballroom, you dance,
he calls, if he likes you, he asks to court you. If you find this favorable,
you accept. Most courtships end in proposals, and most proposals end with
weddings.”
“Yes, Lady Matlock, I understand that perfectly. What I don’t understand is why
you are taking it upon yourself to find me a suitor – or is it more than one?”
“Miss Bennet, I do not wish to upset you, but I feel I must speak frankly. May
I?”
“I would prefer it if you did.” Elizabeth was trying very hard to keep her
voice steady.
“I like you. I believe you are honest and good, and are an excellent friend to
my niece. My son Richard raves about you. Even Fitzwilliam, who seldom enjoys
the company of women outside his family, has taken a liking to you.”
Elizabeth’s face betrayed her surprise at this statement.
“I assure you, Miss Bennet, I speak the truth. I know you have not known them
long, but the Darcys are a loyal bunch. Georgiana will be your friend for life.
And if I can believe my son, so will he and Fitzwilliam. I don’t know that you
realize how powerful a position Georgiana is about to be in. The Darcy family
is almost as old as England. They have lived at Pemberley for more than twenty
generations, and each has prospered more than the last. The Fitzwilliam family
is barely less ancient and holds more than one title. 
“Lady Anne Darcy, formerly Lady Anne Fitzwilliam, was a dear friend of mine. We
were in school together along with Georgiana’s aunt, Clara Preston, then Clara
Darcy. It was through Anne that I met my husband Henry. He wasn’t Lord Matlock
yet, and I was visiting Anne for the summer. Little did I know that I would be
married to her brother in a year and that a few months later, Anne would marry
Clara’s brother. So you can see why I care about this family. We have been
bound together through blood and friendship nearly our entire lives.” She
looked at Elizabeth earnestly and clasped her hands in her lap before
continuing.
“Georgiana will be much sought after when she comes out, and I am afraid that
she has no true friends like I had in Clara and Anne. She has just the sort of
disposition that makes her easy prey to those who would take advantage of her
position. And the fact that she has a large dowry would be temptation to anyone.
This is part of why I want to help you. You are an honest person, I can tell
that about you, and you are just who Georgiana needs by her side to navigate
these treacherous waters.”
“But surely I do not need to be married to do that! I will be her friend as
long as she wishes it. I fail to see how a suitor plays into this.” Elizabeth
was feeling very perplexed and it showed on her face. She did not like not
understanding what was happening.
“Yes, my dear, you are quite right. However, you do not live with Georgiana,
and with her being under her brother’s guardianship, you will hardly be able to
make prolonged visits with any regularity. Besides, being so close to her, you
will also be sought out, and I am afraid you will not always receive the best
treatment. The first circles can be very cruel and are often closed to those
who are not their own.”
“I see. So do you wish to protect me or to buy me entrance?”
“Both. I do not want to be crass, but I must tell you that everything will be
easier for you under the protection of a husband. Especially the 
right
husband.”
“Lady Matlock, I appreciate your interest in me and I understand that it is an
honor to be singled out by you, but I must tell you that I do not wish to be
auctioned off to the highest bidder. And I cannot believe that finding me a
husband of the first circles will be as easy as you make it appear. I wish to
marry for affection. I am afraid that I cannot enter into a union without it,
regardless of the material gains. I am sorry and do not wish to upset you, but
I must be firm on this.”
“My dear Miss Bennet, surely you know there are ways to access the first
circles, without being 
in
 the first circles. But we shall get to that;
you have just confirmed that I have indeed judged you correctly.” Lady Matlock
smiled broadly at her. “Please, allow me to tell you a story.” Elizabeth
reluctantly nodded her agreement. 
“When I met Lord Matlock, the viscount then, I thought he was self-important
and dull.” Elizabeth choked slightly on her biscuit. “I was spending the summer
with my friend Anne Fitzwilliam and wasn’t interested in men as of yet. I was
nearly seventeen and I knew I was coming out the following spring, as were Anne
and Clara Darcy, and I wanted to enjoy the last summer of my youth. 
“Little did I know that Henry Fitzwilliam had other plans. He took one look at
me and decided I was the one for him. I didn’t know if it was my youthful bloom
or my 25,000 pounds that attracted him, so I decided to have nothing to do with
him. I thought that if he was after the dowry, he could get in line the
following spring along with everyone else. If he truly loved me, he would be
willing to wait, or at least find a better way of showing it.” She laughed
lightly at the memory.
“I gave him the hardest time. Every time he came around, I found an excuse to
leave the room. I refused to sit by him at dinner and would never play what he
asked me to at the pianoforte. If my mother had known I was behaving so rudely
to a potential and extremely eligible suitor, and a titled one at that, she
would have had my head. 
“But I knew it would be alright in the end and I would marry eventually. I was
rich and pretty and all that is considered accomplished, and that will always
bring suitors around. I wanted to enjoy my last summer of freedom, and he was
ruining it.” 
She shook her head and smiled at the memory. “Lady Anne was a little bit wild,
which is probably why we were friends, but she was everything ladylike in
public. Only those closest to her, and possibly not even all of them, knew her
true nature. Fitzwilliam is like her in that way. She would be the image of
perfect obedience and manners, and then sneak off to climb trees when no one
was about. She never did anything really bad, she was just a bit naughty and
perhaps not what everyone thought a perfect lady should be, which is probably
what George saw in her. 
“Anyway, one afternoon it was terribly hot and Clara and Anne and I decided to
sneak off to a little cove and go for a swim. Proper ladies weren’t supposed to
bathe, at least not without a screen and a chaperone, if then, but we were all
raised in the country with our brothers and saw no reason to adhere to those
ridiculous rules.
“We made sure no one was about and went swimming in our shifts. We were all
fairly good swimmers and knew how to be careful. Unfortunately, I wasn’t
careful enough. I jumped off a nearby rock and somehow got my foot tangled in
the branches and vines under the water. I was struggling to swim to the top,
but I couldn’t break free. Just as I was sure I was going to drown and began to
say my prayers, I felt something grab my ankle. All I could see through the
murky water was a figure moving around my bound leg, and then I was
free.” 
Elizabeth released the breath she was holding. “Who saved you?”
“The last person I expected. When we reached the surface, I saw it was Henry
Fitzwilliam. He pulled me to the shore and wrapped me in his riding coat to
keep me from shivering. My hands and feet were blue and he was rubbing them
briskly, trying to restore the color. He kept talking to me, asking me if I
could hear him and saying my name. I was vaguely aware of Clara and Anne crying
in the background. I could hear his voice, but I couldn’t respond. I suppose it
was the shock.” She took a sip of her tea, then continued in a faraway voice.
“I couldn’t stop staring at him. I watched everything he did; his hands, his
face, his eyes, and finally, I saw it.” 
“What?”
“It was in his eyes. He was terrified - for me. He loved me and he was afraid I
was dying in front of him. And that’s when I knew. I knew I could trust him and
that he would love me the way I had always wanted to be loved. It wasn’t about
the money, it never had been. And then I knew that I loved him, too. I called
out his name and he looked at me with such tenderness. I felt that I could see
his very soul in that moment.” She let out a small sigh and came back to the
present. “We were practically inseparable the rest of the summer. Even after I
went home, we would send each other letters through Anne. We married a year
later to the day and have spent thirty-four wonderful years together.”
“That is a beautiful story,” Elizabeth sighed.
“I told you this so that you would understand that I do know what it feels like
to not want to give up your independence to a man. And I know what it means to
love, and feel love in return. I’ve seen good and bad marriages amongst my
various friends, and I wouldn’t trade mine for any of theirs. 
“But hear this Miss Bennet: there is often more to a man than meets the eye,
and if you are too quick to look away, you may miss it, as I almost did with
Henry.” She reached across and put her hand over Elizabeth’s, a sincere look on
her face. “It is just as easy to love a rich man as a poor one. I would not
want to see you in a bad marriage, nor in dire straits. So please, let me help
you.” 
“Alright Lady Matlock, you may help me. But I make no promises to leave your
ball engaged,” Elizabeth acquiesced. Lady Matlock smiled and gave her hand a
squeeze. 
“We shall see, Miss Bennet, we shall see.”
Just then, Georgiana came bounding in. “Lady Helen! I didn’t know you were
coming today!” She kissed her aunt affectionately.
“Miss Bennet and I have just been having a little chat while you finished your
lessons. Are you all through now?”
“Yes, quite.”
“Good. Now you can help Miss Bennet and I sort through the men coming to the
ball.”
Georgiana’s eyes grew wide and she sat down slowly. “What do you mean, ‘sort
through them’?”
“You will be out next year, so this is as good a time as any to teach you how
these things work. Now, here is who we have to work with.” She drew a small
piece of paper out of her reticule and unfolded it. 
“Lady Matlock! You have an actual list?” Elizabeth asked disbelievingly. 
“With something as serious as this, Miss Bennet, it is best to be prepared.”
She gave her a somber look. “Now let’s get started. First we have Sir Malcolm
Rutherford.”
“Sir Malcolm! Lady Helen, what exactly are we doing?” Georgiana asked with
trepidation. 
“We are sorting through possible suitors for Miss Bennet.”
“Oh!” Georgiana’s eyes became even wider, and she decided to just listen for
now.
“As I said, there is Sir Malcolm. You have already met, and he does seem to be
attracted to you. You will dance together?”
“Yes, the supper set.”
“Oh, that is good.” Elizabeth had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. At
least this was a much more private way of matchmaking than her mother’s method.
She told herself to be a good sport and let Lady Matlock lead the way.
“Sir Malcolm has an estate in Staffordshire. He comes from a respectable family
and has already inherited, so his decisions are his own. That moves him to the
top of the list. And his aunt is a friend of mine. He also has a house here in
town, of a good size, and has an income of about 8,000 a year. And he is very
handsome,” she added with a sly smile.
“But would a baronet take a wife without a dowry?” Elizabeth asked.
“Most would not, I grant you, but Sir Malcolm is healthy financially and a bit
sentimental, though he wouldn’t want you to know it, so I believe it is a
possibility. And his close relationship with the Darcy and Fitzwilliam families
can only be beneficial.”
Seeing Georgiana’s growing alarm, Elizabeth told her, “Lady Matlock would like
to introduce me to some gentlemen at the ball this week and wishes me to know
of them beforehand. I shall be introduced to them and if we get along, we can
see what comes of it. Don’t worry my dear, I shall not be sold like a slave on
the market,” Elizabeth teased and squeezed her hand. 
Georgiana smiled and nodded, then began to get involved with the conversation,
adding bits and pieces that she knew about each, mostly those who were friends
of Darcy’s or the Colonel’s.
“Another thing to consider is second sons. Now, a younger son from a noble
family brings very good connections to the table, so he is likely to marry a
lady with a large dowry and similar connections.”
“Like Richard!” piped in Georgiana.
“Yes, quite. But not all second sons are from noble families. Now, many of
these men will have made their way in the world through alternate means, as
clergymen, in the army, or sometimes the law. Occasionally their parents will
give them a house in town as a wedding gift, and as long as they remain in good
graces with the elder brother, they will usually be welcome at the family’s
country estate and have a decent allowance. 
“A few others will marry a lady with an estate, which is rare, and more still
will inherit a smaller estate from a relative or will be gifted one from their
father. Those men will be looking for wives who know how be mistress of such a
home and who will be comfortable in those circumstances, but who are ladies
nonetheless. Some of the more well-dowered, and more attractive,” she added
quietly “ladies are not willing to entertain this, and will pass these
gentlemen over.”
“I see. So my coming from a small estate and not expecting a grand home is to
be in my favor.”