Vampire Darcy's Desire (25 page)

“Mr. Darcy,” said a heavy-set woman with silver-grey hair who left the counter to greet them. “We are pleased to serve you again, Sir.”

“Madame Lucinda, this is my betrothed, Miss Bennet. She will need several new items. I assured her you are the finest modiste in London.”

“Of course, Mr. Darcy. Your patronage is appreciated.” She motioned for two waiting seamstresses to come forward. “Miss Bennet, if you will go with these young ladies, they will take your measurements.” Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Jane followed the two employees into the back room.

Darcy moved towards the seat the matron offered. “What do you have in mind for the young lady, Mr. Darcy?” She offered him a cup of tea.

“Miss Bennet will protest, but we will ignore her sensibilities,” he said as he sipped the hot brew.“The lady will need at least three gowns, four day dresses, a traveling ensemble, and appropriate accessories,” he began. “Cost is not an issue. Whatever my sister suggests should be considered as one of my own suggestions.”

“Certainly, Mr. Darcy.”

“If you have something appropriate that would need but a few alterations to fit Miss Bennet, she will take those items immediately. The rest you may send to my home by the end of the week. We marry tomorrow and leave London soon for my estate.”

“To—Tomorrow?” the woman stammered.

Darcy enjoyed the surprised look on the dressmaker’s face. He knew she would pass the story of his engagement on to others, and so he told her the story he had prepared. “You know I am not a
patient man, Madame Lucinda. I have courted Miss Bennet since Michaelmas, almost from the first moment I laid eyes on her. Once she agreed to be my wife, I moved heaven and earth to make her mine. She stays with her aunt and uncle in London; that is the reason I have returned so suddenly from the country. In fact, her aunt is from my home county of Derby—from Derbyshire, the community surrounding my estate.”

“Ah, then this is a love match?” Madame Lucinda knew many ladies pursued Fitzwilliam Darcy, to no avail.

“Yes.” Darcy took another sip of his tea. “Would you care to show me some of your newest items? My sister speaks of your excellent taste.”

While Elizabeth endured the fittings in the privacy of the dressing rooms, Darcy chose some items, which he knew she would consider frivolous, but which gave him pleasure to choose especially for her. Among them were a new nightgown and wrapper, a painted fan, leather kid gloves to match her riding habit, and several pairs of silk stockings. He imagined Elizabeth’s blush when she saw what he had chosen. Madame Lucinda would see these intimate items as proof he and Elizabeth were indeed a love match.

“Be sure to include a new bonnet for Miss Bennet’s sister, the lady who accompanies her. Send the bill to my home.”

“Certainly, Mr. Darcy.” Mentally calculating what the bill might total, she hurried away to fulfill his needs.

After an hour, Darcy became restless. Georgiana’s appearance relieved his boredom. “Fitzwilliam,” she confided, “Miss Bennet is so amusing. You would not believe how she entertains Madame Lucinda’s staff!”

Darcy chuckled.“Miss Elizabeth’s expertise in word play is one of her many charms.”

“She is so petite,” Georgiana continued.“Madame Lucinda says Elizabeth is the perfect size.Those of the
ton
will be jealous when they see our Miss Elizabeth.”

“Georgiana, I need to see my solicitor today. May I return for you and the Misses Bennet in an hour?”

“Be on your way,” Georgiana assured him. “We will be ready for your return.”

 

Over Elizabeth’s repeated reproofs, the footmen stored multiple packages in Darcy’s carriage. Georgiana directed the staff. Jane reluctantly chose a new bonnet, at Madame Lucinda’s insistence. Two complete ensembles, plus the items Darcy had chosen earlier, would go home with Elizabeth that day. Another dress would be delivered to her aunt’s house by the end of the day.

“Fitzwilliam will return soon,” Georgiana assured Elizabeth and Jane.“He had business with his solicitor.”

“Might we see some of the other shops on the street?” Jane asked as they waited.

Elizabeth caught her sister’s arm.“Let us walk.”

They strolled the length of the street before stopping to look at items in an upscale storefront.“May we go in?” Jane pointed to one of the displays.“I would like to find a birthday gift for Mama.”

Georgiana led the way, but just as they reached the door of the shop, Elizabeth spotted a more intriguing store. She caught Georgiana by the arm. “Miss Darcy, I would like very much to explore the bookstore next door.Would you object to accompanying my sister?”

Georgiana looked around, unsure what to do. Darcy would expect her to stay with Elizabeth. “I—I suppose,” she stammered, “but you should not go alone.” She motioned for one of the footmen. “Take Belton with you.”

The ringing of the bell on the door echoed throughout the store, but no one seemed to be in attendance when she entered. Elizabeth waited patiently for several minutes before asking Belton, “Would you see if someone is available in the back, please?”

“Yes, miss.”The footman made his way towards the rear of the store while Elizabeth began to leisurely browse the floor-to-ceiling shelves to her right. Most bookstores organized their offerings by genre, and she searched for the poetry section.

She drifted into one of the center aisles and began to read the
titles; most dealt with historic battlefields, a sign of the public’s continued interest in the Duke of Wellington’s efforts to stop Napoleon. Then a row of old bindings caught her eye.
Perhaps they are first editions,
she thought. Carefully, she tilted a book forward to look at it more closely.
Slavic Spiritualism
, written in gold, enticed her to thumb through the pages. She slid it back into place and selected another, titled
Kathasaritsagara
. The hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention when she found a picture of a demon with blood dripping from his lips illustrating a story dubbed “Baital Pachisi.”

Engrossed in the pictures, Elizabeth did not hear the man’s approach. “May I be of service, my Lady?” his voice slithered past her as she jumped.“Do the black arts interest you?”

Elizabeth laughed nervously. “Heavens, no!” She shut the book quickly and shelved it. “I…I was looking for the poetry section. I was not sure anyone was around.”

“Yes, your man found me in the alley, unloading some boxes. I apologize for not hearing the bell.” He touched the books she handled, straightening them into an even row. “Poetry is this way, Miss.”

Elizabeth noted the man’s appearance—a bit disheveled—his clothing hanging on his frame—a florid face with beady eyes squinting behind spectacles.
He would make the perfect schoolmaster
, she thought. “Do you have a preference, Miss?” He stopped suddenly to look down at her.

“William Cowper.” She had nearly forgotten what she sought. “Something by William Cowper.”

The man’s gnarled fingers delicately selected one of the volumes and handed it to her. Elizabeth flipped through the pages and nodded.“This is excellent. Might I have it wrapped?”

“Yes, Miss.” The man took back the tome and led the way to the front of the store.“Is there anything else, Miss?”

Elizabeth looked around anxiously, making sure Darcy was nowhere around. “Might I write a note in the book before you wrap it? It is to be a gift.”

The man reached under the counter, bringing forth a pen and
ink. Elizabeth handed him the money to complete the transaction, and then she took up the pen.

When the package was wrapped, Elizabeth slipped it under her cloak, not wishing the others to note her sentimentality or her intimacy with the man she would marry. She would give it to Darcy as a wedding gift.

“Lizzy!” Jane called as Elizabeth stepped into the street, followed closely by the footman. “Mr. Darcy is coming this way.”

Elizabeth watched him approach. She appreciated his fine physique—his tight-fitting jacket and stylish greatcoat only made him look more debonair. More than one lady’s head turned, but his eyes stayed on her.

As he neared, Elizabeth rushed forward to meet him.Taking his proffered arm, she bestowed a smile on Darcy. He took her hand, lacing it through his and pulling her closer to his side as he turned back to the carriage.“Am I conceited to think you missed me?” he whispered close to her ear.

Elizabeth laughed lightly.“I did, as foolish as that may seem.You were absent for barely an hour.”

“Long enough to feel bereft of your touch on my arm,” he said flirtatiously.

She countered,“Long enough to wish the day to end and a new one to begin.”

At the carriage, he brought Elizabeth’s hand to his lips before helping her climb into the luxurious seats of his coach. “Tomorrow,” he said seductively.

George Wickham gasped for breath. Somehow he had made it to London—to Edward Street—to the home of Mrs.Younge. She let rooms, although very few people stayed there; Mrs.Younge, since she had given herself up to George Wickham, “selected” her renters carefully after interviewing them. Edward Street offered her a plethora of individuals from whom to choose, and the lady picked only those who would not be missed when they disappeared. At one time, she served as Georgiana Darcy’s companion, a respectable way for a lady to earn a living, but that was before Wickham seduced her and showed her the dark side. Currently, Mrs.Younge lived in the bowels of a teeming city, taking the lives of some of its least upstanding citizens.

Wickham rapped sharply with the knocker. Barely able to stand, his patience wore thin when no one responded, so he pounded on the door with his fist.

“Enough!” A sharp voice demanded on the other side. Someone unbolted the locks and cracked the opening. “What may I do for you?”A syrupy sweet voice spoke from the darkness.

“I need help,”Wickham hissed.

The door swung open immediately. “Wickham? My lord? What happened?” Mrs.Younge slid his arm around her shoulder to brace his weight against her.

“A little run-in with your former employer, Mr. Darcy.” He reached for the doorframe to steady himself.

“I am here for you, my lord.” She helped him to the nearest chaise. “What can I do?” Mrs.Younge lifted his legs, so Wickham might lay flat.

“I have a silver shaft festering in my abdomen.You must remove it so that I may heal.” His skin was grey.

“A silver…?”she asked, shocked. But then Mrs. Younge
retrieved a knife and a razor along with bandages. “I thought,” she began again,“that a silver stake would eliminate you.”

“The idiot missed my heart,” he gasped, “although Fitzwilliam Darcy came close last evening to achieving his goal of destroying me.” He ripped open his shirt to give her easier access to him.“I will heal quickly once the implement is removed. Now be about it.”

Darcy sent word to the Gardiners that his cousin Colonel Damon Fitzwilliam would join the party for dinner. Colonel Fitzwilliam, who would stand up with Darcy the next morning at the church, had arrived unexpectedly while they were out. Elizabeth and the Gardiners found the colonel quite amiable and enjoyed his tales of his and Darcy’s childhoods. His stories went a long way in confirming Elizabeth’s opinion of her betrothed.They also seemed to allay some of Aunt Gardiner’s suspicions.

 

Besides the colonel, Darcy’s aunt and uncle—Lady Anne Darcy’s older brother—arrived at the church in time for the service.

“Uncle,” Darcy said as he bowed to his only family. “I am so pleased you arrived here in time. I feared you would not.”

“You gave your aunt and me very little notice,” the Earl of Matlock declared, “but Her Ladyship would have no peace until we were on the road.”

The Earl pulled Darcy to the side, assuring some privacy. He motioned for his son to join them.“Why the haste? The lady is not compromised, is she?”

“Miss Elizabeth is the woman I wish to marry,Your Lordship,” Darcy replied testily.“We shared no more than a few kisses. Unfortunately, on one of those occasions, her father and some of his servants spied us in an embrace.Although her father would be discreet and allow for a proper calling of the banns, Mr. Bennet and I feared the servants would show less discretion.”

“Then it is a match based on love?”

Calmer now, he replied,“It is.”

“Excellent. Her Ladyship will be pleased to hear as such.Your parents knew a deep devotion for each other. I hope you and Miss Elizabeth will be equally suited to each other.”

The colonel touched Darcy’s arm. “Darcy, the cleric indicates it is time to take our places. Miss Elizabeth is in the alcove with Mr. Gardiner.”

“Then let us commence!” The earl headed back to his seat, beside his wife and Georgiana.