Mr. Darcy's Bite

Darcy and Georgiana had been at Rosings Park for three days before any mention was made of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and when her earlier visit to Kent was discussed during the evening meal, Lady Catherine had nothing good to say about such a headstrong young lady who dared to answer her questions truthfully. But on the fourth day, all was revealed, and the storm rolled in.

“Aunt, that is your opinion, and one I do not share,” Darcy said in a calm voice. His aunt could go on as long as it pleased her. Since nothing she said would change his mind, he was determined not to become angry. She was his mother’s sister, and as such, deserved his respect.

“Fitzwilliam, I am almost your nearest relation, and I can assure you that your mother would be opposed to this match.”

“I disagree,” Georgiana said in a soft voice as she came to her brother’s defense. “I do not remember very much about my mother, and most of my knowledge of her comes to me by way of my father and brother, but this I do know. My mother and father were in love, and Mama would want for her son to be in love with his wife.”

“Nonsense! Your mother’s marriage to your father was arranged between the Fitzwilliam and Darcy families, one noble and the other with ancient ties to the monarchy. It had nothing to do with love. In your conversations with Anne, I have made note of your ridiculous romantic notions of men and women falling in love, but the reality is that only peasants marry for love, as they have nothing else to offer.”

“You say that my parents’ marriage was arranged, and I believe you, but the fact is that they did fall in love and that is what they would want for Will,” Georgiana quickly rebutted, her voice growing stronger.

Darcy admired his sister’s attempt to change the mind of their aunt Catherine, but she was up against a woman who had no experience with disappointment, except in her own marriage.

“Aunt Catherine, the thought of being estranged from you is painful to me,” Darcy began, “however, if you will not receive Elizabeth at Rosings, then I shall not come here until you do. It is your choice.”

“Fitzwilliam, I see that you have been taken in by Miss Bennet’s arts and allurements, and in a moment of infatuation, you have forgotten what you owe to your family. She has drawn you in.”

“‘Drawn me in.’” Darcy said, smiling. She most certainly had drawn him in. “If that is how you wish to phrase it, I shall not quarrel with you. But I know this. I love Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and it is the kind of love that is strong and good and will weather all storms. I am less than a perfect man, but she has accepted me, with all my faults.”

“Your faults? What nonsense. You have none. But Miss Bennet does. Not only is she presuming to quit the sphere into which she was born, she is dragging you into a family tainted by scandal. Do not think I do not know of her sister’s patched-up marriage to the son of your father’s steward. Of what are you thinking?”

Darcy was about to bring this conversation to a close when he saw Anne rise from her chair near the fire. “Stop! Mama, I insist that you stop!”

Anne had remained silent throughout the exchange. While watching the drama unfold, she had hoped that her dear cousins would be able to convince her mother to recognize the marriage without her becoming involved, but this had gone on long enough.

“Anne, please…” Darcy said, concerned for his cousin. After such an angry exchange of words, he would have to leave Rosings, but Anne would be left behind to deal with her enraged mother. He did not want that.

“No, William, I have something to say, and I mean to say it.” Then she turned her attention to her mother. “Mama, I love you, and I loved Papa. But you did not love each other, and I can assure you that it was painful for me to have my father living most of the year in London while you and I remained here in the country. I do not want that for William.

“As for Miss Bennet, she is a warm, charming, gracious, and giving woman, and she loves William—deeply— and is committed to him with all of her heart and soul. She asks nothing of him, except his love. Now, you say that such an emotion exists only in the lower classes, but you are wrong because I have seen it with my own eyes.”

For the whole of Anne’s speech, Lady Catherine remained quiet. She loved her daughter more than anyone or anything, and she lived in fear of losing her at any moment to illness or disease. It was not her intention to upset her, but she was unalterably opposed to the mingling of classes and said as much.

“Mama, you do not go up to town as often as I do because if you did, you would see that trying to prevent the ‘mingling of classes’ would be like attempting to hold back the tide. Impoverished aristocrats are marrying their sons to the daughters of merchants every day. When I was in town on my return from Derbyshire, I learned of Lord Corman’s engagement to a Miss Abernathy, whose father made his fortune in herring! Now, if the son of a duke can marry the daughter of a purveyor of fish, you certainly cannot object to the marriage of a gentleman’s son to the daughter of a gentleman.

“And I have one more thing to add. William is not asking for your permission to marry. He is here as a courtesy to you. With or without your blessing, Elizabeth and he will marry on December 24th. I, for one, shall wish them joy, and if you wish to see Georgie and William again, you should do the same. Do you really want to be estranged from yet another family member? Is it not enough that Antony and you do not talk or that his sisters rarely visit because they are afraid of you? Think of the consequences before you say another word.”

With that, Anne sat down, and the only sound was the clock ticking away the minutes. After an uncomfortably long silence, Darcy went over and took hold of his aunt’s hand, but she would not look at him.

“I hope you will take Anne’s advice because nothing will change my mind about marrying Elizabeth. However, I do not wish to impose upon your hospitality, so Georgiana and I will leave in the morning as there is much to do. Elizabeth and I will have a reception at Longbourn in the spring, and I hope you will attend.” Darcy then signaled to his sister that they should retire.

The next morning, with her mother still in her bedchamber, Anne was the only one to see her cousins on their way.

“Oh, William, I wish I could be there for your wedding, but as you know, I do not travel well in the winter. By the way, when is the next full moon?”

“On the twenty-eighth. But you need not worry as Elizabeth borrowed a book on astronomy from the circulating library in Meryton and wrote down all the dates for the full moon for the next two years.”

“Then you are obviously in good hands.”

“Anne, you seem quite chipper this morning. Considering that things did not go well last night, I find your good cheer puzzling.”

“Oh, I disagree. I think things went very well. You managed to have the last word with Mama. Can you ever remember that happening before? And because of that, I am hopeful that we shall see you in the spring.”

Darcy nodded his head in agreement as well as in admiration of his fragile cousin who had taken the field and won the battle, if not the war.

Chapter 27

The day after Lord Fitzwilliam’s visit, Lizzy and Mrs. Gardiner ventured out with Madame Delaine, Georgiana’s modiste, who knew where all the best warehouses were located. Since Lizzy and Mrs. Gardiner’s French was only marginally better than Madame’s English, it proved to be an interesting experience for all parties, but by the end of the day, Lizzy had the material for her dress, and some of the “whatnots,” as Mr. Darcy put it, to go with her bridal attire, all of which was put on his account.

“I told Mr. Darcy that Papa put away one thousand pounds for my dowry,” Lizzy explained to Mrs. Gardiner, “but he said that because of Lydia’s marriage to Wickham, he had no doubt that it would become necessary for her to ask our father for assistance, and the money for my dowry would be there to help her.”

“That is very generous of Mr. Darcy, but of course he is a man with real assets, unlike Lord Fitzwilliam, who apparently does not have the money to pay the coalman.”

An enjoyable morning was followed by an equally pleasant afternoon. When Lizzy arrived at the Gardiner residence, there was a letter waiting for her from Mr. Darcy. However, with the memory of his previous letter fresh in her mind, she put it in her pocket to be read in the privacy of her bedroom.

After supper, thirteen-year-old Margaret, the older of the two Gardiner daughters, treated her cousin to a number of delightful pieces, including a Scottish air, on the pianoforte. Following the completion of her performance,