Chapter 31

Shortly after their return to Pemberley, Darcy discovered a letter from Bingley informing him of a discussion he overheard between Miss Bingley and Lady Catherine at the inn at Lambton. Nearly as soon as he read his friend's note, he stood and marched to the door, wrenching it open and sending the footman on duty outside the door to find the family.

Elizabeth, who had been sitting with her husband in his study reading her own letters, raised her eyebrow at her husband's precipitous actions. "Are you well, love?" she asked when he sat next to her on the settee.

He pulled her into a tight embrace. "While at the inn the night after our wedding, Lady Catherine came across Bingley and his sister. I do not know what Miss Bingley did to convince her brother to remain since he intended to convey her to Scarborough and set her up in her own establishment, though he departed the day after we were wed. Lady Catherine and Miss Bingley spoke of several plans, including making plans to"—here he stopped to draw in a deep breath and hug his wife more tightly to him for a moment—"end your life through whatever means necessary. Bingley intends to ensure his sister is kept under guard in Scarborough, but my uncle has already sent Lady Catherine back to Rosings. There is no one to prevent her from acting as she has said, whether on her own or through an agent."

With this, he pulled her tightly to him and kissed her passionately, afraid that if he released her, she might be taken from him. This interlude was interrupted when the others arrived, entering the study without knocking.

"I am quite certain you did not summon us here just to witness this," Fitzwilliam declared loudly, clasping his hand onto his cousin's shoulder.

Darcy winced. "Your timing, as usual, is awful. However, I do have news to impart. Will you all sit down so we might hold a council of war?"

"War?" Lord and Lady Matlock said together, startled at the term.

"Yes, I am afraid we may have to marshal our defences and prepare to meet the enemy," Darcy replied, his tone only slightly ironic. After a moment, everyone was seated, and Darcy told them briefly of what Bingley's letter had reported about Lady Catherine's plans.

Lord Matlock growled. "She is far more foolish than I could have ever imagined. But I cannot imagine that she would truly carry out such a mad plot as to have your wife killed."

"I have sent several letters to friends in London and their country homes informing them of Darcy's marriage and mentioning Miss Bingley's and Lady Catherine's jealousy. I have often spoken to my friends about the fiction spread by my sister about the so-called cradle betrothal between Darcy and Anne, and many of them have also seen how relentlessly Miss Bingley pursued our nephew. Several have laughed about her efforts since she was always so blind to how little Darcy liked her. Like my husband, I think this to be the greater threat since I cannot imagine Catherine to actually commit a crime," Lady Matlock said.

"Cathy has always believed she has more influence in society than she does. She has a few correspondents—I am not certain they are even her friends at this point since most of her letters to them are full of useless proclamations about what they ought to do. Despite her claims, she has little influence over anyone, and I doubt she has enough funds to bribe a physician to declare you incompetent," Lord Matlock replied. "I would also hope she does not have the connections to find someone to murder another person."

Darcy rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. "I just want to be left alone with my wife. I am pleased to have you all here, but seven days of a honeymoon was nowhere near enough—not when I have had to come home to this muddle. What can we do about those who are foolish enough to plot against us in this way? While you may doubt Lady Catherine's ability or willingness to carry out such a threat, I will protect my wife at all costs."

Elizabeth squeezed his hand. "William, we will allow our family to help us resolve this matter. Without their help, we would still have many weeks before we could be wed, if at all. Your uncle and cousin can make inquiries, and we already have guards in place."

Darcy sighed heavily, knowing this to be true. "I concede to you in this, Liz," he replied quietly. "Let us see what our relations suggest we do both to preserve your reputation and, far more importantly, your life."

Lord and Lady Matlock continued to speak about the possible impact that Lady Catherine could have on Elizabeth's acceptance in the ton while Darcy's mind whirled. After they departed, Darcy and Richard spoke for the rest of the afternoon about additional ways to protect Elizabeth from any physical harm.

In addition to the letter from Bingley, there was a packet of letters arrived at Pemberley just after the Darcys returned from their too-short wedding trip, including letters from Elizabeth's Uncle Phillips, the steward, Mr. Johnson, Mrs. Hill, and Mrs. Bennet. Darcy handed most of the letters to Elizabeth, though he kept the one from Mr. Phillips since it was addressed to him. However, he shared it with his wife and the two discussed it after reading it, particularly her parent's disparate reactions to the wedding.

"I am sorry, love," Darcy said, rubbing his hand in circles on the small of her back as she read.

"It is not your fault, William. It does not surprise me as much as it might or as much as it once would have. He did not value me when I was there and that has not changed. If anything, he is even more bitter now that I have ‘abandoned him' as he called it."

"Your uncle says he is unhappy about having relinquished control of Longbourn, though it was what he always wanted. Additionally, he is no longer troubled by having the responsibility of your sisters since Jane and Mary have opted to stay with the Gardiners for now and Kitty and Lydia will go to school," Darcy replied.

"He has what he always wanted: peace and quiet with no ‘silly daughters' at home to disturb him. Even before I left, he did not trouble himself with the estate, but he will no longer have access to the funds as he did before."

Elizabeth leaned into her husband and smiled a little at this new freedom. Her contentment did not last long as she reread a portion of the letter. "He thinks you are controlling and will not allow me to continue to run Longbourn from afar, that you will take everything over. Uncle Phillips says the only time he smiled during the conversation was when he contemplated the trouble I would give you over the matter." She read one line out loud to her husband. "‘I know Lizzy well enough; she will not be content to be a silent partner in the running of Longbourn. She will insist upon her say and what will her husband think about that. I wonder how Mr. Darcy will fare with a woman like my Lizzy. Pompous meets determined—that should be quite the spectacle. I almost hate that I will not be around to see the battles that will occur when they disagree.'"

Darcy contemplated this for a moment before speaking. "I know I did not leave the best impression upon the residents of Meryton; I am not the same man I was when I first met you."

"I know that, William. It irks me that my father thinks we will be miserable and takes delight in the idea that I have made a mistake and will one day regret marrying you. It is one reason I swore to marry only for love: I never wanted to be in a marriage like the one I saw on a daily basis and for my father to wish that on me …" She paused, drawing in a breath. "He is not the man I thought he was."

Unable to find the words to reassure her, he simply held her in silence for several minutes. She did not cry, but he could feel the tension in her body. Finally, he decided to turn the conversation to her mother's reaction to their news. "Your mother is pleased at our marriage," he whispered.

Elizabeth chuckled quietly. "She is. Her letter was … effusive. She wants us to come to Longbourn so she can escort us to every family in Hertfordshire, but says my father is unhappy and is keeping to his study. That should not surprise her at all, and I am pleased she is not insisting she come here. Since she is unable to ride beyond a few miles in a carriage, I doubt she will ever appear without warning. Her letter also insists that I do all I can to ensure Jane and Bingley return engaged. I am not ready to inform her that seems unlikely at this point. She will be very disappointed when I inform her that none of what she demands will take place. The letters from Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Hill are far more welcome since they offer sincere congratulations on our wedding."

"What did their letters say?" Darcy asked.

"They offer their congratulations on behalf of themselves, the servants at Longbourn, and the tenants. Mr. Johnson asks about the stipulations on the household expenses—we will need to speak soon about what will happen with my sisters. He mentions a little of what was discussed before he left, primarily that Kitty and Lydia must go to school and that Longbourn earns enough to pay for it, instead of requiring that some other member of my family bear the expense." Elizabeth looked at Darcy expressively as she said this, indicating that some thought he should pay for their schooling. Apparently, her father had complained about the estate's funds being used to pay for his daughters' upkeep and felt the Darcys and Gardiners should contribute more to their care while the girls lived with them. By rights, it was her father's responsibility to care for his daughters, but he wanted those funds for himself.

"Our aunts have already made the arrangements, it would seem, for all of our sisters," Darcy said dryly. "Georgiana is to go to Matlock with Anne. It seems that Mary may be asked to accompany them, since the three have connected over their shared love of the pianoforte—a newly discovered interest on the part of Anne, but she is enjoying what the other two can teach her."

Elizabeth laughed at this, but soon their conversation drifted onto other matters.