Chapter 27

Barton Street

London

5 O'clock in the afternoon

Darcy's second best carriage was, of course, a very fine one, and as it rolled its sedate way toward the Earl of Matlock's residence, Darcy found himself leaning into the luxurious squabs. He was a little tired after two days riding from Tuxford to London on horseback, especially since he had been required to change out mounts frequently, and a couple of his horses were not smooth trotters. It had been a relief to reach Darcy House somewhat after noon today, to bathe, to change into fresh clothes, and to eat a good meal before stopping by the de Bourgh house to take up his aunt.

"I am looking forward to speaking to your uncle," Lady Catherine said. "I am confident that he will support me entirely by insisting that you marry your cousin."

Darcy looked over at his aunt but did not speak. He knew quite well that nothing he could say would change Lady Catherine's mind, so he had chosen to be silent in the woman's presence ever since their last acrimonious discussion at the Red Dragon almost three days previously.

"Darcy, really, this is childish! You are a grown man and a gentleman. It is absurd to see you sulking in such a way!"

He kept his mouth closed and his face serene, though inwardly he could not help but be amused. It was obvious that, while Lady Catherine was not interested in the opinions of others, she did wish for appropriate responses from her audience.

The carriage came to a halt, and a moment later, a servant opened the door. Darcy descended to the street and deliberately turned away and adjusted his cravat; he would not assist his harridan of an aunt to step down.

There was an indignant snort from the lady behind him, and she hissed, "Really, Darcy, do you not even have enough...?"

She trailed away as he began to rapidly climb the shallow marble steps which led to the great oak door of Matlock House. He could hear her hurrying up the steps behind him, and when he reached the top, she stepped up beside him, puffing a little.

The door opened, and the elderly butler stepped forward, his face set in grave, serene lines. "Lady Catherine, Mr. Darcy."

"My nephew and I must see my brother. Take us to him immediately."

The man lifted one eyebrow, but other than that, his face maintained its implacable calm. "He is in the study, my lady, sir. If you will come this way."

The hostile pair followed the man down one hall into another. The butler opened the door, stepped in, and announced, "Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr. Darcy."

"Catherine! Darcy!" the earl exclaimed, rising from his chair and hurrying forward. "This is quite a surprise! What are you doing here?"

"We are here, Brother, because your fool of a nephew is about to destroy everything we have ever wanted for him! I insist that you exert your control!"

Matlock, a gray-haired man of medium height, closed his eyes briefly, opened them, and said, "Catherine, really, Darcy is his own man..."

"He wishes to marry a ruined lady, Brother!" Lady Catherine said shrilly.

Now the earl looked shocked and turned to his nephew. "Is this true, Darcy?"

"No."

"It is true! Lydia Bennet eloped and is not married and..."

"Perhaps we could sit down?" Darcy suggested, gesturing toward three chairs that were near the fireplace and away from the door. He definitely did not wish for any servants wandering along the hall to overhear this conversation.

"Of course," the earl said, collecting himself. "Please sit down, and shall I order some refreshment?"

"There is no time for refreshments!" Lady Catherine snapped, though she did hasten to take the chair closest to the open window, which was letting in a welcome breeze. "We must speak of Darcy's intention of ruining his good name!"

The earl passed a hand over his forehead and sank into a chair, while Darcy silently took the third chair.

"Well, Darcy, what is this about?" the older man inquired.

"I will tell you what it is about!" Catherine de Bourgh barked. "Darcy has..."

"Stop, Catherine! Let me hear from Darcy, and then you may have your time to speak."

She subsided – not happily, but she did subside – and Darcy said, "When I was in Hertfordshire last autumn, I formed an attachment to a young lady named Miss Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a local landowner. I met her again in Kent when she was visiting Lady Catherine's rector and his wife, who is a childhood friend of Miss Bennet's. I realized that I loved her. We met yet again a few weeks ago when Elizabeth was visiting Derbyshire with her family, and I am now engaged to her."

The lady's eyes bulged with incredulous fury. "Engaged?! You said you were not!"

"I said I was not when we spoke Wednesday afternoon. Later that night, I offered my hand in marriage to Elizabeth, and she accepted. So now we are engaged."

"No! No!"

"Catherine!" bellowed the earl in exasperation. "Such hysteria is entirely unbecoming along with being annoying and pointless. Please be quiet!"

She subsided, grumbling under her breath, and Matlock turned a weary look on his nephew. "My dear boy, what can you be thinking? I might expect such behavior from one of my sons, but you have always been a sensible young man. How could you be trapped by a mere country girl, and one whom, it seems, bears a stain on her character?"

"There is no stain on Elizabeth's character," Darcy asserted. "It is true that her youngest sister, who is but sixteen years of age, was fool enough to run off with George Wickham, who is the son of my father's steward. However, I chased him off and have made arrangements for Miss Lydia to marry another, more honorable man."

"Is this Miss Bennet wealthy?"

"No, not at all."

"Is she incredibly handsome?"

"She is, in my eyes, extremely pretty, but perhaps not in the conventional sense."

"Then why, Darcy, why? Why would you marry a woman whose family is tarnished by a sister's impropriety, who is neither rich nor incredibly handsome?"

Darcy could not help the smile that filled his face now, transforming it.

"Because I love her," he said simply, "and she loves me. She is such an intelligent, lively, charming woman, and has never pursued me as have so many other women in the ton. She is..."

"Nonsense, Darcy!" Lady Catherine interrupted, her brow furrowed in deep grooves. "She wants your money and your position in society, nothing more! She has merely been clever enough to pursue you in a different way than most ladies!"

"If that is true, dear aunt, perhaps you can explain to me why she refused my first offer while we were in Kent?" Darcy asked drily.

There was silence for thirty seconds, and then the earl asked, rather feebly, "She ... she refused you?"

"Yes, and most vehemently. I deserved it entirely, as I was extremely rude to her during my proposal regarding her family. She also was upset with me for some other things. But yes, I asked her to marry me in April, on the night she stayed in the parsonage due to a headache, Lady Catherine."

"You proposed to Elizabeth Bennet under my very roof?" Lady Catherine shrieked.

Darcy rolled his eyes and said, "No, as I said, I offered for her in the parsonage..."

"The parsonage is part of Rosings, and thus is my domain! How could you betray me? How could you betray Anne in such a way? Brother, do something!"

The earl looked at his sister, then at his nephew, then back at his sister, and back to his nephew again. He opened his mouth and then closed it, apparently rendered mute by the circumstances.

"There is nothing my uncle can do," Darcy said quietly. "I have offered for Miss Bennet, and she has accepted me, and in the presence of her father, too, who gave us his blessing. No gentleman breaks an engagement, as you well know. Given the situation, if you truly care about our family names, you will not cause trouble, Lady Catherine. The Darcy name will soon be irrevocably linked with Bennet!"

The lady shrieked again, her face now mottled with red blotches of fury, and the earl said, "Catherine, please! Do be quiet and allow me to think!"

She did, to Darcy's relief. He had long known that his aunt had a commanding voice, but her screaming was literally painful to the ears.

"Nephew," the earl said after two minutes of silence, "I cannot help but agree with Catherine that this young woman does not seem at all an appropriate bride for a Darcy."

"I do not care what you think. Moreover, I am engaged."

"Quite," Matlock agreed, "but you must confess that, well, a country gentleman and his daughter, of no particular importance in the world, would not be believed if you denied the betrothal."

Darcy speared him with a cold and angry glare. "You wish me to lie about the woman I love."

"My dear boy," the earl said, lifting his hands in a placating manner, "I am well aware you are your own man, but think of Georgiana! It would hardly be in her best interests for you to marry a woman who cannot launch her successfully into society."

Darcy heaved out a sigh, put his hand in his pocket, and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He handed it over to his uncle without comment, who spread it out and turned so that the summer sun illuminated it.

The Red Dragon

Tuxford

20th August, 1812

To Whom It May Concern,

We, the undersigned, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, hereby declare that we are engaged to one another. Mr. Bennet, father of Miss Bennet, gives his approval for the engagement and marriage.

Sincerely,

Fitzwilliam Darcy

Elizabeth Bennet

Thomas Bennet

"What is it?" Lady Catherine demanded. "What does it say?"

Her brother passed it over, and Catherine de Bourgh read it, screeched again, crumpled it up, and threw it in the fireplace, which was, unfortunately for her, not lit on a warm day. Not that it would have mattered if the document had been burned up; Darcy, Elizabeth, and Mr. Bennet had signed three copies, and he had another one in his pocket while the third copy was safely with Mr. Bennet.

"This is not binding! You are engaged to Anne! You cannot..."

The door opened again, and the butler entered with a lady and a gentleman at his heels. The woman was very familiar to Darcy, but he had never seen the man before.

"Anne?" Lady Catherine exclaimed, rising to her feet. "Whatever are you doing here in Town?"

"Mother!" the lady replied, stepping forward with more vigor in her step than Darcy had seen in many a year. "It is a great surprise to see you here, but a welcome one. To answer your question, I journeyed here this morning in order to consult with Mr. Brooks."

Mr. Brooks, Darcy knew, was the de Bourgh's man of business. What he did not know was why his cousin had visited the man, nor why Anne looked so very pleased with herself.

"I am thankful that you are here, and my uncle and cousin," Anne continued, "as it permits me to share my wonderful news with you all at the same time."

"What news?" Lady Catherine demanded sharply.

Anne smiled happily, triumphantly, and reached out to grasp the arm of the unknown man at her side. "Yesterday morning I married Mr. Evan Buckley of Blue Haven by common license, and I am now Mrs. Anne Buckley!"