Chapter 20

20

E lizabeth and Darcy stood at the door of the nursery. Despite the late hour, Mrs. Bennet fussed over Charlie, and Mr. Bennet rocked Clara.

He bent to whisper in his wife’s ear. “We need to talk.”

Her eyes immediately shot to his before she nodded.

They retreated to their sitting room, where the servants set out a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a plate of bread, cheese, meat, and sliced fruit.

Rather than join him on the sofa, Elizabeth sat across from him, the firelight highlighting her cheeks, her slender neck, and that soft area where the babies liked to rest.

“What are we to do, Fitzwilliam?”

He knew enough about his wife to know that vacillating was not her nature. Nor was it his.

“I will not lie to you, Elizabeth. The whole evening, the one thought foremost in my mind was the wisdom of doing as your parents suggested, sending the twins with them to Italy.” With his elbows on his thighs, he studied the pattern on the carpet. “We could meet them there, spend our winters with them, watch the children grow. My servants can be trusted to oversee our properties efficiently. We would have no concerns that we leave behind should we go.”

“You would do this?” She moved to sit alongside him.

The words sounded logical. Nonetheless, were they completely true? Not really. There was always an abundance of issues that arose with every estate, even during the colder months when the autumn harvest was done and before the spring planting began.

“I can see that you are not easy.” Elizabeth placed her fingers on the back of his hand. “I do understand the benefits for my family in choosing Italy over Hertfordshire. My mother would not care where she lived as long as she had her grandchildren with her. Father and Mary would love nothing more than to experience Verona, Venice, and Rome, the places where Shakespeare's tales would take on new life to them, where history would come alive. Kitty and Lydia could purchase exotic leathers and lovely fabrics in the markets. They might even cultivate interest in the arts with a handsome Italian master. And the children? Tuscany is reputed to be filled with eternal sunshine, where fruits and flowers grow in abundance. Can you imagine the smell of the air when orchards are heavy with blossoms?”

He turned his hand to entwine his fingers with hers, his thumb stroking her palm.

“I was in Italy with my father the summer after my mother died. We traveled to Greece, Egypt, and the Holy Lands. While I do not recall Tuscany in detail since it was at the end of our three-month journey and destinations blended, my father never forgot the Uffizi Gallery, the Duomo, the Accademia, and the Ponte Vecchio. Seeing the Renaissance paintings and sculptures left a permanent impression on him. I would like to travel again to study these art pieces as a grown man instead of an adolescent.”

“And what of your sister?” Elizabeth asked.

“She was left with the Matlocks.”

“How old was she at the time?”

Darcy quickly counted the months between the events. “Almost eight months.”

The tips of Elizabeth’s fingers teased the pads of his. “If the journey would have been difficult with an eight-month-old child, imagine the challenge of having twins less than two weeks old on a ship. They would need to fill the hold with nappies since there is no laundry aboard. Mrs. Carter and Congden would be necessary. They both have family here. Additionally, there would be no time to arrange lodgings in advance. Neither of my parents has stepped on foreign soil, so they would not know how to go about securing a place to live. My father is the only one of the five of them who speaks Italian, yet it is academic Italian he reads in books, not the type spoken on the streets of a city. Where I can see the initial benefit of having Charlie and Clara safely stowed away where Lord and Lady Armstrong could not reach them, I cannot see how it would work, can you?”

He tightened his grip and gently tugged her closer. Darcy appreciated her reasoning. “I cannot. With that said, we may not have a choice. If what I suspect is true, my uncle will discover a tight-knit bond between the Prince Regent, the Lord Chancellor, and Armstrong. Even with my uncle’s support, we are not able to insist on having our way. This is a unique situation for me. Until now, the Darcy name and fortune have guaranteed me the advantage. With these individuals, I cannot rely on what has always worked before. I need to think beyond my situation. ”

Elizabeth chewed the corner of her lower lip, drawing Darcy’s attention away from the discussion. Her next words pulled him back.

“Fitzwilliam, would it not be the course of wisdom to consider the suggestion of Lydia and your aunt? Females, even those highly born, have little power in comparison to their male family. Yet, see how your aunt wields her influence to affect the changes she finds necessary to protect and advance her family. I am not suggesting that she is in any way malicious in what she does since I was introduced to her only today. Nevertheless, I watched you as she spoke. You respect her, do you not? Would her opinion be useful?”

Could she be right? Is this a viable possibility they should explore?

He kissed her temple before replying. “I loathe gossip, Elizabeth. It is one of the reasons that I am uncomfortable when I am among strangers. The talk that precedes my arrival at an event often exaggerates or minimizes my income and even my connections. I have heard I was as rich as Croesus and as poor as a church mouse. I have also heard that the Darcy name comes from French royalty and that my ancestors pillaged and stole the property that now makes up Pemberley. Until I learn to trust someone, how can I know if their expressed opinion is true when so much claimed about me is blatantly false?”

She rested her head on his shoulder. “Then we are at an impasse.”

Rubbing his free hand over his face, he reviewed their discussion. Nothing they considered so far would work. “Yes, we are at an impasse.”

The pain of his admission was plainly written on his face, his furrowed brow, the muscles of his jaw taunt.

She cupped his cheek, his attention riveted on her. “Fitzwilliam, the day has been long and fraught with agitation. We may not find the answer to how we can keep Charlie and Clara away from the Armstrongs today, but we have many intelligent minds seeking a solution. And we have twenty-nine days remaining to meet again and again to discuss options. I would ask that, in the meantime, we devote each minute to being a family. Should your sister be willing, could we have her here with us instead of with your aunt and uncle? She is a perceptive girl with exceptional courage who would set the best example for Kitty, Lydia, and even Mary. We will need the love and support of everyone to see this matter to its finish.”

Elizabeth was disappointed when Darcy rose, turning away from her. Was he offended at the idea that Miss Georgiana Darcy would be in the same room with her younger sisters like the tarnish of Hertfordshire would rub off on someone who was Grosvenor Square? Her ire flared into an inferno. How dare he!

Poking at the coals in the fireplace, he did not answer right away. Finally, he turned to look at her.

“Elizabeth, we cannot minimize the damage that Wickham could do. I believe that he will not demean Georgiana by speaking of her near ruin since he knows Richard will run him through at the first opportunity. Nonetheless, he would not hesitate to smear my name in the gutter. Having my sister and your family under our roof means that they would grievously feel any damage to my reputation.”

“Oh!” Her anger fled. His reply not only demonstrated his protection for his sister. That he included safeguarding her own family increased her respect for him.

“Your suggestion that we spend our time as a family, enjoying the babies as much as we are able, is valid.” He swallowed, his hands flexing, something she noted that he did when he was anxious. “Your mother…well, she is correct in that we have each allowed our attention to the children to infringe on our getting to know each other better.” He held up his hand. “Do not conclude that I resent any time that you or I spend with Charlie and Clara, for they are worthy of our attention. With that said, should we start to build a strong marriage, then very little could come between us. As the years go by, I hope that eventually, you and I will always stand side by side through all joys and adversities, impenetrable by any outside force like Lord Armstrong. As it stands, we have no intimacy, and I am not only speaking of the marriage bed. We are allowing our circumstances to control us rather than controlling our circumstances. I do not believe this is for the best for any of us, including the twins.”

This time, it was Elizabeth’s turn to swallow. Standing slowly, she studied her husband’s countenance. Everything about him shouted tension. His eyes, those mirrors into his soul, reflected his turmoil.

She pressed her fingertips to her lips. It suddenly dawned on her that his uncertainty was not with his character. It was with her reaction, her response.

When her mother said what she did in the nursery, Elizabeth saw the sense in her claims. There was no possible way Darcy and Elizabeth could draw closer when they were too distracted by the children.

Heat flooded her cheeks at everything this closeness would mean. To be one flesh in the Biblical sense meant doing everything typical married couples do. Could she follow through? Would she follow through? Simply put, yes, she would. She trusted him. She did not know how or why it happened, but she knew she admired and respected her husband with her whole heart and soul.

Would taking this step give them more control? Would it set them on a path to the strong marriage he wanted? How could it not?

Finally, she nodded, her eyes never looking away from him.

He held out his hand, leaving her the choice ofwhether she would take it or not.

She was not the sort to shrink away once the benefit of a task was explained to her. Being a united front would serve them well. And she trusted him not to seek his own advantage since he had not done so one time since his arrival at Netherfield Park after the loss of Bingley and Jane.

He stepped closer, enfolding her in his tender embrace. Resting against his chest, his heart beat strong for her. He kissed her forehead, then her temple. Leaning back, he kissed the tip of her nose, her cheek, and her chin before he finally kissed her on the mouth.

She loved him.

Weaving her fingers around his, she followed him to his chamber.