Colonel Fitzwilliam piled away two full cups of coffee and most of the rolls and ham that had been left on the table by them. “Always a very good cup of coffee,” he said to Darcy. “I’d happily steal your cook if I could afford him.”
“There is no chance we’ll see you for Christmas at Pemberley this year?” Darcy asked in reply.
“No chance. We’re taking delivery of the new muskets and uniforms, and I want to be there to inspect them in case the manufacturers messed up half the pieces like they did for Robert’s regiment a year back.”
“When do you return to the peninsula?”
“The present plan is that we’ll ship to Lisbon and march to join the forces in Spain during the course of the summer. We will not be ready until after Easter at the earliest. So, if you still plan to visit Lady Catherine…”
Darcy grimaced.
“Ah-ha. I had already deduced that it was unlikely that we would descend once more on Batty Catty.”
“Lady Catherine has not yet sent me a letter ‘congratulating’ me on my marriage, but I cannot imagine that her temper will have cooled so soon.”
“Lady Catherine de Bourgh — my cousin’s benefactress?”
Darcy grimaced remembering the sole interaction he had with the oafish man who'd spent much of the evening of the ball hanging about Elizabeth and who had presumed to introduce himself to Darcy. Not meeting Mr. Collins again would be an advantage of not spending time with Lady Catherine.
“He said that you had been engaged to her daughter.” Elizabeth frowned.
“I assure you, I never made any offer to her, and I never gave her any indication that I might. My honor was not entangled, whatever my aunt may have hoped for or preferred.”
And there again Elizabeth’s deep eyes were intent on him. She was studying him. What was she thinking when she looked at him that way?
“Wait,” Elizabeth suddenly exclaimed, “Christmas in Pemberley? — we are leaving London so soon?”
“Just a week here. Perhaps a few more days can be arranged if you need it to finish having dresses ordered.”
“Just a week?” Her voice was surprised and a little small.
Of course she wanted to stay in London longer. It was the best place to spend his money.
“I am eager for you to see Pemberley, your new home, and your new sister Georgiana.”
“Too close, too close.” Colonel Fitzwilliam shook his head. “Darcy keeps his own counsel about his plans even with his wife. Never thought you’d carry your obsession with privacy so far.”
“I did not know that we would leave so soon… I’d hoped to see my family again for Christmas.”
“That will be impossible,” Darcy replied. Wholly impossible since Darcy could not imagine himself being in close quarters with Mrs. Bennet for any great length of time. At least not so soon.
As good as a Lord! My clever, clever girl!
“I see,” Elizabeth said, echoing him quietly. “Impossible. Yes, I see.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said sympathetically. “My cousin likes to have his own way very well, but so do we all. It is only that he has a better means of having it than many others, because he is rich, and many others are poor. I speak feelingly. A younger son, you know, must be inured to self-denial and dependence.”
The mock serious tone that Colonel Fitzwilliam used had been clearly intended to cheer Elizabeth from the unhappiness that Darcy’s announcement had brought to her. Darcy felt something like guilt, but it was important to start as he meant to go on. He would not spend more time with her family than was necessary to satisfy propriety, and he would not allow her to arrange their schedule.
She had chosen to join his life, not the other way around.
Elizabeth made a smile that Darcy could tell was forced and replied to Colonel Fitzwilliam, “The younger son of an earl can know very little of either. Now seriously, what have you ever known of self-denial and dependence?”
“You paint a quite unpleasant picture of me,” Darcy said to his cousin, instead of allowing Colonel Fitzwilliam to reply to Elizabeth. “I hardly have my own way always.”
“Don’t you?” Colonel Fitzwilliam replied with a raised eyebrow. “At least in matters most significant to you? Haven’t you now shown how very much you are your own man?”
Did he? He had wanted Elizabeth, and he had taken her. And he had been able to simply choose to have her withoutworrying about the possibility that she would refuse him or not wish to marry him because he was so very rich. The wealth was enough to make any woman consent to whatever he asked.
