He flashed a brilliant smile at Darcy, which again struck Darcy as a close imitation of General Fitzwilliam’s own smile, perhaps… but while he was a young man, Major Williams was much too old for there to be any chance that he was a by-blow of his cousin.
“We dislike Napoleon quite more than you do I would imagine.”Major Williams grinned widely.And as he spoke he pulled from somewhere a large yellow coin that Darcy believed was worth ten francs, which he rolled around his fingers with impressive dexterity.
The clerk watched the coin quite closely.He then said, “Well, Monsieur Darcy and you are of undoubted respectability… we can have a passport made here for Mrs.Benoit… you really ought to have followed procedure.That is the procedure for a good reason.”
“I know.I know.”Major Williams placed the coin on the desk and said again, “I am quite disapproving of Mrs.Benoit.”
He winked at Elizabeth.
“We have further servants who will come this afternoon on the Dover packet,” Darcy added, “but I have good hopes they will have acquired passports of their own.”
“Just send them here, if they do not.”He sighed.“You British, how did you ever win the war when you are so disorderly.By regulation, everything should be done by regulation.”
Major Williams laughed.“We won with money, we have a great big lot of the yellow stuff — Monsieur Darcy here more than most.”
The clerk disappeared the coin Major Williams had put onto the desk into his pocket and he spoke to Darcy, “A two franc fee if you wish me to write up a passport valid for internal travel, and ten francs if you wish one that shall allow passage past borders.”
They paid, and then the man, carefully writing Elizabeth’s description into the passport, under the name of Mrs.Benoit, filled out the document, and then signed the bottom of it, and he had the chief of the office enter and give a final undersigning of the passport.
Now free of customs.Though when all of their trunks and carriage arrived they would be held here and Darcy would need to return to the office to pay the import fees on the carriage and allow the inspectors to look over his clothes and other belongings to ensure he was not a smuggler.
Based on the timetables for the regular packets to Dover, he’d asked the harbor master about the packets from Dover, Darcy expected to have his servants and carriages to arrive late in the afternoon.
They planned to stay in Calais at least until General Fitzwilliam gathered all his troops and set them off on a march towards Cambrai.
They picked their way along the streets lined with tall buildings painted in oranges and blues.Major Williams led them quite confidently.“First time in Calais, Mr.Darcy?Lovely city.Lovely people — too deuced talented with the use of cannons.Never likedthatabout them.”
“First time in France,” Darcy agreed.
“Here we are,” Major Williams said when they reached a fine park, with an excellent building taking up a large frontage of the street.Several carriages were parked out front, one of them being loaded as they watched.“Dessein’s.Best hotel in this city.Or so they say — the rooms being a little above my purse.They have the finest breakfast in town, and excellent wines.The General always dines here when he is in Calais.”
Though everyone referred to the hotel as Dessein’s the sign in large letters above the entrance to the building proclaimed it to be theHôtel d'Angleterre.When they reached the coach yard, they found a fashionably dressed English gentleman with a face ruddy from too much drink and beer, waving a gold tipped cane as he oversaw the loading of his carriage.
Darcy almost winced as the gentleman leapt eagerly towards him, not liking him in the slightest, even though they both attended White’s in London, and both had accounts at Childe’s Bank.However, always polite, any such sentiments were kept from Darcy’s face.
“Allo, Darcy, damned fancy, pardon miss” — said aside to Elizabeth — “seeing you here.Thought you were stuck on our side of the little river that kept the little ogre away.France.”He took a deep breath.“Stinks to the soggy heavens, of course, but they have the best clothes here, whatever Beau says.What’s your business, old chap?”
Darcy shrugged.
“Just to look-look the sites, eh?Maybevoir-voirtheir women in Parii?”He chuckled good naturedly and almost good naturedly elbowed Darcy.However something about Darcy’s foreboding expression stopped him.“Most beautiful, neatest dressed women in the world.With their curves… even if they all are radicals, even those of fashion.”
“That is not my purpose in visiting,” Darcy replied stiffly.
The gentleman laughed.“Second time here since the peace.Off to Paris.Nothing in the world like thePalais Royal— covered like a market hall, but bigger than any, with a half mile walk and fine shops on either side, and the gambling upstairs.”The gentleman sighed happily.“Best gambling in the world.And the girls they have there…” And then he coughed embarrassedly and looked at Elizabeth.“Who is the lady?And your fine martial companion?”he added inclining his head to Major Williams.
“Major Williams, at your service.”Major Williams bowed to him.
“Lord Wakefield at yours.”
“I’m afraid I have no time for chatter — the General has need of me.Till we meet again, Mr.Darcy.Dessein will set you up nicely in the hotel, and tell you what room your cousin breakfasts in — my apologies,” he added with another bow to the gentleman.“But military matters demand urgency.”
“Of course, of course.”
And with a satisfied air Major Williamswent off leaving Darcy and Elizabeth alone with Darcy’s acquaintance.
Feeling a little odd with the lie, which he was not at all sure was still necessary here in France, but General Fitzwilliam had thought would be best to continue as they had begun, Darcy replied, “Mrs.Benoit, the widow of a relation of mine.Mrs.Benoit, Lord Wakefield.”
“Benoit.That’s a French name — didn’t know you had any French relations, Darcy.Hahaha.Well met, Mrs.Ben-waa,” he said ridiculously overexaggerating the pronunciation of the French ‘oi’.“When’d you pick up French relations, Darcy?”
