That warmth she often felt towards him came again. She smiled with some happiness. “I am in your care, Mr. Darcy.”
When the lawyer, Mr. Martin, came Elizabeth watched closely to see if he showed any sign of startlement at being made to write up the marriagearticles between a couple where one part had shot the husband of the other part less than a month prior.
She could detect no surprise, nor any other emotion, in the dry professional demeanor of the solicitor.
Darcy produced a set of documents that had been sent by express from his man of business in London and which described in detail all the extensive holdings of the Darcy family.
Elizabeth had known that Darcy had been wealthy—an estate with a clear ten thousand a year was what Wickham always said about the family—but it fast became evident that his holdings outside of the estate were also significant.
“How do you have so much?” Elizabeth asked, in a tone that she hoped did not soundtooimpressed.
Darcy shrugged. “I do not like to spend all that I can. Papa left a great deal in the funds, and I have reserved some three or four thousand each year from what I spend—I was not giving any splendid entertainments at the London house. Perhaps I should have given more to charity.”
Shortly after that, Darcy listed the funds which were to be used to secure the fortune that would be settled with an equal division upon Elizabeth’s children, except for the oldest son, and failing any sons, the oldest daughter with Mr. Darcy.
As he wrote out into his notebook what Darcy said, the lawyer asked, “May I assume that this settlement shall supersede the one which you made with some of the same funds to be settled upon Mrs. Wickham and her children in the case of your death?”
“Yes, of course,” Darcy replied. “I imagine you must add another codicil to the will to change that again?”
“Yes. I shall write it out for you—but I advise you to wholly rewrite your will, now that you are to be married.”
“Just what did you have settled on us?” Elizabeth asked. “You did not tell me anything about that.”
Darcy looked a little uncomfortable. “This and that.”
“Was it substantial?” Elizabeth asked Mr. Martin.
The lawyer hemmed, and then he said, “I must plead the sanctity of communications with my clients. It was in fact a mistake, and one which I apologize for sincerely, Mr. Darcy, to have assumed that Mrs. Wickham was aware of that bequest.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Ridiculous assumption, to imagine that a man would tell hisfiancéethat he intended for her to have money!”
“You…well…I did not plan to die. You were insisting that I would not. And Colonel Fitzwilliam as well. And the doctor.” Darcy’s finger played around on the sofa cushion.
“And you thought it might cause an argument, where I would be obligated to refuse any charity. But you were confident that I wouldnotrefuse it if you were already dead.”
“Hardly,” Darcy replied smoothly. “That is why it was so arranged that if you refused the bequests for Emily and George, they would be delivered to them when they came of age, with the interest.”
“This,” Elizabeth laughed warmly, “is why I approve of you so much. You consider contingencies.”
“Would you have refused the money in the case of my death?”
“It depends on if I thought myself to be partly at blame for it or not. Likely I would not have—might we ensure that the children, George especially—no, both, can only access the income? I would not wish for Emily’s money to go irrevocably to her husband, or for George to be able to gamble away whatever he has. Not that I expect him to be like his father in such a way, but…”
“That was my intention,” Darcy said. “With at least the larger portion of the funds.”
“Also, am I to sign these documents—will it cause any difficulties that I am only twenty at present?”
Darcy looked at her in some surprise. “Only twenty! But of course. If I reason out the dates and your age when you married him, of course you would be twenty. You seem so much older.”
“Does that matter to you? Does it change anything?” Elizabeth asked.
“I am only surprised.”
“And shame upon you, to ever suspect a lady was older than her true age.” Elizabeth grinned. “Shocking, shocking behavior.”
“I understand. That is the sort of crime for which it is most difficult to gain forgiveness.”
“And only because I have two children already.”
