“Very much so.”
“Elizabeth, it was wrong for Darcy to lose Pemberley. Therefore, I believe that his pursuit is not solely about regaining the estate for Darcy’s name’s sake. It is righting the wrong. Added to this, his parents were deeply in love, which led to Darcy being the happiest he had ever been in his whole life. He felt secure then. The deaths of his mother and father shattered his world, leaving Pemberley as his only constant.”
“I suppose you are correct.” Elizabeth pondered each word.
Lady Matlock tapped her chin with her fingertip. “We had wonderful times at Pemberley. Anne Darcy was a creative hostess who expected children to act like children and, more especially, boys to act like boys. Both my sons looked forward to each summer we spent therebecause their aunt knew the importance of speed for horses and height for trees. As I do, Anne carefully curated her guests. She wanted no disturbances, no hidden jealousies, and no fierce competitiveness to affect her son and my two boys. Elizabeth, in her heart, there was no distinction between the son she bore and mine. She was a wonderful mother and the best woman to have as my friend. For as much as I miss her, I cannot help but think that Darcy misses her far more.”
After sipping her tea, Darcy’s aunt continued, “Gerald Darcy was as tall and handsome as his son. Also, like my nephew, he was a man of principle. Oh, some called him rigid and unbending, but that was simply not the truth. If proven wrong, he would quickly adjust his course to use a sailing metaphor. Gerald would have sacrificed anything for his family. In fact, he almost did.”
Her voice softened until Elizabeth had to lean forward to hear her.
“I will never forget that day.” Lady Matlock’s eyes closed. Her lips pressed together tightly as she inhaled slowly. Once she was calm enough to speak, she said, “Anne’s pains when she was having Georgiana started in the dead of night. She was early, so the midwife had left to help one of the tenant’s wives deliver twins, never expecting the mistress of Pemberley to be in distress. Without hesitation, Gerald was out the door, galloping through one of the worst thunderstorms to hit Derbyshire in decades. When he arrived at the farmhouse, the woman was in dire straits. He could not rightly insist that the midwife leave her post. So, he rode to Lambton for the apothecary. Elizabeth, tree branches were being stripped from their limbs, falling around himlike the rain that beat down. The stream between Pemberley and the village was a torrent pouring over the banks, ripping the bridge from its moors. Gerald, somehow, pressed on. By the time he returned to Pemberley, he had deep gashes across his forehead and cheeks. His clothing was torn and he was soaked through. Without concern for his health, he ran to his wife in time to see the birth of his daughter and hear his beloved Anne take her final breath.”
Elizabeth gasped, horrified at what she was hearing.
“What I will carry with me to my dying day was what he did next. Warming his hands, with tears streaming down his face, he stroked his daughter’s cheek before falling to his knees at his wife’s side and weeping as if he lost everything meaningful to him. In my opinion, Gerald Darcy was the strongest man I ever met…that is until your husband became an adult.”
Elizabeth could not stop the flow of tears. In her mind, she could envision the heartbreaking scene. The crushing weight of what this must have done to twelve-year-old Fitzwilliam Darcy formed like an iron anchor around her heart.
Lady Matlock dabbed away the moisture on her cheeks. “Two days later, Darcy and Richard stood on either side of Gerald as they carried Anne to the mausoleum. Ten years later, when Gerald passed, it was my son and your husband. Before the day was over, Darcy showed himself, in the quiet prepossessing way he has about him, that he was master. Until his sister’s marriage, he never veered from the path his father and ancestors before him traveled.”
Reaching across the narrow table, Elizabeth squeezed Lady Matlock’s hand.
“I now know the man I married better. His drive is not the showy display of his means of life, nor is it the ambition to be elevated above all others. I loved my husband before I stepped into this room. Now, my appreciation for the man he is has exceeded my wildest imaginings. I thank you, Aunt Helen. I hope never, ever to forget what you told me on this day.”
“Then my question to you is, what will you do with this information other than hold it to your heart?” Lady Matlock’s inquiry was direct, as was her gaze.
Elizabeth required no time to consider her reply. “I will give him my undying support. I will hold him and cherish him until he feels whatever strength I can offer him to bolster his own.”
“Very good, Elizabeth. Perhaps a good use of our time, until Darcy returns, is to think of how we can help that dear child who will soon have a child of her own. In this way, we lessen the burdens of both Richard and Darcy.”
“What do you suggest?” Elizabeth eagerly looked forward to having a meaningful task.
“Let us help her make wise decisions, explaining the options available to her as a widow and a soon-to-be mother, along with the potential consequences of any choice she makes.”
Elizabeth’s brow furrowed. “You recall that I am a new bride myself who has not yet reached my majority?”
Lady Matlock smiled. “And who, if I might make an educated guess based on the number of times your hand rested on your middle, will soon be a mother herself?”
Heat flushed Elizabeth’s cheeks. She had not thoughtshe was so obvious. “I suspect you are correct in your assumption.”
“Ah, then, while Darcy is away, we have much to do for Georgiana and you.” Standing, she gestured for Elizabeth to rise. “We need to talk to Georgie. There is no time like the present.”
By the time the day ended, contentment with what they had accomplished soothed her like a refreshing spring shower. Even more, the emotions stirred inside her from everything Lady Matlock shared made her miss the presence of her husband until she ached.
“My beloved, hurry home to me,” she whispered into the pillow.
35
Darcy, Richard, and the constable passed the time in a dingy shop selling warm beverages and hearty meat pies to those who felt the need for sustenance after the entertainment.
Richard speculated. “Just imagine the talk if you waited at the stage entrance by yourself. Why, rumor would have you sponsoring an actress by the end of the evening.”
Irritated, Darcy kicked his cousin under the table. “My wife would kill me, and rightly so, if she heard such tales, especially from you.”
“My mother would beat her to it, no doubt.”
Mr. Cornerstone tipped his head toward the large glass window, where they had a clear view of the activity across the street. “The ushers are hovering around the doors. I suspect that the performance will be over soon. Perhaps we should cross to the alley?”
