Turning to look at his father appraisingly, Fitzwilliam asked. "What would be done about it? If Darcy was convinced to elope, it is no doubt for a very good reason. If I am not mistaken, Elizabeth Bennet is the woman he has wished to marry since he first met her four years ago. He was terribly upset when her father denied his request for her hand, claiming a prior engagement. However, there was a crisis at Pemberley not long after he returned from Hertfordshire and he was forced to go deal with it."
Fitzwilliam remained silent for several minutes, his brow furrowed as he sifted through memories. He began to wonder if the "crisis" could have been more orchestrated than genuine. In the months following that event, Darcy had been run ragged,dealing with a series of issues that seemed to follow one after another at both Pemberley and Rosings. Fitzwilliam recalled that for nearly a year, Darcy had been constantly on the move, travelling between the two estates, barely having a moment to catch his breath as he managed one problem after another.
Shaking his head to clear it of these thoughts, he returned his attention to his father. "Darcy is well and truly married now, Father, and he would not have married in such a way for any reason other than love. There is nothing that anyone could have said to dissuade him once he made his choice. If you have any concerns about his marriage, I suggest you keep them to yourself if you want to continue to have a relationship with him."
Lord Matlock nodded thoughtfully but said little else. Soon, Fitzwilliam took leave of his father and returned to his barracks. There, he wrote a letter to his cousin about the interview with his father.
Army Barracks, London
Saturday, 26 October, 1811
Darcy,
My father knows more than he is saying. While he might act as though he supports the match, at least at present, I am uncertain that he does not have an ulterior motive for doing so. Be wary of him, Darcy. Lady Catherine will be more overt in her attacks, but my father, well, I am not sure what he might have planned.
I have visited your solicitor’s office as you requested. What I found was a clerk who is all too willing to speak of private matters. I mentioned your name in passing, and he spoke very openly of your wedding and the settlement you had drafted. It seems the knowledge that your bridecame with no dowry has reached the ton quickly. Of course, I know that is not the case, for your investments with her uncle have paid off tenfold. I should thank you for introducing me to him and for helping me with the funds to get started.
After speaking with my general, I will be able to journey to Hertfordshire in a few days. It seems there is a militia unit scheduled to arrive in a nearby village, and I requested to be assigned to assist them for a few weeks while they settle in. I will visit the Bennet family soon after I arrive and will make inquiries about who might have bribed your father-in-law to forbid the match.
Fitzwilliam added a few final lines to the letter before sealing it with wax and handing it to a private to send with the next post. As soon as the soldier left, he returned to his desk, deep in thought. Pulling out a fresh sheet of paper, he began to meticulously write out everything he could remember from his conversation with his father. He included the details of what he overheard before Lord Matlock noticed his presence
His hand hesitated as he considered the weight of his father’s muttered words. The situation was more complex than he first thought, and he found himself questioning what had triggered it. On the off chance he would learn something, he quickly drafted another letter, this one addressed to an investigator he knew—a former soldier injured in battle who now made a living in London uncovering information for a fee. In the letter, Fitzwilliam asked him to quietly gather details about the finances of both Rosings and Matlock. As an afterthought, he added a request for information about Ashburn, his brother’s estate. Though he had not seen his brother in some time, he was all too aware of his reputation.
Unlike Darcy, who shunned such vices, Fitzwilliam was no stranger to gambling dens and brothels although he was careful not to overindulge. His brother, however, showed no such restraint. As heir-in-waiting, Ashburn had embraced the life of the idle rich, squandering money and status with reckless abandon. Fitzwilliam could not help but wonder if his brother’s excesses had contributed to the precarious state of the family’s affairs.
Chapter Eighteen
THURSDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 1811
PEMBERLEY
After a month of marriage, the Darcys were reluctantly leaving the solitude of Pemberley to journey to London to deal with matters that could no longer be delayed. This business with the solicitor required Darcy’s presence, for he would transfer all his business with his current firm to a new one. His new wife’s uncle had been useful in this endeavour, for Gardiner had recommended two solicitors who were impeccably trustworthy. They were also not popular amongst the members of theton,another point in their favour. Gardiner arranged meetings with both men, and Darcy would interview them both to decide which was the best fit.
Heeding Fitzwilliam’s advice, Darcy approached his uncle’s overtures with caution. When Lord Matlock’s letter arrived, Darcy took several days before replying, drafting multiple responses and discussing each with his wife. Ultimately, he decided on a brief and polite letter, expressing gratitude for his uncle’s congratulations but firmly declining any suggestion of a visit to Pemberley for the time being.
“Elizabeth,” Darcy called as he saw his wife walk past his study, “do you wish to visit Longbourn on our way to London? Although Bingley intended to remain in Hertfordshire for the winter, he gave into his sister’s demands to return to town. I cannot imagine she will have anything good to say aboutour marriage, but it will be impossible to entirely avoid her. However, Bingley asked if we wished to stay at Netherfield for a few nights.”
Elizabeth sighed heavily. “Yes, we will need to confront my father eventually. However, I would prefer to do so after we have completed our business in town. We need to speak to my aunt and uncle and find out what else they have learned about the reason for our separation. Besides, you said we will be there for a fortnight or less if you can manage it, did you not? If possible, I would like to invite Jane to return with us to Pemberley. She is of age, and Father cannot prevent her from coming if she desires, and if he threatens her, she can simply come to live with us permanently. I would like to ask her to do just that, but I cannot be certain she would agree to it.”
“You are correct, my dear. I will go with you to confront your father. However, I thought you might wish to go sooner to see what, if anything, might be done about that pest Collins. Your mother’s letter indicated he was causing considerable difficulty for your family.”
Mention of her father’s cousin caused Elizabeth to scowl. “Jane calls him a toad, which, coming from Jane is a rather strong epithet. She always sees the best in people, and if he is frustrating her, he must be terrible indeed. He is apparently refusing to leave, no matter how many times my father asks, even though he has outright refused to marry any of my sisters. Mama would have normally been furious, but she apparently decided that he was not worthy of any of her daughters after meeting him. She frequently takes to her room to avoid him, and my sisters are spending far more time in their own rooms or at the Lucases’.”
Darcy snorted. “Yes, because my aunt forbade him from marrying a Bennet,” he scoffed. “It would seem the man cannot make a decision on his own. How he managed to resist coming to Longbourn sooner, as your father insisted, is beyond me,” he added, referring to Jane’s letter explaining the revelations about Elizabeth’s supposed engagement and the reasons for the delay in their marriage. Apparently, Collins had no qualms about discussing both his actions and those of others that led to his “intended” being stolen from him.
“From how Jane describes him, I am astonished that he could have ever finished university, much less been ordained,” Darcy continued. “However, it does not surprise me that Lady Catherine gave him the living, for she adores people who will do her bidding without question.”
“What do you hear from Richard?” Elizabeth asked. “How is he settling into Meryton? Jane mentions him once or twice, and Kitty and Lydia are enamoured with all the soldiers. Based on what little I know of him, I cannot imagine your cousin is enjoying the company of those who are only playing at soldiering, as the militia seems to be doing.”
“He is anxious about Anne, especially after the letter she wrote to him regarding Wickham. His father wrote to him that she disappeared from Rosings when Lady Catherine came to Pemberley. The note she left indicated that she intended to marry but did not specify to whom, and my uncle’s investigators have been unable to find any record of the marriage in either London or the surrounding areas,” Darcy replied.
Elizabeth nodded. “You are troubled about Anne, are you not?”
“I am. Her mother kept her so isolated. It would be easy for someone to take advantage of her. Rosings was left to herunconditionally upon her majority; however, she allowed her mother to continue to run it. Each year when we visited Rosings, Richard and I would try to persuade Anne to take charge, but she never wanted to fight her mother. Richard was able to find the solicitor Anne hired for the estate transfer, but he claimed he was not responsible for marriage articles,” Darcy replied. “It has been several weeks since anyone has received word from her and the servants at Rosings have been tight-lipped, according to Richard.”
“When we go to London next week, will you hire additional investigators to find her?” Elizabeth asked, snuggling into her husband’s side.
Darcy nodded, pulling Elizabeth more tightly to him. “Yes,” he replied. “For now, however, let us think of more pleasant things to occupy our time.”
