The Countess stared at her guest. Finally, she said, “Well, that changes things.”
“It does, yes. May we not now encourage the match?”
“I will speak with the Darcys.”
“I thank you, Eleanor. I hope you will apologise to them for any offense I may have given, and assure them that I will give Miss Darcy my full support if she does become Lady Fane.”
***
The Countess resolved to visit Darcy House the next day, but tonight she needed to speak to her husband about Richard’s situation.
“The tradesman’s daughter?” The Earl’s brow creased.
“Yes, Henry, but that is hardly the point.”
He shook his head. “The boy could do better.”
“But this is the young lady he is in love with. Do I need to remind you about our first-born and his wife? And if the tradesman’s daughter gets him out of the Army, I will love her forever, regardless of her birth.”
“I take your point,” the Earl said, heavily. “What is the difficulty, then? She would be lucky to get him.”
“The problem is Richard. He began his courtship of Miss Bingley by insulting her on the dance floor. He continued his courtship by performing a character analysis of her, not a favourable one, at dinner at Darcy House.”
The Earl scoffed. “And you think he loves her??”
“Then he rescued her from a threatened compromise at Almack’s; he threatened to kill the gentleman in question.”
“He WHAT?”
“Yes. He has sent her flowers, Henry.”
“Flowers? Richard?”
“Yes, And then he went to visit her after the difficulties at Almack’s to make certain that she was well. After that visit, he told me that her hair has five different shades in it, and that her eyes are like jade with golden flecks.”
The Earl’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.
“So, yes,” the Countess concluded. “He is in love with her. She has twenty thousand pounds, so they could live fairly comfortably. But Richard asks, quite rightly, what he would do with himself if he left the Army. He cannot imagine himself becoming a gentleman of leisure. Our Richard is a man of action; he is not cut out to spend his time worrying about how his cravat is tied.”
“Have you a plan, m’dear?”
“Not yet. I thought I would talk with Darcy.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
The Countess sent a note to her nephew, telling him to expect her that afternoon, and that she would like to speak with him and Elizabeth, but not Georgiana. When she arrived at Darcy House, she was immediately escorted to the library, where Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy waited. A tea tray had been prepared, and everyone was soon settled with cups.
The Countess wasted no time in pleasantries. “Yesterday I was visited by Lord Fane’s mother.”
Elizabeth’s eyebrows rose. “If Lady Amelia visited merely to repeat her complaints against Georgiana, she may as well have saved her breath.”
“On the contrary, she asked me to encourage the match.”
Elizabeth was shocked into silence; Mr. Darcy said, rather sarcastically, “So she has changed her tune. Why?”
“Her son loves Georgiana. It is fairly well known that she herself had a loveless and even turbulent relationship with the late Lord Fane; perhaps she wishes better for her son.”
“It does not matter,” Elizabeth said, sadly.
