“That is understandable,” replied Darcy. “I have no objection.”
“Excellent. Now, Darcy, the largest issue you may have, as I suspect you already understand, is what my sister will do.” The earl shook his head, for the first time appearing the haughty noble. “Though I can influence Catherine, no one controls her; Sir Lewis de Bourgh, her husband, made a valiant attempt at it, but he is long passed from this mortal sphere. To own the truth, I am certain the strain of dealing with my sister led in part to his untimely demise.”
Fitzwilliam laughed at his father’s jest, though Darcy sensed the earl was not entirely facetious in this matter. For Darcy’s part, the memory of Lady Catherine’s behavior was too raw to allow him to laugh at her excesses.
“For the moment, until the legal niceties are complete. If she gets it into her head to take Georgiana from you, Catherine will predict all manner of calamities on your head if you do not release her to your custody. If she does, you may refuse her by any means and expect my support.”
Darcy offered a tight grin. “You may count on me, Lord Matlock. Should Lady Catherine show her face again at any of my properties, I will take great pleasure in piercing her conceit.”
“That is the spirit, son!”
Lord Matlock regarded him and then offered: “If you will accept my opinion, I believe Pemberley is in excellent hands, and I trust Georgiana will be well in your care. The Darcys areinfamous for their adherence to duty, and I suspect you will do no less than her father or her brother.”
“I will not fail you, my lord.”
“Very well. I shall return to Snowlock. Do not hesitate to let me know if my sister oversteps again. Though it would stain the family, I wonder if it would not be best to consign her to Bedlam before she rampages across the country. If nothing else, we might all have a little peace.”
“Amen!” exclaimed Fitzwilliam.
THE EARL’S ATTENTIONhad not escaped Elizabeth’s notice, but as there was nothing she could do about it, she endeavored to ignore it and behave as she ever did. What his lordship thought on the matter was not apparent, for he watched and gave little overt sign of his feelings. The three men disappeared for a time, and when they returned, they had a most surprising announcement for the ladies; two of their number were no less than pleased.
“Oh, that is excellent news, Uncle,” said Georgiana, her impulsive embrace surprising Lord Matlock and telling Elizabeth such had never been part of her character. “I may keep Kitty and Elizabeth’s society.”
A look of consternation drained the color from her face, and she blurted: “Not that I consider my aunt and cousins at all deficient!”
“Perhaps I should tell them youdo,” suggested Colonel Fitzwilliam, raising his eyebrows at her.
“You are such a tease, Anthony!”
The jest did the work he intended, Elizabeth noticed, for he exchanged a look with his father, the former giving him an almost imperceptible nod.
“Not at all, Georgiana,” said Lord Matlock, turning back to his niece. “It would please us to have you live at Snowlock, but I think it best you remain in company with those your age, especially as you have become excellent friends with Miss Catherine.”
A motion caught Elizabeth’s attention, for she noted an expression of distaste appear on Mrs. Younge’s face, though it was gone so quickly she was not certain she had observed it. The woman looked on with dispassion, not giving her opinion as was proper for a companion. Though Elizabeth wondered what she had seen, she decided there was little enough reason to pursue it and turned her attention back on Lord Matlock.
“When Darcy returns to Hertfordshire, you shall go with him, though we must consider where you will stay when he departs for his wedding tour.”
Lord Matlock turned to Mrs. Darcy. “She might stay with you while your son is away, but I judge it best that she returns with my family in London. The situation with her guardianship is precarious enough that my sister may try to wrest Georgiana’s control away from us should she catch wind of it.”
“I take no offense, your lordship,” said Mrs. Darcy. “It is sensible to consider it.”
With a nod, the earl turned back to Georgiana. “We shall consider the matter at greater length when the time is upon us, but for the moment, you may stay with Darcy. When I go to London, I shall initiate proceedings to designate him your second guardian.”
Georgiana turned wide eyes to William. “You are willing to take my care upon yourself?”
William, excellent man that he was, offered her a kind nod. “Without a doubt, Cousin. So long as you wish to stay with me, I am happy to keep you and avoid disrupting your life. Whenwe return to Hertfordshire, you may make the acquaintance of Elizabeth’s other sisters.”
“Oh, that is excellent!” cried Georgiana. “Thank you for taking my situation into account.”
“Not at all, my dear. It is the least I can do.”
That settled, the company turned its attention to general conversation. Before long, Lord Matlock approached Elizabeth and, after asking her permission, sat nearby to converse with her. Elizabeth noticed William’s interest and smiled at him, and he nodded and turned back to Colonel Fitzwilliam, with whom he was conversing.
“Soon, I must return to my estate, Miss Bennet. The next time we will meet is in London during the season.” The earl paused. “If you have your future husband inform us of the date of your wedding, I believe we could take some time to journey to Hertfordshire to attend. How close to London is your home?”
Feeling flattered, Elizabeth said: “It is about three hours north of the city limits, though I cannot say how much further it is from your home.”
Lord Matlock considered her. “What is the name of the place?”
