"Monotonous spinsterhood. My dragon of an aunt. Do you not recall your circumstances prior to our marriage?"
"A comfortable spinsterhood in the company someone as lovely as your aunt could hardly be called a dire situation."
"Surely you are not speaking of Aunt Margaret, no one could call her lovely."
"She is a perfect dear."
"She is a finicky old termagant."
"You malign your own relation so energetically, what will Elizabeth think? Margaret Darcy—myhusband's aunt thereforeyourhusband's great aunt—is a lovely lady and I was so fortunate as to be her companion until my marriage."
"You are the only woman in England who could have tolerated her as long as you did. She is as vinegary as they come. And her dog—the dog is even worse than she is."
"The dog is darling! I will hear no criticism of Sir Seb."
"My wife has an affectionate nature; the less deserving of love an object is, the dearer it is to her," said James Darcy with much jocularity, his earlier mask of severity discarded. I saw now he had only worn it for my benefit. He was not grave by nature. He was not like my Mr. Darcy at all.
"Fortunately for you," the lady teasingly replied. Their eyes met and smiles played on their lips in perfect synchronicity.
I felt a sudden sharp stab of envy—longing—loss. Would I ever have such love?
The lady broke the loving stare first. She blinked several times slowly as if she were having trouble recalling where she was, then she said, "So now you understand Constance's objection to me. She finds it lowering to have a brother married to a hired companion. Of course she never really liked me even before. We were at school together, you see. One of those institutions supposed to make a girl ready for the marriage mart, or in the case of charity students like myself, ready for positions as governesses and companions."
I had been thinking Rebecca must be nearing thirty years of age, however if she was a contemporary of Mrs. Vane my estimate must be revised upward, closer to forty.
"Constance always did her best to make sure I felt my disadvantage. It was unkind of her. But then of course it must have been a very difficult time for her—her mother had only just died."
"What is her excuse for her behavior now, I wonder?" asked James.
"You know perfectly well her husband has put her in an unhappy state. And you could not have expected her to readily accept your marriage to me. Decided bachelor that you were, I am sure everyone was surprised at your marrying at all, much less so far beneath your rank."
"Beneath my rank indeed! She is the orphaned daughter of a clergyman. You would think she was the daughter of a rag and bone man from the way she talks," he said to me. Turning back to his wife he continued, "But I daresay you are correct about everyone's surprise at seeing me wed. I never thought I would have the luxury of a wife. A man of my prior profession does not lead the sort of life that allows for one."
"What profession was that?" I asked.
Rebecca burst out before her husband could answer, "He was a spy! Isn't that simply thrilling?"
"I wasnota spy. Espionage is no less dishonorable than any other sort of prevarication," said James, he sat aside his tea, looking at me squarely to emphasize the truth of his words,"I was a diplomat. An unofficial diplomat for delicate assignments."
"Sounds very much like a spy, does it not?"
He cast her a menacing glare. She giggled.
"I have been deemed too old to fulfill my previous duties. I still serve His Majesty's interests, but I have been relegated to the role of glorified clerk."
"He instructs future spies."
"They are not spies. I was never a spy."
Patting his hand, his wife said soothingly, "Of course not, darling."
I was about to ask James about his travels when the lady's hand flew to her stomach and she exclaimed "Oh!"
I was fully prepared to ring the bell and tell the housekeeper to call the midwife and prepare a room and do whatever else one is supposed to to when a lady goes into labor in the drawing room, but then a look of elation came to Rebecca's features and she whispered, "The baby kicked!"
Her eyes darted to me and I took a very sudden interest in the rug, anxious to pretend I had witnessed nothing so as not to embarrass her.
Pregnant women are, of course, mythical creatures. Any evidence to the contrary is awkward and embarrassing and should be actively ignored. Human young do not gestate because, really, how undignified. Infants simply appear out of nowhere most unexpectedly and we are all very shocked indeed when we receive an invitation to a Christening. Now I am married whatever unseen force that goes about parceling out children might visit me at any moment and then—whoosh—sudden baby. I do hope it has the decency to wait until I am at least nine months wed.
