She considered this and nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Anyway, I don’t think we want to take that choice away from our children. She’s too old to understand, I think, the duchess is. Such things were common in her day, but younger people think there should at least be a semblance of something approaching romance in a marriage.”
“Oh, I quite agree,” said Elizabeth. “I would not confine our own daughter to a marriage not of her choosing.”
“Indeed not,” said Mr. Darcy.
“To say nothing of your sister,” said Elizabeth.
“Ah, yes,” said Mr. Darcy, sighing heavily. “My sister.”
“Is something amiss with your sister?” said Elizabeth.
He groaned into his tea cup. “I have her practically imprisoned in the household. She was staying in her own house in London, you see, with a companion, Mrs. Nable, but this proved too unwieldy, for she was escaping on her own at every opportunity—”
“Escaping to do what?”
“I know not!” Mr. Darcy set his tea cup down with a clatter. “I only know she is in some kind of tizzy over the idea that she is not married. I have told her she is quite young and that she has ample time to find a husband, but she is convinced that since neither Wickham nor Neithern truly wanted her—”
“But Neithern does want her,” said Elizabeth. “At least, according to the dowager duchess, he does. He is convinced, however, that Georgiana will not have him since he is not actually of noble blood.”
“Well,” said Mr. Darcy, wincing. “It is… not ideal. But I have always said she must marry any man who will make her happy, and if Neithern is a duke—and, I must say, with the situation with Sulles, I do wonder if the duchess will change her tune with you and her threats, anyway. But definitely, she will be even more motivated to conceal his true parentage, I should think.”
“You never did tell me the situation with Bishop Sulles,” said Elizabeth.
“Ah, well, he’s dead.”
“Dead?” said Elizabeth.
“Tragic accident, fell from a balcony in Neith Abbey.”
Elizabeth blinked.
“Yes, I did wonder about it all as well,” said Mr. Darcy. “I wouldn’t think the duchess would kill her own sons, but it seems that the other one died in a fall as well.”
Elizabeth shook her head slowly. “Yes, well, no mother would do that. She is not made entirely of stone. When I met her…” She thought about it.
“I don’t think so either,” said Mr. Darcy. “For, as I have said, it makes her position materially more precarious. If anyone were to challenge Neithern’s position, the dukedom would now go to… oh, I don’t even know. You’d go up to your father’s generation, did he have any brothers, that sort of thing. The new duke would just as likely send her packing, I shouldn’t wonder.”
“Well, she never had any interest in exposing Neithern,” said Elizabeth.
“No, of course not, but she would be twice as motivated to keep it all a secret now,” said Mr. Darcy. “And so, I think you can ignore her threats and make threats of your own.”
“Yes,” said Elizabeth, nodding. “She cannot say she won’t give me a penny, for I shall threaten her with exposure, and it would be much worse for her than me at this point.”
Mr. Darcy tapped his chin. “Neithern is in love with Georgiana, you say? I don’t know. He is so young, too young to marry himself.”
“He is my age,” said Elizabeth tartly.
“Yes, but it’s different for men,” said Mr. Darcy.
She shrugged.
“To some ways of thinking, I’m a bit young for it,” said Mr. Darcy, sighing. “It is only, however, if she were to marry a duke and become a duchess, it would be quite a distraction from my marrying you before your mourning is over.”
Elizabeth blinked at him. “What is this?”
“I can’t wait, Elizabeth,” he said, shaking his head. “I simply cannot. It’s been too long as it is.”
