Dear Darcy,
The season for your annual visit approaches, and both Anne and I look forward to it with the highest expectations. Indeed, my daughter anticipates that this spring will at last see the fulfilment of what has long been understood between you. It is only proper that our two families should be united—Pemberley and Rosings together will form an alliance unequalled in consequence.
You must bring Georgiana with you. At sixteen, she is at the age when a young lady requires guidance from one who understands her station. As you have no wife to direct her, I shall take that duty upon myself and ensure her instruction has not been neglected.
Your rooms will be prepared, as will those for Colonel Fitzwilliam. I expect your arrival by the twenty-third of March, so that all may be ready for Easter, when the banns might conveniently be read. Should my cousin the bishop be otherwise engaged, Mr Collins, my new rector, will officiate. Mrs Collins, née Mary Bennet, is tolerably sensible, though her gratitude for my notice is not quite so marked as goodbreeding requires.
You will write at once to confirm you are coming. I shall watch the post most assiduously until I receive your reply.
Yours, etc.,
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Darcy read the letter to Georgiana, who paled and clasped her hands. “Brother, pray allow me to remain in London whilst you visit our aunt. I shall have Mrs Annesley with me, and I might continue my lessons and visit Aunt Matlock.”
He laughed lightly. “You need not persuade me further. I would not subject you to Aunt Catherine’s scrutiny.” A thought struck him, and his smile faded. “Georgiana, does our aunt’s behaviour remind you of anyone?”
Her brow furrowed, and she lifted her shoulders. “I cannot think to whom you refer.”
“She must always have her way. She can be charming when it suits her, yet more often she is forceful and controlling. Her rank shields her from censure, and she uses her connexions and name to obtain whatever she desires.”
Understanding dawned, and Georgiana’s expression darkened. “She sounds very much likehim,”she said darkly. “Think what Wickham might have done had he possessed a title or influence to match his cunning.”
The notion chilled him. Wickham’s winning smile and confident manner had long deceived the unwary. His looks and charm had won him favour amongst many, particularly women. To picture such power allied with rank made Darcy shudder.
“What will you do when our aunt presses the matter of marrying Anne? You will not marry her, will you, brother?” Georgiana asked, breaking his reverie.
“No indeed. I shall inform her once more that I have no intention of marrying my cousin. Anne is not for me. If Lady Catherine persists, I shall turn the annual review of Rosings over to Lord Matlock.”
Later that day, Darcy considered his words with care as he penned his reply. It would not do to give his aunt any hope that her expectations would be met.
Pemberley, Derbyshire
8 March 1812
Dear Aunt Catherine,
As winter loosens its hold on Derbyshire, we turn our attention to the work of spring. Each day I confer with my steward regarding the planting and preparations for the coming season. With the recent acquisition of a neighbouring tenant farm, we have undertaken a full review of our crop rotation, ensuring the new tenants are properly settled within the estate. It is demanding work, yet I am eager to conclude it and soon enjoy the hospitality of Rosings Park.
That said, I feel compelled to address once more the subject of my supposed engagement to Anne. Whilst I hold my cousin in the highest regard, there has never been any understandingbetween us. Should she have been led to believe otherwise, I am sincerely sorry for any unintentional encouragement. I hope she may quickly move beyond disappointment and look instead to a future of her own choosing. You might consider taking her to town for a season; with her fortune and name, I am certain she could find a match both advantageous and pleasing to her.
As much as I value our familial connexion, I must remind you that proximity of relation does not create obligation. My parents never wished their children to marry within the family, and I share their view. My duties at Pemberley are considerable; I have no ambition to assume the weight of another estate, particularly one already so ably managed as Rosings. With her dowry, Anne may freely choose from amongst many gentlemen, and when she does, she shall have my warmest congratulations.
Georgiana, meanwhile, will not accompany me on this visit. She and her companion will remain in town, where she continues her studies and benefits from the guidance of Lady Matlock. The countess’s impeccable judgment and experience render her the ideal adviser as Georgiana prepares for her introduction to society. My sister’s education is of great importance to me, and I am confident that Lady Matlock’s oversight will prepare her most thoroughly for the responsibilities of her station.
I was interested to learn of Mr Collins’s marriage, though I had not been aware of the event until your letter. I met himbriefly last autumn whilst he visited his Bennet relations in Hertfordshire. He is, as I recall, a devoted clergyman, attentive to his duties and to his patroness. His wife—Miss Mary Bennet as I knew her—appears prudent. She is intelligent and kind, and her family, in my estimation, of excellent breeding. Indeed, one of her sisters, Miss Jane Bennet, is newly engaged to my friend Mr Bingley. Their wedding in May promises to be a most joyous occasion.
Colonel Fitzwilliam and I look forward to our visit and your customary hospitality. We shall make efficient use of our time, ensuring estate matters are reviewed promptly. As to travel plans, we shall arrive on the twenty-third of March, as coinciding with his leave. Until then, I remain,
Yours, faithfully,
F. Darcy
He read the letter through once more, satisfied with its firmness. He was courteous yet decisive, though he doubted it would deter his aunt for long. Lady Catherine acknowledged only what suited her purpose, and she would never relinquish her cherished scheme until he was beyond reach.
As he sanded and sealed the missive, thoughts of Elizabeth intruded. What would his aunt say of the woman who had captured his heart? Undoubtedly, she would disapprove. He could hear her words:Mrs Fiennes is not a de Bourgh, Darcy.A widow with a child. She has used her arts and allurements—an adventuress who schemed her way into your affections.Such was precisely what his aunt would do, after all.
The spring planting concluded by the second week of March. Darcy and Georgiana prepared to depart Pemberley the following day. Their journey to London would be leisurely, for there was no urgency; they would reach Darcy House on the nineteenth of March. He would remain there until Fitzwilliam was ready, after which they would travel together to Kent.
