“Sit, sit. I shall not keep you long from your breakfast.” She filled a plate without apparent regard for what she had selected, her focus remaining fixed on him. “I trust you slept well? Or perhaps not, given the company you now keep.”
Darcy inhaled sharply, letting the wave of irritation pass over him. “I slept adequately.”
She settled across from him, arranging her skirts with deliberation. “How fortunate. I have been awake most of the night myself, contemplating the disaster that has been brought down on our family.”
“I was not aware that any disaster was brought upon anyone.”
“Were you not? You have married a woman of no consequence, linked yourself irrevocably to a familywhose vulgarity beggars description, and made yourself the laughingstock of every drawing room in England. If you believe this constitutes anything but catastrophe, you are more deluded than I credited.”
He felt a flash of annoyance. “Mrs Darcy is a gentleman’s daughter. Her connections are perfectly respectable.”
“Respectable? Her uncle engages in trade. Trade, Fitzwilliam. Do you comprehend what that means for your standing?”
“It means her uncle is a successful merchant who provides well for his dependents. A circumstance that reflects credit upon his character, not shame.”
Lady Catherine’s nostrils flared. “You defend commerce? You, a Darcy of Pemberley, descended from the finest families in Derbyshire?”
“I defend honest industry over inherited pride that produces nothing of value beyond self-satisfaction. Bingley is my dearest friend, and he and his father made their fortune in trade. You always cared for Charles.”
“This is not about your friend, this is about our family. Your father would be devastated by the statements you’ve just uttered. And your poor mother, thank heaven she did not live to witness this degradation.”
“My mother would have appreciated my wife’s character rather than obsessing over her uncle’s occupation. And my father taught me to value substance over superficiality. Neitherwould have condemned a good woman for circumstances beyond her control.”
“You must be bewitched. That woman has—”
“That woman,” he interrupted, his voice dropping to dangerous quiet, “is my wife. You will afford her the respect her position demands, or you will find yourself unwelcome in any house I occupy.”
His aunt stared at him, shock giving way to outrage, and then to something almost like hurt before her face closed into renewed indignation.
“Furthermore,” he continued, warming to his theme now that fury had displaced constraint, “the Bennets possess virtues that many in so-called polite society conspicuously lack. They are generous, loyal, and kind to those in need. Mrs Bennet may be effusive, but her care for her daughters is sincere. The younger girls may be spirited, but they are affectionate and well-meaning. If their manners do not meet your exacting standards, maybe the fault lies in your standards rather than their character.”
Lady Catherine’s voice rose to a pitch that threatened to crack crystal. “How dare you! What about my daughter Anne? The one whom you were destined to marry, who possesses every advantage of breeding and education? You cast her aside for a nobody, a provincial girl with country manners and vulgar relations!”
“Anne is a lovely young woman whom I regard with affection, as a cousin. She never harboured expectations of marriage to me, whatever fantasies you may have constructedin your own mind. That supposed destiny existed only in your imagination, never in reality or any agreement between our families. And Elizabeth is not a nobody.”
He had risen subconsciously, towering over his seated aunt with hands braced against the table. “She is intelligent, principled, and possessed of more true grace than half the aristocrats who parade their titles while demonstrating neither wisdom nor compassion. You may disapprove of my choice. You may lament the connection. But you will not disparage my wife in my hearing. Not now, not ever. Am I understood?”
The doorway behind him creaked. He turned to find Elizabeth and Kitty frozen at the threshold, eyes wide. How long had they stood there? Long enough, judging by Elizabeth’s expression of shock. Beside her, Kitty was nodding with evident approval, her expression suggesting profound satisfaction at witnessing his defence of her sister.
He’d just confronted his aunt with a vehemence he had never before deployed against her. The loss of composure was hardly dignified, but he found he could not regret it.
Lady Catherine drew herself up with affronted dignity. “I see there is no reasoning with you. Do not come crying to me when the ton cuts you for associating with tradesmen and country nobodies.”
She swept past Elizabeth and Kitty without acknowledgement, her exit theatrical even in defeat.
Darcy remained standing, heart pounding and aware that his usual collectedness had just shattered spectacularly beforewitnesses. He straightened his waistcoat and turned to face them.
“Mrs Darcy. Miss Catherine. Good morning.” His voice sounded steady given the tumult beneath. “I trust you will find breakfast satisfactory. If you will excuse me, I have an appointment in Snowhill that I must not miss.”
With that, he made for the entrance where his horse was being brought round, grateful for the excuse to escape the house’s charged atmosphere.
Chapter Fourteen
Elizabeth
Kitty had nudged Elizabeth’s elbow the moment they left the breakfast room in a show of excitement. Her face shone with enthusiasm that bordered on awe.
“Lizzy! Did you hear him? Mr Darcy defended you, defended all of us, before Lady Catherine. I have never witnessed anything so splendid in my life! The way he told her she would be unwelcome in his houses if she disrespected you. How romantic!”
