“I do. Lady Catherine has shared her disapproval around town with a lack of restraint or consideration. And I imagine the Matlocks were none too pleased with the news. I must speak to them and settle things properly. I shall not tolerate any behaviour that might distress Elizabeth.”
“Good luck then. Shall I see you tomorrow?”
“Yes, please come early for coffee. I do not expect you will have a pleasant conversation with your sisters either.”
Bingley sighed. “I shall come very early—you may count on that.”
∞∞∞
Darcy stopped momentarily at the door of Matlock House and breathed deeply before knocking. He briefly considered delaying the visit until the next day but quickly abandoned the thought. It was wise to have this discussion as soon as possible and take the proper measures if necessary.
“Welcome, Mr Darcy.” The butler bowed, inviting him in. The familiar halls seemed colder than usual, and the sound of his steps echoed in the large vestibule like a preamble to a sinister occurrence.
The family was gathered in the drawing room: the earl, Lady Matlock, and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam—who immediately rose from a chair and moved towards him.
“Darcy, what a pleasure to see you.” Lady Matlock smiled. “I spoke to Georgiana two days ago, but she mentioned nothing about your arrival.”
Darcy tried to remain calm and smiled despite the turmoil in his heart.
“I am happy to see you all,” he said. “I hope you are in good health. We decided to come to town only yesterday. Mr Bennet had some business, and we joined him—Bingley, his betrothed, Miss Bennet, and Miss Elizabeth—soon to be my wife. I trust you received my letter with the news of my engagement.”
He glanced at his uncle and aunt while the colonel handed him a glass of brandy.
“We did. And I shall not deny that we were astonished. We did not expect anything of the kind as we never heard anything about your courting anyone—much less a young lady of no consequence, utterly unconnected to our circles,” LadyMatlock declared coldly. “We hope there was a mistake that you have remedied by now.”
Darcy took a long breath before answering in a moderate yet firm tone, “There is no mistake, and you should have given me more credit. I am not a man to trifle with my life or with a young lady’s future.”
Darcy struggled to keep his countenance and hoped no one saw how angry he was as his uncle continued his excited rant.
“We gave you all the credit in the world until this absurdity that could likely ruin your future—and your sister’s. It is of her you should be preoccupied, young man!”
“This conversation is as improper as it is unfair,” Darcy responded. “There is nothing that preoccupies me more than Georgiana’s wellbeing. And I have no doubt that my marriage will benefit her as much as it will benefit me. Elizabeth is not only the perfect choice as a wife and Pemberley’s mistress but also as Georgiana’s sister and protector.”
The tension in the room attained its height as uncontrollable rage burst from the earl. “This marriage will benefit no one except that Bennet girl. She is a country nobody! Catherine told us all about her and her family. Do you know what people in our circle are saying about you? Everyone is certain you have lost your mind and fallen into the trap of a fortune hunter! How could you abandon your cousin Anne after so many years of betrothal?”
Darcy swallowed some brandy and stepped back, glaring at his relatives. “I thought Lady Catherine would make a fool of herself by speaking nonsense around town. It pains me to know that you so readily believed her. At your word, all of London believes that I am a thoughtless man who would marry an unworthy woman—even a dishonourable man who disregards his family’s wishes and ruins his cousin’s future. What a lovelygift to receive from my closest relatives—especially since you are so worried about Georgiana’s future. I am sure such rumours will be helpful to her and to the respectability of the Darcy name. And for your information, I was never—but never—engaged to Anne!”
Darcy was surprised by the sharpness of his own voice. A lump in his throat made the words difficult to speak, and he had to leave as anger overcame him.
He feared such a situation might occur, and its gravity struck him. Strong opposition had already arisen against his marriage—against Elizabeth. Heavy, undeserved blame was cast on her for a fault that never existed. All because of his family—of which he had been so proud until recently.
“You will enter the same family as Bingley—whose situation is far beneath yours. And I heard that even his sisters oppose his marriage,” the earl continued, his fury increasing. “And you will be Wickham’s brother-in-law! Can anything be more horrible than that?”
“I am proud to be Bingley’s brother,” Darcy replied, gasping for air. “As for Wickham—we all know that he deceived my father—and even you, Uncle! He was surely not the Bennets’ first choice of a husband for their youngest daughter, but she fell for his charms as so many have before. Can we blame her when our judgement was no better for so many years? I shall never admit Wickham at Pemberley. His character has been such a disappointment. Still, I am not the only one to blame for Wickham’s success in deceiving others, oblivious to his true character.”
“Surely, that is not true!” the earl interrupted. “That girl was reckless and lacked education.”
“Come now, Father,” the colonel interjected. “Many women—older, wiser, and better than Lydia Bennet—have eloped. Let us not be hypocritical.”
“Mind your words, son!” the earl shouted. “Darcy should have considered all this before making a step that would result in his family’s disapproval and the rejection of the ton.”
Darcy emptied his glass before speaking with forced calmness. “If I have to choose between Elizabeth and the ton—my decision is easy and already made. I expected your blessing for my marriage, but I do not need your approval. I hoped you would be generous enough to meet my future wife before judging her, yet it seems I was wrong. I also wish you might join us for dinner tomorrow evening, even if it is probably useless to issue such an invitation,” he ended bitterly, setting his glass on the table.
The colonel stepped forward decidedly. “If you invite me, I shall be happy to dine with you tomorrow and to see Miss Elizabeth again. As I have told my parents, I was delighted to meet her in Kent, and I believe her to be one of the most admirable young ladies of my acquaintance.”
The earl’s countenance became darker while Darcy smiled at his cousin. “We shall be happy to have you, cousin. And all of you, of course,” he addressed the Matlocks. “I shall leave you now, and I pray our future conversations on this subject will be more reasonable and fairer.”
“Darcy, wait,” Lady Matlock called. Darcy turned to her, guarded.
