“No, I do not.” Darcy lowered his voice. “She mentioned that her father married below his station. I do not know how this came to be. Her mother is the daughter of a solicitor. She is silly and, at times, vulgar.”
Fitz nodded. “So, then, she has some inferior connections, no doubt.”
“The mother’s sister is married to the local attorney. The mother’s brother is apparently in trade in London and very successful. His wife is the daughter of a gentleman. I understand her father is the third son of a viscount.”
“Hmm, quite a mish-mash, this family.”
“That was my thought exactly,” Darcy said, chuckling.
Fitz laughed as well.
“Oh, and the two youngest sisters seem to be lacking in discipline and decorum,” Darcy added.
Fitz let out a bark of laughter. “Anything else?”
“Nothing comes to mind at present,” Darcy said.
“So, what are your thoughts regarding all this?”
“Truly, Fitz, a part of me is ready to disregard it all just to have her. That is how certain I am. However, I know the course of wisdom is to take my time with this and be sure of my choice before I even ask to court her.”
“That is definitely the wise course, Darcy. You may be certain about her, but you need to be certain about choosing to go down this road and all that it will mean. There will be mothers from many prominent families who will be livid that you did not choose from among their daughters. Those same daughters will be incensed that the daughter of a country gentleman did what they could not: catch the eye of Fitzwilliam Darcy. They will not be kind to her, not in the least.”
“You are right. They certainly will not be. Besides angering members of the ton, there will be family members unhappy with the match as well,” Darcy pointed out.
“True. Let us list them out, shall we?”
“Your father,” Darcy said immediately.
Fitz chuckled. “No, Father will not like it, not at first. But Mother will help him come around. And he will, you know, for your sake. Now, Aunt Catherine is a completely different story, as we all know.”
Darcy rolled his eyes. “I would prefer it be kept from her for as long as possible.”
“I should say so. Now, what about your father’s family?” Fitz asked.
“My uncle Reginald will not care one way or the other. Neither will Aunt Lenora or my cousin Constance. My cousin Gerald will not like it, but I could not care less what Gerald thinks.”
“Then, there is not much family resistance at all. You know you have my support as well as Andrew’s,” Fitz said.
“Thank you, Fitz. I appreciate it.”
“Of course, Darcy. You would do it for me. Now, as far as angering members of the ton with your choice of bride, the way I see it, it does not much signify since you do not care for most of them anyway!”
Darcy chuckled. “True.”
“So, cousin, how do you plan to proceed with the lovely Miss Elizabeth?”
“I think I will continue to try to get to know her better. She and I have spoken privately a few times. Hopefully, there will be more opportunities for private conversation before we leave for London,” Darcy said.
“There will be," Fitz said with a grin. "We will make certain of it.”
“Much obliged,” Darcy said. “Did I tell you that she will be traveling to London on Wednesday? It just so happens that she and her sisters have had plans for some time to visit her aunt and uncle in London. I was just telling her this morning before breakfast that I hope we will see much of each other in London.”
“Before breakfast, eh? Was this another one of those private conversations?” Fitz asked.
Darcy grinned. “In fact, it was. I also told her that I look forward to meeting her aunt and uncle. I want to meet these relations. She speaks highly of them and is especially close to them. Since we have been in Hertfordshire, Georgiana has become good friends with Miss Elizabeth and her sisters. She has already asked them to send word to Darcy House when they arrive in town. Georgiana’s relationship with them will give me a bit of cover and an excuse to see her until I formally ask her for a courtship.”
“Yes, Georgiana’s friendship with the ladies will definitely work in your favor.”
