“The late Viscount Wellesley,” Uncle Byron said. “Jasper, the current viscount, is her uncle.”
“Quite a mish mash this family!” Stafford said, chuckling.
“I told Darcy the same thing,” Fitz said, grinning.
“Tell us more about this young woman of yours, William,” his aunt demanded.
“Is she pretty?” Stafford asked, grinning.
“Very,” Fitz said.
“Yes, she is beautiful,” Darcy agreed. “She has very fine eyes and glorious chestnut curls. Her figure is graceful and appealing. She is extremely intelligent. Her father taught her estate management, and I had the privilege of seeing her in action.”
“He taught her estate management?” Uncle Byron asked in disbelief.
“Yes. After the storm, she handled estate matters with aplomb. Mr. Bennet was in London when the storm hit and was unable to return due to the roads. So, from assessing for damage to checking on the needs of the affected tenants to coordinating debris removal, she handled it all. I assisted her, offered my opinion where I thought it might be helpful, and I accompanied her to visit some of the tenants. I told Fitz the way she cared for the tenants and their families reminded me of my mother and the way she cared for Pemberley’s tenant families,” Darcy said.
“She sounds like a very capable young lady,” Aunt Sophia said.
“She is, Aunt. To have a wife with that kind of dedication and who inspires the kind of trust and respect that the people of Longbourn clearly have for her, I would be very fortunate.”
“Is she musical?”
“Yes, she plays and sings delightfully.”
“She also plays chess,” Fitz said with a grin. “Two nights ago, she trounced Darcy.”
“What?!” Stafford said, releasing a bark of laughter.
Darcy simply smiled to himself.
“You are right, Richard,” Stafford said, looking at Darcy. “He has got it bad, completely enamored of her!”
“Nephew, you can have your pick of young ladies from high-ranking families. No young lady would turn down the chance to be Mistress of Pemberley,” Uncle Byron said.
“Uncle, I have long found the transactional nature of marriages in the ton distasteful. Most families of the first circles all have some ulterior motive, and I will not be party to anything of the sort. It would also make it difficult for me to trust the young woman because she would no doubt be doing the bidding of her father or brother during the courtship. At what point would her allegiance be to me? I have a friend, who discovered after the vows were exchanged, that what his father-in-law had been after all along was financial assistance from him for his gambling debts. Of course, my friend disabused him of that notion right away, but I feel sorry for him. If I were in his place, I would wonder how much my wife knew about the whole thing.”
“Not only that, but how long did she know?” Stafford added. “From the beginning?”
“Exactly!” Darcy said. “How could you trust her after that?”
“There is no denying that is a regrettable situation,” Uncle Byron said. “But there are many families among us with proper motives.”
“I am sure you are correct, Uncle.”
“Yet, you are resolved to pursue this . . . Miss Elizabeth?” Uncle Byron asked.
“Yes, Uncle, she is my choice,” Darcy said decidedly.
His uncle sighed and looked at him. “Then I suppose we had better meet her.”
Darcy smiled. “Thank you, Uncle.”
Uncle Byron touched his fingertips to his temple and shook his head. “You three will be the death of me.”
“Wait, what did I do?” Stafford asked.
Chapter 18
