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CHAPTER 5

The time had come for the Darcys to take their annual leave of Pemberley. Although Georgiana would not be coming out, being in London was the thing to do. Darcy had always been in town during the Season. This year, he especially looked forward to being there with his bride. But first there was the obligatory springtime journey to Kent to visit Lady Catherine de Bourgh. How different this visit would be. For the first time in more years than Darcy cared to recall, his aunt would not be determined to force him to propose to his cousin. Matters had gotten so far out of hand that Darcy threatened his aunt with never visiting her again if she did not desist in her matchmaking scheme. The prospect of falling out of favour with a most beloved nephew had been sufficient to silence her on the matter forever.

Elizabeth, Georgiana, and even Anne anticipated the upcoming trip with delight. If only the same could be said of young Ben. Leaving Pemberley was the last thing he wanted. London was a horrible place, he often complained. Nothing good ever happened in London, whereas his days at Pemberley were amongst the happiest days in his life.

It would be summer time before the Darcys returned to Derbyshire, yet another fact that did not sit well with Ben, for it meant being parted from Samuel. The two boys were nearly inseparable—that is, once Ben had completed his daily lessons. As the days leading up to the Darcys’ leave-taking drew nearer, Ben grew increasingly uncharacteristically quiet. This change did not escape Darcy’s notice. Indeed, it troubled him exceedingly, for he was certain that visiting Rosings Park, which Ben affectionately referred to as Camelot, would stir Ben’s hopes for a repeat of their many fun adventures.

On the eve of their trip, Darcy visited Ben in his room to wish him a good night’s rest.

“Ben, are you as excited as I am over the prospect of visiting Camelot once more?”

“I suppose I am.”

“You are doing an excellent job of hiding your enthusiasm, young sir. Pray, what is the matter?”

“You must know how much I looked forward to having Samuel come with us.”

“I understand how disappointed you are.”

“You know that Samuel will be off to visit his other grandparents for the summer. Who is to say we shall ever see each other again? Oh, please reconsider and allow him to accompany us on our journey. I have told him all about Camelot and what great fun we had.”

“Ben, you and I have talked about this before, have we not? The possibility of Samuel’s travelling with us is non-existent.”

“But I shall have a pause from my studies,” Ben protested.

“There is a larger matter at stake. It has to do with issues I fear you are far too young to comprehend.”

Ben frowned. “What sort of issues, Da?”

Darcy tucked in Ben’s covers. “This is a discussion for when you are older, son.”

“Not too much older, I hope.”

Darcy placed a light kiss atop Ben’s head. “Get plenty of rest. We shall have an early start tomorrow.” After blowing out the bedside candle, Darcy walked outside the door. He paused a moment, in deep reflection. Were he inclined to grant Ben his favourite wish—which Darcy most certainly was not—the outcome would prove disastrous. Oh, how his aunt Lady Catherine would react were young Samuel to arrive in Kent with them! The one time his father had brought George Wickham to Kent was forever impressed upon Darcy’s mind, despite the passage of nearly two decades. Her outrage had been palpable; her protests, unrestrained. She had been correct in her strong objections to George Darcy’s preferential treatment of the son of his steward, and what was worse, everything that she had predicted about how badly it would end up had come to pass.

Darcy frowned. Finding his thinking aligned with his aunt’s was troubling indeed, but such was the case—regardless of whether he liked it or not. He would be damned if he repeated his father’s greatest mistake.

Elizabeth’s dearest Aunt and Uncle Gardiner had been unable to travel to Derbyshire at Christmastime. Hence, it was important for Elizabeth to spend whatever time she could with them before she and her family journeyed to Kent for Easter. The Gardiners had invited the Darcys to have dinner in Cheapside. As the scheme allowed Ben to enjoy his younger cousins’ company, everyone easily conceded.

After dinner, while Mr. Gardner and Darcy enjoyed port, Elizabeth and her aunt discussed those things that mattered most to members of the fairer sex. “From your letters, I would say things turned out far better than expected, considering the circumstances,” said Mrs. Gardiner, an amiable, intelligent, elegant woman, and a great favourite with all her nieces.

“Yes, well, if you are referring to my husband and Geoffrey Collins, I am happy to say the two showed a willingness to pretend to get along. Whether their seeming accord will be of a long lasting duration remains to be seen.”

“Actually, I was thinking more of your own accord with your sister Jane as well as with your father.”

“I did write speaking of the cordiality between us all.”

“Yes, but I dare say there are some things more easily confided in person.”

“This is true. You are no stranger to my strong convictions against the alliance between my dearest sister and the man who would be my worst enemy, but I have come to consider my concerns were born out of my dislike of Geoffrey Collins for the harsh way he treated Ben and the manner in which he came to regard me.

“The reality is that there was some truth in his deep distrust of my relationship with Fitzwilliam. He made no secret of his feelings towards me even though I was engaged to Geoffrey Collins. In hindsight, I might have done more to discourage him.” Elizabeth smoothed her skirt. “The truth is I did not discourage Fitzwilliam. In fact, I enjoyed the attention he bestowed. I longed for it.”

“Then, it is indeed better that you and Geoffrey Collins parted company.”

“Indeed. As for Jane, she seems very content with her lot in life. She adores the twins, Gillian and Emily.” Elizabeth smiled in fond remembrance of the lovely young ladies. “Who could not? If I have any regrets, they are born of my own disappointed hopes that plans for our future felicity with me as their mother fell apart. However, Jane is an excellent mother and I daresay she loves Geoffrey Collins as well.

“All is well that ends well,” said Elizabeth.