One Love - Two Hearts - Three Stories Page 15

  Richard was entirely aware of what his cousin wanted to know. He jumped up from his chair in a similar manner to what his father had just done and paced back and forth from one end of the study to the other. His mind was in an uproar. For eight years he had trained and fought for freedom, dignity, and honor for all men. He knew there were men of power, including peers of the realm who would stop at nothing to assuage their greed. Never had he thought that his own father might be one of those men. The slave trade and the keeping of slaves by his family made him want to vomit.

  Richard had cut his teeth on the preservation of the landed gentry to their position of superiority. His mother was the daughter of an earl who had brought a large dowry to the Matlock coffers, solely for the purpose of increasing his father’s land holdings to give him a bigger say in the House of Lords. At least that was what Richard had been raised to believe. Power and position equaled right and might.

  “Darcy, I find that I am stunned to realize that I did not know the man my father was. To know that the Fitzwilliam name cannot be held in pride and honor hits me at my core.” Richard stopped pacing and dropped back into the leather chair next to Mr. Gardiner. It mattered not to him that Elizabeth’s family knew the Matlock shame. He looked at his cousin and could feel his concern. “Since your father’s death, William, your respect for him as an honorable man has grown. I have watched you try to walk in Uncle George’s shoes and you have filled them well.”

  “Thank you, cousin.” Darcy’s voice was a whisper.

  “While I did not always agree with the political agenda my father promoted, I grew up thinking him to be a good man. An honorable man. To find out that he is not, is a blow I feel I will not recover from easily. When did he become so morally corrupt and how did it come about?” Richard shook his head, completely bewildered. “As the spare son, I did not spend much time with father in my youth. My mother raised me to know right from wrong.” He sat up from his slump in the chair, a look of determination on his face.

  “Gentlemen, I need to rethink my future plans. It had been my hope to use the money I had saved to purchase a small estate after the war is over, marry an heiress, and become just like my father. Now, I do not know if I want to start down that path. The felicity that I observed yesterday between you and Elizabeth, cousin, is something I want to come home to.” The colonel paused to take in a deep breath, shuddering. “Understand my motives in saying the following, please. For what the past two days have revealed to me about priorities and personalities, I am grateful that Georgiana’s foolish elopement took place. Had it not, you would not be married to Elizabeth.” He looked at Mr. Gardiner. “You would not be here at Darcy House. And I would have been ignorant of my family’s activities. That is a tremendous amount of change from one single decision.”

  “Please do not tell Georgiana what you just said, Richard.” Darcy himself shuddered at that thought. “Elizabeth is having a hard-enough time convincing her of the error of her ways. However, you are correct, Richard, in thinking that all we have learned will without doubt change things.”

  “Gardiner, you have been quiet so far. From the point of view of a successful businessman, what do you foresee when the Matlock’s ties to slavery become known?” Darcy deeply appreciated the way Edward Gardiner had comported himself during both Lord Matlock and Lady Catherine’s tirades. Darcy knew his wife would be pleased that her husband saw the value in her family.

  “Darcy, Colonel, you are correct when you think that there will be repercussions.” Mr. Gardiner sat with his elbows on the chair arms and his fingers steepled together slowly tapping on his chin. “Our whole lifestyle is changing. Industry is pulling young men from large farms into the cities where they are able to make more in a month’s time than they could through hard physical labor in a year. Inventors are trying to put the new steam engine into trains to speed transportation in and out of these same cities. Large landholdings will be a burden when there are no farmers from the new generation to do the work even with the new inventions in farm equipment.”

  “Then, think of the changes to the cities as these men bring their families with them to town. Housing is already cramped or unavailable and services are not sufficient. These workers will face frustrations as they try to provide comfort and care for the people they love. Where will their children play— on the streets?” Mr. Gardiner waited until he saw both gentlemen nod. “I agree with you, Colonel Fitzwilliam, investing your funds in a large property with a rambling house that needs maintenance and repair is like throwing your money into a pit, never to see it again. Being a large landowner will be a thing of the past.”

  “Then what do you suggest?” Richard had leaned forward in his chair and his knee stopped bouncing up and down. Even Darcy had stopped all movement in an effort to catch every word.

  “There are small farms and empty land on the outside of the city that are currently available at a low price. With the expansion of the population, land for housing will be needed, housing with enough land around it to support the families. Buying these properties so they can be broken up now and then held until they are needed, is an investment in the future.

  Darcy thought of all the workers he had lost from Pemberley already and realized that Elizabeth’s uncle had the right of it.

  “Darcy, Pemberley has how many acres?”

  “About ten thousand.”

  “Is your workforce currently adequate?”

  “It is, Gardiner. However, just doing a quick mental calculation of those that have already left, I can easily see your view of the future coming to fruition.” Darcy drummed the fingers of his right hand on his thigh as if counting on his fingers the percentage of loss. “It is a coincidence that we discuss this now. My neighbor to the east offered to purchase a large tract of land to increase his annual crops. I had hesitated to release the land as it had been in the Darcy family for over two hundred years. Now, I believe it would be the wisest thing to let it go. It is a good price that is offered and I would no longer need to hire outside men to plant and harvest each year.”

  “Whatever you decide to do, Darcy, is up to you. Just make sure you are able to earn enough to pay my niece’s dressmaker bill and you should do well.”

  The men appreciated Mr. Gardiner’s efforts to lighten the conversation.

  “I have set aside most of my pay from the army thanks to the generosity of my cousin here.” Richard waved his hand at Darcy. “If I used what I saved to invest in some of the available farms outside the city, I could start rebuilding my funds by selling my commission.”

  Darcy was as close to his cousin as a brother. “Richard, I would like to provide half of the money for the purchases. Repayment would not be due until income was made over and above any that you have invested is returned to you. If you are in agreement, I am meeting with my man of business tomorrow to pick up the settlement papers for Elizabeth. Would this be agreeable to you?”

  Before Richard could answer, Mr. Gardiner spoke.

  “I would like to add my name and one-third to this investment if you are both agreeable. That way, none of us individually has much output and the three of us can benefit. Would that be acceptable to you both?”

  All three men agreed. Conversation flowed freely as they discussed the details.

  “By the by, Darcy, I was excessively proud of you for the blow you gave Collins. It was well done and much deserved.” Richard had never seen his cousin moved to violence, not even during their rough-and-tumble formative years.

  Darcy’s face turned red. Without thinking how it would sound to the other men in the room, he said, “It gave Elizabeth pleasure as well.” His face flamed at their chuckles.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Elizabeth could tell that Darcy and Richard were uncomfortable. The dressmaker and her assistant were unused to having such distinguished gentlemen stay on the premises during the whole of the choosing of materials and fitting of the fabric. Georgiana kept looking out into the waiting area from around t
he curtain and chuckled each time she peeked her head back into the fitting room.

  “Did not your brother ever attend you before, sister?” Certainly, Elizabeth appreciated that Darcy was waiting for her. She knew that without his presence, she never would have been put into a private room and had the attention of the dressmaker herself.

  “No, Elizabeth. I was accompanied either by my companion, my governess, or Richard’s mother, Lady Matlock. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that my brother has been inside a shop of this type.” She again rushed over and peeked around the curtain which separated them from the main area of the shop. “They both look so uncomfortable and yet so unwilling to leave their posts at the same time.”

  When Elizabeth and Georgiana had encountered Darcy and Richard after Mr. Gardiner’s departure, they were informed they would be meeting the Gardiners and Jane at the theater later that night. Georgiana, rarely included in such an outing, immediately started fretting about what she would wear. Though Elizabeth hid her inner excitement, she too wondered if she had anything appropriate to wear for her first public appearance as Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy.

  The sound of the outer door opening and closing barely registered on the two young women until they heard the shrill voice of a lady calling out to Darcy.

  “Mr. Darcy, whatever are you doing here?” The voice demanded information.

  Elizabeth’s brows rose as Georgiana put her fingers up to her open mouth. It appeared from Georgiana’s expression that she had identified the voice and it was unwelcome.

  “Miss Bingley. Mrs. Hurst.” Elizabeth could imagine her husband bowing properly to the two unknown women. “Have you met my cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam?”

  Elizabeth smiled to herself as her imagination grew to include the lady’s response, a deep curtsey from the ‘Miss’ and a lesser one from the ‘Mrs.’ She was interested to hear how her husband would explain his presence.

  “Are you both well? Are the gentlemen in your family well?” Darcy politely inquired.

  The shrill voice spoke over the sound of another woman attempting to speak. Elizabeth concluded they were sisters and wondered if the ‘Miss’ was older than the ‘Mrs.’

  “They are very well, Mr. Darcy.” The question was dismissed by the voice. Elizabeth knew that the next thing out of the voice’s mouth would indicate the closeness of her connection to the Darcy family. “Mr. Darcy, you failed to say what brought you to your sister’s dressmaker. Oh, dear Georgiana must be behind the curtain. I must see her immediately. She surely would require my excellent advice on choosing a gown.”

  There was a swish of skirts and the curtain was pulled back. Georgiana had recovered herself in time to drop her hand from her mouth and seat herself in a small chair that had been provided for her, clasping both hands in her lap and looking quite innocent. Elizabeth wanted to smile. It was such a Kitty Bennet reaction.

  When the curtain was opened, Elizabeth looked behind the invader from her position on the pedestal to see a beaming smile on Richard’s face and Darcy’s eyes sparkling with mirth. An abandoned woman, most likely the ‘Mrs.,’ stood next to where the men were again seated. She determined right then that Darcy and Richard would have to pay for their sin of omission. When she saw her new cousin burst from his chair to hold the curtain back for the ‘Miss’ to enter and then stand there to observe the confrontation, Elizabeth knew he would pay – dearly.

  “Oh, Miss Darcy, I understood that you were the one being fitted for new gowns. I did not realize that your companion patronized the same shops that you do. How generous of Mr. Darcy.”

  Elizabeth examined the woman in front of her. She was tall and slender, with carrot red hair and light blue eyes. Her features were sharp and her teeth protruded in front so that her lips did not come completely together when her mouth was closed, which it currently was. It was not until another assistant helped the young lady to remove her pelisse that Elizabeth noted the absence of an adequate chest to hold her tight-fitting gown in place. The color of the dress was a soft pink, which highlighted the beauty of the woman’s complexion.

  Since the ‘Miss’ incorrectly assumed she was in the employ of Mr. Darcy, there would be no introductions forthcoming. When Georgiana opened her mouth to speak, Elizabeth quickly shook her head ‘no’.

  “I believe that I heard your name mentioned as Miss Bingley, is that correct?” Elizabeth inquired. She did not hide her smile as the shock appeared on the woman’s face. Elizabeth knew it was not from the fact that she discerned the lady’s name, but that she was being spoken to in front of her ‘dear Miss Darcy’ by a woman of no consequence. Again, she looked behind the woman and saw that her husband had stood and walked to stand next to his cousin. The players were all in position.

  “I am Miss Caroline Bingley. And you are?” There was no way it was humanly possible for Miss Bingley’s nose to rise any further into the air. It pointed north like the skinny hands of the compass that had pride of place in her father’s library at Longbourn.

  “Miss Bingley, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Elizabeth gave a small curtsey which was not returned. “I am Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy and Miss Darcy is now my sister. Are you a friend of the family?”

  The metamorphosis of Miss Bingley was not a pretty sight. Caroline’s jaw dropped to her flat chest and a mottled red quickly crept up her neck. Her eyes opened to such an extent that Elizabeth wanted to walk closer to see if there were any lashes visible on her upper and lower lids. Twin peaked eyebrows lifted until they reached the pinnacle of her forehead and a sound reminiscent of a wail erupted from her mouth.

  “It is impossible!” The words were finally spoken clear enough to comprehend.

  Elizabeth tilted her head and shrugged. “If you say so, Miss Bingley.” She gestured, pointing to a position behind Miss Bingley. “You might want to inquire of Mr. Darcy. He would be the one to know the truth of the matter, would he not?”

  Elizabeth dismissed her and turned back to the seamstress. Caroline Bingley had reacted just as Elizabeth had thought she might. She spun on her heels and faced the man in question, both hands on her hips.

  “Mr. Darcy,” Caroline huffed. “That woman has claimed a relationship with you in an effort to further herself in your society. What are you going to do about it?”

  Darcy could not help but chuckle. “What do you suggest that I do to a woman who claims a closer relationship with the Darcy family than she really has in an effort to promote herself in my society, Miss Bingley?”

  By then, both the colonel and Georgiana were endeavoring to contain their laughter. The cousins were aware that Caroline Bingley often used the Darcy name to receive invitations to events she would never be welcomed to without it. Apparently, Miss Bingley did not see matters as clearly as they did.

  “Why, she should be shunned and given the cut directly.” Caroline Bingley was confident that her opinion mattered to Mr. Darcy. For several years she had placed herself in a position where he would be impressed by her qualifications and accomplishments. She longed for nothing more than to be the next Mistress of Pemberley. Even pretending a friendship with Georgiana was worth achieving that goal.

  “Is that so, Miss Bingley?” Darcy looked up at his wife, whose back was facing the curtain. The dark blue fabric looked lovely against her chocolate colored hair. He wondered if a nightgown could be made from the fabric as he easily envisioned her long curls running the length of her back. Darcy cleared his throat and straightened from the doorway. “What say you, Mrs. Darcy? Should we give the cut directly to a lady who attached herself to us in this manner?”

  Elizabeth looked back over her shoulder at Darcy. Raising one brow she answered, a soft smile playing at her lips. “Whatever you say, husband.” She feigned disinterest as she watched the largest smile she had yet seen on William’s face. He has dimples! How adorable!

  Elizabeth could not help herself. She excused the seamstress and stepped down off the platform. Without taking her eyes from her husband, s
he approached. From the first time she saw him, she knew he was a handsome man. In the past two days, it was proven to her over and over that he was a good man. Now, she looked at him with eyes that were opened to his humor, his way of thinking, his outlook. It was similar to her own. How had she stumbled on a man who matched her so perfectly?

  Reaching up with her right hand, she placed it over his heart. “My love, you do what you feel is best.”

  It was shockingly familiar, this gesture. However, the setting was not so public that it could not be done. Elizabeth’s words registered in the cotton of his mind. When had a look from her clouded his thinking until he saw nothing but her? Heard nothing but her? “My love.” Was he her love? Was she his?

  It was the clearing of Richard’s throat and a whispered, “Darcy!” that recalled him to mind. He reached up and removed her hand from his chest, turning the palm to kiss the inside of her wrist. He refused to look away from his wife as he spoke.