A/N – This is my first Pride and Prejudice story, and it's a Colonel Fitzwilliam/OC. I know that his first name isn't mentioned in the books, but a lot of people seem to be going with Richard, so I figured what the hell. I also imagine him as the 1995 BBC Mini-Series version, not the 2005 movie one.
My OC is Julia Darcy, my middle Darcy sibling. I know that I could have made this a Georgiana/Colonel Fitzwilliam, but I didn't want to ruin Georgiana's character. To be honest, I think she's too sweet and innocent to be in any sort of a romantic relationship and I do think she and the Colonel see each other purely as siblings. She's too young for him anyway, so I created my own character. Had I used Georgiana, she would have been heavily OOC.
So, do enjoy and leave a review if you want! This is a two-shot and the next (longer) chapter should be up soon!
Chapter 1
Colonel Fitzwilliam knocked on the door to the room twice. There was no response, although he had not been expecting one. The room belonged to Julia Darcy. It was not her bedchamber, but her own personal library. While the library at Pemberly was vast and unrivalled, Julia had often expressed that the dark and dusty room gave her no pleasure. For her fourteenth birthday her elder brother, Fitzwilliam Darcy, had gifted her this alternative. Julia's little library was cozy and bright with large windows that looked out onto the beautiful grounds. She spent many hours of her day here.
"Julia?" Colonel Fitzwilliam called out, opening the door. He glanced around the room once to confirm that she was not inside before entering it. Bright sunlight streamed in through the tall french windows and illuminated the small writing table in the corner. He strode over to it and gingerly picked up a sheet of parchment with Julia's neat writing.
Eyes as green as a pasture in spring,
At which I could gaze all day,
If only I allowed my heart to sing,
Aloud the secrets I cannot say.
Colonel Fitzwilliam stared down at the small piece of parchment for a long moment, before gently folding it and tucking it into his coat pocket. He turned around and exited the library, closing the door behind him gently.
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Fitzwilliam Darcy smiled as his wife came and sat beside him in their drawing room. It had been just a few months since their marriage and Elizabeth had confessed that life at Pemberly was beyond anything she had ever expected. Her new sisters had both welcomed her in different ways; while Georgiana seemed to look up to everything that Elizabeth did, Julia had the same lively temperament as Elizabeth and the two women often teased each other mercilessly. When Darcy saw the way that his wife interacted with his beloved sisters, he knew that he could not have fallen in love with anyone better.
"I hope Pemberly is everything you expected, Mrs. Darcy," Colonel Fitzwilliam said to Elizabeth with a smile. He was in Derbyshire to handle some business for his brother and had taken the opportunity to call on his cousins. Colonel Fitzwilliam often stayed much longer than he planned at Pemberly; he intended to stay only two days, but it would surely be a week before his cousins allowed him to depart. "I am sure my cousin has taken every measure necessary and more, to ensure your comfort."
Elizabeth smiled briefly at her husband before turning to Colonel Fitzwilliam. "He has indeed. It is difficult to believe that anyone could be uncomfortable, in such a beautiful home and surrounded by such wonderful people."
"Ah!" Colonel Fitzwilliam smiled slyly at Darcy. "Take care, cousin, I sense flattery here."
"Oh, certainly not! I do believe Mr. Darcy knows perfectly well that neither of us are particularly prone to flattery," Elizabeth replied. "I mean every word I say."
There was a short silence and the three of them paused to enjoy the music that Georgiana was playing, seated at the piano. She finished a rather difficult piece and blushed with pleasure when her audience clapped whole-heartedly. Her talent for music had very much improved, with Elizabeth to encourage her in addition to her siblings.
"That was marvelous, Georgiana," Colonel Fitzwilliam complimented his cousin kindly. "You have finally mastered that piece. A pity that Julia was not present to hear it."
Elizabeth nodded. "I haven't seen her all afternoon. I certainly hope that she's not out in the grounds. It is getting to be quite dark outside, and the weather is terrible."
Colonel Fitzwilliam looked concerned and made to get up from his seat. "Perhaps I should go in search of her and bring her in? Knowing dear Julia, she may have fallen asleep in the garden. It would not be the first time," he added fondly.
Mr. Darcy shook his head. "No need, she is here."
The door to the drawing room opened, and a rather agitated Julia entered the room, wringing her hands in front of her. Her neat updo of dark hair was coming undone in front of her face and instead of greeting her family, she rushed to a table in the corner and began shifting around pieces of parchment with both hands. Her shoulders slumped in disappointment when she did not find what she wanted.
"Julia?" Elizabeth asked, walking over to her sister-in-law. She took her hand calmly and frowned. "Julia, whatever is the matter? Are you well?"
Julia nodded, calming down a little when she noticed that both her siblings and Colonel Fitzwilliam were staring at her in concern. "Oh… yes, I am well. I apologize if I worried you, it's just that I seem to have misplaced something. Have any of you come across a sheet of parchment that I may have left lying around?"
Mr. Darcy raised an eyebrow. "A sheet of parchment? Well, you certainly won't find it here, those are only papers related to business. Was it a letter of some sort?"
"No, not a letter," Julia murmured. "It was, it was only… I am almost certain that I left it on the table in my library, but it isn't there. Perhaps it flew out of the window- but no, I never open that window." Julia shook her head and removed her hand form Elizabeth's grasp impatiently. "You must excuse me, Elizabeth, I think I should speak to the gardener and tell him to keep an eye out in case he finds it. I have exhausted every other possibility."
"Of course," Elizabeth nodded. She began to offer to accompany her, but Georgiana had risen from the pianoforte and moved to join her sister.
"I will come with you, Julia," Georgiana assured her, and Elizabeth stepped back. The look the two sisters gave each other implied that they knew something that she did not. A small part of her felt hurt at being left out, but she understood and stepped back, as Julia and Georgiana exited the room together. Elizabeth quietly returned to Colonel Fitzwilliam and her husband, who was looking rather oddly at the entrance through which his sisters had just left.
"I cannot imagine what that was about," Mr. Darcy admitted with a look of confusion. His wife had the same bewildered look on her face, but Colonel Fitzwilliam was staring into the fire solemnly. "Richard?"
There was a long pause before Colonel Fitzwilliam reached into his coat pocket slowly and withdrew a folded sheet of parchment. He set it on the table in front of Darcy and his cousin's eyes widened before he picked up the paper and unfolded it. "I believe this is what Julia was searching for. It is a poem. Unfinished, I think."
Mr. Darcy picked up the piece of parchment and read the four lines of poetry on them. He folded it again and handed it back to Colonel Fitzwilliam. "So you took it. Should you not have returned it to her, Richard? Unless you fear Julia's temper? I assure you it is very short-lived, she forgives easily."
"I am well-aware," Colonel Fitzwilliam replied. "As I exited the library, I ran into your sister, Georgiana. I showed her the poem and she confessed that she believes Julia to have written it about me."
Mr. Darcy looked surprised although the idea was not unfathomable. Colonel Fitzwilliam did have bright green eyes, very few men of their acquaintance did. And although Julia was a cheerful girl, she did not go out into company too often, preferring to spend her time at Pemberly with her younger sister. There were very few young men of her acquaintance with whom she could possibly be infatuated. Now that Mr. Darcy thought about it, he could not imagine the poem being about anyone other than Colonel Fitzwilliam.
"Richard," Mr. Darcy said, a little uncomfortably. "Surely you cannot judge Julia too harshly for this. She is a young girl, and she has spent far too much time reading. One cannot imagine what fantasies must be present in her head, but I'm certain that any unwelcome affections will pass with time. She would never be so foolish as to act upon them."
Much to his surprise, Colonel Fitzwilliam shook his head. His gaze turned to his cousin, and Mr. Darcy was surprised to see a sort of determination in them. Even Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably beside him. "Darcy, I have a confession to make."
"Do you?"
"Yes," Colonel Fitzwilliam replied. "For many years now, I have been in love with your sister."
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Julia half-walked and half-ran to the gardens, with her younger sister struggling to keep up with her. Georgiana was much shorter than Julia and did not have the same strength of body. She breathed heavily, calling for her sister to stop.
"Julia! Julia, wait, do not run so! I have something to tell you!"
Julia slowed down and waited impatiently for Georgiana to catch up with her. "What is it? Do be quick, Georgiana, I must catch the gardener before he leaves for the evening. However am I to search the grounds all by myself? If someone found that poem… oh! How humiliating it would be!"
Georgiana slowed to a stop, her cheeks flushing red from both the exertion and the embarrassment. She avoided her elder sister's gaze. "Oh, Julia, it is all my fault. I have done such a terrible thing, you will be so cross with me when you hear!"
Julia stopped and looked down at her sister with concern. Though she was often very impatient with Georgiana, both she and Fitzwilliam Darcy loved their youngest sister equally. Neither of them could bear to see Georgiana upset and Julia softened considerably. "Now don't say that, you know I could never be cross with you. What has happened?"
"Well, I- I was coming upstairs to find you this morning, when I saw our cousin exiting your library. He said that he had taken a piece of parchment from your table and he told me to keep it a secret," Georgiana blurted out. "He said that he was going to tease you with it; it was the poem you were writing about the green eyes, and I told him that I thought you'd written it about him."
"You told Richard the poem was about him?"
Georgiana nodded. "Are you so very cross with me?"
Julia sighed and shook her head, smiling down at her sister gently. "No, I am not cross with you, Georgiana. Only a little embarrassed. Whatever am I to say to him? What if he shows it to our brother and they laugh together at my foolishness? But Richard would never do such a thing. He teases me, but he is not unkind. If he really knew what I felt for him…" Julia shook her head. "Oh Georgiana, I don't think I shall ever be able to look at him again!"
"I am so terribly sorry, Julia."
"It's not your fault, it's mine," Julia mumbled. "It's perfectly all right. I think I shall retire to my room for the evening and perhaps things will be better tomorrow."
Georgiana nodded sadly as she watched her elder sister walk away.
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There was silence in the drawing room. Mr. Darcy's eyes widened slightly at his cousin's sudden confession and he exchanged glances with his wife. Elizabeth looked equally surprised and Mr. Darcy had to compose himself before turning to his cousin.
"Well, I… I don't quite know what to say, Richard," Mr. Darcy admitted finally. "Is Julia aware of your being in love with her?"
Colonel Fitzwilliam shook his head. "No, she is not."
"But you do intend to tell her?"
"I shall be very straightforward with you, Darcy," Colonel Fitzwilliam said with a sigh. He looked up at his cousin and his wife. "I know that I have little to recommend myself. I am not a young man, and I have no fortune. My father's estate will go to my brother and I need not explain to you the demerits of being a second son. I do, however, believe that Julia holds me in very high regard. Which is why I will not confess any feelings to her and create false hopes when I know that the chances of us receiving your blessing are not certain. I am not perfect."
Mr. Darcy listened quietly and then nodded. "I think you are forgetting something else, Richard. You are a fool. A fool to think that I am so stupid as to believe I could find a better match for my sister than you. We have grown up together, and I do not believe that there is anyone I could trust more to take care of Julia."
Colonel Fitzwilliam looked slightly surprised. "Well, I- does this mean that you give me your blessing?"
"Indeed, I do."
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A/N – The poem is original, which is why it sucks and I wrote it in less than a minute. Sorry. Please don't criticize me too much on that part.