The Countess of Matlock devises a way to make Darcy's marriage to a county miss palatable to her husband
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"And that is the entire story, Mother," said Colonel Fitzwilliam.
"Extraordinary," said Lady Matlock. She took a sip of tea and looked at her son. " She actually turned down his first proposal? Is she lacking all sense of practically, then?"
"No, she just has spirit. I finally got Darcy to tell me what he said. Between his ham-fisted proposal, and my own unwitting part in angering Miss Elizabeth, only the most mercenary and desperate of women would have accepted him."
"Was ever woman in this humour woo'd? Was ever woman in this humour won?" said the Countess of Matlock with a smile.
"Indeed," agreed Colonel Fitzwilliam. "But they have resolved all their misunderstandings, and will wed soon. Formal invitations should arrive soon, starting with the entire family."
"Even the fearsome Cat?" The Countess raised one eyebrow in disbelief. The Colonel snorted.
"Well, not her. Darcy wrote her a letter to explain the matter, and her response was so abusive of Miss Elizabeth that Darcy has sworn he will never speak or deal with her again."
"Hmm, that just leaves your father, then."
The Colonel shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The Earl of Matlock was a proud man, enjoying all the privileges of his rank. He would not be happy, no, not at all, with Darcy's choice of bride.
The Countess took pity on her second son. "Do not fret so, Richard, I will attend to the Earl. He will be delighted to invite Miss Elizabeth to our family."
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Despite the confidence she had shown to her son, Margaret, Lady Matlock was not at all sure that she could bring her high in the instep husband to bless the union of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. She sat down at the breakfast table, still thinking about how to best convince him to welcome Miss Bennet to the family, or, at the very least, put a good face on things for the rest of the ton.
A footman came in, bearing the morning newspapers. He went first to the Earl and handed him The Times. He raised it, hiding his face from Lady Margaret's view. Lady Margaret scanned the first pages of the remaining papers and then went back to a bit of naval news. Yes, if she could guide the conversation properly, this would do; it would do very well indeed.
"Oh, I see Lucky Jack Aubrey has had another success," said Lady Margaret. "He's such a credit to our navy." She paused as she served herself a small helping of eggs. "Not at all like his late father."
"Bah," said the Earl. "General Aubrey was an embarrassment to his class and his profession."
"Wasn't there some scandal about his last marriage?" asked Lady Margaret, even though she knew full well every public detail of that old on dit.
"Married his milkmaid. His milkmaid! What is the country coming to?" The Earl rattled his newspaper in agitation. Lady Margaret was gratified by his response, and planned her next step.
"It reminds me of a scandal from my grandmother's time. Lady Danver's brother married his mother's lady's maid." The earl's newspaper rattled again.
"Young Lynton and his bride are back in town," she said in an off-hand tone of voice. "I called on her. Poor thing isn't looking at all well."
The Earl's paper rattled once again. "What was young Lynton thinking of, marrying Chawleigh's girl? Man is a vulgar, grasping cit if there ever was one."
"I gather that old Lord Lynton left the estate in disarray. Even lost his daughters' dowries in some mad scheme or the other," explained Lady Margaret. "Plain and common the new Lady Lynton may be, but the dowry she brought to the marriage is said to be enormous. "
"Hmmph. Old Lord Lynton drove his estate into the ground. Idiot." The Earl reached around his newspaper for his coffee.
Lady Margaret smiled to herself. Proud her husband might be, but he took his responsibilities seriously. Not as seriously as Darcy; no one was as serious as Darcy
"Well, at least she is quiet and respectful, unlike that encroaching Bingley woman who has set her cap for Darcy." Though she could not see her husband's face, she could tell he had shuddered slightly. He had met Miss Bingley once, and had taken the insinuating woman in instant dislike. She judged that the right moment had come.
"Richard tells me that Darcy has recently become engaged," she said as she poured herself another cup of tea. That pulled her husband's attention away from his paper.
"Oh. Anne?"
"Sadly, no. It would have been a brilliant match, but Darcy does have his heart set on filling his nursery, and Anne's health...,' she let her sentence fade.
"Hmmph. Catherine had coddled that girl too much, and done her no favors." The Earl found his surviving sister quite irritating. The fearsome Cat's dislike of Miss Bennet could well recommend her to him.
"I understand Catherine does not approve of Darcy's choice," she said in an off-hand manner. "In fact, she is quite furious."
"Hah! She wouldn't approve of anyone who is not Anne," said the Earl. He paused as he reached for the coffee pot. "Er, he's not marrying that ghastly Bingley creature, or a milkmaid or anything like that, is he?"
"Darcy? Of course not. The young woman is a perfectly respectable gentlewoman. Her father has a small estate in Hertfordshire."
"No one we know?"
"No, Richard tells me Miss Bennet's father loathes the city. He prefers the country and his bookroom over horse racing and gambling." Those two pursuits were carefully chosen; her husband deeply disapproved of fools who wasted their inheritances in idleness and dissipation.
The Earl was lost in thought for a moment. "Bennet, Bennet, no can't say that I know anyone by that name. No advantageous connections, then."
"No, that is a drawback. On the other hand, there I haven't heard anything bad about the Bennets from my usual circle." This was strictly correct; Richard had told her about the irregular marriage of Miss Bennet's hen-witted youngest sister, but the usual London gossip mills knew nothing of the matter.
"Paltry dowry, I suppose?"
"That is my understanding. That awful Bingley woman who was angling after Darcy has a large dowry, but I'm so relieved he didn't chose her that I think I can overlook Miss Bennet's small portion." She smiled to herself again when Lord Matlock gave yet another involuntary shudder.
The Earl sighed. "I suppose we'll have to meet the girl, show support for Darcy, and be happy is wasn't that Bingley creature. You'll take her in hand, show her the right shops and all that?"
"Of course. Richard assures me she is an intelligent, well-mannered young woman. Said that she maintained her composure no matter how difficult Cat was being."
"Hah! I think I may come to like her for that alone." The matter settled, the Early turned to his newspaper again.
Lady Margaret smiled to herself as she buttered her toast. "Ah, nephew mine, you owe me a favor or two for this morning's work."
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I apologize to any British reader if I mangled terms of address and rank. The U.S. Constitution specifically forbids titles of nobility, so it isn't something we have to deal with over here! (well, you can call yourself anything you like - look at the interesting historical story of Norton I, Emperor of the United States - but titles have no legal meaning)
Literary references, in order: Shakespeare's Richard III (Act I, Scene 2), the Aubrey-Maturin books of Patrick O'Brien, Pamela; or Virture Rewarded by Samuel Richardson, and A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer.
Yes, I know calling the Colonel's father the Earl of Matlock is fanon, not canon. (as is calling the Colonel Richard. We must make the best we can of Miss Austen's refusal to give us men's first names)