Saturday November 14, 1813 – London

Darcy strode up the steps to the residence of the Duke of _. His note had been promptly returned early this morning inviting him to meet with Lord Albert and the Duke himself. That the latter would wish to attend had not come as a complete surprise; he was not personally acquainted with His Grace but his father had been. Unfortunately, the latter's opinion of the gentleman had not been vouchsafed to him. His uncle's views suggested that he would find little enjoyment in His Grace's company. He apparently was expected since the door opened before he even reached for the knocker and it was but a matter of minutes before he was shown into a room, obviously the Duke's study, and greeted by a young man of about four and twenty and older man of about sixty years. Both were tall although a few inches shy of Darcy's height and rather heavy built, with His Grace tending to corpulence. Lord Albert seemed likely to suffer a similar fate, unless there was some radical change in his manner of living. Although Darcy knew little of that gentleman, nothing that he had learned suggested such was likely. Their countenances were sufficiently similar in features and expression as to remove any doubt as to their being related. There was a degree of pride and arrogance displayed that forewarned him that they would not greet his decision with approbation and could possibly view it as an insult.

After the ritual greetings and the offer of coffee, which was declined, His Grace chose to open the discussion with a brusque, "Your note asked to talk with us about my son's courtship offer. What is there to discuss, pray tell?"

Darcy was not at all put off by the Duke's manner. In fact, in this instance, he welcomed it. He had considered how best to raise the subject without offending the Duke too seriously and had decided that a matter-of-fact approach raised with tact and civility was best. He knew he would have to maintain his temper since it appeared that the father, and perhaps the son, might not be so constrained.

So it was with as calm a manner as he could marshal that he replied, "I received word of this offer of courtship only a few days ago. I admit to considerable surprise when I learned of it since I had not observed any particular attentions on the part of Lord Albert or any other gentleman prior to my departure. I have heard that you value forthrightness, Your Grace, so I will be forthright."

His brief pause was more for effect than to allow time for thought, "My sister is but seventeen years of age. Too full young in my opinion to be courted or wed. It had been my intention not to allow any courtship offer until the end of the upcoming season when she would be nearly eighteen years of age. Since I had not seen any particular attentions being directed to her, nor had I been approached by a suitor, I failed to inform my cousin of my intentions prior to departing for Pemberley."

He had kept his gaze firmly fixed on the Duke's countenance as he spoke. The impending signs of anger were easy to discern. A rising flush and thinning lips indicated that he had determined the direction of the discussion. Before the Duke could respond, Darcy held up his palm and quietly requested, "Please allow me to finish. I realize that you have probably ascertained what I intend to say. I…"

The Duke could not be restrained, "You intend to reject my son's offer of courtship! This is unconscionable. Ridiculous!" The duke continued his exclamations of displeasure for a full five minutes, expressing his dissatisfaction with Georgiana, Darcy, their decision, the Darcy family and the effrontery of the aforementioned. His disparaging comments were not such as to recommend him to Darcy and, if the latter had had any regrets about rejecting a connection with the Duke of _, they did not survive past the first few minutes of the latter's tirade.

Darcy kept control of his temper and finally managed to interrupt the stream of abuse, "Yes, I plan to reject the offer; I must emphasize that I am not insensible to the…value of a connection to your family. However, that does not, in my opinion, constitute a valid reason to enter a courtship where neither party has given any evidence of an attachment to the other. My sister is full young to be courted and I will only accept an offer where I believe a strong attachment is developing."

Lord Albert burst out, "She would refuse me! I do not believe it!" That the young gentleman was equally surprised and offended was readily apparent and only the firmest grasp of his temper prevented Darcy from expressing himself more forcibly. As it was he contented himself with a simple statement, "I assume, sir, that my sister is not insensible to the honour of your offer but, in fact, the decision is mine and mine alone... I have consulted my sister on this but had resolved to deny the offer before I left Pemberley. If indeed I had been in town at the time you approached my uncle, I would not have agreed to your making the offer. I intend no disrespect to you, sir, but my resolve is firm on the matter..."

His Grace could not restrain himself further, "Are you a fool? Do you not realize the significance of my son's position? That our family is conferring a great honour on yours?"

Darcy took a few seconds to ensure that his anger at the insults was not reflected in his voice. "I can assure you, Your Grace, that both I and my sister are fully aware of your family's position." He paused to collect himself a little further but hurried to express his thoughts since he could see that his hosts were about to remonstrate further.

"I think, Your Grace….Lord Albert….that we need not further discuss the question of whether the courtship has been accepted. It has not. Knowledge of your son's offer has not been made known by us out of respect for the reputations of both families. I trust that you and your family have responded similarly."

Darcy looked at His Grace but could not tell if, in fact, such was the case although the Duke did nod briefly as though in agreement. "The unexpected return of my wife and me may feed unwanted rumours; however, we plan to remain in town for another week and will be in company with my sister on several occasions. I plan to simply state that our return was to accompany my sister back to Pemberley. If, for some reason, the courtship is mentioned, I will simply deny any knowledge of it and will simply admit a preference that my sister not enter a courtship until she is eighteen." He looked Lord Albert and the duke closely before continuing, "I trust that will be satisfactory to you both?"

It took only another quarter hour before all parties accepted the situation. That his hosts were not pleased with him or his family was apparent by the speed with which he was shown to the door. That he himself saw no need, nor felt any inclination, to tarry and thus delay his departure was not something Darcy felt necessary to voice.

As he recounted the particulars of the meeting to Elizabeth a short time later, he could not help but chuckle a little ruefully, "It was all I could do to constrain my temper. The arrogance of the man is beyond all belief. He boasted of the significance of his family and denigrated ours. It was all I could do not to throw his words back in his face." He grinned savagely, "I now wish I had!"

Elizabeth looked puzzled, "I do not comprehend your meaning?"

Darcy's grin did not abate although the humour was now tinged with irony, "His Grace and his family can legitimately claim their title to be of two hundred years duration. Which is a fine thing I am sure. However, their ancestor was simply a royal favourite of questionable distinction and his roots could be found ultimately in a Bristol fishmonger."

Elizabeth could not help the peal of laughter which escaped her, "Oh dear! I am relieved that you did not inform His Grace of the poverty of his origins. He might have ordered you into his dungeons!" Shaking her head, she could hardly contain her laughter.

"A fishmonger! Truly?"

"Well, not exactly. He got his start as a fishmonger but built a shipping and trading company that his sons expanded. Nonetheless, I admit to a guilty pleasure in thinking of fishmongers."

Their conversation continued in this lighthearted fashion for several minutes until Georgiana joined. Her visible relief at being informed that the courtship offer was not accepted was evident and neither Darcy nor Elizabeth thought it necessary to discuss with her the particulars of Darcy's meeting with Lord Albert. Eventually, however, Darcy knew he must mention the one regrettable aspect of the whole business.

"Unfortunately, this whole situation makes it necessary for us to remain in London for another week. We must attend some public events – theatre perhaps – and dine out several times. I am sure we have invitations awaiting our…pleasure." The questioning looks from sister and the dismay evidenced by his wife revealed they had not divined the need for such action.

"The news that an offer of courtship has been made may surface. We will simply deny the existence of a courtship and not discuss whether an offer was made. Our presence is needed to limit the….repercussions that are sure to attend such a rumour if it arises. My uncle and cousins will be aiding our endeavours but we must also be present to show that there is nothing untoward in the situation. If we were to leave immediately for Pemberley – which I assure you I would wish to do – questions would be raised as to the reasons for our trip. I wish to avoid such speculations." His pause was thoughtful, "As well, I wish to ensure that His Grace and Lord Albert do not attempt to cast us in an unfavourable light should the existence of the offer become public."

Over the following week, the Darcys were much in the public attention, attending several plays and, on evenings when not so engaged, accepted invitations to dinners with friends and acquaintances and hosted a dinner for family and close friends to which Mr. Bingley was invited. When apprised of the apprised of the offer of a courtship to Georgiana and her refusal, he was quick to accept the invitation. In all of this the Fitzwilliam clan supported their efforts assiduously and Elizabeth, Georgiana and Lady Matlock received many callers but it appeared that knowledge of the offer was restricted to the families concerned. It was with no little relief that, a week later, Darcy assisted his wife and sister into the carriage to return to Pemberley. Elizabeth's increasing fatigue at the demands placed on her had begun to concern him greatly and his remonstrations with her to reduce her efforts were unavailing in the face of her determination to be of assistance to her sister.

Before they left for Pemberley however, Darcy saw the need for a meeting with Bingley and invited him into his study following the dinner when all the other guests had departed. Passing his friend a glass of port, he said, "That you have formed an attachment to Georgiana is now readily apparent to most of us who know you both."

If Bingley was disconcerted by his blunt words, Darcy could see no sign of it. Instead, Bingley simply replied, "I should hope that it was….And that Georgiana is aware of it also."

"Regardless of your feelings or those of Georgiana, I will not allow her to accept any offer before her eighteenth birthday. I had not intended to allow her to accept such offers before the end of her first season and now, since she plans to miss the season next spring, I may insist she wait for a full year. However," and he grinned at Bingley, "I will not prevent you from courting her unofficially, provided that all the proprieties are observed and you both act with discretion."

Bingley considered Darcy's words for a moment or two before responding, "I quite understand; however, you should know that I plan to offer for her at the first opportunity that you will allow."

"That is as may be. I will not inform Georgiana of this and I will expect you to observe all of the proprieties with her."

Bingley nodded his acceptance and only asked if he might call on her before they left for Pemberley. When permission was granted, he resolved to ask her for two dances at the Pemberley Ball. Darcy saw his friend out and, while satisfied with the substance of the discussion, he was a trifle perplexed at the odd abstraction displayed by Bingley as he left.