~~H~~
Lessons
Colonel Fitzwilliam woke, feeling remarkably refreshed, although when he opened his eyes, he was momentarily disorientated until he remembered that Edith had ordered his bed to be repositioned. It now allowed him to sleep with his back to the wall.
He stretched and luxuriated in the feeling of warmth and wellbeing, except for a slight soreness in his right shoulder.
That pain reminded him of the events of the previous evening.
Richard carefully examined his feelings. Yes, he was embarrassed that he had been bested by a woman, but that embarrassment was heavily outweighed by the feeling of relief.
That relief was caused by several factors. First and foremost was the reassurance that Edith had come through that episode physically unharmed.
Another aspect which allowed him to relax, was the lady's ability to contain him when he was out of control. He did not have to constantly worry about her safety.
Concern about Edith's safety had been the major reason for his hesitation to allow his feelings free rein.
Not only was she everything he had ever hoped to find in a lady, but she also had a certain intellectual understanding of his situation. While she did not have a complete comprehension, her own issues allowed her to empathise with his.
And to top it off, she also accepted him for who he was, his good points and his flaws.
Richard had developed great respect for her intelligence and competence. He grinned to himself as he added, and her ability to laugh at herself.
Until now, his only concern had been his inability to control his actions when his past intruded on the present, yet it seemed he need not have worried since the lady had protected herself quite handily.
With that apprehension out of the way, he could now worry about something much more vital.
He was irrevocably in love with Edith. Would he be able to engage the lady's feelings as something other than a friend? And would she be able to put her own demons to rest?
He jumped out of bed, suddenly eager to find out.
~~H~~
On the floor below, in the master suite, Edith too was having a good morning.
For the past year, Blake had assured her that what he had taught her would keep her safe. Whenever she had practiced moves like the ones she used the previous evening, she had always suspected that he was cooperating with her to make her feel better about her abilities.
It seemed that she had been wrong to disbelieve him because Richard had most certainly not been in any state to cooperate and yet those moves had worked to perfection.
When he had come back to his senses, Edith had been concerned that he would be resentful of her actions, but he had seemed relieved… mostly. She supposed that she could not blame him for being put out by coming off second best in a fight, even if he was not himself at the time.
But to get back to the subject that she was pondering, by the time they had sought their beds due to exhaustion, Richard had seemed more relaxed than she had ever known him to be.
Irritating as it was, it seemed that Charlotte could have been correct again. Richard had been worried about hurting her and when he found out that he could not do so, he was relieved.
Since Charlotte was correct about that aspect, could she be right in her evaluation that the Colonel had feelings for her?
Edith cursed under her breath. Why did propriety demand that she had to wait until Richard spoke. Why could she not ask the relevant question?
Well, she would never find out if she spent the day abed.
No matter how they stretched the rules of propriety by having Richard staying in her house, he would never invade her bedroom… at least not without an invitation.
Therefore, if she wanted to discover how things had changed because of last night, she had to leave her room.
~~H~~
As it turned out, Edith and Richard did not get a chance to speak privately all that day.
They and Charlotte were breaking their fast when the butler delivered a letter.
'We have been summoned,' declared Edith looking up from the note.
'Who has summoned us and for what purpose?'
'We are invited to Longbourn for dinner, because we have not been there for a time.' Edith smiled at her guest. 'Do you feel sociable? I can guarantee that the food will be excellent.'
'I have had the pleasure to partake of a meal at Mrs Bennet's table and would be only too happy to repeat the experience.'
'What about you, Charlotte? It appears that your family have also been invited.'
Her friend smiled. 'I too cannot resist the food at Longbourn. I have no wish to denigrate your staff, but at times I do enjoy a different style of cooking.'
'Very well, I shall inform my cousin that we will all attend.'
~~H~~
After breakfast, Edit called for Blake and the housekeeper to inform him that she wished him to teach all the staff how to defend themselves.
Mrs Hayes was dubious about these lessons. 'I am not sure it would be proper for the girls to get that close to Mr Blake.'
'I can assure you that Mr Blake is a perfect gentleman, and his lessons are quite impersonal. Everyone will be too busy focusing on learning to consider anything else.'
Blake smiled and suggested, 'perhaps if you and I gave a demonstration to Mrs Hayes, it would reassure her.'
Mrs Hayes' eyes widened in shock. 'You would lay your hands on the mistress?'
'How do you think I acquired all those bruises over the last few years,' Edith responded with a laugh. 'But I can vouch for the effectiveness of those lessons.'
Richard had been listening to the discussion. 'I would dearly love to see a demonstration, if you would be so kind,' he said, curious to see the lady in action.
With this kind of endorsement, Mrs Hayes agreed, and soon she had the female staff gathered in the library, where they were joined by Richard and Charlotte.
Once their audience was in place, Blake proceeded to demonstrate various attacks to which which Edith responded in different ways, from a simple deflection to actions which could disable or kill if she did not display considerable control.
After each attack and defence, Blake explained to their audience what would have been the outcome of that encounter.
The reactions were as varied as the number of people watching. A couple of maids were horrified while another one was positively gleeful at the idea that she would be able to put men in their place.
Charlotte was attentive and appreciated the skill Edith displayed, while Richard observed with professional interest and with growing respect. It seemed to him that he would be able to relax his guard around the lady since she would be able to counter anything he did.
His smile became progressively wider.
~~H~~
That evening, Edith thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Bennet ladies. In the months since Jane and Elizabeth had first become engaged and then married, Mrs Bennet had relaxed, knowing that the future of her daughters and herself was secure.
She had also taken to heart the advice she had received from Edith and her manners had improved significantly. Even though she was more restrained, the lady still had a bubbly personality, which had remained unchanged. But now she displayed good humour rather than fear.
~~H~~
During dinner, Bennet was in his element scattering sarcastic witticism amongst his family and friends.
Edith noticed the tightness around Mrs Bennet's eyes and the patently false smile.
She felt for the lady who had improved significantly over the last few weeks, no thanks to her husband, who was sabotaging his wife for his own amusement.
Edith looked on in helpless anger. No matter how much she longed to strangle her cousin at present, she could not make a scene, as that would have made her hostess' situation even more embarrassing.
She could also see similarities between her cousin's behaviour and her late husband. The same patronising disdain which would not allow his wife a chance to retaliate.
As she was considering her options, she felt a large warm hand enfold her own which had clenched into a fist. Fitzwilliam's thumb traced slow circles on the back of her hand as he gave her an encouraging smile.
'If you will allow, I would like to have a private word with your cousin,' Richard said quietly.
'He will ignore you just as much as he will ignore everyone else should it suit his humour.'
'We shall see.'
~~H~~
While he had no issue with the sarcasm on its own merits, Fitzwilliam noticed that Mr Bennet was deliberately needling his wife.
The Colonel considered this behaviour to be very bad form, especially as it also impacted Mrs Farrington, for whom it raised demons from her past.
When he saw her clenched fist, he offered what support he could while seated at the dinner table. It pleased him that he was able to return the comfort she had provided, when Edith gave him a smile.
He remembered hearing that Bennet and Wentworth had been contemporaries at Oxford.
~~H~~
As soon as the ladies left the room to allow the men to enjoy their port and cigars, Fitzwilliam turned to his host.
'Congratulations, Bennet. Spoken like a true Oxford scholar,' Richard said, causing Bennet to preen with mock modesty, until the Colonel continued. 'Twist the argument to give you maximum amusement by inflicting as much pain as possible to your victims… pardon me, I should have said audience.' Richard shook his head in disgust. 'Are you truly so lacking in… everything that you will abuse the lady whom you promised to protect, just to make you feel superior?'
Bennet drew his brows together in a look of puzzlement as he considered Fitzwilliam's words. 'Why would you concern yourself with a woman who cannot understand a logical argument.'
'She may not have the advantage of a formal education, but she has made huge improvements to her understanding in the few months during which I have known her.'
'She has never before bothered to learn anything.'
'And whose fault is that? How was she to learn if she had no one to teach her. You pride yourself on your education, but it is wasted on you since you make no use of it.'
'How dare you. What gives you the right to interfere?'
'Common courtesy and decency, which I realise are concept with which you have only a passing acquaintance.'
'If you find my company so repugnant, perhaps it would be better if you left it,' growled Bennet.
Richard rose from the table. 'Thank you for your hospitality, Mr Bennet, but I have just recalled a prior engagement,' he said in a voice dripping in sarcasm as he bowed to Bennet. 'If you will excuse me, I shall make my farewells to the ladies.' He nodded at the other men and left the room.
As the Colonel entered the drawing room, he was met with shocked expressions and a tremulous smile on Mrs Bennet's features. He was about the bid farewell to the lady, when he heard all the other men taking their leave of Bennet in the dining room. He unconsciously mouthed 'oh', as he realised that the ladies had overheard his diatribe.
'My apologies, Mrs Bennet, but I find that I must leave your charming company. I wish to thank you for a superb dinner. Your reputation as an excellent hostess is well earned.'
'Colonel Fitzwilliam, I wish to thank you for your company and your kind words. You cannot know how much they are appreciated.'
'Indeed, Colonel, you are a credit to the uniform you wear,' Edith agreed with a smile as she rose to her feet. 'Cousin, I am afraid that I too must leave, as I am greatly fatigued, but I hope that you will be able to join me for tea tomorrow.'
The other ladies also prepared to leave as their husbands entered the room. All of them made a point of being effusive in their praise and inviting the ladies to visit.
~~H~~
~~H~~
The Colonel and the Heiress (working title) by Sydney Salier, Copyright © 2022