Chapter 25
Darcy leaned against the wooden fence and took off his hat. It was a very warm summer day, and he was thankful to be standing under a spreading elm tree with a cool breeze rustling his dark hair.
"He looks very well, Bingley," Darcy commented, peering into the small pasture beyond the fence. A bay colt on exquisitely slender legs stared back with large eyes, with his chestnut mother hovering over him. The mare, in turn, eyed Darcy uneasily, obviously concerned about this unknown man so close to her baby.
"Yes, he has excellent proportions, and I am hopeful that he will be a fine stallion in time," Bingley said with satisfaction. A moment later, he looked over to his friend, only to observe that the gentleman's eyes were no longer fixed on the horses, but on two ladies beyond the far fence of the pasture marching briskly toward the poultry yard. He did not know why Miss Darcy and Elizabeth were wandering around outside, but he was more astonished by his friend's peculiar expression.
Miss Darcy and Elizabeth disappeared around the corner of the henhouse, and Darcy turned apologetically back to his friend. "I am sorry, Bingley. What did you say?"
"I said that I hope the colt will be a fine stallion in time," Bingley repeated, regarding Darcy thoughtfully. "Is something wrong, Darcy? You were staring at Miss Bennet and your sister rather oddly."
"Wrong?" Darcy asked, looking uncomfortable. "No, of course not. Nothing is wrong."
Bingley blinked and then a slow smile formed on his lips. "Is it possible, my friend, that you have some interest in my sister-in-law?"
Darcy promptly flushed and looked away, which provoked a pleased grin from his friend. "It seems that you do! I promise I will not plague you with questions, Darcy, but I would be remiss if I did not say that Elizabeth is a truly excellent young woman, and I believe you would suit one another well. She is, frankly, too quick for me; there are times when she and Mr. Bennet speak of some complicated topic, and I find myself completely lost."
"I remember you telling me that Mr. Bennet is a scholar," Darcy mused. "What of Elizabeth's mother?"
He knew, of course, that Miss Bingley thought Mrs. Bennet a vulgar woman, but Caroline Bingley's opinions could not be trusted in the least.
Bingley leaned against the wooden fence and sighed, "My mother by marriage is not an intellectual in the least. Indeed, I am not sharing any secrets when I say that my wife's parents are not well suited to one another. I understand that Mrs. Bennet was a great beauty in her youth, very much like my Jane, but she is a silly woman, and the entail has made her both nervous and shrill. Jane and Elizabeth assure me that with my marriage to Jane, she has settled somewhat, as she no longer fears being thrown into the hedgerows when Mr. Bennet dies. However, she is still not compatible with my bride's eccentric father."
"I believe Mrs. Bennet has near relations in trade?" Darcy asked, trying to sound casual.
His friend swung to face him directly, the man's usually cheerful face now unwontedly stern. "She does, indeed; her father was a solicitor, and her only brother is in trade in London. But then, my father was a business man also, Darcy. You have never seemed to mind."
Darcy sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair, causing it to ruffle up in a most unaccustomed fashion. "No, no, I do not mind, of course. We have been friends for many years, and I do not regret your antecedents in the least. Quite the contrary – you are a most amiable and earnest companion, and I can only regret when our separation is too long.
I do confess to an internal struggle, though, when it comes to Miss Bennet. on the one hand, I am full of admiration for the lady as she is truly remarkable. Not only is she handsome enough to tempt me, but her wit and character are like no other woman I have met. And yet, I have my sister to launch into society, and Georgiana would benefit if I married a woman with extensive connections to the very cream of society, which Miss Bennet does not have."
Bingley wrinkled his brow as he considered his friend's startling and sudden confession; clearly he had been considering Elizabeth for some time now. "Could not your aunt assist with Miss Darcy's introduction to Society? Not Lady Catherine de Bourgh, of course, who is reputed to be rather difficult, but Lady Matlock?"
Darcy ruffled his hair even more such that it stood up nearly straight. "My uncle has long hinted that he wishes me to marry either my cousin Anne, or failing that, into the nobility, and my aunt is a rather proud lady herself. Neither will be pleased if I wed the second daughter of a country gentleman."
"I see," Bingley said. "Well, in that case I suppose you need to decide whether you should set aside your own happiness for the possible pleasures of societal success for Miss Darcy. I would not wish to do so, of course, but you are not me. I would add, however, that it seems Elizabeth and Miss Darcy are on excellent terms, which is an additional point in my sister-in-law's favor."
Darcy's face lit up at these words. "Indeed, they are! Georgiana has not formed many strong friendships in her life, but she quite adores Miss Bennet."
"I would suggest that a sympathetic sister-in-law is far more beneficial than a fashionable one, but again, you must do as you think best."
Darcy stared at his friend, then turned to look at the poultry house. He felt himself smile as Georgiana, with Miss Bennet close behind her, wandered into sight. Georgiana was staring up at the roof of the chicken coop and saying something, though Darcy could not quite make out the words, while Elizabeth listened with obvious interest. "You are correct, Bingley, that is an additional point greatly in Miss Bennet's favor."
/
Elizabeth had proposed a trip to the poultry yard so that she and Georgiana could enjoy a comfortable chat away from Caroline's jealous ears, but once again, she had forgotten Miss Darcy's unique view of the world. Georgiana had no time for casual conversation when chickens were in danger, and the girl was now wandering around the poultry yard, peering up, peering down, and tilting her head on occasion, obviously deep in thought. Elizabeth thought it unlikely that her friend would succeed where experienced poultry maids had not, but there was no harm in it so long as Georgiana was not too cast down when she failed.
"I see how it is being done," Georgiana said suddenly, her gaze fixed on a tree branch of a tall oak tree near the poultry house.
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked in confusion, staring at the same branch. It was a large one and stretched across the roof of the coop, but it was at least three feet above it. Surely…
"The predators are entering the chicken coop at night by climbing that tree there, walking along the long branch, dropping onto the coop roof, then climbing in through that small hole under the roof there. The poor hens have no chance at all."
Elizabeth had been following her friend's pointing finger in surprise, not unmixed with skepticism, but when her eyes focused on the supposed hole, she saw something.
"Is that brown fur?" she demanding, squinting and taking a few steps closer.
"I think so," Georgiana said. "If we had access to a ladder, someone could go up and check to be certain."
"I can fetch a ladder from the stable!" an enthusiastic stable boy piped up. He, along with two goggling poultry maids, had been watching Miss Darcy's investigation with great interest.
"Go on," Georgiana ordered, continuing to wander to and fro, her forehead creased with thought.
Elizabeth, both interested and amused, continued watching her friend until the sounds of boots caused her to turn.
"Mr. Darcy, Charles!" she exclaimed, smiling at both the gentlemen. "Georgiana thinks she has determined how the predators are getting into the henhouse."
Darcy smiled back at her and hoped that his hair, now safely confined under his hat, was not in too much disarray. "I am not surprised," he said with a warm look at Georgiana. "My sister is remarkably adept at discovering how predators are entering enclosed spaces."
The stable boy appeared at this juncture with a short ladder, which he happily pushed up against one wall of the chicken coop. A minute later, he had climbed nimbly to the top, reached over, grasped a clump of brown fur, and brought it down for his master's consideration.
"Is that the fur of a fox?" Bingley asked, rather bewildered.
"Not a fox, a weasel, or two weasels, or three," Georgiana corrected. "Foxes are strong jumpers, but they do not climb particularly well. Weasels are excellent climbers, and their fur is brown as opposed to red. It appears the animal had to push its way through the hole and left some fur behind. I advise that you have someone close that hole up immediately, Mr. Bingley, before another poor hen dies."
Bingley stared at her in amazement and said, "Of course, Miss Darcy, of course! I am both impressed and grateful, and Jane will be delighted that her poultry are safe again. How did you determine the access point so rapidly?"
Georgiana ducked her head shyly and said, "I am not quite certain, Mr. Bingley. I seem to be able to imagine the thought processes of animals at times, which I am certain sounds most peculiar."
"On the contrary, it is marvelous," Elizabeth assured her. "It is a most useful gift, and Charles is correct, Jane will be most relieved!"
"Darcy!" a voice suddenly called out from behind them, and the foursome turned as a red coated gentleman on a trotting white horse appeared on the path leading to the stables.
"Richard!?" Darcy and Georgiana exclaimed together.
Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam pulled his horse to a halt, handed the reins to a stable boy, and said, "I need to talk to you, Darcy, at once!"
"Is someone ill?" Georgiana asked worriedly, grasping Elizabeth's arm and clinging to it.
The colonel's eyes opened wide at the sight of his shy cousin looking to an unknown lady for comfort but said hastily, "No. No one is ill! It is merely that…"
Here he glanced around and glowered at the nearby servants, who all promptly retreated in pursuit of their own duties.
"It is merely that Lady Catherine is causing trouble," he said quietly, which provoked a deep sigh from Darcy, who said, "Of course she is!"
/
"It is my fault," Colonel Fitzwilliam said gloomily, pacing up and down Bingley's office. He and Darcy had requested some privacy for the ensuing conversation, and Georgiana had begged to come along, so anxious was she to learn the worst about her imperious and intrusive aunt.
"What is your fault?" Darcy demanded from his seat on a settee near the cold fireplace. Georgiana was seated next to him, clinging to his arm.
"It is my fault that Lady Catherine learned of our specific plans regarding the journey to Ramsgate," Richard explained, turning toward his cousins. "I wrote you that she was on the warpath …"
"You did," Darcy agreed, "not that I care particularly so long as I do not have to interact with her directly."
"The problem is that you may be forced to do exactly that. I have been staying at Matlock House while stationed in London and was fool enough to leave one of your letters in a sitting room. My father read it and took it upon himself to inform Lady Catherine of your plans to stay here for a few days, journey to London for a short stay, and then travel directly on to Ramsgate."
"Is that not incredibly rude?" Georgiana asked, staring at her brother in bewilderment. "I thought it impolite to read another person's mail without permission."
"It is very discourteous," Darcy agreed, placing a long arm around her shoulders and embracing her. "I fear that your uncle Matlock, as master of his house, has been rather autocratic and probably considers it his right to read the correspondence of all those dwelling in his house."
"Very much like Lady Catherine," Richard agreed, wrinkling his nose with distaste. "I do not remember your mother, Lady Anne, all that well, but she was a charming and delightful lady. I fear both her siblings are far more dictatorial and inclined to rule, or attempt to rule, all those in their orbit."
"Why would Lord Matlock wish to have Lady Catherine bother us?" Georgiana asked timidly.
"Probably because he wishes Darcy to marry Cousin Anne," Richard said grimly. "He has spoken on the topic more than once of late. He is eager for Anne to marry one of her cousins so that Rosings stays within the family."
"If that is all he cares about, he ought to encourage you to marry Anne, not me," Darcy returned in frustration.
"Ah, he would be very pleased if I were to marry the heiress of Rosings," Richard said, "but Lady Catherine would not. Her precious daughter to marry a mere second son! It is a fate she would not willingly suffer."
"It seems very stupid to me," Georgiana said plainly. "Fitzwilliam, you do not wish to marry Cousin Anne, do you?"
"I do not," Darcy said, and his mind quickly shifted to a piquant face with dancing eyes, framed by glorious chestnut curls.
"Does Anne wish to marry you?" Georgiana asked.
"No, I am confident that she does not," Darcy stated.
"Then Lady Catherine is being ridiculous!" the girl protested. "She cannot force even one of you to marry, much less both of you!"
"She is ridiculous," Darcy said heavily, and stalked over to stare gloomily out the window. "Nonetheless, our aunt does not see it that way. I can only hope that Lady Catherine does not decide to come to Netherfield to harass me on the subject. It would be uncomfortable for the Bingleys."
"Again, I am sorry," Richard said remorsefully.
"Would it not be simpler to change our plans so that our aunt cannot find us?" Georgiana inquired. "We could leave tomorrow directly for Ramsgate, thus skipping London entirely."
The two gentlemen stared at her, then at each other, and Darcy said, "That is an excellent idea."
"So long as Elizabeth is able to leave so quickly," Georgiana said. "I do not want to go to Ramsgate without her."
"Of course," Darcy agreed fervently, which provoked a curious look from his cousin. He needed to speak to Richard about Miss Bennet, soon, but not in front of Georgiana. His sister would not understand the complexities of the lady's family situation.
"I do feel sorry for Anne," Georgiana commented suddenly. "It must be very hard to live under such a rude and dictatorial mother."
"It is hard," Darcy agreed, "but unhappily there is not anything we can do about it, since every time I so much as speak to Anne, Lady Catherine wishes to call the banns."
"You cannot do anything about it," Richard said, his forehead creased in thought, "but perhaps I can."
Darcy quirked an inquiring eyebrow at this, but Georgiana said with urgency, "We must ask Elizabeth if she can come tomorrow."
/
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Author Note: I will be publishing this story in the near future with additions, edits, tweaks ... and a nice, long epilogue so we can see what the future holds for our favorite characters. :-) If you'd like to sign up for my newsletter to get a notification when this story is published - and get a free short story! - you can do that here: www. subscribepage dot com /s1p4z6