I don't own Pride and Prejudice
Darcy was extremely shocked when a footman entered his study, announcing that Lord Leinster was there to see him. He instantly shut the ledger he'd been reviewing, and stood, telling the footman to show the the gentleman in. He was even more surprised to find it was the duke who came to see him and not the man's son.
"Your Grace, what an honor it is to welcome you to Darcy house." He gave a bow, and saw the man quirk a half smile.
"The honor is mine I assure you, my youngest could not stand another minute without being reunited with your lovely wife and sisters, so I offered to escort my women over here for a visit." Darcy knew the Duke and his uncle did not get along, so he wondered at the man's appearance at his house, even if it was just to escort the women who'd come to pay a visit to Darcy's own.
"Mrs Darcy told me of her meeting with your wife and daughters." He responded, hoping the man would shine a light in his true reason for the visit.
"Pretty little thing, your wife, intelligent too according to my daughter." The man paused for a second, and Darcy waited to see if he would come strait to the point. The man didn't disappoint, "She is not what I or anyone of the Ton expected of you."
"There were extenuating circumstances that were out of both of our control." His guard was up now, and he was pretty sure the Duke could tell.
"Yes, I do not believe there are many from our circles who have not heard tales of those circumstances." Gone was the jovial manner, the man was dead serious now. "You would not be the first, nor the last, of our society to walk away from a compromise and leave the woman to deal the the consequences."
"But where is the honor in that, Elizabeth was not to blame for our situation. What kind of gentleman would allow a woman to suffer for something she had no control over?" He then sat up straighter, "I would consider it to be dishonoring everything my parents instilled in me."
"Were that there were more men who thought the same." The Duke said with a sad smile, and his uncle's advice to put Elizabeth up in an establishment rang through his head. "Did you know that when we wed, the Duchess was considered very much beneath me?"
He shook his head, and sat back, ready to listen. "She was the daughter of a country gentleman of great wealth, but no ties to a title, and therefore not worthy of a future Duke. The Ton laughed at our match, said we were foolish, that she was a grasping social climber, along with many other things not acceptable for polite society. I was still a young man, and sadly did not know how to stand with her rather than for her, and this made her life in the ton that much harder. She was seen as an ornament, a thing that needed protecting, that didn't have a mind of her own. Sadly, the stress of it all cost us our first unborn child."
"My parents saw how happy we were and were happy to support us. They were older, and so rarely traveled, but when they heard of the loss of the babe they showed up at the townhouse. My mother held my wife and commiserated with her over lost children, and when she was strong enough to return to society, my parents stood behind her, behind us, and taught us how to be a united front." He then looked him in the eye, "That is one of the lessons our sex struggles the most to learn. They are referred to as the fairer sex because they are more pleasing to look at, but given the chance they can show us they are just as strong as we are."
"Your wife has already shown herself to be a strong woman, especially for one so young. If you stand with her instead of for her, you two will be a force to be reckoned with." His face took on a sly grin, "Especially if the rumors of you two taking Lord and Lady Matlock to task hold any truth to them."
"Not that I don't appreciate the advice, nor see the good sense in it, but what made you decide to share it with me?" He was curious about this, as he knew the Duke and his uncle had never seen eye to eye on anything. He was pretty sure they actually hated each other.
"Your wife earned my respect when she stepped in to save my daughter from an unwanted suitor, who I have no doubt would have compromised my dear girl if given the chance. She then stayed with her at the tea shop, offering her protection, until my wife arrived, not knowing our title, just that my daughter was Miss Harrington." It would appear his wife and sisters left some of the story out.
"My wife and I have always desired our children to marry someone they could respect. Be that a Duke, or a minor country gentleman. Our daughters know this, however, our son picked up some bad habits in university, and we are having to reteach him that it is us who have a say on who his sisters marry. Our eldest was lucky enough to find a Baron she liked, our youngest is more picky. At this point I'd be happy with a tradesman, as tradesmen at least know how to manage their funds.
"Not only that, but we gentlemen are no longer able to support our extravagant lifestyles on just the income from our estates, unless we work at maintaining said estates, which would take time away from the gambling and whoring many have come to enjoy. I would bet that those of us with the most income, are active in trade though never speak of it." Here raised an eyebrow, and the two acknowledged the fact that they understood both to be active in trade.
"Back to your question of why I am here, your wife earned my wife's respect by showing the proper amount of deference to our station, without the fawning we so typically see. If you're lucky, one day soon you will learn that, where the wife goes, the husband soon follows." The Duke said with a smile, and Darcy found himself looking forward to said day.
"Now, we've seen enough of each other, let us go find ones more pleasing to look at." He couldn't help but grin at the man, as he stood and led him to the parlor he'd been told his wife was using.
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Elizabeth was surprised when her guests were announced. The duchess had requested permission to call, but she figured that was more out of politeness than an actual desire. She figured the woman would have better things to do.
They had opened the house to visitors today, but as of yet no one had come. She wasn't sure if she was relieved, or worried that this was a sign of how their marriage had hurt her husband's social standing.
Tea was served, and pleasantries exchanged, "Now, my daughter tells me you have four sisters, would you mind telling me about them."
"Of course, Jane is the eldest, and by far the most beautiful of us. She is also the kindest, most gentle creature that ever lived." She said with a fond smile.
"I find that hard to believe, I always have found that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For instance some men's heads turn for blonds, others for brunettes, still others for redheads. A man who prefers brunette would likely find you and Kitty more attractive than your elder sister, you are both beautiful young women. And I'll let you in on a little secret, from what I've observed of your husband at social events, he would be one of those men." She gave her a conspiratorial wink, and Elizabeth felt herself blush. The thought of someone finding her more beautiful than Jane was laughable, but she found herself liking the concept anyways, especially if that someone was her husband.
"Thank you, your Grace," she smiled.
"None of this your Grace stuff, I am Marjorie, or Lady Marjorie in public." The elder woman said kindly, her daughter following along with her request to use first names. Camille had also apologized for misleading her about her status, explaining that she hated being Lady Camille, and took the opportunity to be seen as Miss Harrington, no matter how brief.
"Thank you Marjorie, Camille, and please, call me Elizabeth." She smiled as she refreshed their tea, "Now, where were we, right, there is Jane, then myself, and Mary is the third of us sisters. She is shy, a bit of a wallflower, and has an interest in Fordyce's sermons. Of the five of us, she is the one who enjoys playing the piano forte most, and is the most proficient at it. She and I are actually the only two who play, and she is far better than I.
"Kitty, short for Catherine, is next in line, and after her is Lydia, who as the youngest is admittedly a bit spoiled." She stopped there, not really having anything good she could say of her youngest sister. It was clear to her, after Lydia showed no remorse for her part in the compromise, that her sister had little understanding of proper decorum, nor how fragile one's reputation truly was. It was a very real fear of hers that her sister would one day ruin herself and the rest of her unmarried sisters.
She had begged her mother to check Lydia before that happened, but her mother would just change the subject to what type of clothes and jewels she should buy her and her sisters. Or she would talk about the parties she would host so that her sisters could find themselves richer husbands than her own.
*Flashback*
"Mama, you really must talk to Lydia, I found her again speaking with a couple of soldiers, unchaperoned in behind the haberdasher's in town." Elizabeth stormed into the sitting room, dragging her younger sister along behind her.
"Oh Lizzy, let her have her fun." Her mother squawked as Lydia looked smug, "Once you are married, your husband will beable to provide all your sisters with an additional dowry, then your sister can have her pick of any of the officers, though I still think she would be more suited to a Duke or an Earl. Yes, that sounds even better, just think, Lady Lydia, my how nice that sounds."
"And what Duke or Earl will want her if she ruins herself, what about the rest of your daughter, who will take them if she does not mend her ways?" Lizzy was screaming, but she didn't care.
"Oh pish posh, a little fun never ruined a girl's reputation." Her mother waved her off.
"Lydia's fun ruined mine!" Lizzy threw her hands up in the air, "What would our family have done if Mr Darcy hadn't donethe honorable thing and agreed to marry me?"
"You would have done your duty and married Mr Collins." The sad thing was, her mother was probably right, she would have had no other option, and she would have done it to save her sisters.
"Just as Mary will do her duty and secure Mr Collins for our family, seeing as Kitty refuses to do so." Even though it was Mr Darcy who said Kitty would not be marrying the man, it was Kitty who got the blame, as their mother would never blame the rich gentleman for anything, for fear he wouldn't marry her daughter.
Besides, Mary actually liked the idea of marrying the parson. She felt he was her ideal mate and that by marrying him her parents would finally see her worth. No amount of Lizzy telling her she deserved so much more than he could offer her could convince her otherwise.