Dear readers

I had to remove this story since Amazon requires exclusive rights when I put it on Kindle unlimited. The edited version with some additional content is now available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.

I hope you have enjoyed the story. If you did, perhaps you would leave a review on Amazon.

Thanks, until next time.

~~R~~

An inauspicious beginning

Fitzwilliam Darcy was decidedly unimpressed when he exited his carriage upon arrival at Netherfield Park, the estate currently being leased by his friend Charles Bingley.

His displeasure had nothing to do with the estate, since his first impression of the neat and generously proportioned manor was favourable. It had everything to do with being eagerly greeted by Miss Caroline Bingley, Charles' younger sister.

He suppressed a sigh and pasted on a pleasant smile as he greeted his host while being formally polite to his hostess.

As he started to walk into the house Miss Bingley grasped his arm.

Darcy stopped and looked down at the woman. 'Are you injured, Miss Bingley?' he asked coldly.

'Not at all, Mr Darcy. I am in the best of health as always,' Caroline answered with a simpering smile. 'But I thank you for your concern.'

'Not at all. I just tried to discover the reason why you clutched at me the way you did. It is most unpleasant.' He glanced down at the hand which was still gripping his arm with a look of disgust.

Caroline snatched back her hand as if it had been burned. 'Pardon me, Mr Darcy. I had not meant to make you feel uncomfortable. I was simply excited by the pleasure of being in the company of an old friend.'

Darcy decided that he had better put a limit on her expectations. 'Miss Bingley, while it is true that your brother is one of my best friends, this condition does not encompass anyone else.'

'How dare you insult me in such a fashion.'

'Miss Bingley, if my presence offends you, I would be more than happy to remove myself to London.'

Bingley interjected before the situation could deteriorate. 'Darcy, please forgive my sister. As you know she often speaks without thinking. You are welcome to stay for as long as you like.'

Darcy let himself be persuaded to enter the house.

~~R~~

Once they were securely ensconced in Darcy's rooms, Bingley asked, 'did you have to be so rude to Caroline?'

'You assured me that your sister would not be part of this experiment. I wanted to be sure she would not mistake my presence for any interest in herself.'

Bingley sighed. 'I am afraid your interest is irrelevant to her since she is interested in you, and no matter what I say she will not give up the dream of becoming Mrs Darcy. When she found out that you would be joining me, wild horses could not have kept her away.'

'You should have told her that she was not welcome.'

'I tried. I even went so far as coming here by myself, only to find Caroline arriving but an hour later in a hired carriage. Although in the meantime I have also sent for the Hursts.'

'At least you were spared her company on your journey.' Darcy shook his head in exasperation. 'Bingley, I have to warn you. I will not offer for your sister under any circumstances. Please make it quite clear to her that even if she tries a compromise, I will cheerfully ruin her,' Darcy said casually, hoping to shock his friend into taking a firm stand with his sister.

'You really would go that far?' Bingley asked as he paled.

'I have not the slightest respect for women who throw themselves at me. If one of them is stupid enough to think that they could force me into marriage for the sake of their reputation after they went against all decency, they deserve what they get.'

'You would compromise a woman?'

'No, I would not. But if they insist on compromising themselves, I will not reward their lose behaviour with tying myself to such a mercenary shrew.'

'Is that why you are still single? You have not met a woman whom you can respect?'

'That is correct,' Darcy replied although he knew that it was only part of the answer.

'I had never before realised that you have such a very cynical outlook on life.'

'Bingley, for the last nine years there have been six attempts to compromise me,' said Darcy and paused before adding, 'on average each year.'

Bingley made a quick calculation. 'Over fifty women have tried to compromise you?' he was aghast.

'Six and fifty to be precise.' Darcy smiled cynically as Bingley shook his head in disbelief.

'No wonder you are so critical of the fair sex. But surely not all women are like that.'

'No, they are not, but I have never met one who interested me or who had any interest in me, rather than Pemberley.'

'But Darcy, is it not normal in your circles to marry for wealth and position, and once you have an heir or two, each partner finds their own pleasure. Surely one of those women would do to provide you with an heir.'

'Perhaps, but unlike most men, I take my vows seriously. Since I will not countenance having a mistress, I need to find a wife whose company I enjoy.'

This statement confused Bingley even more. 'Are you telling me that one of the most sought-after bachelors will only marry for love?'

'I do not know about wanting to marry for love, but certainly respect and at least friendship.'

'You have set the bar immeasurably high,' replied Bingley while shaking his head in disbelief. Who would have thought it… Darcy is a romantic. He smiled at that thought.

~~R~~

Dinner was somewhat strained as Miss Bingley was still trying to capture Darcy's interest by regaling him with amusing stories of her acquaintances in London.

Since most of her conversation consisted of malicious gossip, her attempts fell flat.

During the separation of the sexes, Darcy claimed to be fatigued from his journey and removed to his chambers, for a quiet evening with a book and some brandy.

Instead of reading, Darcy's mind wandered, and he thought back on how it all started.

~~R~~

It was at the start of his second year at Cambridge and had been invited by one of his classmates, Brian Standish, the son of Baron Miltown, to spend the weekend at his home.

Saturday, they spent in the usual country pursuits. They went shooting in the morning, passed the afternoon reading, talking, playing billiards, and had dinner with the family, which included the widowed older sister of Standish, and a few friends.

Before bed, Darcy had played a final game of billiards with Standish, who had encouraged him to drink more than he should. Not wishing to offend his friend, Darcy had accepted the drinks but surreptitiously poured most of the brandy into a convenient pot plant.

Eventually they had gone to bed, when Standish had shown signs of being significantly under the weather.

It was perhaps an hour later when Darcy was woken from a deep sleep by the presence of another but decidedly female and naked body in his bed.

'My brother thought that you might like company,' the woman whispered.

Darcy was shocked that a woman, even a widow, since he assumed she was Standish' older sister, who had eyed him appreciatively all evening, would invade his bed. He did not know what he should do, but her obviously experienced encouragement overcame his initial reluctance.

Darcy, despite his reading on the subject, was lacking in experience, a fact which he had not admitted to any of his friends. Unlike most of the young men at school, he was reluctant to frequent a brothel even when his father had offered to take him.

Now he felt torn. While his body savoured the sensations, his feelings were considerably less sanguine. He wondered if that was an aspect of his education which was lacking. Was it considered normal in polite society that guests were supposed to entertain any resident widows? He had never heard about this, but it was not something that would be talked about openly.

Since he had no wish to look like a fool for refusing the lady, he did his best to oblige her.

~~R~~

Despite having gone to sleep rather late, Darcy woke at his usual hour and rose just after dawn.

When he opened the curtains to let in the first traces of light, he was at last able to see the lady whom he had entertained during the night. He was shocked to recognise that the young woman was not who he had assumed.

Darcy dressed quickly so that he would be able to leave the room before the woman woke up. He was in the process of putting on his second boot when she opened her eyes.

'Good morning, husband to be,' cooed a thoroughly dishevelled Miss Felicity Standish.

He felt nauseous when he discovered that his suspicion on recognising his bedmate had been correct. As a consequence, Darcy gave her a cold look when he answered, 'you have me confused, madam. I am not in the habit of marrying bedwarmers who offer themselves to me uninvited.'

That remark caused a look of anger to cross the woman's face as she sat up and huffed, 'bedwarmer? I have never been so insulted in all my life. But your opinion will surely improve once we are married.'

'I would never marry a woman whose virtue was as unreliable as yours.'

'But you have no choice, Mr Darcy. You have thoroughly compromised me and must therefore do the honourable thing.'

Darcy's lip curled and his nose wrinkled as he refuted her statement. 'You have compromised yourself. You came to my bed without invitation, and I do not know how many other guests you have entertained in a similar manner since you seemed quite experienced. So, for the final time, Miss Standish. I will not marry you.'

'But you must. You cannot be so dishonourable as to take your pleasure of a lady and then just abscond, leaving me to face ruin.' Miss Standish was starting to get somewhat hysterical in her fear. Her brother had assured her that Darcy was rather unworldly and should be easy prey. Yet the young man who faced her was formidable. 'Brian said you were honourable. What of your own reputation?'

'I have no intention of sacrificing my honour for someone as dishonourable as yourself. I suggest that you repair to your rooms and keep quiet about last night. You might be lucky, and no one will realise how immoral you are. As for my reputation…' he gave a sarcastic laugh. 'You should know that at worst some people might consider me a rake in public, although most gentlemen will congratulate me on my conquest and my refusal to be trapped by one such as you.'

Darcy bowed perfunctorily as he quit the room. He was thoroughly disgusted with the young woman, as well as his now former friend.

He fled the estate and on his return to Cambridge, the first order of business was a very hot bath to wash away the feeling of having been used. Afterwards he proceeded to get very drunk.

It was weeks before he could again tolerate the company of women with equanimity. But during that time, he went from being a somewhat shy but trusting boy to a withdrawn man with a cold and reserved demeanour. He also swore that he would never give in to any kind of attempt at compromise.

~~R~~

Although Miss Standish was the first, she was by no means the last woman intent on marrying Darcy by whatever means necessary, although most did not go as far as that young woman.

Unfortunately, they had not reckoned with the intelligence of the gentleman, who knew that they had much more to lose than he did if their indiscretions were made public.

Even some fathers, who were complicit in the attempted compromise, were forced to remain silent to protect their daughters, since Darcy was adamant that he would not submit to a marriage with a woman whose virtue was questionable or whose family was complicit in such behaviour.

As a result, he enjoyed a mostly unblemished reputation, especially as he was unfailingly polite but reserved.

There was only one occasion when the attempted compromise had been public.

Miss Pembrooke claimed to feel faint in the heat of the ballroom and requested that he should escort her to the balcony.

He did as she requested, with her hand resting lightly on his. As he extended his hand to allow her to precede him through the door, she had whirled around and thrown herself at him.

Only his fast reflexes, sharpened by suspicion, had saved him. He lightly stepped aside, allowing the young woman to fall flat on her face. With the momentum of her sudden turn, she even slid several yards into the room on the highly polished floor, stopping with her head beneath the skirts of Lady Kirby, who was outraged at the assault to her ankles and her dignity.

Alas, Miss Pembrooke was not to be put off. 'Mr Darcy, you have compromised me,' she cried as she untangled herself from Lady Kirby and struggled to her feet laboriously since Darcy maintained his distance and refused to assist.

'I am afraid you are quite mistaken, Miss Pembrooke. When you threw yourself at me, you compromised yourself. No help from me was required.'

He looked at her with a disdainful smile. 'I suggest you should get some fresh air to cool off. Particularly your overheated imagination if you think that I would allow myself to be compromised into marriage.'

He gave her a perfunctory nod and calmly walked off, leaving her to face the titters of the assembled guests.

After he had denounced Miss Pembrooke, it was obvious to even the most mercenary matchmaking mother that such a public compromise would not sway him, and there had been no repeat of such a blatant attempt.

But it did not stop the more direct but private approaches, which provided him with occasional opportunities to enjoy himself without resorting to the services of professionals.

Unlike many other so-called gentlemen, he kept quiet about his conquests. While he had no respect for the women who threw themselves at him, he was also not hypocritical enough to ruin them. He thought that was a fair trade-off.

~~R~~

~~R~~

Compromising Mr Darcy - The Accidental Rake by Sydney Salier, Copyright © 2022