The Price of Family

A sequel to "A Bit of Advice" and "The Question of Consent"

By DJ Clawson

Author's Note: I'm recovering. Thanks for all of your well wishing. Fortunately I wrote chapters ahead for this situation. Enjoy.

Chapter 14 – Going to the Chapel

Darcy slept uncharacteristically late, so much so that Elizabeth was actually up before him and deeply suspected he might well be sleeping off a hangover from yet another set of the best wines they had ever tasted. He had joined her in bed only very late, when she was nearly asleep, kissed her, and was out cold. So, she was reluctant to wake him.

When inquiring as to Grégoire's whereabouts, he had apparently gone to Mass, and the fact that he had done so at what was perhaps the most splendid cathedral in the world piqued her interest. Darcy would surely never allow her to travel about the center of Paris on her own, but Darcy wasn't awake to say so and she therefore didn't have to argue with him about it. She left a note on the bed stand and headed out into the fine spring sun and the cobbled streets of Paris.

It was not so terribly different from Town in many ways, aside from the language and the constant obvious English military presence, and some destroyed or empty buildings left over from the revolution. But she saw no guillotines, and knew enough French by now to have her way pointed to Notre Dame. She had seen Westminster, but this was a different building entirely. It was taller, and with its two towers in front, more imposing.

People were leaving from Mass. As this was not a Sunday, it was not especially crowded, and she entered without any trouble. The hall was massive, with endless, uncountable rows of wooden seats, and various people still scattered about, in silent contemplation before the massive altar and golden cross. Not immediately spotting Grégoire, her interest was attracted instead to a rather large altar of candles, some lit and some not, in front of a painting of who was obviously the Virgin Mary. Why did people from the bible always tilt their head in such a way? People were burning candles for their lost, and she must have been there for some time, because she did not hear Grégoire approach until he cleared his throat. "Mrs. Darcy."

"Grégoire," she said. "I did not see you."

"I was in confession." Looking up at the altar and the image, he crossed his chest.

"I suppose," Elizabeth said in a hushed voice, "G-d would be terribly confused if I lit a candle at a Catholic altar."

"G-d is all-knowing, and therefore, never confused," he replied. "Did you lose someone?"

"Something."

"It is not for lost items."

"Someone," she said, her voice betraying her emotion. "A child, though I was told not to think of it as that. I don't know what Darcy told you last night – "

He raised his hand. Obviously, not for a church, most of it.

" – but I miscarried, some months ago. And though, it was not a proper baby, I still feel ... like I've lost someone."

"Then light. G-d will not be confused, and He is the only one beyond us who will know."

She took one of the longer candles, meant for this purpose, and used it to light a smaller one on the racks without burning herself, then put it back in its container.

"Come," Grégoire said quietly. "I wish to show you something." To her great surprise, he actually put his hand on her shoulder and escorted her to a stain glass window, bearing amount its images, a bearded man in robes who did not seem to be Jesus, and beside him, a woman. "Abraham and Sarah. Sarah did not conceive until she was ninety-nine years old. She had given up hope to the point that G-d sent angels from heaven to tell them she would finally conceive, and she laughed at them. Have you heard this story?"

"Briefly. I am not as versed as you are, obviously." She had, in fact, only read the bible in its entirety once, and found the Old Testament to be full of impossible names and bizarre laws that she could not imagine anyone following. "But I do not want to wait until I am nearly a hundred, thank you."

"But you have already conceived, yes? My wording is correct?"

"Yes. But I am perhaps greedy, and want more. Is that such a terrible sin?"

"I would not call it greed. I cannot presume to know a mother's longing," he said. "There is also the story of the mother of Samuel, one of the old Jew prophets, who prayed to G-d for a child, and then delivered one of the most important people in their ancient history."

She knew what he was trying to say, and knew that logically, it should comfort her, but she still wanted to – needed to – cry. Before she knew it, she was leaning on his shoulder, and he was embracing her as she sobbed into his harsh wool robe. When a priest approached them, he said something in French, and the priest went away, but otherwise, he waited until she was spent, and slowly, they made their way from the church.

"What did you say to him?"

"That you were my sister-in-law, and that he should go away," he said. "Most ... improper of me."

Elizabeth could not help but laugh. It felt wonderful.

They returned to Darcy eating breakfast, or more accurately, lunch. "I read your note."

"And raced right to my side, I noticed," Elizabeth said, and kissed him on the head, to which he winced. So he was hung-over.

"I trusted your monastic escort," he said. "We should perhaps be off to the seminary. It requires only a short ride."

They had planned this out. The seminary was English, and they would not hurt whatever good opinion the seminary might still have had of her. It was a modest building, and they applied to the office of the Headmistress, who looked a bit mystified at the trio of an English gentlemen, his wife, and a French monk. "Sir and madame."

"Mr. and Mrs. Darcy," Darcy said. "My wife is a sister to a former student of yours, Miss Mary Bennet."

"Oh, yes," she said. "She left a little over a month ago. Withdrawn – she said one of her sisters was ill."

Maybe that was true on some level – but they were not here to contradict her. Elizabeth said merely, "She thinks she may have left something here in the dormitory, and we were traveling in the area with our guide here. May we see for ourselves? It was an important item to her."

"I do not believe she did, but you may enter, Mrs. Darcy. But this is a girl's seminary, and you will understand that your husband and escort will have to remain in the front offices."

"Of course," Mr. Darcy said in his most official, proper Englishmen voice, which was all very convincing. "Mrs. Darcy, we shall wait outside for you. Take as long as you like."

There were all of the proper boys and curtseys, and Elizabeth was escorted through the dormitories to Mary's room, which was shared with another girl, from her belongings in evidence. Mary's side was empty, of course. "Not filled yet," said the Headmistress. "Because of fears of war with France again."

"I see," Elizabeth said, and made a cursory inspection of Mary's side of the room. "May I perhaps speak to her roommate? I do not wish to go through another woman's things."

"Of course. I'll have Miss Talbot fetched at once."

Elizabeth did not have to wait long before a girl Mary's age appeared and they curtseyed, and the headmistress left them alone. "I am sorry to take you from your classes," Elizabeth said, "but this is a matter of some import."

"Yes," Miss Talbot said. "If I may inquire which sister – "

"Elizabeth. Commonly known as Lizzy." For she had been introduced only as 'Mrs. Darcy.' "I am second; Mary is third. I've come to inquire after her ... doings here."

"From England?" Miss Talbot said.

"Yes," she said with severity.

"Oh. Then, I suppose, I must mention immediately that I am not unknowing in Mary's personal ... affairs."

"Thank goodness I have found someone who can tell me something," Elizabeth said, her voice now welcoming, but hushed. "You know why she left so quickly."

"Yes."

"Does anyone else know?"

"I do not believe so. Aside from Giovanni, of course."

"Did you know him?"

"Only of him. She met him tutoring, as she probably told you. And she was quite broken up over her own indiscretion."

Elizabeth bade her to sit down, so she was more at ease. "So she was not forced."

"No, she said not, and I believe her. Of course, a great deal of the blame does still fall on Giovanni. Excuse me that I do not know his full name and cannot refer to him properly, even though honestly, I have no wish to. Though I do know he did offer her some – compensation."

"Did Mary say how much?"

"No. You know more of your sister than I do, but Mary took it all on herself, though I can hardly imagine she was not in some way seduced. But she knew him for quite a while beforehand. Some months. And she did speak of him more often than she did of any of her other students, none of whom were male."

"Was there genuine affection?"

Miss Talbot answered, "I believe so."

"But he refused marriage."

"He could not, of course. He must be a priest and then a bishop. He has gone to Rome to study in a seminary there. He did not even want to be one – he wanted to go to the Noble Guard, or so she told me, but he has fits, and they would not take him because of his condition."

"Fits?"

"Epilepsy, I believe."

Now the picture was becoming clearer. "So you believe he is in Rome. Mary was not sure."

"I made one inquiry myself, after she left. She was a good friend to me, and I felt it was deserved. But when I went to his family's house, they said he was returned to study in Rome, though he retire to the family estate in Italy for the summer. It is apparently terribly hot and buggy during that season and even the Pope often goes elsewhere during the hottest months." She sighed. "That is all I can tell you. I wish, for her sake, I had more to say."

"You have been invaluable, Miss Talbot."

"May I ask how she is? She was worried that her father would be disapproving."

"He was – but he loves her, and they are all staying with my sister's husband in the north, where he and my husband have estates. Mr. Darcy and I are to find this Giovanni, and try and reach a settlement with him, so that Mary will not be destitute. But she is within the bosom of her family, who is perhaps not half as harsh on her as she is on herself."

"That is good to hear. Thank you, Mrs. Darcy. Please send her my regards, and that I hope to see her when I return to England and she can be seen."

"I will gladly do so," Elizabeth said, and they said their good-byes. As soon as she was gone, Elizabeth rushed out of the seminary to find her husband and brother-in-law sitting on the bench. "It seems we must be off to Rome. He is studying in a seminary there, but may retire to his family estate for the summer."

This was not unexpected, but it made Darcy frown anyway. "Then we must cut out visit to this lovely city short, my dear, and make arrangements otherwise. But first, my brother needs some glasses." In response to Grégoire's cough, Darcy said. "Excuse me. I am apparently in need of some spectacles that may happen to fit for my brother."

"Of course," Elizabeth said.

It took another day to make all of the arrangements. They would go straight south to Marsielle, and take a boat to Italy, which would hopefully be a shortcut, as it would land them only a few dozen from Rome at most. Darcy purchased the services of the swiftest but most comfortable carriage available to take them directly south, and Elizabeth wrote and sent letters to England details their exact itinerary. It was late on their second day that the Darcys retired to their own room.

"On the way back, perhaps, we will have time to see things proper," Darcy said. "If you wish. Or you may be eager to return to England."

"How long can we expect to be in Rome?"

"If he is there, and agrees to a settlement, then we must send the proposal to Mr. Bennet and he must reply if he agrees or not. So, perhaps as long as month." He frowned at his own estimations. "We will be hard-pressed to return to England in time for your sister's delivery if there is any hold-up. And there is the matter if we return to Kirkland to find it still standing after our son living there for so long."

At the mention of Geoffrey, Elizabeth drew closer to him. Now that they had a proper bed with enough room, it felt positively odd to not be forced to her husband's side the entire night, quite literally, for lack of space, and she missed the intimacy. "I miss him."

"As do I." Darcy sighed. "But perhaps he will learn some independence – the good kind. And we will be returning with a new uncle for him."

"Have you spoken to Grégoire on this or have you just decided?"

"'Just decided,'" he said. "He is wasted in that awful monastery."

"That does not mean he is not meant to be a proper English gentlemen. His devotion to his religion is real, Darcy."

"I am not discounting it. But he should see his father's grave, and Pemberley, at least once in his life. Surely he cannot put argument with that."

"If you say it in the way that you say things when you want no such argument, then yes. Which you are intending to do."

"Lizzy, you can read me quite well."

"You are realizing this just now?" she said, happily nestled into his shoulder. "But, truly, do not be harsh on him. If he wishes to be a monk, let him be a monk."

"Perhaps," Darcy said. "But maybe somewhere else – closer. Ireland, maybe. There must be a suitable monastery in Ireland. It would take some adjustment on his part but then ... he would be closer. Lizzy, what do you find so funny?"

"For all of your jokes about sending your sister to a nunnery," she said, "now you seek to toss your brother out of one."

"Technically half-brother. But yes, there is some irony in that. Or karma, as Bingley would say."

"What?"

"I've no idea, either," he admitted. "He's positively obsessed with the ways of the Indians."

"Where that interest came into his brain, I have no idea."

He smiled. "I love you."

"I admit to some fondness for you as well."

"You intentionally torture me," Darcy said. "See? All we have to do is get Grégoire a good woman with your wit and he will have his hands full."

"I cannot quite imagine him even approaching a woman."

"Wouldn't know what to do with her, despite my detailed description the other night," he said. "I suppose I could conspire against him the same way ..." But realizing where he was going, he trailed off and fell silent.

Elizabeth nearly climbed on top of him. "Darcy! What do you mean?"

"Uhm, I am inclined to keep my mouth shut at this point."

"Then I am inclined to hear what you have to say. In fact, I am positively inclined to demand it of you, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy put a hand over his eyes so he didn't have to look at her. "Very well. Again, I am at your mercy, and must tell you a story that reflects well of neither person in it."

"Since we said his name would be unspoken – "

" – we shall not speak it. But suffice to say, there was a time, during my first semester in Cambridge, when a certain person who may or may not have been an older brother designed upon me that I should overcome my shyness and ... become a man, as he put it." Sensing from her body language that she had no objections to this story, and was most enjoying it, he continued, "Rather drastic measures were taken."

"Drastic?"

"To be blunt, he purchased the services of a courtesan, got me soused, and then locked me in a room with her, and would not unbolt it despite all of my protests." He added, "I have to admit, it did the job admirably."

There was a moment of silence before they both erupted in laughter.

"You of course cannot employ this on poor Grégoire," she finally said. "Brother Grégoire."

"I suppose. If he is truly devout, then we will at least have a discussion before he takes his final vows and forces himself to a life without a lovely woman by his side. A very lovely woman." He kissed her. "Lizzy, I could not have done this without you."

"Saved my sister? You did the job admirably once without my knowledge. You're becoming an expert on saving Bennet girls."

"That is not what I mean, and you know it," he said. "I love you."

"And I cannot imagine my life without you," she said. "I love you."

Despite the fact that they were to leave early the next morning, and the strain of traveling, and the emotional turmoil the dual situations wrecked on them both, the Darcys found enough peace for themselves that night as husband and wife. And in the morning, they were ready for the long journey ahead of them, arms clasped tightly together.

Next Chapter – Fire and Lies