Madam and Missy — A Pride and Prejudice Variation
This is dedicated to all the writers both here and on KU who've released their stories for free! As I enjoy reading them so much, I thought that I'd have a go, and here it is.
[Note that I'm a Brit, so have written with British spelling, punctuation and terminology 😏]
In which Mr. and Mrs. Adam find an island, Darcy leaves on a rescue mission and Elizabeth has her suspicions confirmed
Shropshire
Elizabeth
Elizabeth's eighteenth birthday fell at the beginning of their third trip to Shropshire. As he had the previous years, Darcy started the day by telling her of his ardent admiration and asking her to marry him. She loved this annual reaffirmation of their bond.
He suggested that they take a picnic to the large lake beyond the manor house. "I have found a rowing boat in good repair and thought to take you out on the water."
"That would be lovely, as long as you do not expect me to row!"
"As today is your celebration, I shall row, but, should you wish to go again, I shall recline in the stern while you bend to the oars!"
Elizabeth hmphed in amusement.
Darcy
They discovered an island at the far side of the lake and made land there for their picnic. After eating, Elizabeth asked, "Do you suppose that this island has a name?"
"I should not think so, but that is no reason for you not to give it one."
"Mmm, what about 'View'?"
"The trees prevent us from having much of a view, but 'View Island' it is."
"Do you not think that it is too small to be an island, but should be an isle?"
"'Isle of View'?"
"I love you, too!" She smiled, looking up at him with shy mischief.
His face brightened, furrowed and brightened again. Holding her gaze, he said, "I love you too, my dearest wife."
"Your only wife."
They were both very still and then, with gentleness, with great gentleness, Darcy kissed his wife's lips.
Darcy was besotted in the way a young man is when finally on his honeymoon. Elizabeth had assured him that the fumbling consummation had been her choice and her wish. They decided that they would still not kiss each other's lips unless they were intending to be intimate, neither realising that the others in the lodge would not mind. The newly married Mr. and Mrs. Stevens were far too interested in their own kisses!
In blissful delight, Darcy trailed after Elizabeth. When encouraged to leave their chamber, he enjoyed sitting next to her while she played the piano, pulling out her hairpins and allowing her hair to fall loose. He made her giggle by changing the words to her songs — singing loudly the final line of Handel's 'Silent Worship' as 'a glory of dark brown hair'. He took to singing around the lodge; his renditions of Italian arias bringing both her and the Stevenses to tears of laughter.
One day, a package arrived containing some new songs for her to play on the piano.
"Dowland?" She read the composer's name. "I have not heard of him."
"He was popular in Elizabethan times," Darcy said.
Elizabeth looked through the pages. "It does not appear to be too difficult to play, but most are written for four voices. You will have to join in with me!"
"Gladly," he replied with a small smirk.
She read further. "William! I cannot sing these words! They are unsuitable— "
" —for a maiden, perhaps. They are not unsuitable for you, my dear wife."
"Your only wife," she said without thinking, too engrossed in the words of the songs. "What does this mean, in this song?" She pointed at 'Sleep, wayward thoughts'.
"'So sleeps my Love, and yet my love doth wake'? I believe that you know full well what that means, my love!"
"Madam Adam!"
He awakened her the next morning with that line from the song.
"I am awake now," she muttered, elbowing his ribs as she teased him for proving the lyrics untrue.
"Ah, but 'my love' woke some time ago, my love."
"Madam Adam! You really are incorrigible!"
Silencing further protest, with keenness, with great keenness, Darcy kissed his wife's lips.
Unfortunately, towards the end of their two months, their newly found happiness was disturbed by an urgent message from Lord Matlock forwarded by Lady Anne.
"Oh no!" cried Darcy, reading it.
"What is it, William?"
"It is my cousin, Richard. He has been injured."
"In Portugal?"
"Yes, and my uncle thinks that he has been captured too."
"Oh, how awful!"
Darcy sighed. "My uncle asks me to go to recover him." He paced, dragging his hand through his hair.
"What will you do?"
"I do not wish to leave you, but suppose that I must go. I must go immediately!"
"Pause to prepare yourself first."
"No, I must be away!"
"William," she cried, taking his hands and stilling him. "You must tell Stevens to pack and to saddle Buttercup before you leave. Calm yourself! You might have a more comfortable journey if you put your boots on, too!"
He looked down at his stockinged feet. "You are quite correct, my dearest wife."
"Your only wife! Now, I shall call for Stevens, while you start a list of things for me to do in your absence." Seeing his confused expression, she continued, "I am sure that your mother would like one of us to manage your estate, and I shall do my very best to assist her while you are away."
"How did I manage without you?" He sat and started on the list.
As he was about to leave, they held each other one last time. "Do not forget that you are in my thoughts, prayers and heart, my beloved wife."
"Your only wife!" Elizabeth replied as expected.
With a whirlwind of preparation, Darcy and Stevens were off. Arm in arm, their wives waved farewell. Sarah Stevens would return to her mother when Elizabeth returned to Longbourn.
Longbourn
Elizabeth
Her aunt's carefully worded reply to her equally carefully worded question confirmed Elizabeth's suspicions. She went and knocked on the door to her father's book-room.
"Come."
"Father, I must speak with you."
"'Father', eh? Is it serious, Elizabeth?"
"Yes. When you have some time to spare, I should like to take a walk with you."
"I shall tidy my papers and join you shortly."
They set off in silence. When they reached the top of Oakham Mount, they sat and as Elizabeth started to tell the familiar story of their land, her father forestalled her.
"Lizzy, do tell me what you must."
"I am with child, Pappa; William's child." She started to cry.
Putting his arm around her, he asked, "Are those joyful tears?"
"Yes, of course, but William is not here!"
"Thus, you must share your news with your old Pappa."
"I should have told you anyway, but William ought to know."
"We could try to get a message to him— "
"I know that he would return immediately, and what would happen to his cousin?"
"Though it is natural that you would like William to know as soon as possible, your confinement can be managed by any of us here; only he is in the right place to find his cousin."
"I know, I know, but I do not feel particularly reasonable about having to wait."
He laughed. "Your mother was much the same while she was with child, had no patience!"
"Poor Mamma. If she were here, she would support me."
"Ah, perhaps not. She would not have been party to our secret as she could not be discreet."
"You do not talk much of her, Pappa."
"That is true. I should gather all you girls together to tell you about her. Let us do so this evening. In the meantime, let us decide on where you must go when you can no longer conceal my grandchild."
"Perhaps to Aunt and Uncle Gardiner."
"Perhaps. We might ask William's mother if she has any thoughts."
"Good idea. Do you think that she might ask me to stay with her?"
"I do not know, but we shall find out soon."
As they walked slowly back to Longbourn, Mr. Bennet remarked that he had not seen the latest silver shapes for her bracelet.
"Oh, there are four of them. Three are letters — I shall not tell you what they mean, and the fourth is a rowing boat as we went out on a lake on my birthday." I shall not tell you what happened there nor that the letters 'T', 'P' and 'H' are to remind me that I am in his thoughts, prayers and heart.
Two weeks later, Elizabeth was called to her father's book-room where he handed her the reply from Lady Anne. "Close the door and we shall talk quietly."
"Oh, Sarah is with child too!" exclaimed Elizabeth.
"As you see, she is not having such an easy time of it as you."
"Mmm, poor Sarah," agreed Elizabeth. She read on. "'Back to Shropshire'?"
"Yes, my dear. Back to Shropshire."
"She says that she will send Sarah's brother to look after us, and hire maids locally again." She sighed. "This accursed secrecy!"
Father and daughter regarded each other.
"Are we to tell my sisters that I am to stay with your aunt again?"
"I think so. That would have the advantage of you being able to return here with the child acting as my ward."
"Your 'ward'?" Elizabeth sat for a while to think about that. "With reluctance, I can see the sense in that. When should I leave?"
"You will probably show sufficiently by late autumn which would give us time to travel before winter sets in."
"Six or seven weeks, then?"
"I shall respond to her ladyship so that she can organise her staff."
A reply came from Lady Anne containing her offer to collect Elizabeth and take her to Shropshire. "It sounds as though she wants to make sure that the local midwife and a wet nurse are prepared. And the nearest apothecary and doctor," he added as he read more.
Elizabeth trembled. "Hearing that makes it so much more real."
Mr. Bennet
Early in November, Mr. Bennet drove Elizabeth in their cart to Netherfield to meet Lady Anne.
On the way, she asked him, "As I am not to see her for many months, would you please tell me to whom Mary is betrothed?"
Of course, she has noticed!
"Very well, as you are pleasure-bound again, I shall tell you. I assume that your wedding day was not so very long ago that you have forgotten who conducted the ceremony."
"William's uncle, the bishop."
"He has a younger son in need of a wife. As he is destined to be a man of the cloth too, his father and William's mother thought that he and Mary would suit each other."
"William's cousin? Are you to marry off all of us to William's family?"
"No, no— "
"Is this why Jane and I were invited to meet 'Lady E' all those years ago?" she interrupted. "So that she could choose one of us?"
"Be not so outraged, Lizzy! This is part of what you call the 'great secret'." He stopped the cart to give her his full attention. "Lizzy, as a reward for some, er, tasks that I have undertaken, worthy young men are being found for my daughters."
She looked at him. "Your parcels of books and all of those puzzles. Nobody, not even you, could read that many books."
"That is so, but I shall tell you no more."
"So, William was told to marry one of us. 'Lady E' chose me. I care not for how it came about, but am glad to be William's wife." She thought, and continued. "Should I infer that Jane has been rejected twice?"
"You ought not think of them as rejections. You must see that she and your William would not suit each other. Similarly, she and Mary's betrothed would not be happy."
"Perhaps when William returns, his rescued cousin might be looking for a kind and caring wife."
"Perhaps." He shook the reins and they carried on to Netherfield. There, he was pleased to see the affection with which Lady Anne and Mrs. Stevens greeted her. At least she will be with people who care for her.
Please don't copy, but please do let me have comments/corrections 😏