A/N: This story is inspired by, and dedicated to, the only movie done by the sweet, wonderful late Christina Grimmie. It's not completely based on the movie, although it follows it in broad strokes. I hope it can bring joy to many!
Warning: Darcy, while he will eventually be redeemed, is a dishonorable, heartless creature from the onset. Please AVOID THIS STORY LIKE THE PLAGUE if you want to read Darcy as his canon honorable self. He may get there eventually, but it will be a very rocky road!
"We do not know how we can thank you, Mr. Darcy. A simple country cottage simply cannot adequately express our gratitude," gushed Lady Gregory.
Darcy smiled grimly, almost smirking, as he partook of the brandy Sir Andrew had offered. He leaned back against the Gregorys' luscious furniture. "It is a small matter. Miss Gregory's company was far from tedious."
"If my foolish daughter's head had not been turned by a measly steward, we would never have had to resort to such measures." Sir Andrew lamented loudly. The aging knight gulped a large portion of his own beverage down. "I never did like lying to my Grace."
Darcy nodded sagely, as if solemnly agreeing - as if he didn't constantly lose respect for every family that availed of his unusual services.
It was not a service he had set out to offer. He didn't need any more properties than he had already accumulated.
But, surely, he wasn't to blame if his looks and demeanor tended to capture every young lady's attentions. It was not as if he had asked to be born the most eligible young man in half the ballrooms he visited.
"I wish Miss Gregory a speedy recovery from her disappointment," Darcy civilly acknowledged before his next sip. It was not his first contract. He had long mastered the very things to say to disappointed young ladies' disappointed parents.
"I must say I admire your ability to maintain such consistency in your efforts, Mr. Darcy," Sir Andrew spoke as he stoked his beard. "I daresay my daughter hardly suspected a thing."
Darcy grimaced. It was difficult to admit to already-disheartened parents that their daughters were frivolous fools. "Miss Gregory was pleasant enough whenever we shared company. I hardly found it a chore to interact with her."
"Dare we hope then, Mr. Darcy, that some of the fancy you'd sported for her sake was rooted in genuine concern?" Lady Gregory asked before her husband's glare could silence her.
Darcy fought the deepening grimace.
Society mothers did tend to overreach.
"I'm afraid my time with Miss Gregory runs short. I shall return to London this very afternoon," Darcy replied.
"But, Mr. Darcy - "
"Thank you," Sir Andrew interrupted his wife. He rose to his feet and offered his hand. "Your assistance is invaluable to securing my daughter the future she deserves."
Darcy shook the man's hand. "I wish your family well, sir."
"If you ever need anything at all, Mr. Darcy, please do not hesitate to speak to us. I shall thank my cousin heartily for facilitating our acquaintance."
Darcy bowed, dutifully, before leaving Gregory Manor.
"Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy," the footman announced. The earl waved his free hand, the other hand being otherwise preoccupied with his mid-day port. The footman bowed and let Darcy in.
"Did this one take it well?" his uncle laughed after his own question, his slippered foot propped upon the desk used so much more often as a footstool than as a tool for actual work.
Darcy smirked as he assumed his usual seat. He had missed London in the past month. "As well as they usually do. The mother, in particular, sported rather unreasonable hopes."
"Is she as charming as her daughter?" Being married never seemed to stop the mighty Earl of Matlock from his usual divergent interests.
"As charm-less as her daughter - yes," Darcy retorted. He scoffed. The women he was invariably tasked to isolate from undesirable suitors never did quite justify their family's concerns. Should they not be thankful that anyone wanted their daughters at all? But a mercenary could hardly complain about war, especially when war compensated him so very well.
"You are a cold-hearted beast, Fitzwilliam." His uncle laughed. "How many hearts have you broken since you first started your endeavors?"
"I did not set out to break hearts, Uncle." Darcy helped himself to a beverage of his own. "Certain gifts are simply given for the betterment of society."
"You have your mother's universal appeal - and your father's ridiculous pride."
"One could hardly say the ladies argue."
The earl chuckled as he shook his head. "It is perhaps for the best. If not for you, my eldest would never have won his bride."
"I take no credit. Diana would be a fool to turn down a viscount in favor of a man in trade."
"Yet fools women are, aren't they?"
Darcy looked pointedly at his uncle's knowing countenance.
He sipped from his own glass. "I do not deny it."
The responding chuckle was softer, gentler than the ones before.
Darcy had lost his parents young - too young for them to have left much of an influence upon him. It was his uncle, opulent and grand, who had played the role of a patriarch towards him all these years.
"Shall the matchbreaker ever find his own match?" The older man mused when he'd emptied his glass.
Darcy grimaced.
With his growing social circles, Darcy found himself relishing these private conversations more as he aged. Too much time spent in gossiping ballrooms always did give him a headache. His uncle, at least, always spoke without pretense.
"Rushing me to the altar already, Uncle?"
The earl grinned. "Hardly."
"I am not averse to the thought, though God forbid any matchmaking mothers hear that profession." Darcy shuddered as his uncle laughed. "But one's appreciation for women hardly rises with increased exposure to their fickle ways. A pretty face is easily marred by proof of a disloyal spirit."
"Wise words from a heartless rake."
Darcy could hardly avoid laughing along.
A/N: While I cannot commit to responding to reviews one by one, please know that I read each and every one eagerly and take all of them to heart. Writing is both a hobby and a profession for me, so I might allude to my published works sometimes. It helps feed my babies, and I appreciate all the support!