Chapter 25
After refreshments with Lady Matlock and Georgiana when Darcy dropped her off at Matlock house and was promptly sent away by his aunt, Lady Matlock had begun to list what shops they would visit and what would be accomplished, including allowing the ladies of the ton on Bond Street to get a look at the new Mrs. Darcy under the wing of Lady Matlock.
As Elizabeth entered the modiste's shop with Georgiana as Lady Matlock went forward to speak to the propeiter she heard an unwelcome voice coo, "Why Miss Darcy! It is so nice to see you. Had I of known you planned on shopping today, I am sure your brother would have wanted me to join you to advise you, just like a sister."
"Miss Bingley," Georgiana greeted the red haired woman wearing an orange gown softly, her discomfort obvious. She was uncomfortable with the way Miss Bingley always alluded to herself as being a sister to Georgiana since Georgiana was not particularly fond of the woman but felt the need to tolerate her, even though she knew her brother would never consider marrying Miss Bingley, even before his own marriage. "I am not shopping for myself today so your advice will not be necessary."
"Then what brings you here today?" Miss Bingley cooed at her as she reached out to grasp the younger girl's arm.
"I do," Elizabeth said boldly annoucing her presence, disgusted with the way Miss Bingley was clearly making Georgiana uncomfortable.
"Miss Eliza," the redhead said her lips curling in distaste noticing Elizabeth for the first time.
"It is Mrs. Darcy now, Miss Bingley, " Elizabeth said correcting her and emphasizing the Miss in Miss Bingley's name, and therefore her unmarried status, since the other was older than her. "My new sister and aunt are planning on helping me select a new wardrobe."
"Impossible, " spat Miss Bingley in disbelief. "He would never lower himself to marry you."
"Yet we are married," Elizabeth said archly.
"I do not believe it. He is in Kent visiting his aunt and you have imposed yourself on his family with this gross falsehood and now plan on using my coffers to treat yourself to some new dresses. I will not allow it. I will expose you," Miss Bingley hissed at her. Whirling around she called out loudly, "This adventuress has mislead Mr. Darcy's dear sister and aunt. I forbid you from completing a single commission for her. I will not allow her to use Mr. Darcy's funds, that she has no rights to, to cloth herself in a fashion above her station."
Halting her conversation with the modieste, Lady Matlock turned and said coldly,"You are that trumped up tradesman's daughter that has been panting after my nephew for years, aren't you," as she eyed Miss Bingley up icily. "I believe I would know who my nephew's new wife was better than you."
"I beg your pardon," Miss Bingley said, drawing herself up affronted. "I am a close intimate personal friend of Mr. Darcy's. Just ask Miss Darcy. She and I are practically sister's due to my relationship with Mr. Darcy."
"My brother has always spoken of you as being the sister of his good friend and therefore someone it was necessary to be civil to and tolorate. Elizabeth is my new sister and I am quite proud to have her as such," Georgiana said in a small voice. She was upset that Miss Bingley would say such things about Elizabeth, who she liked greatly already, in addition to potraying herself as an intimate of their family, so she overcame her shyness just enough to speak out against such a lie.
"You wretched, ungrateful girl," Miss Bingley shrieked at Georgiana. "I have spent countless hours cultivating you and you betray my support and appreciation for some nobody."
"Leave Georgiana out of this," Elizabeth said firmly coming to stand in front of her taller new sister. "I will not stand for you yelling at her like some fishwife. Mr. Darcy and I married. Your complaint is not with her."
"And you!" Miss Bingley shrieked. "He deserves a sophisticated woman. Someone that can please him in all ways. You would not know the first thing about how to satisfy a man like Mr. Darcy. I've paid for instructions on what to do, on what he likes in bed and you have the nerve to come in and try to steal him from me. He is mine! I am Mrs. Darcy, not you!" Miss Bingley shrieked as she leapt forward to attack Elizabeth grasping her hair and clawing at her.
Lady Matlock, along with the modiste, as Mrs. Hurst looked on in horror, stepped forward to attempt to pull Miss Bingley, who was ranting wildly, off of Elizabeth, who had been taken by surprise and was attempting to free herself without further injury from the deranged woman's clutches. It was not until a footman stepped forward to lend assistance that they were able to pull the determined shrieking harpy off of Elizabeth. The other shoppers stared in fascinated horror at the spectacle. Once Miss Bingley was removed from Elizabeth there was a surge to the door as they hurried out to spread the story of what they had just witnessed. An older lady was the only one to stay behind. Mrs. Hurst guided the footman with his shrieking burden to her coach where he placed Miss Bingley inside hastily.
"Is Mrs. Darcy okay, Lady Matlock?" the older lady asked briskly. When Elizabeth nodded before Lady Matlock could asnwer, she said, "I do not suppose you are any relation to Mr. Thomas Bennet of Hertfordshire?"
"He is my father," Elizabeth said in surprise.
"I suspected as much. You have the same look as his sister Merdith did and she had no children. I knew her well."
"My father does not speak often of his sister," Elizabeth said apologetically.
"No, he wouldn't. He never forgave my cousin for her death in childbirth. I am Lady Bramhurst."
"Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy formerly Bennet, my Lady," Elizabeth responded.
"I hope you do not mind the imposition but I will be joining your party today along with my footman. The ton must see you ignoring the mutterings of that person. I have high hopes you will prove to be just like Merdith, witty but calm under duress, based on your responses to that woman. You handled that with decorum without descending to her level. Even if you are not anything like Meredith, I am prepared to like you because you are her niece. I would have enjoyed the opportunity to meet you previously, but your father wanted nothing to do with us after his elder sister's death. Do you have any siblings?"
"Four sisters," Elizabeth said with a smile. "Five if I included my newest," she added with a smile for Georgiana.
"Thomas had five daughters?" Lady Bramhurst said raising her eyebrows in shock. "It may be forward of me, but are you all married?"
"Only myself recently."
"Are you the eldest, my dear?"
"My sister Jane is my senior."
"Five girls," Lady Bramhurst said wistfully. "I wish we would have tried harder to keep the connection. We have a surfiet of males. Five little girls."
"We are not so little now. Though I am the shortest. My youngest sister is 15."
"It was fortunate that I met you, perhaps you can help me persuade your father to recognize the connection again. Now I want to hear everything about you," Lady Bramhurst declared. "I am sure Madame Flouierete can wait to do your measurements while we have some tea after the experience that Bingley woman just provided us." The lady truly was curious about Elizabeth but she also hoped to put her at ease after the fracas Miss Bingley had caused and felt asking about her and her family would be a safe, comfortable topic for her.
…
"You would like breeches for sleeping in?" Weston, Darcy's talior asked careful to keep the confusion from his voice.
"Yes," Darcy said simply without eleborating.
Weston considered the gentleman before him thoughtfully, knowing he would need to determine why one of his customers was requesting such a garment so that he could make sure it answered whatever need there was for such a thing. Briskly he said, "There are some looser fitting men's leg wear from the far east that could be perhpas adapted to your needs. If you can elaborate on what you are seeking, I can determine what would work best."
"My wife is a gently bred innocent lady and I do not wish to cause her alarm during the night as she sleeps," Darcy said slowly.
"Ah," Weston said. He considered thoughtfully his client's words. It would appear the gentleman had married for love, not convinence since his comment implied he slept the entire night with his wife in the same bed. He could see the sleeping pants if his wife was the type to lay passively under her husband while he copulated with her to avoid shocking her with the sight of his manhood. But Weston was familiar with Darcy's physique having dressed him for years. He had the muscles of an active man and Weston did not believe that such an active man would enjoy a passive wife, and a passive wife that lay under him as he had congress with her did not seem to be likely in a love match. He was aesthetically aware of his client's body and did not think that many women would stay passive with him. He had always been discreet with his knowledge of his client's forms, even when gentleman had offered him a monetary reward for information of a precieved rival's length and girth or padding used. He had found that many gentleman were rather chatty with him. He had heard a variety of secrets, but had never revealed any of them.
With Weston thinking, Darcy added nervously, "My wife is a small lady and in my sleep I do not wish to-"
"Ah, I understand, " the tailor said gently. His client was a tall man and his wife was new to the marriage bed. While an experienced woman might enjoy waking up with him inside her and having congress with him unexpectedly, his client did not wish to shock his new wife by doing so. Weston was impressed a man of Darcy's status would concern himself with shocking his wife and her comfort in the marriage bed since she was legally bound to him. "These sleeping trousers should allow for you easily to remove them quickly when necessary? " Weston asked.
"No!" Darcy said quickly. "They should not be easy for me to acess my- They do not need to be removed easily. Difficult to remove would be better."
Confused now, Weston sighed and gently said, "Mr. Darcy, you are assured of my discretion but I must ask you to speak plainly about the purpose of these so that I design them correctly. Am I understanding you correctly that you sleep next to your wife, care for her, but do not wish to have congress with her?"
"Yes," Darcy said relieved his tailor understood exactly what he wanted.
"This might be presumptuous of me, Sir, but I believe you could use a discreet ear that does not know your lady to unburden yourself to and explain your unique situation too," the older man said gently. A love match where the couple did not copulate spoke of some problem, especially when he considered that Darcy was agitated, when he usually did not display his emotions.
Darcy sighed, ran his hands through his hair and said, "I love my wife, most dearly and have wanted her for so very long. She is an innocent. She has had some apprehension about the marriage bed. I would not wish for her to fear me. I would like to be gentle with her when we consummate our marriage but she is so small and I find myself blinded by desire for her. I am usually more in control of my lust, but I forget myself in her presence. I do not want to hurt her. Hence the sleeping tousers, I do not wish to wake up to find out I allowed my lust to control me in my sleep and that I am hurting her in my own passion. I could never forgive myself if I did so."
"Ah," Weston said again. His client, usually so haughty and undaunted by anything was brought low by his lady wife. "Your sentiments are commendable. Not many gentlemen in your position would hold back from taking what is now rightfully his. Does this fear of hurting her extend to consummating your union?"
"Yes. I am afraid once I am inside her, I will not be able to hold back or stop myself. That I will use her ruthlessly and repeatedly."
"You must trust your love for your wife to be stronger then your lust for her. Because you do not wish to hurt her, I do not think you will. Until you are confident in that fact though, I believe I shall be able to fashion something for you from depictions I have seen of eastern trousers that have a looser fit then breeches do. Some even have a string threaded through the waist to hold them that must be untied to remove them or a sash that must be unwrapped rather than buttons. Some appear to be made from silk but I will avoid the use of that particular fabric and use something less sensual but soft enough to be comfortable to sleep in."
"Thank you," Darcy said relieved. Speaking his fears outloud had allowed him to consider that they were perhaps just that, fears and not necessarily reality despite what had happened that morning. His love for Elizabeth had overcome his lust then, but he was unsure if it would if her body was soft and ready to recieve him. His lust could cause something that should bring her pleasure to become something that brought her pain and fear.