Only one more thing was needed to satisfy Elizabeth now, and it came about a week after she and Darcy returned from Paris. Benson came to her sitting room to inform her that the Countess de Aubrac was the parlor.
Elizabeth looked up from the letter she was writing. "Charlotte has come? Whatever for?"
"She is asking for you, ma'am."
"How peculiar." Elizabeth's mind flew back to the last time she had seen Charlotte, when Charlotte accused her of betraying the Lucas family to Wickham. What could she want now?
"What shall I tell her, ma'am?"
After a brief consideration she laid her pen down on the desk. "Tell her I shall be with her directly."
When Elizabeth entered the parlor Charlotte was sitting in a chair facing the door of the room, holding a handkerchief that she twisted nervously in her lap. She stood as Elizabeth entered the room.
"Countess, it is an unexpected pleasure to see you again," Elizabeth said cautiously, but Charlotte dispensed at once with the formalities, stepping forward to grasp her hands.
"Lizzy! I am so very sorry! I came here as soon as I could to beg your forgiveness. I know you did not betray my family to Wickham! Can you ever forgive me?"
"Why, Charlotte, I-" Elizabeth looked into Charlotte's eyes and saw tears standing there, along with deep regret, and any anger she might have held melted away. The two women embraced warmly. When they separated they sat down together while Elizabeth called for tea. Charlotte began at once to explain what had really happened on the day that the Lucases fled for their lives.
"During all the time we lived in Paris, my father believed that his appointment from the court of St James kept us safe from any real trouble or danger. He believed that he could be an observer, a faithful witness to history, and send his observations back to court for the king. In that way he hoped to earn recognition and favor. When the count asked for my hand he thought his star was on the rise, and that he would soon be recognized with a more favorable posting. His ambition blinded him to what was happening before his very eyes."
"Do you mean the revolution?"
"I mean the general atmosphere of treachery and betrayal all around. He did not realize how far things had gone until the count was arrested. That was when he finally realized that nobody was safe. He began to try to devise some way for us all to leave."
Elizabeth recalled the despair she had felt in the Lucas home after the count's arrest. It had not all been for the family's dashed hopes of advancement. Charlotte continued. "Then the count was rescued from La Force by none other than the Fleur de Lys himself! Perhaps you heard about it."
Elizabeth admitted that she had heard certain rumors, concealing her own excitement for the moment. She wanted to hear Charlotte's whole story before adding any more information to it. "My father tried to send a message to the Fleur de Lys to beg for his assistance to get us out of the country as well. That was his mistake. We only recently discovered that a servant in the household intercepted the letter and gave it to the revolutionary council."
"Oh, Charlotte!" Elizabeth grasped her friend's hand. "So Wickham spoke the truth when he said he had not denounced you!"
"My father did not know he had been betrayed, but when he received no answer from the Fleur he knew we were running out of time. We left the concert, as you know, and fled towards the coast, but we soon became aware that we were being followed. We were just hours ahead of our pursuers. The count met us at Calais. He had a ship waiting, and the tides were favorable. Oh Lizzy! If Albert had not waited to leave France, risking his own life . . . " she let her voice trail away, her voice choked with tears. After a moment she managed to speak again. "As you know I had given up all hope of a marriage of affection. I only agreed to marry the count in order to assist my family. But I am the most fortunate of women, for Albert is the most devoted husband you can imagine!"
"Charlotte, how delighted I am for you! And how happy I am to know that we are friends again!" Elizabeth embraced her friend once more, rejoicing in this happy ending, which was all the sweeter for being so unexpected.
"I wish I could thank the Fleur in person for saving Albert, for in doing so he gave me the greatest gift any woman can ever have- ardent love!"
Elizabeth felt a smile start to cross her face. "Charlotte, I think you [i]shall[/i] be able to thank the Fleur in person, and quite soon, for he is much closer to you than you think!"
Charlotte wiped the last tears from her eyes. "Lizzy, what do you mean?"
It was Elizabeth's turn to tell her own story, which was far longer than Charlotte's. The more Charlotte heard, the more her shock, delight and exclamations grew. "Oh, I cannot believe it!" she said over and over again. "To think that your husband, the man married to my dearest friend, had such a hand in saving my husband. Can it really be? You are not teasing me, are you?"
Elizabeth assured her that she was serious, but it was not until Darcy himself came into the room and modestly agreed with his wife that Charlotte began to credit what her friend was saying. The final confirmation came when Jane and Bingley arrived sometime later, followed shortly by the Gardiners and Jules. Charlotte was so overwhelmed with gratitude and joy that she sent for her husband, and eventually the entire group sat down together for an unexpected dinner, a dinner where conversation rather than food was the principal dish on the table and everyone talked a great deal more than they ate.
Towards the end of the evening the count rose to give a toast. "Here's to Darcy, and to the brave members of the Fleur de Lys, who risked so much to save so many!" he proclaimed. "Let us drink a toast in their honor!" The others followed his lead, and the glasses were raised all around. But when they had all drunk from their glasses Elizabeth also rose to her feet, causing the others to look at her in surprise.
"On the way home from Paris my husband made a statement that I have thought about a great deal. He said that the strongest chains that hold us are the ones we forge for ourselves. He was speaking of Wickham at the time, but I believe they apply to all of us around this table. " She paused to let her words take effect. "You, Monsieur Corbin and Charlotte, bound yourselves to each other in the most perilous of circumstances, and that bond proved unbreakable. Jane and Bingley and Darcy and I likewise married in the midst of danger. And my dear aunt and uncle took in a motherless child they refused to abandon. They also lived up to this standard. So I propose another toast: to love, and to the chains we forge for ourselves! May we always stay true to the ideals we hold dear tonight!"
"Hear, hear!" The loud chorus went around the table, and so the evening ended in a way that none of them would ever forget.
In the months to come the families that had formed such bonds during their darkest days in Paris did not let them fade in the peace and safety of England. The count and countess of Aubrac frequently invited the Gardiners, Darcys and Bingleys to their home whenever they were in town, and Colonel Fitzwilliam understood that he was always welcome without or without an invitation. Even when the Darcys were away at their home in Derbyshire, with the Bingleys happily settled on an estate nearby, they exchanged frequent news and letters.
For a time Colonel Fitzwilliam made trips to and from Paris as often as a ship could be found to carry him. Before too long he had managed to bring back as much of Gardiner's stock in silks, dyes and other materials as could be saved. Their household goods were never recovered, which was a grievous hurt, but all things considered they lost far less than what they had first anticipated.
The revolution eventually ran its course but the disruptions in France remained for many years, with war following after Robespierre's fall, and businesses in France were hard put to carry out their operations. Sensing an opportunity Darcy and Bingley invested funds of their own into Gardiner's business, and Gardiner was eventually able to expand his business in silks and dyes into new markets. By the time Jules came of age he possessed a thriving and prosperous concern to hand over to his son's care.
The natural resiliency of youth came to Jules' aid as he learned to make England his home. Within a year he spoke English as naturally as French, and with no accent. To make the transition complete he began to call himself Julius, and, except for Cozette, he threw off the last remnants of his French birth. His feline companion and her descendants remained at his side while he completed his education and took over the management of Gardiner's business. Julius Gardiner married well, supported his family generously, and was reputed to be the most loyal of sons, one who repaid the kindness of his parents to him many times over.
They never heard what happened to Wickham, though the colonel sought news of him for many months. One source said that Robespierre forced Wickham to take Darcy's place in the tumbrels and that he met a predictable end on the Place de la Revolution. But another source said that Wickham, with his natural charm, managed to save himself from that fate at the last moment only to meet a sad end several years later in the French army. They were never certain which of these stories was true or if, indeed, either of them had actually happened. But they were fairly certain that he never returned to England.
With the Gardiners and Bingleys they were always, of course, on the closest possible terms. In due time both the Darcys and Bingleys had families of their own, with children who grew up with all the advantages their devoted parents could give them. At their parent's knees they learned the meaning of courage and loyalty and heard stories of the greatest examples of love and devotion that could be found. But no story ever held their attention or inspired more pride in their hearts than the courage and love that they heard in the tales of Elizabeth and the Fleur de Lys.
The End
I have so much enjoyed writing this complex, challenging story over the past two years! Thank you for all your encouragement and support along the way. This is an amazing fan group and I am so thankful for you. Please enjoy this story for as long as it is up, and leave a comment to tell me what you think of it! See you soon with another great tale! -Elaine Owen