The butler knocked on the study door and announced "Lord Matlock and Lady Catherine de Bourgh."
Mr. Darcy felt like burying his face in his hands. One more day, that was all he asked for. By this time tomorrow he and Georgiana would be safely on the Great North Road, on their home to Pemberley. He prayed that these unexpected, and unwanted, visitors would not delay their departure, but feared they might. He stood behind his desk as his uncle and aunt swept into the room.
Lady Catherine, as was her wont, wasted no time on the usual and expected pleasantries; instead, she swung her cane at Mr. Darcy and said "Now that you are free of that country chit you can quit your shilly-shallying and marry Anne."
The tip of Lady Catherine's cane struck the whale oil lamp on Mr. Darcy's desk and set it a teeter. Mr. Darcy reacted quickly and managed to save his lamp from toppling. In the meantime, Lord Matlock grabbed the cane and managed, after a surprisingly stiff resistance, to wrestle it away from his sister. He opened the door and calling the butler over, and told him to put the cane in Lady Catherine's carriage.
Lady Catherine huffed, put out by being bested again by her little brother, and finally sat down, without waiting for Mr. Darcy's invitation to do so. Lord Matlock sat down in the chair next to her and waved at Mr. Darcy to take his seat as well.
"After what was said by you both to me the last time I met with you, I was of the understanding that you would not recognize me anymore, let alone speak to me; yet here you are" said Mr. Darcy.
Lady Catherine started to speak but Lord Matlock put his hand on her arm, staying her. He said "Now Darcy, let's not dwell on the past. Words were said in the heat of the moment that were not really meant. Things have changed, let's look forward, to the future."
"I heard words from you both, that once heard, cannot be unheard. You called into question my honour, my intelligence, even my parentage. You …" here Mr. Darcy pointed at Lady Catherine "said I must be a foundling because I obviously had no Fitzwilliam blood in me. You should both know I have a resentful nature; once my good opinion is lost, it is lost forever. And given all the abuse you heaped on me at our last meeting, I must warn you that I have precious little good opinion left of either of you. So, say your piece, but keep in mind what I have just said."
Lord Matlock started to speak but Lady Catherine cut him off. "Let me speak …" she hissed at her brother. "I have the solution to this mess." Turning her attention to Mr. Darcy she said "Anne was very happy to hear that you sent Miss Bennet packing, and she is very much looking forward to uniting with you in satisfaction of the betrothal arranged by your mother and me while you and Anne were still in your cradles. There is no need for banns to be read; you can get a special license and be wed within the week. Such a grand marriage will supplant any talk of you ending that arrangement you had with Miss Bennet." In conclusion, Lady Catherine gave an emphatic nod of her head and smiled triumphantly at her brother and nephew.
Mr. Darcy waited for Lord Matlock to speak, and when he did not, said to Lady Catherine "There are at least three things wrong with what you just said. Firstly, there is no betrothal between Anne and me. There has never been a betrothal between Anne and me. There will never be a betrothal between Anne and me. It is a fantasy of yours that only came to light after both my parents died. Neither my mother nor my father ever mentioned any such betrothal to me while they were alive. It is time for you to give up the notion; if you ever mention it again, to me or anyone else, I will cut you."
When Lady Catherine went to argue, Lord Matlock shushed her, threatening to take her out to her carriage if she did not shut up. He was that blunt. In response she pouted and glowered as she had her entire life whenever she had been thwarted. Lord Matlock gestured at Mr. Darcy to continue.
"Secondly, I did not jilt Miss Bennet, she jilted me. I would have been happy to marry Miss Bennet. In fact, I admire her so much that it is my intention to find some woman with the qualities of Miss Bennet and marry her."
Now it looked like Lord Matlock had something to say but Mr. Darcy put up his hand to forestall him. "And thirdly, Anne was not happy to learn that I would not be marrying Miss Bennet; in fact, I would venture to guess that she was most unhappy. Because it foiled her scheme. She was the one who called compromise on Miss Bennet and me."
"No" gasped Lady Catherine.
Mr. Darcy took out Anne's letter to the newspaper from the top drawer of his desk and gave it to his uncle. After reading the letter Lord Matlock handed it to Lady Catherine. It was clear she recognized the handwriting.
"No" gasped Lady Catherine again, in a much more subdued tone.
Mr. Darcy took the letter back from her and said "I would be very unhappy to hear that Anne suffers any repercussions because of this letter. She does not want to marry me. Leave it at that and move on. If you must arrange a marriage for her, consider Richard as a groom. He needs a rich heiress for a wife, he cares for her and would take good care of her, marriage would get him out of the war, and such a marriage would keep Rosings in the Fitzwilliam family. But before you consider any marriage at all, consider Anne's wishes; given the state of her health, I do not think she wants to marry at all. Let her live the life she wants, and she may choose to deal with Rosings in her will in a way that will please you."
Lord Matlock stood up. "Come Cathy, let's leave the boy to it." A shrunken Lady Catherine stood and took his arm, grousing that she did not have her cane to lean on.
Before they left, Lord Matlock turned to Mr. Darcy and asked "If I were to present a candidate for your hand…"
"I will consider any and all candidates who possess the qualities of Miss Bennet; if they also possess qualities you favour, so be it" said Mr. Darcy.
"And how will I determine what qualities Miss Bennet possesses" asked Lord Matlock.
Mr. Darcy laughed. "Ask Aunt Catherine. Whatever she tells you about Miss Bennet, simply take the opposite. That will be a good start."
