A/N - this has been updated to correct grammar and spelling - a big thanks to my beta reader Ann (goclimbatree), who has begun reading through and helping me fix errors and ensure clarity. I took down several chapters and am slowly adding them back. Some chapters have been split, so this is not the same as the original chapter 13.
Let me know if you continue to see any issues. This story will be published on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited at some point once it is finished (August 30?).
Chapter 13
"You are lovely, my dear," William said when Elizabeth entered their sitting room dressed for their shopping excursion. Most of her trousseau had been delivered, and she had donned one of her new day dresses Aunt Helen had helped her order. She was pleased with the result and felt she was attired as befitted Mrs Darcy.
William escorted Elizabeth to the front hallway, and they were waiting for the carriage to be brought around when the front door suddenly opened. They were startled to see an angry Lady Catherine forcing her way inside.
"What is the meaning of this?" William demanded.
"What is this … this harlot doing in my sister's house? My daughter is the rightful mistress here," she protested.
"You will not refer to my wife in such a way ever again," William demanded, his voice hard and unyielding. "Apologise now, or I will have you thrown out of my home, and you will never be welcomed again."
"I will not," Catherine insisted.
Without saying a word, Darcy picked the woman up by her shoulders, removed her to the steps outside Darcy House, and slammed the door in her face. "If she refuses to leave, call the magistrate," he directed his butler. "Is the carriage still in the mews?" At his nod, Darcy took his wife's arm and led her through the house to the mews behind, where the carriage was being readied. He informed the driver that their first stop would be Matlock House and boarded the carriage with his wife.
At Matlock House, they were announced in the breakfast room, much to the surprise of its occupants. "William, Elizabeth, we did not expect to see you this morning," Lady Matlock said as they entered.
"We had not intended to come, but I wanted to inform my uncle that Lady Catherine arrived at my door this morning and was summarily removed from the house. I imagine she is on her way here as we speak, but as she has already insulted my wife, I have no intention of staying any longer than it takes to offer this warning."
Lord Matlock was incensed upon hearing of his sister's behaviour. "She arrived here last night in a rage. I expressly forbade her from intruding upon you at Darcy House, and I am most displeased that she has disregarded me. If she knows what is good for her, she will not return to Matlock House. By the way, Anne is here and refuses to support her demand that I have your marriage annulled and force you and Anne to marry. Anne will remain with us for the foreseeable future, and we will consult with a physician to learn what we might do to help her regain her health."
"That woman called my wife a harlot and refused to apologise. I am sorry to say I was angry enough to pick her up and put her outside before shutting the door firmly in her face," Darcy said sheepishly. "I am glad Anne is with you and will finally get the care she needs. Let us know when we might visit with her."
The breakfast room was silent until Lord Matlock began to chuckle, and soon everyone was laughing. "I would have liked to see the look on her face when you did that, William," he said. "I dare say Cathy was shocked. Do not feel badly, nephew; I dare say she deserved the treatment."
"Do not worry, Darcy," Lord Matlock said. "I will act as guardian for Anne, although she is of age, and will determine what is to be done about Rosings. I have allowed you and Richard to do what I ought to have been doing for years, and when Parliament lets out, we will visit Rosings and decide what to do with Catherine."
Their warning issued and received, Darcy and Elizabeth departed, leaving Lord Matlock to write a letter to his sister reprimanding her for her verbal attack on the Darcys and informing her no one in the family would receive her until she apologised to the Darcys. He would also advise her that Anne was staying in London with the Matlocks for the present and warn her of the dangers of spreading gossip, especially gossip about the Darcys.
Darcy and Elizabeth soon completed their shopping, with Darcy ordering Elizabeth more than she thought she could ever need. She would soon be receiving a supply of personalised stationery, a journal embossed with her new initials, her own ink and quills, and a new seal for her to keep in London, as the existing mistress' seal was at Pemberley. He insisted she would need a travel writing desk and ordered her a lovely one of the perfect size with secret compartments. Laughing, she teased him about spoiling her, which he acknowledged happily.
"My love, you must accustom yourself to being spoiled. You know I adore you, and I find great joy in lavishing gifts on those I hold dear," William said adoringly.
She grinned at him. "I can see I will not win this battle, dearest. I will have to find a way to repay you one of these days."
He laughed, and since Fitzwilliam Darcy rarely laughed in company, those present were shocked to hear it and turned to look at the couple. They had heard the rumours that Darcy had indeed married for love, and the quick marriage had to do with Lady Catherine's objections and not any less-than-honourable reasons. Lord and Lady Matlock were publicly supporting the marriage, and rumour also had it that Lady Catherine had been forcibly removed from both Darcy House and Matlock House. Most were amused that Lady Catherine had been thwarted in her years-long efforts to force Darcy to marry her daughter.
The couple arrived home from their shopping trip with time to 'rest' before their guests would arrive for tea. They enjoyed their private time immensely and returned downstairs only a few minutes before their company arrived and were still flushed when their guests were announced.
"Aunt Helen, Georgiana, Anne, we are pleased to see you again," Elizabeth greeted their guests and smiled even more happily when she realised something. "Do you know, you are the first guests I have received as Mrs Darcy. Although, in truth, Georgiana, you are not a guest since this is your home."
The ladies smiled at her excitement to be receiving guests and her easy acceptance of Georgiana. After greeting the ladies, William excused himself to his study to take care of some of the work and correspondence he had been neglecting since his marriage.
"We are pleased to be your first guests, Elizabeth," Aunt Helen, Lady Matlock, replied.
The ladies chatted pleasantly about their recent activities, and Elizabeth described their shopping trip that morning. Anne was quiet but appreciated the effort Elizabeth made to include her. After a few minutes, Elizabeth shared the reason they had been invited.
"Aunt Helen, William and I were going through the invitations we have received and wanted your assistance in determining which we should attend. While we have no desire to attend parties and balls every night, we do want to attend a few, no more frequently than every other night, and would like to know which ones you think are most important."
"I would be happy to assist you, my dear," Aunt Helen replied. "Let us look over the invitations you have received."
Elizabeth laughed. "William has discarded a number of the invitations we received - some of them were from people he said he had no interest in seeing - so our stack of invitations is smaller than it was, although more arrived today. If you will excuse me for a moment, I will retrieve them."
Entering her husband's study to retrieve the invitations, she was momentarily distracted by her husband and returned to the drawing room, slightly dishevelled and blushing furiously with a large stack of invitations in her hand. Aunt Helen attempted to hide her grin, although Anne and Georgiana thought little of Elizabeth's slightly unorthodox appearance.
Her embarrassment was forgotten as they began looking over the invitations, and Aunt Helen indicated a few that were necessary to accept and several they ought to accept. However, as William insisted on attending no more than two or three events per week, they would be very selective. Anne and Georgiana asked questions about the people and events and Aunt Helen's explanations began their education of the ton.
The knocker would be going on the door of Darcy House on Monday, and Elizabeth would be 'at home' on Tuesdays. Aunt Helen offered to sit with Elizabeth on her 'at home' days for the remainder of the season, and they would also review any new invitations and their calendar. To assist Elizabeth in her introduction to the ton, she invited Elizabeth to join her and Anne on Monday mornings to receive visitors at Matlock House and to tea this Friday to meet a few ladies who would support her. Lady Matlock also set the date for the ball to celebrate Elizabeth and Darcy's marriage for the following Friday.
Anne was both eager and apprehensive at the thought of meeting so many new people when she joined her aunt and new cousin for these calls and visits, while Georgiana was pleased she would not have to endure any of this for another year or two. Lady Matlock encouraged Anne to take part, as her presence would help to counteract any rumours of the supposed betrothal between her and Darcy and demonstrate Rosings' support of the marriage.
William joined the ladies just as they were concluding their discussion and was grateful for his aunt's support of his bride's introduction to the ton. He was extremely pleased that, per his wishes to attend only two or three events per week, only a few invitations a week would initially be accepted. Although he was not precisely excited to attend these events, he was less reluctant than usual, as he was proud to introduce his wife to society and, with his wife on his arm, he would no longer be 'prey' to the matrons and grasping women who had sought him for so many years. He was very much looking forward to more intimate entertainments such as the theatre and museums with Elizabeth.
With much accomplished, the ladies departed, and William and Elizabeth retired to their rooms for supper in their private sitting room and a shared bath. They arose late the following morning, and Elizabeth met with the housekeeper to begin learning about the running of the house and to arrange the menus, especially for their dinner party the following night. William retreated to his study to handle the correspondence he had received during the past two weeks.
When Elizabeth finished her meeting with the housekeeper, she joined William in his study, using the opposite side of his desk to write notes accepting or declining the invitations she had reviewed with Lady Matlock and to record their commitments on her calendar. This was accomplished despite quite a bit of distraction, resulting in the tasks being stopped and started several times.
Jane and Mrs Gardiner arrived for tea and were escorted into the drawing room. William greeted them, then retreated to his study to continue the work he had been distracted from while his wife was sharing the room.
"How is married life, Elizabeth?" Mrs Gardiner asked.
Elizabeth blushed but grinned happily. "I have enjoyed it very much, Aunt," was her quiet reply. Jane also coloured slightly at both the question and the response, although she was not entirely sure why.
The conversation was varied, and they shared news from Meryton and laughed at the gossip reported around town about the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy.
"Has anyone heard from Papa?" Elizabeth asked her aunt and sister at one point in the conversation. "I have written him several times, both before and since my wedding, but have not received a reply to any of my letters. William has also written him at least once and has not received a response. We still do not know why he urged us to marry in London and not return home." Her voice was indicative of her frustration. "He has always been an indifferent correspondent, but I wish he would explain his reasoning."
"No, but Mama wrote to congratulate herself on your marriage and … um, asked if you were noticeably increasing yet. I think she believes you and Mr Darcy began a relationship when we stayed at Netherfield, and you will have a babe in the next few months. She complains Papa has told her not to speak of the supposed babe to anyone and is livid that the officers have been banished from Longbourn even though more stories have circulated about unpaid debts and girls who have been ruined, and the militia is now banned from nearly every respectable home in town," Jane explained. "She says the shops are refusing her credit, which she supposes is due to the militia's excessive debts, and has been forced to restrain her spending since the next quarter day is far away and Papa does not have much ready coin remaining. She says he is staying in his office even more than usual and some strange men have been lingering about Longbourn, so the girls have been essentially restricted to the house and are no longer allowed to walk to Meryton."
Elizabeth grimaced. "She wrote me a similar letter. I have explained the story of our courtship and, of course, denied I am with child. However, I doubt anything I say will convince Mama otherwise, as she does not understand how such an 'unladylike hoyden' as I could 'capture' such a rich man. I do not know what I am supposed to do about her credit in town, though, and it will not hurt her to spend in ready coin rather than charging everything she wants to the estate."
The conversation paused for a few minutes as they considered these things before turning to the ball Lady Matlock would host the following Friday. "Lizzy, do you have a gown for the ball?" Jane asked.
"William accompanied me to the modiste a few days ago and helped me select a beautiful gown of emerald green silk with an ivory gauze overskirt. The cut is a little daring, but the modiste was certain it would be perfect for my colouring and figure," Elizabeth nearly gushed. "I return on Wednesday for a final fitting if either of you would like to accompany me."
Jane and Mrs Gardiner wished to accompany Elizabeth, and they made plans for shopping and tea at Darcy House. The conversation drifted for a pleasant hour, and William rejoined them for a short visit and refreshments. As she and Jane took their leave, Mrs Gardiner invited William and Elizabeth to dinner one day the following week.
"We would be pleased to join you," William said. "Elizabeth, what do you think about joining them for dinner on Monday?"
"That sounds perfect, dearest," she replied. "Aunt, would that be convenient?"
Mrs Gardiner nodded, and Elizabeth continued. "If you are available, we will host you for dinner on Thursday and perhaps the theatre. William, do you know if there is a performance that night? Would there be a problem with us attending the theatre before our official 'entrance' to society at the ball on Friday?"
"We will speak with Aunt Helen tomorrow night, my love, to be certain it will not interfere with any of her plans," William replied. "We may still have dinner, even if we do not go to the theatre. Unfortunately, after the ball, our social calendar will be much fuller, although Elizabeth has kindly ensured we will not have events every night."
Elizabeth grinned at him. "Yes, I have attempted to spare my husband by limiting our appearances to only two or three per week. We will attend the theatre on other nights and visit the museum during the day, but we will limit our social engagements to suit my reticent husband." She winked at him as she pronounced him such, and he smiled softly at her.
"You did not want to rush from one event to the next either, my dear," he reminded her. "As I recall, you were perfectly content with limiting our engagements as well. I know you look forward to returning to Pemberley nearly as much as I do."
"Except for the 'returning' bit — I cannot 'return' somewhere I have never visited," she grinned at him as she replied impertinently before her smile softened. "I do look forward to visiting our home, my dear, and am anxious to take my first look at Pemberley as I have heard such lovely things about it."
He returned her smile and held her gaze lovingly. Mrs Gardiner cleared her throat to remind them of their presence.
"We will see you both tomorrow night for dinner with the Matlocks," she said. "We are looking forward to it and to the ball next week. We would love to attend the theatre, but I agree you must speak with Lady Matlock first to ensure she does not object since the purpose of the ball is to introduce you to the ton, Elizabeth."
Copyright 2023 Melissa Anne
