Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews. I was not at all surprised that some people could not stomach the dream trope, although, I was sorry to disappoint so many readers. However, For those of you who are still with me, I say a big Thank You! In this chapter, Darcy gets his do-over and I hope that you enjoy it.
The story is unbeta'd so all the errors are my own. Review, but please be kind.
Chapter 8
Thursday, October 8, 1812
Fitzwilliam stood at the foot of the stairs at Gracechurch Street and hoped that the shocked expression on his face would be interpreted by his fiancé as awe and admiration. Although she was a vision, and he could not help but be entranced by her beauty, the dominant emotion that he was feeling was one of profound shock. For he had seen that dress before. It was an elegant ivory silk with a gold lace overlay on the skirt and a gold ribbon tied beneath the bodice. She appeared in it now exactly as he had seen her in his nightmare or his vision or whatever it had been. He felt uneasy as he contemplated what this might signify for the rest of the evening and could only hope that his dream would not play out in real life.
As he handed her into the carriage, he saw two additional men climb up to join his own groomsmen on the conveyance. One squeezed onto the seat with the driver and groomsman on the front and the other joined the Darcy groomsmen on the back.
Gardiner nodded his approval. "They are two of my best men, Harold and James. I take them with me everywhere in case I need a runner or a messenger."
Bennet smirked and said, "Or a spy."
Soon, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth were mounting the steps to Matlock House having fortified themselves with an exchange of tender smiles and the caress of his hand on hers. Their party was announced, and Fitzwilliam was struck once again with the similarities of the splendid array of fashionable people assembled in the drawing room to that of the images from his dream.
The Earl and Countess came forward and introductions were exchanged. The Earl stepped forward and bowed over Elizabeth's hand, saying, "My dear lady, we have been so anxious to meet you. We welcome you to our family." However, this time, Fitzwilliam recognized the false cheeriness in his declaration. How could he have missed it in his dream?
The moment that Lady Huntingdon and her father, Lord Bramwell, stepped into the room, Fitzwilliam felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise in consternation. His vision/nightmare was actually playing out before his very eyes. It was the same. It was all exactly the same. He tried to suppress his look of dismay. Perhaps, heaven had indeed sent him a warning. Well, if that was the case, he would heed it.
Glancing at Elizabeth, he could see the insecurity that flitted across her face at the sight of the beautiful woman. He gave Elizabeth a reassuring smile and tucked her hand more securely into the crook of his elbow. Elizabeth looked at him to see that his eyes were transfixed on her. For good measure, he poured all his love and devotion into that gaze. He felt her begin to relax as she returned the look in equal measure.
The Countess of Matlock moved forward quickly to perform the introductions between the two parties. Then the Earl said with a jovial tone, "Darcy, you remember Lady Huntingdon, Cassandra Bramwell, as was. I believe that you two grew up together. Yes, I remember very clearly." He added with a smug smile. "You were very close as children."
Politely, Fitzwilliam bowed over the lady's hand and said, "How nice to see you again, Lady Huntingdon. It has been a very long time."
Lady Matlock walked over to Elizabeth and taking her arm said, "Come, Miss Elizabeth. We shall allow these old friends to become reacquainted. I would like to introduce you to the rest of our company."
Fitzwilliam smiled into Elizabeth's questioning eyes. "Aunt, I am certain that Lady Huntingdon and I can catch up another time. But seeing that this is a celebration of my engagement, I must attend my betrothed." Mr. Gardiner gave him a shrewd look of approval, while his uncle's smile faltered for a brief moment.
Fitzwilliam's aunt shifted her eyes about nervously before recovering and leading them to the first cluster of relatives. The Earl followed closely behind drawing the Bramwell party along. At the conclusion of each set of introductions, Matlock would pull Lady Huntingdon forward interjecting her into their conversation and trying to pair her with Fitzwilliam. However, Fitzwilliam kept Elizabeth firmly on his arm and refused to speak of anything but her and their coming nuptials.
When Elizabeth's party was introduced to Aunt Matilda, the older lady took her by her free arm and tried to pull her away from Fitzwilliam. "Miss Elizabeth, please take pity on an old lady and come sit with me. I simply must hear how your courtship transpired. Come, come. Here is a cozy settee. Let us sit and have a nice chat."
But Fitzwilliam refused to relinquish the arm he held, saying, "Aunt Matilda, this sofa behind us is large enough for three. Let us sit here and we shall regale you with tales of our engagement."
His aunt's expression took on a petulant air. "Now, Darcy, my boy. I want to get to know your lovely fiancé, and desire to have a chat just between us. Why not go over and keep Lady Huntingdon company?"
Fitzwilliam ignored her admonishment and moved the ladies toward the larger sofa. While the ladies carried on a somewhat stilted conversation, he took stock of the room. Lisle, Lady Huntingdon, and Lord Bramwell were standing together. But they were all silent and did not seem to be enjoying each other's company. Lord Matlock and his wife were having a quiet, worried discussion. The rest of his various relatives remained clustered in small groups talking in desultory tones. However, all eyes continued to shift their way and then just as quickly, look away.
Georgiana had managed to stay close to Mrs. Gardiner, Jane, and Bingley, for even she could feel that something was off. Mr. Bennet was in a corner by himself, with an enigmatic smile on his face. Gardiner had his back to the room and appeared to be absorbed in a large painting of the doomed Spanish Armada under full sail. Yet he was positioned very close to where the Earl and Countess were conducting their conversation.
At length, dinner was called. Fitzwilliam looked around at the seating and realized the unusual placement of the guests around the table. There was a distinct division between his party and the Fitzwilliams.
As the meal began, the Earl seemed to be intent on being an amusing dinner companion to Elizabeth telling her about Darcy as a boy back in Derbyshire. He proved to be an entertaining storyteller so she appeared to be relaxed. However, Lord Matlock, on occasion, would make allusions to Lady Huntingdon and how close she and Darcy had been as children. In fact, he espoused that the Darcy's had considered her family. Fitzwilliam knew that what his uncle said was true but felt that his uncle was over-embellishing. He suspected that he was doing so to intimidate Elizabeth. So as often as she looked his way, he would give her a wink or a smile.
This was the part of the evening that in his dream he had been inattentive to Elizabeth. Seeing how the Earl was beginning to make her uncomfortable, he vowed to listen to their conversation. He had not considered until now, how far he should let this farce continue. However, he determined that he would give them only a few chances to show their approbation for his betrothed, or he would take matters into his own hands. With that in mind, he would not allow himself to be distracted from what his uncle was saying to Elizabeth. If he now understood his family's intentions for this evening's celebration, he would need to be more vigilant than ever to protect her.
As dinner progressed, Darcy struggled to attend to Elizabeth's conversation with his uncle due to the persistence of his own dinner companion and her attempts to monopolize him. But as he saw that his uncle's flow of words was becoming more and more vexing, Darcy began to ignore Cassandra entirely. The Earl's comments and questions gradually took on a more disdainful note. At some point in the meal, the Viscount joined in.
"Well, Miss Bennet, I hear that your father's estate is entailed to my Aunt Catherine's clergyman. What a joke." Lisle chortled between sips of his wine.
The Earl laughed, "Yes, my sister, Lady Catherine is livid that you had the wherewithal to refuse marriage to the heir to your father's estate so that you could catch the bigger prize."
He saw Elizabeth flinch and widen her eyes in incredulity, "My Lord, I beg your pardon but I did not catch a prize, I fell in love with a worthy gentleman."
"And I, a most lovely and worthy lady." Darcy ardently interjected. Then with a steely voice directed toward his uncle and cousin he intoned, "Uncle, Lisle, your comments are beginning to border on the uncivil. I must insist that you refrain from these veiled insults. We are at a celebration after all."
The Viscount guffawed, "Of course, of course. We meant no disrespect."
The Earl responded, "If one is to be pointing out incivility, I have to say that you have been a bit uncivil to our dear, Lady Huntingdon. You have neglected her shamefully."
Fitzwilliam turned to the lady in question and said with as respectful a tone as he could muster, "Forgive me, Lady Huntingdon, if you have felt slighted. However, this dinner is in Elizabeth's honor. So, her comfort is my primary focus."
After his words, Lady Huntingdon ceased her campaign to charm Fitzwilliam and adopted a slightly offended air as she concentrated on her food. On occasion, she and Lisle traded secretive glances.
The conversation continued with innocuous-sounding questions mixed with sharper and sharper barbs from the Earl and Viscount. The Marquis had a look of satisfaction on his patrician face as he watched their actions from the other end of the table.
Just as an incensed Fitzwilliam was about to intervene, the Earl grinned at Elizabeth and said, "How is your youngest sister? I hear that…"
Darcy interrupted him with a low growl. "That is enough, Uncle. This is not a proper topic of conversation for a gathering like this. I am beginning to think that you have been very disingenuous in your stated reason for inviting us here. I will not tolerate anything less than respectful discourse directed toward Elizabeth or anyone in my party. Do you understand?"
His uncle huffed in indignation. "Darcy, you are taking a few harmless comments in the midst of a lively conversation and blowing them completely out of the water."
Fitzwilliam looked his uncle directly in the eye, and said in a quiet but menacing voice, "Know this, one more of your harmless comments, and this dinner is over."
By the time they were served the dessert course, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth were able to regain their equilibrium. Occasionally, a worried Georgiana would receive a reassuring smile from her brother or future sister. Lisle had descended into a broody silence as he gazed at his own reflection in his spoon, while the Earl and Lady Huntingdon were reliving the past with desperate attempts to draw Fitzwilliam into their reminiscing. Aunt Gardiner was casting concerned glances around the table. And at the same time, Elizabeth's father and uncle were intently attending to the machinations of the Fitzwilliams.
As the ladies withdrew, Fitzwilliam gave Elizabeth a cheeky wink and he appreciated the effort she exerted to smile back at him.
The Marquis, the Earl, and the Viscount kept up a steady conversation about politics, the war on the continent, or the latest scandal in court, but they regularly interspersed their dialog with compliments on all of Lady Huntingdon's fine attributes. Several times they endeavored to draw Darcy into joining them in reminiscing of his childhood exploits with the lady. The Earl did his best to evoke fond feelings for her using his eloquent and persuasive address. After a half hour of being unable to elicit any positive response from Darcy towards their favorite subject, the three peers began to exhibit their frustration with him. For he, Bennet, Gardiner, and Bingley had remained silent during all of their soliloquies on the favored lady.
Lisle was the first to throw out a petulant comment. "Darcy, with all due respect, no doubt, your betrothed is an estimable lady, but surely after seeing the beauty of Cassandra beside your country lass, you do not intend to go through with this inadvisable marriage."
Bennet and Gardiner swore in outrage. Darcy rose to his feet and replied in a harsh tone, "Lisle, I assure you that Miss Elizabeth Bennet appears in no way inferior to Lady Huntingdon. In fact, I can state confidently that I have considered Miss Elizabeth to be the handsomest woman of my acquaintance for this past year. I warned you before that I will be leaving if this disparagement of my betrothed does not end…"
The Earl rose and with a conciliatory voice said, "Not so hasty, my boy. The Viscount meant no insult to your lady. Please be seated."
Darcy held a wordless exchange with Bennet, Bingley, and Gardiner before reclaiming his seat. Anger suffused his face.
Lisle added, "You know me, Darcy. I have always enjoyed provoking you. You are so easily irritated. I was only trying to point out Cassandra's fine attributes." Matlock and Bramwell nodded in agreement but kept silent. The Earl eyed his nephew speculatively awaiting his response.
Darcy considered his words for a moment before replying. Twice the Viscount had referred to Lady Huntingdon in a familiar fashion which brought to mind the dream that he had experienced at the opera. He recalled that the babe born to Cassandra had been Lisle's by-blow.
He gave the Viscount a hard stare. "Lisle, you certainly have made free with Lady Huntingdon's Christian name. Is there some announcement you wish to make? We would be glad to share this evening's celebration of our engagement with you and your intended bride."
All three titled gentlemen inexplicably began to sputter, bluster, and bristle in outrage. The smirks on Bennet's and Gardiner's faces did not escape Darcy's notice. The Earl's voice rose above the rest. "Darcy, my boy, Lisle would never encroach on your territory. Lady Huntingdon is the perfect wife for you. You were formed for one another. From your cradles, you have been destined for each other." Darcy heard a growl of displeasure erupt from Bennet, but the Earl hurriedly continued. "Lady Huntingdon is now widowed and out of mourning. The timing of your reunion is fortuitous. Surely, you can see this."
Darcy stood to his feet, bringing the men of his party to theirs. "Uncle, I have no notion why you are so determined to push Lady Huntingdon at me and not your own son and heir. He appears to hold her in the highest esteem. Regardless, I am completely and irrevocably in love with Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and I have no intention of giving her up. I recommend that we rejoin the ladies. We will not be staying much longer." With that, he headed for the door, but not before he noticed the glare that the Marquise was leveling on Matlock.
As he entered the drawing room, Fitzwilliam gave Elizabeth a determined smile and moved with Mr. Bingley toward where she, Jane, and their aunt were seated. Realizing that she was upset, he took up a position behind her seat on the sofa and would allow no one to draw him from her side. Lady Huntingdon and his aunt gave broad hints that he should join them in their part of the room. He pointedly ignored them. With grim expressions on their faces, Bingley, Bennet, and Gardiner also came to stand behind the ladies from their party.
At one point the Viscount escorted Lady Huntingdon over to where Fitzwilliam stood behind Elizabeth's seat. But after several failed attempts to draw him away from Elizabeth's side, they drifted off to another cluster of guests.
The Countess of Matlock invited Elizabeth to be the first to display her talents on the pianoforte. When she rose to comply, Elizabeth gave him a reassuring look and moved to the instrument. As she commenced playing, Darcy's heart swelled with pride for this indomitable woman. She showed no nervousness or trepidation in her performance but appeared to block out everyone else in the room but him. She played for him, and he felt her love in every note.
As she began, most faces were turned politely in her direction. However, at the conclusion of her performance, a general murmur of conversation had filled the room and no one outside of her party was looking in her direction. After the last note died away, Darcy stood and clapped enthusiastically. He knew he was beaming like a fool, but he did not care. Gratitude flooded his heart that he had been given a second chance with this woman. This exquisite woman! He knew at that moment that he could face any of life's trials with her by his side. His brave Elizabeth. Belatedly, Lady Matlock started to politely applaud causing most of the others to join in, half-heartedly. Other ladies stepped up for their turn to perform and were shown much greater attention and deference than Elizabeth had received.
Gardiner pulled Fitzwilliam aside, and said, "What were Miss Darcy's plans for this evening? I know that she did not arrive here with us. Is she staying here at Matlock House tonight?"
Fitzwilliam glanced over at his sister who was trying to make her way over to their side of the room but appeared to be hemmed in by a group of doting aunts and responded, "Yes, I hated to have her out late tonight while I saw your party home, so I made arrangements for her to spend the night here."
Gardiner inclined his head toward the Earl and Viscount. "Those two are discussing her, and I do not like the way that they are looking at your sister. It may be nothing, but I would suggest that you bring her home with us to Gracechurch Street. I would not even concern yourself with collecting her things. We can make her comfortable for the night." Fitzwilliam looked at the players in question and felt alarm begin to overcome him. Gardiner continued, "You have thwarted some plan that they had in place. Because of that, Lisle has a desperate, unpredictable look in his eye, the Earl is upset, and the Marquis is furious with them all. I do not think that it would be wise to leave your sister in their midst. I will speak to my wife, and she will persuade Miss Darcy to come with us without alarming her."
Fitzwilliam strode over to Georgiana and disentangled her from the relatives who had her surrounded. The Gardiners joined them, and they were able to gain her acquiescence to their plan without any trouble.
During the entertainment, the Earl came to Fitzwilliam's side, and with a smirk, suggested, "Nephew, you really should spend some time in conversation with Lady Huntingdon. I know you have much in common and much to reminisce about. I invited her here for that very purpose."
Darcy gave his uncle a hard stare for several lengthy moments, during which time the Earl began to look rather uncomfortable. "Uncle, this evening is all about my betrothed. I am solely at her disposal tonight. Furthermore, I have no wish to spend time with anyone so wholly unconnected with my family as Lady Huntingdon. In truth, I fail to understand why she was even included tonight. I was under the impression that this was a family dinner." Darcy was furious. He had reached the limit of his endurance. "We will be leaving directly. Excuse me as I have my carriage summoned."
He then, turned his back on his uncle to confer with the men of their party and then signaled to the Bennet and Gardiner ladies that they intended to depart. The Earl, who had a marked scowl on his face, followed them out to the vestibule while they donned their outerwear. Darcy hissed into his uncle's ear, "Do not think that I am unaware of what you been about here, tonight. My sister is coming with us. I will send for her things tomorrow. Just know that I will not be at home to you or any of the Fitzwilliams for the foreseeable future, save Richard, of course. Rest assured; we do not require your presence at our wedding."
He secured Elizabeth's and Georgiana's hands on either arm and marched out of the house. Since two of the groomsmen who had accompanied them had disappeared into the night, Fitzwilliam volunteered to ride with the driver making room inside the carriage for Georgiana. No one spoke as it pulled away.
Gracechurch Street
As the carriage came to a halt, Elizabeth waited as the others disembarked. After taking William's hand and descending herself, Elizabeth avoided their concerned looks. Instead, she took his offered arm and entered the home.
Aunt Gardiner escorted Georgiana upstairs to get her settled in the guest room, while Jane and Bingley moved over to stand in the front of the fireplace speaking quietly. Darcy asked if he might have a moment alone with Elizabeth in the back parlor. Due to the type of night that they had experienced, her father allowed it as long as the door remained open.
As soon as they entered the parlor, Fitzwilliam enfolded her in his arms, and she dissolved into tears against his chest. He held onto her until her tears were spent, shushing her with words of love and devotion. Darcy found himself having to convince her all over again that he cared more for her than he did for the good opinion of anyone in the Fitzwilliam family. They reaffirmed their love and sealed it with several impassioned kisses.
A half-hour later, Bingley departed, and the ladies all retired for the night. Mr. Bennet motioned the remaining two men toward his brother-in-law's study. Nodding, the master of the house led the way. After closing the door, he allowed his countenance to lose the mask of calm that he had adopted for the sake of his ladies.
Edward Gardiner angrily tossed port into three glasses and handed one to each of the other grim-faced gentlemen.
Poking with deliberate stabbing motions at the coals in the grate, Gardiner considered the events of the last few hours. What had been anticipated as an engagement celebration had ended as anything but.
Bennet knocked back the contents of his glass in one gulp and exclaimed, "Darcy, you were wise to temper our expectations for the reception that we would receive. For if we had not been prepared, that would have been an ambush."
Gardiner sat on the chair by the fireplace and motioned for Bennet and Darcy to sit also. "Exactly." He spat out. "That was exactly what they intended, an ambush." He punctuated his words with an oath. "Matlock planned this little soiree with one purpose in mind: to end the engagement and break Elizabeth's heart. I knew that she might face some opposition from your relations, Darcy. However, this was an assault of unprecedented scale. They planned this in meticulous detail. Everyone in that room seemed to have a script and a role to play."
Darcy rubbed his face with his hands. "I have apologized effusively to Elizabeth for the treatment that she received from my family. I had hoped that my concerns were without merit."
Gardiner's eyes took on a flinty gleam as he refilled their glasses. "They could not have shown their disapprobation any more clearly. I came close to insisting that we leave at least on five different occasions during the evening."
Bennet nodded in disgust. "I, too, wanted to storm out or commit violence several times." Then he steepled his fingers in contemplation. "I must say that I was much heartened to see how you stood by Elizabeth and rebuffed their attempts to come between you. You may indeed become my favorite son-in-law." He gave him an approving nod." However, I found myself intrigued by their games. That was one reason that I felt it was important to stay. For I could not puzzle out what they were about. There were undercurrents in that room that were not apparent if one was not looking for them."
Darcy pulled at his cravat and leaned back in his chair. "My aunt and uncle lied to my face. They told me that they were delighted to meet Elizabeth and could not wait to welcome her into the family."
Darcy then proceeded to lay out the history of his relationship with Lady Huntingdon. He claimed that he had fancied himself in love with her when he was a very young man, but after her marriage to Lord Huntingdon he had tried to forget her, and after a few years, he had done so. He admitted that at one time, he might have been susceptible to her charms, but not now. He could not bring himself to tell them of his nightmare. For he was too ashamed to have them aware of his failure toward Elizabeth, and the full treachery of his family was too extreme to be believed.
Gardiner fixed his eyes on the younger man. "Darcy, I know that this is your family that we are speaking of, and I know that you may still have some feelings of loyalty towards them, but I do not think that we should just let this go."
At Gardiner's words, Darcy began to emphatically shake his head. The far-reaching conspiracy that he had experienced in his dream was foremost in his mind. "No. No. No. I am not overwhelmed with loyalty to the Fitzwilliams. For it is obvious that they shamelessly lied to me, endeavored to manipulate me, and cared nothing for injuring a gently bred young woman. And then to find out that they may have sought to involve my sister in their scheme,… Well, let me just say, that they have crossed the line. I fully intend to break with them."
Gardiner and Bennet both voiced their approval of his declaration. Gardiner stood and began to pace. "Gentleman, I think we all surmised that there was a wider conspiracy going on than simply an effort to break an engagement. I happened to overhear a conversation between the Earl and his wife. They seemed to be displeased that you were not showing any attention to Lady Huntingdon. Lady Matlock was particularly concerned about how this could harm Lisle's prospects. Before we departed Matlock House, I left my two grooms to do a little investigating. Both men are adept at encouraging disloyal servants to talk about their masters." Darcy nodded in approval, and Gardiner continued. "I know that you may abhor this sort of sneaking around, Darcy. However, you need to know what you may be up against. Generally, an earl and a marquise do not concern themselves with matters of the heart. But money and power are typically the issues that truly motivate the first circles. We need to know what they are up to before we get blindsided by some other sort of attack. You have thwarted their initial parry, but based on their interest in your sister, they are preparing to move on to their alternative plan."
Not wanting to reveal that his suppositions were based on a dream, he said, "I suspect that they wanted to tempt me to give up Elizabeth in favor of Lady Huntingdon. I would not be surprised if we discover that there is a connection between that lady and Lisle. However, I do not even want to contemplate what they might have in store for Georgiana."
"Well, if you will allow me, I would like to do a bit of investigating to see what I can unearth. Your family has sorely underestimated who they are dealing with. This tradesman knows how to turn this on the head of Matlock and Bramwell, and I have the means to do so. Darcy, we must make them fully aware that you, Elizabeth, or your sister will not be targeted in their schemes. They need to be taught a lesson and rue the day that they plotted against my favorite niece and her betrothed. Retribution and vengeance may be our best weapons to stop them cold in their tracks. Are you up for a bit of unpalatable justice, young man? Will it harm your sensibilities to be a party to the serving up a bit of retribution?"