Chapter 38
Matlock House
A Day Later
Jane's hand rested lightly on her fiancé's arm, as they climbed the broad shallow stairs to the front door of Matlock House, her heels clicking faintly against the marble steps. Her hand trembled slightly as they attained the top, and she looked up at the imposing door, carved with intricate patterns.
Richard glanced down at her and reached across to pat the delicate gloved hand on his forearm. "Fret not, my dear," he assured her, "I will not permit my parents to bully you. I am certain that with time, you will win them over, but in the meantime, I will not tolerate them slighting you."
"They may well try," Darcy pointed out, a step behind. "They are not pleased with our engagements."
He looked a bit worriedly to the woman on his arm and added, "I do not wish them to upset you, Elizabeth."
She smiled up at him, bright-eyed and unafraid. "You have no need to be concerned on my account, Fitzwilliam. There is a stubbornness about me that cannot bear to be subdued by the will of others; my courage only rises with every attempt to intimidate me."
Darcy cast her an admiring look, as Richard lifted the ponderous knocker and let it fall. He had no chance to reply to her, as the door opened; the butler, it appeared, had been awaiting their knock and admitted their entry with a hint of joy on his grave features. Elizabeth reached up to untie her flowered bonnet, passing it over to a maid while Jane did the same with her Villager hat, while a footman took Darcy's and Richard's canes and top hats.
The sound of pattering feet made the foursome look up, and Lady Rachel Fitzwilliam hurried into the foyer and quickly, enthusiastically, ecstatically embraced Jane.
"Jane, my dear!" she exclaimed, stepping back and beaming into the woman's handsome face. "I am so very happy to hear that you and Richard are engaged. You are perfect for one another!"
"Thank you, Rachel," Jane said gratefully. "I know that there are those who would say that Richard could do far better…"
"If anyone says that today, we will march out of the house," Richard interpolated in a forbidding tone, and Jane could not help but smile up at him with gratitude, confident that come what may, he would watch out for her.
"I will escort my brother and his party to the drawing room, Stokes," Lady Rachel said, and the butler bowed and withdrew a few paces.
Lady Rachel inserted herself between her brother and his fiancée and began marching them toward the drawing room. "Mother has spent the last hours convincing Father that the best thing to do is welcome you both into the family without hesitation, so I do believe this evening should be pleasant enough."
Jane, who had been feeling anxious, could not help but relax at these reassuring words.
/
Drawing Room
Matlock House
"Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth," Lady Matlock said, rising to her feet as the party entered the room. "Many congratulations, and welcome to the family!"
"Thank you," Jane and Elizabeth replied in unison, as they both curtsied.
Lord Matlock, who was standing near the window, took a few steps forward, and after a harried look at his wife, bowed deeply and said, "Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, please accept my congratulations as well."
"Thank you, Lord Matlock," Elizabeth replied, keeping her hand firmly tucked into Darcy's arm. She knew that her fiancé was as willing as Richard to go to battle if necessary. So far, it seemed that the Matlocks were prepared to be courteous, and she was thus eager to prevent an argument from breaking out, if possible.
"I do apologize for our being a trifle late," Richard said, kissing his mother gently on the cheek, "but I spent part of the day at Headquarters."
The countess, who had been smiling determinedly, now smiled genuinely. "Oh, my dear son, are you selling out?"
"I am," Richard replied, turning a warm look on the lady at his side. "While I am proud that I served my country in the past, now I owe it to my dear Jane to live a safer life."
"Where will you settle after your marriage, Son?" the earl asked suspiciously. Given that his son and new wife would be relatively poor, he feared that the newly married Fitzwilliams might wish to live at Matlock House, and however much he admired and loved his son, he did not look forward to sharing quarters with a child who would argue with him relentlessly.
"Well, as to that, Darcy and Elizabeth have kindly offered to host us for as long as we like, sir, and we will all be traveling north to Derbyshire after the weddings."
"I am quite confident that Mrs. Reynolds can find some small room in Pemberley for Richard and Jane," Darcy replied, chuckling.
Elizabeth, while she had never seen Pemberley, had heard it was enormous, and was not surprised at the amusement on Lady Matlock's face.
The door opened at this juncture, and butler entered, not to announce dinner, but to announce an older woman, a tall, large woman dressed ostentatiously in fine traveling clothes, a lady with a deep scowl on her face and a look of fury in her eyes.
"Lady Catherine de Bourgh," the butler announced.
Silence held for a full thirty seconds, and Elizabeth felt Darcy's hand tighten, not painfully, but protectively, on her arm.
"Catherine!" Lord Matlock abruptly cried out, surging forward with a confused look on his face. "Whatever are you doing here?"
Lady Matlock quickly added, "Stokes, you may go, and be certain to close the door behind you."
The butler backed out of the room, his face impassive, and shut the door, and Lady Catherine, who had been balefully eying Elizabeth, demanded, "Are you Miss Elizabeth Bennet?"
Elizabeth glanced at Darcy, who stepped forward and said, "Allow me to introduce you. Lady Catherine, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, my fiancée. Elizabeth, my aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh."
"She is not your fiancée!" the woman bellowed, taking an angry step forward.
"Catherine, pray keep your voice down!" Matlock exclaimed, looking exceptionally harassed, and Darcy, unwilling to leave Elizabeth's defense in the hands of his uncle, took a few steps forward and glared down into his aunt's eyes.
"I am engaged to Elizabeth, and she will soon to be my wife, Lady Catherine," he said coldly.
"You are engaged to Anne!" Lady Catherine shrieked, her face turning bright pink with outrage. "This betrothal is immoral and illegal and…"
"Richard," Darcy interrupted, turning toward his cousin, "would you be so kind as to escort the ladies to dinner?"
Elizabeth, who had maintained her position near his side, said softly "Are you certain you do not wish for me to stay, Fitzwilliam? I am not afraid of your aunt."
Darcy looked down on her lovingly and very proudly. "I know you are not, but I will find it easier to speak openly and honestly with Lady Catherine if you are not present."
She considered this for a moment and then rose on her tiptoes to plant a firm kiss on Darcy's cheek, which provoked their noble intruder to make gobbling noises like an outraged turkey.
"Do join us when you are able, my love," she said, taking Richard's available arm and striding out of the room with nary a glance at Lady Catherine, who was now plum with fury.
Darcy watched his aunt, cousins, and the Bennets leave, and felt his fury subside. Lady Catherine would doubtless be abusive towards Elizabeth, and tiresome in the extreme, but that mattered very little. The mistress of Rosings had no power over any of them.
"Would you care for some wine, Catherine?" Matlock asked, lifting an unquiet hand to rub his forehead in the rather forlorn hope that his burgeoning headache would go away.
"No, I need no refreshment; indeed, Brother, I can only suggest that you avoid imbibing any alcohol yourself, as the only excuse for allowing this travesty is that you have been constantly inebriated for the last weeks!"
Matlock, who had been pouring himself another glass of wine, halted in place and then turned around to face his only living sister.
"Really, Catherine!" he expostulated, "that is entirely uncalled for!"
"Is it?" the woman snapped as she began pacing up and down the oriental carpet, with its elegantly woven mix of reds, blues, and gold thread. "It is the only possible explanation for this disaster coming down upon us. How could you betray me in such a way? And if not me, what about Anne, who I left weeping at the news that the man to whom she is engaged would be so brutal as to leave her for another, and not just any other woman, but the daughter of an impoverished country gentleman, whose estate is entailed away to my clergyman! You are head of the family, Matlock! You must insist that Darcy send this woman away and marry Anne!"
Darcy had listened to this recital with mounting anger, but managed to maintain a tight rein over his temper. It occurred to him to wonder what Elizabeth would say when faced with such discourtesy? She was, unlike himself, a wordsmith, and would doubtless fend Lady Catherine off with clarity, not unmixed with charm.
But he was not Elizabeth. He was Fitzwilliam Darcy, master of Pemberley, and very much in love, passionately in love, with Elizabeth Bennet.
"I am not a Matlock, but a Darcy," he remarked, deliberately sauntering over to pour wine into his uncle's cup and then his own. "Thus, my uncle has no power over my marriage plans, nor do you. Besides, I do not believe that Anne should plan to marry at all. Given that her health is poor, I think it unlikely that she could successfully carry a child to term."
Matlock gaped at these blunt words and then hastily threw down his glass of wine, as Lady Catherine goggled in shock.
"How dare you … how dare you say such a thing, Darcy? It seems that this Miss Bennet has…"
"How dare you, Madame?" Darcy interrupted, taking a menacing step toward his aunt, who froze in amazement. "You marched into my uncle's house breathing incriminations against me and insulting the woman I adore, acting as if you have some control over me and my life. Anne and I were never engaged. I am my own man, and I have chosen Miss Elizabeth Bennet to be my wife. Now given that there is nothing more to be said, I intend to join the others at dinner. Lord Matlock, I beg you will do what you will with Lady Catherine, but my suggestion would be to have your servants turn her out of the house."
Lady Catherine squeaked in shocked disbelief and turned her brown orbs on her brother, who could not help but stare at his nephew with surprise, not unmixed with respect. He had long known Darcy to be a strong willed individual, but he had always at least been courteous to his elders. In the face of such vitriol toward Miss Elizabeth Bennet, though, it was not unreasonable for Darcy to speak boldly, even ferociously in defense of the woman he obviously adored.
It was just as well that Lady Matlock had insisted on welcoming the Bennet ladies with enthusiasm. The earl had no desire for a schism in the family, and for all that Catherine was noisy and irritating, she had no power over either Darcy or Matlock, nor did she bother to visit Town often.
The door shut behind Darcy, leaving brother and sister alone, and Lady Catherine recovered sufficiently to squeal, "Brother! You must do something!"
"There is nothing to be done, Catherine," he said sternly. "Richard and Darcy did not consult me before they made offers to their fiancées, and I am not entirely pleased, especially for Richard as the eldest Miss Bennet is not an heiress like her sister. But they are betrothed, and the notices of the engagements have appeared in the Gazette. Nothing can be done – indeed, I would be quite distressed if either gentleman broke his engagement, as that would be a breach of honor."
Catherine, who had been listening to this in confusion, said, "What are you speaking of? Elizabeth Bennet is no heiress; the family's estate is entailed away to my parson, as I said earlier."
"How is it possible you did not know of Elizabeth Bennet's inheritance, Sister? She received seventy thousand pounds from a Mrs. Annabelle Simpson, a distant connection."
"Seventy thousand pounds?"
"Quite."
/
The Dining Room
A Few Minutes Later
The door opened, and Lady Matlock looked up from the table apprehensively and then smiled in relief as her husband entered the room alone.
"My apologies for my late arrival," he said to the occupants of the room. He took his seat at the head of the table, and nodded at a footman who was waiting to pour his dinner wine. Once the servants had withdrawn from the room, he said, "Lady Catherine is feeling unwell after her journey and is having dinner in her room."
Lady Rachel finished chewing and swallowing her bite of syllabub, and then said nervously, "Is she intending to stay in Town long, Father?"
"No, no, she has business at Rosings, my dear," Matlock replied with obvious satisfaction. "She will be journeying back to Kent on the morrow."
"Thank you, sir," Richard said quietly. "Thank you very much."
/
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Author Note: There are 3 more chapters to go (41 total), so be sure to keep up! As I mentioned, I will need to take most of this story down on Oct 24. And note that it will be published under the same title "Elizabeth Bennet's Inheritance"... now on pre-order at Amazon. :-)