Chapter 24
As soon as they entered Darcy House, and without her mother noticing, Anne gave a message to the butler and asked him to send it as quickly as possible to Richard. She knew he was at his parents' house.
Unfortunately, her cousin had not yet arrived, and her mother did not stop yelling, so Anne had no choice but to do what she had always done: pretend she was ill.
"If anything happens to my daughter, it will be your fault, Elizabeth Bennet!" cried Lady Catherine.
Elizabeth, Jane, and Georgiana were very concerned about Anne, but they could not do anything to help her because Lady Catherine wouldn't allow them near her.
"Lady Catherine, please let us help Miss de Bourgh…" Elizabeth said.
"I shall not allow a woman of your ilk near my daughter," Lady Catherine replied angrily. Anne lay on the floor while her mother was more concerned with arguing than helping her.
"Leave this house immediately if you do not want me to kick you out," Lady Catherine screamed, almost out of control, but when she tried to approach Elizabeth, a commanding voice stopped her.
"Lady Catherine, leave Mrs. Darcy alone or I shall be forced to ask you to leave this house," Richard said angrily.
"Fitzwilliam, I shall not allow you to meddle in matters that do not concern you. Besides, this is not your house, and you cannot come to give orders here," said Lady Catherine without noticing the irony her words implied.
"You are wrong, Lady Catherine. I am one of Georgiana's legal guardians, and as such, I must protect her. Besides, Mrs. Darcy is present and can dispose of this house as she pleases," Richard replied.
"I shall not repeat it, Fitzwilliam. You have nothing to do with this matter, and I shall not allow…"
"Enough, Catherine, enough yelling and defying," said the countess.
"Esther, do not interfere in my affairs..."
"Catherine, your daughter is on the floor unconscious, and you are still arguing as if nothing happened. If you do not calm down, I shall ask my husband to put an end to all this. You know very well that he has no patience for this type of conflict. You decide!"
"You do not need to call Theodore. I will take care of Anne, but I have a pending conversation with Darcy, and he has a lot to explain to me," Lady Catherine said. She preferred to keep her brother away from her affairs.
While Colonel Fitzwilliam and his mother took care of Lady Catherine, Elizabeth, Jane, and Georgiana came to Anne's aid. But they were surprised when she opened her eyes, winked at them and pretended she was unconscious again.
After several minutes of listening to Lady Catherine's impertinence, Countess Matlock lost patience and told her sister-in-law forcefully. "Catherine, if you do not come with me to my house now, I shall order one of my footmen to take you out of this house, and no one will want to defend you. Either you come with me, or I promise that I shall not receive you in my house, and I doubt that Mrs. Darcy will want to receive you here."
"Mother, do not argue anymore with Lady Catherine. I shall go talk to my father, and you know how he hates these kinds of problems. Besides, Darcy must be arriving, and I do not want to think what he will say after we tell him what has happened in his absence," Richard added.
"I shall leave! But I shall return tomorrow, and Darcy had better be ready to give me an explanation," Lady Catherine said. "Where is Anne?"
"Georgiana and my sister took her to one of the guest rooms, and I sent for the doctor," Elizabeth explained.
"You…" Lady Catherine was going to accuse Elizabeth of abducting her daughter, but she thought that if Anne spent the night there, she would have an excuse to return the following day. "My daughter has more rights than any other woman to be in this house," Lady Catherine said before leaving the room.
The Countess and Richard apologized to Elizabeth and took it upon themselves to remove the bothersome intruder from Darcy House as soon as possible before she changed her mind and continued causing trouble.
Once her husband's relatives left, Elizabeth went to the guest room to ensure everything was well so she knew whether or not she should call the doctor. When she entered the room and saw Anne merrily conversing with Jane and Georgiana, she was surprised but happy to know Anne was well.
"Mrs. Darcy, I want to apologize for everything my mother did and for having to pretend... There was no other way to stop my mother from continuing to say all those horrible things to you. I want you to know, my dear Mrs. Darcy, that nothing my mother said is true. My cousin and I are not engaged and have never wanted to be… You do not know how sorry I am to bother you…"
"My dear Miss de Bourgh, please do not worry…"
"My mother…"
"Precisely, you should not apologize for the actions of others. You have not done anything, so you have nothing to feel guilty about. If it is any consolation, my mother also tends to do and say things I disagree with," Elizabeth explained.
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Darcy. Well, I think it is time for me to go," Anne said sadly.
"Lady Catherine stated you would spend the night here with us," Elizabeth said, smiling.
"Anne, stay with us; we can have dinner and converse until late," Georgiana said excitedly.
"I would love to stay with you," Anne replied so happily she could barely breathe. She had never spent a night with other ladies her age.
Anne forgot everything that had happened and became immersed in an exciting conversation with Georgiana and Jane. Meanwhile, Elizabeth went to speak to the servants and ask them to prepare a room for her husband's cousin and to announce that they would have dinner in Georgiana's room.
Elizabeth was concerned and could not wait another second for Mr. Darcy's return.
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Anne listened with open fascination as Jane told her and Georgiana how she met Mr. Bingley. Anne had always imagined what love was like, loving someone, but she had never heard anyone talk about it.
Georgiana went to look for a book, and Elizabeth went to tell the servants that they could retire to sleep. So, Anne took the opportunity to ask Jane a question.
"Miss Bennet, how does it feel to be in love? You and Mrs. Darcy are the prettiest and most charming women I have ever met, and I imagine you must have always had many suitors. For my part, I have never met anyone interesting because my mother does not allow anyone near me," Anne explained. She wanted to ask many questions and talk about so many things that she did not know what to say.
"Being in love when the person you love loves you can be wonderful, but without a doubt, it is sad when one is not reciprocated. But please do not think that appearance is the only important thing, Miss de Bourgh. My sister and I grew up in a small town where we did not have the opportunity to meet eligible single men. Besides, we have no dowry or connections, and believe me, there are not many men willing to marry a woman who has so little to offer."
"I never would have thought that people could give so much importance to money or connection, even over love."
Anne was so pleased conversing with Jane that she did not feel sleepy. She even told her new friend what her favorite hobby was. "I love writing poems about everything I feel, what I imagine, and what I observe. The only one who reads them is my companion, Mrs. Jenkinson. She says she loves them, but I think she says it because she loves me."
"I like poetry, and if you want…"
"Would you like to read my poems, Miss Bennet?"
"I would love to."
Richard had sent the trunk with Anne's belongings, and she had hidden the latest book she was writing with poems about nature, loneliness, loss, sadness, and renewal. When Georgiana returned to the room, the three ladies continued talking about all the exciting things the city offered and none of them realized that it was time to sleep.
For her part, Elizabeth spoke to the cook to ask her to serve breakfast early because she knew she would have a hectic day. When she finally finished talking to the servants and headed to her room, she felt someone grab her by the waist.
"I hope you have not forgotten your husband, who loves you so very much, my dear Mrs. Darcy," said Mr. Darcy as he hugged and kissed his wife.
"William, what are you doing here?" Elizabeth asked, surprised.
"What do I do here? Is this not Darcy House? I am Fitzwilliam Darcy, and if I remember correctly, this is my house, and you are my wife," replied Mr. Darcy, amused.
"Do not tease me, William. You know very well what I mean," Elizabeth replied, laughing.
"I am sorry, Mrs. Darcy, but you are not the only one who can tease," Mr. Darcy said and tried to kiss his wife.
"William, wait, please…"
"Wait? I have been thinking about you all day, my love. So much so that I rode so I would not have to spend the night away from you."
"Did you ride? But it is dark; please do not do something like that again... It is dangerous, and I do not know what I would do if something happened to you..."
"You have no reason to worry, my love. I am an excellent rider, and I have good horses. My love, let us go to your room..."
"William, a lot has happened…" Elizabeth tried to speak, but Mr. Darcy kissed her. "William…"
"No, dear, please, whatever it is, we can talk about it tomorrow…"
"William, Miss de Bourgh, and Jane are here."
"Anne? But…"
"Dear, how about you change your clothes? I shall bring you something to eat. Your aunt was here and a lot of things happened."
Mr. Darcy understood that before he could enjoy the charms of his beloved wife, he had to go through the unpleasant moment of listening to all the atrocities his aunt had said. "I cannot deny that I am hungry. I shall go to my room to freshen up, and while I eat, we can talk about what happened in this long day that seems to have no end."
Elizabeth asked the cook to prepare a tray with soup and bread to take to the master's room. Then, she went to Georgiana's room to tell her that her husband had returned. Finally, she said goodnight to everyone and left.
When Elizabeth arrived at her husband's room, he had cleaned himself and put on his night clothes. Elizabeth sat next to him, and while Mr. Darcy ate, she summarized what Lady Catherine did and that she would most likely return the next day in search of Anne.
"I am glad Fitzwilliam and Aunt Esther came to help you. But I cannot deny that I was surprised that Anne pretended to feel ill. In fact, I wonder how many times she said she was not feeling well, she did it for the same reason. In any case, I shall not allow my aunt to come to this house tomorrow. I shall go to my uncle's house to clarify more than one thing to her."
"I hope that goes well for you. I have the impression that your aunt is not one of those people who can be persuaded easily. William, how was your conversation with my father?"
Mr. Darcy had finished eating, took his wife's hand, and explained, "Let us rest, and I shall tell you as briefly as possible what happened."
Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth went to bed, and she snuggled into her husband's chest while she listened to what he told her. She was not surprised by her parents' reaction, but despite that, she could not help but feel sad.
"My love, please do not forget that I am your family now and love you. I shall always be by your side and protect you from everything and everyone," Mr. Darcy said very tenderly. It made him very sad to see his wife so disappointed.
"I know, my dear William. You are my family now," Elizabeth replied, kissing her husband on the cheek.
Mr. Darcy took Elizabeth in his arms and kissed her deeply until they both fell asleep, holding each other and happy, knowing that everything would be well as long as they were together.
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"My dear, you should not have gotten up so early. The morning is a little cold, and it would do you well to rest a little longer," said Mr. Darcy affectionately to his wife.
"William, I do not want you to eat breakfast alone. Also, you know it does not trouble me to wake up early, and I look forward to spending more time with you. I hope you do not think I am a romantic fool, but yesterday I missed you very much," Elizabeth said, unable to help but blush.
"My dear Elizabeth, I missed you too, and if I could, I would spend the whole day with you. Unfortunately, I have to speak to Lady Catherine, and I need to be sure that she understands that you are my wife and that I will not allow her to interfere in my life or disrespect you. But I promise you, my sweet love, that we shall enjoy a beautiful honeymoon wherever you want as soon as we have solved all this." Mr. Darcy caressed his wife's cheek and kissed her softly on the lips.
The servants began to serve breakfast, and Mr. Darcy told Elizabeth everything she planned to say to Lady Catherine and that she should not worry because his aunt depended on him and Lord Matlock and would not dare defy them.
"The truth is, William, I do not care much about what your aunt says or does, but I do care about your cousin. She is such a nice young lady that I feel sorry that her mother does not let her enjoy life a little more."
"And how is she now?" Mr. Darcy asked, a little concerned.
"She must be sleeping. Yesterday, she stayed up very late talking with Jane and Georgiana. She was so excited that I doubt she remembered her mother."
"I see; I shall talk to my uncle to see if anything can be done to help Anne. My dear, once we have had breakfast, I would like you to accompany me to my study; there are some things I want to discuss with you." Mr. Darcy explained to Elizabeth that he wished to agree with her on financial matters and explain the changes he intended to make to his will.
"William, those things do not interest me. I need very little to be happy," Elizabeth said defensively.
"Dear, Aunt Edith explained to you that given your new social status, you will have to assume new responsibilities. You must have your own money so that you can be independent and not have to consult with me every time you want or need something." Mr. Darcy took his wife's hand and kissed it very lovingly.
"I know you are right, but I do not like discussing this topic. But I understand it is important to you, and I am willing to listen."
"Thank you, my dear. I want you and our future children to be protected. Unfortunately, we could not agree on all this in a marriage contract due to the way we got married."
Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth finished breakfast and went to the study. There, he explained all the modifications he planned to make to his will and how he planned to save money to support his future children. After resolving that issue, they discussed other things and enjoyed the time they could spend together. Mr. Darcy knew that his aunt did not like to get up early and he was waiting for the right moment to go to the Matlocks' house.
For their part, Georgiana and Jane got up and had breakfast together. Anne had stayed up very late writing, so she was still fast asleep, and they preferred to let her rest because they knew that the moment Lady Catherine came looking for her, poor Anne would not have a second of peace.
After breakfast, Jane and Georgiana went to the drawing room and converse about the beautiful poems Anne had shared with them.
Elizabeth joined them because Mr. Darcy's solicitor arrived and she preferred not to be part of that conversation. Also, she wanted to ask Georgiana if Anne was well and if she should send breakfast to her room.
"Lizzy, it is best to let her sleep a little longer. She fell asleep very late yesterday. Miss de Bourgh told us about the beautiful poems she writes and how she gets inspired," Jane said.
"Oh, Lizzy, I would never have thought that Anne could write such wonderful poems, so full of feelings," Georgiana said excitedly.
"I hope she allows me to read what she writes. I like poetry, especially when it is written from the heart," said Elizabeth.
"Lizzy, I wish I could show Anne's poems to Mr. Murray. What do you think?" Jane asked.
"Who is Mr. Murray?" Georgiana asked.
"He is a friend of Uncle Gardiner. He is the owner of a publishing house and he knows a lot about this topic. Maybe he could help Anne publish her work," Jane explained.
"That would be wonderful," Georgiana exclaimed excitedly.
"You would first have to ask Miss de Bourgh what she thinks about it, and if she agrees, I believe it would be a good idea to talk to Mr. Murray," Elizabeth added.
They continued talking about Anne and the beautiful poems she wrote, but that delightful conversation would be abruptly interrupted by the arrival of other unexpected guests. In fact, Elizabeth was quite surprised because it was too early to receive callers.
"Georgiana, you do not know how happy we are to see you, dear friend. We have missed you so much. Charles told us you had been ill, but you looked exceptionally well," said Caroline. She entered and greeted Georgiana effusively, completely ignoring Jane and Elizabeth.
"Good morning," Louisa said nervously to Elizabeth and Jane. She then joined her sister and greeted Georgiana.
"Caroline, Mrs. Hurst, I am glad to see you," Georgiana replied, very uncomfortable.
Elizabeth stood in the middle of the room looking at the newcomers, while Jane sat near her sister. She preferred not to intervene so as not to cause more conflicts.
Although Caroline wanted to continue ignoring Elizabeth, she could not because Georgiana was so uncomfortable with the situation that she was speechless and did not even look at her. Therefore she had no choice but to greet her.
"Jane, how are you? Forgive me for being honest, but do you not think it is a little early for a courtesy call? We are close friends of the Darcy family, so we can come at times only reserved for close friends and family." Caroline was talking to Jane but she was looking defiantly at Elizabeth. She wanted to provoke her into saying something impertinent and showing everyone that this woman could never be Mrs. Darcy.
"Good morning, Mrs. Hurst, Miss Bingley. Miss Bingley, my sister is not a visitor at MY HOUSE and can come whenever she wants. She is family," Elizabeth said, smiling and still looking at Caroline.
"Of course, this is your house now," Louisa said, trying to avoid conflict.
Unfortunately, Caroline was overwhelmed by rage and resentment and ignored her sister's words. "Eliza, we do read the newspapers. We all know what you did to force poor Mr. Darcy to marry you. Please have the decency not to act like a great lady because we all know you are not."
"Caroline, please do not talk to Elizabeth like that," Georgiana said angrily.
"Miss Bingley, I want you to understand that I shall not allow you or anyone else to come to my house and disrespect me. If you want to believe what a vicious article says, you can do so. But in my house, you will respect me, or I shall ask you to leave," Elizabeth said forcefully.
"Excuse me, ELIZA, but…"
"Good morning, Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst," said Mr. Darcy as soon as he entered the room. Then he walked to where his wife was and took her hand. "Miss Bingley, I shall take the trouble to clarify some things to you, but first, I shall ask you never to call my wife Eliza again. Now, she is my dear wife, Elizabeth Darcy."
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Thank you to everyone who leaves supportive comments and enthusiastically follows the story.
There are only three more chapters of this story, which has already gone on longer than necessary. I remind you that once the last chapter is published, the story will only be available for a few more days.
In the next chapter, Caroline will have no choice but to accept that she will never be Mrs. Darcy.
See you soon!
Saludos,
Yo