Checkmate, Mr Darcy Chapter 6, a pride and prejudice fanfic

~O~

Chapter 6

In the end, the reality of tea with the Queen was almost anticlimactic.

The Duke escorted Elizabeth to the, relatively, small sitting room where the Queen waited for them. A few ladies in waiting kept themselves busy in the background, but they had relative privacy.

Barrington re-introduced them, and Elizabeth performed a creditable deep curtsy before the pleasant looking, older woman.

'It is a pleasure to see you again. You have grown into a remarkably pretty young woman.' The Queen said and invited them to sit, and Elizabeth was amazed that the lady poured tea for them.

'I hear that you are playing chess with several people and have become quite an outstanding player, to which I can attest.' Noticing Elizabeth's discomfort, she added with a smile, 'Do not worry about winning. There is no shame in being the better player. If I had been offended, I could have stopped playing.'

Elizabeth gave her a relieved smile, saying, 'Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty.'

'It is but the truth. But I would like you to do me a kindness. As I have rather enjoyed being Mrs George in our correspondence, I would like it if you were to continue to address me as such.'

'I would be honoured, Your… ah… Mrs George.'

'Good. Now that you are all grown up, tell me, shall you marry a chess player?'

'I do not know yet. The gentleman who has just started calling on me does play chess, but I would not presume to declare that we will marry.'

'Who is this young man?'

'Colonel Fitzwilliam.'

'Matlock's younger son,' added the Duke.

'In that case, the gift I had planned for you might be rather opportune.' At Elizabeth's startled expression, the Queen explained, 'For more than a decade, playing chess with you and receiving your little notes which you included with your moves about happenings in your home, have brought light and cheer at times when life was difficult. In appreciation I would like to reward you for that kindness.'

'Mrs George, no reward is necessary as I too enjoyed our games,' Elizabeth protested.

'It may not be necessary, but it is something I wish to do,' the Queen said and fixed Elizabeth with a gimlet stare, daring her to protest further. Elizabeth capitulated.

'Now that we understand each other, I can tell you that because of your sex, the rewards I can grant you are limited. But the day you reach your majority, I will gift you with a dowry of ten thousand pounds, enough to be useful but not enough to make you a target.'

Unable to think of anything else to say, Elizabeth confined herself to, 'You are most gracious. I thank you.'

'Now tell me about your Colonel. How did you meet?'

For the next ten minutes Elizabeth regaled her hostess with stories of the happenings in recent weeks, not realising that while singing the praises of one cousin, she inadvertently painted an unpleasant picture of the other. Being more experienced than Elizabeth, the Queen drew her own conclusions about Darcy's attitude towards Elizabeth. But she was wise enough to recognise that Darcy was sure to create his own punishment.

They finished their tea and, with the good wishes expressed by the Queen still ringing in her mind, Elizabeth and the Duke took their leave.

In the Duke's carriage, after they were out of sight of the royal residence, Elizabeth slumped into the squabs and sighed, 'That went better than I expected.'

~O~

On their return to Gracechurch Street, the Gardiners, Jane, as well as Fitzwilliam were waiting for them, eager for a report.

The Colonel, who had not seen Elizabeth prior to her visit, was stunned when Elizabeth walked into the parlour. He breathed, 'Thank heaven that your appointment was with the Queen and not Prinny. I doubt that he could have resisted such loveliness.'

Elizabeth shot a worried glance at the Duke, who commented, 'I am afraid that the Regent's reputation is well deserved.'

The party took seats with Fitzwilliam displacing the Duke from Elizabeth's side, and Mrs Gardiner had the maid serve a very substantial tea. Elizabeth gratefully devoured several sandwiches, cakes, and cups of tea, since she had not been able to eat before the visit due to nerves.

As Elizabeth was preoccupied with food, it fell to Barrington to relate details of the visit. When he mentioned Lizzy's reward, Fitzwilliam fought hard not to laugh out loud.

When challenged about the cause for his mirth, he explained, 'I was thinking of a certain arrogant gentleman who will be quite put out when he discovers that he was wrong… again.'

The nervous energy which had kept Elizabeth going for that stressful day, ran out soon afterwards. She was grateful yet again that everyone was understanding, allowing her to retire to her room.

Once the maid had helped her out of her dress and into a nightgown, Elizabeth crawled into bed and was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

~O~

Later that evening when they were in the privacy of their own chambers, Mrs Gardiner mused, 'I wonder why the Queen waited until Elizabeth's majority to grant her a dowry. What if she had married earlier?'

'I am sure that if Lizzy had planned to marry before now, she would have mentioned it in her letters and the dowry would have been bestowed upon her. But by waiting until she reached her majority, the Queen ensured that no one in her family could confiscate her reward.'

'You think…'

Mr Gardiner sighed. 'I would not put it past Fanny to want to use that money for her favourites.'

~O~

After having tea with the Queen, a visit with a countess did not seem as daunting as it might otherwise have been. Admittedly, the fact that Lady Matlock was the Colonel's mother did add a certain excitement to the meeting.

Elizabeth need not have worried as the lady was all that was charming.

'I am utterly delighted to meet you all,' the lady exclaimed once Mrs Gardiner, Jane and Elizabeth had been introduced.

Fitzwilliam had confided to Elizabeth that his mother attributed his desire to leave the army entirely to his interest in her. Elizabeth could understand that any mother who held her son in affection would be pleased about whatever or whoever removed that son from harms way… such as a career in the army.

Tea was served and consumed amongst polite conversation.

Lady Matlock was pleased with the poise and elegance of all her visitors, but hoping to find out more about them, Elizabeth in particular she obliquely asked, 'My son said that you could not come to tea yesterday because you had another engagement.'

While she had her pride was under much better regulation than a certain nephew, Lady Matlock had been surprised that her invitation had not trumped whatever other plans the ladies might have had. Even though she was not offended, she was curious.

'Did the Colonel not explain the nature of the engagement?' Elizabeth asked in confusion.

Lady Matlock was surprised when Fitzwilliam replied to Elizabeth with a grin, 'It is your story. I did not wish to steal your thunder.'

Despite blushing furiously, Elizabeth gave the lone gentleman in the room a disgusted look. 'I had hoped not having to blow my own trumpet,' she muttered before squaring her shoulders.

'The reason why I was unavailable yesterday was because my godfather and I were having tea at Buckingham House,' Elizabeth said carefully.

'You had tea with the Queen?'

'Yes.'

'A private audience?'

'I do not know about private. There were a number of ladies hovering in the background, whom I did not meet, and of course, my godfather had accompanied me.'

'A few ladies-in-waiting in the background constitute a private audience. Considering with whom you had tea, dare I ask who your godfather is?'

'Barrington,' supplied Fitzwilliam casually with a small smirk. 'He delivered the invitation while I delivered yours.'

'Forgive me if I seem confused. My nephew Darcy spent some weeks with his friend Bingley in Hertfordshire. During and after that time, as recent as yesterday, I heard him mention a family by the name of Bennet. But according to him, that family has no connections to anyone other than people in trade.'

'Lady Matlock–'

'Call me Lady Eleanor,' offered the lady. After all, if Elizabeth was good enough to have tea with the Queen, Lady Matlock would be happy to welcome her.

'Thank you, Lady Eleanor. I have heard mention that Mr Darcy went to Cambridge.'

'That is correct,' Lady Matlock replied with a frown at the non-sequitur.

'He should therefore know that anyone who is intelligent, reasonably personable and not a completely stuck-up prig will make friends amongst the other students. Since the majority of students come from the nobility or at least gentry, anyone who completed a degree would end up with friends from those circles. The same happens at Oxford where my father went to school.'

'The Barringtons all go to Oxford. We have teased each other about the difference for years,' Fitzwilliam supplied again.

'So, if Darcy had used that vaunted intellect of which he is so proud, he could have worked out that while the Bennets might not be related to anyone in the first circles, they could easily have friends.' Lady Eleanor shook her head in disgust.

'Indeed,' replied Elizabeth and gave an apologetic look to Jane. 'My sister is usually too modest to mention it, but her godfather was the current Duke's elder brother.'

Lady Eleanor relaxed back in her chair as she asked, 'Do our other sisters have equally august godparents?'

Elizabeth smiled impishly as she said, 'I am afraid that our father chose our godfathers by rank. His oldest daughter had the highest ranked sponsor, the Duke of Barrington. Mine was the Duke's younger brother, who at the time was a Marquess. As I am sure you know, the Duke passed away in an accident, elevating the Marquess into that position. Mary's godfather is an earl and the two youngest have a baron each.'

Jane's addition of, 'We each also have godparents from our family and local friends,' went almost unnoticed in the roar of Fitzwilliam's laughter.

~O~

Fitzwilliam had sat and listened to the conversation between his mother and Elizabeth. The more he heard, the more he started to shake with suppressed laughter.

Eventually, he could not contain himself any longer, bursting out in full-throated laughter.

'Darcy was here yesterday to take his leave as he is going back to Pemberley.'

Lady Matlock gave her son a quelling look. 'As I was curious about you, I asked about your family. While Darcy was complimentary about Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth, he was less than generous about the rest of your family. He was particularly concerned about your lack of connections and wealth.'

The lady appeared puzzled as she said, 'I confess that I was confused and a little concerned as the report from my son was very different. But rather than argue, I thought to wait and hear your side of the story. I am still confused why you do not advertise your connections.'

Elizabeth blushed but looked the lady in the eye as she explained, 'I am afraid that has much to do with our parents. Our mother would brag about it to all and sundry in a most uncouth manner. Our father prefers peace at all costs. He has also been known to state that he would not pay some useless man to marry us. Citing that as the reason for our supposed lack of dowries.'

'Supposed lack of dowries?'

'Each of our godfathers put certain monies in trust for his goddaughter. Jane and I learnt of that only recently.'

Mrs Gardiner spoke up for the first time. 'Mr Bennet was concerned about fortune hunters. While he is not the most involved father, he does love his daughters.'

Lady Matlock could understand Mr Bennet's reasoning and was pleased that Elizabeth must have some sort of dowry, but she was concerned about Mrs Bennet. 'Please forgive me for asking this, but just how… ah… exuberant is Mrs Bennet?'

Elizabeth was pleased that Lady Matlock phrased the question as delicately as she did. As a consequence she answered with a smile even though she quipped impertinently, 'Imagine Lady Catherine without a title but with a heart.' She glanced at Fitzwilliam. 'At a dinner the other week, when I closed my eyes, I could imagine hearing my mother as Lady Catherine promoted her daughter to Mr Darcy.'

Elizabeth gave a slight grimace as she said, 'At least our mother is concerned for the security of her five daughters, whereas Lady Catherine appeared more concerned with marrying Rosings to Pemberley.'

'Well said, Miss Elizabeth,' Fitzwilliam congratulated.

Having cleared the air, the rest of the visit was unremarkable and resulted in an invitation to dinner for the Gardiners and their nieces to Matlock House.

~O~