A.N. Dear Sunday friends, how are you doing? I hope all is well at your end. We had a harsh winter in Sydney, with over two months of lockdown, many new COVID-19 cases and some deaths. But hopefully, with the high vaccination rate recently, we can enjoy our freedom soon.

I've promised you a new story earlier. However, I'm not too happy with the murder mystery written recently, even though it is finished. The angst is too high. I will put it aside and instead repost and maybe write some naughty bits (NBs). I begin with two NBs posted previously, but they didn't seem to have been listed in JAFF index anymore. I will try to post Sundays (Sydney time). Happy reading and leave me some plot suggestions and comments!

Marry My Boy

What if Lady Anne Darcy was a scheming mother?

"Which do you mean?" and turning round Mr. Darcy looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said: "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me." – Pride and Prejudice, Chapter Three

Elizabeth overhead the comment and walked away from the arrogant gentleman and his friend with a shrug. She had no very cordial feelings toward Mr. Darcy and her spirit was not dampened. She intended to share the story with her close friend.

As she walked on, someone touched her elbow.

"I am so sorry about my son's behaviour, Miss Elizabeth," Lady Anne, Mr. Darcy's mother, said in a low voice.

"We cannot control the behaviour of our relations, Your Ladyship." Elizabeth looked at her two youngest sisters who were pushing around with some local boys and making a spectacle of themselves. She had been introduced to Her Ladyship earlier on, and had found her behavior to be similar as her son's. Lady Anne had conversed very little with the locals, so far, instead staying close to the Bingley sisters throughout the evening.

Following her gaze, Lady Anne remarked, "Your sisters are still young, but my son has had the benefit of a Cambridge education. I thought they would at least have taught him some manners and instructed him in how to be a gentleman. I am most displeased by their education!"

Elizabeth looked at Lady Anne afresh. Her Ladyship teased, no doubt. Perhaps the elegant lady looked on the follies of her son and the world with as much dry humour as Elizabeth's father. Warming to the lady, she jested, "I see that Your Ladyship is denying any responsibility for Mr. Darcy's present behaviour."

"Absolutely! My son has had a mind of his own since he first learned to walk, at the tender age of one. And he chose Cambridge against my advice. I prefer Oxford." Lady Anne smiled.

"Do you think Oxford would have made him a better man?"

"Are you saying he is a good man already? I am astonished by your generosity, given his earlier offending remarks."

"By appearance, indeed, he is a good man. He is tall and has a noble mien, with the most complicated knot in his cravat of the entire assembly, as well as ten thousands a year. Most of the women here and, I am certain, in London will find him very handsome indeed."

"His cravat. How very true! But I see you have a different opinion about my dear boy."

Elizabeth's mouth curled up. "I always try to return a gentleman's attentions in a similar manner."

"You find his character not handsome enough to tempt you. Oh dear! That is grave indeed but it serves him right. Still, this will not do. As his mother, I shall defend his honour. My boy avoids looking at women, in length, during a ball. I wager he did not see you properly, just then."

"How singular! Now you are telling me his ailment. Is he in need of glasses, like my sister Mary, but is too vain to wear them?"

"He is quite vain, but on this occasion, it is something else." Lady Anne smiled again. "Ever since his gaze followed Lady Alicia faithfully at a ball when he was fifteen, with the result that the lady's mother nearly locked them up together in a bedroom, he resolved not to pay attention to any woman at a ball thereafter."

Elizabeth gave a hearty laugh. She could not imagine the proud Mr. Darcy as a young lad of fifteen, nearly being compromised by a matron in Town. "Such a traumatic upbringing he has had! It does render him in a better light to my eyes. Poor Mr. Darcy. But I must tell Jane about his peculiar habit at a ball. He looked at my sister long enough to regard her as the only handsome girl in the room. That is quite an achievement for Jane."

"But he is not looking at Miss Bennet now. He is staring at you instead."

Elizabeth turned her eyes and met the gaze of the gentleman in question across the room. He frowned as he glanced back.

"Not with admiration, Your Ladyship. I wager he is trying to see whether I am planning to steal away any of your jewellry."

Lady Anne laughed aloud, which drew her son to walk toward them with decisive strides.

"I think he has not seen me this entertained for quite some time. He is afraid I may take you to my bosom and disown him instead."

Elizabeth chuckled. Mr. Darcy's eyes remained fixed on her cheerful face as he continued his approach.

Lady Anne's mouth curled up and she called out to her son, "Fitzwilliam, why are you not dancing?"

At that, Mr. Darcy withdrew his gaze from Elizabeth and scowled at his mother. "I have been asked that question already, Mother."

"Yes, and Miss Elizabeth and I both heard your candid answer." Her eyebrows rose, and the gentleman's face turned red.

"I…was not introduced to Miss Elizabeth."

"I can perform that honour."

"Thank you, Lady Anne." Elizabeth dropped a deep curtsey, licked her lips and dabbed exaggeratedly at her mouth with her handkerchief, as if she were drooling over a particularly fine piece of beef. "I am in great humour at present to give consequence to young men who are sought after by other women."

Mr. Darcy's mouth gaped open as he drew in a loud breath. This was not the behaviour of a composed gentleman.

His mother's loud merriment soon drew another person near them. "Your Ladyship, you seem to be enjoying the quaint entertainment here," the elegant lady said, stepping close to Mr. Darcy.

"Not really, Miss Bingley. Miss Elizabeth has just been telling me about some of the boorish behaviour of the gentlemen nowadays. But she told it in such an elegant way that I could not help but laugh at her politeness. Had I met with such manners, I would have smacked the gentleman in question on the head and knocked some sense into him." She gave her son a knowing look. He had finally closed his mouth but his face looked like a ripe tomato. "Let me perform the introduction. Fitzwilliam, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Miss Elizabeth, this is my lovely son, Fitzwilliam Darcy, and this is his friend's sister, Miss Bingley."

Elizabeth felt strange about Lady Anne's choice of wording. From the way Lady Anne had spent her time, earlier in the evening with the Bingley sisters, Elizabeth had thought Her Ladyship would consider them her family friends instead. But then, she had originally thought Lady Anne to be as proud as her son. Apparently she had been mistaken in that estimation.

"I hear that you have four sisters," Miss Bingley said.

"Yes. Jane is currently dancing with your brother. And my other sisters are around, enjoying themselves."

"It seems, here in Hertfordshire, that young girls are allowed to be out while the eldest is still not married. You do not observe society rule as in London."

Lady Anne pivoted to regard her. "I dare say, Miss Bingley, that you sound like my sister, Lady Catherine de Bourgh."

Mr. Darcy turned his face to hide his smile at hearing his mother tease Miss Bingley. Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, and he curled up his mouth at her.

Miss Bingley's eyes lit up. "Thank you for the compliment, Your Ladyship. I have not had the honour of meeting Her Ladyship Lady Catherine yet."

"Compliment indeed. Catherine is most proper about the rules in society. Miss Elizabeth, what do you have to say about this? Why are you out this evening, when Miss Bennet has yet to marry? You should be confined to your nursery."

Elizabeth had not ever before had so much fun at an assembly. Apparently Lady Catherine was not a favourite of her sister or nephew. Did Miss Bingley not understand that Lady Anne was mocking her? She replied, "My parents are most anxious to get rid of all of us. They disregard any proper rules at all."

"That is not surprising, as I have heard that the Bennet estate is entailed away."

"You are a wealth of information, Miss Bingley," Lady Anne said.

Miss Bingley thrust out her chest and tilted her head. "I am very conscientious, especially concerning those whose acquaintance we might make. I take prodigious good care in guiding my younger brother, and I shall do the same for my future family." She then batted her eyes at Mr. Darcy.

"And I see that you love to share the information," Elizabeth said, trying to suppress her laughter.

"Especially with my son," Lady Anne commented, and smirked.

"Now that we are introduced," Mr. Darcy said, shifting his weight from one foot to another, "Miss Elizabeth, might I have the honour of this dance?"

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. Did he want to escape the teasing? Why did he not ask the other eager lady to dance, instead? Surely, she herself was still not handsome enough to tempt him. Lady Anne smiled widely while Miss Bingley glared at them for a moment before snapping her fan shut with force.

Elizabeth could not discern his intention and did not care to make an enemy of Miss Bingley. "Mr. Darcy, I walk this way to get some refreshment, not in search of a dance partner."

"Indeed, Fitzwilliam, I can give testimony to that. Miss Elizabeth will not want to dance, due to a most unpleasant encounter with a certain gentleman earlier."

"Unpleasant?" Miss Bingley interrupted. "Pray, tell us the story, Miss Elizabeth. Perhaps Mr. Darcy can give this man a piece of his mind and teach him how to behave. Mr. Darcy is the perfect gentleman."

Lady Anne and Elizabeth burst out laughing. Mr. Darcy's face was so red that Elizabeth feared for his heart.

Miss Bingley's lips thinned. "What is so funny?"

Mr. Darcy interrupted. "I find this to be a lovely piece of music, Miss Elizabeth, much more tempting than the one I was hearing when Bingley spoke to me. Indeed, I feel strongly inclined to dance to this tune. Might I have the honour of a dance?"

"Mr. Darcy is all politeness." Elizabeth curtseyed. "But I think I have danced quite enough for one evening. I shall go and fetch my refreshment, as I stated earlier."

"May I be of service then?" He extended his arm to Elizabeth.

Miss Bingley was breathing heavily at his side. She seemed not at all happy that he insisted on keeping Elizabeth company. When Miss Bingley raised her hand as if to take his other arm, Lady Anne said, "Miss Bingley, could you take me to your sister? I wish to ask her where she bought the burgundy lace."

Miss Bingley's hand dropped like a broken stick, and her face twisted into a scowl. She bit her lips and looked to Mr. Darcy one last time before uttering, "Of course."

Elizabeth placed her hand on the gentleman's arm. Once they were out of earshot of the other two ladies, Mr. Darcy said, "I apologise."

"For?"

"For the unfounded view which I expressed to Mr. Bingley earlier. I really would like to dance with you, if you will allow me. I confess that I had not looked at you properly, until just now."

"Yes." Elizabeth's mouth curled up. "Your mother told me about Lady Alicia and the ailment relating to your eyes."

"Shocking! Mother seldom tells other women about the escapades of my younger days."

"Why is that, do you suppose?"

"She does not warm to anyone easily."

"Are you talking about your mother? Or yourself?"

"I am her son. I have inherited much of her temperament."

She giggled. "Do you deny responsibility for your own proud manner? Her Ladyship blamed it entirely on your Cambridge education."

He smiled. "Yes, she has not been shy about lamenting my decision to go to Cambridge rather than Oxford. But was I prideful? I thought I was only too hasty in my judgment in regard to your allurement."

Elizabeth's heart jumped. Could he really mean that? Did he find her alluring now? Did she want him to? She would not let him get away with flattery. "Well, you danced only once with Mrs. Hurst and once with Miss Bingley, declined being introduced to any other lady, and spent the evening in walking about the room, speaking occasionally to one of your own party. How should I describe your manner?"

"I did not know that you kept such a close watch on me."

"In a country setting such as this, every newcomer draws our attention."

"I certainly have not the talent which some people possess," said Darcy, "of conversing easily with those whom I have never seen before. I cannot catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns, as I often see done."

"The deficiency of your Cambridge education again? Or does it arise from a lack of willingness to practice?"

"I stand corrected and look forward to practising the fine art of conversing with strangers, under your kind guidance." He poured her a glass of punch and brushed her fingers for a touch too long.

His smile and gaze urged her heart to gallop. She took a big gulp of the drink. Then she made use of the rest of the evening, introducing Meryton's neighbours, pleasant or obnoxious, to the proud gentleman. Much to the surprise of both the locals and Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy stayed by her side, bearing all the admiration and speculation with good grace. Miss Bingley's face turned green, while Lady Anne wore the smuggest of expressions.

~~what-ifs~~what-ifs~~what-ifs~~

"Fitzwilliam?"

Lady Anne opened the doors to the breakfast room at Netherfield and found her son with his face buried in Elizabeth's bosom. The younger woman was sitting on his lap, with her dress half pulled down. "Heaven forbid! The guests are about to arrive! Make yourselves presentable and come to the ballroom immediately," Lady Anne ordered, and slammed the doors shut. "And lock the doors, the next time!" her muffled voice could be heard exclaiming by the pair inside the room.

Elizabeth tried to drag her clothing back up to her shoulders and climb down from Mr. Darcy's lap. "I told you that this was not a good idea."

But Mr. Darcy's hands imprisoned her arms. "One more moment," he murmured, and drank in her scent one last time. His talented tongue left Elizabeth at a loss for words or actions for a long moment. When he stopped his ministrations and rested his head on her bosom, drawing in deep breathes, he said, "Mother always knows where to find me and has the most inopportune timing."

"Fitzwilliam, we have to get ready."

"I know. The ball is about to begin."

"And we are the hosts."

"It is not good for us to be late, I know." He sighed.

"We do not want Alex's new parents to think we are slighting them."

Reluctantly, Mr. Darcy released Elizabeth and helped her button up the gown. "I cannot help it that my wife of five-and-twenty years is as handsome as she was when we first married."

She helped him tidy the cravat and swatted his arms. "Flatterer! My waist has doubled its size in the last decades, and our second son is getting married in three days' time. I permit you to say that I am not handsome enough to tempt you now."

"Never, my dearest and loveliest Mrs. Darcy. I love you, Lizzy. We have been through fire, drought, flooding, illness, sadness and happiness. Thank you for loving me and giving me six wonderful children. My life would not have been nearly as happy, if you were not by my side." He lowered his head and kissed her deeply.

Outside, even at the grand old age of three-and-seventy, Lady Anne walked towards the grand ballroom with gay steps. Her son had six lovely children. He was still as passionate with his wife as in the days he first met her in Hertfordshire, some two-and-a-half decades ago. They loved and supported each other, Pemberley prospered, and the Darcys were upstanding people in society.

She was very proud of her own machinations in the year 1811 then. When she heard the rumour that Miss Bingley was about to ensnare Fitzwilliam during his stay at Netherfield Park decades ago, she had wangled an invitation for herself, even though it meant leaving behind Georgiana, her daughter, in London for some months.

She was determined then to find a worthy bride for Fitzwilliam herself. She thanked Providence that it had not taken her long to do so, for during the first assembly, Fitzwilliam's arrogant manner led him to slight Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

Once Lady Anne had ascertained the young woman's wit, unassuming manner and caring nature, she spent all her time during her stay at Netherfield working to throw Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth together, and steering Miss Bingley away.

She was proud of her scheme, for her son had mended his prideful manner, disregarded the Bennet family's improper behaviour, and proposed marriage to Elizabeth roughly a month after they had made each other's acquaintance.

Some ten years ago, Lady Anne had made a lovely home in Netherfield. The weather in the south suited her more, as she grew older, and the now-more-sensible Mrs. Bennet had become her fast friend. Lady Anne, having purchased the property with the interest from some investments she made with Elizabeth's uncle Gardiner, had determined to leave Netherfield to Fitzwilliam's second son, Alex, as his older brother Ben would inherit Pemberley. Her grandson Alex looked even more like her husband George than Fitzwilliam did. She was happy to provide for him. And she would have other, smaller things to leave for the other grandchildren, both Fitzwilliam's and Georgiana's.

Life had become blissful. Lady Anne entered the grand ballroom to placate the anxious family members. She reckoned it would take Mrs. Darcy and her besotted husband another quarter of an hour to appear.

Shaking her head, she reflected that they had been quite a pair, for the past five-and-twenty years. Lady Anne smiled smugly. She would not complain, for she had hand-picked Elizabeth to marry her boy. And their marital bliss lightened her heart beyond measure.