She seemed amused. “Many people call me Mrs. Bingley these days, Mr. Darcy.” She sounded calm as she made the gentle rebuke. “Did you have a pleasant trip?”

  “No. I rode hard to prevent this foolishness. I have come to recover my son. We shall leave as soon as we can arrange travel.”

  Jane murmured something that could have been considered noncommittal as a housemaid appeared, and she asked for a tray of tea. She seemed disapproving of him, and the idea rankled. Yet her words were a contrast to what he’d expected when next she spoke. “Young Mr. Darcy is a fine young man. You must be quite proud of him.”

  “Indeed,” he said distantly. “He is a fine man with fine breeding and great prospects.”

  “Those prospects do not include my niece,” said Jane in a neutral tone. Obviously, she had grown wiser to subtleties and slights over the years.

  He nodded. “Precisely.”

  “I do believe you might reevaluate that when you see them together, Mr. Darcy.” She didn’t speak to him again as they waited for tea. She seemed perfectly content in the silence, but he was distracted from having to dwell on it when William appeared in the doorway. He was gratified to see his son looked slightly nervous.

  As William walked toward him, his shoulders straight and spine stiff, he seemed resolved. He resembled Fitzwilliam in many ways, though he had some of Anne’s features too. It was a harmonious blend that made him attractive, and he would have no trouble obtaining a far more suitable wife with his wealth and social position. He could even have a titled heiress if he set his mind to it.

  “I do beg your pardon, Mrs. Bingley, but might I speak with my father alone? I do not wish to be rude, but I do not believe this will be a happy meeting.”

  Fitzwilliam was surprised at his son’s poise as he made the unusual request of the hostess of the house. He held his tongue, tempted to rebuke his son for his display of ill manners, but it was better for Jane Bingley to depart.

  She excused herself a moment later with a nod to both of them. If she was bothered by the request, she didn’t give any indication.

  “You have received my letter,” said William in a resigned tone as he sat on the settee Mrs. Bingley had previously occupied.

  “I have, and you will not marry so young, and not to one of her breeding. She is Elizabeth Collins’ daughter.”

  He frowned. “That is a strange objection upon which to focus, Papa. Is it because she is Mrs. Collins’ daughter, or because she is Mr. Collins’ daughter? On what grounds do you object?”

  “I object on the grounds the girl has no dowry, no social standing, and she is impossibly unworthy to be your wife. Her family would humiliate you and our name.” As he said the words, he remembered telling himself the same things over and over again many years before when he was standing in this very library, having just exchanged words with Miss Bennet that had made him want to smile and follow behind her to ask to continue the conversation.

  He blinked, forcing the memory from his mind so he could focus on the present. “There are far more suitable candidates to be a Darcy bride.”

  “Perhaps, but none of them speak to my heart the way Lottie does.”

  Fitzwilliam huffed a sigh of impatience. “It is a brief infatuation, and you have known each other for six weeks. It is preposterous that you could be in love upon such short acquaintance.” As he said that, he felt a slight niggle of discomfort at uttering the words, realizing they weren’t entirely true. It had taken him about the same amount of time to fall...to become infatuated with Miss Bennet. Still, that had definitely not proven strong enough for marriage, and it had to be the same for Miss Collins and William.

  “Papa, I have known Lottie for many years, and our love has grown from friendship to something more. I am resolved in this matter and will marry her.”

  “If you try to go through with this, I will completely disown you. I shall not give my permission to marry her. You will have to wait until you are twenty-one and will be penniless.”

  “I am prepared to do so if I must. Fortunately, if you choose to disown me, that is acceptable. I have already been given permission by Mrs. Collins to stay with them if the need arises. She warned me that you were likely to disinherit me for this choice.”

  Fitzwilliam scowled at how calmly his son was accepting the threat, and also that Lizzy had perceived he would issue it. The last thing he wanted to do was disown his son. “I am simply asking you to see reason, my boy. You must see you are too young, and she is not the right woman for you.”

  “I understand your misgivings, Papa, but I cannot ignore what my heart tells me. I am not like you. It is not in my nature to put practicality above happiness. Obviously, I do not remember my mother, but I suspect she might have been the same.”

  “Anne certainly believed in following her heart, but she understood the need for practicality.” Some of the fire went out of him as he thought about his wife. He and Anne had been good friends, and he was certain she would have been a good mother. He couldn’t help thinking she would have supported their son, and she probably would have approved of Lizzy’s idea of asking the children to undertake a long courtship to decide if that was what they truly wanted. Still, he wasn’t going to concede without protest. “You know the terms then.”

  “I do.” William bowed to him. “I take my leave.”

  Fitzwilliam watched William depart before he followed a short time later. He was surprised to see no one waiting for him in the hall, including Mrs. Bingley or Bingley. A maid appeared a few moments later and directed him to a room for his use, and he remembered his valet wasn’t with him. That had proved to be quite inconvenient, but he’d ridden hard, and bringing along Baston would only have slowed his progress. Perhaps he could borrow a servant for the night.

  He moved across the room, intent on issuing the request, and as he glanced out the window, he caught sight of his son walking below him. There was a lovely girl beside him, and she was not exactly a replica of Lizzy Bennet from nearly twenty years ago, but she was close enough that he had no trouble recognizing her as Lottie Collins.

  The way they stood together, his hands enfolding hers before he lifted them to his mouth to give a kiss to the back of hers, spoke of such tenderness between them that he was moved by the sight. Feeling uncomfortable with eavesdropping, but wanting to know of what they were speaking, he opened his window, hoping to catch a snippet of their conversation.

  “It was as Mrs. Collins warned me,” said William.

  Lottie gasped. “Your papa has disowned you?”

  Fitzwilliam’s lips tightened as he resisted the urge to defend himself. No doubt, her ardor would cool now that she knew William would be penniless.

  “He has issued the threat.” William sounded remarkedly unconcerned. “It has no bearing on how I feel. Nothing has changed.”

  He held his breath as Lottie shook her head, fully expecting her to now reject his son.

  “Oh, William, I do not want to cause strife between you and your father. I know how you love and admire Mr. Darcy, and he has set the standard for the man you are.”

  He frowned at the words, finding them unexpected and disconcerting.

  His son stiffened his spine. “I do admire my father, but in this, he is wrong. I would give up everything for you, Lottie.”

  The girl hesitated for a moment, and he was sure she’d find a way out of the proposal now. Instead, she said, “I should not encourage you to be so noble. I suppose I should tell you to forget about our love and live the life that would best please your father to secure your position and relationship with him, but I am too selfish for that. I love you so much, William, to the detriment of my honor and your future.”

  His eyes widened at the words.

  “It is no sacrifice to give up Pemberley and the Darcy fortune. I shall only regret my father turning from me, for he will be sad and lonely. I will miss him, but my heart belongs to you, and I am resolved.”

  A moment later, William kissed Lottie with far more passion than was permissible, but Fitzwilliam could hardly protest lest he reveal he was listening to them.

  Lottie seemed on the verge of tears, but she sounded reasonably composed when the kiss ended, and she spoke again. “I love you, William. I would marry you if both our parents disowned us and cast us into wretched deprivation.”

  He couldn’t resist rolling his eyes at that, though the young lady seemed sincere.

  “I would do the same. If there is too much objection, we will run to Gretna Green.”

  Lottie frowned. “I would hope to avoid such a dishonorable course, but if it is the only way to be together...”

  “It seems unlikely to come to that with your mother’s support, dearest. I pray my father will someday understand the depths of my emotions, but if not, I can live without his approval. I could never live without you.”

  The two entwined again.

  As he eased away from the window and closed it quietly, Fitzwilliam realized he had been wrong. He hadn’t even considered William and Lottie’s perspectives and feelings. He had been so hell-bent on stopping the union because of the Collins connections and the taint of the past linking him to Lizzy Bennet that he hadn’t really given it a thought that his son might truly love Lottie Collins.

  After having observed them, he was left questioning everything he’d believed. Was social standing and wealth that much more important than his son’s happiness? Was he automatically rejecting Miss Collins based on her family and his own nebulous feelings for Lizzy? He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes as the weight of guilt threatened to crush him. He was being a judgmental fool, and his preconceptions would consign his son to a life of unhappiness if he had his way.

  Fitzwilliam well knew how a loveless marriage could drain one’s enthusiasm for life. He and Anne had a true accord and close relationship, but there had always been her lover between them, and truthfully, his own feelings for Miss Bennet had intruded as well. He still bore lingering qualms about the path he’d taken. He didn’t want William to look back and feel the same regret in years to come.

  Chapter Three

  HER DAUGHTER AND INTENDED had just departed after sharing the news that his father had forbade the match, planning to walk to Oakham Mount in the accompaniment of Mary, who offered to act as chaperone. They were both dejected, but Lizzy had striven to be supportive and hide her ire while speaking to them.

  Lizzy hadn’t been surprised, but she had been disappointed that Fitzwilliam Darcy had resorted to such means. She hadn’t truly known whether he would make such an ultimatum when she’d warned William two days ago, but she remembered how he had ceased all friendship with Charles after hearing about his friend’s intention to marry Jane. Yet, a friendship could never be as close as a father/son relationship, so she’d hoped he wouldn’t sink so low.

  She was angry and not fit company when the aging Hill shuffled in to announce a visitor. She thought it might be Jane, come to commiserate with the young lovers, and she certainly wasn’t expecting it to be Fitzwilliam Darcy standing in the doorway when she left the sitting room.

  Lizzy got over her shock after a moment and said, “Good afternoon, Mr. Darcy.” She was struggling to be civil and pretend like the earlier exchange hadn’t happened, and that she wasn’t furious that he was hurting both their children due to his pride. Never mind her lips were still buzzing from the feel of his kiss against them. She should be shocked and outraged at his maneuver, rather than remembering how it had made her feel even into her toes, which had tingled and curled as their lips shared a tender moment.

  “I wish to speak to you, Mrs. Collins.” He sounded far humbler this time, which was certainly a surprise.

  “Of course.” Feeling slightly confused, since he was confounding her expectations, she led him down the hallway and into her study. It had once been her father’s library, and it still functioned for that purpose too, but Lizzy also conducted most of the estate business from there. She gestured for him to take a seat across from her as she sat in the familiar chair that had once been her father’s. “I truly did not expect you back so soon.” She winced slightly at blurting out her thoughts. “Pardon my manners. May I offer you tea?”

  He looked around the study for moment, eyes wide, as he shook his head. “No, thank you. I am fine. I do not believe I ever saw this room when it was Mr. Bennet’s, but it appears you have not changed much.”

  She frowned. “What gives you that idea?”

  He gestured to the entire wall of books on estate management. “Surely, those must have been your father’s?”

  “Some, though I have acquired many over the years since. My father was not quite as adept at estate management and saving as he could have been.”

  “Was Mr. Collins an adept manager?”

  She considered not answering, for she never liked to discuss that time in her life, but she had nothing to hide. She just preferred not to dwell on her short marriage to Mr. Collins. “Mr. Collins appeared to be of the same bent, along with the flaw of stinginess, while assuming he knew more than everyone around him. When the plow was stuck in the ground, he insisted he would be able to get it out when no one else could, not wanting to pay for extra assistance. That proved to be his downfall, quite literally.” She flushed as she said that. “I do not mean to be flippant, of course. The poor man stumbled and fell on one of the tines, and it ran him through.”

  “I take it you were not married very long then?”

  Lizzy shook her head. “It was a very brief marriage, and two good things came from it—Lottie, and being able to control Longbourn.”

  He raised a brow. “Surely, you have a male guardian who oversees business for you, or perhaps a steward?”

  She clenched her teeth, unsurprised he underestimated her. Most men did. “Of course, I have a steward, but I do not need a man to manage my property. Mr. Bingley was quite helpful in the beginning, as was my steward. I suppose, ostensibly, there is a male figurehead in the picture. Mr. Bingley occasionally has to sign things for me, which is quite irritating, but all of Longbourn’s success is owed to me.”

  She spoke without false modesty, aware of the accomplishments she had achieved over the last several years. Particularly with being hindered by the patriarchal constraints of society, she had managed a great deal.

  He seemed somewhere between impressed and unsettled. “You have done well with Longbourn then?”

  Rather than answer directly, she said, “You expressed concerns about my daughter’s dowry.”

  “It is not truly that important, except it matters in my social circle. My son does not need to marry for wealth as my poor cousin Richard did.”

  She smiled for a moment. “I have met the colonel a few times. He seems quite content with his lovely wife.”

  Fitzwilliam nodded. “I believe he truly loves Violet, but it did not hurt that her father was a wealthy merchant. Fortunately, William does not need to consider such things to make a suitable match.”

  She inclined her head. “I understand. Lottie is in a similar position.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he sounded skeptical. “Indeed?”

  “I learned from my father’s poor example, though I suppose I was fortunate to only have to provide for one daughter. I have set aside ten thousand pounds for Lottie’s dowry.”

  Fitzwilliam looked like he nearly choked, and she was glad he hadn’t accepted her offer of tea, or he likely would have sprayed it all over both of them. He cleared his throat, appearing shocked beyond reason. “Ten thousand pounds?”

  She took great pleasure and a strong dash of pride in nodding tightly. “With a further one thousand pounds per year for maintenance.”

  He sputtered. “How can you possibly afford that? You do not need to put yourself in deep debt. If I decide to approve the match, dowry would not matter.”

  “It does though. It assures my daughter has funds of her own and a way to take care of herself. I will not have her in a situation where she is forced to marry someone she does not love to take care of herself or others. That has been a driving motivation for me as I built up Longbourn to what it used to be before my father mismanaged it.” She shuddered at the slightly disloyal words, but they were true.

  “He was a good father in some ways, but mostly, he was self-absorbed. I have not made the same mistakes. My daughter is well provided for, and though she doesn’t have the same social standing as your son, I had planned to send her to London for a Season after Christmastide. She will find a good husband there—or she would have, but she appears to already be settled on your son.”

  “You did not have a Season.” He uttered it as an observation and still seemed to be trying to absorb her claims. He had no reason to doubt them, and she’d soundly assure him of that if he indicated disbelief.

  “I did not. Neither did my sisters, for my parents considered it unfair to fund a Season for only one. Lottie asked for a Season last year, but I expect her to marry in her first Season, as beautiful, kind, and accomplished as she is in drawing, dancing, and modern languages, so I selfishly told her to wait another year. I cannot regret that, for she seems to be happy with William, and whether they choose a short or long betrothal, I support their union.”

  “My son mentioned as much.” He scowled at her. “He indicated you have offered him refuge here if I disown him.”

  “I did, for he seems like a sensible and sweet young man. He must get that from his mother.” She almost laughed at the way his lips pursed. “I must admit, I had my reservations when she first told me he was coming to propose, but all it took was observing them quietly for a few minutes alone to realize there is genuine love and affection between them, Mr. Darcy.”

  “Perhaps, but is it enduring?”

  She was surprised at his small concession. “I do not know if it is enough to last them a lifetime, and if perhaps they might outgrow their sentiments, so I still stand by my urging of a longer courtship and engagement, but I will not insist upon it. If you choose to disown the boy, he will find a home here with us. After all, I need someone trained in how to run Longbourn when I have passed. I had planned to teach Lottie, but it would be sensible for them both to know.”

 

1 2 3 4 5