Mr Darcy's Legacy, page 13
“Why did my mother do all this?” Darcy asked in a desperate tone.
“I know that she had to tell me the truth about you; she could not die and take this secret to the grave. It was my secret as much as hers! I am so grateful… but what she wanted to achieve with her revelations… that will remain forever hidden!”
“But her letter? Yesterday’s letter?” Darcy asked.
“There was nothing else in her letter, except the revelation about you and the torn paper, nothing else. You may read the letter whenever you want.”
“No!" Darcy said, “I will not read any more letters; in fact, I think I will keep away from the letters for a while!” It was the first time he smiled, but the Duke took it as an excellent sign.
“Sir!” Darcy said for the first time, calmer, “I need time!”
“I understand! But, now you know at what extent I am ready to go!”
For Darcy, it was evident that the Duke appeared decided to annul his marriage with Hilda of Hanover and deprive their elder son of the title and fortune. Darcy admired him, but he also feared that powerful man who could ruin so many lives for a woman he met for two months, thirty years ago… and for her son, and for the first time, he looked at the Duke trying to accept and then understand that he was the son of this man!
“Sir, let us move to the dining room. I am absolutely sure you have not eaten anything since last night!”
“Since yesterday morning, my son; I could not eat yesterday evening and this morning I departed at dawn. Yes, I could eat now and I want to meet your family.”
“Lady Edwina is here, too!”
“Dear Edwina,” the Duke said, “I am glad she is here to be with you!”
“Elizabeth knows the truth about me… us!” Darcy said as they walked out of the library.”
“You told her? Good for you, my son!”
“I did not, sir, she guessed the truth when she saw me near your portrait!”
He feared the Duke was not pleased, but in fact, the gentleman showed the opposite: happiness, jubilation, as though rejoicing in a grand success. FitzRoy William, Duke of Blandford, wanted the entire world to find out he had a son from his Anne.
Chapter 21
He was so proud that he took Darcy by his shoulders as they entered the dining room and everybody who did not know the secret yet, found it out in the blink of an eye. It was so evident that Elizabeth and Edwina, both at the same time, started to smile, while Georgiana stopped talking, lost in disbelief.
The Duke appeared amused by such a reception; it was what he hoped all along with − people stunned by their resemblance, understanding they were father and son.
As he sat down, he glanced with delight at the three ladies around the table. He was well acquainted with Lady Edwina, he admired Elizabeth’s beauty, but Georgiana’s resemblance to Anne made his heart stop. She had the same hair and smile, the same blue eyes and fragile, enchanting beauty.
All eyes were staring at him as he finished eating, so he said:
“We have great news to announce to you!”
But if someone had looked at Darcy he would find he did not share the Duke’s enthusiasm. He smiled, but he was still reserved.
“From the documents Anne left me, we found out that Darcy is my son!”
“Excuse me?” Georgiana cried, glancing around, dumbfounded, pale and incredulous. Then her eyes filled with tears while her lips trembled from distress, much to the Duke’s astonishment. Lady Edwina embraced her and she continued to sob while Darcy stepped to her and took her hand in his.
The Duke was abashed, wanting just to comfort the young lady who resembled his Anne so much. She looked so desperate and grieved, he came closer, then gently caressed her hair.
“I apologize if I hurt you, Miss Darcy,” The Duke said.
“I apologize for being so silly…” Georgiana tried hard to regain her calm, “…but… what does this mean? I cannot lose my brother!” she whispered through tears.
“I assure you this will not happen, Miss Darcy,” the Duke continued. “You will not lose a brother – you are forever bound by blood and affection! But I dare hope you will soon consider that you have gained a father.”
Georgiana stared at him, tearful, doubtful, and reluctant. The Duke forced a smile.
“Edwina can confirm I am a rather understanding father!” he declared.
Edwina was looking from the Duke to Darcy still astonished by their resemblance, wondering how she could not see that truth long before. But she was smiling, the Duke was an incredible man, a devoted father and a good friend.
“Yes!” Lady Edwina approved with all her heart. “Indeed, he is a wonderful father!”
“I am sure he is,” Georgiana said, holding her brother’s arm for support. “I am sure you are, your Grace,” she repeated to the Duke, while they sat at the table.
***
As breakfast ended in a slightly calmer atmosphere, Darcy decided to accompany the Duke home, worried how tired the elderly gentleman looked. The Duke accepted the company, as he enjoyed being near his son, but denied he was in any need of care.
“Sir, you do look exhausted,” Darcy insisted. “You should rest as soon as you arrive home. Galloping for almost three hours is a significant effort even for a young man.”
“I am still a young man,” the Duke replied with kind irony. “And I am stronger than many others with far fewer years on their shoulders.”
“I shall not argue that,” Darcy responded lightly. “Still, you must promise me you will rest.”
“Very well, then – I promise. I do appreciate your concern, and I am delighted that we can spend another half an hour together,” the Duke uttered.
“So am I,” Darcy agreed.
The steady carriage pace gave them the only sound suited for their state of mind.
“I want to thank you, your Lordship, for being so kind and considerate to my sister. Georgina is already distressed, perhaps even a little frightened by my marriage even if she pretends otherwise. And more problems… more news that affects her life might be difficult to bear.”
Darcy hesitated; out of respect for the Duke he regretted calling their present situation a problem, but in the end, it was. A question that troubled everyone’s lives.
“I understand that. And everything that I said came from my heart! Both of you, in fact, all three of you now that Elizabeth is almost your wife, are my children from yesterday till the end of my life. And I intend to keep my promise the best I can.”
“I thank you for that, and I promise I will try to clear up my mind… and my soul. If you agree to meet tomorrow we can discuss further – if this is convenient for you,” Darcy said.
“Any time is convenient to me,” the Duke responded. “I would like to invite you to dinner, as I intend to introduce you to your siblings. Harriet is already married to a worthy enough gentleman, but the boys are still single and they do not seem interested in marriage.”
“Do you think it is wise to meet them? I do not want them to resent me in any way.”
“Darcy,” the Duke said, “nobody in my house will have any harsh feelings for you ever. I expect them to like you, but I can safely promise they will be at least perfectly polite. Do not worry – you, your wife and your sister will be received in my house with affection or politeness, or both!” he laughed, a burst of laughter full of cheerfulness.
“Thank you. I would also ask your permission to have our final discussion in Elizabeth’s presence. I keep no secrets from her.”
“Yes! Certainly, I am glad you have such a strong relationship - it is most rare these days.”
Darcy smiled for the first time that day with all his heart; he intended to have a full life with Elizabeth and give her the place she deserved.
Chapter 22
Elizabeth was splendid in her new outfit from Mrs Camberley, a green pelisse with delicate black fur that accentuated the whiteness of her face. As for the dress, it was a masterpiece of ingenuity, made from two different pieces, one shorter in a superb light claret red, the other one longer, in the colour of Burgundy wine with intricate embroidery. She was wearing a ruby necklace, one of Anne Darcy’s jewels that Darcy favoured. He was so proud of her that in the carriage, he almost forgot the motive of their visit to the Duke. He was calm and determined while Elizabeth could not temper her curiosity. She laughed and kissed him on his cheek and told him little stories from her earlier visits in London. But the Duke of Blandford’s house was like nothing she had ever seen. It was a castle built by the first Duke to impress and inspire respect for their social status. After more than two centuries the 6th Duke had imposed many changes that transformed the sombre castle into a magnificent palace with impressive high windows and bright colours.
They were received by the Duke in his parlour, a manly room, Elizabeth admired from the first moment. It was full of his precious objects, like a stunning watch, elegant armchairs or a valuable antique fireplace. The whole picture was one of a space equally meant to impress and to comfort. It was so different from her image of a parlour; in their homes, it was a room kept in perfect order for the guests where not even a chair could be misplaced. The Duke’s home was impressive but not intimidating, nor cold, as she feared. It was a place where she could have lived.
The Duke approached them warmly, looking at her with approval and admiration, and inquiring of Darcy teasingly, “May I compliment your future wife?”
They both laughed. Darcy was pleased to see the Duke bowing to Elizabeth courteously and expressing his genuine appreciation. Darcy was fully aware that the Duke did not exaggerate. No compliment was enough to do Elizabeth justice. Womanhood transformed the young girl she had been into a majestic swan and made her shine.
Elizabeth sensed the Duke examined her to see if she was fit for a future Duke’s wife and it seemed the result was positive.
Once they were seated, it was the Duke who abruptly began the conversation, addressing both of them, and glancing at Elizabeth rather often as if asking for her support.
“I am ready to proceed and fulfil all the implications that ripped page brought into our lives. I know the document is the original page from the church’s register but, of course, I will have to prove it. Then my marriage will be annulled and the first marriage recognised. And you will become the rightful and legal heir of the Dukedom.”
A deep silence fell upon the room, so massive that it shattered them. Disconcerted, the Duke watched Darcy completely unmoved and pale and Elizabeth appearing less pleased with the perspective of becoming Duchess that he had imagined.
“Your Grace, I admire your determination in making what you feel is just, despite the scandal or the consequences that might occur. I am proud to be one of the objects of your affection and the inducement for your acts,” Darcy finally uttered, with a low and hesitant voice.
“I just want to restore the rights we were deprived of when our marriage document was torn from the register. I want to repair a horrid injustice. You are my first son, and Anne de Bourgh was my wife. Do you not approve my intentions?” the Duke asked.
“I understand your motives, and I am deeply impressed by your love and loyalty for my beloved mother. But then I am also stunned by your decision to face such a scandal that might affect your family and remove your eldest son from his rights.”
“You are my son, too, my first born! You are my eldest son!” the Duke’s rose his voice with obvious emotions.
Darcy met and held the Duke’s gaze. Two pairs of eyes betrayed the same strength, the same power, the same determination, the same sense of honour and duty. Father and son, confronting, bonding, learning about themselves and about the other.
“Yes, I am your first son,” Darcy hoarsely admitted eventually. “But Luis is the son you raised. A worthy son who made you proud. A son you love – just as you also love Harriet and Ralston - in a way few fathers do, which is another proof of your remarkable character.”
The Duke searched a long moment for proper words.
“That is true. I do love my children, as I have been both mother and father for them for the last twenty years. But this is not enough compensation for not having you all that time. I feel sad and discontented and angry for not being present in your life and I cannot allow such a situation to continue. The past gave me a lot of pain and desperation. I wish to change the future.”
Darcy knew precisely what he wanted to say; for a day long, he had been talking with Elizabeth, although their decision was taken within minutes. It was mutual and it was final – and the Duke had to accept it.
“Sir, I have the highest respect and the deepest appreciate for you and I am sure in time we will bond as father and son. It is my wish and hope as much as it is yours. But I have a father, James Darcy, whom I profoundly love… as I will forever. He is the father who raised me and educated me and made me the man I am today. I respect him, I love him, I miss him. He is the only father I knew for almost thirty years and the only father I and the entire world will know.”
“So will you reject me?” the Duke shouted with despair.
“Not at all, sir. I only wish to state that no one will ever take my father’s place in my heart.”
“I understand and respect this!” the Duke responded. “I do not intend to take his place but to gain mine! I cannot wait for more, as I have not much time left.”
“But I do need time to get accustomed to our situation, sir,” Darcy replied, impressed by the Duke’s obvious distress. “More time than one day… Elizabeth and I want to be a part of your family and we are honoured by your attention. But I beg you to let Luis take the position he was raised for. He was educated to be a Duke, a peer of Great Britain and Ireland, just as I was educated to fulfil my duties and to honour my heritage. Luis is the Marquess of Brimpsfield. I am Fitzwilliam Darcy; the master of Pemberley and it is what I intend to continue to be.”
Darcy ended his tirade, looking with intense emotions at the Duke; then his eyes turned to Elizabeth, to receive her smile of approval and tearful, adoring gaze.
“It is what suits us,” Elizabeth told the Duke, her eyes still locked with Darcy’s. “And it is the life Darcy promised me,” she ended.
“You could be a Duchess!” The Duke made one last attempt to convince her, but Elizabeth responded with a splendid smile. They all knew the final decision had been made and nothing would change it. It was a rational decision based on honour, wisdom, delicacy, and altruism. Darcy was worried for a brother he did not know yet, willingly letting him take the position that was his, by birth.
“I am sad and happy at the same time,” the Duke admitted. “I am sad that I cannot remedy the mistakes from the past, but I am happy and proud to see the kind of gentleman you became. And I must thank your father, James Darcy, for that.”
“On that, I wholeheartedly agree with you,” Darcy answered.
Little by little, the turmoil that governed their lives for the past days was fading, leaving in its place a serene atmosphere.
The Duke smiled and unexpectedly turned to Elizabeth:
“I am finished talking to my son. Now I will speak only with my future daughter in law. I accept your decision with some conditions!”
Elizabeth was startled by such an address, looking at Darcy who returned a joking helpless gesture, denying any involvement in that argument.
“What would those be, my Lord? And I respectfully ask your Grace to remember that no man has the right to impose any conditions on me, except my husband,” she replied with her usual teasing tone that Darcy so loved and had admired since they first met.
The Duke laughed.
“Upon my word, you express yourself very decidedly for someone so young!”
It was Elizabeth’s turn to laugh. “I was told that before, your Grace. So what would those conditions be?”
All three were smiling, as it was a courteous and light conversation, now that the essentials were settled.
“First of all, we will discuss with our closest relatives this great news. We will reveal the truth - that you are my first son and I do not intend to hide it any longer. But we will limit this news to our families; the others might suspect something when Darcy is at my side, but we shall not publicly reveal anything more than you want. We will let them all presume, imagine stories, gossip and all that news like that could imply. In the end, nobody will dare do more than gossip and I think in a short time it will become a settled fact in London society and among the Ton.”
Elizabeth agreed it was the best way of solving a problem in such a difficult situation.
“Then,” the Duke continued, “in two weeks I will be your godfather along with lady Edwina and if the tradition asks to have a pair as godparents then I will marry her!”
Elizabeth laughed; she was so pleased to have the Duke at their wedding, but she wondered if the Duke really joked about Lady Edwina or it was a secret he has been keeping even from himself. She scrutinized him, at the limit of the politeness, but the Duke was too happy to understand her glance.
“Well, Sir,” Elizabeth said, “we have nothing to negotiate, as I do approve your suggestions entirely. We will be happy to have you at our wedding… and Lady Edwina!”
