“I must confess I was amused by his wit, but it is the same as when troupes of acrobats and jugglers come into the village. They are very entertaining, but you would not want them to linger too long.”
Lizzy shared with Mr. Darcy the details of His Lordship’s visit, including his flirting with Mrs. Gardiner. When he offered to apologize for his cousin’s behavior, Lizzy assured him that her aunt had enjoyed every minute of it and had shared it with Mr. Gardiner. But Lizzy did want to know if Lady Eleanor really was the Queen of Darkness and if Lord Fitzwilliam was truly broke.
“I am sure Antony told you that Lady Eleanor drowns kittens in her moat or is guilty of performing other such monstrous acts, but it is just another example of a failed arranged marriage. Although she is not the Queen of Darkness, Eleanor is definitely one of the most unpleasant people I know. As to your second question, the earl is not broke. He is one of the very few of England’s elite who wins more at the gaming tables than he loses. Unlike most other members of his club, he knows when to leave the tables.”
“Then why does he not pay his bills? Apparently, his townhouse is freezing because he owes the coalman for past deliveries.”
“Because he has a liquidity problem. Winning at cards and collecting the money are two different things, but when Antony finally does get the money, he will pay Mr. Blackmun, the coalman, first. Once he is paid, word spreads quickly that the earl has money and that they can expect Gregg, his manservant, to come ’round and pay his debts.”
“What a terrible way to live.”
“It is terrible, but it is the way business is done in town. I hope you did not invite him to the wedding.”
“I did,” Lizzy answered, and when she saw Mr. Darcy’s look of displeasure, she quickly added, “How could I not invite him when we were sitting in the same room discussing our wedding? But he is not coming, which raises another question. One of the reasons he will not be attending is because Lady Granyard will not be there. Surely, he is not having an affair with her.”
“Not now, he isn’t. But he did have an affair with her when she was Lady Boyle. But do you see what has happened?” he said in an exasperated voice. “Instead of us talking about our wedding, we are talking about Antony. This happens every time. The only people who can upstage him are the royals, and not all of them either. But no more about Antony. Did you read my letter?”
“Yes, I did,” Lizzy said, and her whole demeanor changed. “You know, I should burn it. You should not write such things. The part about our wedding night was really improper.” But Lizzy could not keep the smile out of her voice.
“In two weeks’ time, I promise not to write anything of the sort. Words will be replaced by deeds.”
Lizzy’s physical response was immediate, as was Darcy’s, and he spanned the distance between them in two steps. After lifting her out of the chair, he kissed her as if they had been parted for months instead of one week. But Lizzy removed her arms from around his neck, and after sliding them down his chest, she gently pushed him away.
“You have such power over me. I cannot hide anything from you,” she said, her voice unsteady.
“Do not speak to me of power. You have brought me to my knees.”
“In that case…” Lizzy pulled his mouth toward her, and because she was a head shorter than he was, he lifted her off her feet and kissed her until his arms ached.
“I cannot stay away from you, Elizabeth Bennet, and so I will make short work of my business in Herefordshire, and as soon as I have done so, I shall go to Netherfield and remain there until we are man and wife. Actually, I have no choice. Georgiana speaks of nothing but Kitty and Mary and you, of course. Whenever you are ready to return to Hertfordshire, she will leave London with you, but she will stay at Netherfield with me.”
“That is probably best. With all the preparations for the wedding breakfast, there will be too much going on at Longbourn.” Or so she thought.
Chapter 29
With exactly one week to go before the wedding, Lizzy and Georgiana arrived at Netherfield Park, but when they came to the gated entrance, their driver had to yield as a slow-moving wagon moved in front of him. When Georgiana recognized the driver as Abel Metcalf, Lizzy knew that her wedding reception was not going to be held at Longbourn, but here at Netherfield.
“You should have written to me, Jane,” Lizzy said as soon as she was in the house. “I had no idea that the guest list had grown so long. Here you are an expectant mother doing everything, and I am doing nothing and I am the bride.”
“You need not concern yourself on my account,” Jane reassured her sister. “I have done very little. Mr. Jackson arrived two days ago, and he has met with our butler, Mr. Cleveland, and between the two, they have taken care of everything as well as seeing to the needs of all of the servants who have come from Pemberley to help. Mr. Jackson said that this is nothing to him, as he has been with the Darcys since he was a boy, and when Lady Anne was alive, the family was frequently on the move—visiting other families at their country houses, going to town for Christmas and the season, to Weymouth to sea bathe, and back to Pemberley. These pleasant memories brought a smile to his face.”
“You must be mistaken, Jane. Mr. Jackson never smiles. It is not in the butler’s handbook.”
From the day Lizzy had met him at Pemberley, Mr. Jackson had shown her nothing but kindness, and she had developed a deep affection for him because of how protective he was over his master. But she had never seen even a tiny crack in his somber facade. When Lizzy had mentioned this to Mr. Darcy, he answered by saying that he knew for a fact that Mr. Jackson was capable of smiling. “One time, Mercer caught him in the act, but he only performs this exercise when he is belowstairs, and only in the company of the senior servants, and then only once or twice a year as he does not want to overdo it, or so I am told, having never actually witnessed the phenomenon myself.”
“But why does he not smile abovestairs?” Lizzy had asked. “He must occasionally be amused by something he has seen or heard.”
“It is quite normal for senior servants not to smile as they bear heavy responsibilities. You cannot judge the servants here at Pemberley based on your relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Hill. Such familiarity would not work on such a large estate. When you think about it, Pemberley is as large as some villages, so Mr. Jackson must be very strict in order to keep his young staff in line.”
“Well, if Mr. Jackson actually did smile,” Lizzy told Jane, “I am sorry to have missed it, as it happens as frequently as the appearance of Mr. Halley’s comet.”
Lizzy shared with her sister all that she had done in London. “Madame Delaine is an accomplished dressmaker, and while her nimble fingers performed miracles on my wedding dress, Aunt Gardiner and I went from shop to shop, having the best time, all at Mr. Darcy’s expense.”
“By the way, where is Mr. Darcy?” Jane asked, looking around. “Is he with Charles?”
“He is not here. He had some business that required his attention, but he will be here in a day or two.”
Jane was not pleased to hear that Mr. Darcy was once again absent. She had grown used to Charles’s boundless energy and his need for movement, but it was nothing compared to Mr. Darcy’s meanderings. At least her husband remained in the county, but that was not the case with Mr. Darcy. He was always coming and going, but only God knew where he went.
“Lizzy, I do so hope he will not be running about the country once you are married. Your courtship was unorthodox by anyone’s standards, except, perhaps, for those men who travel the roads to sell their wares.”
“Please do not worry, Jane. You must understand that Mr. Darcy’s wealth is not derived exclusively from his properties and that he has investments in other companies and manufactories. Up to this point, he has been personally involved in their management, but he will not do so once we are married.” All of this was true. It just did not have anything to do with what was happening in Herefordshire.