“I am very glad to hear it, and I shall hold him to it as a husband should be by his wife’s side. Now, as to the preparations for your wedding, Mr. Darcy’s cook arrived with Mr. Jackson. Prior to her coming, she sent such detailed instructions to poor Mrs. Blanchard that she was quite overwhelmed, but Mrs. Bradshaw assumed command and went into Meryton to talk to the butcher and the greengrocer and everyone else who will be providing whatever is needed. I have been warned that she is very demanding and brooks no interference in her kitchen.”
“Then we shall not interfere,” Lizzy said. “Besides, Georgiana is now here, and she knows how to get around Mrs. Bradshaw,” or so Lizzy hoped. “She is speaking with her right now, so I shall join her, as I feel that I should do something since it is my wedding.”
But it was not to be. As predicted, Mrs. Bradshaw politely told Lizzy that she was the bride and needed to tend to her own role and to leave her to do her work. This was said in a tone of voice that left no doubt that Lizzy had been dismissed, but it was a good thing that she had been shunted aside, as Mr. Darcy came to Longbourn the next day.
Because it was such a gray, rainy day, Lizzy and Mr. Darcy could not go for a walk and were thus confined to the parlor with Kitty, Mary, and Mrs. Bennet. The gentleman tried to appear to be interested in their discourse, but he really did not want to hear Mary summarize the vicar’s Sunday sermon, nor was he interested in Kitty’s visit with Maria Lucas, and he most especially wished to be spared the reasons for the onset of Mrs. Bennet’s flutters. All the news he had to share with his betrothed remained unspoken, that is, until Mr. Bennet took mercy on the couple and offered them the use of his study.
“Finally, we are alone,” Darcy said as he pulled Lizzy into an embrace, and the two remained in each other’s arms saying nothing. When Darcy did kiss her, it was a quick brush of his lips across her cheek. “I am at a point where if I were to kiss you on the lips it would have such an effect on me that I would risk embarrassing myself.”
“I am in a similar state, but you probably already knew that. So let us sit on the sofa, and you may tell me of your trip to Herefordshire. How did it go?”
“Very well,” he said, nodding his head for effect.
“As well as it went with your aunt Catherine?”
“Much better,” he answered, laughing. “I may have found Nell the perfect husband. He is the son of a French aristocrat, twenty-six years old, reasonably handsome, of good height and build. The whole family, their servants, and their chef had to flee their estate in Provence because of revolutionary mobs roaming the countryside. It seems that the Reynards are gastronomes. I spent the better part of one evening talking to Vicomte Reynard about nothing more than meats, sauces, truffles, wine, brandy, et cetera.”
“Oh, that does sound promising. I really do want Lady Helen to be happy, but I also want her gone, and not for the reason you might think. I was truly distressed at how indiscreet she was at Pemberley, and I would be constantly on edge, fearing that she would say something that would reveal your situation. With Rupert gone, it will be just you and Teddy, and he is completely reliable.”
“Unfortunately, that is no longer true as Teddy will soon be leaving Pemberley for good.”
“But why? If Nell marries Monsieur Reynard and Teddy leaves, then you will be all alone.”
“Which is exactly the way I want it. Rupert was a menace, and Nell is annoying. Teddy and I could get by on a rabbit or partridge or, God forbid, not eat at all, but if there are three of us, Nell always wants to go after a deer and that causes problems. You cannot leave a carcass out in the woods that has been torn apart by animals as it will cause alarm bells to ring, but it is nothing to her as she gets in her carriage at daybreak and returns to Granyard Hall. But Teddy, Mercer, or I must go out and bury the deer or sheep or whatever she has devoured.”
“I certainly understand why you want Nell and Rupert to leave the pack, but why Teddy?”
“I had an opportunity to speak with Teddy while I was in Herefordshire. He is there because that is where Rupert is being held prior to being transported, and it was he who came to me. At Pemberley, the explanation for Teddy’s monthly disappearances was that Rupert was the son of a nobleman, and once a month he was permitted to go see his father, and Teddy would accompany him as his manservant. That situation no longer exists, and you cannot have a groom go missing once a month. It would make Teddy’s life very difficult with the other grooms, and it might possibly invite comment. I cannot have that. Now that I am to be a married man with a family, I will not take any unnecessary risks and that is what I told the Council.”
“The Council was in Herefordshire?”
“Yes, Rupert remains a problem because you cannot have someone who was so public a figure just drop out of sight. The Council is made up of two werewolves and one man. It was decided that Mr. Clark, the human, will take Rupert to London where he will be seen, and when spring comes, word will have got around town that he wants to go to North America, and Teddy will go with him.”
“Oh, poor Mrs. Brotherton! Can the Council force him to go?”
“It is not a matter of forcing him to do it; he wants to do it. In fact, he turned down an opportunity to become alpha male. The pack in Herefordshire has grown too large, and it must be divided. The position was offered to Teddy, but he declined. He told me that he wants to make his fortune in the New World where rank does not matter. His plans are well thought out, and I told him that I would provide him with seed money if he wants to start a business. I will be sorry to see him go, but go he must.”
“I will miss Teddy, as will your sister, and his mother will be truly heartsick. I do understand why he must leave Pemberley, but I do not like to think of you out there by yourself.”
“That is because you do not yet understand my other life. When I am a wolf, I enjoy doing those things that wolves do. I like to hunt and run and chase and play in the snow. It is not a hardship for me, and when the weather is bad, there is a cave where I take shelter.”
Darcy could see that Lizzy was unhappy, and so he put his arm around her shoulder. “It is only two days a month,” he said, trying to reassure her. “So let us speak of other things, as there is another topic I wish to talk to you about.” Darcy’s face changed from comforting to uncomfortable because he did not know how Lizzy would react to what he had to say.
“I have mentioned before that wolves have a heightened sense of smell, and because of that, I know when… I always know when you are about to start your courses.”
“Good grief, Mr. Darcy! That is no subject for a man, not even a husband!”
“It is for this man because I also know the days when you are fertile. Please allow me to explain why this is important. My mother died shortly after she was delivered of a stillborn child. Bearing children is very taxing on a woman’s body, and so I want to limit the number of children we have because the thought of losing you… What I am trying to say is that I shall know when not to come to your bedchamber.”
“Are you telling me this now because I shall be fertile on our wedding night, and we shall not lie together?” Lizzy asked in near panic.
Darcy started to laugh. “No, I made sure of that before agreeing to the date. Actually, it works out perfectly. You will begin your courses tonight or tomorrow at the latest, and so you will be finished by our wedding day, but you will not yet be fertile.”