Family can be a blessing or a curse, right?
XOXOXO Elizabeth Ann West
Chapter 7 - The Blessing of Marriage, a Pride and Prejudice Variation
The law offices of Longwell and Son were a neutral location for the scions of the Fitzwilliam and Darcy families to broker peace. Still, the younger generation’s representation, Fitzwilliam Darcy, refused to answer any of his Uncle’s polite inquiries as to the health and wellness of his betrothed. A solemn silence crushed the large office of the elder Longwell as both men awaited the barrister’s return with the documents regarding Rosings. The Season’s bustle fully brought to London nearly one month after Easter meant everyone who was everyone had business to conduct and the Longwells were beyond busy. Still, the Darcy and Fitzwilliam families were clients of the generational nature and offered top service and front of the line privileges barring royal needs.
“You cannot plan to ignore your family forever, Darcy. I am appalled by my sister’s actions, and wish you and Richard had come to Margaret and me. We would have aided you in your plans without Miss Bennet getting caught up in the fray.”
Darcy inspected the slightly worn leather of his gloves and made a mental note to speak to his valet about preparations for their trip to Scotland. He knew his uncle, the Earl of Matlock, stood heavily indebted to the Duke of Northumberland and had promised Richard as a match in exchange for a paltry dowry for the third daughter of His Grace. None had seen Lady Ermintrude in many years, with rumors that her face and body be grossly disfigured from some accident in the winter after her debut.
“My Lord, Mr. Darcy.” Octavius Longwell, Senior entered with his son who Darcy knew as Ovi in school. The inclusion of the younger caused no concern for Darcy, but his uncle immediately began to protest.
“I was to understand this was not to include the family. Longwell, these are sensitive matters.” The Earl of Matlock eyed the young, eager son with disdain.
“And I shall not live forever, nor any man in this room. My son has proven his discretion rivals my own and for what you are requesting, the truth shall not die with me.”
“What is this? You asked me to come today for Richard’s sake. What schemes are we seeking today, Uncle? I am through playing puppet to Lady Catherine.” That Darcy did not call his aunt by the term registered with all in the room.
“This is for Richard. And Anne. Rosings is held in trust, that is at the moment no one holds ownership.”
Longwell, Sr. nodded, donning white cloth gloves to produce a charter on thin vellum paper, with language older than Chaucer. Darcy could not make out much of the wording without better light and magnification, but the bottom of the vellum clearly listed two names: Anne Catherine Elizabeth de Bourgh and George Frederick Wickham.
“Anne is married, this is all for naught.” Darcy stood to leave, but his Uncle reached out his arm.
“Anne only inherits Rosings upon marriage and the production of an heir,” he said, emphasizing the connection of both criteria.
Darcy’s face soured as he read the panic in his uncle’s face. “A child? She cannot possibly carry a child. Richard knows this. She knows this.”
“Precisely the dilemma, nephew. Please, sit down.” The Earl of Matlock breathed a sigh of relief when Fitzwilliam took a seat, only to hold his breath once more as Fitzwilliam rapidly stood again.
“A moment’s delay,” Darcy held his hands up towards the barrister to keep them from beginning their counsel. He glared down at his uncle. “Your sister first planned for me to marry Anne, and I certainly would have never jeopardized her health for such base needs. What were her plans for ensuring the estate remained with her? Murder?”
Henry Fitzwilliam vacillated for a moment over his nephew’s words, momentarily cheered that his sister’s first inclinations were not towards mortal sin but merely misrepresentation of parentage. “No, Catherine did not plan to kill. Merely lie.”
Darcy gripped his walking stick so tightly his knuckles ached. “Explain. Or I shall walk out this door and you will have no assistance from my quarter.”
The Earl relaxed his bloated girth to squirm slightly in his chair. Slapping his removed gloves on his knee, he looked away from Darcy, feeling both embarrassed by his sister’s machinations and the stupidity of the substance.
“Catherine tested your lady, Miss Elizabeth, to inquire as to the depth of her regard. She baited Collins to make life increasing difficult to see if the woman would run. When she did not, her plan was to tell you to get a child by her and we would pass the babe off as issue of you and Anne, with Miss Elizabeth finding reasonable accommodation and consideration, of course.”
“I see.” Darcy swallowed the bitter saliva pooling in his mouth. Taking his chapeau from the small table by the door, Darcy picked it up.
“Darcy, wait. It was a foolish plan, one I was never a party to enacting. She did not know that Richard loved Anne, either.”
Darcy paused by the door, and considered his words carefully.
“No, Uncle, we were all a party and I am unsatisfied to only say I am a party no more. Good day, gentlemen, do not contact me again regarding any matters with this estate.” Darcy did not wait for one of the barristers to open the door and instead handled such a mundane detail himself.
Moments after the great owner of half of Derbyshire had vacated the meeting, Octavius Longwell, Sr. cleared his throat. “Well, without Darcy to help broker a deal with Wickham, how do you wish to proceed? Shall we still contact the man?”
The Earl of Matlock stared out the window of the office to view the bustling street outside, looking for some view of his nephew’s departure. Instead, the comings and goings were too chaotic for Henry to spy Darcy’s tall figure amongst the din. “No. Without Darcy, there is no working on Wickham and I will not involve Richard. We shall have to employ other means to fix the mess my sister’s husband passed into our hands.”
Chapter 8 - The Blessing of Marriage, a Pride and Prejudice Variation
With Mr. Darcy out for the afternoon to conduct business in London, Elizabeth Bennet found herself with an inordinate amount of leisure time at her disposal. She was still not permitted to use the stairs without a proper escort, a vexing position to find herself in a stranger’s home.
The house sat devoid of any others as Mrs. Georgiana Wickham and Miss Caroline Bingley had gone visiting — though neither woman was likely to provide very satisfying company. In the ten days she had recuperated at Darcy’s townhouse, Elizabeth had scarcely seen either woman. Though tonight was to be her first dinner in the main dining room and the first sign, she was healthy enough to travel.
Time passed as Elizabeth considered each book in her room, then placed them back in a neat pile. She could manage to walk in her room with the aid of a walking stick, but bouts of dizziness still claimed her senses on occasion. The stagnant air of the breezeless day made Elizabeth feel entirely too warm, and she dearly wished Jane were present. Sadly, the Bingleys had left with Mr. Darcy hours ago to refresh themselves before returning for dinner.
Sounds of an arrival below stairs piqued Elizabeth’s interests. She hobbled out into the hall to look out and see if it was Fitzwilliam returning from his appointment with his solicitor. Alas, it was his sister who looked up at Elizabeth standing over the top of the stairs and frowned as she handed a servant her shawl and parasol. With the erect spine of a woman with noble blood, Mrs. Wickham climbed the stairs with a burgeoning smile upon her lips.
“Mrs. Wickham, it is so good to see you home.” Elizabeth managed a slight curtsy, relieved that her balance remained steady throughout.
“Indeed, it is my home. I wonder, when do you plan to return to YOUR home?” Georgiana watched as Elizabeth’s eye widened at such a verbal affront. “Oh, forgive me, I had forgotten you are not wanted at any other home.” Georgiana covered her mouth with her gloved hand, offering little but mock shock.
Elizabeth grit her teeth to prevent an argument. Last week had been rather awful as Elizabeth had gained her ability to walk, but the decision was made to keep her at Darcy’s house despite the talk it might encourage as she was already thoroughly ruined should word get out where she slept at night. To cement the plan, Miss Bingley had voiced concerns about Miss Elizabeth staying in the Bingley’s leased townhome. Why, if the landlord found out, they might all be tossed out in a thrice and where would that leave the sweet and kind Mrs. Bingley but on the street with her ruined sister? On one hand, Elizabeth relished being close to Fitzwilliam, but on the other, she never felt quite comfortable as she was still a guest.
Georgiana sniffed as Elizabeth did not say anything and began to walk past the grievously injured woman to her room on the third floor. Elizabeth called out before she was many steps away.
“I wonder that we might have a visit in my room? I should like very much to help you repair the breach with your brother and hopefully see your husband restored to the household? I’m certain we can all agree to a happy, peaceful living arrangement.”
Slowly, Georgiana turned around and raised an eyebrow while her nostrils flared out. “Do not speak to me as if we are relations. You are not married to my brother and little more than his bit of muslin on the side.” Georgiana placed her hand on her hip and pursed her lips.
Elizabeth recognized a childish tantrum when she saw one. However, before leaving to elope with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth desired to begin a good relationship with her future sister. “Have a care, Mrs. Wickham, for when I do carry the moniker Mrs. Darcy, it will be my friendship and not Miss Bingley’s that has more control over your future comforts.”
“And I should rather live on the streets with my husband than under the thumb of my brother’s cyprian.”
Elizabeth involuntarily flinched at the vulgar word used by the younger woman.
“Spare me your pretended shame, I hear you scream out in the night. And your exploits are well-known in the highest circles. He shall never marry you . . . now.” A twisted smile of satisfaction bloomed on the younger girl’s lips.
Flummoxed, Elizabeth staggered with her cane to approach Mrs. Wickham, her breathing becoming more labored as the horrific disclosure brought on a panic. “How could you?”
Georgiana laughed. “Did my brother not apprise you of our situation? Hmm, I can see how he should not tell the likes of you all of his affairs.” Georgiana circled Elizabeth as the prolonged standing began to tax her strength and lowered the woman’s stature. “My family allowed me to be married off to a cad, to a man unfit to even serve as my footman. Then seized my fortune in the name of my protection, while leaving me to the whims of a desperate man.”
Meeting Mrs. Wickham’s eyes with her own, Elizabeth spied a deep hurt that slanted to a flash of anger.
“Oh yes, while my brother rescued you and helped our cousins, I was left here, destitute, friendless, and injured far worse than you.”
“And the only person who came to your aid was Miss Bingley?” Elizabeth whispered the question as her mind imagined the dangerous position Mrs. Wickham likely found herself in—no different than Charlotte Collins.
“Perhaps you are as crafty as they say; perhaps you purposely threw yourself in front of my brother’s horse knowing all too well another rich gentleman was to make his way to . . . where was it?”
“Hertfordshire.”
Georgiana nodded, then appeared to realize the late time. Spying the slip of a maid standing in the mistress chambers’ doorway, she motioned for the woman to come help her charge. “I must dress for dinner, but consider I have paid you a kindness. While your reputation may be ruined and Fitzwilliam will never marry you, think of my George. Our family would never have accepted you, either.”
Elizabeth felt tears sting her eyes as she wanted to do nothing more than run away from this whole mess, preferably with Mr. Darcy. Tears began to burn tracks down her cheeks as the maid helped Elizabeth back to her room for a rest leaving Georgiana to sashay her skirts down the hall to the next staircase.
Accepting a tea dosed with a drop of laudanum, Elizabeth drifted off into a sleep tormented by new nightmares of the whole of London gossiping about her imagined nocturnal activities and how they might be affecting Mr. Darcy’s business developments.
NEW RELEASE
For the Love of a Bennet
What if Elizabeth Bennet traveled with Lydia to Brighton?
A reimagining of Jane Austen’s most beloved tale, Pride & Prejudice, join author Elizabeth Ann West as she writes the romantic adventure story she always wanted! When Lizzy and Lydia arrive in Brighton, it’s very clear that the younger Bennet sister came with very serious plans towards Mr. Wickham. Thankfully, an old ally is also in town, with problems of his own to solve. After Mr. Darcy, himself, is summoned to Brighton to hopefully solve two dilemmas with one wealthy member of the gentry, the whole militia is thrown into an uproar by Wickham’s most dastardly deed, yet. Together, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy have to save Lydia from her own undoing, or it will mean more than just mere reputations are ruined.
For the Love of a Bennet is a novel length story, currently being posted chapter by chapter on Elizabeth’s author site. This story was originally conceptualized in 2019 as a part of the All Go to Brighton challenge.
Chapter 9 - The Blessing of Marriage, a Pride and Prejudice Variation
Hours later when Elizabeth woke from her rest, her sister Jane sat dutifully next to her bed. Jane’s complexion appeared to be very pale and alarmed Elizabeth as soon as her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light.
“How long was I asleep? Is it so very late? I must look ghastly if you stare at me so.”
Jane clasped her sister’s hand and shook her head. “We have only just arrived, and Mr. Darcy and Charles are downstairs speaking in his study. If we are diligent, we may dress you in time for dinner.”
Elizabeth groaned and covered her face with her hands, shaking her head violently to and fro. “I cannot, the things that girl said to me. I am an embarrassment for Mr. Darcy and shall always be so.”
A maid obediently walked out of the dressing room with an elegant emerald gown draped across both of her arms. Jane Bingley raised her hand a few inches and waved with her fingers to motion the maid back from where she came. With a small curtsy, the staff member of Darcy House complied and disappeared back to the doorway from which she came.
“Dearest, who said such awful things to you? Who?”
“His sister. Both sisters, in fact!” Elizabeth’s worries over hurting Mr. Darcy began to fade into anger at the two women of little consequence that would dare sully her good name. “Caroline and Georgiana have seen to spread tales about me and Mr. Darcy at these social gatherings they have been going to. Specifically, they have bandied about my sleeping arrangements and embellishing the imaginations of all who will listen to such falsehoods.”
“But why should they do such a thing? To discuss such matters with strangers?” Jane bit her lip and inhaled a deep breath through her nose. “Surely they injure their own reputations?” Jane held little esteem for Charles’s sister, Caroline, but it seemed hard to believe that Caroline would do such actions after she fussed so for Elizabeth to not remove to the Bingleys’ townhome.
“They are not sweet and they are not kind. Neither of them has shown an ounce of care towards me during my stay and I do not wish to be in either of their company for dinner.”
Jane Bingley glared at the complaining, cowardly sister laying before her in a fit of nerves to rival their mother. The experience did not sit well with the eldest Bennet daughter, and she refused to lose her favorite sister in a pool of pity. With a slight tremble to her limbs, Jane Bingley pushed herself up from the chair beside Elizabeth’s bed and spoke in a voice her sister had rarely heard.
“You will get out of that bed and join us for dinner. If the two of them have spoken out of turn, that is indeed unfortunate, but we shall forgive them if they are repentant as we are called to do in our Christian duty.” Jane Bingley left her sister’s side to walk around the bed and recall the maid she had shooed away earlier.
Elizabeth propped herself up on the bed, finding her careful movements unneeded as her body had healed in a most remarkable fashion. The sharp stabs of pain in her rib cage were gone and replaced with a dull soreness. “And what shall we do if they are not repentant? I shall hardly know how to face them.”
“What has happened to you, Lizzie? You were once fearless and brave. Their words cannot injure you any more than you have already suffered.”
Unable to control her emotions, a violent mixture of hatred, fear, and self-loathing enveloped Elizabeth’s heart and she clenched her fists as her eyes began to water against her wishes. “I am not certain. All these weeks, no months, since your wedding I have scarcely recognized myself. Just as I feel assurances and where I stand in the world, the walls come tumbling down and I am entrapped once more!” Elizabeth sniffed and wiped her eyes, refusing to have yet another cry.
A gentle clucking of her tongue offered her sister sympathy as the maid arrived with the freshly pressed gown. Jane Bingley briefly inspected the gown before nodding to allow the maid to assist her sister in dressing. Jane casually strolled over to the dressing table and selected a set of emerald adorned combs that once belonged to Darcy’s mother. Mr. Darcy had informed Jane that a number of his mother’s possessions were placed in Elizabeth’s room for her personal use, not to be let to Georgiana under any circumstances. Bringing the combs over to the maid who was now helping Elizabeth pull the gown over her head, Jane laid them gently on the bed and admired their craftsmanship.
“Change is a most unwelcome visitor, but when she arrives, it is best to greet her with open arms than with disdain.”
Elizabeth nodded as she felt more in control of her emotions and twisted her upper body to inspect the beautiful combs herself. Gasping at the beauty of such trinkets she turned back to her sister with an expression of wonder on her face. Beaming with happiness, Jane nodded.
“He loves you, Lizzie. He loves you. And we shall go downstairs and hold our heads high. And in a few days’ time, all of this will be behind us and you shall live forevermore as Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy.”
Elizabeth allowed herself to be led to the dressing table as the emerald combs were placed in her carefully pinned hair. The reflection of such an elegant woman staring back at her did not fit the vulgar words spewed forth in the afternoon at her person. Her porcelain skin was returning in all of its alabaster glory to fight back the ugliness of the purples and grays that had marred her beautiful face. Elizabeth turned her head side to side to catch the sparkle of candlelight, the effect making her giggle.
Challenges remained to her happiness with Fitzwilliam, but there was little she could do about them other than meet them head-on. Taking her sister’s arm, Elizabeth laughed at the abject silliness she fell victim to earlier. And for the first time, her chuckle sounded hearty and vigorous as it had in Hertfordshire last autumn.
You’ve been reading The Blessing of Marriage
Book 3 of the Moralities of Marriage. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet find nothing but a mess in London after they escape Kent. The town home bare and the Wickhams caught up in Lord Strange’s illegal business venture, Darcy has little choice but to make unsavory friends as Elizabeth heals from her cousin’s attack. With the support of the Bingleys, Darcy and Elizabeth are finally ready to secure their future at the anvil in Gretna Green when Elizabeth has one small request.
A novel of 55,000 words, The Blessing of Marriage continues the rewriting of Jane Austen’s amazing story of Pride and Prejudice, wondering what might have happened if Darcy never saved Georgiana from the clutches of Mr. Wickham.
The Blessing of Marriage, Book 3 of the Moralities of Marriage
a Pride and Prejudice novel variation series
Release Date: March 14, 2016
310 pages in print.
+ 23 additional Pride & Prejudice variations are available at these fine retailers . . .
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A Jane-of-all-trades, mistress to none! Elizabeth Ann West is the author of 8 novels and 11 novellas, 18 of which are story variations of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.
Took me a while to catch up – I read Book 1 a while ago. I agree – some of thes chapters are hard to read. These books are different from many JAFF. But to read of the women’s strength gives hope – and the realization that we must support those women today who also suffer – often in silence.