“Once I had learned that you and Will were at Pemberley and that Anne had joined you, I felt left out. So here I am. And now I find the lovely Miss Elizabeth Bennet is also a guest. There is no comparison to be made between you lovely ladies and that of a regiment of redcoats, who are in ill humor because of too many parades.”

“Colonel Fitzwilliam, I am actually staying at the inn at Lambton with my aunt and uncle who are now at the manor house. We were just waiting for a break in the rain so that we might join them.”

“We have other guests as well, Richard,” Georgiana added. “Mr. Bingley, Miss Bingley, and Mr. and Mrs. Hurst.”

Richard looked at Darcy, and he could not help but smile at the thought of Miss Elizabeth, whom Darcy wanted, and Miss Bingley, who wanted Darcy, being together at Pemberley at the same time.

“Such a fun group. I am sorry I did not get here sooner.”

“Georgiana, Mercer is coming with the umbrellas. The rain has lightened considerably, so I would ask that you go up to the house and see to our guests as soon as you have changed. Miss Elizabeth, my sister will see that you get a pair of dry boots.”

“Very well, Mr. Darcy, I shall do exactly that as I am familiar with your opinion regarding muddy footwear.” The two ladies made their way to the manor house with Mercer assisting them over any puddles.

Darcy smiled at the memory of Elizabeth’s arrival at Netherfield on that misty morning. If he had to fix a time when he had fallen in love with her, it would have been that day.

“Sorry to intrude, old boy,” Richard said, interrupting Darcy’s thoughts. “I had no idea Miss Elizabeth was in Derbyshire. She said nothing of it when she was at Rosings.”

“Nor did I know of her plans. Our shy cousin from Kent arranged for Elizabeth and me to be here at Pemberley at exactly the same time. I would have been impressed if you, with all of your military experience, had pulled off such a scheme, but to have Anne accomplish such a feat, it is nothing short of remarkable. I might add there is no need to apologize. These past few days have been a farce, so I welcome you to the play.”

“Is Caroline Bingley also one of the players?”

“Richard, she has become my cross to bear, and I truly am at a loss as to why she is interested in me at all,” Darcy said in a voice reflecting his bewilderment. “I give her no encouragement. I use the same tone of voice that I would use to say ‘please pass the salt,’ but she acts as if my words have wings. I was well aware that she did not like Elizabeth, but her dislike is so intense that she finds it impossible to conceal it, either that, or she has no wish to.”

“And how does Miss Elizabeth fare in all this?”

“She refuses to be brought low, and Caroline has been on the receiving end of her biting comments, something I too am familiar with. But I shall share my travails with you at another time. Please tell me what the devil you are doing here.”

“I am here because of Anne. Apparently, she never told Aunt Catherine she was going to continue on to Pemberley. Once Lady Hargrove departed, our aunt wrote to her insisting she return home, but Anne wrote back saying she intended to stay in the country indefinitely.”

“Why did Aunt Catherine not use the post?”

“Apparently, she wrote to you, but her letters went unanswered.”

“I have had no letters from Aunt Catherine since Anne arrived in London.”

“Perhaps Anne intercepted them knowing what was in them. In any event, our dear aunt sent for me. Apparently, she is under the impression that I am free to leave my regiment whenever she summons me. No matter. When I arrived at Rosings, she was in a fury at Anne’s defiance, and I bore the brunt of it.”

“Well, I shall speak to Anne, but I am not going to order her to return to Rosings. My God, she is nearly twenty-five years old, and if her health permits, she should be allowed to visit her cousins for however long she wishes. But I do not understand why you did not use a post rider. Are you telling me you were so intimidated by our aunt that you rode from Kent to Derbyshire to deliver this message to me?”

“Actually, the part about Anne was the good news. The bad news is that my brother is coming to pay you a visit.”

Darcy started to laugh. “Surely, you are joking.” When Richard shook his head, Darcy’s whole demeanor changed. “He is wasting his time because I have told him I shall not give him any more money. I have already refused him twice, so he knows I am in earnest.”

“It’s not about money. That young hothead, Jeremiah Lynton, has called him out.”

“Good grief! Jeremiah Lynton? I did not know he was married.”

“He is not. This time it is not about bedding someone’s wife. Apparently, Antony and Lynton were playing cards at White’s, and my brother was getting the better of the young man to the tune of half his yearly allowance. He is known to be a sore loser, but Antony decided to tweak his nose about his losses anyway. One thing led to another, and Lynton challenged him to a duel. Lynton’s father sent word that if Antony would make himself scarce for two or three weeks, the storm would pass.”

“When is he coming?”

“Tonight. He is at the inn at Lambton. We came together in his coach.” Seeing his cousin’s distressed look, he added, “There is some good news. He is sober.”

With Lord Fitzwilliam at Pemberley, Darcy could see any chance of his having a private conversation with Elizabeth slipping away. In the morning, she would return to Longbourn, and he could only hope his efforts to win her had been successful. But in the meantime, he had to deal with Lord Fitzwilliam, and that would take up most of his time and all of his patience.

Chapter 37

When Darcy went into the dining hall, he found his cousin holding court as the guests at the inn were in awe of an earl being in their midst. After Darcy separated Lord Fitzwilliam from his admirers, he got right to the point. “I am under no obligation to have you at Pemberley. If you drink to excess or offend my guests in any way, you will be asked to leave, and you will have to deal with the young Lynton as best you can.”

“Don’t be angry, Darcy. This matter with Lynton is a mere inconvenience and will quickly pass. Things have been going quite well for me of late. In the last week, I have won more than £6,000, £4,000 from Lynton alone.”

“I have no comment to make on how you come by your money, but I hope you will use it to pay down your debts.”

“I already have. That horrid man from Coutts Bank was at White’s and insisted on repayment of an overdue note right then and there, which was unfortunate because I had intended to use some of that money to recover our grandmother’s portrait.”

“Recover it from whom?”

“Christie’s, of course. But do not worry. It will not be sold at a public auction. Mr. Garrett has been making discreet inquiries and has told me that there is a lot of interest in it. Grandmother Fitzwilliam was just adorable, with her doe-like eyes, and, after all, she was painted by Joshua Reynolds. Apparently, the nouveau riche do not mind decorating their walls with other people’s ancestors.”

After that comment, Darcy made no further attempt to engage in conversation. He had no respect for a man who would sell off his family’s legacy.

By the time Darcy returned with his cousin, everyone was in the music room listening to Georgiana and Mrs. Hurst playing a duet. Upon Lord Fitzwilliam’s entry, everyone stood up and curtsied or bowed, acknowledging his position as a peer of the realm. Because he had left London in such a hurry, he was not dressed in traveling clothes but, instead, in an elegant jacket, silk waistcoat and neckcloth, and Italian leather boots. Although wrinkled, he cut a dashing figure.

After the introductions were made, Lord Fitzwilliam said to his cousin, “Darcy, what a clever man you are. So many beautiful women at Pemberley all at one time. However did you manage it?” and he went and sat on the sofa between Mrs. Gardiner and Miss Bingley, and turning to Caroline, he said, “I have had such a long journey. Please tell me again who you are.”

“I am Miss Caroline Bingley, and I am visiting from London with my brother, Charles, and my sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Hurst.”

“Bingley? I know that name. Are you George Bingley’s sister?”

“Yes, Milord. Do you know him?”

“I once sought him out with regard to a financial matter, but we could not come to terms because he had more rules than my mother, the Dowager Countess, which, believe me, is saying a lot. But I am sure that is the reason why he was sitting behind the desk, and I was sitting in front of it. Did I hear your brother’s name is to appear on the king’s birthday honors list?”

“Yes, Milord, you are correct.”

“What an interesting turn of events we have here. A Bingley is to be knighted and will be addressed as Sir George, but here you have Mr. Darcy from an ancient family who has no such honors, and very likely it will remain so,” Lord Fitzwilliam said, chuckling. “You see, Darcy disagrees with the king’s conservative policies, so His Majesty will not bestow a knighthood on him, and although my cousin agrees with the Whig inclinations of the Prince of Wales, he agrees with him on nothing else, including the size of his allowance. So when His Royal Highness becomes king, he will not bestow a knighthood on Darcy either, and that is his reward for standing on principle, Miss Bingley. Let that be a warning to you.”

While Caroline giggled, Anne coughed to draw Lord Fitzwilliam’s attention. Recognizing it as a warning that cousin Darcy was not amused, he turned his attention to Miss Bingley.

“Excuse me, Miss Bingley, I am easily diverted. We were discussing how your family has ascended. If the gossip mill is accurate, you purchased the lease on the Barleigh townhouse in Mayfair and got the contents for a song. Apparently, Lord Barleigh needed ready cash to settle his debts. Did I get it right?”

“We do live in the Barleigh townhouse, Milord, but as to the other matters you mentioned, all the details were worked out between George and the Barleigh family. The particulars are unknown to me.”

“Once again, we find George Bingley in the mix,” Lord Fitzwilliam said, patting Caroline’s hand. “He is like the London fog—everywhere—and unavoidable. That is a good-sized townhouse, Miss Bingley, so from that, I can deduce that your brother has been more generous with his beautiful sister than he was with me.”

Darcy was on his feet, fearing this line of conversation would lead to Antony’s request for a loan. “I have asked Jackson to set up card tables in the blue room, and we are ready to go in. We shall all be playing a friendly game of whist,” he said, looking directly at Lord Fitzwilliam.

In deference to his rank, Lord Fitzwilliam was the first to sit down, and Anne and Georgiana immediately sat down at the same table.

“Oh, I see how it is. My female relations have boxed me in. Anne, please tell me you are not going to scold me. It would bring back terrible memories of your mother.”

Placing her hand on Antony’s, she said, “I have missed you, my dear cousin. I want to hear all about your lovely daughters.”

“Ah, my daughters,” and looking at Charles Bingley, who made up the fourth, said, “If I am to be given credit for anything in this world, it will be because of Amelia and Sophia. At this moment, they are in the capable hands of my mother because their mother has been otherwise engaged of late.”

“Milord, may I ask you to please deal the cards,” Anne said, fearing her cousin might launch into a discussion of his wife and her lover.

While Anne was seeing to Lord Fitzwilliam, Richard was entertaining Caroline Bingley. It was the least he could do considering that it was he and his brother who had disrupted Darcy’s plans for the evening. The colonel found Miss Bingley to be a beautiful, intelligent lady. It really was too bad he knew her true nature, or it would have been very tempting when one considered the size of the dowry she would bring to a marriage. He would have to give it more thought.

As the evening progressed, Lord Fitzwilliam, who was on his best behavior since Anne’s warning, changed tables, and his new partner was Louisa Hurst.

“Milord, I read the speech you delivered in the House of Lords regarding the cost of the war.”

“I am so pleased, Mrs. Hurst. That means at least two people are acquainted with its contents,” and addressing Mr. Gardiner, he explained, “I questioned the wisdom of deliberately antagonizing our American cousins by having our frigates in their territorial waters. We do not want, nor can we afford, a war with the Americans as well as with the French.”