Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and The Scarlet Pimpernel Read online

  The Pride and Prejudice Men and the Scarlet Pimpernel

  A Pride and Prejudice Continuation: Life after the Wedding Series Book 4

  By Denise O’Hara

  Edited by Betty Campbell Madden

  Copyright 2015 by Denise O’Hara

  All Rights Reserved

  This book is a work of fiction.

  Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Epilogue

  Thank You

  About the French Revolution

  About the Author

  Cacciatore Recipe

  Introduction

  At the end of Pride and Prejudice, Charles and Jane Bingley, after a year of living at Netherfield following their marriage and nearly daily visits from Mrs. Bennet, often accompanied by others, move to Derbyshire, only 30 miles from Elizabeth and Darcy, who live together in Pemberley.

  I began my Pride and Prejudice Sequel: Life after the Wedding Series immediately after the double wedding of Charles to Jane and Darcy to Elizabeth. I chose to focus mainly on the Bingleys’ story primarily because there is so much less written about them than there is about the Darcys. That’s not to say that my beloved Darcy and Elizabeth aren’t in my series… they absolutely are! I also developed a friendship between Georgiana Darcy and Kitty Bennet and introduced additional, new characters into everyone’s lives… after all, the setting changes from Longbourn to Derbyshire and Pemberley; therefore, it would be expected that new people would become part of Jane and Elizabeth’s lives. In addition, Caroline meets a new man, and Louisa Hurst and her husband have some life changing events take place as well.

  The Books in the Life after the Wedding Series include:

  #1 Life after the Wedding

  #2 Life after the Wedding- Love is in the Air

  #3 Life after the Wedding- Mr. Darcy and The Scarlet Pimpernel

  In Life after the Wedding, Book 2, The Darcys Host a Ball at Pemberley, and love was in the air. Georgiana married and left for her honeymoon. Mary became engaged and Colonel Fitzwilliam noticed Kitty Bennet had become a lovely young woman.

  This brings us to Book3 – Mr. Darcy and The Scarlet Pimpernel. The Scarlet Pimpernel Needs A Few Good Men! Who better than the men from Pride and Prejudice to come to his aid?

  Baroness Emmuska Orczy, in her adventure novel, The Scarlet Pimpernel, one of my all-time favorites, wrote a tale that has spawned countless imitations since it first appeared in 1905… Masked hero who has a secret identity: Zorro, Superman, and Batman, etc. And while the author’s masked hero, who rescued French aristocrats from the guillotine during the French Revolution, is clearly presented as fiction, historians have long argued that the character, Sir Percy Blakeney, must have been based on a real person.

  The publication of the book The Phantom of the Guillotine, by Elizabeth Sparrow, aimed to prove once and for all that The Scarlet Pimpernel was not only based on fact but that the exploits of the real-life protagonist put his fictional alter-ego in the shade.

  So I read and loved the book!

  What does this have to do with Pride and Prejudice, you ask?

  Well, Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, was first published in 1813. But the novel was originally titled First Impressions by Jane Austen and was written between October 1796 and August 1797. She later renamed the story Pride and Prejudice.

  The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille, a French prison, on July 14, 1789. It continued until about 1799, when France entered the Napoleonic Age. The repercussions of the killings and executions lasted long after the formal revolution was concluded, however. It was a bloody time, and it most certainly did not end too soon.

  So, the writing of Pride and Prejudice took place at the same time that the French Revolution was raging.

  This is the premise of The Scarlet Pimpernel is: Armed with only his wits and his cunning, one man recklessly defies the French revolutionaries and rescues scores of innocent men, women, and children from the deadly guillotine. His friends and foes know him only as the Scarlet Pimpernel.

  Unlike Charles Dicken's Tale of Two Cities, also set during the French Revolution, which does not use any historical people as main characters, the majority of characters in the Pimpernel books are recorded in history. As a writer, Orczy often alluded to historical events and figures but adapted these freely in creating her tales.

  I was intrigued after reading the book Phantom of the Guillotine by Elizabeth Sparrow; I decided to merge Pride and Prejudice with the stories of a disguised hero of the French Revolution. The stories come together in my Life after the Wedding Series #4 – The Scarlet Pimpernel Needs A Few Good Men. It supposes that there was a real Englishman who used disguises as he worked to free those slated for Madame Guillotine.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam, Darcy’s beloved cousin, came to mind as one who would be a wonderful accomplice for these missions.

  Although Georgiana’s story is elaborated on, the Bingley and Darcys’ anniversaries are celebrated, and other events take place in the lives of Jane Austen’s beloved characters it is on the events during the French Revolution that A Few Good Men centers. I hope you enjoy the continuing story!

  Chapter One

  Following his cousin Georgiana’s wedding to his friend, Alex du Pont, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam had spent a most enjoyable week at Pemberley. He had always liked Kitty Bennet very much, but for the first time he realized she was no longer that funny little girl he liked to tease. She had transformed into a lovely young woman, albeit she was still funny and made him laugh often. He had sought out her company during their week at Pemberley and was pleasantly surprised upon getting to know her. True, some would say he had known her for several years now, but something was different about this particular time.

  The day after the wedding, he had found Kitty lost in thought, looking out a window from one of Pemberley’s grand hallways. He had stood next to her for several seconds before she spoke.

  “Oh, how I shall miss my dearest friend,” she had said very seriously.

  “You still have Elizabeth, and I understand you and Georgiana often entertained some of the local girls in the neighborhood. Surely, you will not be too lonely, Miss Bennet.”

  “Of course, I have other friends, Colonel,” she had replied in a quiet voice. “Darcy has other horses, but he prefers his favorite. Any other might get him where he wants to go, but I doubt he would enjoy the ride as much. Georgiana will always be my favorite. I will go so far to say that before her, I knew not what true friendship was.�
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  “That is a very kind sentiment indeed. My cousin is a sweet young woman. It is a family trait, you know,” he said as he gave her a sideward glance.

  She caught the playful twinkle in his eyes. “No, I did not know. I do not believe I have ever associated the word “sweet” with her brother.” With a roll of her eyes she added, “Or her cousin, for that matter.”

  Fitzwilliam feigned being stabbed in the heart by her remark. “Come now, I thought you liked Darcy! And admit it; you have a soft spot for me as well, hmmm?”

  “I do like Darcy. I love him and Charles Bingley as well as I could any brother. But I knew there was something special about Georgiana soon after my sister married her brother and we became family. Knowing her has made me a better person,” she said with a sad sigh.

  Fitzwilliam was taken aback by the sincerity of her words. He knew what true friendship was and appreciated its value. It surprised him that this young woman might just have a clue about it as well. “I had not considered how her marrying would affect you. I can tell you from experience that it can be hard to adjust at first to leaving friends behind, but it does get better. There is nothing quite like receiving a post from a close friend. And if I know my cousin, you will be the happy recipient of many letters over the course of her year in Italy,” he said with a warm smile.

  “Thank you, Colonel, that does make me feel better somehow. So, you have known what it means to miss someone, have you? Or perhaps you have missed many? I wonder if you have left a trail of broken hearts as you traveled through England?” she said with the usual mischievous look having returned to her eyes.

  “I have made my share of acquaintances during my years of moving to each new location. But the real, lasting friendships, ones like I have with Alex and Darcy, those are the ones that mean the most to me, I can assure you. True friendships are some of the most important relationships one has in his lifetime. I am pleased that you came into Georgiana’s life when you did. I have never seen her as content as she has been since you and Elizabeth came to Pemberley.”

  “I am glad to hear you say so, Colonel! I am well aware that I have been the recipient of many beneficial circumstances since my sisters married. But it is satisfying to think that, possibly, I have added to the happiness of my dearest friend’s life, at least somewhat. She deserves every bit of goodness that her future brings.”

  “That is very generous of you. Do you not perhaps envy her situation, Miss Bennet?”

  Instead of answering the question directly, Kitty said, “I am glad Georgiana found someone like Alex. They do suit each other well. I rather thought she might end up with someone strict and very proper; more like her brother was when we first made his acquaintance. Though I must say, Darcy has changed for the better in the years since he has been married to my sister.”

  “I cannot help but agree with you. He found a good match in Elizabeth,” he concurred. After a moment’s pause, he continued, “Sometimes when I observe their union, I find myself a bit envious. I may even go so far as to consider settling down if I thought I could have the same felicitous arrangement as my cousin has.”

  “And what is your idea of a suitable companion, Colonel?”

  “Oh, I suppose someone whose company I could tolerate for years on end. Someone who would keep me entertained, so that I would not get bored, and who would keep me warm on cold nights.”

  “Well, I know of one who is just as you have described!”

  He took a step towards her and said flirtatiously, “And who might that be?”

  “I believe Georgiana’s dog, Blackbear, would fit your requirements perfectly!”

  The colonel laughed out loud, not expecting her answer. He had become familiar with that smug look on her face whenever she had gotten the better of him. But instead of retaliating as he usually would, followed by them getting into a war of words, his reply surprised her.

  “Yes, well, I forgot to mention one more of my requirements that rules Blackbear out, I’m afraid. My companion will have the most intoxicating blue eyes that I will look into and get lost in every day.”

  Kitty’s face colored as her heart began to pound in her chest as she wondered at his meaning. Were hers the blue eyes he could get lost in?

  “Kitty, there you are!” interrupted her mother. “There are still guest to entertain, and we are about to sit down to tea. Miss du Pont is asking for you, my dear. Hello, Colonel! You are wanted as well. Come, come, we must not keep our guest waiting!”

  Kitty glanced at the colonel and said in a whisper, “Our guest? You would think she was the mistress of Pemberley.” He had laughed at her remark, and soon they were involved in conversations with others in the drawing room.

  All of Kitty’s senses were alerted to the change in the colonel’s demeanor towards her from that moment on. She lingered behind, so that he had the opportunity to escort her into dinner; she made certain she was nearby when the card tables were being set out; and she took extra care at her dressing table for the remainder of the week. She was a little quieter in general and decided to give sincere answers to his questions about her preferences and views. She, in turn, inquired about his and saw a mature and serious side of him that he had never shown her before. He felt that her less than perfect attempts at being a lady were utterly charming and suited him just fine. She would keep him humble, unlike many of the upper class.

  For his part, with the exception of a few private conversations, and statements that had meaning only for her, the colonel acted towards everyone as he always had. He continued to joke and to tease the young woman in particular. To one without an observant eye, Colonel Fitzwilliam was unchanged during the days that followed. But Kitty’s sister was not lacking in her powers of observation. Though she was busy in her role of hostess to the family members who remained after the wedding, she saw enough by the week’s end to feel that her suspicions were confirmed.

  Kitty returned with her family to Longbourn for a few weeks, and the colonel said he would try his best to be back in a month’s time to see Alex and Georgiana before they left for Italy.

  No understanding was spoken between them, but both left Pemberley thinking only of each other and of the next time they would meet.

  Chapter Two

  The air was cool, and upon it the smell of rain hung ominously in the twilight of the evening after leaving Pemberley. The location was an out-of-the-way place that one could still locate in Great Britain, if one were still willing to look for it. There was a squat building with a straw thatched roof and a swinging wooden sign, which read, “The Laughing Goat.” A poorly traveled dirt road led off into the distance, marking a wide berth between the tavern and anything of substance in either given direction.

  Even from outside, the roar of men and spirits could be detected. Fitzwilliam wondered briefly why Bayard had chosen this particular location at such a time, but he quickly forced that thought from his mind. As nearly as Fitzwilliam could tell, the man had a reason for all acts that he had ever or would ever perform. Fitzwilliam thought Bayard likely had a calculated reason even for the breakfast he ate on any given day.

  Taking one final breath of the fresh air outside, Fitzwilliam steadied himself and hoisted himself against the large wooden door. He prepared himself for the sights and sounds and smells of the tavern which came rushing toward him without relent. The room was warm and the inhabitants, faintly sweaty. A large gathering of men was populated by a surprisingly large range of people taken from the poor and downtrodden to the outlandishly dressed foppish types – a disguise to which Fitzwilliam himself was now becoming accustomed.

  The left quarter of the room was intentionally darkened, and a handful of men slept – or more accurately, tried to sleep – on low cots, tossing and turning, some attempting to block out the raucous atmosphere by pulling their blankets far above their heads and holding them tightly. The rest of the room was devoted to men, drinking and conversing, some yelling to their compatriots who were directly next to the
m at the bar. A haggard looking musician took his place at the harpsichord in the corner and pounded away melodies that were at once dramatic and gleeful. A handful of men, who had perhaps imbibed a couple too many, danced wildly and ineffectively on what little open space there was on the floor. They cared very little for the effects these antics had on either the beers in their hands or the men who stood near them, who were desperately trying to ignore that any such thing was happening.

  Fitzwilliam attempted to force his way to the innkeeper, hoping to acquire some gin that he could nurse until Bayard, the man who had summoned him, would arrive. It was not to be, however. At that moment, a large burly man with little hair on his head and a bright red face – who had recently been dancing in dangerously widening circles – collided with another patron who had been trying to ignore the display, and spilled what was left of his beer onto the man’s hat.

  The man turned towards the drunken fool and shoved him away, removing his hat and shaking it in an attempt to dry it. In doing so, he splashed the beer into the eyes of another man who was passing by, who promptly wiped his face with one hand, while throwing a powerful and well-timed punch with the other. The facts from this point on became heavily obscured from the vantage point of Fitzwilliam, as half of the patrons in the tavern seemed to funnel towards the scene, taking one side or the other.

  Of the several dandies who sat on raised benches to one side of the room, one of them – dressed lavishly in a bright yellow coat and a large top hat – howled above the crowd.

  “My good sir,” he let out, loud and pompously, across the room, “do you intend to leave your honor on the floor with your hat?”