Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and The Scarlet Pimpernel Page 4

  But the idea of traveling an ocean with some dashing gentleman was very intriguing, even if it was a fanciful notion. She picked up the letter from Georgiana and started to read it once again. She practically had it memorized. She thought of traveling the seas with the dashing Colonel Fitzwilliam in his regimentals. How proud she would be to have him escort her!

  “Oh, if only I had a handsome suiter!” Kitty lamented as she reread the letter about Georgiana and Alex exploring a vast cathedral and riding the gondolas. Imagine, a city full of little boats. It was such an interesting concept. “Maybe we could run away together and join Georgiana and Alex.”

  “No good comes from such thoughts.” Elizabeth's mouth turned into a frown of disapproval as she gently chided the girl.

  “It sounds more romantic than waiting until you finish all the fuss and preparation of a wedding.”

  Georgiana had made a gorgeous bride. Kitty had no doubt that she would as well. But if you loved each other, why would a ceremony make any difference? “A new life, new towns, and sharing the adventure with someone you love. What downside could there be?”

  “Living in a sin, Kitty,” Elizabeth said gently as she carefully folding her hands over the little shirt. “It also poses a terrible image on the young woman to go off alone with a man before they are wed.”

  “My sister is quite happy with Wickham,” Kitty challenge. “They write now and then. They are having a grand time together. Why is it so horrible to live together if they are in love?”

  “I would not speak ill of your sister, Kitty,” Elizabeth said carefully. “But when a man and a woman run off together unchaperoned..., they do more than live together.”

  Kitty thought it went without saying. Society was so strict about how you could act with your beloved. You could hardly hold hands without causing a scandal. Nor could you see each other in private for the barest of moments. Georgiana and Alex had a rare sort of luck, to only need to be watched by the servants or through a window as they walked. Most were under the hawk eyes of a governess or relative at all times. Still, that was no reason for how people avoided talking about them. She was about to say as much when she noticed that Elizabeth was watching her expectantly, as if waiting for her to catch on to something. Kitty wracked her mind, trying to think of what she might have missed. A fond embrace... holding hands... a kiss... resting in each other’s arms... Her eyes widened warily. “You would not mean...”

  She could not even finish the sentence. She was wrong. There were rules one would wish to break, but there were lines people did not cross, lines the Creator Himself would vastly disapprove of.

  Elizabeth leaned forward and patted Kitty on the wrist as she seemed to struggle with the right words to say. “They … share more than their blankets in a bed, my dear.”

  Kitty's jaw nearly dropped to the floor as she stared in disbelief at Elizabeth, who was obviously embarrassed. Her sister was doing.... doing.... She was in Wickham's bed? That could not be! “Surely not, Lizzy! Lydia did no such thing!”

  Elizabeth gave Kitty a kind, patient smile and replied, “I do remember wondering at the time how you could not think your sister did anything so very bad. It occurred to me recently that perhaps you did not fully comprehend all that an elopement often involves.”

  Kitty tried to process the enormity of the scandal. Spending time together was one thing. But to act like a husband and wife? And what about children? If a child were born illegitimate.... it went far past a scandal. Mother and child would be cursed in society. Shunned. Whispered of. Anywhere they escaped, it would be an ugly secret that would threaten to destroy their lives. What would possess anyone to take a risk like that? “Does Mama know?”

  Elizabeth took a deep breath before answering. She knew the answer would alter Kitty’s perception of their mother. Kitty had witnessed her mother’s conduct after the couple had been discovered. It was shameful. “Yes,” was all that Elizabeth said on that subject. But to Kitty’s horror, Elizabeth decided to educate her on the matter as they sewed. She tried to explain it as delicately as one could. However, by the time they parted ways to prepare for dinner, a red-faced Kitty was rethinking her stance on traveling without a proper chaperone. If she did marry Fitzwilliam, she would make certain their courtship was honorable.

  Chapter Eight

  “This 'cacciatore' Georgianna describes in her letter sounds very intriguing. I wonder if it is something the cooks could recreate here.” Elizabeth gazed over to Kitty during breakfast one morning. It was rare to see the girl so attentive, even to letters. But she was practically dragging someone down to the town every few days to check for new letters, despite assurances that the messengers would bring any that came.

  “Fitzwilliam writes that he is coming to visit before he heads to his next station. He will be gone for a few months.” Darcy announced to Elizabeth and Kitty. Kitty looked especially surprised and excited.

  “Fitzwilliam is coming? When? When is he coming?” Kitty asked excitedly, abruptly standing up from her chair, her silver utensils falling to the floor. Elizabeth held Kitty’s arm down to steady her. Darcy rolled his eyes as he pinned down their tea cups, which almost jumped off the table in Kitty’s haste.

  “It is possible that he will be here today,” he replied when he saw the eagerness in Kitty’s eyes. Somehow, he could not fathom why on earth Kitty, of all women, would be rattled at Fitzwilliam’s arrival. It seemed when the two of them were together, Fitzwilliam was Kitty’s male counterpart and a pain in her backside. Kitty almost shouted in delight, but fortunately, she was able to barely hold in her excitement.

  Unlike her usual habit of being the last to finish her tea, today Kitty was the first to excuse herself from the table. She left and sought out the maid who always attended to her when she was a guest at Pemberley. She excitedly instructed Ethel that the current arrangement of her hair would not do and, instead, she wanted it done up in the new style that they had been practicing weeks before. She then changed into the gown she always received the most compliments for – the one with lovely corn flowers embroidered on its low neckline. The little flowers matched her eyes perfectly, or so they said. Kitty remembered how Fitzwilliam complemented her eyes the night after the wedding, and she felt sure that this was the gown she must wear.

  “Is Kitty all right?” Darcy asked Elizabeth when Kitty disappeared from the table like a phantom in her haste to prepare for their visitor.

  “Oh, she is all right. Too all right, I must say.” Elizabeth commented in feigned irritation, making sure that she emphasized the word “too.”

  “She seems a little off to me of late. I know she must miss Georgiana terribly. Perhaps returning to Longbourn for Mary’s wedding will be just the diversion she needs to get her back to her old self again,” Darcy said in complete innocence. Elizabeth looked at her husband with hopelessness in her eyes.

  “You have known your cousin all your life, and he is one of your closest friends, but you know nothing about his agenda outside his work.” Elizabeth scoffed. Darcy looked up from his cup.

  “It is not like I am expected to know all the bits and pieces of his life, Elizabeth. Who can keep up with him? For the past several months he was always being sent here and there on assignments. But I will tell you what I do know, my love. I did not like the tone of Fitzwilliam’s letter. How did he put it? “I need to speak with you about a dangerous mission that I will soon be leaving for.”

  ***************

  Kitty stayed in her room for the next two hours, looking out of her window often and waiting for their guest to arrive. She nearly jumped in excitement when she saw the colonel’s stallion coming towards Pemberley. She watched as he dismounted and walked to the door. Pinching her cheeks and pressing her lips together hard so that she would have rosy cheeks and lips, she made her way to the stairs and listened as Elizabeth greeted her guest. She was excited to see Fitzwilliam again, but then she stopped herself from running to the man.

  Do not let him
know how excited you are! She chastised herself while pinching her cheeks until it almost hurt. Kitty waited for just the right moment to descend the stairs. When she finally did, she saw Fitzwilliam look up to her. Kitty confidently smiled her brightest smile for him. As she neared the final steps, she saw Elizabeth looking at her in amusement, no doubt because of the change in her gown and grooming. Kitty felt self-conscious. Did she overdress herself for this simple visit?

  With that thought in mind, Kitty’s confidence faltered, as did her footing, and she missed the bottom step entirely. The colonel was quick to catch her, however, preventing an even more embarrassing scenario.

  “Kitty, are you all right?” asked her sister with utmost concern.

  “Yes, I am fine,” answered the young woman, embarrassed as she tried her best to regain her poise. Her already rosy cheeks, which were abused from her earlier pinching, flushed an even deeper red. Elizabeth decided to help her sister out a little bit, if only to make the situation a bit less embarrassing.

  “Well then, if you will excuse me, I will go inform my husband that his favorite cousin has arrived,” Elizabeth said and walked away. Fitzwilliam looked at Elizabeth as the woman left them. Kitty took the opportunity to collect herself. She thought of having a word with the servants to make sure that the stairs were not slippery.

  Blame them of your clumsiness, Kitty’s mind countered.

  “I am not Darcy’s favorite. We all know how fond he is of our cousin Anne,” Fitzwilliam said with a chuckle. Kitty did not even know what he was talking about.

  “What?” she asked nonsensically. Fitzwilliam realized she was not listening to what Elizabeth said earlier.

  “Oh, nothing,” he let his joke pass. “You look lovely today, Miss Bennet. Do I detect a new hairstyle? It is very becoming on you.”

  Kitty stood as regally as possible, although she was pleased that he had noticed her new hairstyle. She spent almost an hour enduring the pain in her scalp as Ethel braided a few locks of her hair and then put it up in a relaxed bun with a few curled strands sweeping her nape. “Oh yes, I suppose you have never seen my hair worn this way, considering you are an infrequent visitor,” Kitty answered in feigned anger. Making fun out of the meeting and throwing barbs were the only things she could think of to redirect the attention from the unfortunate spectacle she had made of herself.

  “During our campaign to France a few years ago, I once saw a royal jester do the same performance for the court. It was really entertaining.”

  Kitty went red. How dare he compare a lady like her to a jester who makes a living by making a fool of himself? She was irretrievably ashamed, and here comes this man who thought that rubbing salt into her wound would be hilarious.

  “Am I that funny to you, Colonel? Maybe I should go up the stairs again and repeat my performance, if that is what will make your visit much more entertaining.” Kitty fired back.

  Fitzwilliam laughed. He really enjoyed himself whenever Kitty became angry over the most trivial matters. Darcy had mentioned before that Elizabeth could show her temper on occasion. The Bennet sisters could be most surprising.

  “Of course not, my lady. I would never wish for a beauty to break her neck just to make me smile,” he said in a tease. Kitty rolled her eyes.

  He thought he should appease the woman, sensing that she was still embarrassed. “I am sorry for not visiting often; I have been away on business, and it could not be helped. You do not wish me to neglect my business do you? Should I end up in a poor house because I have been too frequent a visitor and become remiss in my duties, it will be on your head. A very pretty head, I admit, but still…,” he said with mirth in his eyes. “By the way, has anyone ever told you that you are beautiful when you are angry?” he added, catching Kitty off guard. She was thinking of an appropriate response when Darcy and Elizabeth joined them in the room.

  “Fitzwilliam! It is good to see you,” Darcy said as the cousins embraced in greeting. “What are we doing, standing in the entryway? Let us go to the drawing room and catch up over tea,” he continued. All followed Darcy, although Kitty was dangling back. She watched Fitzwilliam’s relaxed but strong walking stance, and her heart pounded as her cheeks flushed. Being in close proximity with him gave her the feeling she was floating on a cloud.

  Chapter Nine

  The colonel entertained them all with his many amusing stories in the field, as he always did when he came to visit. Kitty told him of the plans for their sister Mary’s wedding to Mr. Joseph, the apothecary in Meryton, in two months’ time.

  “You must come to our sister’s wedding, Colonel. Please do try.” Kitty pleaded, wondering if he could possibly escort her. Elizabeth threw her a knowing look.

  “I will do my best to be there,” Richard said. It was not a promise, but Kitty felt hopeful.

  “I am afraid to shut your expectations down, Kitty, but in two months Richard will be busier than ever in his work. You know his duties can demand so much of his time. All the same, I do hope that my cousin can join us for the Longbourn wedding,” Darcy explained. Kitty cocked a brow. Somehow, she felt that Darcy was not happy at all with Richard’s response.

  “May I ask you to please not upset Miss Bennet, Darcy? When I say that I will do my best, then I will do my best,” he retaliated. No one was raising his voice in the conversation, but Kitty felt as if something was brewing between the men. Elizabeth even touched Darcy’s shoulder, although she also seemed confused at the sudden change in the air.

  “I know you will, Fitzwilliam. You always do your best on whatever is asked of you. It is even a wonder to me how you are able to fulfill all your obligations. I heard they are a handful,” Darcy responded. Fitzwilliam took a deep breath and then smiled at Kitty.

  “I will write before Mary’s wedding,” he said in a light voice. Kitty gave a bright smile.

  “You certainly have to, Colonel, or I would be very displeased at you,” she threatened. Fitzwilliam laughed and Elizabeth joined in their chuckles.

  *******************

  There was a strange tension in the air between Darcy and Fitzwilliam as they prepared for dinner. Kitty could not quite place it, and if Elizabeth knew something, she remained quiet about it. The cousins did not seem angry at each other; in fact, they seemed to be making every effort to appear completely normal in front of the Bennet sisters.

  Something is definitely amiss though, Kitty thought as she regularly stole glances at the two. There was an edge in their movements that was not there before. She thought back on what happened during the day, looking for clues for their strange behavior. Was it something that someone said?

  Kitty and Elizabeth went up to their rooms to change for dinner while the men went to Darcy’s library to speak in private. When they all met in the dining room, the tension on Darcy was just too much to ignore although he was making a great effort not to be in a sour mood. Kitty, however, would not be fooled. She had come to know when Darcy was masking his anger for others’ sake.

  As for the colonel, he was far too subdued. He did not even bat an eye to tease her as he almost always did. She looked around the table and wanted to scream at them. What is their problem?

  Whatever was eating at the men, however, they made no verbal hint of it and it was driving Kitty’s curiosity to the brink. This has to be the most serious she had ever seen the colonel at the dinner table. Kitty picked at her food as she puzzled over it.

  “You are unusually quiet, Miss Bennet,” Fitzwilliam said as he quirked a brow at her uneaten fill. “You have barely eaten a bite,” he added. Kitty braced herself for one of his follow-ups, a tease of some sort. He always had one or two in reserve. She used to think that he spent his time on his horse thinking of ways to annoy her, like pointing out that there is no shortage of nonsense women of rank did to themselves to shrink their waistlines.

  “I am afraid that I do not have much appetite tonight,” she said after a brief pause. Why was he not being his usual self? Kitty was having difficulty
saying much because she did not know how to tread in the conversation. Darcy still looked grim, and Elizabeth suddenly found an overwhelming interest on the candied carrots.

  Why are they all behaving strangely, as if someone had died? Kitty asked herself.

  Kitty placed her fork down and folded her hands above her lap. “Did you happen to visit Georgiana and Alex recently? Darcy said something about getting your land legs back. I thought your recent business might have taken you there, perhaps? Did you take a ship somewhere?” she inquired. Kitty had hoped that the question would betray some hint on why the men were suddenly so serious. Could Georgiana have hidden something from her brother in her letters? Or perhaps a problem came up at the latest field assignment Richard had gone to. Either would be sure to put Darcy in a terrible mood, especially if Richard had been slow to tell him anything.

  “My business did not require me to go that far this time around, I am afraid,” Richard replied as he gazed back at her thoughtfully. A small smile quirked on the side of his mouth before he continued, “Which is for the best. I am sure if I had taken a boat there, Du Pont would have stowed away to get back out to sea for a spell. This is the longest I have known him to stay land-side in years. I hope Georgiana is taking advantage of her time with him while she can,” he said naughtily.