Page 14 of Resilience

The following morning, Elizabeth encountered Mr Darcy on her walk. A maid had come shortly after dawn at her request to sit with Jane, who would most likely sleep until after breakfast. There was not much to return to. When Elizabeth was in the room with her and she was awake, Jane complained bitterly about the imposition she was creating for Miss Bingley, the embarrassment she caused their family, and all of the imperfections Miss Bingley supposedly heaped upon Miss Elizabeth’s person and reputation each day. It was enough to drive Elizabeth quite mad. She had even sent her mother a note informing her that Jane had befriended Miss Bingley and was quite cross about Elizabeth’s intrusion upon Jane’s new friend, and begged to return home. The note had gone ignored.

“Mr Darcy.” Elizabeth shielded her eyes as she looked up at him upon his horse. “Are you enjoying your exercise?”

“Leopold certainly enjoys our morning races across the fields.” Mr Darcy dismounted, offered his stallion half a carrot, which was gratefully accepted, then he stroked the horse’s neck and turned back to Elizabeth. “Do you ever ride, Miss Bennet?”

“I fear I have never enjoyed it.” Elizabeth confessed. “I was thrown by my father’s horse when I was eight, and I never rode again.”

“Your first horse ought never to have been your father’s. A man’s horse is far too large and powerful for such a young girl. An estate like your father’s ought to have had a pony, with so many daughters to teach.” Darcy fell into step beside Elizabeth as she continued down the path, his horse following behind him. “You ought to have at the very least been put straight back up upon the horse, to conquer your fear immediately.”

“There are probably many things we ought to have had or that my father ought to have done, but I cannot account for them.” Elizabeth’s cheeks burned.

“Of course, that was insensitive of me,” Mr Darcy apologised. “It was not my place to judge. I am sorry.”

“No insult was intended, I am sure.” Elizabeth took the arm he offered. “I understand that Miss Darcy rides out with you often.”

“When she can be coaxed out of bed so early.” He smiled. “She loves to ride, and she loves the morning, once she is out in it, though persuading her out of bed and into the morning is no easy task.”

“My two youngest sisters are the same, though so was I at their age,” Elizabeth confessed. “I did not sleep late, precisely, but later than I do now. I believe that younger ladies must need more rest until they are done maturing.”

“My father used to say that about all young people. George…that is…my father’s godson who grew up at Pemberley after his father died, he used to sleep until all hours of the day when we were Georgiana’s age and on holiday from school.”

“Even Lydia does not sleep too late, Papa will not allow breakfast to sit out until she is ready to wake. He says it is unfair to the servants. If she does not appear before breakfast is cleared, she must wait until the next meal or throw herself upon the cook’s mercy.”

“George could sleep in since he had no responsibilities, but my father had his valet wake me at five every morning that I was at home once I left the school room,” Darcy told her. “I was the master’s son. I had much to learn. We rode out every morning by six, even when the weather was poor.”

“It sounds like you had a devoted father who raised a diligent gentleman.” Elizabeth blushed as she complimented him. “Did the late Mrs Darcy ride? Oh, I am sorry. Perhaps I ought not have asked that. I do beg your pardon. You have my condolences on your bereavement.”

“Do not apologise, the subject is not a painful one,” Darcy assured her. “My cousin Anne was permanently weakened after having scarlet fever at the age of thirteen.”

“What a terrible shame,” Elizabeth tutted. “That illness can leave so many forms of damage behind. One boy in our village slowly lost his sight within a few years of having scarlet fever near that same age.”

“It was Anne’s heart that was weakened,” Darcy explained. “Sadly, she never learned to ride, but she did learn to drive. Shortly after I graduated from Cambridge, not long before my father died, I purchased a phaeton and a pair of ponies as a gift for her. I was unable to remain to teach her, because of my father’s illness, but our cousin Richard spent that summer at Rosings and taught her until she was competent at the reins. My aunt has been known to be a difficult woman, and always made her take her companion out with her, but the phaeton gave her a great deal of freedom, until her habits became dangerous.”

“Did she begin driving too fast?” Elizabeth’s eyes were round.

“Worse, I fear,” Darcy answered gravely. “The longer Anne went unwed, the more her unwedded state placed her in harm's way. Not long after she gained control of her inheritance at twenty-five, someone attempted to kidnap her into marriage.”

“Who would do such a thing?” Elizabeth cried, raising a hand to her mouth as she stopped on the path and looked up at him in horror.

“We do not know, for their men were never caught, but they made another attempt quickly, and it became obvious that Anne must marry or someone would force her into marriage, and that she would not likely survive the experience.”

“So you married her,” Elizabeth stated the obvious.

“I did. I was also being pursued in society, and had narrowly escaped half a dozen compromise attempts myself. It was certain Anne would not live for many more years. She only wished to be safe and undisturbed for that time. So when she asked me, I agreed.” Darcy continued with her as she began walking again.

“My aunt had always counted upon us marrying since we were children. Her disappointment was great that it did not happen the way she hoped, and that there were to be no grandchildren, for we would not risk Anne’s life even sooner on such an unlikely result. But she was persuaded to allow Anne what short happiness that we could give her. During the two years we were wed, Anne was finally able to choose her own clothes and run her own house. My aunt had previously been a domineering woman. But the cost of my capitulation was that if she wished to call me her son-in-law, she must yield to Anne’s wishes at Rosings without complaint, which thankfully, she did. Anne could not live in Derbyshire, the journey was too far, and the winters too cold. I had to manage Pemberley of course, but Anne became the mistress of her own house. I managed the estate matters of Rosings from Pemberley with the help of a trusted steward.”

“And you visited?” Elizabeth asked.

“As often as duty allowed. Not quite as often as Priscilla and Georgiana did. But Anne did not require constant attendance. She sought autonomy more than affection from our alliance. My affection she already had as my family. It surprised me, how much it mattered to me when it came to it, that she enjoy that autonomy to the fullest for as long as she could.”

Elizabeth peeked up at him. “Perhaps that should tell you something about the honour of your character.”

Darcy stopped walking and stared down at her for a moment, seemingly transfixed. “Perhaps.”

“So Mrs Darcy found peace and safety,” Elizabeth murmured after the long moment that made her more aware of him than she had ever felt. Even more aware than the day before Michaelmas, when she had been shocked by his touch even through their gloves. “I, of course, never met her, but I am happy to hear of it. Happy to know she had such devoted cousins and family.”

“We were always devoted to one another, the Darcy, Fitzwilliam, and de Bourgh cousins. There is little we would not do for one another.” Darcy agreed. “And when she passed, I inherited all of her wealth and properties. It was not what I wanted and it still grieves me.”