Page 16 of Mr. Darcy's Runaway Bride
Darcy considered how best to explain his rash actions.
“I am to be married,” he said simply.
Georgiana stared at him, momentarily speechless. “Married?” she echoed. “To whom? Not Lady Eleanor, surely—”
“No, not Lady Eleanor.” Darcy almost smiled at her evident relief. “I met the lady only today. Her name is Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
“Today?” Georgiana’s voice rose an octave. “Fitzwilliam, I do not understand. How can you be marrying someone you met today?”
Darcy leaned forward, clasping his hands on the desk. “It is a rather extraordinary situation. Miss Bennet was to marry another today—a man named Jonathan Blackfriars.”
“The banker’s son?” Georgiana’s surprise deepened. “I have heard Caroline Bingley mention him. She says he is very wealthy, though not of the first circles.”
“The same. Miss Bennet fled the church rather than marry him.”
“She fled her own wedding?” Georgiana’s expression displayed both shock and something that might have been admiration.
“Indeed.” Darcy recounted the strange encounter—the young woman in her wedding dress, tearful but resolute. Their conversation about family expectations, and finally, his impulsive proposal of a marriage of convenience.
As he spoke, Georgiana’s expression altered from shock to astonishment to a kind of tentative understanding. When he finished, she sat quietly, digesting the tale.
“This is… most unlike you, brother,” she said at last.
“I am aware,” he replied wryly.
“And yet…” she hesitated. “There is something in your countenance when you speak of Miss Bennet. You admire her.”
“I do,” Darcy admitted. “She possesses a rare courage. To abandon the security of an advantageous match on principle alone—that requires conviction few possess.”
“Is she very beautiful?” Georgiana asked, a hint of mischief in her eyes.
“She is… comely. One might call her handsome. But it is her spirit that is truly remarkable.” Before his sister could find him entirely unhinged, he explained the details of his plans, including the annulment at the end of the one year period, should they so choose.
Georgiana nodded slowly. “I think I understand why you proposed this, even if it seems precipitous. But have you considered how our family will react? Lady Catherine will be furious.”
“Lady Catherine is frequently furious,” Darcy replied dismissively. “Her displeasure is of little consequence.”
“But Lord and Lady Matlock—”
“May express their disappointment, but can do nothing to affect my decision. This arrangement with Lady Eleanor is whathe wanted for his own benefit, not mine. They may rage and threaten, but they cannot disinherit or otherwise punish me.”
“They could make life very unpleasant for your new wife,” Georgiana pointed out. “Lady Catherine especially.”
Darcy had not considered this angle. “Miss Bennet seems more than capable of holding her own, but you raise a valid concern. I would not wish to subject her to unnecessary unpleasantness.”
“Perhaps it would be best if you remained at Pemberley for a time after your marriage,” Georgiana suggested. “Allow the initial shock to dissipate before presenting Miss Bennet to the family.”
“A wise precaution.” Darcy studied his sister with newfound appreciation. “You take this news remarkably well. I expected more resistance to such an unconventional plan.”
Georgiana’s expression grew more serious. “I understand the pressure of unwanted expectations, Fitzwilliam. Had our parents lived, might they not have arranged a match for me with a gentleman of their choosing, regardless of my wishes?”
“I would never have permitted such a thing,” Darcy said as he sat up straighter.
“But you might not have had the authority to prevent it,” Georgiana countered. “Just as Miss Bennet’s father decided her fate without consulting her wishes.” She paused. “I remember how our cousin Anne struggled against Lady Catherine’s insistence that she marry you. Had Lord Matlock not intervened, and helped her secure a match with Baron Fitzroy’s son…”
“Anne might still be trapped at Rosings, subject to our aunt’s schemes, especially once Lady Catherine accepted that I would never marry her,” Darcy finished.
Darcy wondered if this had influenced his decision to propose to Miss Bennet—a subconscious desire to prevent another young woman from being sacrificed to family ambition.
