Page 12 of Compromise & Consequence
“You know this is only what I keep on site. I am not worried about the money. If it makes you feel any better, I will have Gardiner reimburse me from your funds.” Her uncle leaned forward on his desk. “If it proves untenable to stay in Derbyshire, write me, regardless of what the high and mighty Mr. Darcy says. I will find a way to remove you to safety.”
“Never did I think I would have to worry about my safety with Mr. Darcy. Arrogant and prideful he most assuredly is, but I do not believe he would physically threaten a woman.”
“Unprincipled anger makes a man do many things he thought impossible. Keep your head down and learn to stay out of his sight and mind.” He picked up a document and handed it to her. “Read this well. It is a rough copy of the legal settlement he is having his solicitor prepare for my signing when he returns. You will see that I am settling on you fifty pounds per annum.”
She couldn’t help but smile at the sum.
“Did you do this for his benefit or mine?”
“I had to show I was willing to give you something, otherwise he may be induced to look closer at the added clause when he comes next week. This way, in his arrogance, he will scrawl his signature, confident in the fact you rely solely on him.”
She took the sheets of paper and began to peruse them. A few times, she lifted her gaze and looked at her uncle. Finally, she growled out, “Odious man! Upon his death, if I am still alive, I am to leave Pemberley and never return. He has graciously included one thousand pounds to be given to me immediately and an annual allowance of two hundred pounds a year until my death or remarriage. How magnanimous of him! His generosity quadruples upon his demise. His cousin, some colonel, will be the guardian of any children, along with his uncle the earl. As if we will have any children!” she exclaimed.
“Lizzy, you should know – this is not a marriage of convenience. He expects to sire an heir and, as such, will treat you as his wife in every respect.”
She felt a deep flush invade her cheeks, mortified at the thought.
“I will not hold my breath waiting for him to come to my bed. Argh! It is so frustrating to be a woman with no control over their own life. How I wish I had been born a son!”
Elizabeth left her uncle’s study, hoping to walk off some anger when Mr. Collins stopped her in the hall.
“I have just learned what happened last night and saw Mr. Darcy leaving this house in such a rage. I must know. Has he made an offer of marriage?”
“If you could call such a travesty an offer,” she said, not able to hide her bitterness.
“Indeed, it is a travesty. Mr. Darcy is betrothed to Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s most precious daughter, Miss Anne deBourgh. She will be seriously displeased over what has occurred. I must speak with your uncle and put a halt to this. What will she think?”
“Mr. Collins, while I appreciate the fact you are concerned for Lady Catherine’s well-being and that of her daughter, I do not believe thiscanbe stopped. At this very moment, Mr. Darcy is on his way to London to have the marriage settlement drawn up.”
Mr. Collins openly gaped; his eyes wide with fright. Then a calm stole over his face, and he nodded, as though having agreed with a conclusion he’d figured out in his head.
“Very well, Cousin Elizabeth. I shall know what to do.”
He then spun on his heel and went upstairs to his room. As for herself, she also went to her room to compose a letter to Aunt Gardiner to lay the groundwork for a secret correspondence before taking a walk to calm her mind.
***
Later that same afternoon, Darcy stretched out his long legs and lifted the cut glass filled with fine brandy to his lips. He’d stopped at his club after dropping off the rough draft of the marriage settlement to his solicitors. He would pick it up on Monday, and then Tuesday… Tuesday he would become a married man. Exactly one week from the catalyst that created the compromise.
He remembered the raised eyebrow and pursed lips of his solicitor when he read over the rough draft and how his brow had furrowed over the added clause Bennet insisted upon. At the time, he told his solicitor to ensure the clause Bennet asked him to include was ironclad. Elizabeth’s paltry fifty pounds a year from her father was safe from him, along with her garnet necklace and muslin dresses. Yes, he certainly would not wish totake those from her.
Once again, Wickham had failed. With so little money at her disposal, his future wife could not even afford to give him a farthing. Oh, how he wished to be a fly on the wall when the news was broken to his nemesis. That alone would make up for the disappointment he felt whenever he thought ofher.
He had been taken in by her fine eyes and pleasing figure. With clarity of hindsight, he realized she had most likely argued with him knowing it would pique his interest. She was different from any other lady he’d ever known. At one time, he felt he was in great danger of liking her more than he should. It was one of the main reasons he’d pulled back from their nightly verbal skirmishes while she stayed at Netherfield Park. Little did he realize Wickham had coached her well. Her behavior had been calculated, knowing he would be drawn in by witty banter and heated debates, not by coy looks and agreeing with every word he uttered. If the desperate mothers of London had known this was what it took to capture the master of Pemberley’s interest, they’d have bought out Hatchard’s and hired every tutor available to teach their daughters politics and history.
His reverie was disrupted by a kick on the boot. He raised his eyes to see Richard standing beside his chair.
“I did greet you, but you were a million miles away in thought.” His cousin sat opposite him and signaled for a brandy. “Now, what is this about you getting married? Shall I congratulate or commiserate?”
“Commiserate.”
“Why? Is she as ugly as my brother?”
“No, she is a handsome woman.” Darcy grudgingly admitted. “She has to be. Wickham does not have dalliances with hideous creatures.”
“Wickham! What has he got to do with this?”
“This whole debacle happened after we had gone out onto the terrace while at Bingley’s ball. When Miss Elizabeth turned to speak, I saw a red-coated gentleman trying to hide behind some bushes. She then approached and conveniently tripped. Of course, I caught her. I could not let a lady fall to the ground, and my button became caught in the lace of her bodice. She probably added the lace to make sure this happened.”
