Page 3 of Till Death Us Do Part
Darcy nodded and sighed.
The Earl calmed only slightly. “Why not either disabuse her of his lies or ignore her? She would hardly be the first or last woman to fall under his spell.”
“She got my blood up! I know it is supposed to be impossible, but she made me angrier than I have been in some time.”
“What did you do?”
“I was tired of her questioning my honour, but there are things about Wickham that cannot be said in the middle of a dance floor. In fact, they should not be spoken anywhere in the company of a lady—at least a nominal lady. I fear I lost my temper and dragged her over to a quiet corner to set her straight—well, notdraggedprecisely—Iledher over politely and she went along willingly enough.”
“Pray tell me you did not get her alone.”
Darcy looked shamed. “I was notquiteas stupid as all that. I led her to a quiet corner, but we were still perfectly visible to a half-dozen guests. I was speaking to her for a couple of minutes, when suddenly, all the people in the area left like rats from a sinking ship, which is what it became.”
“Go on.”
“Her mother came along right on schedule, dragging a half-dozen prolific gossips, and started screaming that I was kissing the young lady.”
“Were you?”
“Of course not! She is nowhere near handsome enough to tempt me into that sort of thing, but the hue and cry went up. Her father appeared within a few minutes demanding Iact as a gentleman.”
The Earl groaned. “Ah, the classic setup—the perfect trifecta. I imagine the so-called lady was denying the whole thing by then.”
“They always do.”
The gentlemen took a bit more brandy. They thought they should be getting a bit tap-hackled, but both were far too discomposed for the liquor to have much effect.
“So, what did you do?”
Darcy sighed, frowning ferociously. “I dragged the gentleman off to the library and argued with him for a half-hour. He would not even acknowledge that his wife made the whole thing up out of whole cloth.”
“Of course not! His wife and daughter trapped him as neatly as they trapped you. I imagine they keep his stones on a jar on the fireplace in case of need. Then again, who am I to cast aspersions on a man who cannot control his offspring.”
Darcy grunted assent. “Who indeed, Uncle? In the end, I stormed out of the room and returned to London. I think my reputation can stand the hit, so I am inclined to walk away and let them reap what they sow.”
“How bad will that be?”
“Very bad! They threw the dice all on one very risky bet. It is a family of five daughters and no sons. The estate is entailed on a ridiculous cousin and—oh! you will not believe this.”
“Pray, enlighten me.”
“The heir is Lady Catherine’s rector, and quite possibly the stupidest man I ever met—and this is from a man who grew up with your eldest son.”
The Earl chuckled, not the least bit offended at the slight on his son, since it was only common sense.
“So, if you leave them to their fate, all five will end up in service, living with relatives, or starving in the hedgerows. It is tough to descend from the gentry because ladies seldom learn anything of value, so they have no marketable skills. I suppose they could go work in the mills, or something; maybe work as governesses or companions if they are lucky.”
“I suppose so. The two youngest seem particularly stupid. They will likely end up as maids, married to farmers, or Cyprians. The middle one is so invisible I cannot say a thing about her.”
“Which did you dance with?”
“The second eldest. The two eldest must have spent time with relatives, since I cannot fault either of their manners— aside from ruining my life, of course, which was hardly polite.”
“Any chance the lady you danced with wasnota part of the scheme?”
“I suppose it is remotely possible, but the whole thing was awfully neat: Mother, gossips, father—all right on schedule as precise as any play, and how likely is it for a lady to goad me into answering questions on a dance floor? Have you ever heard of such a thing?”
Both men nodded a bit more, and the Earl finally sighed resignedly.
