Page 28 of Till Death Us Do Part
“I want to go to the graveyard and see if I can raise the spirits of your father or other ancestors; or perhaps read their journals. I am curious to see at what point Darcy men becamewhiney quitters.”
Darcy snapped back up in his seat, and started to answer sharply, but Anne did not flinch or look away, and he was left feeling foolish.
Anne gently continued, “Will, whether she trapped you or not… whether she was in on the scheme or not… whether she deserves it or not… whether she is basically a good person in a desperate position, a fortune hunting vulture, or as much a victim as you…none of that matters.In less than a week,she will be your wife!You will begin a journey of fifty years. Do you plan to spend the whole time in acrimony?”
Darcy was astounded at the suggestion, but it was just too much. The stress and strain of carrying the entire family’s defects on his own shoulders, plus the strain of making sure his estate was safe and secure for the next half-year, including making certain his new wife was under control and not attempting to bankrupt him, plus the thought of the sea voyage necessary to get where he was going, which was coincidentally in the middle of a war, was wearing him down to nothing.
Anne and Bingley waited patiently, and Darcy noticed they both kept rubbing each other’s hands and arms affectionately, but subtly, and wondered at the speed of their attachment.
Finally, he said, “No, we cannot exist the entire time in acrimony. I… well… eventually, I will have to swallow my pride and find a way to coexist with the woman.”
Neither Bingley nor Anne liked the tone he applied tothe woman, but they both thought there was little point in trying to sway Darcy just yet. He would get along with his wife, or he would make them both miserable, but it seemed unlikely he was ready to listen to reason.
Bingley decided he would try to intercede about the time Darcy came back to England. He even thought about visiting Mrs Darcy during his absence, but that seemed like a suicide mission that he wanted no part of. With two estates under hiscontrol, when he had all of six weeks of instruction on estate management in his life, the gentleman decided he had his own issues to deal with.
Suddenly remembering the earlier confusing look, Anne said, “Fitzwilliam, you still have not told us how you ended up in that position.”
Darcy nodded. “I asked her to dance.”
Anne gasped, and started to speak, but Darcy cut her off. “Yes, yes, yes, I know. I stuck my own foot into the trap, and so on and so forth. I did ask her to dance, and—”
Anne and Bingley leaned forward expectantly, so Darcy sighed. “—and we quarrelled. Wickham was there spreading his poison, and Miss Elizabeth asked me about him. She—”
He stopped and thought about it. “I am too close to it to know if she was goading me, genuinely credulous of his story, curious or—”
He shook his head. “I suppose I will just never know, but I am convinced she was working me. She was attacking my honour, at my weakest point. I gently took her arm, pulled her over to a perfectly public but quiet corner to set her straight, and the rest is history. The neighbours vanished, her mother came along right on schedule, then her father. She had all night to manoeuvre me somewhere vulnerable, and they struck while the iron was hot.”
Anne shook nervously at the strain in his voice, but seeing little profit in discussing the actual compromise, she gently asked, “Why did you ask her to dance, Will? You almost never do that?”
Darcy looked chagrined. “Whatever arts and allurements she may or may not have been practisingwere working,at least somewhat. I must admit that I was enjoying a mild flirtation with her, a bit of an infatuation. I thought to indulge myself for once, since I was planning to leave within the week.”
Anne leaned back, thinking that her cousin was the absolute, undisputed king of self-delusion, so she had some slim hope that he might do the right thing, after he had exhausted all other possibilities—or at least, he might have, before the Bennets dug their own hole. She thought she might speculate on the matter later. Darcy wouldobviouslynever have considered Miss Bennet seriously, no matter how strong his flirtation and infatuation had been, so the Bennets had played the hand as well as they could.
Shaking herself loose from her thoughts, Anne said, “Fitzwilliam, you will have to either live with her or put her aside and make other arrangements.”
Darcy shook his head. “I will never do that.”
She nodded, happy to see that there wassomehonour left in her family. It was too little and too late, but they would have to take what they could get.
Darcy heaved a great sigh and took more brandy. “She will be my wife, and she will birth my heir. Beyond that… well… I will do my best, I suppose.
Anne said, “Youmustget along with her. I can tell you from experience you do not want to spend decades with a discontented partner in life. Maybe… just… try to be kind to her and see where that gets you.”
Darcy nodded. “The wedding is going to be acrimonious. I cannot imagine I will be in a mood for that.”
“Good mood or not, Will, that first day will set the tone for your entire life. You need to make an effort—a serious effort.”
“I will do my best, Anne.”
They sat in silence listening to the fire crackle for a few minutes, and Darcy sat up and thumped the table. “Enough!”
The Bingleys startled a bit, and Darcy asked, “Explain to me how a simple introduction ended up with a marriage in less than a fortnight? Did you set your own traps, Anne?”
Anne and Bingley just laughed. “Not as such. Can I presume you are not stupid—well actually, that is optimistic, since I have seen rocks that could have avoided Miss Elizabeth? Can I presume you at least worked out the mutual advantageousness of this match, in terms of situation, in terms of fortune, in terms of synchronicity of goals and personalities?”
“I explained that in some detail to your mother. I cannot say she took it well.”
“She has made my life miserable long enough. It is my turn.”
