Page 64 of Lord Lonbourn's Daughter
“Your deceit knows no bounds. What about the footman? His death is not so easy to dismiss, or does your distorted mind deny it?” Darcy whispered, low and menacing.
“I have no wish to deny it. He was a servant of no importance. I certainly did not order his demise, and I dare say he will not be missed,” the viscount replied indifferently.
“I dare say he will. The man had a family, Montgomery. A wife and a child who will now be left to starve if she cannot find an employer that will allow her to keep him with her. You know as well as I that few people will hire servants with small children.”
The viscount only shrugged as if he found the topic of conversation tedious, which fuelled Darcy’s anger.
“What about my marriage? Elizabeth was forced to marry a man she did not even like! Or have you conveniently forgotten your extortion letters?”
“Arranged marriages happen all the time, Darcy. Why should you be any better off than every other man of standing in society?”
“For your information, I am exceedingly better off than most men of our acquaintance. I am married to a lady I love with every fibre of my being. An exceptional lady you could not find the likes of in superior society. She makes me happy, more so than I have ever been,” Darcy boasted.
“I would not have thought you such a good liar, Darcy.”
Frustrated, Darcy threw his hands in the air. There was no reasoning with his cousin. He mumbled an old rhyme, “Derbyshire for lead, Devonshire for tin, Wiltshire for plovers’ eggs and Middlesex for sin.”
He encountered the colonel as he strode away from the accursed viscount.
“I heard everything, Darcy. My brother is out of his senses and should be committed to Bedlam. To think he would stoop so low—even engage Mr Wickham as his accomplice. Paying him with Lady Lydia’s hand and fortune. Preposterous!”
“You are the much better man, Richard. If only he could be disinherited, but as long as he can decide what is the back and forth of a saddle, his inheritance is safe. Neither do I believe the courts will touch the son of the Earl of Matlock for the sake of a footman.”
The duke requested Lord Longbourn’s company before he saw Darcy at last. Afterwards, he was tired, and the conversations that needed to be had were put off until the next day.
The guests were treated to a lavish meal by themselves in the dining room. Only the viscount did not join them. A quiet enquiry revealed that he was taking his supper in his room, which was heavily guarded by the duke’s men. It was obvious that His Grace was not easily fooled.
Mr Wickham was given similar treatment by Lord Longbourn.
“Lizzy, I would be ever so pleased if you would swap estates with me,” Lady Lydia whined.
“Why?”
“Ronaldsay is too far from London. Where is your estate situated?”
“The Scottish Highlands,” Elizabeth replied.
“Oh, not much better, then,” Lady Lydia muttered, discouraged.
“It depends on how much you like cold, rain, and windy mountains. I have heard that you can be trapped there for weeks in the winter,” Elizabeth related with a dreamy smile.
“Where is Mary’s estate?” Lydia enquired.
“Wales,” Elizabeth informed her.
“Jane?” Lydia looked imploringly at her eldest sister.
“No, Lydia, you cannot have Longbourn,” Jane chided.
“But—”
“Leave it, Lydia,” Lord Longbourn barked. “I decide who gets what, and your estate is not negotiable. You have made your choice when you could have married a man with his own property. He is entertaining, your Mr Wickham. You may live with me until the time comes that Mr Collins inherits.”
Lady Lydia turned to Darcy. “Perhaps Mr Darcy has an estate he does not use. I understand that you deprived Mr Wickham of a living he was bequeathed by your father. You owe him.”
The whole room gasped at her audacity.
“Lady Lydia! Your Mr Wickham has not been ordained. He cannot receive any living because he lacks the appropriate education. Furthermore, he was given three thousand pounds in lieu of the living in addition to the thousand pounds from my father’s will. I suggest you add those four thousand pounds to your twenty, and you may buy an estate closer to London.”
