Page 42 of Pemberley's Imposter
Elizabeth’s hands flew to her chest. Two weeks earlier, the answer would have been a resounding yes.
For better or for worse.Mr Darcy’s worst was harrowing, but she had pledged herself to him before God with her family as witnesses, and now he had begged her for an opportunity to mend the breach. Could she deny him?
“I hardly know,” she admitted.
“I doubt Mr Darcy has had the time to bring the colonel to trial for acriminal conversation,”Mr Bingley mused aloud. “It is a long process that requires evidence and witness statements. The punishment is a hefty fine, but I do not believe Mr Darcy would settle for a simple loss of fortune. The scandal alone would be enough to deter him. Nor do I believe he would file for a divorce, which would render you both social outcasts, and neither of you would be able to remarry. Mr Darcy would no longer be responsible for you financially, but it would be small recompense for the colonel’s transgressions. No, I am quite certain it is notdivortium a mensa et thoroMr Knightley has brought with him for you to sign. Perhaps it is a witness statement.”
Elizabeth hoped the attorney would soon complete refreshing himself and come down to finish his business. The uncertainty was most unnerving.
“How is it that you know so much about the law, Charles?” Elizabeth wondered.
“I studied the law at an attorney’s office for a year. A particularly interesting suit from 1801 interested me because it was the first divorce that was ever granted to a lady.”
“How intriguing,” Elizabeth replied.
They continued discussing women’s rights whilst awaiting Mr Knightley’s presence, but he did not leave his room until dinner, then excused himself as soon as the meal ended. He explained he had developed a headache in the heated carriage and wished to retire, so the conversation had to be postponed until the next day.
Afforded plenty of time to ruminate on the subject, Elizabeth pondered long into the night. The mistress’s chamber, where she had remained since the ordeal, offered a window seat overlooking a secluded part of the garden and the forest beyond. The woods seemed so different in the summer, bathed in the silver light of the moon. It looked nothing like the gloomy, snow-covered wilderness she had once trodden.
What would she do if the papers were a request for a permanent separation from her husband? Her financial situation was no longer a concern after Mr Darcy had explained the conditions in the marriage settlement. It was a conundrum why her father had not mentioned the provisions. He must have known if he had read the contract.
Either Mr Bennet had known and not bothered to inform her, or most likely, he had not read the document in its entirety, like most of the correspondence that ended up in the unread pileon his desk. It was extraordinary for a man so fond of reading that letters were of no interest to him whatsoever.
What her own sentiments were was even more obscured and muddled. Mr Darcy had treated her abominably, sending her out into the cold winter night to fend for herself. He had had provocation, but still…
What if she had been the one who had discovered Mr Darcy in an amorous embrace with another lady? It was surprisingly easy to imagine as echoes of the past, undermined by time but not entirely forgotten, reappeared in her mind. Like Miss Bingley’s cloying manners at Netherfield. The lady had set her cap at Mr Darcy, who had thwarted her efforts by marrying Elizabeth, but he had not behaved dismissively towards her advances. He always met her overtures with civility, neither encouraging nor discouraging. Elizabeth let her mind conjure up a tableau of Miss Bingley leaning into Mr Darcy’s embrace, enjoying the frissons created by his feather-light kisses and caresses.
Elizabeth’s blood boiled in her veins, and she jolted out of her seat to pace the room. The image seemed so real, more like a memory than conjecture. Elizabeth acknowledged that the anger she would have felt if it had been a reality would surpass any rage she had previously experienced. Yet, it may very well happen. It was not so uncommon for spouses to engage in liaisons in superior society. If anything, it was more common than not, judging by the rumours and gossip related in the newspapers. Mr Darcy may not ever be free to remarry, but nothing prohibited him from taking lovers.
Elizabeth needed to redirect her thoughts. The path they were treading did not lead anywhere productive.
The decisive point was, did she want to be separated from her husband, or was there hope for a reconciliation?
Searching the depths of her soul, the answer was not what she expected, but love was a rebellious sentiment, devoid of reason.
#
Mr Darcy’s study, the next morning
Elizabeth seated herself behind Mr Darcy’s desk. Opposite her, Mr Knightley laid down a thick document and pushed it towards her.
“I strongly advised Mr Darcy against taking this legal action, but he could not be deterred.”
Elizabeth’s stomach tied itself into a thousand knots. Mr Knightley’s solemn disapproval of what was about to be presented to her did nothing to alleviate her misgivings. She drew a fortifying breath and glared at the dreaded object before she tore off the seal. She unfolded the sheets and began reading:
Old Bailey Courthouse
7thAugust 1815, (Admittance by Samuel Birch, Lord Mayor of London)
Fitzwilliam Thorne Alexander Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire transfers half of his estate, Pemberley in Derbyshire, to his beloved wife, Elizabeth Vivienne Darcy.
The estate includes Bluff Castle in Stonehaven, Scotland, Glen Holme in Ireland, a Cottage in the Lakes, and Vue de la Mer Castle in France.
Including carriages, boats, stables, outbuildings, tenant farms, and mines. Also orchards, gardens, closes or parcels of land, meadow, pastures, and woodland.
Clause: The estate can only be left to offspring of the union between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Darcy.
The deed was signed by her husband and the Lord Mayor of London.
