Page 22 of Till Death Us Do Part: Book 2
Still, she strove mightily to keep her voice calm. “Close to it, my lord. I made two dedicated efforts to escape the match. In the end, my father dragged me in, using tricks little better than what you described, to enforce my acquiescence. Mr Darcy would not even talk to me, so he left no opportunity for alternate solutions, of which, I would have accepted nearly anything.”
Showing he had some temper too, Matlock stamped his foot, shook his finger at her as he might a misbehaving child, and shouted, “Desist, madam!Darcy wasthere,and he described the entire scene in some detail,notjust the last night, but the entiresix weeks. I have known him since he was in swaddling clothes, and I will take his word on the matter.”
Matching him tone for tone, but without the foot-stamping and finger-wagging, Elizabeth replied, “His interpretation is wildly off track, your lordship.”
For the first time, Elizabeth wished she were a man, because the insufferable lord really deserved a beating. Instead, she kept trying to rein in her temper, and finally spoke with a contrived, preternatural calmness.
“We can sit here and argue about this all day, my lord, but since you clearly have your minds made up, I will leave you to your preconceptions and just deal with my husband when he returns.”
Matlock’s mouth was set in a grim line as he nodded, not at all certain how this little guttersnipe got him so riled up. He had not lost his temper so thoroughly in quite some time.
Trying to calm down, Elizabeth asked, “May I ask youanotherquestion, my lord? Actually, I have two.”
“That is what I am here for.”
Startled, Elizabeth asked, “What do you mean?”
Lady Matlock decided to join the conversation. “We are here to teach you proper manners and accomplishments, so you stand some slim chance ofnotdisgracing our nephew. There seems little chance you will bring any pride to your introduction into society, but we hope to limit the damage.”
Elizabeth stared hard at the hateful woman for half a minute. “Mr Darcy is a gentleman. I am a gentleman’s daughter. Socially, we are equal. My husband expressed no reluctance about my deportment or manners, which, as far as I can tell, willraisethe standards in this family. My accomplishments are fine, so you may return home.”
Matlock snapped, “Not so hasty, if you please. I have by no means done. We have only been in the room ten minutes, andI am already aghast at your impertinence, your wilfulness, your lack of respect for your superiors—”
Getting angrier by the second, Elizabeth snapped, “You have been inmyhome for less than ten minutes, and you have already accused me of dishonesty, bad manners, and lack of accomplishments—even though neither of you knowanythingabout me—not the very first thing.What do you expect?”
“I expect you to respect your elders and accept help freely offered. I know much more about you and your family than you might think. I hired investigators, and based on their reports, I can only conclude that the entire lot of you should be shunned.”
Elizabeth was livid by then, and she started to speak, but then stopped abruptly, practically biting her tongue.
“This discussion accomplishes nothing! Neither party is likely to change positions, so it is a pointless exercise. May I ask my questions?”
“If you must,” Matlock snapped.
“I have been reading Mr Darcy’s law books.”
Lady Matlock gasped in surprise. “That isnotladylike. Do not ever repeat that statement, and you must desist at once.”
Elizabeth growled. “I will follow my husband’s instructions, if you do not mind. He explicitly specified,in writing, which books are allowed or prohibited. Now, may I get around to my question, if you please?”
“Get to it,” Matlock growled, while Elizabeth thought,this is not going well.
“I read the sections on marriage law carefully. Here is my question. I strongly suspect Mr Darcy is at least considering an annulment. Is this true?”
Lady Matlock gasped, but looked confused, while Lord Matlock lookedguilty.
Elizabeth wondered how the aristocracy defined social skills. Lord Matlock had all the grace and subtlety of a bull. The couplemade Mr Darcy and Miss Bingley seem subtle by comparison. She suspected the Earl had carried the upper hand in nearly every interaction in his life, and he had either not learned to school his expressions, or more likely, he just could not be bothered, when dealing with someone of such little significance. She could read the expression on his face, which answered the question handily, but since he did not seem ready to answer verbally, she did so for him.
“I see by your expression that it is under serious consideration, is it not? Your lack of denial would seem a confirmation.”
Matlock nodded, but Elizabeth watched his expression even more carefully than before. She was nearly as angry as she had been on her wedding day and felt as if she were in battle, or at least, as she imagined such a thing must feel. Time seemed to slow, and she felt as if she could see every breath. What she saw made her bold.
“Let me guess. It was your idea?”
Matlock grunted. “Do I need to actually answer your questions, or will you just suppose all my answers?”
“Just tell me if I am wrong.”
Matlock paused, and Elizabeth gave him all the time he needed to answer, or as one of the stable hands was fond of saying, she gave him all the rope he needed to hang himself.
