“I never meant to hurt anyone. I only meant to protect my son.” Elizabeth’s words were measured and her voice clear and strong. All whispers and exclamations ceased as she took her place at the head of the table.
“But your deception was not necessary, not where Georgiana and I were concerned.” Mr. Darcy stood and challenged her openly.
Lady Matlock pounded a fist on the table rattling the silver and dishes. “Fitzwilliam, you would have kept her secret had she shared it. You were the one who stood against us in her favor and now you see how she has repaid you?”
Elizabeth maintained her composure. “Why would I wish for my son to know the hatred you hold for his mother? You will never accept me as part of your family and I will not have my son poisoned against me.”
Lady Matlock stood and pushed her chair aside. The earl was on his feet in the blink of an eye. “Margaret, you must stop this feud with Elizabeth. She was chosen by our son, like it or not, and she has given us such a gift, an heir. He will be the next Earl of Matlock. Sit down.”
Lady Matlock turned on her husband. “She will keep him from us, use him to take more and more of the Fitzwilliam fortune. Can you not see it?”
Georgiana rose from her seat and went to Elizabeth’s side. “I say we must all use reason and logic. It is true Richard could not share his life with you, Aunt Margaret. He wrote to me about his time in Hertfordshire, about how happy he was to have married a woman he truly loved.”
Mr. Darcy moved to his sister’s side amid the urgent whispers that filled the room. “You never spoke of this Georgie. Why did you keep such information from me?”
“He begged for my secrecy,” Georgiana cast a guilty look to her Aunt and Uncle.
Lady Matlock dissembled before the entire party. “You lied to us, Georgiana? How could you do such a thing?”
Mr. Darcy held up a hand as if to ward off the coming storm. “I am not in the habit of sharing private correspondence with anyone and my sister thankfully has the same prudent proclivity. The truth is, you made it impossible for him to reveal his happiness, Aunt Margaret. You have no one else to blame.”
Elizabeth had grown weary of the family drama playing out in her dining room. “I do not know whether anyone will stay for dinner, but as for myself I would like to sit down and at least have some soup. I suspect I shall be up for some hours with my son after tonight’s events.”
Lady Matlock hissed her refusal. “I would not sit down to a meal with those who deal in lies. You can be certain of that. I would never speak to you again were it not for my grandson’s sake. You shall bring him to Matlock House tomorrow afternoon so that we might know him since he is to be the heir to our fortune.”
Elizabeth sat and motioned for Harley to begin the dinner service. “I will not be ordered about by someone who cannot sit with me at a dinner table, Lady Matlock. With all due respect, I will decide when we meet and what we discuss when it comes to my son. You are more than welcome to visit him here under my scrutiny until such time as you are able to maintain your composure. Good evening. Harley would see you out, but he is busy seeing to dinner service for the rest of my guests.”
Mr. Darcy took his sister’s hand and led her from the room after the Matlocks made their exit.
“William, I would like to stay for dinner.”
“We will not, Georgiana. Let us leave Elizabeth to the bosom of her family. Had she trusted us, we might be counted amongst that number.”
Elizabeth wanted to go to the Darcys and beg them to remain but she would not. If Mr. Darcy could not understand her reasons for protecting her own son, there would be little left she might say to soothe his anger. She had enough of her own that she would not be able to indulge for some time with her house full of family.
Her son, who would be filled with questions about the Matlocks and Darcys, required her remaining strength.
A few days after her disastrous dinner, Elizabeth held the missive from Darcy House in her hand and read it again. She willed herself to breathe evenly as the words before her remained the same as the first time she’d read them.
Mr. Darcy had wasted little time in cutting her from his life. The letter stipulated that Georgiana was welcome to visit as she chose, that he would not order her to end her association with Elizabeth, but that his own visits were at an end.
He regretted that they would be unable to form a closer friendship as he had grown quite fond of her over the months she had been in London. His last sentence would be one Elizabeth would forever recall whenever she thought of him. Disguise of every sort is my abhorrence.
She walked with heavy steps to the fire and fed the letter to the flames. Her heart ached at the loss of his friendship. She had come to think they might be more than friends as time went on, but it was not to be.
Mr. Harley cleared his throat and Elizabeth turned to find him standing in the doorway as though he wished to enter. She was relieved that Lady Matlock was not at his side. “Come in, Mr. Harley. What news have you today?”
The butler who was more a friend than a servant entered and made sure to close the door behind him. Elizabeth thought his actions strange but held her tongue to see what he was about.
“Mrs. Fitzwilliam, I felt I must come to you with a bit of gossip circulating downstairs that might be of use to you and the young master.”
Elizabeth beckoned him to come stand by the fireplace with her. “I can imagine the topic but please, share it with me so that I may be aware.”
“It is from the servants of Matlock House. The gossip is Lady Matlock has said she must have young Master Richard in her home where he might be reared in the proper fashion. I do not see how she might achieve her goal, but I felt you must know of it. I will do all I might to thwart her plans, for I know you are an excellent mother and the colonel would not have wished such a fate for his little family.”
Elizabeth breathed deeply to remain calm. Her worst fears about the Matlocks were being realized and now she fully understood her dearly departed husband’s concerns. He had known his mother to be the interfering, high-handed woman she most certainly was proving to be.
“She supposes we might remain in London, then? I am not so certain Town is the place for us after all. I will have to think on what she has said and speak with my family. The Matlocks are a wealthy family and money can make the impossible possible.”
Mr. Harley furrowed his brows. “Mrs. Fitzwilliam, if I may be so bold, you are not a pauper. Why should you and the young one flee London? You have every right to live here, in the home of his father, and raise him as you see fit. I have no doubt he will someday be as bold, brave, and brash as Colonel Fitzwilliam. Keep him near the people who knew your husband best.”
Elizabeth moved closer to the butler and placed a hand on his arm. “You make an excellent argument, Mr. Harley. I am overwhelmed by the love and support in this house from the servants, you most especially. Perhaps I might strike a bargain with Lady Matlock where my son is concerned. For all her ill humor, she is his grandmother and he is aware of the fact now. I cannot take that back. We shall see.”
Mr. Harley made a slight bow and smiled warmly at Elizabeth. “Trust in your own counsel, Mrs. Fitzwilliam.”
The noise of her sisters on the stairs brought an unexpected emotion. She was grateful for their presence in her new home. She hoped they might remain in Town after her parents had returned to Longbourn.
When they entered the salon, she sent for tea and put the Matlocks and Darcys out of her mind. No matter where she chose to raise young Richard, he would be surrounded by love. Anything less was not tolerable for the next Earl of Matlock.
The End
Authors Note: Well dear reader, we see Elizabeth must come to terms with Lady Matlock’s penchant for controlling her family. In the next book of this series, forces will threaten her little family and Mr. Darcy will have to overcome his anger in order to continue his quest for Elizabeth’s heart. With Major Wickham in the picture, Lady Matlock plotting to wrest young Richard away, and Elizabeth’s mother deciding to remain in London, it does not bode well for our favorite heroine. Please know that I am working on Book Two now and will release it as quickly as possible so as not to leave you waiting too long to continue this journey with Elizabeth Fitzwilliam and her dear son.