Anne Read online

  Chapter 1

  To welcome his niece Miss Anne de Bourgh to his house in London, Earl Compton was throwing a dinner party and they had all been invited, even Mr Manners, who was no relation but certainly a respected gentleman. Of course he had offered to introduce Miss de Bourgh to genteel girls of his acquaintance, which would make Miss de Bourgh's visit to town a lot more agreeable.

  As they were on their way Elizabeth could not but admit she was a little anxious, which was remarkable since she hadn't been in the slightest at the ladies' charity and other events attended by the highest ranks. The only time she had ever seen Fitzwilliam's uncle was at their wedding, and she realised she had still been more than a little countrified at that time. No matter how quick her mind and how certain she had been of Fitzwilliam's affection for her, she had still felt a bit overblown by his connections. But why feel that way now? She had gained so much experience and so many new acquaintances, and had been tested and probed by the fashionable set of London. Why care what one Earl thought of her, even if he was Fitzwilliam's uncle?

  From their conversations the last days, and the letter the Earl had sent Fitzwilliam in reply to the latter's announcement of Georgiana's engagement, Elizabeth was inclined to think him quite a character, rich, independent and very fond of having his own way. That was it, she had no idea what to expect; she hoped to find Lord Compton sympathetic, maybe to compensate for his sister's obnoxious personality, but she feared to find him the opposite.

  Fitzwilliam seemed to respect his uncle very much, and Elizabeth could think of no-one else whom she could say that of. Also the colonel, Earl Compton's own son, talked fondly of his father, but with the same awed respect. Every reason to believe therefore that Lord Compton was as formidable a character as his sister, and possibly more worthy of respect. But would he be likeable?

  Mrs Annesley had agreed to join their party, she seemed to know the Earl better than one would expect from their difference in rank and the short time

  Mrs Annesley had been with the family. Elizabeth could hardly wait to see the two of them together, maybe she would get a clue as to why the sedate lady could rejoice in such attention from elderly gentlemen. Did she like the dignified Earl better, or sharp but countrified Mr Bennet? Watching their calm, sophisticated housekeeper surreptitiously, Elizabeth almost forgot to be anxious.

  The three of them, Fitzwilliam, herself and Mrs Annesley, were sharing Elizabeth's wedding carriage, while the other three were using Frederick's.

  The latter's large, ornate one would easily have accommodated them all but Fitzwilliam insisted on using their own.

  'The roads are fine, Bob is bored, and the horses are getting lazy. A nice long trip across town will be just the thing. Georgiana will be fine with the two gentlemen, Manners is an excellent chaperone for twenty minutes.'

  In half an hour they had crossed town, Bob showing off his skill by guiding the carriage across narrow bridges and through tiny alleys. Elizabeth suspected he was taking a detour just to enjoy himself, Frederick's carriage could not possibly use this route, it was way too large and no sane driver would even try to navigate these roads anyway. Fitzwilliam merely looked through the window once or twice and observed, 'I told Bob to brush up his driving skills, which made him very happy, he's wasted on the city team. I can't wait to have my thoroughbreds back, and ride my hunters through woods and across fields. I'm ready for the country, Elizabeth.'

  So was she. But by now they had arrived in front of a magnificent house in an even grander neighbourhood than their own, and Bob halted before a marble facade at least twice the size of their own entrance.

  They were received very politely by a liveried butler, who told them the rest of the party had already arrived and was waiting in the drawing-room with the young master. Lord Compton would make his entrance at the table. The hall was even larger than their own and much more ornate, with hardwood inlays in the panelling, lavish gold decorations on the priceless papering above the panels, painted landscapes in elaborate frames adorning the walls, and military ornaments in two glass cases with short hardwood legs.

  Elizabeth could see an old pistol and a shiny sabre as they walked by, there was no time to study them but she did wonder why the colonel's father had such humble keepsakes in such a rich interior. She would have expected priceless China or burnished silver, not aged bronze and cold iron.

  Through this lavish hall they were shown into a similar drawing-room, large,

  with expensive silk Persian carpets covering the floor from wall to wall, glossy hardwood furniture with stiff horsehair seats, velvet draperies in intricate pleats. Not a gentleman's interior but a lady's, most likely this room had not been changed since the colonel's mother had died some seven years ago. Frankly, this was the style Fitzwilliam abhorred so strongly that he preferred to have Kitty and Georgiana change the single room in his house still displaying it into a garish mixture of ancient styles. And donated the furniture to charity instead of having it taken to the attic for storage.

  'This house is a relic to my mother's memory,' the colonel said as he greeted them, Elizabeth first of all. 'My father never changed any of it, of course he doesn't use it very often, he prefers to stay in the country all year. It's really remarkable he decided to visit for as much as three weeks. I'd feel insulted not to be trusted with my cousin if I didn't suspect him of having an interest to acquaint himself better with the woman who caused such a stir in our family. Of course his house in the country is much more modern than this, my brother and his wife have made extensive improvements, they couldn't bear to live in a shrine.'

  Did the colonel suggest his father planned to stay in London to get acquainted with her? Had Colonel Fitzwilliam told his father about his affection for his cousin's wife? That could not be true, could it? There was nothing Elizabeth could do but wait and see what happened, though she would have preferred to flee the prospect of Earl Compton's scrutiny. But this evening at least she would be safe from too much attention from the earl's quarter, for Mrs Annesley was here on his special request, he would not neglect her.

  'Your staff must take excellent care of the house, Colonel, it looks old-fashioned but not worn. And the curiosities in the hall, I would have expected your mother to have had China, silver, expensive things.'

  The colonel smiled in a very worrying way, he was still showing his feelings so openly!

  'My mother wanted to show me she loved me, too, despite my being the younger son. So she always took an interest in my occupation, and carefully preserved some of the things I no longer needed. She was lovely. I don't wonder my father refuses to have this house redecorated; though he's not pining for her, he enjoys life, you'll see.'

  Before the situation could become uncomfortable the colonel moved on to the others, greeting Mrs Annesley as heartily as Elizabeth.

  'You've come, Mrs Annesley, thank you so much! My father begged to have

  someone his own age present, for some sensible conversation, he said. He remembered talking to you very pleasantly when you accompanied Georgiana on a former visit. Please take a seat, he will join us with my cousin, she was a bit reticent to meet so many new faces.'

  And a familiar one, Elizabeth silently added, one she hadn't seen after the news of his marriage had sent her mother into a rage. Elizabeth could not help thinking how the sight of Mrs Darcy had to be unwelcome to Miss de Bourgh, though maybe not as much so as to Miss Bingley when they had first arrived at Netherfield for Jane and Bingley's wedding. Well, there was nothing she could do about it, and it would be interesting to see whether Miss de Bourgh did indeed show signs of disappointment.

  Soon, they were back to their usual comfortable intimacy, only Eric seemed a little out of sorts. Was he feeling out of place here? Elizabeth could imagine that he would,
she wasn't entirely comfortable herself, she felt very much an upstart in this rich interior, and still a bit afraid Lord Compton might not like her and show it a bit too clearly.

  Though Eric might be feeling the same, it was not what he voiced to their host in his usual polite fashion.

  'Colonel, doesn't your father own a piano-forte?'

  Of course, a piano. She should have known, Eric had never shown any discomfort at being surrounded by riches, the only thing that could shake his inner calm was the lack of an instrument.

  'Indeed he doesn't,' the colonel replied readily, 'my mother played the harp, I have no sisters, and my sister-in-law was never taught to play an instrument.

  Of course we rarely stay here, we do have an instrument at my father's estate in the country, though I suppose it may be an inferior one, it's rather old.'

  They talked a little more about instruments, and education, and before they knew it the butler arrived to lead them to the dining room.

  As they walked along the familiar hall once more, Darcy wondered why no-one had even attempted to bring this house up to modern standards.

  Fitzwilliam might call it a shrine to his mother, but to Darcy it was painful to see his late aunt's beloved furnishings slowly growing out of date, and out of use. For some three or four years now his uncle and elder cousin had stopped visiting London altogether, preferring to stay in the country. And Fitzwilliam usually stayed with Darcy, professedly because the servants gossiped about his exploits, but Darcy suspected mostly because the memory of his mother

  pained him. The late Lady Compton had been a truly superior character, and Fitzwilliam had always been her favourite child, spoiled to make up for her initial disappointment not to have a little girl, Darcy always thought. But wouldn't it have been more sensible to dedicate one or two rooms to her memory, and have the rest redecorated and refurnished with a little more modern comfort? When his elder cousin took over his father's title he would need to be in town very often, and this was no place to receive important guests. It was a museum, and rather depressing. Hopefully Anne would not feel the melancholy it exuded to Darcy.

  They'd had some glorious times here when Fitzwilliam's mother was still alive, the heart and soul of her little family, and very glad to offer her nephew, still an only child, the hospitality of her beautiful house and the companionship of her two sons, who were of course only a few years his senior. But Anne had never joined them here, she had already been sickly by then. She might have no memories of this house at all, and despite being old-fashioned it was much more homely than Rosings. Even Elizabeth seemed to mostly feel its charms, and not its melancholy.

  Lost in his musings, Elizabeth's hand in his but her attention directed towards the paintings and military paraphernalia adorning the hallway, Darcy didn't register his surroundings until a soft voice broke into his thoughts.

  'Hello Darcy. It's so good to see you! You look thoughtful, cousin, I hope it's not because of me.'

  Anne! Had he been so lost in thought that he'd missed entering the dining room? He looked around and indeed, Elizabeth must have led him inside, distracted by Fitzwilliam's conversation about this compass and that seascape. Fitzwilliam was introducing her to his father, as if she was his wife, for goodness sake, if he wasn't Darcy's favourite cousin! They'd met, of course, his uncle and Elizabeth, they'd even danced at their wedding, Darcy remembered, but that seemed ages ago. Oh, good, there was Fielding now, and Georgie, no chance for Fitzwilliam to further claim Elizabeth towards his father.

  A hand on his shoulder caused him to look at his cousin. She looked pretty awful, pale, sunken features, yet those features were perfectly regular and fine, she only lacked bloom to be very beautiful, even though she must be at least twenty-five already.

  'She's yours, Darcy, and he knows it, no need to be jealous of Fitzwilliam. It's his way to come to terms with your marriage.'

  Now Darcy felt ashamed of himself, Elizabeth had never given him any reason to be jealous, and neither had Fitzwilliam. He needed to get over this, it was demeaning to lose control over one's feelings, especially in public. He tried to sound as normal as possible towards his cousin, though that was certainly not easy.

  'Hello Anne, good to see you again! I wish you were in better health, and I'm very sorry if I in any way contributed to your being indisposed. I hope your stay in London will cheer you up a little. Have you had a good journey?'

  'Thank you for being honest, Darcy. I'm so fed up with being pampered and lied to. I did feel bad when I heard of your marriage, but I have come to realise that wasn't your fault at all. It was maman who'd fed my hopes, you never gave me any encouragement, and frankly, I didn't act on my expectations either. I should have tried to get to know you, spent time with you, and then I would have found out soon enough that my mother's promise was a lie, her own wishful thinking. I waited eight years for your proposals, Darcy, can you believe how blind and foolish I have been?'

  What could he say? His aunt could be very convincing and he never did gainsay her directly.

  'You know our uncle is a lot nicer than I expected. I was always a bit afraid of him but he was actually very entertaining on the road. He had a massive row with maman before it came to travelling at all, she insisted on accompanying me and he bluntly refused, said it was time I had a life of my own. Then he told her Mrs Jenkinson would visit her family for the first time in four years. How did he know that? I didn't even realise it had been so long, I never really thought of her having a family that would be missing her. I feel quite ashamed now.

  Maman objected that meeting Mr Fielding would mean meeting you and Mrs Darcy, and uncle retorted that he was counting on it. She burst out in anger, fulminating against the two of you, and he laughed right in her face. Said he had read about Mrs Darcy in the newspapers and was dying to meet her again, expecting her to be a truly superior genteel lady and very entertaining.

  I'll tell you maman nearly died of apoplexy right there and then. She went absolutely red, then purple, and before she could gather her thoughts and say anything at all, he asked sweet as icing-sugar, 'Have you read about your niece's engagement yet?'

  I had, but I hadn't dared tell her, not eager to be the bringer of bad news. But our uncle savoured the moment, told her Georgiana had announced her

  engagement to a very special gentleman, making both cousin Fitzwilliam and yourself very happy. She was almost recovered, eager to hear about the new connection the family would make, and then he hit her with it, 'It's Mr Fielding himself, the supremely talented pianist that the papers are praising sky-high!'

  Then he stepped back to enjoy the effect and he got what he wanted. Such a tantrum maman threw, she raged and screamed, I think she even cursed once or twice. But uncle remained calm of course, and I rejoiced for dear Georgiana, having found someone she could really love, I can't wait to meet him and hear him play. Both of them. Then uncle whispered to me, 'Have your maid pack for a three-week visit, and if she's quick enough we'll be off before dinner.'

  And we were, leaving maman in a state. You know he even took Mrs Jenkinson to her home, it wasn't far out of our road but he could have left her to take the post. It was a very humble house where Mrs Jenkinson lived.

  Anyway, once we were by ourselves we talked, for the first time ever. He was easy to confide in, and hearing that cousin Fitzwilliam and you worried about me made me feel very good. I'm planning to enjoy myself here, cousin, though I will be scared to death of strangers at first.'

  Darcy could not remember Anne ever having talked so much and with so much feeling. Maybe she did have some character after all. He had made appropriate sounds and comments in response to her account of her journey, and now he affirmed, 'I'm sure you will have a good time here, Anne, our friend Manners knows everyone and he'll make sure you will find a few companions with the same interests.'

  But now he wanted to be with Elizabeth, it felt wrong to be away from her, though he was glad to have this first awkward meeting with his cousin
over with. And Elizabeth was trying to catch his eye, the rest was already seated and she had saved a place for him by her side. Anne had a seat between Manners and Fitzwilliam on the other side of the table, and Darcy's uncle was of course at the head of the table, right next to Elizabeth. Despite having Mrs Annesley on his other side, he did claim Elizabeth's attention more than Darcy liked, the old man was clearly planning to enjoy this evening, seated between two intelligent women.

  But as soon as Darcy sat down Elizabeth took his hand and squeezed it, leaving his uncle to Mrs Annesley for a few moments to whisper in his ear, 'If you act out here I'll just let you. Maybe look at you fondly, or kiss you. These

  are your relatives, not mine.'

  She knew. It was just incredible how subtly she could observe him, he would have sworn her attention had been totally taken up by Fitzwilliam.

  'You're so cute I want to eat you, beloved.'

  She stroked his cheek gently, she wanted to kiss him but was restraining herself, and he had to control himself, too, for he wanted to lean into her strokes, rest his face in her hand. At least she was not angry at him, it must seem as if he didn't trust her, he didn't want to be jealous over her, it just happened.

  'So Darcy,' his uncle broke into a very dangerous moment, as if he knew Darcy was on the verge of making a fool of himself, 'what's it like to have your wife change from a country girl into an icon of fashion?'

  He sounded perfectly sincere, not a hint of deprecation towards Elizabeth, she must have used the term country girl herself, Darcy knew she had hated her own naiveté when she first came to live in the city. And it worked, the moment of intimacy was gone in an instant, and he squeezed Elizabeth's hand a little and formulated a reply.

  'I feel very proud when I enter a room filled with admirers, uncle, but I know Elizabeth herself would prefer to be back at Pemberley, and not have everyone stare at her.'

  'You get plenty of admiring looks yourself, Fitzwilliam,' she interjected.

  That was true, and they made him feel good because seeing them made him feel worthy of her.