A Wife for Mr. Darcy

concerned, he could not get to London to see Letitia fast enough and get this whole sorry affair behind him.

    As soon as Lizzy reached her room, she rang for Ellie and asked that arrangements be made for a bath.
    “Right away, miss, and a letter’s come for you. It is on the table in the foyer. Should I get it?”
    “I am sure it is from my sister Jane, so it can wait. I am much more interested in getting all of this dirt off me.”
    Lizzy felt an overwhelming sense of fatigue and was looking forward to soaking in a warm bath. Hopefully, she could wash away all the anger she was feeling for Mr. Darcy. But when Lizzy entered her apartment, she found her Aunt Gardiner waiting for her.
    “I fear that I am intruding, as I am sure you are tired,” her aunt stammered, “but I am actually hiding out in here.”
    “From Uncle Gardiner?”
    “No, your uncle has not returned. I am speaking of Lord Fitzwilliam,” and she clutched the lace on her bodice. “Elizabeth, he is a total rake. He had me blushing like a new bride. As your guardian, I do not want you anywhere near that man.”
    “I don’t think you need worry,” Lizzy said, taking off her coat. “From what I have heard, he would be more interested in you than me. Apparently, he draws the line at seducing maidens.”
    “Oh dear! You do not really think that he would try to…” but Aunt Gardiner could not finish the sentence.
    “I have never met him, but I think he is probably more talk than action. I imagine one cold look from Mr. Darcy will settle him down nicely. But what did he say to you?”
    “I am embarrassed to repeat the conversation,” but with the slightest smile on her lips, she related the hour she had spent in Lord Fitzwilliam’s company. “I have never been in the presence of an earl before, and I did not know what to say. In fact, he told me I was saying ‘milord’ too frequently. He appreciates his rank being acknowledged, but to his mind, a few ‘milords’ are sufficient,” and Ruth Gardiner started to giggle like a young girl. “Actually, he is wickedly charming. I can imagine him getting his way more often than not.”
    “But tell me what he said.”
    “All right. After all, you are more than twenty years old and not a child. As I said, I did not know what to say to him because of his rank, and so I asked him about his family. He told me that he had two delightful daughters, ten and twelve, who were the apples of his eye. After we had exhausted the subject of his children, I told him that I had met the colonel and asked if there were any other sisters or brothers. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I have two sisters. The younger one thinks I can do no wrong, while the older one thinks I can do no right. The older one actually got it right.’
    “That is exactly what he said, but then he went on. ‘My parents had four children, one right after the other, and then no more. I wonder what happened there?’ Well, I blushed from head to toe at the implication that they no longer… Anyway, after he saw me blushing, he said, ‘Tsk, tsk, tsk, Mrs. Gardiner, I wasn’t thinking of that at all.’”
    Lizzy started laughing. “I think he was trying to fluster you as he has a reputation to protect—that of being a rascal.”
    “Well, my dear, if he wanted to see me flustered, he succeeded. I will tell you that I shall have Mr. Gardiner beside me throughout the evening, and if he must leave me for even a moment, I shall seek you out.”
    “You would do better to find Mr. Darcy. That gentleman was in ill humor when I left him, and I doubt he is in the mood for any of his cousin’s antics.”

Shortly after Mrs. Gardiner returned to her room, her husband came bounding in after an excellent day of fishing on the River Dove. Although he had been gone since dawn on this his final excursion, he was overflowing with energy and was looking forward to sharing his day at Viator’s Bridge with his wife. Instead, Mrs. Gardiner demanded his immediate attention.
    “May I clean up while you tell me about your exciting day in the gardens, Mrs. Gardiner? Certainly, any words that fell from the lips of that laconic Scotsman would be more interesting than anything I had to say about fishing in a spot mentioned in The Compleat Angler .” Mrs. Gardiner was so eager to share her experience with her husband that she entirely missed the sarcasm contained in his remark.
    “This is not about Mr. Ferguson but Lord Fitzwilliam, who, by the way, is very