The Darcy Code (5 page)

"I am glad to meet you here, Mr. Standish, for I think I have in some way offended you. I would like to know how this may be."

"I cannot think of any reason why you should imagine that, Miss Gosforth. I assure you have in no way offended me. I do not believe you could do so."

The mere sound of his voice sent shivers down her spine. She pressed on, "I think anyone who saw you at the ball last night would think that I had offended you. We have become very friendly, have we not, and yet last night–"

The flush on his face deepened. "If there was anything in my behaviour that led you to believe that, Miss Gosforth then I apologize. I have taken uncommon pleasure in your company, but pray do not read too much into it. You are a delightful companion, but there is, I hope, nothing that I have said or done that would lead you to imagine –"

Anger surged into Anna's eyes. "What is it about me that has given you this disgust of me, pray, Mr. Standish? Am I too frivolous for you, is that what bothers you?"

He pounced on the word, as though it held his salvation. "You are very young, Miss Gosforth. Times are serious, and a man in my position indeed has little time for frivolity."

"So serious times demand serious companions, is that the case? Is Lady Flavia a more serious companion than I am?"

He said in a cold tones, "I do not think that Lady Flavia has anything to do with this. I am sorry, Miss Gosforth, if I did most unfortunately arouse expectations in you. I did not mean to and I am not able to fulfil the kind of friendship you seem to desire."

Then with a bow and just a tip of his hat, he had gone.

Anna was distraught. Tears prickled at her eyes, and here she was in the library with so many people who knew her, who had been observing her conversation with Mr. Standish, must have noticed his abrupt departure from the library. All she wanted to do was to burst into tears, to sob her heart out, and that must not happen.

Suddenly another man stood beside her. She looked at him uncomprehendingly, hardly recognizing him through eyes filled with tears. Good heavens, it was Mr. Vere again, the ubiquitous Mr. Vere.

"Ah, Miss Gosforth," he said in calm tones. "Here to choose another novel? Allow me to recommend this one."

He felt sorry for her, profoundly sorry for her and angry with Standish, and this surprised him. The lachrymose affections of young ladies were not really of the slightest interest to him, and he was unused to being touched in this way. She was trying hard to keep a woebegone expression from her face, and she was making a reasonable job of it. Damn Standish for making such a mess of things. Of course he couldn't marry the girl, but why did he have to be so particular in his attentions, and then to drop her as suddenly as he had taken her up? It would have been so much better manners and kinder to gradually ease himself out of a situation in which there was no future. He should have known better.

He glanced across the room, to where Henrietta Portway was turning over the pages of a book, pretending an interest he doubted she felt. "I believe you were here with a friend? I was going to take a turn in the park, perhaps you both would be good enough to accompany me."

Henrietta, applied to, was delighted to walk in the park with so elegant and eligible a gentleman as Mr. Vere. She was somewhat in awe of him, but it seemed to her a good idea to remove Anna from here and give her time for her flustered spirits to return to some semblance of tranquillity.

She engaged Mr. Vere in conversation as they walked down
Bond Street
and crossed a busy Piccadilly and entered
Green
Park
, and by then, she and Mr. Vere were relieved to see, Anna had regained control of herself, and although no one could call her happy, the dreadfully stricken look had gone.

Anna was grateful that Sarah's imminent nuptials dominated life at home, and in all the preparations for that happy occasion, no one noticed how quiet she was, or suspected how miserable she was feeling. It was with a heavy heart that she followed her sister to church a few days later. She had to admit that Sarah looked lovely, her usually rather inexpressive face full of smiles. She had misjudged her; she had felt that Sarah was marrying Mr. Allen simply for the sake of a good establishment, which Anna had always sworn she herself would never do. How mistaken she was, the rapturous look on her sister's face as Lord Gosforth placed her hand in Mr. Allen's proved her in the wrong. They really loved one another, there was much more to it than a simple match made for worldly reasons.

She listened to the words of the marriage service with a sense of cold chill in her heart. The ancient words rang in her head and she blinked away tears at thought of how she had dreamed of being a bride kneeling before the altar, listening to these words and exchanging vows of lifelong love and fidelity and passion with Mr. Standish.

Sarah, wreathed with smiles and glowing with happiness, came down the aisle on the arm of her new husband. There was a general sense in the congregation of approval and satisfaction in the young couple's happiness and delight in one another.

It was not a large or fashionable wedding, for bride and groom had not wished for a big occasion, but it brought together many friends and members of the family. Mr. Darcy, a good friend of Lord Gosforth's, was there, but alone, as Mrs. Darcy was presently at Pemberley with the children. He looked his normal severe self; Anna always felt a little in awe of him, although she had to admit that he was a handsome man and certainly, when he was with his wife, he could smile and be merry with the best of them. But he didn't look at all merry now as he paused to have a word with Papa.

France
again, Anna said to herself. They were sure to be talking about
France
, how she hated that country. Ah, there was Harriet's brother, Mr. Fenton, and that dreadful wife of his, both of them beaming and nodding at the new bride and groom. Were they anxious about Harriet? Perhaps they had news of her, perhaps she was she on her way back. She made her way across to Mr. Fenton, and his wife greeted her in her usual forthright way.

"You're looking peaky, Anna. Perhaps the season is too much for you; I heard you were breaking hearts all over the place, and of course that is wearing. But you want to take care not to get a reputation for being a flirt, for flirts do not end up in a veil at the altar. Sarah now, nobody could ever have called her a flirt and look what a good match she has made for herself, and how happy she will be."

Anna managed to keep smiling, as she said to Mr. Fenton, "I wondered, sir, if you had had any word from Harriet. It seems there is some concern about the state of affairs in
France
, and I am anxious about her safety."

Mr. Fenton smiled a thin-lipped smile. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about that. Mrs. Carteret, our cousin you know, is well able to take care of herself and Harriet. Things have come to a pretty pass if young women like you start thinking about the political situation with
France
and so on. Do not concern yourself with these things; leave it to older and wiser heads, masculine heads, to make sure that my sister is safe."

"It is entirely Harriet's fault that she is in
Paris
; she had a perfectly good opportunity to go and be a governess in
Yorkshire
, where she would be quite safe," his wife added in shrewish tones.

The guests walked the short distance from the church to Lord Gosforth's house. Anna held the hand of the flower girl, flown with her role in the ceremony and determined to describe just how important a part she had played in it, and Anna's spirits were soothed somewhat by the child's artless prattle.

The wedding breakfast was a cheerful affair and she managed to smile and accept the greetings of people and congratulations on her sister's good fortune, and not to look as furious as she felt at the knowing nods and winks and promises that it would be her turn next.

Mrs. Rufforth was there, of course, sharp-nosed, interrogating Anna as to her beaux, and whether she had any likely prospects in mind. "Other than Mr. Standish, of course there is nothing will come of that. It is always good for a girl to find a husband before the end of the first season, I know Sarah had to wait all that time, and managed it in the end, but it is much better to be turned off as soon as you can. Set your eye on some suitable young man, your mother will advise, and provided he has a nice enough disposition, and a good fortune, really there's not much more that a woman can hope for in a husband."

Thinking of Mr. Rufforth, Anna had to silently agree that in her case Mrs. Rufforth had certainly made do with second best. She was rescued, yet again, what a knack the man had, by Mr. Vere, whom she had noticed earlier engaged in conversation with Papa and Mr. Darcy. She was feeling distinctly melancholy, but she joined in all the good wishes as the bridal couple set off in the carriage; they were going on a tour of
Scotland
for their honeymoon. Anna thought that a strange choice, she had never been to
Scotland
but from what she heard it was a rough place where it rained all the time. She said so to Mr. Vere.

"They will not care about the rain, and not all Scotsmen are rough. They will admire the scenery, and enjoy one another's company, what more could anyone want on a honeymoon?"

Why had Mr. Vere never married? He must be all of thirty, and he was a good looking man. Not beautiful like Mr. Standish, but with good features, and a tall, well-made figure.

Henrietta paid a call in the afternoon, eager to hear all the details of the wedding: what everybody was wearing, how Sarah had comported herself, were there many tears, did anyone faint. "I suppose nobody came forward to raise an impediment? I do always so long for that to happen at a wedding, just for the excitement of it."

"Imagine how dreadful for the bride though."

"You assume that the impediment must always be something wicked on the groom's side, but I daresay it is just as likely to happen with the bride. And that would be even more shocking," she added with relish.

"Mr. Vere came to the wedding. Papa must have asked him, because I don't think he's particularly acquainted with Mr. Allen and I am sure Sarah hardly knows him. He was talking to Mr. Darcy and my father; they all had those long faces again, it means they were discussing war and ships and armies and that dreadful Napoleon. But I wondered why Mr. Vere has not married."

"Oh, as to that, they say he was disappointed in love when he was a young man, but they always say that about a man who doesn't marry. He has been abroad a little, you know, and who knows what men get up to abroad? But he is the kind of man who will be fastidious in the choice of a wife; he will marry to suit himself and not to suit his family. There have been any number of females on the catch for him, because he is extremely rich and has a big house in the country besides a town house, quite apart from being so well-connected."

"Do you fancy him, are you planning to set your cap at him?"

"That is such a vulgar thing to suggest, but good heavens, no, one must admire him, but he frightens me almost as much as Mr. Darcy does."

"Does Mr. Darcy intimidate you so much?"

"Yes he does. I know you find that strange, for no man frightens you, you always stand up to them, and smile and make them laugh."

So Anna would have said of herself a little while back. Now she doubted if she any longer had the capability to make a man laugh, and she didn't feel that she had much laughter in herself either.

After Henrietta had taken her leave, Anna came to a sudden decision. She went downstairs and opened the door to the library. She rarely came in here, which was a pity, because there was something about the smell of the room, a musty smell of leather and paper and polish, that was rather attractive. She wasn't sure what she was looking for; there were so many books here, and most of them looked so unaccountably tedious.

Her father came into the room and looked surprised to find her there.

"Papa, I want to know more about what is happening in
France
and in the Houses of Parliament and all that kind of thing."

To her chagrin, her father burst out laughing. "Why, what ever has got into you, Anna? You've hardly ever read anything in your life except those absurd novels, and now you’re in here looking to find out about
France
."

"You make fun of me; everybody is talking about it and I know nothing about it. Perhaps you can tell me."

Lord Gosforth realized his daughter, strange creature that she was, was in earnest. So he wiped the smile from his mouth, and looked reflectively at her. "I always have wondered about the education of you young women. It was nothing to do with me, of course, your mama was in charge of all that, and I know she considers it important that you learned music and a smattering of languages and all that kind of thing. For my part, I always think it a shame an intelligent young woman does not have a chance to stretch her intellect a little further than that."

"Intelligent? I think I must be the least clever female living."

"Nonsense, you have a good head on your shoulders, and you are quick in your understanding. I do not think it strange at all, you are quite right we live in troubled and difficult times and I think it is right for everybody to know what is going on, male and female. Besides my dear, one of these days you, like your sister, will marry, and I should hate to see you married to a blockhead. If you marry a clever man, as I hope you will, he will expect you to have more in your head than simply what is the latest fashion or a passion for card games or the gossip of the town."