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  “There is so much I don’t understand,” Pierce replied, shaking his head. “How could I not have known? Why did you not say before now? Were you ashamed of me?”

  “If you think I did not take you into my house for that reason, then you are quite wrong. I wished to do so the moment you were born. As Lady Catherine will tell you, I have never been one to shirk my responsibilities, but your mama would not hear of it. She wanted to keep you with her, and I could hardly refuse.”

  “My father, I mean the man I always thought was my father, was married to my mother when you…er–”

  “Quite so. It was not my finest hour but I cannot regret I have you to remind me of it. I had sent him to England to act for me on plantation business, arranging markets for our sugar, and so forth. He was gone for a year.” Sir Marius cleared his throat. “There is no doubt whatsoever about your being my son.”

  “And my father, when he returned, just accepted what had happened?” Pierce widened his eyes. “He did not care?”

  “Oh, he cared. He loved your mother very much, just as he loved you. It was your mama’s most ardent wish to have a child and…well, he was unable to–”

  “We understand, Marius,” Mama said briskly, with a significant glance in Anne’s direction. “We do not require to hear all the particulars.”

  That is a great pity, Anne thought. She would very much like to know what the unfortunate man was unable to achieve. No matter, she would make Pierce tell her when they were next alone.

  “Quite so.” Sir Marius took a sip of water. “When the man you thought was your father died, you were just three years old. Your Mama needed you more than ever, since she had no other children. But at least she then allowed me to take more of an active interest in your welfare, which is why you spent so much time with my children and why–”

  “And why I enjoyed such a fine education. Thank you at least for that.”

  “I never told you the truth because I promised your mother I would not. It took me a long time to establish my fortune, and she did not wish you to think yourself a gentleman’s son and have expectations I was not in a position to fulfil. Now she is gone, and so is my own dear wife, which means I can publicly acknowledge you as mine and see you financially secure.”

  Anne could see it was too much for Pierce to take in. She longed to reach for his hand and reassure him this was good news, but she dare not do so with her mother in the room.

  “Are you against me too, Marius?” Mama asked, but Anne was astonished to see tears in her eyes.

  “They are in love, Catherine,” Sir Marius replied softly. “Any fool can see that.”

  “Love, bah!”

  “That is not what you once thought.”

  “What is it, Mama?” Anne asked, unable to contain her curiosity. “Were you once in love with Sir Marius?”

  When Mama, who appeared to be lost in the past, made no response, it was Sir Marius’s deep voice that intruded upon the silence. “That, Catherine, is a very good question. I wonder what answer you will give.”

  “Don’t do this, Marius,” she snapped.

  “You might as well tell us, Mama,” Anne said gently. “Otherwise we will make up our own minds.”

  “Oh, very well. If you must know, when I was younger than you are now, I met Sir Marius and Sir Lewis at a ball. They were childhood friends, and…oh botheration, this is so difficult to talk about.”

  “I flatter myself that Lady Catherine preferred me, but I was penniless, whereas Sir Lewis was not. Pressure was brought upon Catherine to do the sensible thing, which she did. To this day I have no idea if she regrets that decision.”

  “And you cannot possibly expect me to tell you,” Mama replied with asperity and a slight smile.

  “That is why you went to Jamaica and Mama was your great disappointment,” Anne said, her soft heart melting in sympathy.

  “Quite right, my dear.” He turned to look at Mama. “Well, Catherine, will you force history to repeat itself?”

  Mama looked up at him. “For history to repeat itself, I would have had to have been in love with you, much as you claim my daughter loves your son.”

  “Were you?”

  Sir Marius fixed Mama with a steady gaze she failed to meet, which was an answer in itself. Mama in love. Who would have thought it? Colonel Fitzwilliam sent Anne a probing glance. No wonder Mama was such a stickler for duty if she had been forced to give up the man she loved for its sake.

  “I am not giving my permission for this marriage,” Mama said, almost reluctantly. “But I will not dismiss Mr. Asquith either. He may return to Rosings with us and we will see how matters progress.”

  Anne’s heart swelled. This was more than she had dared to expect, even in her wildest dreams. She felt Pierce smiling through his confusion and could easily imagine how his head must be reeling after Sir Marius’s extraordinary revelations. He and that gentleman were now shaking hands, talking quietly together. Anne assumed they would need to talk for many hours more before Pierce learned everything he wished to know. She felt his glance repeatedly returning to her and knew he was desperate to hold her in his arms and celebrate their good fortune.

  But it could wait. They had the rest of their lives to love one another.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Lizzy and Will were alone in the drawing room, enjoying the peace and solitude of Pemberley after all the vicissitudes of the past few days. Jane and Bingley had left first thing that morning. Kitty and Georgiana had taken themselves off somewhere to get over the loss of Major Halstead and Captain Turner, who had returned to their regiment. And now Will and Lizzy had just waved off Lady Catherine and her entourage including, thankfully, Mr. Collins.

  “You are to be congratulated, Mrs. Darcy,” Will said, stroking his wife’s hair. “Your guests were here for less than two weeks, but in that time you have managed to engineer two betrothals and keep Lady Catherine happy.”

  “Just one betrothal,” Lizzy replied. “Lady Catherine has not agreed to Anne’s marriage.”

  “No, but she will. There is little she will not do for Sir Marius, I think.”

  “Yes, isn’t it remarkable? I could scarce believe it when Colonel Fitzwilliam told me the particulars of their history. Perhaps it explains why Lady Catherine has always seemed so severe. She was disappointed in love and never recovered from that disappointment.”

  “She seems quite rejuvenated now that Sir Marius is back in England.”

  “Apparently he intends to purchase a small estate close to Rosings,” Lizzy replied mischievously.

  “I know that smile, Mrs. Darcy. Surely you do not expect my aunt to conduct herself with anything other than the utmost propriety?”

  “I would like to imagine her behaving irresponsibly but even I am not that much of an optimist. Still, I am glad Sir Marius’s company pleases her so much. He can make her laugh and I thought that was an achievement beyond anybody.”

  “Well, I am glad Sir Marius has acknowledged Asquith as his own. I like the young man tremendously and he is very good for Anne. I have never seen anyone so altered.”

  “Never underestimate the power of love, Mr. Darcy.”

  “I, of all people, ought to respect its potency,” he replied, placing a protective hand on the swell of Lizzy’s belly. “But I fear it has all been too much for you.”

  “Nonsense, I greatly enjoyed playing the part of matchmaker. Not that there was much for me to do, other than listen to the afflicted parties singing the praises of their loved ones.”

  “You speak of Fitzwilliam.”

  “And Anne, too. Your cousin is at Briar Hall, making arrangements with his Mrs. Sheffield to bring charges against her former brother-in-law.”

  “Is that what they are calling it this week?”

  Lizzy laughed. “Well, at least Sheffield is no longer in our cellar but safely locked up in Newcastle gaol. For that I am very grateful.”

  “Fitzwilliam is to sell his commission you know, and settle down
to being a man of property the moment he and Mrs. Sheffield are married, which is to be as soon as the arrangements can be made, apparently.”

  “I am very pleased to hear it. The colonel deserves to be happy, and Mrs. Sheffield will make him so. I like her very much.”

  “Mr. Collins has a great deal of ground to make up with Asquith. He made no attempt to hide his disdain for him and now, if things turn out the way we expect them to, Asquith will eventually be the owner of Rosings, with Collins’s fate in his hands.”

  “If anyone can grovel his way out of a hole he has dug for himself, it is Mr. Collins. However, Mr. Asquith will suffer no interference from him, nor will he put up with false flattery.”

  “Then life at Rosings will be very interesting.” Will massaged Lizzy’s shoulders, causing her to moan and close her eyes. “Where are the girls?”

  “I have no idea. In one of their rooms I expect, discussing their paramours.”

  Will frowned. “Don’t say that.”

  Lizzy examined Will’s face. “You don’t like Major Halstead very much, do you?”

  “I don’t think he is right for Georgiana, if that is what you are asking me.” Will removed one hand from her shoulders and waved it about. “I know you think I am overprotective and that no one will be good enough for my sister, but there is just something about him that worries me. Don’t ask me what it is because I couldn’t tell you.” He shrugged. “It is just an impression, I suppose.”

  “If it puts your mind at rest, Kitty seems as keen as ever on Captain Turner, but I think Georgiana’s interest in the major is on the wane.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I can’t give you a reason, but I have noticed she no longer actively seeks his company.” Lizzy touched his face. “You can stop worrying. Georgie has a great deal more sense than you give her credit for.”

  “Then I shall take your advice, stop worrying about my sister and concentrate my concerns on you instead. You do too much, Lizzy. But from now until your confinement you will not move a muscle unnecessarily, or you will have me to answer to.”

  Lizzy slid onto her husband’s knee and wrapped her arms around his neck. “For the sake of your sanity, my dear, I will do as you ask.”

  Will grunted. “Excuse me if I do not believe you.”

  Lizzy laughed as she lowered her head in anticipation of his kiss. She counted her blessings, well aware how fortunate she was, even if her mother was still threatening to come north for Jane’s confinement and remain for Lizzy’s.

  “You should believe me,” Lizzy said breathlessly when Will stopped kissing her. “Because you are my life, my love, my entire reason for being and I would never knowingly do anything to cause you anxiety.”

  The End

  If you enjoyed Colonel Fitzwilliam’s Dilemma, look out for Miss Darcy’s Passion – coming soon.

  About the Author

  Hi, I do hope you enjoyed Colonel Fitzwilliam’s Dilemma. If so, please take a moment to leave a review on the site you purchased it from. I’d love to hear what you thought of this particular novel – what you enjoyed most about it and what you didn’t like. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

  Reach me at [email protected]

  I’m a British author, brought up on the Isle of Wight, but now divide my time between Andorra and the west coast of Florida. I shares my life with my long-suffering husband and a rescued dog of indeterminate pedigree named Jake Bentley after the hero in one of my books. Both Jakes are handsome mongrels with independent spirits and wild streaks.

  I’ve had over thirty books published, ranging from Regency romance, (my first love), to contemporary women’s fiction and marine crime mysteries.

  When not writing I walk miles with my dog, read other people’s tomes…oh, and I’m on a one woman mission to save the wine trade from the world recession. Someone has to do it!

  Check out all of my books, and learn more about me from my website: www.wendysoliman.com

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  Ducal Encounters Series 2

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  Colonel Fitzwilliam’s Dilemma

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