Colonel Fitzwilliam's Dilemma Page 4

  And neither would she, she reminded herself, briskly reapplying herself to her drawing. If her mama even suspected the nature of the thoughts occupying her brain, then Mr. Asquith would be dismissed on the spot without a character, the blame for filling her head with inappropriate thoughts placed squarely at his door. That was a risk she could never take. Ensuring Mr. Asquith retained the employment he clearly needed to survive was the one way in which she could repay him for all the positive changes that had occurred in her life since his arrival at Rosings.

  Part of her was jealous because he treated Georgiana and Miss Bennet in exactly the same friendly, slightly deferential manner he showed towards her. She wanted to scream that he was her tutor, not theirs, but of course she would never reveal her possessive feelings. Besides, she wasn’t surprised he admired them. Georgiana and Miss Bennet were both prettier than she was. They were also livelier and, unlike her, not afraid to express their opinions and laugh at themselves. How dull she must appear by comparison.

  “Ladies, I think we should return to the house,” Mr. Asquith said a short time later as he consulted his pocket watch. “Mrs. Darcy will be expecting us for luncheon.”

  Anne felt ridiculously pleased when Mr. Asquith insisted upon collecting up all her sketching materials and carrying them back to the house for her. Though he provided the same service for the other ladies, he took her things first and sent her one of his most devastating smiles as he did so.

  “It looks like it might rain this afternoon,” Mama declared over luncheon. “Oblige us by reading aloud this afternoon, Mr. Asquith.”

  “With the greatest of pleasure, Lady Catherine.”

  Anne noticed a shadow flit across Mrs. Darcy’s features, presumably because Mama had taken it upon herself to decide how the ladies would pass the afternoon. It did not seem to occur to Mama that Mrs. Darcy might have made alternative arrangements. Not that Anne was complaining about Mama’s suggestion. Mr. Asquith had a deep, velvety voice and managed to inject life and passion into even the dullest text, bringing it alive in ways the author probably never intended. Anne could have listened to him reading all day long. She loved the way his long, capable fingers curled around the side of the book, the way the colour of his eyes seemed to change in accordance with the words he read. She settled herself in the corner of a settee, with Kitty Bennet next to her, and a legitimate excuse to feast her eyes upon the man with whom she had become obsessed.

  Mr. Darcy joined them when tea was served, and Mr. Asquith finally got to rest his voice. Anne watched him, hoping he would come to join her. He did not. Instead, he stood up and joined Mr. Darcy in front of the fireplace. They fell into easy conversation, but there was too much noise in the room for Anne to be able to hear what subject so enthralled them.

  “Ah, here is Fitzwilliam,” Mr. Darcy said, glancing out the window.

  He and Mrs. Darcy hastened to greet the new arrivals, while Anne quietly died a little inside. She had put all thoughts of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s arrival out of her mind. If she considered it, she would also have to think about her mother’s expectations. Not that Mama had actually said anything to her yet, but she was perfectly sure that happy state of affairs would not continue for very much longer. Her mother was nothing if not forthright in the expression of her views, and expected to be obeyed absolutely, especially by Anne.

  She glanced up and happened to catch Mr. Asquith looking directly at her with a sympathetic expression. It was almost her undoing, and Anne looked away before it could affect her too much. A great many things had changed for the better in her life since Mr. Asquith came into it, but she would never find the strength to disregard her mother’s wishes, and that was an end to the matter.

  Anne, along with all the other ladies with the notable exception of her mother, stood up when Colonel Fitzwilliam and his companions entered the drawing room.

  ***

  Joshua dressed slowly for dinner, thinking about the scene that had greeted him in Pemberley’s drawing room a little earlier. Word had reached him of Mrs. Jenkinson’s defection, as his aunt described it, but he had not realised her replacement was a man. Like Darcy, he was shocked and rather pleased. He had liked Asquith on sight. He was a man of great sense, considerable charm and apparently, no little mystery. In short, Darcy knew nothing about his history and if Lady Catherine did she was not saying. Joshua found it all rather extraordinary. Lady Catherine was nothing short of tyrannical when it came to protecting her daughter. He would have laughed in the face of any suggestion that implied she would risk exposing her to a man’s continual company—and such an unusual man at that.

  He noticed some differences in Anne, not least of all in her health, which appeared to have improved. But try as he might, he felt nothing for her other than cousinly affection. He sighed and made his way downstairs, responding to a request from his aunt for a private interview before the others came down. He did not need to ask what it was she wished to say to him—nor could he think of a reason to delay the inevitable.

  “Might as well get it over with,” he said to his reflection, adjusting his neckcloth and then heading for the door.

  “Ah there you are at last, Fitzwilliam,” Lady Catherine said when Joshua opened the door to the small sitting room. She annoyed him by making it sound as though he had kept her waiting, which he had not.

  “You wished to see me, Lady Catherine.”

  “Indeed. Pray be seated.” Joshua swished the tails of his coat aside and took the chair beside his aunt. “It’s time to put Rosings’ affairs in order,” she said without preamble. “I am not getting any younger and I wish to oversee a smooth transition.”

  “I do not have the pleasure of understanding you, ma’am,” Joshua replied, understanding her perfectly well. “Do you require a new estate manager?”

  “Don’t be so obtuse, Fitzwilliam. It does not become you. It is time for Anne to marry so that her husband can get to grips with the management of the estate.”

  “I see.”

  “I had hopes of Darcy. To unite the great estates of Pemberley and Rosings had been his mother’s greatest wish, as it was mine. However, we will not talk of his wilful disregard for his duty. Instead, we will discuss yours.”

  “Mine, ma’am?” Joshua elevated a brow, his temper in danger of erupting. He knew his aunt thought nothing of organising everything and everyone who crossed her path, but the cavalier manner in which she appeared to think she could dictate the path of his entire life still rankled. “Whatever can you mean?”

  “Anne’s health has precluded her from seeing much of the world and a secluded life has been forced upon her.”

  “She appears a great deal better.”

  “She is, thankfully. But if I were I to launch her upon society now, she would be inundated with fortune hunters, and that I cannot allow.”

  Joshua conceded the point with a nod. His aunt was certainly right in that respect. “She does not know enough of the world to be able to make an informed choice.”

  “Precisely. I engaged Asquith following Mrs. Jenkinson’s defection. His appearance in Kent was opportune, and he has done much to bring Anne out of herself.”

  “What do you know of Asquith’s background? He seems gentlemanly enough, and well educated to boot, but I have never heard of his family.”

  “He is not a gentleman, although he received a gentleman’s education. His father was Sir Marius Glover’s plantation master in Jamaica. Asquith was born there, and Glover paid for him to be educated alongside his own son at Harrow and then supported him at university.”

  “That was remarkably generous.”

  “Sir Marius is philanthropic, and I trust his judgement.”

  What an exceedingly enigmatic statement. “And rightly so, it would appear,” Joshua replied, wondering what made his aunt speak so highly of Sir Marius. Joshua had never heard the name before.

  “Asquith’s father died when he was still a small boy and Sir Marius took him under his wing. I have a
dvised him not to advertise his background and to allow his achievements to speak for him. It is nobody else’s business but his and mine, as his employer. He would be looked down upon if the truth became public knowledge and I need him to help me bring out the best in Anne without distractions of that nature.”

  “It must be difficult for Asquith to have enjoyed a gentleman’s education but not be able to benefit from having a gentleman’s background.”

  “Enough of him.” Lady Catherine fixed Joshua with a gimlet gaze. “I believe you know what I expect from you.”

  “Indeed, ma’am, you are quite mistaken.” Joshua had no intention of making this easy for his aunt. “I am unable to account for your wishing to speak privately with me.”

  “Nonsense! I had hoped we could come to an agreement quickly and sensibly. However, if you insist upon making me speak plain then I shall oblige you.” Lady Catherine squared her shoulders. “You are the man I would see my daughter united with.”

  “Me!”

  “I am not taken in by your reticence. You must have been aware what I had in mind when Darcy failed to oblige me.”

  “Ah so I am second best.”

  “That is not what I meant and well you know it.” Lady Catherine made it sound as though she was discussing nothing more permanent than a trip to the theatre. “Anne suffers from a nervous disposition and is not strong. She needs a husband with whom she feels comfortable and familiar. And I need her to be united with someone worthy of taking over the mantle of Rosings. Of course, you will need to resign your commission and dedicate your entire attention to the estate. There is much for you to learn and when you are married you can—”

  “Wait if you please, Lady Catherine. You are being too hasty. I am very content with my military career and am not yet of a mind to marry.”

  “Foolish boy! Think of Rosings and all the benefits you will enjoy from being master of that estate.” Lady Catherine tutted. “Don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be.”

  “Marriage is an emotional commitment between people who hold one another in affection.”

  “Nonsense, marriage is a business arrangement as you are very well aware. I thought you had more sense than to be taken in by notions of true love.” Lady Catherine flapped a hand in dismissal of such a preposterous idea. “Such felicity does not exist. Well if it does, it never survives the first year. If you doubt my word, look no further than your brother and the way he was taken in by a pretty face that disguised a calculating brain and social ambition.” There was nothing Joshua could say to that and so he remained stubbornly silent. “My suggestion would much better serve. Besides you need to marry for money and we both know it.”

  “Even if I were to agree, what does Anne have to say about this proposed contract?”

  “She does not need to know about it until you and I have reached an understanding. I will tell her when the time is right and she will do as I ask. She is a dutiful child.”

  “This has all come as a surprise, Lady Catherine. I am conscious of the honour but you must grant me time to think about it.”

  “Don’t take too long. Spend some time in Anne’s company here at Pemberley, get to know one another better and think carefully about the advantages to yourself in such a union. The wealth and prosperity of the Rosings estate is quite on a par with Pemberley you know.” Lady Catherine sounded a little desperate, presumably because she had expected to meet with immediate acquiescence rather than prevarication. “Think of that.”

  “I will readily give you my word to think about it, Lady Catherine.” Joshua stood up, and offered his aunt his arm. “But now I think we should join the others. They will wonder what has become of us.”

  Joshua brooded on his conversation with his aunt throughout the evening, glad at least to see his friends Halstead and Turner enjoying themselves in the company of Georgiana and Kitty Bennet. Turner’s unfortunate stammer didn’t seem so much in evidence on this visit to Pemberley, perhaps because he felt more at his ease, having visited once before. For his own part, Joshua was restless and angry about the clinical nature of his aunt’s suggestion. He was equally conscious of the great honour she had offered to bestow upon him and that most men would jump at the opportunity.

  He glanced across the table at his cousin, caught her eye and smiled at her. She returned the gesture and quickly dropped her eyes to the plate in front of her. It wouldn’t be so very bad, he supposed. Anne was biddable and would not give him any trouble, which was a great deal more than could be said for her mother.

  Joshua knew he had little choice but to do as Lady Catherine suggested and ought to count himself fortunate. Even so, every bone in his body protested at the prospect of becoming leg-shackled to a lady he did not love.

  Chapter Five

  “You handled Lady Catherine well.” Will touched Lizzy’s cheek as he removed himself from her bed the following morning. “She was unpardonably rude when she expressed her dissatisfaction with the dinner you served, for which I apologise. It can’t have been easy for you to withstand her spite.”

  “Her remarks did not come as a great surprise and I was prepared for them.” Lizzy smiled. “She was testing me, hoping for a wild reaction so she could tell herself, and you no doubt, that she had been right about me all along. However, she did not get her way and I believe we understand one another much better now.”

  Will laughed. “If she ever doubted her inability to bully you, she can no longer harbour any unrealistic expectations in that respect.”

  “Never mind Lady Catherine. Colonel Fitzwilliam seemed a little distracted and lacking in his customary poise. I assume Lady Catherine has already told him he is expected to marry Anne.”

  “Yes, so I understand.” Will tightened the belt on his robe and nodded. “Most men in his position would jump at such an opportunity but I can understand why he hesitates. He is more accustomed to issuing orders than he is to obeying them.”

  “The colonel does not strike me as the type to satisfy himself with a marriage of convenience, however dire his circumstances.”

  “Possibly, but he does not have the luxury of pleasing himself in that respect.”

  “How very dispassionate of you.”

  “Facts must be faced, my love.”

  “Yes I suppose they must.” Lizzy smiled because she knew Will spoke the truth. “Still, the improvements in Anne are so very remarkable that perhaps it will not be so bad. She is more intelligent than I realised. I actually heard her contribute to a conversation without being asked and she expressed her opinion very sensibly.”

  “She certainly talks more than she once did.”

  Lizzy marvelled at her husband’s lack of perspicacity. She wasn’t such an old married lady that she had forgotten how it had made her feel and look when she had supposed herself to be enamoured with a gentleman. She shuddered when she recalled the object of her affections had been Mr. Wickham, but that was beside the point. Lizzy had observed how Anne…well, observed Mr. Asquith with ill-disguised adoration.

  The man was an enigma, and Lizzy would like to know a great deal more about him. Jane and Mr. Bingley were due to arrive in the afternoon and planned to stay for two nights. Lizzy would value Jane’s opinion about Mr. Asquith’s character. It would be quite like old times when they had sequestered themselves in one of their bedchambers at Longbourne for hours at a time, discussing various gentlemen—specifically Jane’s prospects of securing Mr. Bingley, and Mr. Wickham’s unfortunate situation. The only difference this time would be that they were contemplating the suitability of gentlemen for women other than themselves. God forbid that they were turning into their mother.

  “Mr. Asquith is responsible for the changes.” Lizzy canted her head. “It seems odd Lady Catherine would employ a man about whom she knows so little, and one who could so easily turn her daughter’s head in directions Lady Catherine almost certainly would not wish it to be directed.”

  “I believe Lady Catherine knows a fair amount
about him. She told Fitzwilliam he is the son of Sir Marius Glover’s plantation manager in Jamaica. That gentleman valued Asquith so highly he paid for his son to be educated in England alongside his own boy.”

  “Really?” Lizzy arched a brow. “Well then, Mr. Asquith will have much to talk to Mrs. Sheffield about when she comes to dinner tonight with the Briars. I understand her late husband made his fortune in Jamaica.”

  “Perhaps Mrs. Sheffield is known to him. That ought to make for interesting discourse.”

  “Ah, so you think there is something about Mr. Asquith’s background he doesn’t wish to have commonly known?”

  Will leaned over Lizzy and kissed her brow. “I did not say that.”

  “You didn’t have to.” She reached up and stroked his jaw. “My letter to Charlotte Collins, asking her what was known about him in Kent, has already been sent. Hopefully, Charlotte will satisfy my curiosity and reply by return.”

  Will sent her a teasing smile. “Which will do nothing to stop you from asking your own questions.”

  Lizzy had no reply to make. She was too taken up with her husband’s lovely smile to find the breath for words. Whenever he looked at her in that particular way, her insides melted, desire blossomed, and she fell in love with him all over again.

  “I know what you are thinking.” He wagged a finger at her. “And the answer is no. You have a houseful of guests, and you are in a delicate condition. I will not place added demands upon you.”

  “I thought I was the one doing the demanding. Besides, it will do the baby no harm.”

  “I have business to attend to and must leave you for the morning.” Damnation, Lizzy thought, he really did mean to reject her. So much for her feminine wiles. They appeared to be losing their appeal already. “Promise me you will not over-exert yourself.”