Page 64 of Shields and Roses

"We spoke of Georgiana and, of course, Anne would need to hear about my tenants and events on the estate. As you know, my mother was very involved in all the charitable efforts at Pemberley and in the neighboring villages of Lambton and Kympton. The rector at Kympton just recently brought to my attention the case of one of his parishioners who died leaving two young children and no instructions as to their support." Darcy hoped he could draw his aunt to a topic she would find more satisfying. As expected, she took the bait.

"If he died without making provision for his children then they deserve no special consideration. My sister was far too lenient and generous in such cases. You should have placed them out with one of your tenants to be raised up as servants..." she continued on, giving copious and sometimes contradictory advice until the second remove was complete. The dish of game hen placed before her must have reminded her of the original topic of the drive in the country.

"Must you go driving to gain this romantic setting you insist upon?" she asked, looking at Darcy sharply.

"I so rarely have the opportunity to go for a relaxing drive in an open carriage," he replied. "It would make the day special for me, and I assure you, the drive will change Anne's life completely."

"Hmph," she snorted, looking back and forth between them. Anne kept her eyes downcast. Darcy did his best to gaze steadily back at his suspicious aunt.

"Oh, very well," she relented at last. "But there will be no more such claptrap from you in the future. You may drive out unless the weather is damp. No mood or setting is worth the chance that Anne suffers a cold."

"Thank you, Aunt Catherine," Darcy said, being careful to avoid anything that would constitute actual agreement with condition. He also had to studiously avoid looking closely at either Richard or Anne for fear one of them might betray their relief at the agreement. Putting on his best expressionless mask, he dedicated his attention to the food and his aunt's continued instructions for the best ways to handle charitable cases at Pemberley. Inside, though, he was praying for a clear morning without any hint of moisture. He expected Anne and Richard were doing the same.

Chapter 35: Wedding

To everyone's relief, with the possible exception of Lady Catherine, the day dawned dry and clear. To reduce the chance that Lady Catherine might change her mind and cancel the drive, everyone stayed clear of her as well. It was to their advantage that she preferred to have breakfast in her own rooms before removing to her study to plan whatever work she had in hand for the day. So long as she did not summon one of them and they did nothing to excite the suspicions of any servants who might alert her to their actions, they would be safe.

Very early that morning, before the servants were even up, Darcy and Richard had transferred their luggage back to the Darcy carriage with the aid of one of Darcy's men. Their goods were placed inside the carriage and the curtains drawn to make it less obvious that it was loaded and ready to leave. They had moved the last items belonging to Anne, Mrs. Jenkinson and Polly into the carriage at the same time. All that was left in the manor house were the items the five conspirators needed for that morning. Richard would sneak anything that remained out with him shortly before he and Mrs. Jenkinson headed out.

Anne had been very careful over the previous weeks as she had quietly taken the items she intended to keep to the dower house a little at a time. She knew that if too much was missing, or the losses were too obvious, someone was certain to tell her mother. If her personal maid had not been part of the conspiracy, they never could have pulled it off. When questioned about a missing item, Polly was able to come up with a reasonable excuse – the gown was being mended, the necklace had been put away in the safe, the painting of Anne's father was being cleaned. Anne always nodded agreement, so the question was laid to rest until the next item was noticed.

Fortunately, Anne's dowry was not under her mother's control. The trust fund was managed by her uncle, much to Lady Catherine's disgust. He would make no objection when the time came to transfer the money to her new husband, especially since he had already signed the settlement. That also meant Anne only had to take what she wanted. There was no need to take more so that she could sell items for funds to live on, even if Martin had not had enough to support them himself. The last few items Richard would be taking away for her were a few trinkets that would have been missed had they been removed sooner.

Once Richard had carefully taken the final load to the carriage, he returned to join Darcy in his sitting room until the earliest possible hour Lady Catherine would accept as reasonable for the ride. They said little, all their planning had been done the day before. Richard paced one side of the room, while Darcy stared at a book he had retrieved from his late uncle's collection and succeeded only in scanning the same sentence again and again. Finally, he closed the book and placed it on a side table.

"Do you think we have waited long enough," he asked.

Richard stopped pacing, looking hopefully at an ormolu clock on the mantle. "As Virgil said, 'Audentis Fortuna iuvat.' We must be daring for Fortune to favor us. Let us take the chance."

"Of course, you would remember that phrase from Latin class," Darcy said with a chuckle.

"Oh, I remember several others," Richard teased, "most of them having to do with war and the life of a soldier."

"How will you ever fit into civilian life?" Darcy

"I hope to have the aid of a good woman to guide me on the path," Richard told him.

"That sounds like a good plan to me. Let us help our cousin on her way to Fortuna, and then we can head off to Meryton and ours."

~o~

Darcy, Anne and Polly made their way quietly out of the house to the stable without attracting any unwanted attention. For fear of being countermanded, Darcy had not sent ahead to have the phaeton readied. He made the request in person, directly to the groom he knew was also in his uncle's employ.

"Right away, Mr. Darcy, sir," the man said. He had already been warned by Richard earlier that the carriage would be called for, so he had it ready for the ponies to be quickly hitched up. Before any other stableman had time to go up to the main house, pass on a message to Lady Catherine through the kitchen staff, wait for a response and return, the phaeton was prepared and ready to go. Darcy handed Anne and Polly up, Anne to the spot on the bench next to where he would sit, and Polly to the seat on the back where she could chaperone without being part of their conversations. With the ladies settled, Darcy took his place next to Anne and set the ponies moving at a steady trot in the direction of Hunsford, opposite to their intended destination.

Darcy and Anne almost held their breath until they were out of sight of the house and stables. They continued on without speaking as they followed the main road to a spot just before coming into view of the Hunsford parsonage. At that point a narrow lane headed off to make a loop around the estate and back to the direction they intended to take. Darcy set the ponies moving a little bit faster. Driving with skill, he maneuvered the vehicle around the potholes and bumps to carry them swiftly towards the location of the dower house.

They were well on their way before Anne relaxed enough to break the silence. "So, cousin," she said with a teasing smile, "I understand you have something particular to say to me? Something of a romantic nature?"

"I do, indeed," Darcy replied. "My dear Anne, I must say that I would love to see you married today."

"Just not to you?" Anne asked with a grin.

"Just not to me," he answered, "despite recently learning that you are not at all who I thought. I can see now you are a gem among women, and I think Mr. Hanson is a very lucky man to have won your heart."

"You are also showing yourself as a somewhat less staid man that I had thought. Exercise this kind of charm with Lizzy and you should have no problem winning her regard."

"I will do my best. I sincerely hope you are correct and that I may have a chance to mend the impression I made upon her earlier. Now, I think I see the dower house ahead. Let us notify your other cousin that he, also, has a wedding to attend today."