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  Urgently, Darcy

  Fitzwilliam Darcy is maddened by the insupportable position where he finds himself ensnared.

  But the law is the law — he must comply, or risk losing everything he holds most dear, and the person closest to his heart.

  He must marry, and soon. A delicate watercolor portrait captures his imagination.

  A young lady on the far side of the country. He must have her — and solve his problem as well.

  But how to win her through the written word? Then, once she arrives, the spoken word seems just as vexing.

  * * *

  Elizabeth Bennet navigated thousands of miles of coastal ocean. Why should she believe what she hears from the brooding, darkly handsome man, whose portrait she keeps sealed within her purse?

  Confusion, lies, and secrets. Caroline Bingley and George Wickham.

  Can Elizabeth and Darcy ever disentangle the situation and find a path through to their own happy ending?

  * * *

  This Mail Order Brides and Prejudice novella is a sweet and clean Pride and Prejudice variation. Vividly conjuring the ways that the characters from Jane Austen’s classic novel might fare, transplanted into the pioneering West of 1870, this re-imagining is a fast read. Thirty-eight thousand words have been lovingly crafted to delight enthusiasts of the romantic canon and newcomers alike.

  * * *

  This complete, standalone story is a romantic refreshment like no other. Read it today!

  Urgently, Darcy

  Georgina Peel

  Harriet Knowles

  Copyright © 2018 by Georgina Peel

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination, apart from those characters and locations so famously bequeathed to us by Jane Austen. Thank you, Jane Austen.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Afterword

  1

  PEMBERLEY

  * * *

  Thursday August 15th, 1872

  Elizabeth’s heart hammered in her breast. She wished that she were seated and not standing against the wall, but her knees were too unsteady for her to risk attempting to move. Her breath caught in her throat.

  Darcy sat in a dark corner. He shifted awkwardly on a chair that seemed too small and spindly to hold him. He looked about him as he brooded and fumed.

  Her nerves trembled as he rose. The room seemed to shrink and Lizzy’s pulse quickened. Then he paced. He bit and seemed to gnaw upon the knuckle of his tightly bunched hand. When he pulled his hand away, his head turned and he faced her. His eyes smoldered, burning into hers. Rage stormed over his face as the muscles in his jaw clenched.

  Words burst from him in a rapid blast. His voice was low, hard, and firm, with a force that moved her back to lean against the wall for support.

  “It cannot be contained. I will not hold back, Miss Bennet. You must allow me now to speak freely to you and to tell you of the feelings that have developed within me in the time since I have made your acquaintance. Powerful feelings have risen, feelings I cannot control or govern. Let me assure you that, as I am the master of so much, and I shall be the master of you, that I am truly the master of myself. My emotions, however strong, will not get the better of me and I will not impose myself upon you in any way beyond the extent of our agreement.

  “I have to trust you in turn that when wealth and power come into your control that you will not abuse your position or attempt to extend your advantage beyond the boundaries of what we have agreed.

  “You must be clear, Miss Bennet, that I would not have had it so. Had we been socially connected and met in a different situation, as ridiculous as it will seem, I believe that I might still have made a proposal to you and the prospect of the union could even have been pleasing and agreeable to me. Of course, nothing on earth would have caused our social worlds to interconnect and so the idea is laughable, I know, but you have confessed an enthusiasm for novels of fiction with the frivolities of romantic forms and so I am sure that this turn of events would entertain you.

  “Miss Bennet, these circumstances would not be of my choosing and I’m sure that they would not be yours either.

  “All that being as it may,” his eyes were anguished, “I wanted only for you to be in possession of the facts. I do not want it said that I have deceived you in any way. As you know, I must have a completion of our business and the need for us to conclude all aspects of our transaction is both pressing and urgent so, Miss Bennet, now I must formally ask that you give to me your hand and you consent to be my wife.”

  2

  BOSTON COMMON

  * * *

  Tuesday, May 14th, 1872

  In the parlor of her uncle's house on Beacon Street in Boston, Massachusetts, Elizabeth Bennet balanced her china teacup and saucer. Summer sunlight streamed in the bay windows and treats on the three-tier cake stand promised later pleasures. Elizabeth smiled and lifted her teacup to sip. A visit with her uncle always gave her delight as well as a welcome change from her routine.

  Uncle Gardiner’s ready smile was warm and comforting, as so too was his kindly interest in her and her family life. As well as the pleasure of visiting her uncle and aunt, an afternoon in the house by the side of Boston Common was a quiet and serene refuge from the noise and turmoil of her home of Longbourn.

  Her uncle said, “I asked you here today for the pleasure of your company, and because I need to discuss something with you, Lizzy. Some very unusual correspondence that I have had from the Western States. From Puget Sound in particular.”

  Elizabeth replied, “Colonel Fitzwilliam who visited in the early springtime hails from Puget Sound as I recall. I remember him to have been a very agreeable gentleman.” Elizabeth remembered particularly pleasant conversations with the colonel, his fine manners as well as his memorable skills with a pen and a brush.

  At dinner one spring evening he had made delightful and apt drawings and watercolors of everyone at table. During his visit, he made impressive pictures of Uncle Gardiner's house and of Boston Common itself. He also brought with him fine drawings and paintings of his home and of the beautiful Olympus mountains, the lakes, and and the magnificent country in the region.

  His watercolors made an impression on Elizabeth. They made her wish that she could see those sights for herself. While the colonel’s good manners cast his charm upon everyone, she also remembered having the impression that the colonel might have liked a somewhat closer connection with her in particular.

  While his company was pleasant in every way and his interests in literature and the arts were close to her own and Elizabeth would have liked very much to keep a continued connection with him, the distance between their homes made it seem quite impractical.

  “The correspondence that I have begins with that gentleman, L
izzy,” her uncle said, “but it concerns another.”

  “I am intrigued, Uncle.” Intrigued, but she was also apprehensive.

  The colonel was all that Elizabeth could wish for in a friend but she was apprehensive about what expectations he may have for their connection. The look in his eye and his attentiveness had made her think he may hope for a closer liaison, a more intimate relationship, but that could never be.

  Thinking of it made her wonder as she often did, what man might possibly be a model for a partner for her. Aside from her romantic heroes in the worlds of fiction, she couldn't think of a model of any man she knew who she would want as a partner. Uncle Gardiner was as sound and reliable as a man could be but too set and pliant to be a match for her temperament. Her own dear father was by far too eager to please others. He would submit to almost anything if it meant he would avoid confrontation or stress. She could not love a man more than he, but she could never see herself with a man like him.

  Her craving was for a man with a darker and a more fiery disposition, but could she really tolerate such a man in real life? One thing was for sure, it would have to be a man with an intellectual force as well as a powerful will. And with a kind heart, too.

  She could think of no model of such a man in her own acquaintance. The more she thought about what she wanted in a man, the more specifically she began to eliminate every man and every kind of a man she knew. Perhaps she would have to resign herself to never meeting a man suitable to make a husband for her.

  Her uncle offered her more tea and asked after her mother and her sisters.

  “Mother is well today, thank you, and she asked me particularly to convey her regards. I come also with a number of requests, but they are for fabrics, patterns, recipes and ingredients, especially those for her potions. I shall give the lists to Aunt Gardiner on her return.”

  Her uncle’s smile was a warming comfort for Elizabeth. He being the brother of her mother, she was careful to say nothing that would be uncomplimentary about her in his presence, but in his face she always saw that his vision of that lady and hers were along parallel lines.

  She told him, “Jane is well and she sends you her fondest regards and good wishes. The house is lively and, as always there is much to-ing and fro-ing, most of it around Lydia. This delights my mother and exhausts all of the rest of us in the house.”

  “Have your mother’s new treatments brought her any relief for her conditions?”

  “As with all of her new remedies and with each and every new physician she discovers, at first she brightens and her spirits lift, but the improvement is always temporary.”

  “Do some bring more of a lasting benefit than others, Lizzy?”

  “Yes, Uncle, I believe the costlier remedies have more of a durable effect, and also those involving the most fuss that is centered around her.”

  Elizabeth’s uncle listened to her with an admiring indulgence that certainly bore a close resemblance to pleasure but, not wanting to wear out his mood, Elizabeth said, “I am sure you didn’t invite me to hear all the news of Lydia’s schemes and scrapes but I shall give you as much as you would like. There are enough tales that I can certainly keep us occupied for a week if you would wish it.”

  “You are right, of course, Elizabeth. I said that I invited you with a purpose, and we shall complete it before your aunt’s return. That way she won’t need to miss a single detail of the japes and calamities at Longbourn.”

  “And you, Uncle, may miss every one of them.”

  “Well, I can be assured of hearing summaries of them all later on.” He urged her to take a piece of cake.

  “Uncle, thank you, but I think that I will wait for my aunt’s arrival before I indulge.”

  His smile widened, “She will certainly insist that you indulge with her after she does return.” He took in a breath as he rose. “Come with me into the study, Lizzy. For what I need to discuss with you, I would not want us to be interrupted.”

  “My curiosity deepens, Uncle. I hope you won’t keep me in suspense for too much longer.”

  Her uncle’s study was a sanctuary, furnished more like a small library than an office of business. Handsomely bound volumes lined the walls and Elizabeth’s spirit was quickened in the hush. The darker room felt like a place of contemplation and concentrated study and the prospect excited her on each of her few visits to the room. She held a secret yearning for a room just like this. Her father’s own library was light and, although well-stocked, her father’s books did not hold the fascination and intrigue that her uncle’s did.

  When her uncle invited her to take a seat in one of the studded leather armchairs with the winged backs, she sank contentedly onto the soft upholstery, enjoying the soothing scent of the leather and feeling privileged.

  Uncle Gardiner’s serious face made Elizabeth’s breath heavy with apprehension.

  3

  “So, you do remember Colonel Fitzwilliam?”

  “Of course. I remember his descriptions of his home in the West. He told us of Puget Sound, of salmon fishing, and he showed us his skillful pictures of the beautiful Olympus mountains.”

  “That’s the very gentleman, Lizzy. You and he discussed some literature, too, if I remember that right.” Elizabeth sat upright in the embrace of the wing-backed chair, anxious to know where her uncle might be leading her.

  She said, “We talked about some series’ by Mr. Thackeray. Catherine, and The Luck of Barry Lyndon. He was looking forward to reading Vanity Fair, and I was disappointed he had not read it as I was sure I would have enjoyed discussing it with him.” Elizabeth smiled, “I remember him as distinguished and considerate. He studied law before his time in the army, as I recall, and resumed his work after the recent troubles.”

  “He was very taken with you, I distinctly remember.”

  “Was he? I’m not sure that I knew it.”

  “Elizabeth. How can you say that?” Her uncle’s indulgent smile warmed her. “He is the reason that I invited you particularly today and a letter from him is what I need to talk with you about.”

  Elizabeth was intrigued and at that news, she felt the rise of apprehension. Could Colonel Fitzwilliam be seeking to deepen his connection with her from afar? She very much hoped that would not be the case because, if it were, she would surely have to disappoint him.

  Uncle Gardiner held an envelope. “I knew Mr. Fitzwlliam first through some connections of business that we conduct. He acts for some incorporated companies in which I have interests, as do your father and Mr. Collins. I was pleased to see him on his visit here to Boston, but nothing in our association prepared me for the letter I had from him a few weeks ago.” He offered the envelope to her.

  “It may be best if you read for yourself, Lizzy.”

  And she read,

  Sir, as you may be aware, as well as my duties on behalf of the companies with which we are connected, I am also engaged to act on behalf of a considerable private estate held by a prominent family in these parts. You will understand immediately the reasons why for the moment I must keep the name of the family in confidence.

  The head of that estate has tasked me with a matter of uncommon delicacy. This most distinguished and well-placed gentleman expressed to me his most urgent wish to find a suitable companion for marriage. Dissatisfied with all of the local society and unwilling to join with any of the available young ladies he asked me if there were anyone whom I could recommend.

  A suitable match for this gentleman’s character and needs would be a rare find but as he asked me I did think immediately of a young lady I met at dinner in your kind hospitality. Miss Elizabeth Bennet impressed me with her wit and her strength of character most memorably, and I mentioned that finely featured young lady to the gentleman in question.

  I took the liberty of showing him the two sketches and the watercolor that I made of her when I visited Boston. They do her little justice, but I like to think that a resemblance is carried. On hearing my account and after seeing the pi
ctures, this gentleman was quite favorably impressed.

  To make short of it, he was most anxious that I should contact you to see if it would suit her to travel here to meet the gentleman with a view to an immediate engagement. the gentleman himself is of a well-favored appearance, tall, broad and with a most imposing countenance, as befits his stature. He is now the head of a highly respected family of some wealth.

  I know that the proposed arrangement will come as a surprise and it may even seem strange. I confess there are details of the situation which would make it more clear, but alas, those are matters that I am not presently at liberty to divulge. The gentleman asks that every aspect of this business be conducted in the most strict confidence.

  I do most earnestly believe, however, that the match would suit both parties most handsomely and I hope that we can bring about a discussion and then perhaps, a meeting.

  I am, most sincerely, yours,

  Richard Fitzwilliam (Colonel)

  After a moment of silence, Elizabeth blinked and her eyes rose back to find her uncle's anxious expression. "A bizarre proposition indeed." Then, "Uncle, this letter is dated from the beginning of July, fully four weeks back. I know that the mail can take two weeks or more, but you must surely have had this letter for some time now. Were you so troubled by its content that it took you such a long time to reach a conclusion on the matter?"