tell her about the announcement?”
Darcy took a sip of the brandy, then swallowed it quickly as the sharp taste burned his tongue. “Tomorrow, I suppose. Before we return to Rosings, in any case. They may have seen it there.”
“If they have not, my father will have, and I wager he will be on the doorstep within two hours of reading it. Are you ready to face a united front from him and Lady Catherine?”
“I do not care what they say. Nothing will stop me from marrying her.”
Richard set down his brandy and straightened his shoulders. “There is one thing that might. I made her an offer of my own today.”
For a moment Darcy could not believe he had heard him correctly, then he half-rose from his chair as fear and betrayal churned through him. “How dare…. What did she say?”
“She asked for time to consider it. As for how I dared, well, I have as much right to pursue my own happiness as you do.”
Elizabeth had refused him point-blank, but she had not refused Richard. Elizabeth and Richard. Good God, anything but that! “It cannot be. The announcement has already been made.”
Richard shrugged. “It would be easy enough to explain as a misunderstanding. The name, you know – someone heard Fitzwilliam and thought of you, not me. No one would doubt it, especially with your history of avoiding entanglements.”
The sharp edges of the chair arms were biting into Darcy’s fingers as he clenched them tightly, almost as tightly as he had clenched his teeth to keep in the words that threatened to escape him, words that could never be taken back. Richard and Elizabeth. Richard holding Elizabeth in his arms. Richard kissing Elizabeth. His gorge rose. “Why? You never evinced any interest in marrying her until you heard I wanted to. Is that it? I would not have thought it of you, cousin .”
“Or do you mean that you would not have thought it possible that any woman might choose me over you?”
It was true enough, but Darcy was too far blinded with pain and anger to care. “You knew I was planning to marry her!”
“I also knew she did not seem happy with the arrangement, so I offered her a different option. This is not about you or me, Darcy. It is purely up to her.”
That was what frightened Darcy the most. “You may believe that if it gives you comfort. I thought I could trust you,” he bit out as he rose to his feet. He had to remove himself before he lost control completely.
Richard stood as well and grasped his arm as Darcy tried to pass him. “For God’s sake, stop and think for a minute! Think about her ! You are entranced by her spirit. What do you think will happen to that spirit after she spends years listening to your insults about her family and living with your expectation that everyone will always fall in with your plans? I am accustomed to living in your shadow. You decide to stay at Rosings, so we stay at Rosings. You decide to leave, so we leave. You decide to marry Miss Bennet, so she has to marry you whether she likes it or not. It does not even occur to you that we may have wishes of our own. No, you are the Master of Pemberley. The world runs to your command. Well, Miss Bennet is not yours to command. Did you even try to woo her, or did you just assume she would be grateful for any attention you paid her? That she would not mind your comments about her family, or how you are degrading yourself with this connection? Do you even care what happens to her, as long as you get what you want?”
“You know her family is not the equal of ours!”
“Of course it isn’t, but I can acknowledge that to her without making her feel degraded and humiliated!”
Darcy stared down at Richard’s fingers gripping his arm, trying to fight back the urge to lash out with his fists. “Let me go,” he said icily.
Richard released him. “Just think about it, Darcy,” he said tiredly.
Darcy did not want to think
Darcy took a sip of the brandy, then swallowed it quickly as the sharp taste burned his tongue. “Tomorrow, I suppose. Before we return to Rosings, in any case. They may have seen it there.”
“If they have not, my father will have, and I wager he will be on the doorstep within two hours of reading it. Are you ready to face a united front from him and Lady Catherine?”
“I do not care what they say. Nothing will stop me from marrying her.”
Richard set down his brandy and straightened his shoulders. “There is one thing that might. I made her an offer of my own today.”
For a moment Darcy could not believe he had heard him correctly, then he half-rose from his chair as fear and betrayal churned through him. “How dare…. What did she say?”
“She asked for time to consider it. As for how I dared, well, I have as much right to pursue my own happiness as you do.”
Elizabeth had refused him point-blank, but she had not refused Richard. Elizabeth and Richard. Good God, anything but that! “It cannot be. The announcement has already been made.”
Richard shrugged. “It would be easy enough to explain as a misunderstanding. The name, you know – someone heard Fitzwilliam and thought of you, not me. No one would doubt it, especially with your history of avoiding entanglements.”
The sharp edges of the chair arms were biting into Darcy’s fingers as he clenched them tightly, almost as tightly as he had clenched his teeth to keep in the words that threatened to escape him, words that could never be taken back. Richard and Elizabeth. Richard holding Elizabeth in his arms. Richard kissing Elizabeth. His gorge rose. “Why? You never evinced any interest in marrying her until you heard I wanted to. Is that it? I would not have thought it of you, cousin .”
“Or do you mean that you would not have thought it possible that any woman might choose me over you?”
It was true enough, but Darcy was too far blinded with pain and anger to care. “You knew I was planning to marry her!”
“I also knew she did not seem happy with the arrangement, so I offered her a different option. This is not about you or me, Darcy. It is purely up to her.”
That was what frightened Darcy the most. “You may believe that if it gives you comfort. I thought I could trust you,” he bit out as he rose to his feet. He had to remove himself before he lost control completely.
Richard stood as well and grasped his arm as Darcy tried to pass him. “For God’s sake, stop and think for a minute! Think about her ! You are entranced by her spirit. What do you think will happen to that spirit after she spends years listening to your insults about her family and living with your expectation that everyone will always fall in with your plans? I am accustomed to living in your shadow. You decide to stay at Rosings, so we stay at Rosings. You decide to leave, so we leave. You decide to marry Miss Bennet, so she has to marry you whether she likes it or not. It does not even occur to you that we may have wishes of our own. No, you are the Master of Pemberley. The world runs to your command. Well, Miss Bennet is not yours to command. Did you even try to woo her, or did you just assume she would be grateful for any attention you paid her? That she would not mind your comments about her family, or how you are degrading yourself with this connection? Do you even care what happens to her, as long as you get what you want?”
“You know her family is not the equal of ours!”
“Of course it isn’t, but I can acknowledge that to her without making her feel degraded and humiliated!”
Darcy stared down at Richard’s fingers gripping his arm, trying to fight back the urge to lash out with his fists. “Let me go,” he said icily.
Richard released him. “Just think about it, Darcy,” he said tiredly.
Darcy did not want to think
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