Mr Darcy Requests the Pleasure Read online

  As she dressed, her thoughts were of Octavius, not of Winterbourne. Half of her was in a state of delight that Octavius had come to Pemberley; half of her resented his being there. She had to remember that he had simply left Rosings, left her, as though his declaration had been a mistake and he had repented of it. Neither her brother nor Lady Catherine would ever say anything about why he had been obliged to depart so abruptly. Why had Lady Catherine taken such a strong line? That was a question easily answered. Her aunt’s excessive pride in her family and position meant that she cared nothing for the character of a man, no, all that counted was that he was too insignificant, too lowly to aspire to the hand of an earl’s daughter.

  Sarah had never more strongly wished that she had no title, that her father was not an earl, that she did not belong to one of the great families or possess a fortune. If there had not been that inequality, she might these last five years have been married to Octavius. Women did marry at sixteen. There was nothing particularly unusual about it, and she knew of people who had at an even earlier age had been betrothed and married to men more than twice their age.

  Her thoughts still on Octavius, she was startled as she came downstairs to hear Lord Winterbourne’s voice. Heavens, had he not joined the shooting party? Was he lying in wait for her? Would she have to talk to him now before she was prepared to do so?

  She stood in the hallway, wondering what to do. She could hear the voices quite clearly now: Lord Winterbourne and her cousin Elizabeth were coming along the passage that led from the conservatory. She could not meet them. So she darted quickly through the door at the back of the hall and went towards the library.

  She had misjudged, for now she could hear footsteps behind her, and she was sure they belonged to Lord Winterbourne. Was he coming to the library? Had he caught sight of her? She turned the handle of the door into the library, crossed rapidly to the other side and ran up the steps into the gallery. From there, a door opened on to a landing of another staircase,. She might escape that way to an upper floor.

  As she closed the gallery door behind her, she heard Lord Winterbourne’s voice call out, “Sarah, is that you?”

  Now she felt that she was being pursued and, her heartbeat quickening, she gathered up her skirts and bolted up the stairs. A moment’s pause and then she made for the state apartments. Seldom used these days, except when visitors were shown round by the housekeeper when the family were away, they led into one another in the old-fashioned style. As she ran through room after room, she felt the oppression of the old tapestries, the gilt mirrors, the sombre curtains, and the dark furnishings.

  For a wild moment she considered hiding herself behind some of the heavy crimson draperies, but this was not sensible. So she ran on until she came to yet another landing on the turn of a different staircase. Up or down? A quick decision took her leaping down the stairs. She jumped down the last few steps, hurried past an astonished footman, who flattened himself against the wall as she went past, and came to a door that led out on to the terrace. She tugged open the door before the footman could jump to open it for her and then she was outside in the fresh, slightly misty morning air.

  Bother that footman. If Lord Winterbourne had followed her he would demand of the servant whether he had seen Lady Sarah, and the man would say which direction she had taken.

  Chapter Thirteen

  She flew across the lawn, her light shoes slipping on grass that was still damp with dew. She thought of heading for the hot-houses, but no, they were too far away and she would be a conspicuous figure were she to go that way. Instead, a sudden thought occurring to her, she turned left and half slid down a grassy slope. There, at the foot of the slope, was the Pemberley maze.

  This had always been a place of refuge for Sarah when she was at Pemberley. As girls, she and her cousin Georgiana had often played there, and had revelled in the secrecy of the yew hedges and the turns that went nowhere.

  A few more strides and she was through the entrance and enclosed by the green yew hedges of the maze. The ground was soft and mossy underfoot. It smelt of dampness, and as Sarah walked, catching her breath, she brushed her hands through the thick twigs of yew. Her childhood pleasure in the maze came back to her. When she came to Pemberley as a girl she loved the maze, considering it her special place. In its centre was a statue and a bench, and in fine weather she would sit there for hours with a book.

  The chill of the morning was moment by moment yielding to the warming rays of the sun, so that it was pleasant to saunter through the greenery. She paused to listen for following footsteps, but all was quiet and peaceful. Relieved, she went on, taking the right turnings without thinking, the pattern of the maze fixed in her mind, and in a short while she reached the centre.

  As she was about to enter the clearing she stopped. She was not, after all, alone. There was a man there, sitting on the bench.

  It was Octavius. He looked as astonished to see her as she was to see him, and he quickly rose to his feet.

  He wasn’t by himself. Seated beside him on the bench, but now jumping up to run over to Sarah with a joyful smile, was Camilla, Elizabeth and Darcy’s second daughter. She said to Sarah, “I am so glad you have come, Cousin Sarah. I showed Captain Hyde how to get to the centre. If I hadn’t been with him he’d have been lost, he has no idea of which way to go through the maze, he might have wandered about for hours.”

  Octavius smiled down at her, “Well, I had such an admirable guide that I wasn’t in the least concerned that I might get lost.”

  A blackbird was singing with all its fervent perfection of sound; then it ceased abruptly. Into the silence came a voice. A man’s voice, calling out, “Sarah? Sarah, are you in there?”

  Camilla’s eyes darted from Octavius to Sarah, and she said to her cousin, “That’s Lord Winterbourne, he was looking for you earlier. Do you want him to find you?”

  Sarah was momentarily taken aback, and then she said, “Perhaps not, Camilla. “

  “You may leave it to me,” the girl said with authority and a sudden smile of mischief. “I shall distract him and lead him astray, like the fairies in Shakespeare’s play.” And before they could say another word, she had danced off. In a few moments, they heard her clear young voice saying to Lord Winterbourne, “Are you lost? Let me show you the way out.”

  Sarah turned her head and smiled at Octavius, and his heart turned over. He did not want to be too close to her, so went to stand beside the statue. “Is there something about this man that upsets you?”

  Sarah shook her head. “Not exactly. He is a very old friend, I have know him all my life.”

  “Then there is no need to be afraid of him.”

  She responded with s sudden spurt of temper, “I am not in the least afraid of him, I may truly say I am afraid of no man. But there are plans afoot…my family wishes… there is a possibility…” Her voice tailed away, then she took a deep breath and went on, “I find myself in a difficult situation, and I would have preferred it if Lord Winterbourne had not come to Pemberley just at this moment. I had hoped by leaving London and coming here that I could have time to myself. To reflect, to find out…”

  He made as if to move, did she want to be left alone? No, he must say something first, he must find out the truth of what he had heard.

  “Mr. Bingley tells me that you are about to become engaged to Lord Winterbourne.”

  Sarah shook her head. “I am not about to become engaged to any man.” She was walking about the clearing, trying to quell her agitation. She wanted to make it all clear to him, but could not find the right words. “Heavens, it is all so difficult. I do not know what to do.”

  Octavius took the bull by the horns. “I apprehend, Lady Sarah, that you have received a proposal of marriage from Lord Winterbourne and that you are uncertain how to respond.”

  She spun around and came directly up to him. He looked down at her and she looked steadfastly at him, not dropping her eyes as she said, “My affections are otherwise engage
d. I cannot accept Lord Winterbourne, however much my family may wish that I should.”

  “Your family? I cannot believe that Mr. Darcy or your cousin Elizabeth would ever–”

  “Oh, not them. They have no say in the matter. It is my mother, my stepmother who has– And my father. It makes no difference, I am afraid I have to disappoint them.”

  “Certainly in such a matter, while you may listen to the advice of those who have your best interests at heart, you have to make up your own mind.”

  A long pause, and now Sarah’s eyes did drop.

  His heart beating and his mouth dry, he said, “May I ask what you meant when you said your affections were otherwise engaged?”

  She lifted her face and was about to respond, when Camilla came running back into the clearing.

  “Captain Hyde, you are wanted, Papa and Uncle Charles are there with their guns and the dogs and Lord Winterbourne is hurrying to join them and Papa is asking, ‘Where the devil is Hyde?’ ”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The shooting party went off, the gentlemen together with their dogs setting a brisk pace. Sarah knew she should go back indoors and find Elizabeth and Jane, but she hesitated. She did not feel like company. She was tempted to go upstairs and change into her riding habit and have a horse saddled, only what if she should encounter the shooting party?

  In the end, she slipped back into the house, not to join the others but to hide in the library, where she was very sure she might be alone. It had always been a favourite room of hers, a place to sit and read and enjoy the distinctive smell of paper and leather and polished wood. Usually, she would come here to lose herself in a book; now, unable to sit still, she paced up and down, mind and heart in turmoil.

  Camilla found her there half an hour later. “I thought you’d be in here. Mama says that you always used to hide here as a child, when the weather was inclement and you couldn’t be outside and in the hot houses or the maze. The gentlemen have gone, but Mama says please to join her and Aunt Jane. They are upstairs in Mama’s sitting room.

  By this time, Sarah welcomed the interruption. She had had enough of her thoughts and apprehensions and confusions. So she willingly followed Camilla upstairs and into a pleasant room at the corner of the building. Light and airy, its deep windows looked out to the front and the side of the house. Elizabeth and Jane welcomed Sarah, while Camilla, much to her chagrin, was dismissed to the nursery.

  Sarah’s heart sank, she had a feeling that this might presage some questions as to how things stood between herself and Lord Winterbourne. She caught a quizzical look in Elizabeth’s eye, and felt that her cousin was reading her mind. No, Elizabeth wasn’t going to raise such a sensitive issue, although Jane, looking concerned, seem to be about to ask the question she dreaded.

  To avoid this Sarah went over to one of the windows. It was a sash window, partly open, and she ran it further up so she could sit on the wide window sill and sniff the scent of mown grass that came in from where a gardener had been cutting the lawn.

  They all heard the sound of hooves and of an approaching carriage, and Elizabeth said, “Another visitor! I pity Mr. Darcy; he had hoped for a quiet weekend and now we have one caller after another.”

  Sarah turned and said, “I have intruded on your peace and quiet, Cousin Elizabeth.”

  Elizabeth said, “Oh you are one of the family, you do not at all count as a visitor, dearest Sarah. I wonder who this can be.”

  The elegant equipage had pulled up with a flourish outside the house. Sarah saw a crest on the side, but at this distance couldn’t make out any details. Jane called from across the room, “Do tell us who it is, Sarah.”

  Sarah leant out to get a better look, but curiosity turned to dismay as who should descend from the carriage but Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She cried out, “Oh, heavens above, it is my aunt.”

  “Which aunt?” said Elizabeth, coming across to the window. “Oh, lord, it is Lady Catherine. We were not expecting a visit from her, she has come quite unannounced. What on earth can have brought her all this way?”

  “I believe she has been in London,” Sarah said. “My mama mentioned that she was intending to come up from Kent to spend a few days in town.”

  Elizabeth rang for a servant and was about to leave the room when Sarah called to her again, “I have to tell you she is not alone, for here climbing out of the carriage is that dreadful Mr. Collins. Oh,” a hand flew to her mouth, “I am so sorry, I quite forget that he is your cousin.”

  “You may abuse him as much as you like,” said Elizabeth. “What brings him here? He is never a welcome guest, for to tell the truth, although he will be perfectly civil, Mr. Darcy cannot abide his company.”

  “Wait, there is another person coming down from the carriage, a young lady. What a visitation, I wonder who it may be?”

  “Anne, perhaps?” said Elizabeth.

  “No, for I never saw this person in my life.”

  Jane said, “I wonder to what we owe this visit?”

  Sarah said crossly, “I expect it is to do with me. She feels, particularly when my father is away, that she has some right to interfere in my affairs. It is too bad.”

  Elizabeth told the footman who appeared at the door to warn the housekeeper of Lady Catherine’s arrival and she hurried out to go and greet the new arrivals.

  Jane, meanwhile, was looking down at the group below and she exclaimed, “Why, that is Miss Hawes, I met her once at her father’s house. I wonder why she is come with Lady Catherine, She is recently engaged, I saw the announcement in the Gazette, but I do not quite recall whom she is to marry. A Sir Somebody Something, I did not recognise the name. Heavens, what a scared creature she looks. And she is hardly old enough to be married to anyone.”

  Sarah said, “No one could say she looks radiant with happiness, for sure.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Downstairs in the entrance hall, the butler, with an expressionless face, was attending to the arrivals. Lady Catherine’s maid was helping her off with a travelling cloak, while Miss Hawes hovered in the background, looking apprehensive.

  Mr. Collins smoothed his hair, tugged his waistcoat into place and bowed punctiliously to Elizabeth. “I hope I find you well, Cousin. How gratified you will be to have Lady Catherine, who must always be a welcome guest, come to Pemberley. I have the honour of accompanying her ladyship who, from her sense of what is due to someone holding her position in society, does not care to undertake a long journey without the proper escort of a gentleman. In addition, of course, to her own servants.”

  Elizabeth greeted Lady Catherine with civil smiles, saying untruthfully how happy she was to see her, and begging her to come and take some refreshment after her journey.

  “You may tell them to bring something to the terrace room,” Lady Catherine said.” It is always pleasant there at this time of year.” She beckoned the young lady to come forward, saying, “This is my goddaughter, Miss Hawes. She is Lord Hawes’s daughter and makes a long stay with me.”

  Lady Catherine swept into the terrace room and looking imperiously around, demanded “Where is my niece? Where is Lady Sarah? Pray have her summoned. I have come all the way from London at considerable inconvenience to myself to knock some sense into her foolish head.”

  Sarah had had no intention of going downstairs, but Jane Bingley had gently remonstrated with her. “If you are right, and your aunt has indeed come in search of you, it is best that you go down and greet her so that she does not have to send for you. You know she is not at all the sort of person you wish to antagonise. Have some consideration for Elizabeth, for she will bear the burden of Lady Catherine’s temper if she flies into one of her ways.”

  Sarah saw the justice of this and reluctantly left the room to make her way downstairs. There a footman greeted her, “Lady Catherine is asking for you, my lady. She is with Mrs. Darcy in the terrace room.”

  Lady Sarah paused at the door, gathering her defences, then went in and greeted her aunt with
a curtsy and a “Good afternoon, ma’am, I hope I find you well.”

  “So, miss, and what do you have to say for yourself? I never heard of such shocking behaviour. You are a most headstrong, provoking girl, who, it seems, is disinclined to accept an excellent offer of marriage. Whatever became of your sense of duty to your family?”

  Elizabeth could not allow this to continue. Sarah was her guest and should not have to suffer the indignity of a public dressing-down from Lady Catherine. She said, “Sarah, here is Miss Hawes, tired after her long journey. Pray take her upstairs and see to it that she has everything she needs.” She turned to Lady Catherine. “Has Miss Hawes brought her maid with her?”

  “No, there was no room. I told her that one of the servants here may wait upon her.”

  Delighted to escape Lady Catherine’s strictures, if only for a while, Sarah said, “I am very happy to make your acquaintance, Miss Hawes. Come with me and I shall call my maid to help you.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sarah took Miss Hawes to her own bedchamber, saying that a room would be got ready for her, but meanwhile she should make herself comfortable here.

  Miss Hawes said in a low, distressed voice, “I’m afraid we are unwelcome guests. I must not criticise, but I do feel Lady Catherine should not have come. She was cast into a fit of indignation when she called upon your mama and discovered that you had come to Pemberley. She decided upon the instant that she must come to Derbyshire. I am staying with her for the moment, and she would not leave me in London, so here I am.”