The Darcy Marriage Series Read online

  The Darcy Marriage Series

  Books 1-3

  By Zoe Burton

  The Darcy Marriage Series

  Books 1-3

  Zoe Burton

  Published by Zoe Burton

  © 2017 Zoe Burton

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews, without permission from its publisher and author.

  Early drafts of this story were written and posted on fan fiction forums from May through September 2017.

  Table of Contents

  Darcy’s Wife Search

  Lady Catherine Impedes

  Caroline’s Censure

  Before you go …

  About the Author

  Connect with Zoe Burton

  More by Zoe Burton

  Darcy’s Wife Search

  Acknowledgements

  First, I thank Jesus Christ, my Savior and Guide. Thank You for the lessons in trust, and for the words You give me. I love you!

  Additional thanks go to my friends, Rose and Leenie, who continue to be my greatest encouragers and cheerleaders. I love you both!

  Chapter 1

  Fitzwilliam Darcy stood in Hyde Park, watching the ducks at the edge of the Serpentine. Outwardly, his figure was stiff, his mien severe. Inwardly, he was a lonely man.

  Darcy had inherited his estate, Pemberley, at two and twenty years of age after the death of his father. In addition to the main estate, he inherited some smaller properties, a mine, and guardianship of his younger-by-twelve-years sister, Georgiana, in conjunction with his cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. His father’s decline had been lingering, giving Darcy the chance to learn and become comfortable running the family holdings before they finally became his. He had spent his year of mourning in Derbyshire, the county where Pemberley was located, too grief stricken to contemplate leaving.

  He and his father had been very close, and with Georgiana formed a tightly knit family. His mother died when Georgiana was a small child; she could not remember Lady Anne, though Darcy had vivid memories of her. Her sudden death had cast a pall over the entire estate, and it was only his children that kept her husband engaged in life.

  This past summer, just two months ago, Darcy sent Georgiana to Ramsgate with her recently-hired companion. Her sojourn there ended in near-disaster, for in collusion with the companion, Darcy’s childhood playmate convinced Georgiana he was in love with her and that they should elope. Thankfully, Darcy decided to visit his sister on a whim, and when she saw him, she confessed the whole scheme. Her despair when George Wickham confessed in front of her that his goal was her thirty thousand pound dowry was heartbreaking.

  Even now, back in town with her brother and a new and more thoroughly investigated companion, his sister was plagued by melancholy and insecurity. She doubted herself and her ability to make good decisions. Mrs. Annesley, the companion, assured him that with time, Georgiana would return to herself again. He fervently hoped so; he missed his cheerful sister.

  There were other reasons for his loneliness. Darcy wanted a wife. He wanted to marry and settle down. Visits to his club were nice, but did not fill the need in his soul. Balls and dinners, while a necessary part of the life of a member of high society such as he, left him wanting something else, something quieter. Never one to carouse, his evening entertainments did not include visits to brothels or mistresses, and so his physical needs remained just that—needs. He knew without experiencing it that relations with someone he was not in love with would leave him just as empty as everything else in his life did.

  So, two years ago, he had begun the search for a wife. He danced, far more often than was to his liking, and conversed with more beautiful, and some not-so-beautiful, women than he had in his entire adult life. He found most of them charming to some degree. Some were more intelligent, others less so. Some were more accomplished than others. And some were outright mercenary. More than once had he narrowly escaped a compromising situation. Overall, though, the experience had not been a bad one. He had met many women who would make a very good wife, and learned more about what he did and did not want to live with for the rest of his life. However, none of those ladies touched his heart. And that, he had come to realize, was paramount to his happiness.

  Turning from his contemplation of the river, Darcy consulted his pocket watch. Seeing that it was too early yet to return for tea, he sat on a nearby bench to watch the people sharing the park with him.

  Almost immediately, he noticed a large group strolling the path. Making up the party was a gentleman, with a lady on his arm and two young ladies walking behind. In the back was a woman dressed in the uniform of a maid, escorting four small children. The couple at the beginning of the group he assumed to be husband and wife based on the way they interacted. He could only assume the children were theirs. Of the two younger ladies, one was a little taller than the other, and blonde and willowy. She was similar in looks to many of the gentlewomen he had been introduced to in the last two seasons—a classic English beauty. The other one was shorter, with dark hair and a curvier body. He wondered who they were.

  As he observed them from his seat, the party stopped at a bench several feet from his. Not many minutes later, the oldest of the children was begging one of the young ladies to pay ball with him. She laughingly agreed. Darcy smiled to himself to hear her bargain with the young fellow.

  “Yes, James, I shall play hoops with you if you promise to complete your lessons tomorrow with no complaining,” she teased.

  Solemnly, the little boy, James, replied, “I promise, Cousin Lizzy. I shall complete them all, even my music lessons.”

  “Even your music lessons! Well, you must be desperate to play! Come, let us walk out to this large empty area. Can you carry the hoop?”

  And so, out they went. Darcy was intrigued by the teasing tone of her voice and by how well she handled him. He wondered if she liked reading, and debating.

  Afraid of being caught staring, he looked away from the pair playing, examining the blonde and the rest of the group, then looking the other way to see who might be walking the adjacent paths. The next thing he knew, a wooden hoop had bounced off his foot and landed in his lap. Catching it without thought, he looked around to see the brunette and her cousin running toward him.

  Arriving in front of his bench, the lady curtseyed, and the little boy bowed.

  “I apologize, sir. My young cousin here was not able to keep the hoop straight, as he should have. He is still learning, are you not,” she asked James as she ruffled his hair.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Turning to the gentleman on the bench, he apologized, “I am sorry sir.”

  Darcy smiled at the boy. He had risen at their arrival to his bench and now bowed to them. “All is well, young man. No one was harmed.” Turning to the girl, he was arrested by the sparkle of humor and intelligence in her eyes. “I am Fitzwilliam Darcy. May I ask to whom I am speaking?”

  The young lady curtseyed again as she gave him her name. “Elizabeth Bennet, and this is Master James Gardiner. Thank you for being so kind to my cousin.”

  “’Twas nothing. These things happen, you know, when one plays with hoops. They are not easily controlled.”

  Young James’s eyes grew wide. “Do you play hoops, too, Mr. Darcy?”

  Darcy chuckled. “I have not recently, but in my youth, I was quite adept at the game.”

  “You were?” James could not imagine the tall, serious gentleman playing such a game.

  “I was. It was a long time ago, but I was much better than my cousins.”

  “My cousins will not play with me. They are all girls. Well, except Lizzy. She always plays w
ith me, whenever I ask.” James looked up at Elizabeth in adoration.

  Elizabeth blushed. “Hush, James. You will have Mr. Darcy thinking I am a hoyden instead of a lady.” She turned to her new acquaintance. “I confess I do enjoy playing with the boys, but I am well-behaved otherwise.”

  Darcy bowed gallantly. So she enjoys children. “I have no doubt of it, madam.”

  It was at this juncture that Elizabeth’s friends joined them. Darcy requested an introduction, and Elizabeth was happy to oblige.

  “Edward Gardiner, you say? Of Gardiner Firearms?”

  Elizabeth’s uncle smiled. “The very one. You have seen one of my pistols?”

  “Seen? Why, I own every model you have ever made. I refuse to own any other; even Manton does not make them so well and so accurate.”

  Mr. Gardiner bowed and with a smile, thanked Darcy for the compliments. “Manton is a friend of mine; we have a sort of competition between us as to who is able to produce the best firearm. I am happy to have such a staunch supporter as you. I must confess, though, that I have apprentices who do much of the production of the pieces. Most of my work now is designing.”

  “Still, without the design, there would be no pistol. You have a talent; a genius, if I may say it, that far surpasses any other. I am honored to make your acquaintance!”

  “And I, you. I apologize if my son and niece interrupted you.”

  “No need for that; I was merely sitting on the bench watching the people around me and pondering matters that I cannot control. Master Gardiner is delightful, and so is Miss Elizabeth.” Darcy had been pleased to be introduced to the young lady’s older sister, for it allowed him to both learn Eilzabeth’s name and use it.

  “Thank you, kind sir.” Gardiner glanced at his wife, hesitating until he saw her slight nod. “We would be pleased to have you join us for tea. If not today, perhaps tomorrow?”

  Darcy’s face showed his surprise, followed by delight. “I would be pleased to do so. I am afraid today is not possible, as I am required to meet with my uncle and aunt today, but tomorrow I am free.”

  “Excellent!” Gardiner recited to Darcy his address, and if the younger gentleman was surprised by its location, in sight of Gardiner’s warehouse and near to Cheapside though not in the district, he gave no indication. Both parties left the park with very good feelings for the other and an eager anticipation for tea time tomorrow.

  ~~~***~~~

  At the end of the day, when Darcy finally retired to his rooms after tea with his relatives and supper with his sister, he was at last able to take the memories of his time at the park out and examine them. He had rarely felt the excitement he had experienced when he realized who the gentleman was in the party.

  Edward Gardiner had made quite a name for himself amongst the higher circles. His firearms, the pistols in particular, were noted for not only their beauty but their accuracy and ease of loading. The man himself, however, remained elusive. A gentleman visiting his warehouse never dealt with Gardiner himself. Instead, one of his apprentices always took the orders and handled payments. Even in the case of a peer wishing for a customized weapon and insisting on a home visit, it was never Gardiner who replied to the summons. Amazingly, this did not harm his business. It instead made him more sought-after.

  Soon, after exhausting his thoughts about the gunmaker, they turned to the man’s niece. Miss Elizabeth. Her sister, introduced to him as Miss Jane Bennet, was a beauty. He could not describe Miss Elizabeth the same way, for she had not the classic features of her older sister. However, the intelligence and sparkle in her eyes added something more to her countenance, and when she smiled, her entire face lit up. Based on their limited interactions, Darcy was surprised to realize that he yearned to learn more of her. None of the women of his sphere had drawn his attention so completely. His interactions with Miss Elizabeth had been few, but he found he wanted to repeat them. He wanted to make her laugh again. What he wanted most of all was to feel the warmth inside him that he had felt in her presence. He would bide his time and learn more of her and then decide if she was worth courting.

  Chapter 2

  The following afternoon, Darcy presented himself at the door of the Gardiner residence. He was pleasantly surprised at the elegance of the exterior of the Gardiner home. He did not frequent this area of town and had been uncertain what to expect, though upon reflection, he realized he should not have been astonished at all. Edward Gardiner was known to be a wealthy, gentlemanlike man. Of course, he would want to live in a fine house.

  Darcy was admitted to the home by a servant, and escorted to the drawing room, where the adults in the Gardiner family waited, along with the Bennet ladies. He bowed as he greeted each of them.

  “Good to see you again, Mr. Darcy! Come, please, be seated. My wife rang for tea the moment we were informed that your carriage had arrived. The maid should be arriving with it momentarily. How are you this fine day?”

  Darcy smiled at Mr. Gardiner’s enthusiasm. He had noticed yesterday the man’s zest for life and his cheerful demeanor. “I am well, thank you. You have a lovely home. Thank you for inviting me.”

  “You are welcome. I am honored to have you here. Ah, there is our tea!” As the maid brought the service in, Gardiner helped her set it on the table beside his wife, who waited for him to reseat himself before beginning to pour.

  “My wife spent part of her youth in Derbyshire and knew some Darcys. Are you perhaps related?”

  “I am, at least in a manner of speaking. The name of my estate is Pemberley; it is but five miles from the village of Lambton.”

  “Lambton is where I lived! What a small world! Your mother was Lady Anne Darcy?”

  “She was, yes. You met her?”

  Mrs. Gardiner smiled. “Many times. My father was the solicitor in Lambton for many years. We moved to London when I was sixteen, after his death. My mother was active in the care of the area’s poor, and she and Lady Anne met frequently to sew garments for them and discuss what needed to be done. Your mother was a lovely woman, a true lady in every sense.”

  “Thank you for sharing your memories with me. I was but twelve when my mother passed, and mine are those of a child. I treasure the ones that others share with me. Your father was the solicitor, you say?”

  “Yes; he left his practice to one of his clerks, a Mr. Potter. My father was John Jefferson.”

  Darcy nodded. “I recall meeting Mr. Jefferson once when I was a lad. My father often took me with him when he had business to conduct. He started teaching me my duties early on. Mr. Potter is quite good; he has a reputation for honesty and excellence. Your father would be proud. Tell me, have you ever visited Pemberley?

  “Once, as a girl, my family and I visited when the house was open at Christmas. Such a beautiful estate!”

  With the topic of his home now open, Darcy’s reserve loosened, and he waxed eloquent about Pemberley and its charms. Almost before he knew it, he had finished his tea and the acceptable amount of time for a visit was over.

  “I am sorry; I fear that I have monopolized our time today.”

  “Oh, no, Mr. Darcy, all is well. We have all enjoyed hearing about your estate. Your passion for it is clear; I feel as though I would easily recognize it, your description was so precise.” Mr. Gardiner reassured his guest, speaking only the truth. The gentleman obviously loved his home and was familiar with every inch of it.

  “Thank you; you are too kind. Please allow me to make it up to you. Say you will dine with me, one day next week, at Darcy House. I should like to know all of you better.”

  Gardiner looked to his wife, who nodded, and then back to his guest. “We would be delighted to accept! We are free any evening that week.”

  “Excellent!” Darcy rose. “I look forward to seeing you Wednesday next, at eight o’clock?” He was pleased when the Gardiners accepted with alacrity.

  With bows and curtseys, the party separated, Darcy to his carriage and the residents of the Gardiners’ house to prepare
for their evening entertainments.

  “Mr. Darcy is a gentlemanly man, do you not think, Lizzy?”

  “Oh, very much so! Did you like him?” Elizabeth teased her sister. “I am certain he is quite taken with you; how could he not be?”

  Jane laughed. “Oh, Lizzy, do be serious. Mr. Darcy is very nice, but I am not attracted to him. He is too solemn for my tastes. I did notice, however, that he frequently looked at you. I suspect he likes you.”

  Elizabeth blushed. “I did not notice; I was enthralled with his description of his home.”

  “Do you object to receiving attentions from such a man?”

  “Not at all, but I think you are premature in your speculation. Looking at a person does not indicate like or dislike, necessarily. Perhaps I am so ill-favored that he could not help but stare, wondering how I managed to live to the ripe old age of twenty.” Elizabeth laughed when Jane did, but then continued. “Seriously, Jane; I do not know that he likes me that way. It may have been nothing more than curiosity, or even a figment of your imagination. He may not have been looking at me at all. I think we would be better served to leave off making conjectures.”

  “For now, I will allow you that. However, do not be surprised, dear sister, when he declares himself.”

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Who knew Jane could be so fanciful?

  ~~~***~~~

  During the next few days and unbeknownst to each other, both Darcy and Gardiner hired investigators to look into the circumstances of their new friends. Gardiner was pleased to learn that the rumors about Darcy were true; he was a good man, a liberal master, and had a reputation for avoiding ladies of all kinds. He was not known to frequent brothels or maintain a mistress. In addition, his finances were believed to be in excellent order. No outstanding debts could be found.

  Darcy discovered that Gardiner was rumored to be in possession of a fortune in excess of eight thousand pounds a year. He had no debt; his business was turning a great profit. Gardiner was known as a family man who spent all the hours he was not working, at home with his wife and children. Of the Bennet ladies, Darcy learned that their father’s estate was entailed to the male line, because there was no son to inherit. Instead, a distant cousin was the heir presumptive.