Page 28 of Kismet

When Miss Catherine had paid attention to him, he was shocked. She was not like any toff he had met before. She actually looked at him, saw him for who he was, and as if she was really concerned about him, had offered to help him. She did not just toss him money as she walked by. No one had looked at him to see him since he lost his mother.

He was using his hard-won skill to check out the toff lady’s house. He knew some pretended to be kind but were more rotten than ancient Sally’s old vegetables. Spending his days running errands for the grocers and vendors, he managed to barely scrape by, but sleeping on the street was never fun and the thought of a farm was appealing. He didn’t think he had ever had a lung full of fresh air in his whole ill-begotten life.

So he was slinking around the street near Darcy House. One could learn a lot by being quiet and watching. He had already figured out that the house two doors down had a master who drank to excess and bothered the maids. So far, the people at Darcy House seemed kind. The servants all seemed well dressed and well fed, and he hadn’t seen any crying maids on the back stoop.

He would not show himself quite yet. He was not about to get stranded out in the county with some bad uns. After his mother died, he was on his own, tossed out on the street with nothing but the clothes on his back. There had been one or two people he had met that offered to take him in, but eventually they showed their true colors.

They first had taught him to pick pockets and separate people from their money, but when he had balked at some of the methods he was thoroughly beaten. He left that home as soon as he was able to escape. The second time he had been taken in, he had promised to help an old washer woman. Only she liked to get drunk, and when she was drunk, she got violent. He did not stay there long either. After that, he managed to stay on his own and had learned enough to get by. Since he had already managed to avoid old Maggie for such a long time, he figured he might as well bide his time and ensure that he wasn't throwing himself into the fire.

Theodore practically floated across the square to Matlock House. Everyone had been ecstatic when they were informed that he was courting Kitty. Darcy had seemed ecstatic that he had found such happiness. The room was filled with the sound of laughter and hugs as the well-wishing continued and refreshments were brought out. Now he was returning home to see if he could find his mother to let her know.

When the door opened for him, he smiled at the footman standing there and handed him his hat and gloves. “Good day, Jones. I hope your day is treating you well so far?”

“Yes sir, thank you,” Jones replied with a smile.

With the memory of his intended question just out of reach, Theodore waved his hand in frustration. “How is um…I want to say Sarah? Sally? Barnes told me you are recently engaged.”

Jones's face lit up at the mention of his betrothed. “Sally, sir, and she is well. I want to thank you for allowing her to come serve as a maid here.”

“I was happy to arrange it. It sounded like her previous situation was not at all beneficial. I was glad Barnes alerted me to the issue. Let me know if you need any time off for the wedding.” Nodding at Jones's smart bow, Theodore went up the stairs to find Barnes and ask where his mother might be.

“Colonel, it is good to see you in such a happy mood,” Barnes remarked as Theodore came into his room.

Theodore felt a rush of pleasure, and his face broke into an uncontrollable smile. If he kept the smile up, he thought his cheeks would ache by nightfall. He had no desire to stop, though. Looking over to Barnes, his grin still evident, he exclaimed, “Congratulate me! Miss Catherine has agreed to an official courtship. I had expected it to take some time to convince her, but it turned out she had been grappling with her own feelings for me all along.”

“Congratulations Colonel! I had suspected something was different of late. Do you have any plans for future developments?” Barnes looked expectantly at Theodore, a wide grin stretching across his face.

Barnes’s hopeful expression encouraged Theodore to continue talking with his old friend. “Everyone in the Darcy household was beaming with joy when we revealed our news. I still need to speak with my mother. Despite my return, I have not caught a glimpse of her yet. I also need to see Mr. Gardiner to make it official. Miss Catherine may be staying with Darcy this season, but her Uncle Gardener is the one who I must speak with.”

“I am truly happy for you, sir. From all I can see and what I hear via the servants, she is a remarkable woman who is quite capable of helping you to take on any number of estates and responsibilities.” Barnes had finished with putting the clothes away and turned to go but stopped at the door. “I think your mother is in the downstairs parlor.”

“Thank you. I really must tell her. She is constantly worrying about the family line dying out. I hope that she would be happy for that reason at least. Optimistically, perhaps she will stop throwing young, marriageable girls at me.” Theodore tugged at his waistcoat and squared his shoulders. “Wish me luck, Barnes.”

“Good luck, sir.” Barnes gave a small bow of his head.

Theodore walked out of his room with a purpose-filled stride. Theodore was so caught up in his joy and desire to speak with his mother that he missed Barnes saying, “I believe you are going to need it.”

“Mother, I found you,” Theodore greeted as he walked into the parlor. His mother was sitting in one of the chairs reading one of the more recent fashion magazines.

“Were you looking for me, dear?” His mother asked, glancing up from the dress design she was perusing.

“I want you to know that I have entered into a formal courtship with Miss Catherine Bennet.” Theodore could feel his smile stretching across his face and looked at his mother with expectation. He knew she had been pushing him towards debutantes like Lady Lavinia, but that was never going to happen.

“Oh.” Lady Matlock put down the magazine and turned to her son with a carefully blank face. “I am sure her family is thrilled with this development.”

Theodore looked at his mother, careful to analyze her expression and posture. Her blank face left him wondering what emotions she was trying to conceal. “That was a very carefully worded non-statement, Mother. You do not seem very enthusiastic.”

Pausing as if to find the right words, his mother seemed to hesitate, but then said, “While I can tell you are rather pleased about the match, I will admit to reservations.”

“Reservations?” Theodore’s elation began to fade as a sense of unease set in. His mother had always believed in the importance of bloodlines and marrying for money, but he had never shared her views. Or at least he hadn’t after he had seen the wonder of a true loving marriage in Darcy and Elizabeth. He mused about whether she would raise any objections to him and Catherine being together. It seemed like that might be a strong possibility.

“I know that you have feelings about the matter,” Lady Matlock continued after taking a moment, her mask slipping only slightly when she wrinkled her nose. “I think Miss Catherine is a sweet girl, and her sisters are everything that is fine. However, the role of Countess of Matlock requires a certain set of abilities, and I'm not sure she has them.”

Sitting down on the chair across from his mother, he leaned forward, eager to sway her opinion. “I doubt you have a full understanding of her, Mother. You don't truly know her. Would you believe that I think that she is more suited to be a countess than I am to be earl? Not only does she understand estate management, she also knows how to implement practices that benefit the tenants.”

“Yes, I am sure she does, what with Mrs. Darcy's fascination with helping her husband with his duties. But that is not what I was speaking of. I am worried about the social aspects of the role. The burden of being a countess means being adept at navigating the complex social circles that come with the title.”

Theodore's mind raced as he struggled to find the right words to convince his mother of Catherine's abilities. She had overcome so much, but he knew his mother would care little for most of his arguments. “She has never had any problems with interacting in society, Mother.” Grimacing, Theodore recognized the inadequacy of his response, not to mention the untruth of the matter. Theodore knew all too well the challenges that Catherine faced when dealing with animosity. She had made tremendous strides in her ability to handle adversity.

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