Page 18 of Mr. Darcy's Complex Courtship

Criminy.I ran my hand through my hair. “What could have possessed you to go there? You had no justification to impose on her.”

“That is balderdash! How couldIimpose onher?Miss Bennet has received more notice from me than she deserves. With her humble origins, she has no business aspiring to elevate herself to our sphere.”

I recoiled. Not long ago, I had entertained similar views with regard to Elizabeth and her family; in short, I had been anarrogant fool. “She is my equal, a gentleman’s daughter, and she will be my wife.”

“No, you cannot mean to go through with this. She is not worthy of your name! Her father may be a gentleman, but who is her mother? Miss Bennet’s uncle is a tradesman, and she never received a proper education. She would be an embarrassment to you and the entire family.”

“You have overstepped your bounds.” My voice lowered to a cold, guttural sound. “I am my own master.”

Lady Catherine’s bearing wilted, as though her energy ebbed away. “It pains me to do this, Darcy, but you leave me no choice. I have discovered information that could be disastrous for you. I shall use what I know if necessary to save you from being attached to a low-born, mercenary shrew.”

I shot to my feet and paced the room. I quashed the urge to rail at my aunt, for it would accomplish nothing; instead, my fingers alternated between flexing and forming fists. When I had collected myself, I halted and confronted her. “Either you will cease insulting my future wife, or I shall have you removed from my home, and you will not be admitted again.”

“You do not understand what is at stake. This matter is much bigger than Miss Bennet—this decision could cost you everything: your wealth, this house, even Pemberley.”

Impossible.Did she imagine she could hoodwink me? “Pemberley is mine, and you have no power to change that.”

“You may recall that last year I hired a new housekeeper for my London residence, a Mrs. Pike.”

“How is this relevant?”

“When Mrs. Pike learnt of my relationship to you, she related a remarkable tale. Eight and twenty years ago, she assisted her mother, Mrs. Smith, the midwife who attended Anne’s delivery. She swore your mother gave birth to twins—two males.”

“That is an obvious prevarication.”

“I could not be present for Anne’s confinement due to a lingering ague. When I arrived at Pemberley two days after your birth, Anne described her remembrances of the delivery. She became insensible from exhaustion several times during her labour. According to Mrs. Pike, the two babes arrived within half an hour of each other. One of the infants had a deformity—one normal, dark eye and one bright blue eye. Mrs. Smith grew agitated at the sight of him and declared the infant to have been marked by Satan.”

I stopped before her and folded my arms. “I do not believe a word of this twaddle.”

“My housekeeper is a sane and competent woman. She has no reason to lie.”

“If there had been a second child, the surgeon or one of the other maids who had assisted would have seen him.”

“One might assume so, but they could have quit the room before he arrived.”

“What is supposed to have happened to this child?”

“Mrs. Smith ordered her daughter to take him into the woods, drown him in the stream, and conceal the body.”

“That is barbaric! You expect me to believe a midwife would tell her daughter to murder a child?”

My aunt shrugged. “The lower classes are influenced by all sorts of absurd superstitions and legends. I suppose Mrs. Smith considered the child to be a demon, evil personified. But Mrs. Pike did not heed her mother. She took the infant to friends, a childless couple who took him in to raise as their own.”

“Where is he now?”

“I did not ask. Once I realised the damage this information could wreak, I warned Mrs. Pike not to mention it to anyone again or I should have her prosecuted for kidnapping.”

“Why did you never tell me this before?”

She sputtered. “Because I wanted to protect you! The best course is to forget you ever heard this. Consider what would happen if Mrs. Smith’s account is authentic and this man, your twin, learnt his heritage? He would seek you out and demand his share of your father’s estate. Even worse, what if he had been born first? That would makeyoua second son!”

Had my aunt concocted this fable? Or could it be true? Might I have a living brother, one who could be the rightful heir to Pemberley? My stomach contracted as though I had been punched.

“Darcy, I beg you, for the sake of Georgiana if not yourself, do not force me to use this information against you. Break off your engagement with the Bennet girl now, and I swear to you, no one will ever learn you have a brother.”

I scrambled to call forth the details of my father’s will. If the report turned out to be true, Georgiana’s dowry would be secure. The loss of Pemberley would be a massive misfortune, but I owned other property that would not be affected.

“Now then, will you end your engagement?”

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