Mrs Darcy (Complete)

Chapter 16

At dinner, I was seated between father and Cedric and Annabelle was on her fiancée's other side. Lady Catherine was head of the table and the elder Mr Darcy's empty chair was opposite at the other head of the table. Fitz' chair was also empty and so was that of Wickham. Everyone knew Fitz was still a little unwell so he had a valid purpose for not being at dinner, but Wickham didn't and neither did Mr Darcy. "Does anybody know where Mr Wickham or Mr Darcy are?" I inquired to the table.

"No darling, why?" Lady Catherine replied to me as she finishes chewing her food rather loudly.

"I fear I have lost my appetite and I worry for Fitzwilliam's. Excuse me" I said and stood from the table. The two gentlemen present at the table stood in respect to me as society demanded and Cedric pulled my chair out for me like he usually would if we were seated together. He was kind to me like that.

"I think I saw him in an upstairs room, Eve" Annabelle told me before I departed from the dining room and started my hunt for the annoying man whom seemed to be constantly on my mind recently for the wrong things.

I began to search the ground floor with an inkling that he was either up to no good or was planning something to go wrong somehow. Most of the rooms on the lower floor were empty if not for groups of servants chatting to each other. And before long I had done a lap of the ground floor before I spotted two men talking outside a window. I knew how to get to them through the main door which lead out onto the huge stone staircase outside which was where they were. I stuck my head out before I stepped out into the cool evening air and approached the elder Mr Darcy and Wickham.

Wickham noticed me first over Darcy's shoulder and smiled as I approached. "Miss Eve. How lovely to see you" He said cheerfully.

Darcy turned around with an expression that made me concerned as he usually gave it to me when something wasn't going according to plan. "Hello dear, I thought you'd be having dinner" He told me with a cigar in his hand.

I smiled in response. "Yes well, we are missing three people at the table tonight" I said. "However, only one of them has a valid reason for not being there. I wonder what the other two have to say for themselves" With my arms folded, I shifted my weight onto one hip and gave both men an expression which said that I was expecting an answer.

"George and I were just talking about the lake" The elder Mr Darcy told me and indicated the shimmering lake with his cigar. "I was thinking about how we could improve the scenery around here now that the defences have been reinforced" He lied.

I played along. "What would Lady Catherine have to say about this thought?"

"Lets put it this way, she would rather cut off my head and send it back to the army before training starts again" Wickham interrupted with a drink in his hand. There was a pause for a second and he took the time to smooth his hand through his slick hair and give me a narrow eyed look which made me look away. I was uncomfortable with some of the things he did and I didn't like his hair and how slicked back it was. I much preferred Fitzwilliam's style.

"I think we've strayed as long as we can" Darcy said as he finished his cigar and moved his arm toward me so I could link my arm with his. "Let me take you back to the party, Eve" He said like the gentleman he was and I smiled as I linked my arm with his, with a quick glance to Wickham as he took a sip from his glass and looked at me with a smirk. "Listen to me very carefully, Eve..." Darcy whispered as we walked together back into the house and slowly toward the dining room. "Wickham is up to something. He is planning something big and I have a gut feeling that it will happen soon. I am 75% certain that my children are centred around his plan and I need your help to get them to out when he drops the bomb" Darcy whispered to me as he often glanced behind us to check the coast was clear.

"What can I do?" I asked in response.

"I need you to keep my son busy and keep him away from Wickham. I have a feeling there will be an argument that could tare them apart soon because Wickham is demanding money that my son does not have" He said as the door to the dining room came into view around the corner.

"What about your daughter?" I asked.

"I've asked Cedric and Annabelle if they will take her away to live with them once they are married where she will be safe" Darcy's voice was so much like that of a rushing water full, it was deep and exciting to listen to.

"Okay. I believe I know of a way to keep the boys apart" I started saying to Mr Darcy before Cedric's head appeared around the corner of the door with a concerned expression on his face. Darcy shooed his off and Cedric nodded, then gave a comforting look to me as he could probably tell what we were talking about. I turned back to Mr Darcy and took both of his hands in mine as I looked seriously into his eyes that were so similar to Fitz'. "I will keep him safe from whatever it is you fear" I spoke.

"Bless you, child" He beamed and kissed my cheeks. "Goodnight, Eve" He said as he strolled back into the dining room and left me standing in the hallway by myself with a plan formulating in my head.