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Lady Melissa Fitzwilliam did not often give dinner parties, but when she did, hers were considered the most entertaining and invitations to them were the most sought-after. This year, however, when word got about that she and the earl were hosting a dinner party, it was considered especially imperative to receive the cream-coloured envelopes from the Countess of Matlock, inviting the recipient to dinner and dancing at their townhouse in G--- Square, for the three biggest stories of the Season were sure to be in attendance.
With the return of Lord Jason Siddens, the Marquis of Wakefield, came the return of old speculation about his chances of marrying Lady Cordelia Fitzwilliam. Last Season, the only thing preventing the couple from marrying was her father's refusal of any offer for her hand until Anne de Bourgh married. Now that it appeared Miss de Bourgh was to wed, there was nothing that would come between Lady Cordelia and Lord Jason. As the weeks passed, and the couple were seen more and more in each other's company, it was looked upon as almost a certainty.
There were a few people in London, however, who did not think that the young woman would marry Wakefield. One of these people was the Duke of Dorchester, who had talked with the Earl of Matlock at length about his daughter's future and refused to believe that any upstart half his age could possibly be considered a more desirable husband than he.
Another person was the heartbroken Viscount Axelby, whose sad demeanor did not go unnoticed by the ton. People suspected that he had been crossed in love, but most people attributed this to Anne de Bourgh instead of the correct cause. It saddened the people who considered themselves friends of his, for they had never seen Lord Rupert Halliday in such a state. As for Lord Rupert, he still harbored the hope that perhaps he might someday have the chance to tell her of his love, but as the days passed and it became clearer that Cordelia was well on her way to become the Marchioness of Wakefield, his dream slipped farther away.
In other years, the possibility of Lady Cordelia's marriage to Wakefield would have been a piece of gossip the ton would have talked of at great length; however, in this most unusual year, what might have been the Match of the Decade was overshadowed by a pair of unlikely couples.
Speculation ran rife that the reason for the dinner party was to officially announce the engagement of Lord Robin Hamilton and Miss Anne de Bourgh. What had, at first, seemed like the Mismatch of the Decade was now being looked upon with a bemused eye, people who had dismissed Anne as a country cousin in her first season and a harridan in her second now saying that perhaps she had been pining for Lord Robin all along, and that his return had brought about her abrupt change in behaviour.
Most people were eager to have the now-popular couple at their parties, but to most of London's dismay, the more parties Miss de Bourgh and Lord Robin received invitations to, the fewer they appeared at. Had they made a list of the occasions where the two were seen, either separately or together, they would have quickly realized that Miss de Bourgh and Lord Robin were shunning most of those who had proven to be false friends in the past.
In Anne's case, that would have included most of London society if not for Robin's intervention.
People might have taken notice of which functions Anne and Lord Robin attended had it not been for the infamous pairing of Miss Georgiana Darcy and Sir Lysander Overton. Impossible as it would have seemed at the beginning of the Season, Sir Lysander had finally taken notice of a debutante. Even more stunning, it appeared that he was finally going to settle down and get married. While many of society's matchmaking mamas said they were going to breathe a sigh of relief, many of them nursed disappointed hopes and tried to figure out just what it was about the Darcy girl that had so enraptured Sir Lysander.
Indeed, many people in London were confused as to how the trio of cousins had managed, within one Season, to snag three of the most eligible and elusive bachelors England had to offer.
"They are talking about us again," Anne muttered as she walked with Lord Robin in Hyde Park a month after her reconciliation with Cordelia. "Ever since my aunt Matlock sent out her dratted invitations, they have been talking about us."
"Of course they are. Do you know why?"
"Because they are stunned to see an old maid being courted by an eligible gentleman of means?"
"Anne de Bourgh, if you call yourself an old maid one more time I shall really give London something to talk about."
"How would you do that?"
"I would kiss you right here."
"And ruin my reputation? You would not dare."
Robin stopped walking. Anne continued several steps before she realized that he was no longer walking with her and turned back to see him grinning at her.
"You would not!" she exclaimed.
"Why not? All of London says we are engaged."
"I do not care what all of London says, I have yet to agree to marry you. Indeed, you have not seen fit to ask me."
"How remiss of me. Shall I drop to one knee, declare my undying love for you and beg you to marry me in front of everyone here at the park?"
"If you do that, Robin, you can guess what your answer shall be." Anne tried to sound angry with him, but her eyes told another story.
They had metaphorically danced around the topics of love and marriage quite skillfully in the past several weeks. At first, the shadow of a vengeful Cordelia had stood between them. Once Cordelia had moved on to her dashing marquis, the two of them had moved from a cautious courtship to a playful one. In Robin's company, Anne was not the acid-tongued "Bad-Tempered Heiress," and Robin was not the elusive man he had always been.
In recent weeks, their courtship had finally taken the turn Anne had thought she would never see--a serious one. They were still cautious--Robin because he had been hurt before and Anne because she had never truly loved anyone, and secretly feared that if she caved in first and confessed that she loved him that he would reject her. And they were still playful, for both had not been able to laugh nearly as much as they might have liked in the past and were trying to make up for it.
While Anne had been expecting a proposal any day, she had not expected it to come in the middle of Hyde Park, where anyone could see them. And much though she would not mind giving him an answer were he to seriously ask her, she did not wish to do it in so public a fashion.
"I have known for some time what my answer would be," Robin said with a gentle smile.
"Then you must have special gifts, my lord, for even I do not know the answer," Anne said saucily.
Robin frowned and looked behind him, noting that Mrs. Darcy, who was chaperoning them today, had contrived some excuse to lose sight of them. He seized the opportunity and took her arm in a less-than-gentle grip, leading her away from the traditional path.
"Robin, what are you doing? People are watching us! And what of Mrs. Darcy?" Anne hissed.
"I do not care if the king himself were lurking about somewhere. We need privacy. As for Elizabeth, she will not mind at all."
"Do you honestly think we shall get privacy this way? Someone is bound to follow us to try and catch us doing something improper." Anne was nearly trotting in order to keep up with him.
"When I was a boy, I got to know this park fairly well. It used to annoy my nanny to no end, but at least I got away from her for a few hours."
"Why did you want to get away from your nanny?"
"Because she was an evil witch with a mustache. She haunted my nightmares long after my parents dismissed her. Would you have wanted to be near someone like that?"
"I was near someone like that. You do not think I actually liked Mrs. Jenkinson, do you?"
"I never met the woman."
"You did, too, when we came to stay at Pemberley."
Robin stopped walking for a moment. "You mean that horrid woman who was always quoting your mother?"
"That would be Mrs. Jenkinson."
"Good Lord. I think you have actually managed to best me."
"There is a first for everything, Robin."
Robin laughed with delight and continued walking, until finally they came to a secluded place with a wooden bench.
"I hope you know how to get us out of here," Anne said. "As it is, I shall be lucky to get home with my reputation intact."
"People will no doubt think I have returned you to your uncle's house. This does eventually lead out of the park."
"Does everyone know that, though?"
"They should."
Anne rolled her eyes in mock frustration. "Where did that bench come from?" she asked.
Robin grinned. "I had it brought over in the night about a month ago, just for you. Do you like it?"
"I-it's lovely," Anne murmured, running her hands over it. "Do I get to take it home with me when we leave?"
"I think it might be best if we left it here. Please, sit."
Anne sat on the bench. Robin sat beside her.
"I have a story I wish to tell you, and then a question I want to ask."
"Why don't you ask the question first?"
"Because it has to do with the story, and I cannot ask it until I tell you the story."
"Very well, then." Anne turned to face him.
Robin cleared his throat and said, "As I was saying, when I was quite young, I would run away when my nanny was not watching and find places in the park where I could be alone. My nanny inevitably found me and then I would get into all sorts of trouble with her and my parents. When I was nine, I swore that if I ever hid in a place where I would not be found, it would be my special place and I would never take anyone there. This was the place I found."
Anne smiled. "Then why am I here?"
"Because when I was fourteen, I realized that girls were not the hideous creatures I thought they were. I got the idea that this would be the perfect spot to bring someone special, someone who meant the world to me. Someone I loved dearly."
Anne looked up at him, knowing that her heart must be there for him to see in her eyes.
"I knew that if I were to bring a young woman here, it would be for one reason only."
Anne's enthusiasm for this special place dimmed somewhat. "Then I am not the first woman you have brought here," she said, unable to keep disappointment out of her voice.
"You are."
"But you were engaged before we ever met," Anne protested.
"Yes, I was, but I did not bring Elizabeth here. I proposed to Elizabeth in a crowded ballroom while we were dancing, then she went home to Pemberley and never returned."
"Would you have brought her here, eventually?"
"I--" Robin wanted to curse. Trust Anne to make this difficult! "I do not think I would have. I did not love Elizabeth, not truly. And I know this because the way I felt about her when I proposed is completely different than the way I feel about you now."
Anne held her breath, waiting for him to say what she had longed to hear for some time.
"Anne, I love you," he said, moving closer to her. "I have been in love with you since the moment I realized you were actually a woman and not a boy as you were dressed up to be the first night we met. I have loved you in spite of everything you did to discourage me. And now that I have brought the woman who means the world to me to my secret hideaway, I shall ask my question. Will you marry me?"
Anne blinked back tears of joy, her heart full of love for this proud, wonderful man sitting beside her. She wanted to tell him everything that she was thinking and feeling right then, even if it was stupid and incoherent, but the only thing she could say was, "Yes."
"Do you mean it? You shall marry me?"
She nodded, still unable to speak. Anne was rewarded with the widest smile she had ever seen splitting Robin's face as he took her trembling hands in his. "You have no idea of how happy you have made me today."
"I can guess," Anne said with a choked laugh. "How relieved my uncle shall be when we tell him! At long last, he has gotten a good husband for his wayward niece."
"I think all the credit must go to you for landing your catch," Robin said, still smiling, knowing how she hated the trite phrases society used on such occasions. "However, there is something that has been left unsaid that I think should be mentioned."
"And what is that?"
"You have agreed to marry me, but you have not said why."
Anne looked at him strangely. "Surely I told you why."
"You said nothing but that you would marry me."
"Oh." Anne pondered this for a moment. "I have been dreadfully remiss. I suppose I should confess that the reason I agreed to marry you is to spite everyone in Society. They said I would never marry if I did not mend my ways and yet I have managed to...er, catch you."
"I see."
"And there is also the matter of my cousin now wishing to marry the marquis. I suspect they shall announce their engagement the day we get married. Del's been so looking forward to being able to call herself the Marchioness of Wakefield. Just the other day, I spied a piece of paper she had tucked in the back of a drawer, with Cordelia, Marchioness of Wakefield scrawled on it. She shall be happy to finally be married to him."
Robin frowned. "And that is why you wish to marry me?"
"Of course. What other reason could there be? My family shall be pleased, Society shall have been spited, I shall have the man I love by my side for the rest of my life--"
"You little hellion." Robin's frown disappeared as he realized that she had been playing a prank on him. "You always have to be different, don't you?"
Anne smiled. ""You would not love me if I were not, would you?" Not waiting for an answer, she said, "Oh, Robin. 'I do love nothing in the world so well as you. Is not that strange?'"
Robin reached his hand out to caress her cheek. "I cannot say one way or another, but I can most certainly say that I do love you as you are, and do not wish you to change."
"Are you sure?" Anne's blue-green eyes suddenly reflected fear as she clutched the hand framing the left side of her face. "Robin, I do not want you to think you married poorly, for all my so-called good family name. I fear I might make a dreadful Countess of Denby."
"Why would you think that?" He took hold of her hand and brought it down, still holding it firmly.
"Because I never truly learned everything young women are supposed to learn in order to run households. I always knew my mother did a great deal to keep everything in order at Rosings, but she was unable to pass her knowledge on to me. She never bothered to attempt it."
"I suspect that if your mother had had her way and you had married your cousin, she would have been running your life under the guise of motherly assistance."
"I know," Anne said softly. "But it still means I have no earthly idea of how I shall manage the household at Denby Park."
"How soon did you wish to be married?" Robin asked. "I think the accepted time for such things is at least six months. You could ask your aunt how do run a household and learn everything in six months."
"I do not wish to wait that long."
Robin saw the fear again, and this time he knew exactly what scared her. "Not that I have any objections to a short engagement, but may I ask why? You do not think I would change my mind, do you?"
"It is not you I doubt," Anne said softly.
Robin sighed. He knew that they had danced around the subject of Cordelia and her mad obsession with him during the early part of the Season for too long, but after Anne had mended ways with her cousin he had felt there was no reason to bring it all back.
Now he saw that he had been wrong.
"It is Cordelia," Robin said.
"Yes--how did you know that?" Anne frowned at him.
"Cordelia was not as discreet as she thought she was. On the day we took the carriage ride, Rupert realized that she was in love with me."
"Oh, Lord," Anne mumbled. "I should have guessed that Del would tip her hand at some point. She never was any good at deceptions and games."
"Admit it, Anne. That was why you initially refused my suit, why you seemed so guilty about the time we spent together. Cordelia expected you to step aside so she could have me."
"Of course she did."
"Spoiled brat," Robin muttered.
"Now, Robin, be honest. If you had been given everything you ever wanted, would you be happy if you were told you could not have something?"
"If it were something as important as this, I would understand. I might not be happy, but I would not interfere with another's happiness."
"But you see, at the time I did not know if you were the...I mean to say..." Anne sighed. "I was confused. I did not know what I felt for you then. I have never loved anyone as I love you, Robin, but I know now that love was beginning to grow from the moment I saw you again in my uncle's house. I just was unable to recognize it then, and I was afraid, and so I told Cordelia that I did not love you and...and I made all of us miserable for a time."
"Yes, you did, but I cannot blame you for that." Robin squeezed her hand. "And now you are afraid that she might still fancy herself in love with me."
Anne nodded.
"You said yourself just moments ago that she has been dreaming of her marriage to Jason Siddens, the..." Robin decided that it might be best if he did not mention that he felt sorry for the marquis. It would only upset Anne. "That she has taken to thinking of herself as a marchioness already. It would seem that she has gotten over whatever madness seized her when we met again."
"That was partially your fault, you know. If you had not mistaken her for me, she would never have gotten the notion in her head that you cared a jot for her."
"If you had come down the stairs before her, that could have been avoided."
"You know me, Robin. I love to make an impressionable entrance."
Robin laughed. "I remember it quite well, darling. You were wearing a gown a year out of fashion, with your hair scraped back and looking hideous, tromping down the stairs like a herd of elephants. It was impossible to miss you. But I did not even need to see you to realize who you were."
"You did not?"
"No. I heard your voice. That was when I knew. In fact, had it not been for your voice, I might still have thought Lady Cordelia was the mysterious 'Ophelia.' The two of you look a great deal alike."
"Not that much alike," Anne said.
Robin looked at her for a moment. "You are quite right. You are much more beautiful than she is."
"What rot." Anne pulled her hand out of his.
"Not to me, it isn't. You are a beautiful young woman, Anne, yet you are forever saying you are less than what you are. Even if you were the plainest girl in a ballroom--which you are not--you would still have something that no other woman in London has. You have an inner fire that glows in your eyes, an inner beauty that so few people see. I thank God that they did not, or else we would not be here today."
"Robin, it is sweet of you to say these things, and I know you believe them to be true, but--"
"If it takes me the rest of my life, Anne, I intend to make you believe that you are a beautiful woman. The most beautiful woman I have ever known." He tilted her chin up and lowered his lips to hers. After a long, tender kiss, he murmured against her mouth, "I am going to show you just how beautiful I think you are."
Anne felt a tingle of excitement race through her body, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than the chance to kiss him again. But it would be far too bold for a lady to kiss a gentleman, even if they were engaged, so--
Before she could even finish the thought, her traitorous lips sought his out, her arms tentatively circling his neck to draw him even closer to her.
"Anne," he groaned, sounding as though in agony as he put his arms around her and kissed her again.
Anne was awash in unfamiliar emotions. Now she understood why young women were not permitted to be alone with men until they were married, for surely this sort of thing would go on all the time and it was highly improper and wrong and amazing...
"No," he whispered, pulling away from her with great reluctance. "We cannot let this go any farther."
Anne was having trouble breathing, much less thinking, but she knew he was right. Any number of things could go wrong before they were actually married, and if they let themselves get carried away she would be quite unfit to marry any other man. She had compromised her reputation enough as it was by letting him kiss her.
Then another thought crossed her mind. Suppose the reason he had pulled away was because he had been repulsed by her? Suppose she had been too forward in kissing him back? Robin had not seemed repulsed, but...
"I...I am sorry," Anne murmured, her face getting hot with shame. "I should not have done that. Respectable women do not do things like that. If you wish to break our engagement, I shall understand."
"Break our engagement? After everything I went through to win you?" Robin looked incredulous. "Why would I do that?"
"Because of the way I just acted. B-because I was...I was acting like a hussy." Anne had not thought her cheeks could get any hotter, but they had.
Robin took her face in his hands again. "You are not a hussy because we kissed."
"But proper girls do not act like I did."
"Proper girls probably do not, and they miss out on a lot of the joys in life because of it," he replied.
"But--"
"Have you ever been kissed by anyone other than myself?"
Anne grimaced, thinking of the kiss Lord Cassel had forced on her last year at the Duke of Eddington's ball. "Yes."
"I take it from your expression that it was not a pleasant experience."
"It most certainly was not."
"Then that proves you are not a hussy."
"How does it?"
Robin smiled. Anne might think herself knowledgeable in the world, but her question proved just how innocent she truly was. "An explanation for another time, perhaps. But let me assure you that there was nothing wrong with the way you acted. It was right, even if the circumstances were wrong."
"Are you certain?"
He nodded. "I stopped kissing you not because I wanted to stop, but because I knew that you would feel worse if we continued. Then again, if you wish to be married in a great hurry, continuing would have had us married within the week."
Anne could not help smiling. "I do not need to be married in such a great hurry. It would have people speculating for months, and I think I have caused more than enough scandals and gossip."
"I know I have," Robin agreed. "Shall we say three months, just to give the whole thing an air of respectability?"
Anne nodded. "The Season will be almost over by then."
"I can think of no other way for this rather unusual year to end than with the 'Bad Luck Earl' marrying his 'Bad-Tempered Heiress.'"
"Nor can I," Anne replied. And then, just to prove to herself that he really did not mind her being bold, she kissed him again. This time she did not mistake his response, and when they broke apart, she dreamily followed him back to her uncle's.
Anne wanted nothing more than to burst into the door of her uncle's townhouse and announce that she was engaged to be married. She wanted to run into her uncle's arms and tell him that she was finally to make him proud. She loved everything and everyone equally in those shining moments. The world was a wonderful place to Anne de Bourgh that day, for she was loved.
Loved.
Lord Robert Charles Hamilton loved her. Now that, she thought with a smile as she waved goodbye to the gentleman and glided upstairs to her chamber, was most strange.
Lord Robin did not leave the Fitzwilliam residence right away, however, for he had business with the Earl of Matlock that he was not going to delay a moment longer. He asked the Butler if the earl was occupied by any other matter, and upon hearing that the earl was quite at leisure in his library, asked to be escorted to him directly.
"Good afternoon, Denby," Matlock said with a smile. "My niece informs me that you and Anne disappeared on her rather suddenly a while ago. Had you been much longer in returning her, I would have had to send out a search party."
"You need not fear on that account, Matlock," Robin replied. "I realize that my actions this afternoon might have placed Miss de Bourgh's reputation in jeopardy, but I hope that my actions now will prove that I had only the best of intentions."
Matlock's smile widened, but he did not rush the matter that was clearly to be discussed. "Sit down, Lord Robin. Would you like a glass of port?"
"Not at the moment, sir, but I thank you."
"You would not mind if I went ahead?"
"Not at all." Robin waited until Matlock had poured his drink and sat down before he continued. "I have come to ask for your permission to marry your niece, Miss Anne de Bourgh. I asked her earlier today and she accepted me. I can only hope that you shall do the same."
Robin was not sure what to make of the earl's bark of laughter.
"This has been quite a day for me!" Oliver Fitzwilliam was finally able to say. "First, I have the Marquis of Wakefield here to ask for my daughter's hand in marriage, and now you have come for Anne. Were it not for the fact that I know the two of you are not intimate acquaintances, I would say that you planned this."
"What did you tell the marquis?" Robin asked.
"I reminded him that he could not marry Cordelia until Anne were married, but that as long as Cordelia accepted his proposal, I would as well. He said he had not asked her yet, wishing to gain my approval first, so what was left for me to do but give it?"
"Sir, I have often wondered why you insisted that Lady Cordelia would not marry until her cousin did. Would it be too impolite of me to ask?"
Matlock looked at his glass, downed about half of it, then paused a moment longer. "A fit of pique, mostly. Anne was...well, you have no doubt heard all the stories of what she did last year."
"She had the right to do most of them, in my opinion," Robin said.
Matlock frowned at him. "She was three-and-twenty. Surely such childish intrigues were beneath her."
"Perhaps."
"I had hoped that Anne would care enough about Cordelia to stop her foolishness and marry for her sake. Then I thought that someone would care enough about Cordelia to find a suitor for Anne." Matlock slammed his glass on the desk. "And one did."
Robin felt his stomach turn in fear. "Surely you do not think that someone put me up to..." Robin hesitated to finish, remembering with vivid clarity the conversation he had had with Rupert the day he had met Anne again.
"I thought it at first, until you told me how you met Anne before. Any story as outrageous as that, featuring my niece, had to be believed. I only recently discovered that someone did in fact convince a...gentleman to attempt to court Anne."
Robin gave the situation a moment's thought before nearly rising from his seat. "Someone persuaded Evan Brixton to court Anne."
"Paid is more like it. Evan Brixton has been well paid to court my niece, with the final payoff to be ten thousand pounds on top of her dowry, which as I am sure you are well aware, is quite substantial." Matlock's grey eyes glowed with fury. "I could have accepted that someone had to be paid to court Anne, were it not for the fact that it was Cassel was the man he found."
"What have you against him?"
"Lord Robin, like yourself and your two friends, I attended Cambridge and still have many contacts there. When it appeared that Cassel was to be Anne's only suitor, I did some checking on him. It took a while, but I did finally discover the...incident he was involved in."
"No one was ever able to prove his involvement," Robin said.
"But everyone knew the truth. It was enough to convince me that he was not to be trusted with Anne's future."
"Do you know who paid him?"
Oliver Fitzwilliam looked grim as he nodded. "I feel it best that you should not know, but I do know and he shall not gain the prize he seeks."
Put that way, Robin knew he had no way of discovering who it could be. Cordelia had too many suitors, including his best friend, to figure out which of them had paid Cassel. At least he could eliminate Rupert. He nodded curtly in reluctant agreement.
"You did say that Anne accepted you, did you not?"
"Yes, she did. That is why we disappeared earlier today at the park."
"Then I guess there is nothing left for me to do but to congratulate you on doing what I believed to be impossible when you first asked to come courting my niece."
"Thank you, sir."
Matlock smiled. "I always knew it would take someone special to marry Anne." Though Robin had earlier declined his offer of a drink, he poured him a glass of port and handed it to him.
Robin accepted the glass, took a drink, and asked, "What did you mean by that statement?"
Matlock was reflective for a moment. "Anne is not the easiest of people to understand. Some people call her proud and disagreeable, and because they think that they do not see that she has the warmest heart in the country. They do not see the way she handles those hellions I call my youngest daughters. To them, Anne is a goddess. They admire everything she does. Only when Anne is present do any of them behave."
"Having heard a great deal about your younger daughters, I find the 'behaving' a little hard to believe."
"They sense a kindred spirit. That is why they adore her. My next eldest, Ariel, regards her as a role model...heaven help me."
Robin's lips twitched. "I have met Lady Ariel, Matlock. She is quite charming."
"She is the one I fear most for, Denby. She shall one day have all of her sister Cordelia's beauty and charm...and her cousin Anne's obstinate nature."
This time, Robin could not help himself. He was grateful that Matlock did not appear to be offended by his laughter.
"Anne and I thought, if it were agreeable with you and your wife, that we could marry in three months."
"You shall attempt to out-do Eddington's bash, eh?"
"I simply hope to put to rest any doubts Anne may have about my desire to marry her. I think that since I once made an utter fool of myself at the duke's ball, the best thing to overcome the memory would be to marry her around that time."
"Lady Matlock would not agree with me, but I think three months is time enough to get everything planned. I think Anne would prefer a rather simple gathering, and so would you."
"Quite so."
Matlock rose from his chair. Robin stood as well, and the two gentlemen shook hands.
"Welcome to our family, Denby."
"Thank you, sir."
"Would you care to stay for supper this evening? We were to go to the Austen crush this evening, but my son Richard has come to town for tonight and leaves early in the morning, so we are staying home."
"I would be delighted."
Robin had thought he had a good idea of what a Fitzwilliam family dinner was like from his first night in London. What he discovered that evening was that he had had no idea.
When the family dined at home, which they did not do often due to pressing engagements, everyone was present at table, from the earl down to his youngest daughter. The only person missing was the earl's eldest son, Lord Michael Fitzwilliam, Viscount Brandon, who had always detested London and preferred living at his country estate with his wife Marianne and their two children.
Whereas the first time Robin had dined with the Fitzwilliams things had been subdued, or so he had thought, things seemed much louder and merrier this time.
Dinner was well underway when the earl gave a toast to his son, whose wife had recently given birth to their first child, a daughter. As was the tradition with the Fitzwilliams, she was named Olivia.
"She looks just like her mother," Richard said with a proud smile after the toast had been completed.
"Then she must be quite a beauty," Elizabeth told him. "Almost as beautiful as our Grace."
"You must forgive me, Mrs. Darcy, when I say that she is just as beautiful. A father's prejudice, you know, must always be forgiven in such cases."
"Of course. And how is Sabrina since Olivia's arrival?"
"Quite well. Tired, but that is to be expected. Very proud of her daughter. And of course, her mother has been excellent help to her."
"I must admit, Richard, that I was hoping you would have a son," Darcy said. A moment later, his wife's fork disappeared from the table and Darcy gasped sharply. "What on earth was that for?" he hissed.
"I did not have a stick with which to beat you about the head. Gracie is not even a year old and you are already trying to match her up with someone. You were practically..." Elizabeth looked over at Anne, who had said very little up to that point and was instead toying with her fork rather than contemplating eating with it. She had a dreamy, far-off look in her eyes. "I do not wish to offend anyone, but you were practically engaged to your cousin and you have said more times than I wish to count that you thank the good Lord every day that you did not marry her."
"I shall have to remember to do the same," Robin said. "For if he had married her, I would never have had the opportunity to get to know her."
This brought Anne out of her state, for she smiled at him.
"I did not say that Gracie shall marry a son of my cousin's."
"You did not have to, Fitzwilliam. I know your mind well, sir, and I know what you were thinking."
"I think it would be best if you gave up the fight now," Richard said calmly. "You know as well as I that when Elizabeth has you in a corner, it is usually because she is right about something."
Darcy looked as though he wished to do nothing of the sort.
"Could I please finish this toast so we can continue eating?" Oliver Fitzwilliam said.
"I thought we were already finished," Isabella said pertly as she pulled on the left sleeve of her gown. Her mother had insisted just that evening that she quit ruining perfectly good dresses by slashing the necklines, so she tried to pull the sleeves down to make her dress more fashionable.
"Stop pulling on your sleeves, Isabella Jane," her mother reprimanded her. "If you ruin that gown, you shall not be allowed to go out for a week."
"I had another toast to make," the earl said. "This has been a most joyous week for this family. Just this evening, Lord Robin came to my library to ask me for permission to marry Anne, which I have granted."
Anne had been paying close attention to this, and as the announcement was made, her eyes, which had been for Robin alone, shifted away to a point further down the table, where Cordelia sat.
"Congratulations, Annie," Cordelia was the first to say, getting up from her spot at the table and walking around to give her cousin a hug. She turned to Robin and smiled. "You had best treat my cousin right, Lord Robin, or I shall scold you for the rest of your days."
"You may rest assured, Lady Cordelia, that your cousin shall have nothing to complain about."
Cordelia whispered something in Anne's ear which no one could make out. Anne giggled and said, "I certainly hope so."
Georgiana also gave her cousin a hug and extended her well wishes to Robin, who accepted them with good grace. The other members of the family were content to stay seated, and soon dinner had started.
"When were you thinking of getting married, Annie?" Georgiana asked.
"I believe we decided that three months would be more than adequate," Anne replied.
"Three months? Anne, dear, you cannot be serious," Lady Matlock said.
"I am, aunt. The Season shall be at an end and I do not think I wish to start another Season as an unmarried woman."
"Marry at the end of the summer, then. It shall lead to much less speculation."
"No!" Elizabeth was the one who spoke this time, in a rather strangled voice. She looked at Robin and then at Anne with nervous eyes.
"I am afraid I must agree with Mrs. Darcy," Robin said calmly. "The end of the summer would not be convenient for me. You see, Lady Matlock, I do not think I could bear to be apart from Anne for such a length of time. That is why we both felt it best to marry at the end of the Season."
"A decent wedding cannot possibly be planned within three months, Lord Robin. I realize that neither of you..." Lady Matlock blushed as she realized her error. "I realize that Anne has no notion of how long it takes to plan a wedding such as yours must be."
"I do not think it should take any longer than any other event," Anne replied. "You said yourself that you could prepare any sort of ball or party with six weeks, half that if you set your mind to it."
"But a wedding is something else entirely, my dear niece."
"I do not think so. A wedding is simply a ball with a ceremony at the beginning of it." Anne gave up all pretense of eating, setting her fork on her plate.
Lady Matlock shook her head in frustration. "Have you settled on a specific date?"
"April twenty-fourth," Robin said.
"The day after the Duke of Eddington's ball? But most people leave town..."
"I have a feeling that they shall stay to see us married," Robin told her. "Have no fear. People shall know the date soon enough and change their plans accordingly."
"I think in this case, my dear Melissa, that it would be best to let things take their course," the earl said. "Anne and Lord Robin are eager to get married, and why not? They have waited long enough for each other."
"I am quite sure I do not know what you mean by that, but if you think it would be best, my dear, than I shall not further attempt to dissuade them."
"Can I be a bridesmaid?" Juliet asked.
"Me, too!" Miranda chimed. "Annie, you promised us we could be bridesmaids for you!"
"I seem to recall that promise being extracted under duress," Anne told them. "However, I see no reason why you should not be my bridesmaids, as long as you can behave in a ladylike manner."
"There go your chances," Lady Ariel said slyly. Miranda stuck her tongue out at her. "See?"
"Mama! Mama! Tell Ariel that I am going to be a bridesmaid!"
"Ariel Jade Fitzwilliam, quit teazing your sister."
"Yes, Mama."
"Have you given much thought to your wedding trip?" Richard asked.
"Not at present. We have only discussed when we shall marry. Anne, have you had any thoughts on where you might like to go?"
"America," Anne replied calmly.
Matlock sputtered. "My dear niece, you must be joking."
"Not at all, uncle. I have a feeling that I should fit in quite well with Americans."
"America is halfway around the world. You would be forever on the voyage there and back and would probably not return home for a year."
"I must agree with your uncle, Anne. My finances have only recently been righted, and I do not think a long trip would agree with my sense of security," Robin said regretfully. "Perhaps some day in the future we might take that trip to America, but for the moment I must ask you to settle for someplace closer."
"I shall have to think on it, for I did have my heart set on America. However, if you would feel better about going to another place, then I shall be content as well."
The table fell silent as everyone looked at Anne.
"I never thought I would live to see this day," Matlock said.
"You did often enough when her mother was alive," Elizabeth replied.
"Are you now comparing me with Lady Catherine, Mrs. Darcy?" Robin smiled.
"I would not think of it. I was merely pointing out that while all of London thinks that Anne has always been temperamental, this has not been the case."
"I think that is because my mother tended to steamroll over any opinion that differed from hers. Even mine," Anne said. "It became easier to go along with her wishes."
"Then why did you never go along with mine?" Matlock demanded.
"Because, Uncle, I decided I had had quite enough of that. I am a woman with a mind of my own. Even though I might acquiesce to my future husband's wishes, I do it because I know it is the best thing for the both of us."
"She also knows that someday we shall take that adventure across the ocean," Robin finished.
"Yes, there is that." Anne smiled dreamily at him.
"I should like to see America," Juliet said. "Perhaps I shall sign on as a cabin boy and--"
"Young lady, you shall do no such thing," her father commanded. "Do not think I know not what you are about. You took quite a liking to that Mr. Penhalligan's son James when they were here from Baltimore, but I tell you I shall not have it. You are not going to run away and marry an American, no matter how gentlemanly his father was."
"His father was the youngest son of the Earl of Hargreaves," Juliet said passionately.
"His grandfather was the youngest son, and it matters not. You are going to marry a nice suitable Englishman, and that is the end of it."
Juliet said nothing more but glared at her father defiantly.
"Is twelve not a bit young to be having a beau?" Robin asked Anne softly.
Elizabeth heard his question and said, "Remind me to tell you about your mother someday."
"I know all about my mother, and..." Robin hesitated. "I suppose you are right. However, Mrs. Darcy, I feel I must remind you that not all attachments formed at a tender age lead to future happiness."
Elizabeth chuckled. "Indeed, you are right."
"Do I have to marry a nice suitable Englishman, too?" Miranda asked.
"Yes, you do," Lady Matlock said. "You would give your father stomach ailments if you did not."
"I never intend to marry," Lady Ariel said primly as she adjusted her glasses.
"Of course you shall marry, Ariel," Matlock said. "You shall make your debut in two years and I dare say you shall find a gentleman within the first weeks of your debut."
Ariel shook her head. "I am not to be swayed, Papa. I know I shall never find a man to suit me."
"You are fifteen, Ariel. What makes you say that?"
"Look how long it took Anne to meet Lord Robin. She was four-and-twenty, and he has informed me himself that he has no brothers or cousins whom I might marry, for of course I would only marry a gentleman like him. This is not to say that I am in love with him, merely that I wish to marry a man like him. Since no other such gentleman exists, I shall have to end an old maid, teaching Anne and Robin's ten children to read books they should not read."
"At least they would play the piano better than their mother," Anne said. "Though ten children, Ariel? I am not sure I am ready to have one child, let alone ten."
"It is nothing but nonsense. Ariel, you know perfectly well that there is a gentleman whom you have your heart set on marrying," Lady Cordelia teazed. "He is not in the room, but I can tell you that his name begins with the letter---"
"One more letter out of you and I shall--"
"Ariel! Cordelia! That is more than enough!" Lady Matlock frowned at her two eldest daughters.
"Mama, I told her in the strictest of confidence that--"
"Did you not just say you never intended to marry? I was merely pointing out that you had told me you wished to marry. What is wrong with that?"
"It is the last time I shall tell you anything, that is for certain!"
Robin picked up his dinner napkin in order to hide his smile. His eyes met Anne's across the table and he saw that she had no trouble keeping her composure as the earl reprimanded his children.
"Are you sure you wish to marry into this family?" Anne asked.
"I get the best part of it, so yes," Robin replied.
"Mama, I may assure you of one thing," Cordelia said once everyone had settled back into their seats, Ariel glaring at her as she spoke. "When I get married, I shall let you plan to your heart's content. You shall have however long you want."
Lady Matlock smiled. "Thank you, my dear, but I suspect that you shall not wish to wait much longer than Anne is to marry...whenever that event occurs."
"Are we to congratulate you as well?" Darcy asked.
"No, not as of yet," Cordelia replied. She smiled. "But perhaps soon. Very soon."