Beginning, Section II, Next Section
Part Fifteen
"I just do not understand, miss. Why did you say you wouldn't marry him?" Megan asked, brushing her hair back at Pemberley.
Sydney sighed and met Megan's gaze in the mirror. "After my meeting with Mr. Tate, Mr. Darcy took the younger Darcy into his study. I did not mean to listen, but I did. I heard Mr. Darcy say that he did not want to marry me."
"So?" Megan inquired. "He has to marry you by law."
"No, no he does not. If both parties disagree and the original writers of the arrangement denounce it, it's value is no longer anything." Sydney explained.
"Well, miss, if I may inquire?" At Sydney's nod, Megan went on. "Why did you tell him no? You need a husband."
"I do not need a husband." she declared and then reddened at her outburst. "If I get a husband, I do not want one who is unwilling. What kind of a marriage would that be? It would be almost as if...as if there was not one to start with."
Megan nodded at her speech, but still silently thought Miss King should not have said no. The young master, although he tried to hide it, was really kind at heart. True, he did not often seem to care about other people, but she had seen that he had taken a liking to Sydney from the very beginning. Why, she remembered how he acted while Miss King was still sick. He had hovered around, bringing her tea, meals, and books. He had been so careful to watch her after Sydney was better. She had thought the two had become friends. Of course they did not love each other, but maybe several years down the road.....
"Why are you so happy this morning, Megan?" asked Sydney absently, as she fingered some of her golden curls.
Megan was surprised her mistress had even noticed, but then Miss King was an exceptional person. Although both ladies of the house were exceedingly nice, Sydney King went beyond that. She knew the hard work of a servant, and had often times helped them out by dressing herself and doing her own hair.
"Come, Megan, tell me. You came in here with a smile that all but lit up the room. There must be some reason. I have bared my heart to you this morning and I expect nothing less from you," Sydney teased, turning to look Megan in the face.
Megan blushed, but had no objection to telling her kind mistress.
"I'm happy because I've found the one, miss."
"The one what?"
"The one that I am going to marry." Megan grinned, not even realizing how this would make Sydney feel.
Without even waiting for her prompting, Megan went on. "His name is Marius and he is the head stableboy. His job is very important. He goes with Mr. Darcy when he goes to the auction, and Mr. Darcy always trusts his judgment. Oh, he is so handsome, too! He's tall and strong, but he has the prettiest blue eyes." Megan stopped and looked guiltily at Sydney.
"Oh, I am sorry, miss! I did not even think about what I was saying! What you must be feeling...and then I went on and on about...oh dear!" the poor maid finished off, wanting to dig a deep hole and throw herself in it.
Sydney saw this and instantly tried to put the woman at ease. "Oh, Megan, do not be alarmed! How happy I am for you! Has he proposed yet?"
Megan nodded her head eagerly. "Last night. We already have our parents approval."
Sydney smiled. "You must let me come to your wedding."
"Our wedding! Why...miss, no! I am only a maid and you are a distinguished guest of the Darcy's. It would be highly improper."
"Oh, Megan, stop that! I was a maid myself until three months ago. Do not act like it is such an atrocity. I want to be there, and so I will. Are you finished?" Sydney spit out.
Megan nodded slowly, almost frightened because she had never seen her mistress lash out quite like that.
"Thank you, Megan. I must be down to breakfast." She rose and walked out of her room.
You may have been a maid for awhile, Miss King, but you certainly were not all your life, Megan thought as she watched Sydney walk out gracefully and regally.
Sydney was met on the stairs by Jonathan. "Hello, Mr. Darcy," she said.
"Oh, please. Call me Jonathan." he gushed, taking her arm in his.
"As you wish, Jonathan. Have you seen -" Sydney started.
"Ah, Miss King! A good morning to you!" Ben Darcy said, coming up to her other side and taking her other arm.
"Good morning, Mr. Darcy."
"Oh, please. Call me Ben." he gushed, smiling shyly at her.
"As you wish, Ben." she said through gritted teeth. "Have either of you seen your older brother this morning? There is something I wish to speak to him about."
"No, we have not seen him." they said at the same time.
"Miss King, Ben and I will be returning to school in two days. We were wondering if you would like to go on a picnic with us." Jonathan started out.
"Oh, would that not be improper?" Sydney asked, trying delicately to turn them down.
"Of course not, Miss King!" Ben looked aghast that she would think they would do something dishonorable.
"Peter and Liza will be accompanying us, of course." Jonathan told her.
"Oh."
"Good, it is settled then. We will be heading off at nine o'clock tomorrow."
Sydney felt like she had just been blown over with a tornado. She could not even remember if she had actually told them yes or not. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Peter looking at the three of them and smothering a smile.
"You wished to speak with me, Miss King?" Peter asked.
She swiftly nodded her head and then glanced at each brother pointedly.
"Preferably I would like to speak with you privately, sir."
Still, the brothers did not move. They looked at her expectantly as if they wondered why she was not continuing. Peter gave them each a look, but they decided to risk staying.
"Jonathan, Ben: stop annoying me and get out of here. My fiancee` wishes to speak with me alone."
They finally got the hint, and walked away muttering to each other.
"What is the problem, Miss King?" he asked, taking her arm and walking.
"I was wondering what I should say to people. Should I tell them we are not going to be married, or should I wait? I personally think I should tell. After all, your parents are having a ball for our engagement. It is highly improper to have an engagement ball when no one is to be engaged, you know." Sydney stated.
She had been wondering over that dilemma since she had spoken to the elder Mr. Darcy. Fitzwilliam Darcy had looked surprised by what Sydney had said for only a few minutes. What he had said about her was true. Sydney was proud and she was not going to force a man to marry her unwillingly. That was not only embarrassing, the marriage would not be prosperous.
"I can see you have thought about this for awhile, Sydney." Peter stated.
"Yes, I have, sir..." she paused and looked at him, "You called me Sydney, Mr. Darcy."
"I suppose I did," Peter shrugged. "I should think I can since my brothers are known to you on a first name basis."
Sydney felt herself blushing. Oh, how she hated to blush! Until she had come to this darn place she had hardly blushed once. Now she felt she was blushing every other second.
"You must call me Peter, then. I cannot be outdone by my younger brothers." he smiled.
They walked on in silence again until a thought struck Sydney. She turned to him with widened eyes.
"Jonathan and Ben said they were going back to school. Are you going too?"
Peter eyed her. "No, Sydney. I am already through with school."
She sighed in relief even before she thought better of it. She blushed again, realized she was, and then willed herself to stop. Peter was smiling at her.
"Did I detect some worry in your tone of voice?" he teased.
Sydney shrugged daintily, and then smiled up at him. "I suppose there was. Although we are not getting married, you are only one of a few men who have ever treated me kindly. I wish not to lose your friendship at this moment."
When she looked at him, he seemed to be in great contemplation. Suddenly he let go of her arm. They were at the dining room.
"Here you are, Sydney."
She started to enter and then noticed he was not following her.
"Are you not going to dine?" she asked, confused.
He seemed very uncomfortable. He was shifting his weight from foot to foot and running his hand through his hair. He finally looked at her.
"I decided I was not hungry." He turned away from her and all but ran down the hall.
Sydney had no time to dwell on his strange behavior because Jonathan and Benjamin were already approaching her with huge smiles on their faces.
Part Sixteen
It was a perfect day for a picnic. The sun shone brightly, but was not strong. The morning breeze cooled things considerably. Peter took a deep sigh and began walking towards the stable. Jonathan and Ben were already there and gave him a wave. He was about a hundred feet away from the stable when he heard Liza call out to him. He stopped, turned around, and waited.
Liza was pulling Sydney down the hill. Sydney was obviously wearing one of Liza's riding outfits because it was a little big for her. When they reached him, Liza flashed them a sly smile.
"I have to go tell Jonathan something," she told them, then picked up her skirts and flew down the hill.
"Good morning, Sydney," Peter said, taking her arm.
"Good morning, Mr. Dar- Peter." she told him, giving him a smile. She seemed in good spirits.
He was hoping she would not be mad at him for his rude behavior the day before at breakfast. She caught him by surprise. He was already feeling some guilt for breaking their arrangement. After hearing her tell him that he was one of the only men who had ever treated her with kindness, he felt like a liar. He was not treating her with kindness. He was basically throwing her helpless into the world, and all because marriage would not be convenient. Then she had gone and said how she did not want to lose his friendship. She was so innocent and...naive at times. She still wanted to be his friend even after the way he was treating her. He had never known anyone quite like her.
His thoughts were interrupted when Sydney suddenly stopped. Her grip on his arm had tightened and it had almost become painful.
"Sydney?" he asked.
"Is that a stable?" she asked in a whisper.
"Yes," he said with a smile. What had come over her?
"Are we...Do we need to ride today?" she asked so softly he had to strain to understand her.
"Yes. It's not far, but we Darcy's enjoy riding every once in awhile." he explained.
"So, we will be riding?"
"Yes." he said slowly, confused.
She dropped his arm and took a step back.
"Forgive me, sir, but I suddenly do not feel well. A headache has come on suddenly. I...I will retire to my room and...and....rest." she stumbled on all her words and turned.
Peter caught up with her and grabbed her arm. Forcing her to face him, he saw that her eyes were already filled with unshed tears. She was not sick, that he knew. She had been fine and happy a second before.
"Sydney, is something wrong?" he asked.
She would not look him in the eyes. A tear trickled down her cheek. She did not attempt to wipe it away. It was driving him insane and before he could even think of it, he wiped it away himself. Then she looked up at him. He did not understand the look on her face. It was as if she was replaying some unseen horror in her mind.
"Is it the stables?" he asked.
If he had not been watching closely, he would not have seen her small nod. "I- I never go in them. I hate them."
"We do not have to ride then, Sydney. We can walk." he said gently.
"Are you sure? I do not want to trouble you." she spoke quietly.
Peter laughed. "Of course it is all right."
He held out his hand to her and she hesitated. After some deliberation, she smiled at him and placed her hand in his. He gave it a squeeze and then they walked toward his siblings. Liza had given them a strange look when Peter had told them they would walk, but the three headed out on their horses and left the two of them alone.
Within five minutes of the walk, he was glad that they decided not to ride. Sydney's attitude had turned in a complete circle and she was back to her earlier mood. It was almost as if there were different parts to her and when one came out the other disappeared, and vice versa. She stopped every five seconds to look at something interesting. She smelled every flower and looked at every animal. In between they talked. He was surprised at how easily they could converse together.
"Why is your name Sydney?" he asked.
"I believe it was my mother's maiden name." She made a face. "I hate it."
"Why? It's very pretty, and different. There are hundreds of people named Peter." he told her.
"Peter is such a strong name, though. No one questions it. When people hear my name is Sydney they think to themselves how strange it is. With Peter, they just think, 'That's nice.'"
Peter laughed. "I suppose you are right."
Sydney suddenly stopped and looked to her left with a big grin.
"I can only think of one view that rivals this," she sighed.
Without any warning, Sydney picked up her skirts and started to run down the hill. Peter stared after her in amazement for a few moments before he started to laugh. He knew she was going to fall probably before she did. She did not seem to be in any pain, for she sat up and laughed. When Peter reached her, he had to laugh right along with her. Her bonnet had come undone, her hair was out of place, and there were leaves all over her.
"I suppose that ruined any chance of you seeing me as a graceful, proper young lady," she smiled.
Peter grinned at her and reached down to haul her up to her feet. He liked this side of Sydney. She could seem so...stuffy at times. However, he believed that was a false facade. This side of Sydney was her true side. How ever long ago, she had been a carefree, happy child.
Sydney was trying to fix her hair and put her bonnet back in place. It was a futile action, for there were just about as many leaves in her hair as there were on the ground. He quickly pulled all the leaves out of her hair.
"Thank you," she told him, suddenly shy.
It was then he noticed how close they were standing. Her cheeks were tinged with an irresistible red tinge. She looked quite charming. He reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, leaving his hand to rest on her shoulder. He was waiting for her to look at him, and when she did, the intense gaze of her violet eyes shocked him. She was holding back a smile, and he discovered a small dimple he had never noticed before.
She swallowed tentatively reached her hand up to join his on her shoulder. Locking her gaze, he leaned in closer. He wanted more than anything to get one kiss from this puzzle of a girl.
Part Seventeen
Sydney's mind was frozen in thought until she felt Peter's warm breath on her cheek. Somehow, her mind came back to her and she opened her eyes and stepped back from Peter. The spell was broken. What was she doing? What must he think of her? First of all, she had run down the hill like a small child and now here she was practically kissing him. It would be different if they were engaged- but they were not. He did not care for her and she did not care for him.
"I suppose your siblings will be wondering where we are," she said, glancing no farther than his cravat.
He took a deep breath. "Yes, we should go on."
They made the short distance without another word uttered. Once they joined Jonathan, Ben, and Liza, they completely ignored each other. It was not a hard task to complete, for Liza was always talking on, and Jonathan and Ben paid enough attention to Sydney there was no way she would have even been able to speak with Peter.
"Have you two set a date yet?" Liza suddenly asked, as they were unpacking the food.
Sydney glanced up at Peter sharply and saw his small smile. She gave him one back and turned to Liza. "No, I am afraid we have not had much time to plan."
"That is all right, of course. We have not even given you your engagement ball yet. Although, mother and I are planning it. We were thinking on setting the date a month from now. Would that suit you, Sydney?" Liza asked, while munching on an apple.
"Oh, Liza, you need not go to so much trouble!" Sydney said hurriedly.
"Nonsense! How could you think I would not give my future sister a ball? It will be grand. Your ball gown is being shipped from London and should arrive any day." she stopped and let a huge sigh escape. "I just love balls."
"Liza, you have only been to one." Jonathan pointed out.
Liza frowned at him. "Well, I loved that one. I wonder if Lord Cannerly will attend."
Her two older brothers started to laugh. "Someone is in love, but I do not believe it is him."
Liza frowned harder at Jonathan. "Lord Cannerly is perfectly enchanted with me, I will have you two know."
"That is not what he said to me," Ben laughed.
Liza picked up the nearest object and threw it at her brother. She had perfect aim, but Ben was a fast thinker. He ducked and the sticky bun continued to sail over his head to hit the unsuspecting oldest Darcy child. All four tried their best to hide their laughter, but the look on Peter's face was priceless. He wiped the honey off his face and glanced at Liza.
"Who threw this?" he asked, knowing very well it was his little sister.
Liza shrugged daintily and would have kept up the lie, if she had not started to laugh.
"Oh, you think it is funny, do you?" he asked, coming closer to her and grabbing a glass of lemonade.
"Peter, stay away from me!" Liza cried, standing up with fear. She knew her older brother, and he would do anything for revenge.
Sydney laughed as she watched Liza pick up her skirts and scurry away from her brother, who followed right behind. Suddenly Liza came up behind Sydney and used her as a shield.
"You would not do that to your fiancee`, would you, Peter?" Liza asked, knowing full well he would.
"Wouldn't I?" he implored, smiling right at Sydney.
"It would be frightfully unfair. I had nothing to do with the little bun catastrophe." she reminded him, a hint of a small smile on her face.
"Yes, that is true. But we Darcy children have a little motto. We do not spare the hostages, either."
With that, he took the glass and poured it onto Sydney and Liza. Liza screamed, but Sydney just laughed. She had not felt this good in years. She tried to wipe the drops off her face, but only succeeded in making it more wet.
"Peter Fitzwilliam Darcy! I cannot believe you!" Liza screeched, who then turned to her other brothers. "And you two! Your sister is in trouble and you do not even try to help."
"We would have had to get up, Liza." Jonathan said, sighing dramatically.
"Why you....!" here a group of curse words were entered.
Sydney stared with her mouth open at the youngest Darcy. She had never heard a female speak such words, and a lady at that! Liza had the grace to blush and feel foolish.
"Please excuse my sister, Miss King. Her mouth gets the better of her at times." Ben teased.
Sydney could tell that Liza really did feel humiliated, as she was not looking Sydney in the eye.
"Liza, it is quite all right. I am accustomed to those words. After all, I was a maid for four years. Of course, only the truly vulgar servants spoke in those terms, but I heard them none the less."
Sydney knew her words would hit Liza to the core. It really was not proper for a young girl to be saying things like that, even if it was only to her family. When Liza heard the hidden message in her words-that she was acting as low as the lowest servant- the girl might come to her senses.
Liza looked Sydney in the eye, and nodded her head to let her know she understood. Sydney smiled at the younger girl to let her know she did not look down at her for it.
The all set out to eat, and ate quickly, for it was getting late and Mr. Darcy needed Peter at home. When all was cleaned up, the three mounted their horses and Peter and Sydney started out on foot.
"You speak with much intelligence," Peter said, after they had walked in silence for five minutes.
"Excuse me, sir?" she inquired, a little confused at what he was saying.
"When you reprimanded Liza. My mother has been looking for a way to do that for years. Unfortunately, until today, nothing has worked." Peter explained.
Sydney shrugged.
"I feel we had a very productive outing," Peter attempted to make conversation again.
"Oh, yes! I do not know the last time I have had so much fun!" Sydney exclaimed, truthfully.
Peter gave her a funny look. "That is a pity."
At her look, Peter went on further. "It is a pity that you cannot remember the last time you had fun."
Sydney turned away and regally spoke, "There have been reasons."
"So you say."
Sydney instantly looked upon his face in anger. "What do you mean by that, sir?"
"It is nothing, Sydney."
"No, no, I do believe it is. Please, tell me what you meant." she told him, so angry she stopped walking to face him.
Peter sighed. "I believe you were naturally a person who enjoyed a good time and was generally always happy. You are not that person now. I do not see what could have happened that made you change."
At every word he spoke, Sydney got more and more angry. How dare a man whose life had come so easily, lecture her on living? What hardship had he gone through in his life? Perhaps one of his dogs had died, the poor dear.
Sydney was glad that Pemberley had come into view, for she was not sure how long she could stand walking next to him. He had sensed her anger and had not uttered a word since that long speech.
"I thank you for the wonderful morning, sir." she curtsied and was off.
She spent the rest of her day until dinner sitting with Mrs. Darcy and playing with the dog who still insisted on following her around. By dinner, she figured she might be able to stomach looking at him.
"Father, Peter poured lemonade on me and Sydney." Liza immediately stated.
"Sydney and me." her mother corrected.
"Yes, Sydney and me. He did!" she said again, when she noticed her father did not seem to care.
"Should not you do something, father?" she pestered.
Fitzwilliam Darcy sighed and looked at his daughter.
"Was he provoked?"
Liza went silent.
"That is what I thought."
"He still should not have poured it on Sydney!" she insisted.
"True," he turned to his oldest son, "Do you have an explanation for yourself?"
Peter shrugged. "Liza hid behind her."
Fitzwilliam nodded his head and turned to Sydney.
"Miss King, were you hurt?"
"No."
"Miss King, were your feelings injured?"
"No." Sydney said, managing to keep the laughter out of her voice.
"Miss King, would you like me to punish your fiancé`?"
Sydney lifted an eyebrow. "It is very tempting, but I suppose I should say no."
After dinner everyone adjourned into the sitting room. Sydney was in the middle of an excellent book when Mrs. Darcy spoke to her.
"Sydney, I forgot. We received a letter from your aunt and uncle today."
Sydney's heart plummeted to her stomach. How had they found her? She hoped her reaction was not too evident and glanced at Peter to see. He had noticed something. He was looking at her with a puzzled expression. She brought her feelings together and managed a wobbly smile.
"How wonderful! I thought never to hear from them again," she said.
"I did not know you had any relatives." Peter said carefully. She knew he was gauging her response.
"Everyone has relatives." Sydney tried to laugh.
"They sounded like very elegant people. They have been overseas for five years and knew nothing of your circumstance until a month ago. They said...well, never mind. Here it is." she handed Sydney a letter. "I will let you read it yourself."
Sydney looked at the letter in her hand, but did not attempt to open it. It was an unwelcome intrusion to her new life. It had power--power over her, and over her life.
"Why aren't you reading, Sydney? Don't you wish to see how they are?" Liza asked.
"Well of course, she would not want to read it with all of us around. How insensitive I am. Everyone out until Sydney is finished!"
Elizabeth had the whole room cleared without Sydney even realizing. She could only stare at the letter. The letter was a gun and she would be playing Russian Roulette. She closed her eyes and crushed the letter in her fist.
She threw the letter into the fire and as she watched it burn, she felt her breathing return to normal. Her control came back to her, and the dread was gone. She sat down in a chair and cried.
Little did she know that an observer, careful to conceal himself, had seen the whole thing.
Part Eighteen
"Do not wear the dark green coat, Peter. That will match horribly with her dress. Since you will be dancing almost every dance with her, you two must look right. Do not forget to dance with her first, me a few times and then your cousin, May."
"I promise I will not, sister." Peter muttered.
"Splendid, but do not forget-"
"Liza, be quiet. I am getting a headache." Peter told his younger sister, rubbing his forehead and turning away from her.
Liza lifted her eyebrow at him. "Your ball is tonight. I want to make sure your outfit will match Sydney's dress. Excuse me for my interference, brother." She stalked away from him, and Peter was almost tempted to go after her and stop her, to apologize.
"What is the matter with you, son?" a deep voice from behind him spoke, startling him.
Peter turned around and sighed at his father.
"I am...worried. The engagement ball is tonight, only we are not engaged." Peter reminded his father.
"I know, Peter. I told you it would be fine. Your mother would go mad if you announced it now."
"But I could have told her weeks ago, before the plans were finalized. Why did you tell me not to?"
"I have my reasons."
Of course, Fitzwilliam would never tell Peter his reasons. He believed the marriage would be good for the both of them, and he would feel guilty just letting Sydney out into the world, even though she now had relatives. He had grown quite fond of the young lady. She had certainly evolved into a charming and beautiful woman since the first time she had entered the house. Whenever he looked at her he was reminded of her mother, a charming lady that both he and Elizabeth had loved. He did not understand why Peter was adamant against the marriage. He would have to get married sooner or later, and Sydney was an excellent choice.
Thankfully, Peter shrugged and moved away. His father and mother were quite strange sometimes. He wanted to go out and shoot, but his brothers were back at school. His father was finishing some business, Liza was mad at him, and his mother was preparing for the ball later that night. He hated when his brothers left. His Aunt and Uncle Bingley were coming for the ball, and they were expected at any moment. Peter did not know how long he could last without one other male his age in the house.
"Dog, will you ever leave me alone?" he heard Sydney's distinctive voice say.
He peeked around the corner to see her sitting eye level with his dog. She talked to him like he was a human. She was smiling at him and patting him on the head. The dog licked her face in return.
"Dog, you are disgusting!" she laughed.
"So now my fine animal is called 'dog'?" Peter teased, leaning against the doorframe.
Sydney jumped in alarm and then smiled wryly.
"I could not come up with any other name," she admitted.
"His name is Bruno."
Sydney wrinkled up her nose, and made a face.
"Dog is much better than Bruno. How could you name such a beautiful animal, Bruno?" she asked in disbelief.
Peter smiled and then helped Sydney up onto her feet.
"Will you take a stroll with me? I am going out of my mind with loneliness with my brothers away."
She accepted his arm and they walked outside into the sunshine.
"Where have you been hiding yourself this morning?" he asked as they were well on their way.
Sydney reddened. "How did you- ?" She started over. "I am ashamed to say it was your sister's exuberance. I am nervous, no petrified, about the coming ball tonight and she seemed to make the wait worse."
Peter laughed. "That is nothing to be ashamed about. I myself wanted to get away from Liza. That happens often you know."
They both laughed and decided to turn around. When they neared the house, Sydney noticed a carriage in the front.
"Who is here, Peter?"
Peter squinted into the sunlight and made out a carriage that looked like his relatives. He sighed in relief. Finally, Eric was here and he would have some interesting company.
"My Aunt and Uncle Bingley! Oh, Sydney, you must meet them. They are the two most amiable people in all of England."
His relatives had just stepped out of their carriage and he could not wait to speak with them. Although he loved his other relatives, albeit Aunt and Uncle Wickham were his least favorite, he could not help but love the Bingley's best. They were perfectly suited for each other, both equal in kindness. When he and Sydney reached them, he called out his greeting.
"Peter, my boy! How good it is to see you again!" his cousin Eric said, bowing to him and then pounding him on the back.
"The enjoyment is all mine, cousin." Peter laughed.
He then turned and greeted all of his relatives, kissing his two female cousins and Aunt on the cheek. Eric eyed Sydney. Peter saw her cheeks go red at his assessment. Peter felt bad for her. He knew she hated to be stared at, especially by men. Eric was an intimidating figure. He was almost as tall as Peter, but seemed to always have a mischievous look in his eyes. He was as nice as nice men came, but that sparkle in his eyes made him that much untrustworthy.
"I propose this is your fiancee`, Darcy?" he asked.
"Yes, yes, excuse me for my tardiness in introductions. This is my fiancee` Miss Sydney King." Peter introduced, giving Sydney a reassuring smile.
"Miss King, this is my Aunt and Uncle Bingley."
"Good day to you, Miss King!" his uncle proclaimed in his usual cheeriness.
"It is wonderful to finally meet you, dear. My sister has written me of your praise." Jane Bingley smiled, taking Sydney's hands into her own.
"Oh, I am sure it has been greatly exaggerated." Sydney said softly, her head bowed.
"Miss King, these are my daughters, May and Anna." Charles pronounced, nodding to Peter's two cousins. They seemed as shy to him as Sydney did.
"And last but certainly not least," Eric began, "I am Eric Bingley, best friend and cousin to your fiancee` there. I am extremely happy to meet you."
Sydney glanced up at him and smiled. "I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Bingley."
Eric laughed so loudly Sydney seemed startled.
"I am in wonderment, Peter. How did you get such a wonderful creature to marry you?"
At that statement, Sydney turned even more red, which only made Eric laugh harder.
"I do believe you are frightening her, Eric." Peter smiled.
"I am not. Miss King, am I scaring you?" he asked in merriment.
Personally, Peter thought he might be just having a little too much fun at her expense. He was about to step in and stop in it, when Sydney spoke.
"No, sir, you do not. I have met with many more frightening men in my life. Excuse me, it was nice to meet you all." She curtsied to everyone and then turned and all but fled.
"Really, dear. You should not be so forward." Jane scolded.
Eric smiled. "I will keep in check next time."
He seemed, however, to take in her words. When everyone was heading in, Eric held Peter back.
"Has something happened to her, Peter? What was she talking about?"
"She has not had an easy life, Eric. Do not hold anything against her."
The rest of the day seemed to fly by quickly. Mrs. Darcy and Bingley were in a frenzy overseeing each detail of the meal, the instrumentalists and the decorations. Eric and Peter hid in his father's study with the other two men. Liza, Anna and May were off admiring each other's wardrobe. He assumed Sydney was with them, but when he saw she was not, he thought he should go look for her.
He heard Bruno bark and headed in that direction. He stopped when he saw several servants preparing a room that was not being used by any of his relatives. He saw Megan and stopped her.
"Megan, why are you preparing this room?" he asked.
"For the other guests, sir." she curtsied.
"Do you know who the other guests are?"
"Why no, sir." she said in surprise.
"Thank you, Megan. Please continue on."
Peter decided he would ask his father, but first he wanted to see what Sydney was doing. He knocked on her door and at her permission, he entered. She was sitting in a chair near her window and reading a book.
"What are you reading?" he asked, from the doorway.
She looked up and smiled. "Shakespeare's Sonnets."
Peter nodded. "Good. I will leave you to your reading. I will see you tonight."
Peter went back to the study, but got stuck in a heated discussion and forgot to ask his father about the other guests. When it was time to dress, Peter returned to his chamber to get dressed. His man pulled out his dark green coat and dark pants.
"Uh, no, I cannot wear that, Weber. My sister threatened me with injury."
Weber laughed and pulled out a black one instead. Peter took a bath, got dressed, and then tied his cravat.
"You look well, sir," Weber said. That was praise from his lips.
"Thank you, Weber. What time is it?"
"The guests should be arriving at any moment."
Peter stepped out of his room, and met with Eric in the hallway.
"I suppose Ben and Jonathan were not eager to miss this." Eric commented as they made their way to the main hallway.
"No, they were not. They both have grown rather...attached to Sydney, and I know they would have liked to be here for her."
"They are not the only ones." Eric said, his mischievous grin working full strength.
"Excuse me?"
"You seem quite...attached to her also. After all, you left our male haven to simply find her."
"She is a delicate person, and..."Peter scowled at him, "If we were not wearing our best, I would hurt you."
"No, dear cousin, you would try."
Both were laughing by the time they met up with the rest of their families. Liza looked out the window and noticed a few carriages arriving.
"Where is Sydney? We cannot have an engagement ball without the bride to be!" Charles exclaimed.
Peter looked around him and saw that she was not with them. Liza spoke up. She walked over to him and motioned for him to lean down. When he did, she whispered in his ear.
"I believe she is just feeling a little embarrassed, brother. She will be down soon."
True to her word, Sydney stepped down the stairs a few moments later. Peter saw every man in his company, freeze and stare at the staircase. Peter turned and he himself felt transfixed.
She was beautiful. He wondered why he had never realized that until now. She truly was the most beautiful woman of his acquaintance. Her dress was a light blue, and even from his distance, he could see it brought out the violet in her blue eyes. Her hair was done beautifully and she had just the right color of red on her face to make it look attractive.
As she made it down to the last step, Peter immediately walked quickly over to her. He took her hand and kissed it. She did not look up.
"You look wonderful, Sydney." he said softly, only loud enough for her to hear.
She still did not look up.
"You may stop staring at my shoes now," he teased.
Immediately her head shot up and she smiled him. He was frozen.
"I must admit I am frightfully nervous. Even more nervous than when I met your cousin, Peter."
It did not register that she was talking to him until about a minute after she spoke.
"Yes, yes...the guests are appearing. Let us greet them."
Sydney gave him a queer smile and he wondered what she had told him. He did not even pay attention to any of the guests, for his eyes hardly strayed from her face. When the music began to play, he took her hand and led her to the floor.
She was an educated dancer, and never made mistakes. Peter did not know what to say to her. He searched his brain over and over, but still could not think of one thing. Every time an intellectual thought even entered his mind, it was lost with one look in her eyes.
"Peter, are you feeling well tonight?" she asked softly, with concern.
"Yes, Sydney. Why would you think any different?" Peter asked with a smile.
She shrugged. "You seem out of sorts is all. I am sorry."
"There is nothing to apologize about. You have nothing to apologize for tonight at all." He had not meant to say the last statement, but it had just flown out of his mouth. Now he knew how Liza felt. Sydney, though, did not seem to notice or hear. How naive she was. Here she was, looking more beautiful than any other woman in the room, and she did not even realize it. Any other woman would have been flirting shamelessly with him, but not Sydney. It must be part of her appeal.
As soon as that thought entered his mind, he wanted to smack himself in the head. Her appeal? Her appeal? He was thinking like Jonathan now. Of course, women had always been attractive to him, but they were only that. He supposed it was a 'sexist' thinking, or at least that is what Liza had told him, but it was what he had thought. Now, because of Sydney, his thoughts were changing.
Sydney smiled at him, oblivious to the thoughts that were swimming through his head.
"It really is lovely, what your parents have done for me. I will always be indebted to them." she said.
"I know they would not like you to think that, Sydney." he told her.
"Of course, but especially with your father knowing that...that, we are not..."she trailed off, and glanced to her right and left with a guilty look on her face.
It struck him as hilarious, and he could not help himself from laughing. It was contagious and Sydney also began to laugh. Eric caught Peter's eye and gave him a pointed stare, looking from Sydney to Peter suggestively. Peter wanted to stick his tongue out at him. He felt like a five year old.
Sydney was humming along with the music, probably subconsciously, until he heard her gasp and stiffen.
"What are..." she whispered, as if she could not breathe.
She was taking huge breaths and her hand was at her throat. She had grown ten shades paler within those few seconds. The fear he saw in her eyes was a fear he thought he would never see again. He thought she was over it.
"Sydney? Sydney, are you all right?" Peter asked with concern, gently shaking her shoulders.
She seemed to be in a trance, staring ahead of her and not noticing anything or anyone, including Peter, around her.
"Why are they here?" her voice was like a small child's.
"Who? Who?" Peter asked.
She suddenly seemed to realize he was standing next to her. She turned her eyes slowly to meet his.
"Peter, Peter...please you must..."
She never finished her sentence. With a guttural sound from deep in her throat, she collapsed into his arms.
Part Nineteen
Sydney heard the voices before she opened her eyes. She was confused and disoriented, for she could not figure out where she was. She knew she had fainted, she had felt herself fall, but she still felt like she was floating. Her head ached horribly and her throat was dry. She strived to remember why she had fainted.
"I do not know, mother. I am afraid it was too much for her. Perhaps she is still weak from her illness."
She recognized Peter's voice, very loud and close. She knew what he was saying was not truthful. She had felt fine all day, and hadn't felt weak in over a month.
"I wish mama were here. I would use her smelling salts," Elizabeth said.
"Oh my dear! This is awful!" cried a female voice, foreign to the room, yet so familiar to Sydney.
She stiffened and her eyes opened in an unconscious response. The lights hurt her eyes, and she closed them again.
"Do not do that again, Sydney. Open your eyes," Peter commanded softly.
Sydney obeyed and willed her eyes to open slits. She immediately felt a hand on her forehead, and knew that Liza had taken control.
"There is no temperature. Sydney, do you feel weak? Is your stomach upset?" she asked.
Sydney glanced up and saw everyone was staring directly at her. It was then she realized she was in Peter's arms. She reddened and quietly asked him to put her down.
"You are not going to faint again?" he asked, with a hint of a smile.
"No." she tried to smile back, "I believe it is just a bit warm in here. With that and all the excitement...I am very sorry, Mrs. Darcy."
Peter set her down onto the ground, but kept only a small distance away in case she would decide to repeat.
"Whatever for, dear?" Jane Bingley could not help but ask.
"Why, I ruined your party! And after you spent so much time getting ready...."
Elizabeth laughed, put her arm around Sydney, and assured her it was quite all right.
"This is a strange welcome from our niece, would not you agree Herbert?" It was the voice again.
"Why, yes. I do believe it is."
"Aunt, Uncle...I did not know you were going to be here," Sydney said, weakly.
"We wrote it in your letter, Sydney." her aunt told her, then turned to Elizabeth, "We did not receive a letter from our niece, but when you were kind enough to send a reply to us, we decided to make the trip. We have not seen Sydney for so long, after all."
"I was very disappointed not to receive a letter from you, Sydney." her uncle said lighthearted enough, but with a touch of menace in it only meant for Sydney's ears.
"I...I do not know why. I sent you a letter right away." she said.
"How did you manage that? You did not give me a letter to mail out," Darcy wondered.
At her aunt and uncle's stare, Sydney started to sway. Peter must have noticed, for his hand was instantly supporting her back. At his touch, she felt some of her lost composure coming back. She took a deep breath and was about to answer, when Peter lied.
"She gave it to me to take care of. It must have gotten lost in the mail. Things like that are happening more often everyday."
"True, young man, very true." her uncle agreed.
"Sydney, I believe you should return to your bed." Liza pronounced.
"Is that necessary? It is her engagement ball, after all, and we just arrived. I want to spend as much time with my niece as possible." her aunt said, smiling directly at Sydney.
Sydney tried to smile right back at her, but the corners of her mouth would not curl up.
"If you must, Sydney, at least sit down." Liza instructed and would not stay quiet until Sydney was seated in a chair, Peter on one side and her aunt on the other.
"Are you going to introduce us, dear?" her aunt asked, touching her hand.
Sydney felt the chills course through her body at the touch. How she hated them! She had thought she would be safe from them, but they had found her. She was stupid. She should have convinced Mr. Darcy to tell Elizabeth and not have a ball. Her relatives would have heard that she was marrying one of the most eligible men in all of England.
"Miss King?" Peter asked gently, poking her arm and her out of her reverie.
"Oh, yes. May I present my Aunt and Uncle Cooke." she tried to add affection in her voice, but knew she failed bitterly.
"It is wonderful to make your acquaintance." Peter said somewhat stiffly.
"We are delighted to meet you as well, sir. We have been out of the country for several years, but have heard nothing but praise over you since we have come home." Uncle Cooke said.
"How long have you been back in England, sir?" Peter asked.
"Nearly half a year," her aunt answered.
"I find it strange you are just now arriving to fetch your niece. Did you not have any correspondence with her while you were abroad?"
"I am afraid that our connection was lost." Aunt Cooke said, so believable Sydney almost listened to her.
"That is truly a sad fact. You must have known your niece's condition then."
Why was he questioning them like this? Everyone in the house had seemed to be charmed by them. Sydney did not want them to know her prior condition, it would give them too much glee.
"Her condition? Sydney, what is he talking of?" Aunt Cooke asked.
Sydney would not look them in the eye.
"Would you wish I tell them, Sydney, or should I let my father?" Peter asked her.
She tried to keep the tears out of her eyes. At least she kept them from spilling over.
"I would...I would rather-"
"Mr. Darcy, excuse us. I think I need to have a talk with my niece." Aunt Cooke said firmly and slightly maliciously.
Sydney flinched. She could not help herself. She was not ready to have a talk with her relatives. Especially alone with them. Peter must have noticed.
"I beg you to have the discussion later, Mrs. Cooke. As you said, this is her engagement ball, and I really would wish her to dance with me."
He took her hand, helped her up, and without letting her argue or agree, led her to the dance floor where couples were already forming the next set.
The ball was over. Pemberley sat in silence and darkness, all it's inhabitants asleep- except one. Peter had not even changed out of his evening clothes. He made use of his restlessness by pacing his room back and forth. He stopped to glance at his mirror. He saw his reflection. The dark circles under his eyes and unkempt hair made him look quite frightening. He went back to his pacing. What had he seen tonight?
He went over everything in his mind. First, there was Sydney. He stopped pacing and smiled. She had looked so beautiful tonight and generally happy, a state he did not often see her in. Then her aunt and uncle had come. Her reaction to them was strange. He sensed fear- deep apprehension- and sadness, an extreme sadness. She had not fainted on account of her weakness. She had been perfectly fine until her aunt and uncle had appeared. He would not forget her face, or the words she uttered before she fainted. She was begging something from him...but what?
Did she want--need--protection from her relatives? Although they were kind and considerate to everyone, Peter got a vibe from them. They seemed distrustful and their weak story about their lost connection with Sydney seemed a little farfetched to Peter. What kind of relatives, who after being gone for several years, wait nearly six months before reconnecting with their only niece? Peter started pacing again. It all seemed too strange.
Peter's thoughts were interrupted by a bark. He knew the bark, of course. It was Bruno, which only meant that Sydney had to be somewhere near. The darn dog had hardly left her side for more than three hours. He looked at his watch and saw it was after two in the morning. What would Sydney be doing up?
He slowly cracked open his door, and saw a small figure with a candle creaking silently down the hallway, a large dog following. Peter was confused, so he decided to follow. What was Sydney doing?
She made her way all the way to the other side of the house, to the servant's quarters. She rapped softly at a door, which was opened by Megan, who did not look disturbed at all to have her mistress come knocking on her door after midnight. Sydney entered the room, Bruno close behind, and Megan shut the door.
Peter was completely confused but saw no point in standing in the servant's quarters in the dead of night, still in his evening clothes. He crept back to his room. As soon as he had laid his hand on the knob, he heard more noise. Expecting to see Sydney again, he turned and instead found her aunt and uncle.
"Where could the brat have gone?" Sydney's uncle said gruffly.
"She must have known we wanted to have a discussion with her. I cannot believe the wretch has known this whole time and never thought to mention it to us! After all we have done for her...it vexes me greatly." the aunt told her husband.
"It matters not now. She will not marry him. We will make sure of that." the man glanced around, thankfully not catching sight of Peter. "We should retire. She is not in her room. We will talk to her tomorrow."
As they disappeared down the hallway, Peter entered his room soundlessly. The situation was bewildering and a bit frightening. It obviously scared Sydney greatly. He fell into bed, still thinking of all that had passed, and had a fitful night of sleep.
Everyone seemed more tired in the morning. As Peter sat down to breakfast, he noticed Sydney's chair was vacant. He turned to Megan, who was pouring his juice, and asked, "Do you know where Miss King is this morning?"
"No, sir." she said, not looking him in the eye. "Perhaps she slept late after her excitement last night."
"Hmm, perhaps." Peter eyed the girl. "Say, Megan, have you seen my beast of a dog this morning?"
"Which one might that be, sir?" she asked.
"Bruno."
Megan's color turned a bright red. "No, I do not know."
"Strange. I thought I had heard him bark near your chamber when I was coming down to breakfast this morning."
Megan spilled the juice on the table. "Oh, I am dreadfully sorry! I will clean this up right away!"
She scurried away quickly.
"Really, the help here is quite dreadful." Mrs. Cooke sniffed.
"Megan is a dear girl. I suppose everyone is entitled to a spill now and then." Mrs. Darcy said sharply. Megan was a favorite of hers, and no one criticized her help.
"Yes, I suppose you are right. Now where could my disobliging niece be this morning?"
"I would appreciate if you did not degrade my betrothed in my presence." Peter told them harshly.
Silence hit the room.
"I am sure Mrs. Cooke meant nothing by it," Jane Bingley put it in.
"Yes, I am sure." Peter muttered.
"May I be permitted to go check on my niece?" Mrs. Cooke asked Mrs. Darcy.
"Why, of course! You need not ask."
"Mother, I do not believe that to be the best in--" Peter started.
"Really, dear. Sydney is their blood. I would ask you to hold your tongue."
At the rebuke, Peter went silent. He watched as the lady got up and walked out of the door. The rest of the party continued on with their breakfast. It took quite a long time, considering the amount of people at the table. Peter kept an anxious watch over the door. When Mrs. Cooke returned a half an hour later without Sydney, Peter began to get scared.
He had heard the two last night. There were answers he needed from Sydney and he began to fear he needed them right away. Who knew what the two were capable of.
"May I be excused, mother? Father? I have pressing business." Peter stated quickly.
His parents gave him queer looks.
"We have guests, Peter. You will leave when they are done."
Twenty minutes later, Peter was finally let up. He had a sick sense that the Cooke's had taken extra long in their meal just to spite him.
He was running up the stairs when he met Megan.
"I need to speak to you, sir." she started.
"And I you."
"I cannot find Miss King."
"What?"
"She is not in the house anywhere and I did not see her on the grounds." Megan's face was worried.
Peter turned quickly and head back down the stairs. He stopped suddenly and turned around.
"Why did Sydney stay in your room last night, Megan?"
Megan seemed taken aback at his question, but knowing it was of great importance, answered.
"She did not tell me directly, but I am almost sure that she was afraid of her relatives."
Peter nodded and headed down the stairs and outside. After finding her nowhere in the gardens or walking grounds, he realized where she would be. He ran to the stables, saddled a horse, and rode the distance to where he saw her lone figure.
"How did you find me?" she asked quietly, as he came behind her.
"The day we took that walk before the picnic, you loved this sight. I just assumed you would be here." Peter stopped, took a deep breath, then went on. "I need answers, Sydney, and I want them now."
Sydney turned and Peter inwardly cringed. She had a tender, red spot on her cheek, which had obviously come from human force. He reached out his hand to touch it before he thought better of it. Sydney jerked away.
"Does it hurt?" he asked.
"No. Do not worry, Peter. It will not leave a mark, they made sure of that. They can be careful when they want to be," she said with contempt, not looking him in the eye.
Peter silently berated himself for not protecting her better. To think, this had happened in his own home.
"You said you wanted answers?" she asked.
He nodded resolutely. "We will not leave until I get them."
Sydney closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. When she opened them, they were clear and seemed to look right through him.
"My father was a very rich man and when he died, he left a bundle of money and possessions to his only heir, which would be me.
"He died when I was young, and I could not be in charge of my own funds. He appointed my aunt and uncle as the guardians of my inheritance and of me." She looked at Peter, who nodded slowly.
"My Aunt and Uncle are not the most virtuous of people and it was obvious, even to me, from the very beginning that they did not care for me. They only wanted my money. I am not sure how much of it they spent, but it has been quite a bit.
"Right before I was sent away, my father's lawyer told me a certain stipulation of his will. When I was to marry, even if it was before my twenty second birthday, I would be granted my inheritance."
Peter put two and two together of what he had heard from the Cooke's last night.
"They did not know," he said.
She nodded. "Let us just say, they were not too...happy with me when they found out I had known the whole time," she said ruefully, her hand on her cheek.
"As my marriage to you would be quite inconvenient to their living at this moment, they have planned to do quite anything to keep us from getting married," she said. "I have not told them we are not. I am sorry I lied, but I did think it best at this time."
"Are your relatives known to be violent?" Peter asked.
"I would not know, but I can guess that they might. They are quite greedy, you see, and I am right in the middle," she sighed, "The money means nothing to me. I would gladly give it to them, but I cannot because as of right now it is not mine to give."
Peter paused. "This is the whole story?"
"Y-yes," Sydney stuttered, shifting her eyes to the left.
"Then I am afraid your aunt and uncle are going to be bitterly disappointed. If they try to hurt you again after we are married, I do not know what I might do to them."
Sydney stopped and did a double take.
"Peter! What do you--"
"If you think I am going to let them get away with that, you are dead wrong. Of course our marriage would be an inconvenience, as you put it, to them. I am afraid it will be for quite awhile," Peter smiled.
Sydney stared at him. "I am sorry, sir, but I decline your offer. I did not tell you this to gain your pity."
"I know you did not, and as to your negative answer, I am sorry for that, myself. There is no answer for you other than yes. You are going to marry me and that is final."
Sydney turned her back on him and he thought she was angry until he saw her shoulders heaving. He took the few steps to her side and put his arms around her shoulders.
"You need not cry anymore, Sydney. Everything is going to be all right."
However, he could not help feeling that she had not told him everything. Her fear of the Cooke's had to be deeper than this issue. He would get it out of her someday, but for now he was going to tell his father their news. He had a strange feeling he would be quite happy.
The engagement bliss lasted for three days. Sydney did not know how she felt. She was scared, worried, and for some odd reason- excited. When she was little she had dreams of marriage, of course. Every little girl has thoughts of a fairy tale romance, complete with a tall, dark, and handsome man- rich, of course- who would whisk her away to his mansion where they would live happily ever after. Sydney smiled. Peter was tall, dark, and handsome, incredibly so. She would have to be blind not to notice. However, she did not see them living happily ever after anytime soon.
"You ruined the story! It's my favorite, Peter. How could you?" Sydney heard Liza's familiar wail.
"It had to come some time, sis. For heaven's sakes, you are sixteen years old. Don't you think that is a little too old to be reading fairy tales?" Peter asked with big brother sarcasm.
"No!" Liza caught sight of Sydney. Grabbing Peter, she dragged him over to where Sydney and Bruno were sitting.
"What do you think, Sydney? Am I too old for fairy tales?"
Sydney tried to keep her smile in check as she said, "I do not believe anyone is really too old for stories."
"Do you still read them?" asked Liza.
"No, Liza, I really never have. I was never one for them."
"Oh." Liza paused only for a moment. "I'm going to ask father!" She was gone in less than a second.
Peter snorted. "I can guarantee my father did not read fairy tales." Peter stopped and walked in a careful circle around her. Sydney immediately blushed.
"Now you are shy with me, Sydney? We are engaged. You should be past that."
Sydney shrugged but did not look up.
"Which story did you ruin?" she asked.
"I believe it was Cinderella. Are you familiar with that one?"
At her nod, he went on. "I simply told Liza the real skepticism of that story."
"She still believed in the fairy godmother?" Sydney asked with a smile.
"No, no, not that part. I simply told her that the prince would not have fallen in love with Cinderella after just one meeting."
Sydney's head popped up. "You do not believe in love at first sight?"
"Should I?" Peter grinned and sat back in his chair.
Sydney stopped. "You believe it could never happen?"
"I suppose it could. My parent's impressions of each other was certainly not a model for it."
"Your Aunt and Uncle Bingley, I have heard-"Sydney started.
"Yes. You are right. It just may have been." Peter interrupted. "However, I think my relatives might be an exception to every rule."
Sydney smiled and they lapsed into silence.
"There was another thing about Cinderella that I ruined for Liza, but now that I think about it, I was wrong."
Sydney raised an eyebrow and Peter continued on.
"I thought the whole character of Cinderella was a little sketchy. The girl was practically a saint. She did all the chores and was practically beaten by her evil stepmother, but she took this all without complaint? I thought it highly unlikely." Peter stopped until Sydney was looking up.
"Will you take a walk with me?" he asked suddenly.
Sydney was surprised. How could he switch topics so quickly and easily? She nodded her head, stood up, and took his arm. Bruno immediately woke up and followed at her heels. Peter called him away, but the dog ignored him.
"You have ruined my dog. He used to listen me."
"Will you finish what you were speaking of?" Sydney asked politely when they were outside.
"Are you so desperate to hear it?" Peter teased, in that tone she used to hate but was getting used to.
"No, but you started and you must continue." Sydney smiled, jabbing him in the ribs with her elbow.
"I simply made an acquaintance with someone who made me change my mind."
Sydney was confused at his statement, but she had no time to question him, as her aunt and uncle were walking towards them. Sydney cursed. Peter gave her a surprised but amused look.
"Did I say that aloud?" she asked in mortification.
His laughter answered her question. She knew she was blushing but she told Peter to be quiet anyway. Her relatives stopped in front of them.
"Why, good afternoon, Sydney." her aunt said with sugary sweetness.
"How are you this fine day, Mr. Darcy?" her uncle addressed Peter.
"Wonderful, sir." Peter said tightly.
"It is a great coincidence that we met you out here. We just wanted to have a private conversation with you, Sydney." her aunt said, walking over to grab her hand.
Sydney cringed. Her aunt's hand was cool and clammy, and she was squeezing incredibly hard. Panic surged through her. She never wanted to be alone with them again! Now that she really was going to marry Peter, she figured they would just sulk a little, and then go home. However, she had the strange premonition that they were plotting something. Her relatives plots were never good things.
"I think that is impossible. Sydney and I were having one of our own conversations." Peter said, taking Sydney's hand from her aunt.
"But, Mr. Darcy! We have not had a chance to really talk with our niece for several years. I believe it would be only fair if you would allow us this chance."
"You had-" Peter started.
"Yes, yes, you are right, Aunt." Sydney turned to Peter. "Mr. Darcy, if you would be so kind as to leave us for a few moments. Perhaps you would like to return to the house?"
"No, perhaps I would-" Peter started again.
"Excuse us for a moment, please?" Sydney asked her aunt and uncle. She grabbed Peter by the arm and led him a distance away.
"If you think I am leaving you alone with them, you are wrong! I still remember that bruise they gave you last time you had a little talk." Peter sneered, shooting an angry look over her shoulder.
"Peter, please. They will not stop bothering me until they have this discussion. I am afraid it is unavoidable." When she saw Peter was going to resist one more time, she put her hand on his forearm. "If you must, stay close by...but please just let me speak with them."
"Just this once!" Peter grumbled as he stalked away.
As soon as he disappeared out of sight, Sydney felt a steel like grip lock onto her arm and pull her away.
"You conniving little brat!" her aunt hissed in her ear. "You think you have everything figured out don't you? You have little lover at your beck and call. I do not think he can protect you for much longer!"
Sydney mustered up her courage. She straightened her shoulders and put her chin up high.
"He can, and he will! We are getting married, aunt, do you not remember?"
She was startled at her uncle's sudden burst of laughter. "Do you not believe me?"
Her Uncle walked slowly towards her and stopped when he was a foot in front of her face.
"Are you positive you are going to marry this Darcy boy?" he asked with a sinister smile.
"Yes." she pronounced without pause.
"I pity your poor father's reputation then." he said, looking her straight in the eyes.
Sydney felt her heart drop to her feet. No! What did her father have to do with anything?
"What do you mean?" she whispered.
"Let us just say, you have quite a decision on your hands, niece."
With that he threw back his head and laughed.
Peter awoke the next morning to a loud bang. Sticking his head out his open door, he saw that a servant had dropped a valise on the ground. His Aunt and Uncle Bingley had not told him they were leaving, but he assumed a business matter had come up suddenly. His uncle was right in the middle of a deal and he did not even know if they would be able to make it at all. Peter was surprised they had stayed this long.
He went back into his room and dressed as quickly as he could. He would try to see if he could get Eric to stay a little longer. It was quite boring to be in the house with only his father as a male companion. He loved his father, but he was often preoccupied with business. Peter often helped him, but there were certain things Fitzwilliam did not need his son for. His mother and Liza were like two peas in a pod and Peter did not want to enter their conversations anyway. His mother and sister tended to be a little too jolly for him. He was glad he at least had Sydney's company. He figured he would go insane without their walks and talks.
As he took the stairs two at a time, he noticed Sydney's aunt and uncle were dressed as though they were leaving and suddenly Peter felt entirely happy. Her relatives were leaving! He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He jogged down the rest of the stairs and made his way over to his cousin. Just to make sure, he asked him if he was leaving. Eric gave him a strange look.
"You do not know?" he asked.
"Know what?"
Eric shook his head. "I would have thought that she..."he paused, looked over Peter's shoulder, and then stopped completely.
Peter was even more confused now. He glanced to his right and saw Liza looking at him with saddened, tearful eyes. What was going on here? Had someone died?
"Come, Sydney. We must be on our way as soon as possible."
Peter heard the words, but it took him a few seconds to realize their meaning. He turned around slowly and emotions- so many he couldn't even tell which ones- hit at the sight before him.
"Sydney?" he managed out.
She bit her lip and took a deep breath. She would not look at him. She was dressed for travel, complete with a new bonnet and coat. She was carrying a small pouch in her hand. What was she...? Anger hit him suddenly. He clenched his fists and had the incredible urge to smash them into someone's face.
Sydney looked up then, and she looked so fearful and helpless his anger all but disappeared. He still would not mind hitting her relatives a few times, though. He glanced up at his mother and father. Elizabeth looked distraught and his father looked angry. Surely there was something to do besides stand still and stare at her.
"Sydney-" he stopped as Sydney's aunt grabbed her arm.
"We do not have time for this, niece. We have a tight schedule to keep," she snipped.
Sydney stayed silent, only stared at him, as she was pulled away. Peter knew he should walk after her. He was supposed to be protecting her. Still, his feet stayed planted where they were. When the servants began to carry their bags out, he made his body do what he wanted.
He walked after her and grabbed her arm. Her uncle tried to pull her away, but he must have seen the look Peter gave him. Peter was ready to spit fire.
"A few moments," he said over his shoulder as he dragged her to a corner of the room.
He willed her to look up at him, and when she did not, he put his hand under her chin and lifted it up.
"What are you doing?"
"I have to go with them, Peter," she softly.
"Why?" he spit out, running his hands through his hair.
"I- I cannot tell you."
"Why not?" he asked, truly getting angry now.
"Peter, I am doing you a favor. You never wanted a wife to start with, and now you will not have to have one." she paused. "I only have to say good-bye." She leaned up and kissed him quickly on the cheek.
"Goodbye, Peter."
She turned away, but before she could go, he grabbed her hand.
"How can you do this to yourself? What will you do next time you are sick, beaten, and have nowhere to go? Do you expect me to come get you again? Perhaps I won't be your knight this time, Sydney..."
She had flung out of his grasp and ran halfway through his speech. He stayed where he was and watched as her uncle grabbed her with a grip that had to be painful, said goodbye to his parents, and left. The last thing Peter saw was a tear slide down Sydney's cheek.
As soon as the doors closed, the household erupted.
Liza started bawling. Fitzwilliam kicked a table. Elizabeth started yelling at Fitzwilliam.
"How did this happen?" she demanded.
Fitzwilliam pulled on the collar of his shirt. He was dreading telling his wife what he had done.
"Dearest Elizabeth-"
At those two words, Elizabeth's head popped up to stare at her husband. Raising her eyebrows and crossing her arms across her chest, she waited for him to continue.
"I- I- Peter and I had a talk. He told me he did not want to marry Sydney."
Elizabeth swung around to glare at her son. "That is very unselfish of you, son."
"While we were in London, Sydney came to tell me that she did not want to marry either."
Again, Elizabeth focused her attention on her oldest son. "I am sure you did not have anything to do with that, did you, Peter?"
"Since Sydney and Peter objected, I had the right to cancel the agreement. I chose to do so."
"Really. I find it quite interesting neither of you told me anything about this." She looked at Peter.
"Father told me not to tell you anything." Peter defended himself. "I wondered if I should tell you."
Elizabeth looked at her husband with a glare.
"The reason I did not tell you was because I felt that Peter and Sydney would come to their senses. They obviously did, because awhile ago Peter came to me and told me that they would be getting married."
Elizabeth turned her lethal glare back on Peter.
He shrugged. "Her relatives are not great people. I was trying to keep her safe."
"It looks like you failed." Elizabeth spit out, turning on her heel and storming out of the room.
She was two minutes from her home. She tried to keep the emotions that were whirling inside of her at bay. She was scared- frightened, really- and worried and excited all at once. She had not been to her home since that day her father.... Sydney shuddered and locked those thoughts up again.
She could not stop the guilt from coming, either. First it was the stabbing, painful guilt that was felt as soon as her towering childhood home came into view. Second was the guilt she felt for treating the Darcy's the way she had. They had showed her nothing but kindness and she had left without a proper good-bye.
Peter had looked so angry- and had every right to be. For the first time in her life, she wished she could tell him why she had had to leave. She sighed. She knew she never could. His parting words to her still rang through her head. Had she really expected him to come rescue her? She cringed inwardly as she admitted that she probably had. He had done it the first time, but what would provoke him this time? He did not care about her. He had made that clear.
Why did that matter? She could not think of any reason except the truth. Sydney had stopped caring for people so long ago. She finally realized that there was no point. After all, each person ended up hurting her. She did not care for Peter, did she? She sighed yet again. What she had tried so hard not to do was exactly what had happened. She cared for Peter. She cared for him an awful lot.
"What are you thinking of, niece?" her uncle's steely voice interrupted her thoughts.
She raised her head to look him in the eyes and tried to give him her best glare. He laughed at her attempt. The carriage pulled up to the front of the house, where the door was opened. Her aunt was helped out and her uncle followed. Her uncle sent the man away, and Sydney had to climb down without assistance and carry her bags into the house. She finally dragged her last bag in when the door was shut behind her.
Sydney was thankful for the distraction. She was carefully trying not to pay attention to anything around her. Her relatives had not changed much. It was mostly the same, richly ornamented and decorated to perfection. Her parents had money and they had not been afraid to use it. The first person Sydney saw was the housekeeper, Mrs. Andrews. She wondered if the kindly old lady would remember her.
"We want the noontime meal in two hours, exactly. You will take Sydney and put her in the servant's quarters. I expect her to be treated in accordance," her uncle commanded as he and her aunt began to retire from the room. As an afterthought, he turned back. "Make sure no harm comes to her, Andrews. We need her to be in mint condition for our visitor."
Sydney's senses came to full attention. "Who is the visitor?"
Her uncle's eyes turned steely. "You will not speak with me in that tone. You are lower than a servant now, dear niece, and I will treat you as such."
They left the room, only too slowly for everyone who was left in their wake. Sydney sighed, but bent down and picked up her bags. Her fairy tale had ended. She was back to being a servant. However, as soon as the bags were in her hands, they were taken away by a middle aged servant.
"What- ?" she started.
"Miss Sydney, you will not be treated like a servant. I do not care what your aunt and uncle say, it will not be done."
Mrs. Andrews had not changed a bit. Sydney smiled.
"I do not mean to sound contrary, but on the risk of inflicting my relatives anger, I do not mind helping out."
Mrs. Andrews clucked, but let the subject fall. She led Sydney around to the dining room and then up a flight of stairs, to the main bedrooms.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Andrews? Should I not be sleeping in the servant's quarters?"
"You will not be doing that." she said this firmly, and opened up the door to her old room.
Sydney was literally quaking with some kind of emotion...fear, perhaps? She did not want to step out of the protective web she was now in and back into that nightmare she had left behind so many years ago.
Mrs. Andrews was waiting for her.
"Do not worry. Your aunt and uncle have not ventured to this part of the house since-" she stopped and cast a worried look upon Sydney. "It plagues them with guilt."
Before closing the door, Mrs. Andrews said, "I will send someone up to assist you in a few minutes."
With that, the door was closed and Sydney was left alone. She wished it was nighttime and she could simply stay in the dark. It was near noon, though, and the room was filled with sunshine. She could not stop herself from looking around. Nothing, absolutely nothing, had changed. She walked over to her bed and gingerly touched her hand to the spread. Her great- grandmother had made it and it had been passed through her grandmother, her mother, and then to her. She still remembered when her mother had given it to her.
"You must keep very good care of this special blanket. It is very dear to me, Sydney."
"What if I ruin it? Is it the most dear of all the things you own?"
"No, my dear," her mother had said, while kissing her on the forehead, "After all, I have you."
The armoire was still in the same spot, with the same little knick on the left drawer she had made while pretending she could fly. She had jumped off the bed, knocking a lamp right into it. She smiled as she eyed her bible, still on her night stand. She opened it up and laughed aloud to see an old bookmark she had made when she was six.
This room....
Suddenly, the memories were too much for one day. Sydney collapsed onto her great- grandmother's bedspread and wept.
It seemed to Peter as if everyone in the entire world was angry with him. First there was his mother...that needed no explanation. Next was his dear little sister. Liza, after she had heard what Peter had done, had not uttered one word to him. She had, however, thrown him deathly stares about twice in every minute since Sydney left.
His brothers were worse. Jonathan and Ben had been crestfallen when they came home and found out that Sydney had left. Although they had not said so, they came back specifically to see her. Once Elizabeth enlightened them on Peter's deeds (which she had only been a little glad to do, in Peter's thinking) they were outraged. Jonathan sat him down in their father's study and gave him a twenty minute lecture on how he should have behaved.
Even Eric and his other relatives had seemed a little shocked at Peter's actions. Eric had left shaking his head sadly. His Aunt Jane had smiled slightly and pronounced that he would get her back. His uncle said the same thing, but the look in his eyes let Peter know what he thought of the matter. His two young cousins had taken their cue from Liza and had not even said goodbye to him, although they had only known Sydney for a few short days.
It had been the longest week of his life. As he laid in bed, exactly one week after Sydney had left, he began to wonder how she was doing. Actually, he had not just started to think about it. It had been constantly on his mind since her departure. He kept reliving those moments over and over. Why had he been so cruel to her? She had looked scared and vulnerable and he had to open his big mouth and say words to hurt her. She had probably forgotten about him by now....At least, he hoped.
He was no good for Sydney. He had come to that conclusion the day after she had left. He could not count on his two hands the number of people that had come up to him to share their thoughts on his former fiancee`.
'She is the dearest girl I have ever met,' his Aunt Jane had told him, smiling at her remembrance.
'A finer countenance in a young woman I have never met with.' his neighbor, Mr. Jenkins had told him.
'She was a little shy, but so sweet! I wish I had gotten to know her a little better.' his parents friend, Mrs. Tilney, had spoken up.
Peter wondered why he had not realized he was engaged to a saint. Why, when little Bridget had fallen and scraped her knee, Sydney was there to clean the wound and comfort the little girl. Little Timmy had been afraid of dogs, but Sydney had quietly brought out her dog and showed the petrified boy his tricks. Soon, Timmy was running and playing with Bruno as if he had never been frightened.
She had lent a helping hand to every single one of his relatives and friends. It was incredible. He rolled over and shoved his head under his pillow. He was a man. It was not below him to confess. He admitted that he had treated Sydney in a bad way. He should have married her, or stopped her from going with her aunt and uncle, or given her some means of funds....something. Anything was better than what he had done....simply watch as she walked to her doom.
No woman had ever been able to capture his attention as she had. He still could not get her out of his mind. It was not like he was in love with her, but whenever he closed his eyes, he saw her. One time he would see her with Bruno, smiling and laughing as he licked her face. Next, he would see her dripping wet and seething with anger after she had fallen into the lake. Sometimes he would see her when she had tried to run down the hill and rolled most of the way down. The thought of her with her bonnet askew and the leaves in her hair always made him laugh.
Peter sighed and closed his eyes to fall asleep again. It was early. Before he drifted off, he saw Sydney as she had been at the ball. He could not stop the guilt from coming, and almost welcomed it. Still, he fell asleep with a smile on his face. That memory had been especially dear to him.