The Knights of Derbyshire Read online

  The Knights of Derbyshire

  By Marsha Altman

  Published by Marsha Altman on Smashwords

  Copyright 2012 Marsha Altman

  SBN-13: 9780979564536

  ISBN-10: 0979564530

  Second Edition

  Previous Works

  The Darcys and the Bingleys

  The Plight of the Darcy Brothers

  Mr. Darcy’s Great Escape

  The Ballad of Grégoire Darcy

  Short Story Collections

  Other Tales: Stories from the Ballad of Grégoire Darcy

  Dedication

  This one’s all for Brandy.

  Introduction

  Welcome, readers! Either you are returning for the fifth time or you downloaded this book by accident. Either way, I’m happy to have you. This is actually not a terrible place in the series to come in, so you’re in luck. Just imagine that twenty years have passed since the events of Pride and Prejudice and for some reason Darcy and Elizabeth have met a number of crazy people and you’ll do just fine.

  In our previous books:

  In The Darcys and the Bingleys, Elizabeth Bennet married Mr. Darcy (being of Mr. Darcy fame), and her older sister Jane Bennet married Mr. Bingley (being of Darcy’s friend fame). Seriously, you did not read Pride and Prejudice? This was the book that made you regret not freshening up. At least take the movie out or something. Anyway, they proceeded to have a whole mess of kids. Fortunately, not all at the same time. The Darcys’ oldest child is Geoffrey Darcy, and the Bingleys’ oldest child is Georgiana Bingley.

  Caroline Bingley, Charles’s unwed sister, became involved with a Scottish earl, who then turned out to be a rake, and by that I mean a 19th-century scoundrel and not a gardening tool. This was all exposed in time for her to also reveal she was actually in love with the impoverished Dr. Daniel Maddox. Dr. Maddox lost his social standing when his older brother Brian gambled away their family fortune. After some sword fighting and the bad guy getting clobbered with a candlestick, Dr. Maddox and Caroline Bingley were married, not leaving enough time in the book for them to have a mess of kids, but presumably that was coming.

  In The Plight of the Darcy Brothers, Mary Bennet, Jane and Elizabeth’s unmarried sister, returned from studying in France with child, the father being an Italian seminary student. Darcy and Elizabeth traveled through Europe to find him, on the way discovering that Darcy had an illegitimate half-brother holed up in a French monastery named Grégoire Bellamont-Darcy. Mary’s would-be suitor was found and he offered her a settlement. Mary had a son, Joseph, and is currently unmarried and living with her parents. Darcy also discovered that George Wickham (the villain in Pride and Prejudice, who seduced and married Lydia Bennet, the youngest Bennet sister) was also his half-brother. Their family reunion went the worst possible way, with fratricide and a complete lack of potato salad. Lydia got over her husband’s death rather quickly but was left with two children, George and Isabella Wickham. Brother Grégoire, still a monk, went to live in Austria. Dr. Maddox and Caroline Bingley had a daughter, but also adopted a son, the bastard child of the Prince Regent and a prostitute, named Frederick (the son, not the prostitute).

  (There will not be a test. Just so you know.)

  In Mr. Darcy’s Great Escape, Napoleon invaded Russia, and in the tumult of war, Darcy lost track of his brother Grégoire, and Dr. Maddox lost track of his brother Brian, who was supposed to have married a Transylvanian princess but then disappeared. The two of them traveled to Austria to find them, but ended up in a Transylvanian dungeon as hostages, and their wives ended up rescuing them after locating Grégoire. Brian Maddox and his wife, Princess Nadezhda, reappeared after being missing for two years, having taken the long way home through Russia, Japan, and then a boat ride to England. So it turns out they were fine all along. No one was thrilled to hear that. They brought with them a mixed-race Japanese convict named Mugin, who I only mention because he pops up from time to time.

  Lydia Bennet remarried and had a whole mess of kids with her new husband, Mr. Bradley. Kitty Bennet, the last remaining Bennet sister to be mentioned, got married to a Mr. Townsend over a whole page, because she isn’t a very interesting character so I didn’t spend a lot of time with her.

  After the war, Grégoire Bellamont-Darcy moved to Spain, his previous monastery having been dissolved by Napoleon.

  There is also a Bavarian saint named Sebald buried in Darcy’s graveyard instead of his traditional home in Nuremburg, but there’s a long story behind it, so just take it for what it is.

  In The Ballad of Grégoire Darcy, Grégoire Bellamont-Darcy was forced to leave his monastery for largely political reasons, and moved to Ireland, where he met a peasant named Caitlin MacKenna. This being a historical romance series, he eventually married her but not before some dramatic things happened to pad out the book a little. They have a son named Patrick and Grégoire is a schoolteacher.

  Charles Bingley and Brian Maddox went into business together, and traveled to India and the Far East, bringing back a monkey and Mugin. Unfortunately for Darcy the monkey remained, but Mugin was kicked out of England after Brian discovered he was teaching Georgiana Bingley how to fight. I’m probably bothering to mention this minor subplot for a reason.

  Mary Bennet, the single mother of Joseph Bennet, married Dr. Andrew Bertrand, a doctor of French origin, and still lives in Longbourn. Mrs. Bennet died of a stroke, and after her passing, Mr. Bennet left Longbourn and took up residence in the library at Pemberley. So far, Darcy hasn’t complained about any old people smells, probably because everyone smelled in Georgian England.

  Notes on the Second Edition

  Several technical and grammatical changes were made for this edition and the preview of the sixth book was added. The content of the story has not changed in any way.

  I would like to thank Alex Shwarzstein, Jessica Kupillas Hartung, and Cherri Trotter for help with this edition.

  If any mistakes remain, remember that only God is perfect, and He did not write this book. He’s a popular enough author in His own right.

  Family Trees

  Bold face indicates living, Italics indicates deceased.

  The Darcys

  Henry Darcy

  (with unnamed wife)

  Gregory Darcy (never married)

  Geoffrey Darcy

  (children with Lady Anne Fitzwilliam)

  Fitzwilliam Darcy

  (children with Elizabeth Bennet)

  Geoffrey Darcy

  Anne Darcy

  Sarah Darcy

  Cassandra Darcy

  Georgiana Darcy-Kincaid

  (children with Lord William Kincaid)

  Viscount Robert Kincaid

  (children with Mrs. Wickham)

  George Wickham

  (children with Lydia Bennet)

  George Wickham the Younger

  Isabella Wickham

  (children with Miss Bellamont)

  Grégoire Bellamont-Darcy

  (children with Caitlin MacKenna)

  Patrick Bellamont

  Assorted:

  Lady Catherine de Bourgh – Mr. Darcy’s aunt on his mother’s side)

  (children with Sir Lewis de Bourgh)

  Anne de Bourgh-Fitzwilliam

  (children with Richard Fitzwilliam, now Lord Matlock)

  Edward Fitzwilliam, Viscount of Matlock

  The Bingleys

  Charles Bingley (I)

  (children with Mrs. Bingley)

  Louisa Bingley-Hurst

  (married Mr. Hurst, no children)

  Caroline Bingley-Maddox

  (children with Dr. Daniel Maddox – see The Maddoxes)

  Charles Bingley (II)

  (children wit
h Jane Bennet)

  Georgiana (Georgie) Bingley

  Charles (Charlie) Bingley (III)

  Elizabeth (Eliza) Bingley

  Edmund Bingley

  The Bennets

  Edmund Bennet

  (children with Mrs. Bennet)

  Jane Bennet-Bingley

  (children with Mr. Bingley – see The Bingleys)

  Elizabeth Bennet-Darcy

  (children with Mr. Darcy – see The Darcys)

  Mary Bennet-Bertrand

  (children with Giovanni Mastai)

  Joseph Bennet

  (children with Dr. Andrew Bertrand)

  Margaret Bertrand

  Kitty Bennet-Townsend

  Lydia Bennet-Bradley (formerly Wickham)

  (children with Mr. Wickham – see The Darcys)

  (children with Mr. Bradley)

  Julie Bradley

  Brandon Bradley

  Maria Bradley

  Assorted:

  Mr. Collins – nephew of Mr. Edmund Bennet

  (children with Charlotte Lucas-Collins)

  Amelia Collins

  Maria Collins

  Eleanor Collins

  Jane Collins

  The Maddoxes

  Stewart Maddox

  (children with Mrs. Maddox)

  Brian Maddox

  (married to Princess Nadezhda of Sibui, no children)

  Dr. Daniel Maddox

  (children with Caroline Bingley)

  Frederick Maddox (adopted, son of the Prince of Wales and Lilly Garrison)

  Emily Maddox (same age as Fredrick)

  Daniel Maddox the Younger

  Chapter 1 – The Problem with Mr. Wickham

  1822

  “Mr. Darcy,” said the servant. “Mr. Wickham is here to see you.”

  At this hour? Darcy removed his spectacles and put down his pen. “Send him in.”

  The servant opened the door, and George Wickham the Younger entered, his face still flushed from the cold, dark circles under his eyes. “Uncle Darcy.” He bowed slowly, like a man exhausted.

  “George.” Darcy rose to greet him. “Please sit. You obviously require refreshment. Do you have a preference?”

  “Whiskey, sir, if it’s not too much trouble.”

  Darcy nodded, and the servant poured them two glasses and then quietly exited. Darcy took his own as George held his glass contemplatively for a moment before taking a large gulp. It struck Darcy that whiskey – single malt – had always been Wickham’s preference, over brandy or gin. In looks as well, the son had the unfortunate favoring towards his father, though not quite the spitting image of him. In manners, he was entirely different. Shy, exceedingly proper, uncomfortable in unknown company – in this respect, he was a Darcy. The handicap, Darcy decided, was preferable to having his father’s nature.

  George was silent for a time, and Darcy thought it best not to press a man obviously in some distress. George was only a year older than his own son, and never came to Pemberley un-requested or with a complaint, as his mother did often enough. Whatever it was, the man – barely more than a boy, at eighteen – was obviously hesitant to say it.

  When he did speak, he made no attempt to be anything but blunt. “I was sent down from Oxford.”

  Without a hint of judgment, Darcy asked, “Why?”

  “I was absent for my exams, thereby failing all of my courses.” He took another sip. “The head was not understanding of my excuse and I refused to resort to bribery to be allowed to take them late.”

  “And your excuse?”

  George took another sip. “I was in Scotland; at Gretna Green.” He assiduously avoided his uncle’s shocked expression. “I was there to prevent the marriage of my sister to a man who was quickly revealed to be after nothing but her fortune.”

  Isabella Wickham was only fifteen, but already out, and her inheritance was considerable thanks to the trust fund. “Your parents knew nothing of this?”

  “They encouraged it.”

  Darcy settled back in his chair, his mind trying to work itself around this indecipherable comment. “Mr. Wickham, I apologize, but you will have to explain that.”

  “Unfortunately, I cannot do so without slandering either of my parents,” George said. “Which I am not wont to do. But I suppose it is necessary.”

  “It is.”

  George once again had to ready himself, as if his own words weighed him down. “Since I came into my fortune, I admit that relations with my parents have been ... strained. To be straight, my mother requested a portion of it for the family needs, and I thought the sum outrageous.”

  Exactly something Lydia would do, Darcy thought, but kept that to himself for the moment.

  “Mr. Bradley has an income, and has a responsibility to provide for his – own children, who have always been regarded differently from myself and Isabel.”

  Of course, money had torn the family apart. It was not unforeseeable. Darcy had set up trust funds only for the Wickham children, who were quarter Darcys, but not for anyone else, including Lydia’s three children with her new husband, to whom he was only connected by marriage. The older children had a fortune and the younger ones had a father. “I understand. Please go on.”

  “So – as I said, things became strained. And my sister wanted to go out and my mother didn’t discourage her, and I was at Oxford and couldn’t prevent it, though I did write to Mr. Bradley to ask that he say something against it, although I have no idea if he did. Anyway, a few weeks before my exams, I received a post that my sister was engaged, and they requested that I – help pay for the wedding.”

  It was ludicrous, but that had surely occurred to George, too. The responsibility lay with Isabella’s parents, not her brother. Her own inheritance, of course, she had no access to. It would only be accessible to her future husband, and a fortune it was.

  “I said that I would, despite my own feelings on the matter, if only they would delay the wedding until after the term so I could attend. They refused. She was too eager to marry, they said. Why should I deny my sister this pleasure?” He shook his head. “I didn’t think I was being unreasonable.”

  “You were not,” Darcy said carefully.

  “A day before I was to sit for my first exam, I received a letter from my sister, saying that since her parents refused to put any money toward the wedding, and her intended had no funds of his own whatsoever – which made me extremely suspicious immediately – she, with the permission of our parents, was going to Gretna Green to be married. Obviously, I dropped everything and rode to Scotland, arriving a mere few hours before the ceremony. In that time, I decided to test her fiancé by saying that her inheritance was considerably smaller than she knew, to see if their love would hold up to any financial strain. Apparently it would not, because he left immediately.”

  Darcy had only the will to nod at this point, overcome with his own emotions.

  “My sister was distraught. She could not return to Town alone, so I went with her. Upon our arrival, Mother threw a fit. I had ruined my sister’s happiness. I was ruining the family by refusing to contribute anything of my grand fortune. And, I admit I was a bit ... exhausted and I might have said some things to my parents which, upon retrospection, were not entirely respectful. So they tossed me out of the house.

  “I went back to Oxford and tried to explain myself and my situation, but the head would not have it. So I was told to leave. And now ...” He looked down, then up at his uncle. “I will have to set myself up in Town somewhere. I don’t know.”

  “No,” Darcy said firmly, rising from his chair and walking around the desk. “You will stay here until this is all sorted out. Which it shall be.” He patted the red-eyed George on the back.

  “I am sorry to inconvenience you – ”

  “You should not be. You are my nephew and it is no inconvenience.” My only relief is that you came here! Or god knows what would have happened to you. “The servants will see to your things and get you settled. Now if you will e
xcuse me, I must go inform my wife, who has already retired. Geoffrey may still be up. And if you pass the library, you may want to check to see if your grandfather has fallen asleep in there again.”

  “Thank you, Uncle Darcy.”

  Maybe it was just exhaustion, but the relief on George Wickham’s face was not complete. It was, however, significant. Darcy hid his own relief and showed his nephew out of the room before heading upstairs to rouse his wife and tell her of their new guest.

  *****************************************

  George Wickham was shown to his room, where his bags were brought, few as they were, as he had ridden from Town with only as much as his horse could carry. To his surprise, he was not ready for sleep yet, still rocking from the horse. He wandered downstairs. It had begun to snow, and most of Pemberley was closed up for the night, but the library’s fire was still smoldering. There was Mr. Bennet, in the armchair by the fire, half-emptied glass of wine on the table beside him and a book still in his hands.