This short story was in response to a writing challenge. Darcy was to have a security blanket.
The Blanket
by
WendiSotis
On the occasion of the birth of Fitzwilliam Darcy (or William to those who loved him), the heir of the great estate of Pemberley in Derbyshire, The Countess of Matlock, William’s maternal grandmother, gifted her grandson with a blanket she had made herself. The blanket was light blue, made of the softest cotton with satin edging. The Countess had spent many long hours painstakingly embroidering all sorts of exotic animals on the blanket, based on drawings in a book from her husband’s library. A favorite activity for them both was her telling stories to William about the adventures of “William the Explorer” as he came across these animals in his travels. The two had been especially close until The Countess’s death when William was five years of age, at which time he began to carry the blanket with him at all times.
William’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, had often criticized his parents for allowing William to carry the blanket with him. During a visit to Pemberley, she came across the six-year-old boy while he was alone, scolded him harshly, and then tore the blanket out of his hands.
Later, the combined efforts of Mrs. Darcy and Mrs. Reynolds, the housekeeper, as well as a plate of his favorite biscuits (which the cook always found necessary to have at the ready during Lady Catherine’s visits), were necessary to persuade young William to come out of his hiding place and relay the cause of his distress.
Mrs. Darcy retrieved the treasured article from her sister, but before returning it to her son, she discussed the recent events with Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy shared that he had overheard William’s older cousins ridiculing his son’s behavior the last time they were together, thankfully outside of William’s hearing. The couple agreed that perhaps the sight of William—whose large stature made him appear to be at least two years older than he actually was—carrying a blanket everywhere was a bit of a problem.
Mr. Darcy had the idea of cutting the blanket into cloths about half the size of a lady’s handkerchief so that it could be concealed. William could continue to be comforted by having a portion of the blanket in his pocket, but the risk of his being ridiculed for it would be greatly lessened. His lady agreed that this was a wonderful plan and immediately began work on finishing the edges of the pieces of blanket so that it would not fray, while Mr. Darcy went to speak to his son about the scheme. To William, the blanket then became a physical representation not only of the love of his grandmother, but also of his mother and father as well.
William’s parents assumed he would eventually give up the practice of carrying the blanket when he was a little older, but he never did. Being an extremely shy person, as he grew older, and especially when he went away to school, William found the increased social demands quite difficult with which to cope. He knew the need to carry it would be considered silly by others and was embarrassed by it, so he spoke of it to no one through the years, not even to his sister—though Mrs. Reynolds and William’s valet knew of this continuing behavior. William attempted to substitute fidgeting with his ring, but the calming effect that brought was not as complete and he found that knowing it was on his person would allow him to survive most situations relatively unscathed.
At times of great stress, such as his mother’s death when William was twelve and his father’s death when he was two and twenty, he would keep it in a more accessible pocket where he could discreetly touch it to further calm him if necessary.
