“I have observed the two of you when you think no one is looking. You have an ease about you that I do not see when you are with other men. Or women.”
He nodded. “I am at ease with Bingley. He is a good friend.”
Chapter 18
As the two of them made their way back to Longbourn they were somewhat dismayed to see grey clouds move through the sky, covering them and threatening rain.
“Oh, not more rain,” Elizabeth whined softly. “I was hoping the sun would last for a few days more.”
Darcy nodded. “Yes, I was hoping so, as well. And I will be forced to ride back in the pelting rain, as I did not bring my coach or covered carriage.”
“Do not despair, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said, smiling. “I am sure Mother and Father will allow you to use one of the guest rooms should you need to stay through a storm.”
“I will ask. I suppose that will depend on what the conversation with Mr. Collins was like earlier today.”
Elizabeth groaned. “I wish you had not reminded me. I do not want to think about it.”
“I know you do not,” Darcy nodded. “But you have to. They will want to talk to you as soon as you go in, and if I’m there it will cause a distraction. Perhaps they will take it as a sign that we are fully vested in this decision, and do not want to spend time apart from each other.”
Elizabeth made a sound of appreciation and smiled at him. “Speaking of that, why did you come to Longbourn today anyway?”
His grin spread across his face, making his handsome features stand out so much Elizabeth wanted to plant a firm kiss on his full lips. “Why, to see you, of course. What other reason would I have for coming to Longbourn other than to see my future bride?”
Their laughter rang out in the air as they approached the house. “I do believe my mother and father will be glad to hear that, Mr. Darcy.”
“So glad I could provide a bit of happiness for the family.”
Elizabeth’s heart had not stopped pounding since they left her favorite spot to head back to the house. She tried not to think of the unpleasant things she knew about Darcy. She only wanted to concentrate on the good. She would do everything she could to squash her doubts and ignore the signs that seemed obvious to her, that he was not entirely serious about his relationship with her.
When they arrived at Longbourn together, they were met by raised eyebrows from Lydia and Kitty, who were standing on the porch.
“Are you two going somewhere?” Elizabeth asked as she slid down from her horse. She gave the reins to Darcy and he tied to the two horses to the hitching post.
“We are,” Lydia replied. “We are going to see Auntie and go shopping for dresses for the ball.”
“We aren’t going shopping,” Kitty clucked her tongue at her sister. “We are only going to look. It will depend on… well, you know…”
Lydia sighed, and rolled her eyes. She didn’t look at Kitty, but left her eyes on Elizabeth. “Do you want to come shopping with us? Or are you going to stay here with your gentleman caller?”
Kitty slapped Lydia’s arm lightly and leaned closer to her. “Which one would you do, Lydia?”
Both girls laughed. Elizabeth smiled at them. They seemed so young to her, though they were only a few years behind her. They certainly had some maturing to do before they would find much success getting what they truly wanted out of life.
“We have just been for a ride, and are now returning home. And it would behoove you to mind your business, little sister,” Elizabeth teased.
Lydia feigned dismay and waved one hand in front of her face. “I certainly did not mean to pry.” She leaned in close, losing the façade, and placed her hand on one side of her mouth as if to block her words from being heard from inside the house.
“Mr. Collins was here earlier. I do not think I saw him leave. You know he and Papa have been arguing for weeks.”
Elizabeth felt anxiety slide through her. “I know they have.” She knew the reason, as well. It was all her fault. She felt guilty that she hadn’t been a better daughter and done what she was told. She felt shame that she was deceiving her parents about a courtship with Darcy that would end in marriage, when it probably wouldn’t happen.
She stepped past her sisters, saying, “Well, have a good time and tell Auntie I said hello. I will see you later this evening.”
Kitty followed Lydia down the steps, nodding at Elizabeth. “Unless we stay over. But do have a good day, Lizzie.”
“Thank you, Kitty.” Elizabeth felt a warm affection for her sister. She smiled and turned her head to see that Darcy was gazing at her. When he saw her looking back at him, he turned to the door and pushed it open for her.
She passed by him without a word. She had never seen that look on his face before. It was one of pure adoration.
There were indeed voices in the parlor. Elizabeth and Darcy halted in the foyer. They looked at each other.
“What do you think?” Darcy asked in a soft voice.
Elizabeth thought about it for a moment. “I guess there is no better time than now. We might as well go in and make a scene.”
“It will not necessarily make a scene.” Darcy replied.
“I know Mr. Collins. He will be the one making the scene.”
“So, you are sure you want to go in?”
“Yes, let us not be cowards.”
Darcy nodded, and held his hand out in front of him for her to lead the way. She walked to the parlor door, opened it, and went inside.
Darcy was directly behind her, but couldn’t be seen yet by the people in the room. Mr. Collins stood up immediately, a bright look on his face. “Elizabeth, my dear! How lovely to see you. I came calling to…” He stopped speaking when Elizabeth came further into the room and Darcy stepped around from the other side of the door. His face went pale when his eyes rested on the tall, handsome young man. His mouth snapped shut and his jaw clenched. He swallowed visibly.
“Well, hello, Mr. Darcy. I… I was not expecting you to be here.”
Darcy gave him a friendly grin. “I could say the same about you, Mr. Collins. How are you on this fine day? We have just come from a ride, and it was quite nice. I hope you have not restricted yourself to being inside all day. It would be a terrible shame.”
As he spoke, Darcy crossed the room with his hand out to shake, fully aware that every eye in the room was on him, including Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s. Elizabeth had her lips pressed together firmly to keep from giggling. Mr. Collins’ pale face was suddenly flushed with red, and he reluctantly shook Darcy’s hand.
“I… I suppose I should be going.” Mr. Collins picked up his hat from a table near him and held it firmly in a clenched hand.
“You do not have to leave on my account,” Darcy said. “Please, stay and enjoy some tea.”
“No… no…” Mr. Collins was shaking his head. His eyes went to Elizabeth but moved away quickly, and he took a few steps to the door. As he passed her, he leaned over and said, “You do look lovely today, Miss Elizabeth. I hope to see you again soon.”
He is not going to give up! Elizabeth thought, anger racing through her. She hoped she hid the feeling from showing on her face. She forced a smile and nodded. “Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Collins. Have a safe trip.”
He chuckled nervously. “Why, thank you, miss.”
He shuffled to the door and went through without a word to the Bennets.
Silence fell over the room as the Bennets tried to discern what had just happened. Elizabeth was amused by the looks of confusion on her parents’ faces. Mr. Bennet held out his hand to shake Darcy’s.
“Mr. Darcy. It is good to see you, sir. How are you today?”
“I am doing well, thank you, Mr. Bennet.”
“Please sit; we’ll have some fresh tea put on and we can all relax. That was a strange experience, I must say.”
“It certainly was.” Mrs. Bennet dropped into her chair as if exhausted. “Why, that man has got to be the most impertinent, im
patient—”
“Now, Mrs. Bennet,” Mr. Bennet said. “You do not need to speak ill of our relatives.”
Mrs. Bennet scoffed. “I will say what I please about the man. I wish we had never agreed to this in the first place, so that we would not have to deal with him now.”
“There is nothing we can do about signed documents, dear. It is the way it is.”
“He is going to have to find another way to go about it. We have nothing to offer to him. He needs to go out and find himself a different woman.”
Elizabeth was relieved her parents were on her side. She was afraid her mother, at least, would be trying to force her to change her mind. Would society be so accepting? She doubted it. She, with no money or status, marrying Darcy, one of the most eligible bachelors in all of England. She wanted to tell everyone he wasn’t the prince they thought he was. She moved her eyes to him and regretted the thought. He wasn’t perfect. But he was desirable, indeed.
Chapter 19
When Darcy and Elizabeth arrived at the ball, there were people milling about outside the mansion. She could see through the large glass walls on one side where the ballroom was. The room was filled with quite a few people.
“Are we late?” she whispered.
Darcy shrugged. “We might be a little past when everyone else planned to get here.”
She looked up at him. “What do you mean?”
He chuckled. “Yes, we are late.”
She was confused. She scanned the people as they walked to the path that would lead them to the front of the house. People were scattered about on the lawn, chatting. It was still early enough for the sun to not be quite set, but the gas lamps were lit all around them.
“Why did you not tell me to be ready earlier? I would have. Now that I think of it, it did seem a bit strange my sisters left earlier than us.”
“I have my reasons. Better late than never, I must say.”
“I do not understand you at all, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said, keeping her tone light. “You are an enigma to me.”
“How is that?”
“I have yet to understand even a little bit about you. You are at times a gentleman and a friend. Other times you seem mysterious, and then at yet other times you are rude and arrogant.”
“Thank you for assessing me so closely,” Darcy said, his tone amused. “You have been paying quite a lot of attention to me, have you not?”
“Well, we are going to be pretend married after our pretend courtship so, yes, I would like to know who I am going to spend the rest of my pretend life with.”
He laughed, a sound that gave Elizabeth a feeling of excited accomplishment. She laughed with him.
“Come, let us go see what kind of scene we can make.”
“Oh, no, not another scene…” Elizabeth sighed as he took her hand and led her up the walkway.
She noticed, as they walked down the path, that people were beginning to turn and look at them. Suddenly, she felt like there was a spotlight on her and that she was being scrutinized from every level.
She began to wonder if her hair looked all right. She became self-conscious, and hoped her dress was pretty and her shoes matched, and her jewelry sparkled. Darcy got her to the front door, and leaned in to whisper to the butler who would announce their arrival. Elizabeth walked into the room and froze at the sound of their names.
“Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and his fiancée, Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Her eyes widened and her head whipped around to look at Darcy. He was grinning from ear to ear. Elizabeth felt all the blood rush out of her face and down into her feet. She nearly fell, but Darcy quickly put her arm around her waist and held her up.
“I think you might need to sit down, Miss Bennet,” he whispered in her ear, sending chills down her spine.
“I think I should,” Elizabeth replied breathlessly. “I feel a bit faint.”
“You did not expect that, did you?”
She shook her head weakly and went with him to a nearby couch. He lowered her to it and sat next to her. “Why… why did you do that, Darcy? Now everyone will think we are really going to get married.”
He chuckled. “I wanted to see the looks on their faces. And I must say, it is quite gratifying. I will get you a glass of wine. That will help clear your head.”
He was up and gone before she could respond. She wondered how a glass of wine would clear her thoughts, when it usually caused a bit of fog to cover her mind instead. That was the opposite of what she needed.
He was back shortly, handing her a tall glass with a sparkling, yellowish-clear liquid in it. “Champagne for my lady,” he said softly.
She took the glass, looking up at him. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn the look he gave her was one of love. But it couldn’t be. He was a bachelor, and enjoyed his freedom. He didn’t want to be settled down. He wanted to do what he pleased, whenever he chose to do it.
She swallowed a long gulp of the Champagne. He sat again and leaned in close to her, putting one arm on the back of the couch behind her. He turned his upper body so that he was facing her. She looked at him.
“Do you see how they are looking at us, Liz?” he said in a sly tone. “Look at them.”
She ran her eyes around the room and was astonished by how many people were, indeed, looking at them. “What makes you think I want this kind of attention?” Elizabeth hissed. “Everyone is staring at us now.”
“What do you think they would do if I gave you a kiss?” Elizabeth’s eyes snapped back to his face. He had a sly look, his eyes narrow, a wicked grin on his lips.
“Oh, no, you won’t do that, Darcy. You would not dare do something so scandalous. I would never live it down.”
“They know we are planning to be married. Why would it be so shocking?”
She knew he was teasing, but still felt a severe panic that he might just do it to see what reaction he could get. She might have to throw her glass of Champagne in his face. That would be a serious waste of good Champagne, and not what she would really want to do anyway. She wouldn’t mind if he kissed her. It sounded delightful to her. But not in front of everyone in the ton. It seemed the only people not staring at them and whispering behind their hands were her sisters and the men they were talking to.
Elizabeth focused on her sisters, trying to get out of the clutches of her fake fiancé. She recognized one of the men chatting with her sisters as Mr. Wickham. She’d met Mr. Wickham while visiting Meryton with her sisters.
Darcy seemed disappointed that he had lost her attention. He waved a hand in front of her face and she looked at him. He turned and stared into the crowd.
“Who were you looking at?”
“My sisters. They are over there talking to several gentlemen; do you see them? One of them is Mr. Wickham. I think his first name is George. He…”
“I know who he is, Liz. And you should make sure you stay away from him. He is not a good influence.”
She was confused all over again, and frowned. “Whatever do you mean? I think he is quite a gentleman.”
“I know him from when he was a very young boy, Liz. I know about everything he has done in his past, and I suggest you stay away from him.”
Elizabeth felt uncomfortable. It was as though Darcy was giving her an order. He had never taken that tone with her before. She felt compelled to comply with his wishes, but that didn’t stop her curiosity about why Darcy felt that way.
“I would be so honored if you would tell me why you feel that way.” She tried to put her words in a diplomatic form so he wouldn’t be offended. He looked at her, running his eyes all over her face and hair. He took her hand and for a moment, she thought he really was going to kiss her.
But he didn’t. He sighed, holding her hand, resting his on her leg. “It is not something a decent woman like yourself needs to worry herself with. You must trust me on this and stay away from him.”
“And what am I to do if he approaches and starts a conversation with me? I
cannot very well turn and walk away, can I?”
“You would be ill-advised not to.”
She shook her head. “I am not going to do that. I cannot behave that way. We have already made friends with each other. He would wonder why I suddenly stopped speaking to him. He would be hurt. I do not want to hurt his feelings.”
Darcy snorted. “If his feelings are hurt for any reason, he deserves to feel that way. You will regret not taking my advice, Liz. He is not a good influence on anyone.”
“You must tell me why you feel that way, so that I can form my own opinion.”
Darcy looked frustrated. “This is not the time or the place for such a discussion. I have not seen Wickham in some years. I did not expect to see him here tonight. Please, if you speak to him, do not talk about me. If you do, I do not want to know what he says.”
“He may come over here and speak with us both, if he has known you for so long.”
Darcy shook his head. “He will not be coming over here to speak to me. If he approaches the couch, I will leave. I do not wish to speak to him or have any dealings with him whatsoever.”
“I see you are very adamant about this,” Elizabeth said. “I will not actively engage in conversation with him, but if he chats with me I am not responsible and will not turn my face away from him.”
Darcy nodded. “Do as you wish. But do not say I did not warn you.”
Chapter 20
After the ball, Elizabeth didn’t see Darcy for three days. This was very strange, and made Elizabeth wonder what had happened. She hoped she hadn’t said anything to offend him. On the other hand, she wasn’t the type of woman who kept her thoughts to herself, regardless of the impact on the person she was speaking to or about.
The fact that Darcy had not come around for three days came up among the sisters and their mother as they sat in the parlor, doing needlework.
“Have you run him off, Lizzie?” Lydia asked, teasing her sister.
“No, I have not run him off,” Elizabeth replied curtly.
A Convenient Darcy Marriage Page 9