Flirtation and Folly

by Anna Harlow

  Charlotte chuckled. “You did, Lizzy. But do not worry, I am certain he will be all that is amiable. And perhaps you might just as easily get at the truth from him.”

  Having no other recourse but to go, Elizabeth sighed deeply as she turned and walked resolutely into the room and singled out the gentleman she had meant to ignore. She took his arm and allowed him to lead her out onto the floor, and the two of them faced each other as they waited for the band to begin the next song.

  “Miss Bennet, I cannot help but notice you are out of sorts,” he mentioned as they began to move.

  Elizabeth frowned and shrugged at him. “Perhaps I am, sir. I cannot help it.”

  When they finished executing the steps that took them apart and moved together yet again, he asked, “And what, might I ask, has so upset you, my dear?”

  “You have, sir, by meddling in the engagements of a respectable gentleman who has now lost all his hope,” she told him before moving away yet again.

  The next time they came together, he said, “Mr. Wickham may have such happy manners that he makes friends with ease, but whether or not he can keep them is quite another matter. His actions in many cases have been so base as to be unforgiveable.”

  “His actions, sir? And what might those have been, to deserve such censure? To hear him tell it, all of the unforgiveable actions have been perpetrated by you.”

  The dance took them apart again.

  “Miss Bennet, I am to be blamed for many things, but I do not believe poor judgment to be one of them. Mr. Wickham is a gentleman who cannot be trusted anywhere near a respectable young lady. But I am not the sort of person to bear tales on behalf of another, and I do not think you are, yourself, in danger of capturing his eye. For certainly, you have not a large enough dowry to become his next mark now that Mary King has opened her eyes.”

  “Then you are proud of what you have done, sir?” she asked when they came together again.

  “I am neither proud nor guilty,” he insisted. “I felt it was my duty to warn Miss King of his intent. I could not in good conscience stand aside and allow Mr. Wickham to harm her. And that, my dear, is all I must say on the matter.”

  Elizabeth sighed, hearing this. “Mr. Darcy, I am quite confused. Do you know that I hear such different accounts of you as to puzzle me greatly?”

  He smiled. “Perhaps in future I could afford you more clarity.”

  Elizabeth blushed profusely, but before she could reply to this singular statement, the music came to a close. Rather than answer at all, she simply bowed to him, and hurried off the floor.

  Mr. Darcy sighed as he watched her go.

  Mr. Collins and Kitty soon met with her, and the pair of them were smiling happily. Elizabeth could see that Mr. Collins must have been saying something that her sister had found amusing. Though she herself could not fathom what such a statement might be, considering the gentleman who had said it was a short, unattractive creature, and she thanked providence daily that his attentions had not been sent in her direction.

  “You two look happy,” she said by way of greeting.

  “Indeed, yes, cousin, we are quite enjoying the evening,” Mr. Collins agreed. “Catherine, do you desire a refreshment before we continue our dancing, my dear? I should not wish to leave you thirsty.”

  “Yes, my dear, I am quite ready for something.”

  “Then come along, my love, and we shall take care of it directly. If you will excuse us, of course, Miss Lizzy?”

  “With all my heart, sir,” she agreed.

  Chapter Eight

  Kitty’s wedding was small but elegant and attended by many of the families in the town, including those persons staying at Netherfield, who Mr. Collins was most pleased to invite. Afterwards, a celebration party was held at Longbourn for five of the great families, which the Bingleys and Mr. Darcy also attended.

  For the most part, the guests gathered together outdoors at long tables which had been arranged for them, eating together in amiable comfort. The Bingleys sat together with Mr. and Mrs. Collins and the two eldest Bennet sisters, as well as a few of their friends. At a nearby table, Lydia was seated beside Colonel Forster and his bride, where they were quite loudly discussing the fact that Mr. Bennet had at last agreed to allow Lydia to go with her friend to Brighton.

  “I am convinced that Catherine shall be quite happy at the parsonage, of course,” said Mr. Collins in an amiable tone. “However, I should not find it amiss if at some point she should wish for one or other of her sisters to come out to Kent to see her.”

  “Of course, Mary has already refused such a notion,” added Kitty with a frown. “And Lydia shall be heading for Brighton. And since Jane shall certainly not be interested in leaving Hertfordshire this summer, I shall need to depend on you, Lizzy, if I am to have any company at all.”

  “Well then, I shall come to you as soon as may be,” Elizabeth agreed. “For there is certainly nothing in Meryton to keep me here.”

  She did not miss the slight hunching of Mr. Darcy’s shoulders, nor the reproachful glance he sent in her direction, which she answered with an innocent raising of her eyebrow, almost a challenge in many ways. He blinked, the mild expression on his countenance changing ever so slightly, and in a way that Elizabeth felt quite firmly in her belly. Butterflies welled up inside of her, and she felt an increasing of her heartbeat.

  This is ridiculous, she told herself. How can a man who has said not one word affect me in such a way? Somehow or other, her mind wandered back to their first meeting, and the particular view of him that had been afforded to her. This did nothing to calm her, and everything to increase her discomfort. She could only account for the feeling by believing that her disgust of him must be increasing, for how could she possibly be attracted to such a taciturn, changeable gentleman?

  Charlotte said, “Lizzy, you know that it is much too expensive to hire a coach to Kent. I have been wishing to go somewhere this summer anyway. Perhaps I might persuade my father to send us out in one of the Lucas coaches. He might even allow me to bring along a maid to serve us while we are there.”

  “Would you, Charlotte?” asked Elizabeth, smiling. “That would be quite wonderful!”

  “Yes, and if Sir William should allow you to do so, I have a small cottage on my lands which you might use, with enough bedrooms for each of the three to have their own room in which to sleep. That should do quite nicely and give you ample privacy. Though, cousin, if you must come alone, I do have a spare bedroom within the main house instead.”

  “You are all kindness, Mr. Collins,” said Elizabeth happily. “I cannot wait to come for a visit. It shall be quite diverting, I think.”

  “It is likely that you shall get the chance to visit Rosings while you are there,” said Mr. Darcy. “My aunt will want to meet you and show you how kind she can be. Might I caution you, however, to know that her kindness must be greeted with a grateful disposition if you are to succeed in being all that is pleasing? I should think if I have one word of advice, that must be it, ladies.”

  “Thank you for your opinion, Mr. Darcy,” said Elizabeth, forcing a smile past her sudden inability to breathe properly. The butterflies which had accompanied his silence now took flight at the sound of his voice. Elizabeth closed her eyes, swallowing hard, but nothing she tried seemed to help to calm her down. Perhaps if she were to move from his near proximity, but she could not possibly. For would he not remark upon such an activity, and see it for exactly what it must be?

  “Sir, I must disagree with it,” Mr. Collins objected. “I am quite certain Lady Catherine’s good nature is quite naturally produced, and not meant to use anyone ill.”

  “I did not mean to suggest a lack of kindness in it, sir, only that she is a woman who commands respect,” Darcy explained. “You must know, sir, that she greatly wishes to preserve the differences of rank and circumstance and expects her subjects to humble themselves accordingly.”

  “Ah yes, that much at least is true,” he agreed.
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br />   “Then we shall say no more about it,” Mr. Darcy said, glancing once more at Elizabeth. Then he got to his feet, which caused his calf to lightly brush against her knee. She felt it most keenly, and as he apologized softly for the contact, their eyes managed to meet. Elizabeth blushed profusely.

  “Miss Elizabeth, would you like to take a walk with me? I should dearly love to get a look at all the flowers in your garden while they are blooming.”

  “Sir, I do not think—I am certain that I am fatigued.”

  “Nonsense, my dear,” he scoffed. “You are always walking. Please, would you accompany me? I shall keep my calves to my own anatomy.”

  Elizabeth giggled at this, and when he offered his hand to help her up, she took it accordingly. Together, the pair of them began to walk the grounds together, an action which was not lost on any of the present company.

  “The flowers are certainly blooming nicely,” he said as they reached the greenery. “Will your family be drying the herbs and giving them out as gifts this season?”

  “Indeed, yes, sir,” she said, smiling. “I have forgotten that you also own an estate. Is that something that you do for the tenants at Pemberley?”

  “Not I, personally, but the lot now falls to my sister, Georgiana,” he said, shrugging. “It is very much an activity that is normally undertaken by the manor’s lady.”

  “And as you do not have one, to your sister instead,” said Elizabeth.

  “Quite,” he agreed. “Though she has plenty of help from the other daughters of the area. For Pemberley has many more shrubberies to deal with. It is much larger than Longbourn, or even Netherfield. I do not wish to sound proud, however, so I shall say no more about it.”

  “Of course,” she agreed. “I should not wish to accuse you of vanity simply because you were born to such a luxury.”

  “You understand me plainly,” he said appreciatively. “There is no fault of pride, where there is a real superiority, but vanity is something I cannot abide. Thank you for your circumspection, Miss Bennet.”

  “It is not a problem, sir.”

  ∞∞∞

  Lydia had gone to Brighton just three days later, leaving on the same day as Kitty and Mr. Collins. It was agreed to by Sir William Lucas that Charlotte and Elizabeth might take the maid and carriage into Kent in just another two weeks, once Maria’s fifteenth birthday party had been accomplished. Neither Mr. Bingley nor Mr. Darcy or any other member of the Netherfield household would be at the party of a young girl not yet introduced into polite society, and so there, at least, Elizabeth was able to feel safe from the attentions of her tormentor. There, at least, Master Will could make no demands on his angel.

  Elizabeth blushed to even think of such things. It was hardly a suitable thought to have at Maria’s party, and yet she had been thinking several even less suitable things about Mr. Darcy when not in present company.

  “You two are so lucky, going into Kent as you are.” Maria sighed as she regarded Charlotte and Elizabeth just before they took their leave. “I would dearly love it if I could come with you. But, of course, I cannot. My father and mother would certainly not agree.”

  “You are right about that,” Charlotte told her. “They did not even allow me out of Hertfordshire before I was nineteen.”

  “Poor Charlotte, it is no wonder you have not yet found a husband, enduring such treatment,” Elizabeth teased. “But do not worry, Maria, we shall certainly write to you, and tell you all about Rosings. I have a feeling it is that great old house, and not the parsonage, you are so eager to hear of.”

  “Indeed, yes,” she agreed.

  Elizabeth had not expected Bingley and Darcy to turn up at Longbourn on the following morning to pay a visit. Charlotte had spent the night there, and now the young ladies were helping the maid, Channing, to ready their trunks for the coach so that they could begin their journey.

  “Go down and visit them, both of you,” she chastised them. “I do not pretend to think two men have come here at a time like this only to see those members of the family who intend to remain. Surely, Miss Elizabeth, at least one of those gentlemen have come to see you.”

  “Nonsense, Channing,” Elizabeth protested. “Mr. Bingley is most certainly here for Jane. And Mr. Darcy comes because he is Bingley’s friend and nothing more. You cannot believe the gentleman would have arrived here today to see me off. That is hardly sound thinking.”

  “What soundness of thinking do men possess in matters of love?” the woman teased. “You mark my words, Miss Bennet, that young man is not here to look at Jane.”

  “She is right, Lizzy,” Charlotte agreed. “He is certainly quite attentive to you, whatever you may think. I am sure he wants another look at you before you leave.”

  “Fine,” Elizabeth sighed. “We shall go down to greet the gentlemen and take our leave. Wearing our traveling clothes, of course. I shall not wish to change yet again simply to greet a couple of gentlemen who must know we are preparing to travel.”

  “Lizzy!” Charlotte complained, but she said nothing more. She had no desire to delay their departure any more than her friend or their maid.

  “This trunk shall be ready to move within the hour, my dears,” Channing told them. “I shall inform you when the two together have been properly loaded, and the coach is ready to depart. Now go enjoy yourselves, my dears. Packing is my job, after all. You must begin to consider the notion of acting like proper ladies and treating me like your servant rather than your friend. Can you imagine what the great Lady Catherine de Bourgh would think if she saw our familiarity?”

  Elizabeth laughed. “I shall not change my treatment of you for her, Channing. As far as I am concerned, we are truly friends, and ever shall be.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Ah, Miss Elizabeth, Miss Charlotte, we did not expect you to join our company,” Mr. Bingley called out to them amiably. “Are you not preparing to leave?”

  “The maid is finishing up the packing and shall soon have the trunks taken out to the coach, sir,” Elizabeth explained. “My friend and I thought it could do no harm to greet the company before we headed out.”

  “A most welcome decision, my dear,” he said, smiling. “For it is certain Jane would not wish for you two to disappear for a month without saying goodbye to her.”

  “Indeed, I should not,” Jane agreed. “We must all see them to the coach when they are to go. I will hear no argument on that score.”

  “Oh, Jane, don’t be so tiresome,” Mary complained. “I am trying to practice my songs for the next assembly. There is no call to take a break just because Elizabeth has agreed to travel a few miles. Elizabeth, I shall take my leave of you from inside the house and leave the others to go out with you if they will.”

  “It’s all right, Mary,” she told her. “I do not expect you to go. It is far better that your songs be successful.”

  “I hope, Miss Elizabeth, that my aunt will not prove too trying while you are in Kent,” said Mr. Darcy. “While Mr. Collins believes her to be a benevolent lady, the rest of us must understand the reality.”

  “And what reality is that, sir?”

  “She is a meddlesome, selfish busybody, and you should take care to know it,” he replied. “I would not have the two of you end up in a fight.”

  “Mr. Darcy, I hardly think there is reason for such a concern,” said Elizabeth. “I shall treat her with all the respect such an esteemed person deserves.”

  “I’m more worried about the way she is likely to treat you,” he explained. “If you allow it, she’ll become quite demanding of you. I suppose it may be argued she is only trying to help—but I have grown weary of her endeavors myself.”

  “Darcy, I shall never understand why it is you wish to find fault with all the world as you do,” Bingley scolded him. “True, your aunt can be a handful, but I hardly think that you should speak about her in such a condescending manner.”

  “You are quite right, Bingley, it is not something I should do,” Darcy
agreed. “Please forget that I have spoken, Miss Elizabeth, and make of Lady Catherine what you will. I am certain that your judgment shall easily carry you through. I would imagine all you need to know is that Lady Catherine and my cousin, Anne, are somewhat reclusive thanks to Anne’s sickly constitution. Since my cousin is so frail, she cannot even come into London, and her mother does not like to leave her at Rosings alone. And so, you understand, they are forever at home, and expect the world to come to them, since they cannot come out into the world.”

  “But have I not heard it said, Mr. Darcy, that you and your cousin are betrothed?” Elizabeth asked him. “How is that to work, if the young woman is so frail? It could hardly be helpful to your marital felicity. And also, I should think you will want to get an heir for Pemberley.”