by Riana Everly
Mr. Darcy has been most attentive himself. He becomes more charming the more I know him. Perhaps I am growing accustomed to his slightly awkward ways; perhaps, indeed, I am beginning to find them endearing! Or, perhaps, as he grows more comfortable around me and our family, he sheds more and more of the stiffness and hauteur which marks his demeanour in unfamiliar circumstances. But Jane, I must admit to liking him more and more every day I see him.
Last night he invited my aunt and uncle and myself to his home, along with a married couple whom I met whilst in Kent. I believe I wrote to you once of Mr. and Mrs. St. Ives. Mr. St. Ives is a most accomplished violinist, and Mr. Darcy sat at the pianoforte to accompany him in some devilishly complicated works by a young Italian composer named Niccolo Paganini. Mr. Darcy hides a great many talents! I had no notion at all that he was so very accomplished at the instrument. I recall a conversation, whilst you were convalescing at Netherfield, in which he and Miss Bingley debated the requirements for accomplishment in ladies, but not a word was breathed about similar requirements in gentlemen. Perhaps, had we taken the discussion in that direction, the evening might have ended in a much more pleasant manner.
Our evening last night certainly ended most pleasantly. Mrs. St. Ives was as delightful as I recalled from our brief introduction at Rosings, and she seemed as genuinely delighted to renew the acquaintance as was I. Her husband, too, brings out many of Mr. Darcy’s best characteristics, for when conversing on topics of interest to him, he is a most amiable and engaging conversationalist.
Oh, Jane, I do not believe I shall ever truly understand the man—sometimes so stiff and reticent, sometimes so free and friendly—but I do not believe I shall ever tire of him. And please, do not ever breathe a word of what I just wrote! I should cross it out now, but that would leave a large blot of ink on my page and ruin all the words I have just written! Oh, Jane, how I wish you were here to laugh with me, but in truth I am more pleased that you are where you are, for that is where your Mr. Bingley is.
Elizabeth took a deep breath before writing the last few lines of her letter.
I must ask, my dearest sister, what news you have from Lydia. You know as well as I how ill-advised our Papa was in allowing her to go; we can only hope that he was correct in his assumption that she will be too poor, and of too little real interest to any of the officers, to become anything of a temptation to them, never mind that she is the most determined flirt in all of England. If you hear news, I beg you to let me know as soon as is convenient.
For now, dearest Jane, enjoy your courtship, and I shall remain,
Your ever-loving sister,
Lizzy
When Mr. Darcy came to call the following morning, Elizabeth told him about Lydia’s sojourn in Brighton with the militia. Although she attempted to adopt her father’s devil-may-care attitude towards the situation, she had already confided in her aunt, and now hoped that Mr. Darcy too might be able to sooth her agitation.
“I should not speak ill of my parent,” she told him ruefully as they took their tea with Mrs. Gardiner, “but he cannot know how poorly my sister’s’ behaviour reflects upon Jane and myself, as well as Mary and Kitty, of course. He believes that Lydia’s exposure in Brighton will remain veiled from the eyes of society, but that can never be so. You, yourself, reflected upon the evils of family members run wild. Those things you said in Hunsford…”
“Are best forgotten, Miss Elizabeth.”
“No, sir, they were all true.” Shame tinged her voice although she suspected Mr. Darcy was unaware of that nuance. Still, she had to catch herself to stop from turning away from his beseeching face.
“Your sister, Jane, is most likely to become engaged to my friend very soon; Bingley has written to ask my advice on the settlement upon her. And you, yourself…” Looking up at Mrs. Gardiner, who sat staring intently at the pages of her book on the far armchair, he did not complete that thought, but said instead, “Wherever you are known, you must be respected and valued; and you will not appear to less advantage for having a very silly sister.”
“Then you do not believe her to be in any danger, or of ruining the family with some terribly embarrassing scandal?”
“No, I did not say that!” he laughed. “I am certain she shall endeavour to bring upon herself all manner of scandals. However, perhaps your father is correct, and whatever occurs in Brighton will be so overshadowed by even greater follies involving better known people that none shall think on it after a day or two.”
“I am hardly reassured, Mr. Darcy!” she scolded teasingly, but was somehow comforted by his indifference to Lydia’s imminent misbehaviour. She realised now, sitting in this comfortable room with this unusual and enigmatic young man, how much his disparagement of her family had hurt her, not for the fact itself but because of the rift it had come so close to placing between them. If Lydia’s behaviour should cause her to lose Mr. Darcy once more, she did not know how she would survive it. That he was now teasing her about this very matter set her mind much at ease.
He took a sip from his tea cup, and then said, “I may have yet another means by which we may assure ourselves of Miss Lydia’s decorum.” He looked up now and spoke loudly enough to capture Mrs. Gardiner’s attention. “If you will do me the honour, Mrs. Gardiner, of joining me at my home for tea tomorrow? Hopefully I shall have some news that will soothe Miss Elizabeth’s concerns over her sister. I shall send my carriage around. Miss Pierce and the children are also welcome, should they wish to explore a different park. I shall instruct my cook to have a basket ready for them for a special picnic, if they desire it.”
The lady of the house inclined her head and accepted most graciously. She really was, thought Elizabeth, every bit as elegant and well-mannered as the high-born ladies who buzzed through the highest echelons of society, and she felt suddenly very proud to be related to her aunt.
“Then, if you will excuse me, ladies, I shall depart so I may make the connexions necessary for the information I wish to gather. I hope you will forgive my early departure.” And with a bow to Mrs. Gardiner and a soft kiss on the back of Elizabeth’s hand, he collected his hat and gloves and strode off to the mews to find his horse.
As might be expected, the children were thrilled to have an outing, and Miss Pierce was especially so when, later that evening, a note was delivered offering the services of Mr. Darcy’s own former nanny so she might have some time to join the others at tea, or perhaps (if she wished it) explore the work room where Mr. Darcy kept his lenses, and which Samuel had raved about so enthusiastically. The boy’s departure for Margate with the Harwin family had been unfortunately delayed due to the necessities of Mr. Harwin’s business, and he too was eager to revisit the work room, should Mr. Darcy allow it. Such was requested of, and approved by, the master of the house. The same note which reiterated the invitation to tea indicated that should Mr. Gardiner wish to join the group after his day at his place of business, a good dinner would be available to him.
Mrs. Gardiner waxed enthusiastic about Mr. Darcy’s fine manners and his thoughtfulness in including the children and their nursemaid, as well as her husband, and Elizabeth breathed freely in relief that not only had Mr. Darcy told her in the most definite terms that he would not hold her to account for her youngest sister’s follies, he had reinforced his words with yet another invitation to his home. Consequently, a very happy and eager group from the Gardiner home gathered the next morning to await the arrival of the elegant carriage.
The ride was noisy, full of the chatter of young children. James attempted to be the young man he saw his brother becoming, but the little girls were too excited to contain their glee, and commented upon everything they saw or heard. They were not unaccustomed to travelling in the city by carriage, but being invited to a grand home with their mother was a great adventure, and one which required constant discussion. Every detail must be examined: was Helena’s dress suitable for such an occasion? Should she have worn flowers in her hair even though Miss Pierc
e insisted they were not necessary? At what age should she begin to wear gloves with her dress? And what about little Julia’s bonnet? Surely a child so young—only three years of age—could not be expected to keep her hair neat without it and yet she was still of an age where she sometimes took it off to pull at the ribbons. Could Mr. Darcy really mean to have such a messy creature in his house? Mrs. Gardiner smiled indulgently upon her children, confident that they would behave suitably under Miss Pierce’s careful eye, and wondered in a whisper which Lizzy only barely heard, whether Mr. Darcy was hoping soon to set up his own nursery. Lizzy blushed furiously at the implication, but remained silent.
At last they arrived and out of the carriage they tumbled, some with greater grace and elegance than others; Julia decided at the last moment to become most nervous and it required a great deal of coaxing for her to be wrested out of her mother’s arms. The promise of strawberries and ice in the kitchen at last convinced the little girl to go with her siblings and meet Old Mrs. Churley, who would help care for them that day.
Mr. Darcy himself had been waiting for their arrival at his front door, and once the children had been sent off to their activities, he escorted his guests to the sunny front salon. The room was not particularly large, but it was beautifully proportioned, with eggshell-coloured walls and soft blue draperies and carpets, focussed around a marvellous fireplace of carved marble. The furnishings, as were all those Elizabeth had seen in the house, were understated and elegant. It was a room in which she immediately felt very comfortable.
Initial pleasantries were exchanged, and after some minutes of polite conversation, the master of the house rang for tea. Samuel, who had elected to remain with the adults rather than joining the younger children with Mrs. Churley, seemed to steel himself for the inevitability of a long and rather boring tea with the tedium of adult conversation, when Miss Pierce, herself seeming to feel awkward in such fine company, suggested that the boy show her the work room, with Mr. Darcy’s permission, of course. This was deemed a most suitable solution, and Mr. Darcy requested that a selection of tea and lemonade and biscuits be delivered to the two scientists.
Mr. Darcy then asked when the Harwin family expected to depart for their visit to the seaside. “The boys must be rather disappointed for the trip to be delayed thus.”
Mrs. Gardiner chuckled. “You are correct, sir! We had spent much time preparing Samuel for the journey, and for the inevitability of unexpected events, and he was all anticipation. This sudden change in plans has been difficult for him, and it took some great efforts on Lizzy’s and Miss Pierce’s parts to calm him from his reaction. Once he was able to come to terms with the change, however, he has been managing rather well.” Mr. Darcy nodded in understanding, and Mrs. Gardiner continued, “I do admit to being somewhat anxious about how he will fare on the journey. He finds sudden changes in plans difficult.”
“He is,” interjected Mr. Darcy, “a lad much given to routine and ill at ease with the unexpected, is he not?”
“Very much so,” the boy’s mother admitted. “We spent much time over the past several days discussing what he might expect, and discussing how he might prepare, if you will, for the unexpected. My son is very analytical about some matters, and if he expects to be assailed by all manner of new experiences and sensations, he does rather better than one might imagine. The planning for the unknown, however, is of utmost importance. And now, the unexpected has occurred, with the ironic result of more of his accustomed routine.”
“An irony indeed. But he is doing well despite the change in plans, you say?”
“Yes,” Mrs. Gardiner nodded. “He has found some other employment, I know not what, which keeps him busy and out of the house much of the day. I believe he is exploring the city with Robert, who also finds himself in need of amusement. They are good boys, and I do not worry after them, for Robert provides the common sense that Sammy often lacks. As much as my son is an unusual child, he has no malice in him, nor a desire to make trouble for himself, and he heeds his friend’s wiser advice.”
“Unusual, perhaps, Mrs. Gardiner, but no less delightful for it. His intelligence and passion for knowledge are remarkable attributes.”
“Thank you sir!”
At this moment the tea arrived, wheeled in by a quiet housemaid, and Mrs. Gardiner asked whether she should pour, or whether Mr. Darcy wished to wait a while longer.
“I am expecting one more guest,” he explained, “but that person is not entirely the master of his own time, and shall join us as soon as he is able. In the meantime, let us enjoy the scones and biscuits my cook bakes for me each morning. She is merely a Yorkshirewoman and not a trained French chef, but her baking, for all its simplicity, is exceptional.”
No sooner had he said these words when a footman opened the door, admitting the expected arrival. In strode a gentleman—an officer, in fact—dressed in the brilliant scarlet and white of His Majesty’s forces, his sabre hanging ominously from his side, his shining golden insignia indicating considerable rank. But instead of the stern and forbidding face one might expect from such a formidable looking man, his expression was one of the greatest pleasure at the sight of the company in the room.
Before Mr. Darcy could make the formal introduction between those who had not previously met, the officer beamed broadly and bellowed, “Elizabeth!” to which she answered with equal enthusiasm, “Richard!”
Chapter Twenty
Tea and Travels
And thus it was that Mrs. Gardiner made the very agreeable acquaintance of Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam.
“I cannot express my pleasure at meeting you here today, Mrs. Gardiner,” he gushed. “Will has spoken so warmly of your son that I feel I know the boy; indeed, he sounds rather like Will himself as a lad. I believe he is somewhere hereabouts today and I do look forward to making his acquaintance, if he be so inclined. And Elizabeth has always spoken of you in such glowing terms I had thought to meet near on a goddess. But I do confess, I had expected a somewhat older woman, not this lovely young thing I see before me.”
“Richard….” Mr. Darcy growled, but the colonel just beamed even more broadly and continued with his unabashed flattery. Elizabeth could not help but notice that the more extravagant and effusive his cousin grew, the more Mr. Darcy grew stiff and stony as he retreated behind his accustomed self-imposed barricades. Gone was the open, friendly man who had ushered them so graciously into his home for tea; in his place was the haughty and cold creature who had so provoked the dislike of the society at Meryton those months past. Even his face seems changed, thought Elizabeth, as she watched his gentle eyes grow flinty and narrow and the planes of his face somehow flatten. She knew it was discomfort and not disapproval that engendered this remarkable metamorphosis, but it was disconcerting nonetheless.
Later on, when asked about it, Mr. Darcy confessed to her, “I do not know how to respond when Richard goes on like that. He says things which are not quite true—your aunt is an attractive and youthful lady, to be sure, but she must be two and thirty to have a son the age of Samuel, and she looks as a lady of those years should look. In retrospect I can rationalise that Richard is flattering and teasing, but at the moment all I can think is that I do not know how to interpret his words, for he cannot truly mean what he says, and yet everybody else seems to know exactly how to respond. Your aunt cannot really have believed him, but she laughed and teased back with such natural ease.”
And he was correct. Richard had such a good-natured and open character that his shameless flattery was construed by its object exactly as intended, and whilst he bordered on flirtation, his obvious intention was never to cross the line of what was appropriate. Rather than supposing him to have improper intentions towards her, Mrs. Gardiner realised immediately what Richard was about, and within moments they were the best of friends.
Miss Pierce, when she reappeared some time later with Samuel in her wake, was afforded similar treatment, although Richard related differently to her somehow
. He judged his approach with respect to the governess’ position and more reserved personality, and with her, he spoke knowledgeably and intelligently about some matters of botany she had been studying to teach the children. Nor was his inherent likeability restricted to the women he flattered. To Sammy, he was most attentive, asking the boy after his experiments and interests with all due seriousness, and not verging into metaphorical speech. He treated Samuel as a worthy young man with interesting things to say and withstood the disjointed responses and lengthy monologues with a pleasant smile and an air of genuine interest. His manner to Sammy, thought Elizabeth, was similar to that towards Mr. Darcy, and she suspected he spoke to her young cousin similarly to how Richard might have treated his own cousin as a youth.
Later that day, when Mr. Gardiner joined the party for dinner, he too was met with Richard’s genuine friendliness and happy manners, and was as charmed by the man’s charisma as had been his wife, without once feeling any discomfort or awkwardness at the immediate familiarity between the members of the gathering. It was, Elizabeth realised, a gift, and she was thankful that the colonel used it well and honestly, rather than in the duplicitous manner of Mr. Wickham. She was struck again by the difference between the cousins, but observed that between the two, as greatly as she liked and admired the colonel, and was most proud to call him a friend, she preferred the quieter and more reserved Mr. Darcy.
During the afternoon, whilst Mrs. Gardiner and Miss Pierce went to look in on the children and Mrs. Churley, Mr. Darcy had raised the topic of Lydia and Elizabeth’s fears for her deportment in Brighton. “Richard, I am hoping you may be of assistance here,” he said.
The colonel nodded. “That I may. I am, Elizabeth, travelling to that location myself soon. My men, whom I am training now, will also be stationed there for the summer for manoeuvres, and I know of Colonel Forster. It would not be seen as unusual for me to make his acquaintance and be seen in his company. Your sister does not know me and I shall be careful to keep my connexion from her, but I shall be your set of eyes there, and shall endeavour to do what I may to ensure her appropriate behaviour.”