“I do not know if I want to see him, and his coming back will certainly hurt Elizabeth. How will she heal if he is here to remind her of all they shared together?”
“Very well. I shall not invite him, but if he truly loves her, he will not stay away.”
* * * * *
A NEW SOURCE OF DELIGHT opened itself to Mr. Grinly. After several days of indecision, he had formed a resolution, one that promised great joy. He was going to propose marriage to Miss Elizabeth.
Mr. Grinly quietly arranged spending time alone with her each day in the garden, and they were always together in company in the evenings. He had continued to observe her developing relationship with Constance, and he was not unmindful of the pleasing effects of her charms over him.
Every time he looked at Elizabeth, his heart awakened in further recognition of her merits and accomplishments. While she could never replace Julia, she would be a good companion and would have a remarkably positive influence on Constance, the very circumstances to be desired in a second marriage.
He liked Elizabeth very much, but did not know if he would call it love. He felt nothing like the depth of feeling he felt for Julia, and while the years had tempered those raw feelings, it would take time for them to be replaced with love for Elizabeth. It would happen, and in the meantime, they would be very close friends. Undoubtedly, she did not love him, but she did love Constance, and as his love for her began to bloom in time, so too would hers for him. Their relationship would continually grow and progress to a stronger, safer place.
* * * * *
ELIZABETH HAD GROWN QUITE FOND of Constance. Each afternoon they would sit together in the drawing room, and Elizabeth would teach her how to stitch. Constance was an apt pupil and would someday be very proficient with a needle if she continued to practice. She had also noticed that Mr. Grinly began to pay her more attention. He was a very kind man and in some ways reminded her of Mr. Bingley. He had a gentle personality that was not easily disturbed by the silliness of her mother and sisters. Despite their nonsense, Mr. Grinly treated them calmly and with respect. Elizabeth had to admire him. He was so full of love for his daughter that it brought to mind how much she missed her own father.
“Miss Bennet, I want to thank you for the kindness you have shown my daughter,” said Mr. Grinly to her after Constance had left them to seek another amusement. “She tells me that she enjoys your company immensely and has proudly shown me the needlework that you are teaching her. Thank you for taking the time to be with her. I am exceedingly grateful, and I know that she is, also.”
“She is a pleasing, well-mannered young lady. I cannot help but like her.”
“She is my treasure. It pains me that she knows so little of her mother. Constance reminds me of her.”
“What happened to her mother? I mean, if it is not too painful for you tell me.”
“She died following a carriage accident. The horses suddenly bolted and the driver could not regain control. They flew down a road until the wheels hit a tree and the carriage overturned. The driver jumped off suffering only slight injuries to his legs, but Julia could not escape. She was thrown against the inside of the carriage as it hit the ground and received a blow to her head. When she was removed from the carriage, she was curled up around Constance, who was miraculously unhurt. Although Julia regained consciousness for awhile, her injuries were too severe, and she died within a few days.”
A tremble of sadness passed through Elizabeth as she considered the unhappy fate of poor Julia Grinly. She could not hear such a tale of tragedy without a great deal of sympathy for Mr. Grinly.
When he finished speaking, Elizabeth turned to him and put her hand on his arm. “Mr. Grinly, I am so sorry. I do not know what to say. How terrible it must have been for someone to come and tell you that your wife was gravely injured. I cannot imagine. How you must have suffered!”
Their eyes met and their glance held as she favored him with a smile of encouragement.
“Time has softened the pain, but I worry about Constance. It is not good for her to be alone. I hired a companion for her once, but they were never close, and Constance seemed more distressed by her than comforted.”
“You have done your best to bring her up. Your love for her is quite evident.”
* * * * *
MRS. BENNET HAD DETERMINED THAT Mr. Grinly should marry Elizabeth. She observed them in the garden from an upper window, they had just parted, and Elizabeth was alone. Determined to find out all she could, Mrs. Bennet left the house to speak with her.
“Lizzy, I saw you and Mr. Grinly walking in the garden. Of what were you speaking?”
“Of nothing, Mama, we were just talking.”
“I am sure that he likes you. Make every effort to please him and perhaps he will make you an offer.”
Elizabeth glared at her mother. Unwilling to respond to such an affront, she turned and ran into the house.
“Miss Lizzy, come back here!”
* * * * *
DARCY KNEW THAT HIS MIND and heart belonged to Elizabeth, but he was now faced with the question of how to regain the affection he had so callously thrown away.
Bingley had not responded to his letter. Darcy had hoped for an invitation to Netherfield, but was now beginning to doubt the possibility of receiving one. He remembered Miss Jane Bennet’s words to him about Elizabeth, and she was now Mrs. Bingley so she would no doubt influence her husband’s decisions. He did not want to think of her as his adversary, though he could hardly blame her for wanting to protect her sister. He determined that he would have to go to Hertfordshire without an invitation and stay at the inn. Before he had any chance at all of winning Elizabeth’s hand, though, he would have to be reconciled with Bingley and confess his wrongdoing to his bride.
* * * * *
MR. GRINLY DID NOT KNOW what to do. He and Julia had been of one mind concerning marriage. They had discussed it, planned on it, and were secure in each other’s affection long before his formal proposal. Her father’s consent had been a matter of course.
With Elizabeth, it was very different. He was uncertain as to how she would respond to his addresses. To be sure, they had not known each other long, but he felt as though he knew her heart. His devotion to her was increasing. Once he set his heart free, he was surprised at how quickly it had come about.
Mr. Grinly knew Elizabeth spent the mornings in the garden, and he determined to meet her there. It was without difficulty that he found Elizabeth in a secluded place reading a book.
“Good morning, Miss Bennet.”
“Good morning. It is a beautiful day, is it not? Would you care to sit down?” She gestured to the seat next to her as she closed her book. Taking this as a sign of encouragement, he joined her and cleared his throat.
She gave him a questioning look. It seemed as though he wanted to say something, yet he hesitated. He had never been uncomfortable with her before.
“Miss Bennet, I have been hoping for an opportunity to speak with you alone.” He paused. “I have come to feel a deep regard and affection for you.”
Elizabeth struggled to understand him. Affection?
“Sir?”
“Elizabeth, I know that I may not be what you imagined in a husband, but I offer myself to you.” He stood up and paced in front of her for moment, then stopped and faced her. “I know we could be happy together. Constance needs you, and I need you. I give all that I am . . . and all that I have . . . to you, and beg that you will consent to be my wife.”
Elizabeth could not speak. When the effects of her first astonishment wore off, she recalled how her father had teased her by saying he would never allow her to marry because he always wanted her to stay at Longbourn with him. She thought about Mr. Darcy, the kiss they shared, and the passion she felt for him. She remembered the blush on Jane’s cheek at the end of her wedding ceremony when Mr. Bingley had repeated the words, ‘ . . . with my body, I thee worship.’
Grinly was encouraged that she had not imme
diately answered, certain that such an answer could only be a negative.
Elizabeth’s mind was in turmoil as images of Mr. Darcy tumbled about in her mind. Could she worship Mr. Grinly with her body? Was she free of Mr. Darcy?
No, she could not and was not.
“Mr. Grinly,” she said with a voice barely audible, “thank you for your offer. I am flattered to know that I have inspired such feelings in someone who I regard as much as I do you.”
But why could it not have been Mr. Darcy? She felt a blush overwhelm her features.
“As for marriage . . . ”
“Miss Bennet,” interrupted Mr. Grinly. He sat down with her again. “Please, I do not want you to decide now. It would not be fair. I have had time to consider this, and you have not. Perhaps we may discuss the matter at another time after you have had a chance to reflect on it?”
Although she was certain her mind would not alter, she felt she owed him a carefully framed answer and was grateful for the reprieve that would allow her the time she needed to formulate such a response.
“Yes, thank you.”
She allowed him to take her hand, and he kissed it. She opened her heart in anticipation of his touch, but her thoughts were drawn to another time, another kiss, and another man.
* * * * *
FROM AN UPPER WINDOW, CONSTANCE watched her father cross the lawn. She had expected that Elizabeth would accompany him back to the house, but she was not with him. This did not bode well.
Mr. Grinly had informed his daughter of his intention to ask Elizabeth to marry him, wanting to know how she felt about the prospect of having Elizabeth as her stepmother. Constance liked Elizabeth very much. Nay, she could say that she loved her, and she assured him of that.
Constance had only vague memories of her mother, images of being loved very much by her. Life had been cruel the day she was taken from the world. If only Elizabeth would accept her father, she would love her as much as she did him.
* * * * *
RETURNING TO THE HOUSE, MR. Grinly went immediately to his daughter, knowing she would be expecting to hear from him as to his success with Elizabeth. Constance was anticipating his visit, and immediately answered his knock at her door. “Father?”
He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. “I received neither a favorable nor unfavorable answer from Miss Bennet. She told me that she held me in regard. She seemed to hesitate, though, and before she could continue, I asked her to think about my offer and suggested that we would talk about it at a later time, to which she agreed.”
Constance embraced him. “Do you think she will accept?”
Mr. Grinly held his daughter close. “It would be a big change for her. I am so much older than she, and we live so far away. I know she is particularly close to her sister.”
“She must love you. How could she not?”
* * * * *
LEFT ALONE IN THE GARDEN, Elizabeth had time to think about what had occurred. As astonishing as Mr. Grinly’s proposal was, she could now look back over the course of their relationship and see the increasing intimacy into which she had been drawn. He had never behaved in any manner that would make her uncomfortable, and she would have to confess that she always enjoyed his company. She was satisfied that she had done nothing to encourage his suit and had done nothing to discourage his friendship.
She was not insulted by his offer, and she would even admit that a portion of her vanity was gratified by the attention, yet it was painful. She did not want to hurt him but she knew he would be disappointed.
Mr. Grinly was offering a home and a daughter. Constance was a lovely girl, but it seemed an unlikely responsibility for her to assume the education and development of a young woman only six years her junior. Constance’s sweet disposition had endeared her to Elizabeth, and she knew that they could be friends, but Wiltshire was so far away.
Elizabeth passed unseen into the house and went up to her room, pleading indisposition when she was called down to dinner. She knew Mr. Grinly would be distressed by her absence, and perhaps her mother would be angry, but she could not face him, not until she had spoken with Jane.
* * * * *
ELIZABETH WALKED TO NETHERFIELD BEFORE breakfast the next morning. She had been unable to sleep, and she had to see Jane. There was nothing else to be done.
The cool morning air was refreshing. She had felt confined and restricted in her room, unwilling to leave it for fear of encountering Mr. Grinly. This was the farthest she had been from home since her fall, and now she was going back to the place where it all began.
“Good morning, Miss Bennet,” said Mrs. Thomas as she opened the door. “Welcome to Netherfield. May I inquire after your health?” She ushered Elizabeth towards the sitting room.
“I am well, thank you. Is my sister awake?”
“Yes, but Mrs. Bingley has not come down yet. I will send word that you are here.”
Jane must have been nearly dressed because Elizabeth did not have to wait long. On Jane’s appearance in the sitting room, all the anxiety that had been building inside her burst, and she ran to Jane and dissolved into tears.
“Oh, Jane!”
Jane held her without saying a word, and gently hushed and caressed her into silence. “Will you tell me what is wrong?”
“I do not know what to do or how to feel!”
“What do you mean?”
“Mr. Grinly proposed marriage to me yesterday.” She nestled herself in Jane’s embrace and felt her eyes begin to burn once again.
“What did he say?”
“Everything! He said we would be happy together. He said Constance needed me. He said that he needed me. He said he would give me everything he had.”
“I can tell by your tears that you did not accept him.”
“I did not reject him completely. He asked me to consider the offer, and that we would talk about it later, to which I agreed. Please tell me how to refuse him.”
Jane was grateful that the refusal had not been made. She knew that Elizabeth was quite distraught and was probably not thinking clearly, yet she was faced with such an important decision, perhaps the most important of her life. Jane knew that her sister’s happiness was at stake and determined that she must give Elizabeth her best counsel.
“Do you think that is wise?”
“What do you mean?”
“To refuse him.”
Elizabeth’s head begin to ache. “Do you think I should accept him?”
“Do you like him?”
“Well . . . I . . . He is a pleasant man, I confess, and I do love Constance, I truly do, but Jane — ”
“You will come to love him in no time at all. You will move away from Longbourn and the society of our mother and sisters to your own home. The three of you will settle very comfortably in your own family party at Sappingford.”
There was a long, uncomfortable silence.
“But, Jane, I do not love him. I do not know if I could ever love him.”
“Why not?”
“Because I am still in love with Mr. Darcy.”
Jane shook her head in frustration. Mr. Darcy had hurt Elizabeth more than she had thought possible, and now her attachment to him might cause her to give up the best chance for happiness she might ever have.
“I see. Has Mr. Darcy made you an offer?”
Elizabeth frowned. “No, you know he has not.”
“And has he given you any reason to believe that he will come back? Does he love you?”
“No. I have not heard from him, but I know he loves me,” said Elizabeth firmly. She wiped her eyes and tried to focus on the conversation. Jane was behaving very strangely. It was as if she were trying to convince her to accept Mr. Grinly.
“Is his behavior consistent with someone who loves you?”
Elizabeth did not answer.
“What about a letter? Has he sent you a letter?” Jane was not about to tell her of Mr. Darcy’s note to her husband. Elizabeth would be encouraged
by it, and she would hold onto her feelings for Mr. Darcy. In the note, Mr. Darcy had said nothing about coming back to her, just that he was admitting a mistake.
“I know he loves me! I know he does!”
“Does he? Does he express his love for you by not coming back into Hertfordshire? There is nothing to prevent him. He is his own master.”
Tears poured out of Elizabeth’s eyes. “Why are you doing this? Why are you saying these things?”
“Regardless of what you may feel, Mr. Darcy is not worthy of your love. Here is Mr. Grinly, a man who will love you and who has asked for your hand, and you are ready to refuse him. And for what reason? Because you nurse an affection for Mr. Darcy that is not returned.”
Jane felt her own heart breaking. She had never used such language with Elizabeth, and she knew that she was causing her considerable pain. Yet what else could she do? She could not allow Elizabeth to walk away from Mr. Grinly’s offer because of an infatuation for Mr. Darcy.
Elizabeth could not respond. Her heart was pounding as if it would escape her chest. She sat resolutely silent with her eyes clenched shut, rocking herself back and forth on the sofa.
Chapter 13
DARCY WENT IN SEARCH OF Georgiana and found her in the music room studying a new song. He stood in the doorway and looked at her. Stepping out of the role of brother and guardian, he admitted to himself that she was a handsome young woman, and though she had a serious disposition, she was pleasant and lively with those whom she knew well. She seemed to have grown overnight. How had it happened?
He spoke her name softly so that he would not startle her.
Georgiana set down her music and turned to him with a smile. “Fitzwilliam, I did not hear you.”
“I am sorry if I am disturbing you.” He put his arm around her shoulder. “You are sixteen, my dear, and will soon be out. Have you given much thought to marriage?”
Georgiana glanced at her brother with a surprised look. “Marriage? I do not give it any thought at all. Why do you ask?”
“You have a large dowry. Thirty thousand pounds is no insignificant sum. You accused me of not being willing to pursue my affection for Miss Bennet because she has no dowry. The opposite is true for you. There are few larger. I am afraid that in the coming years you will meet young men who will appear to be trying to win your affection, but are really interested in marrying you solely for your fortune. Please be cautious, and do not be fooled by these men. A man who would marry you for your money will never love you. Oftentimes, I regret that our father was so generous with you because your dowry will always be of interest to unscrupulous men. I know it is my duty as your guardian to protect you from such men, but I cannot safeguard your heart. Should you give your affection to a fortune hunter, I may prevent the marriage, but I cannot prevent the broken heart and pain you will suffer.
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