His valet prepared him for the day before daylight. Ignoring his man’s slight raise of the brow at his untouched bed, he hurried with his dressing, picked up the letter, and left the room.
He found a strategic location to stand and wait for her, while the sun rose behind him. He waited for hours while he replayed every word, every look, every nuance from the day before. She would not try to avoid her preferred path. And so it was, when he spied her peeking into the park at the entrance gate, and she was on the point of continuing her walk, he moved her way. He stepped forward, calling her name, and then watched with sadness as her shoulders first slumped, then regained their proud position as she turned and faced him.
He caught up to her, held out the letter, and felt relief when she graciously took it from his hand. "I have been walking in the grove sometime in the hope of meeting you. Will you do me the honor of reading that letter?" His voice betrayed his desire to be unemotional, and his haughtiness rang in his ears.
With a slight bow and not another word spoken, he turned again, and never looked back.
Chapter Eighteen
Darcy was the first to enter the carriage, and glowered at Richmond who was finishing his goodbyes to his aunt and cousin. Damn him and his bloody charm. His gaze never left his cousin until he gave the signal to go. They began their journey in silence. Darcy retrieved The Vine and The Oak from his collection of poems and ignored his cousin while he read the poem again. He had put it aside many weeks ago unfinished, today he wished to discover what happened to the vine and, more importantly, the oak. He had identified Elizabeth as the vine and he the oak.
A vine from noblest lineage sprung
And with the choicest clusters hung,
In purple rob'd, reclining lay,
And catch'd the noontide's fervid ray;
The num'rous plants that deck the field
Did all the palm of beauty yield;
Pronounc'd her fairest of their train
And hail'd her empress of the plain.
A neighb'ring oak whose spiry height
In low-hung clouds was hid from sight,
Who dar'd a thousand howling storms;
Conscious of worth, sublimely stood,
The pride and glory of the wood.
He caressed the paper with his fingers while looking out the window, hoping for one last glimpse of Elizabeth, unsuccessfully. He sighed deeply and moved on to the next verse.
He saw her all defenseless lay
To each invading beast a prey,
And wish'd to clasp her in his arms
And bear her far away from harms.
'Twas love -- 'twas tenderness -- 'twas all
That men the tender passion call.
Wickham! He is a beast a prey. I pray she is no longer defenseless when it comes to that scoundrel. And yes, ‘twas love I felt, and feel even still. He continued his reading.
He urg'd his suit but urg'd in vain,
The vine regardless of his pain
Still flirted with each flippant green
With seeing pleas'd, & being seen;
And as the syren Flattery sang
Would o'er the strains ecstatic hang;
Enjoy'd the minutes as they rose
Nor fears her bosom discompose.
No longer wishing to continue, Darcy folded the poem and placed it in his coat pocket. I urged my suit in vain. In vain, I struggled. In vain, I lost. She prefers the damn flowery words and blasted charm of lesser men.
He focused his attention on his cousin who was silently glaring at him with dark and brooding expressions.
Darcy shrugged, opened a book, and for the first half of the trip, he and Richmond sat thusly—one attempting to read while the other seethed. Even though he had not read a single word, he kept his head down and his hands steady.
Richmond chuckled.
Darcy lifted his head. “What is it? What exactly are you smiling and chuckling about?”
“Well, you.”
“How wonderful how I give you such pleasure.” He sneered, no longer caring about decorum. She had said he was not a gentleman, so be it.
“I did not say you give me pleasure at all. You have rarely done that.”
“What? You say the most outlandish things. Explain yourself.”
Richmond smirked. “Very well, since you have asked so pleasantly. You do as you wish and leave it up to me to follow. I understand how it works. In the army, the general barks the commands and I, the colonel, carry them out. In this society, you are the general and I am nothing greater than a private.”
“Humph. I have never treated you in such a way.”
“Humph! Not true, cousin. Not true. Why, this trip alone, you ignored my needs. Even a general worries about his lowliest soldiers.”
“I suppose you will elaborate. You do like to talk and ooze charm while doing so.”
“Ha! I normally do not share my opinions with you, preferring instead to keep my favored place in your house, but since you have issued this invitation in such a delightful tone, I will take the opportunity to shed sunlight on your cold and dark world.”
Darcy settled back in his seat, curious.
“I know full well when I am finishied talking Darcy House and Pemberley will be lost to me forever. Promise me though that you will not throw me out until we reach the London’s outskirts”
“You exaggerate so.” Darcy rolled his eyes, and when his cousin sat silently, he added, “But if I must, I promise.”
“I had made plans to spend several weeks in London before I had to return to my battalion. They were important weeks for me. You see, I will be leaving for the Continent shortly.”
Darcy gasped.
“See! You had not given that possibility a single moment’s thought. Well, I wished to spend time in those parts of town where you do not go. I wanted to drink, eat, gamble, laugh, and yes,” Richmond glared across the seat at his cousin and continued, “whore around.”
Darcy scoffed.
“I wanted to have my enjoyment in the arms of a few luscious London wenches. Do not act so supercilious.” Richmond laughed. “What? Are you surprised that I know such a large word? Of course, only you are capable of intelligent thought and five syllable words.”
“Do not stop,” Darcy demanded. “If you have more to say, then say it.”
“You never consider me when you change plans. Do not look at me so; it has always been this way. You do as you please, and my lot in life is to follow behind without saying a word. Salute is what we call it in the army. Well, I shall salute you no more.” Richmond leaned back in his seat and turned his head away.
Darcy lowered his head. “I am sorry. I did not think you had plans. You did not share your news about leaving for the Continent. Why did you not?”
“You never seemed interested in my life—only yours and Georgiana’s. “Still, I try my best to always look out for her, and you, cousin.”
“Humph! Look out for me? Did the Army instruct you in how to utter fabrications with such ease?”
Richmond’s brows shot upwards at his cousin’s venomous tone. “When have I not looked after you?”
“When? When you revealed a recent confidence between us to someone. You deliberately spoke ill of me, but presented it in a humorous manner, of that I am sure. You hide behind your humor. I can well imagine your disloyal words.”
“What are you referring to? I would never betray a member of my own family.”
“You spoke to Miss Elizabeth about my saving Mr. Bingley.”
Richmond nodded. “I assumed it was him. I spoke to her about your triumph, to show your true… worthiness.” He spit the last word out.
“But did you know it was her sister that he was infatuated with? Ah, yes. From the coloring of your complexion, I can see you did suspect it. Why, then, did you reveal a confidence?”
“You spoke of no secrecy.” Richmond brushed his sleeve with his hand. “When Bingley’s name came up in conversation, I merely exp
ounded on your superior abilities to oversee everyone’s lives.”
“You deliberately tried to show me in a poor light, and succeeded in causing me no small amount of harm.”
“I own no remorse for your causing you harm. Stepping down from the pedestal would serve you better.
“Why?”
“Oh, let me explain. Your chin is raised so high, that coupled with your height, you cannot help but present a picture of a man peering down at everyone. Unfortunately, this is exactly how you view others. When surrounded by men you admire, you relax your shoulders, lower your whole head, and smile when you speak. But for the rest of the world, you are different. You present a... what do they call it? Yes, a noble mien, and that his how you maintain your sense of superiority. Furthermore, if anyone not of your close acquaintance utters a single word your way, or someone says something you do not find worthy, you merely humph.”
“Humph.”
“Even now you cannot help yourself.” Richmond chuckled. “I always believed it was because all the Fitzwilliams say the damn word out of habit, but you use the word for intimidation.”
“Humph!” Darcy uttered the word with emphasis.
“Your chin is higher now than when the conversation started. You prove my point. I am beneath you. Your father did not think so, or else he would not have made me Georgiana’s co-guardian. Yet, my word has no sway with you. Today, I am not at all fond of you.”
“Unless you explain why you acted as you did, then I am not fond of you today either.”
“I merely wanted to be in town, and you selfishly kept me from it. It was not a betrayal so much as a weapon in my arsenal. I must use what I possess in order to gain what I want. And I longed for London, and you kept delaying our return because of her. Thus, I believed only she could make you wish to leave.”
“You knew?”
Richmond smirked. “Yes. I imagine Aunt Catherine suspects as well. Anne recognized your desire whenever you looked at the pretty young lady from Hertforshire; we even joked about it. But as I said, I merely wanted to leave, and the only way was through Miss Elizabeth.
“You were successful; she rejected my proposal. She will not marry me.”
Richmond sat upright. “You offered marriage? Marriage to her? She is a nobody. She has no fortune and no family connections important enough for you. I am shocked you actually proposed marriage. I… ”
“What did you think I would offer?”
“I thought you were looking for a mistress. I never once thought you sought marriage. How was I supposed to know? You never share your thoughts with anyone. Well, she has charms, I agree, but she does not possess the status to become Mistress of Pemberley. Surely you must see that.”
“With my wealth, I can offer wherever I choose.”
“Sometimes you shock even me. I like Miss Bennet, and she was another reason I shared the information. I did not wish to see her put in an anxious situation. I… thought if she was angry, she would be able to thwart your overtures, if you approached her in that way.” Richmond shook his head and creased his brow. “But with you choosing someone so below you, does this mean you would approve Mr. Kent marrying Georgiana?”
“What do you know of Kent?” Darcy said brusquely.
“Perhaps I should keep silent and not—”
“Speak your mind! What is it that concerns you? What do you believe has happened?”
“You should learn not to interrupt! It is most ungentleman-like and proves my point of how you believe you are superior to others. You are selective as to who you interrupt.”
“Blast it. I must know! And do not drag this out, Richmond. I warn you. Today is not a day to test my temperament.”
“Oh, well, perhaps I should just remain silent and deal with Kent myself. I share the guardianship, and I do not have to ask your permission any more than you ever ask mine. As I said, your father made me an equal in that regard.”
“I am in no mood for your silly games.”
“Humph.” Richmond turned to gaze out the window. He sighed at the unchanging, mundane landscape. “You friend has been showing interest in Georgiana. He is a tradesman’s son; the family will never approve. My father will take every action to thwart any attempts he might make to obtain her hand. Kent needs to be stopped, for his sake as well as hers.”
“Oh, is that it? I had planned to speak with him upon my return.” Darcy settled back in his seat, relaxing his body. “What exactly happened to cause such an alarm? At first, I suspected he had made an offer by your earlier remark, but now I am puzzled.”
“I have witnessed several situations where Georgiana has defended him. However, one event in particular bothers me the most.”
“Go on.”
“One day, as I was escorting her and my sister on a walk in Hyde Park, your friend had deliberately hid along her normal path. He was laying in wait for her. With all my training, I easily spied him long before we came to his hiding spot. I, of course, never left Georgiana’s side. She allowed only Mr. Kent’s virtues to be discussed. I caught him winking at her, and she returned it with a conspiratorial-like smile. Victoria can attest to all I related. She had noticed him hiding too. Neither of us seemed surprised when he appeared.”
“You do not need to involve yourself. I will speak to Kent immediately upon my return.” Darcy waved his hand.
Richmond attempted to hide his own smile, still Darcy knew his cousin was pleased to return to the role of the good guardian while he took care of the problems. Nothing more was discussed until the carriage stopped at Richmond’s home. A few polite words were shared and then Darcy headed off.
He entered his London townhouse with the intent of spending an hour or two considering all the accusations addressed to him. But before he could escape to his bedchambers, Geoffries impeded his progress. He expounded upon Mr. Kent’s frequent visits with Georgiana, their constant walks, and that she had persuaded Mr. Kent to go shopping on several occasions. Lady Victoria and Mr. Kent’s sister accompanied them. He handed over the list of Georgiana’s mail.
Darcy became alarmed when he read Miss Sarah Kent’s name repeatedly, both for incoming and outgoing letters. “Geoffries, when was the last time Miss Kent visited?”
“Today, sir. In fact, she is in the music room with Miss Darcy.”
“Now?” Darcy rose from his chair.
“Yes, sir.”
He penned a message for immediate dispatch to Kent’s home, requesting him to come as soon as possible.
Darcy’s long legs carried him down the hallway, up the stairs, and toward the music room with such swiftness, the servants backed up against the walls to give him room to pass. He burst into the music room. “Georgiana! I am home.”
His sister’s fingers froze on the keys of the last note played.
Miss Kent leaned over and whispered to the motionless young girl. Slowly they rose to greet him.
A World of Expectations_Book 2_The Confrontation Page 30