Chances Come

by Ney Mitch

  “How do you mean?” I asked.

  “Well, I think I see what Kitty is feeling,” he elaborated, “because, the way that she describes others as seeing her is the precise way that I would often view her myself.”

  “You did?” Aunt Gardiner asked.

  “Yes. I do not deny that when entering Hertfordshire, I quickly viewed Kitty as just an echo of her younger sister, Lydia.”

  “That is an easy mistake to make,” Uncle Gardiner offered solace, “for we all have a tendency to consider one when we see the other.”

  “Yes, but with Kitty, it is more-so,” Jane pointed out. “For Lydia has the louder personality of the two, so I believe that Kitty has it harder. Her personality will always get swallowed up by Lydia, and up until this point, I attributed it to her allowing it to be so.”

  “Yet, what if it is simply that she is not given much right to be viewed as her own person,” I gathered. “Therefore, she has no choice but to mold her life around Lydia’s. What if that is all that she has?”

  “I always regarded it as being a part of her age,” Aunt Gardiner surmised, “for she is of the time where being a follower of things is necessary in some circles.”

  “That is it,” Darcy confirmed. “I always looked at her as a follower. And, in truth, I placed that judgment on her from the very beginning. And being a follower is never the most attractive title to have. Yet, it was perhaps not her fault.”

  “It is often a practice to belittle people who follow others,” Colonel Fitzwilliam augmented. “We scoff and ridicule them. However, if the whole world were leaders, then nothing would ever get done, because there is no one to follow anyone’s lead. It sounds like you sister was convicted of the crime of something that is not entirely evil.”

  “Their sister, Lydia, is simply not the best role model for Kitty,” Aunt Gardiner said, “and we have often worried that she would follow in Lydia’s footsteps.”

  “But maybe that never would have occurred if we had given Kitty more attention,” I pondered.

  “Precisely,” Jane said. “And that is the particular dilemma that we are in. Kitty probably feels like she is not appreciated. And we all need to feel appreciated at some point in our lives. That is why I am soon to return home, so that Kitty can come to Cheapside and take my place.”

  “You are leaving London?” Colonel Fitzwilliam asked, rather pointedly. Too pointedly to not go below anyone’s notice. We all turned and looked at him, for Jane’s news of departure had all the effects of him looking as if someone had slapped him across the face.

  “Yes,” Jane answered. “I am to return home by the end of the week. The carriage shall return with my sister, Kitty, to take my place and leave Lizzy company while she remains in London.” Jane had turned to Darcy, to stress that I would remain, and it was a nice gesture of hers. Yet, I was focused on Colonel Fitzwilliam.

  Perhaps, I had been reading into his reaction too deeply. Perhaps, I was seeing something that was not there. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps… and yet, what if I was correct?

  Soon, we finished dinner and dessert was served.

  As we began to eat it, Darcy cleared his throat.

  “I do not mean to be presumptuous,” he began, “and forgive me if I am overstepping my rights, but I must offer the option.”

  He turned to Jane. “Miss Bennet, while I am certain that your mother would be missing your company, I know that Miss Elizabeth would cherish your company here. Also, if Kitty is to come to London, then the guardianship of you both would be a blessing to her. If you both wish to do right by her, then you both have the right to undertake the task together. And if it is a matter of all three of you being too numerous at Cheapside, then can I offer Grosvenor Street as a residence for yourselves and Miss Kitty when she comes? Or am I being too presumptuous?”

  I smiled and then I turned to my aunt and uncle, hoping they would take the offer, but while also knowing that they would not. After all, propriety and cold decorum must prevail!

  “We thank you for the offer, Mr. Darcy,” Uncle Gardiner responded, “but we cannot allow our family to be such an imposition on your generous hospitality. We would feel too obliged. But you are correct that all three sisters ought to remain with us. We shall find a way to have all three sisters at Cheapside.”

  I knew that three of us sisters there was manageable for my aunt and uncle, but I did not wish to be a burden on them to that extent. Therefore, gathering my courage, I turned to Mr. Darcy. He looked at me swiftly, and I tried to force my expression to send the message: ‘pursue the matter. Please, let us stay with you’. At first, I worried that I had not done it well and that he had not understood.

  Yet, in the next second, he turned back to my aunt and uncle.

  “In truth, my request was a selfish one,” Mr. Darcy countered. “My sister is coming to London very soon. And I was hoping to have Jane and Lizzy remain here as her companions and to give her company in this house while I sometimes have to see to business. And now that Kitty is coming, it would offer her even more company. Kitty and my sister are near the same age. Therefore, I was hoping you would agree with my scheme because I wanted the Bennet sisters to remain close to her during her stay. I am sorry, but I must ask again. Is there any way that you may allow your nieces to remain here, as my guests? They shall be quite safe, I assure you. And Mrs. Gardiner, if you are ever worried about them, I offer my chaise and four to be at your disposal for whenever you wish to come and see them. I can even keep a room prepared for you here if you ever wish to remain with them.”

  “That is a delightful scheme,” Colonel Fitzwilliam supported. “Georgiana would love that.”

  I looked to my aunt and uncle again and they both had no more room for objections.

  “Well, if that is how the matter truly is,” Uncle Gardiner said, “I can see no objection. What do you say to that, Mrs. Gardiner?”

  “I think it would be delightful, and I am honored at the request,” Aunt Gardiner also concurred. “However, Mr. Darcy, I humbly ask that the room you offered me be available as soon as they settle in here. Would you please oblige an old aunt? For, with their mother not being here, I wish to remain with them for a couple of nights a week, to make certain that all is well. That is me simply doing my parental duty, in place of their absent parent.”

  “I would prefer it no other way,” Darcy observed.

  “Also,” Colonel Fitzwilliam asserted, “my cousin and I have been offered an invitation to a Christmas ball of a good friend of ours, Sir Aleck Granger. It will take place on the Twelfth Night. If we write to him, he would be more than willing to extend the invitation to you and your nieces.”

  “Oh, now we very much do not wish to put you out of your way that far,” Aunt Gardiner disallowed.

  “You are not, believe us. Sir Aleck Granger is the most congenial and openhearted man in the world. He has a way of not allowing any cruelty at his parties, does not begrudge men of trade or different classes, and is willing to meet new people. He never disregards me just because I was born as the second son.”

  “It will be a delight for your nieces,” Darcy added, “and since Miss Kitty is coming to London, being invited to a ball is sure to lift her spirits. She will feel the compliment of it.”

  These were so many kindnesses offered at once, that my aunt and uncle were flabbergasted. Yet, eventually, all fears of feeling like they were in this great man’s debt washed away when they realized that saying no would be something that was neither kind nor prudent.

  Therefore, eventually, they agreed.

  After the dinner, we could not separate where the men went into the billiard room and we women sought refuge in a parlor because there were no other women of the household who were present. As such, to leave the three of us women to sit in a room and debate about things while they went off and smoked cigars seemed pointless. Therefore, Darcy offered to have us sit together in the parlor and if anyone wished to have games, then they need only ask.

  Colonel
Fitzwilliam offered to play a game of backgammon with Jane, who accepted, while admitting to never being good at the game to begin with.

  Mr. Darcy took his place near me by the fire, and our aunt and uncle were so good as to find a desire to stare out of the window, amazed by the prospect and view.

  “You really meant that invitation?” I asked, rhetorically.

  “Yes, I did,” he whispered in return, “and you really were happy with it?”

  “Of course, I was,” I answered, feeling a bit shy. “I love that you want us to stay with you. And I would like to meet your sister. I confess to being a little nervous about it, but I shall find my courage again when we meet her. Thank you for this all. I was hoping that Jane would stay in London, after all.”

  “And so was I. I have a hidden scheme on my hands.”

  “You are not about to fall in love with my sister, are you?” I asked, direct.

  “Not at all,” he remarked, surprised by the suggestion. “Not at all.”

  “Good. Then continue.”

  “Well, at Sir Aleck’s ball, Mr. Bingley is coming.”

  I raised my eyebrows and smiled.

  “He is?”

  “Yes.”

  “This was precisely what I would have hoped for! That was what I had wished to talk to you about before. When I came to London, I was hoping that you would be amenable to the idea of me convincing you to help me reunite them. If Mr. Bingley is no longer in love with her, then so be it. But I chose to believe in hope.”

  “And I chose to believe that you were right. I had interfered when it was not my place.”

  “You were acting in the service of a friend,” I allowed, “and that is the one explanation that makes your actions noble. I am proud of you, actually.”

  I turned to look at him.

  “You are?”

  “Yes,” I stressed. “Once, you would have never explained yourself to me, and if you had not, then we would have never been able to communicate with each other again. What you did took courage. I respect that.”

  Next, I arched my brow and decided to tease him. “However, if you and I ever end up as enemies again, both on opposite sides of a conflict, I will still hold my ground and fight for my domain, good sir. You have been warned.”

  “And I get the feeling that you and I will be doing this forever,” he responded, his eyes dancing.

  “Fight on two different sides of things and then only come together to parley? I could think of nothing more fun. For we each are of a contrary disposition. Sometimes we need a good disagreement to help us remember that we are still alive. I suppose that it makes our moments of peace more cherished on both our parts. For those peaceful moments are not to last.”

  “I do not know, for we have been nothing but harmonious since seeing each other here in London.”

  “Does the city make us more agreeable to each other? Because it would be nice to know if our peace depends on location and settings.”

  “I hope it does not. I would think that you and I can get on charmingly in the country.”

  “Imagine if we had first met by the seaside. Now, I wonder what would have happened then.”

  “Miss Elizabeth?”

  “Yes.”

  “I am glad that you like the idea of staying in Grosvenor Street.”

  I felt a glow inside.

  “I am glad that you read my expression and pursued the matter.”

  And there it was. Another moment of peace.

  Our dinner party had come to an end, our carriage was called for, and both cousins stood on the front steps as we got into the carriage. Yet, we had assistance.

  While our uncle helped our aunt inside, Mr. Darcy took my hand and helped me within. Yet, Colonel Fitzwilliam had offered Jane his hand into the carriage and smiled at her.

  Our carriage took off, with Jane and me looking through the glass at both men as we drove away.

  Chapter 7

  The Shocking Turn

  Darcy was so overjoyed, yet he displayed it in the usual manner through which he displayed many emotions: he was slow in his movements, and his happiness only showed through his eyes.

  When the Cheapside company had fully disappeared down the road, both cousins entered the townhouse and briefly looked at each other.

  “Fancy a game of billiards and a spot of scotch?” Darcy asked his cousin.

  “I was worried that you would not ask.”

  Both men entered the billiards room, filled their glasses, and began to play a set.

  “Would I swell your head up too much if I were to compliment you on a total triumph of the evening?” Richard asked.

  “I need the compliment,” Darcy responded. “So, I did well?”

  “You did charmingly. You were kind, generous, obliging, and Miss Elizabeth Bennet clearly likes you very much. No, it is not something of your imagination. She is taken with you.”

  “And it is not just her being generous and feeling obliging for the favors that I am bestowing favors which pour out of my mouth even before I can control it.”

  Richard threw back his head and laughed. “She sought out your good opinion and tried to get you to convince her guardians to press your request of having them remain here. No, her feelings toward you have nothing to do with feelings of obligation. She is partial to you. Cherish it. Be a fool in love. It is the only time that one has an excuse to be a fool.”

  “You were a great help to me, Richard. A great help.”

  Richard shot a ball into the corner hole. “It was nothing hard to achieve on my part. I had a splendid time and how could I even feel myself put upon when the company was so charming? I enjoyed myself, Darcy, immensely. And I am proud of you. Their uncle deals in trade, the Bennets are not wealthy, and yet you offer them every sort of attention. This is very good of you indeed. It was well done, sir. Very well done.”

  “Yes.”

  “Yet, I was surprised by you asking her sister to stay with her here. What sparked the desire for Miss Bennet to remain? Or was that you doing everything in your power to be pleasing?”

  “No, that was to make amends to Miss Bennet. I had done her a great wrong recently, and I still need to make matters right.”

  Richard rested on his pool cue. “You did her a great wrong?”

  “Do you recall when I sadly boasted of saving Mr. Bingley from a most imprudent marriage?”

  “Yes. The one where I had accidentally gotten you in trouble for telling Miss Elizabeth, yes. And…” Richard trailed off when he began to make the connections. “Wait, was the lady Miss Bennet?”

  “Yes. I had convinced Bingley not to choose Miss Jane Bennet, despite his love for her. And while doing this, I was being a terrible hypocrite, for I had been feeling for her younger sister the entire time. It was cruel of me. I know that now. Yet now I have begun the proper sort of rehabilitation and I am making amends for my actions. By having Jane Bennet remain here, I can arrange for her and Mr. Bingley to see each other again. When they do, it shall be happiness found on both sides, I am certain.”

  When his cousin made no reply to this, Darcy was surprised.

  “Did you hear me?” Darcy asked.

  “Yes, I had heard you,” Richard replied, his usual cheeriness quite deflated. Darcy heard the loss of life in his voice, and he was worried about it. Turning to his cousin, Darcy looked him over. They both had known each other for their entire lives. Ergo, he could read his cousin’s expression easily. Yet, he wanted to believe that he was incorrect.

  “Richard?”

  “You had not told me that she was the woman that you had separated from Mr. Bingley.”

  “I had never even officially told you that it was Mr. Bingley who I had rendered the service to. You simply deduced that for yourself.”

  “Either way, I wish that you had been entirely open with me about Miss Bennet’s history with Mr. Bingley.”

  “Why?” Darcy asked, uneasily. “What would it have mattered?”

  “Well, if
I had known that Charles had cared for her, then I would never have considered her in any other way but the affections of another man.”

  Darcy stopped playing, went over to the table, poured himself another drink and chugged it down in one gulp.

  “And why does it matter that I did not mention it before?” Darcy asked again.

  “Because it would have kept me from falling in love with her, Darcy.”

  When Richard had uttered those words, Darcy closed his eyes. He had guessed at this earlier. However, he had chosen to tell himself that it was merely Richard being charming. After all, they had just met, and Miss Bennet was a beautiful woman. Richard liked to flirt with beautiful women, but usually that was as far as it had gone. But this? Truly, this!

  “Falling in love with her?” Darcy repeated.

  Richard nodded. “Yes, Darcy.”

  “Falling in love with her? But, Richard, you only just met her. How could you even use the word ‘love’, for a woman who you only just met?”

  “I know, it sounds foolish.”

  “Forgive me, but it sounds more than foolish. Cousin, you are a learned and intelligent man. A man cannot call something love when he has met the object of his desires for one evening. ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a play, but not a guideline for how we ought to live our lives. Therefore, is there not the chance that you simply feel an attraction to her? I can comprehend your getting on charmingly there, but no more than that. You perhaps are just undergoing an infatuation.”

  “Yes, I can very well see your point. Yet, I have never felt anything like this before: this sudden yearning, this sudden intoxication. And she seems to be so very perfect. From this evening, she has shown me that she is kind, warm-hearted, has a generous nature, and gentleness. She also is clearly a woman who cares about family, for she was loyal to Lizzy then. And she cares for this other sister, this Kitty.”

  “I am surprised at you,” Darcy observed. “For, while she is lovely, I always thought you to be the sort of man that preferred a woman who had more spark in her. More life. More vitality.”