“Yes. Finally. In years past, we would come with a party of five or six gentlemen, but Darcy has been off his game throughout the season. His friends finally tired of waiting for him to make the arrangements and went elsewhere, and I am sure there were those in the village and on the farms who were getting quite nervous that he had not been here because the birds are distributed to the families of the servants, his tenants, and the poor of the parish. Even with that, you will not hear a bad word spoken about him. When something important happens in the village or the neighboring farms, he wants to know of it, and if he can help, he will. His sister is of a similar mind. She just smiles more than her brother.”
Lizzy was glad that Mr. Darcy didn’t smile more often because, when he did, it made her go weak at the knees.
“Mr. Darcy would be very flattered if he heard you praising him so highly.”
“On the contrary,” he said. “Darcy is modest about his achievements and the good works he does. The only time he brags is when he talks about cricket. He was a superior batsman at Cambridge, and he likes to speak of the time that Cambridge beat Oxford in three successive matches. Other than that, he is not one to run on about his accomplishments, but then, still waters run deep.”
Upon reaching the house, Lizzy excused herself as she needed to see to her toilette. From the window of her apartment, she could see Colonel Fitzwilliam walking back to the stables. Lizzy had once heard Mr. Bingley describe Mr. Darcy as a big, tall fellow, but the colonel was taller and broader than his cousin and had blond hair and sky blue eyes. It seemed as if the Fitzwilliam family at large was made up entirely of good-looking people, and it would be no hardship to spend an evening in the company of that gentleman.
“What were you saying to Elizabeth?” Darcy asked Colonel Fitzwilliam.
“I introduced myself. I have heard so much about her that I did not wait for a formal introduction.”
“You introduced yourself? Where are your manners?”
“Oh for God’s sake, Darcy! She was not offended. You are in the country, where things may be less formal. Your rigidity is what got you into this predicament in the first place.”
Darcy had to acknowledge the truth of this. If he had not been such a stickler for protocol, he would never have gone back to Miss Montford after having met Elizabeth.
“Well, what do you think?”
“I think it is a fine day for shooting—not a dark cloud in sight. At what time will Mr. Littlejohn have everything ready?”
“Damn you, Fitzwilliam. You know what I am talking about.”
The colonel pointed to the path leading from the stables. “Let us walk,” and after they had put some distance between themselves and all the grooms hurrying about the yard, he continued. “I think she is lovely and engaging, and I formed that opinion only by walking with her as far as the house. Now that I have met her, I think we must revise our plan and not wait upon Antony. As soon as we return to London, you must visit Miss Montford and tell her that there will be no courtship. I am sure she will be relieved, and you must be strong enough for both of you and stand up to her father.”
“I have already decided to do just that. I must have been temporarily insane to think Antony could be of any use to me, and besides, this is something I must do myself.”
“When did you have this epiphany? You said nothing while we were in route to Pemberley.”
“When I saw Elizabeth. All the things that had been running through my mind helter-skelter came into alignment. This whole marriage business is not about Letitia. It is about Sir John and me. It is not for my personal qualities or rank that he wants me to marry his daughter, although I am sure my name and fortune were part of the equation. He is determined to have me renounce the heresy of my politics. He wants to be able to crow that Sir John Montford was able to show an ardent Whig supporter the error of his ways. Poor Letitia. She has been a pawn in a rather unpleasant game of chess. Torn between father and husband, she would have been perfectly miserable.
“Richard, what is today? Monday? Well, the Gardiners and Elizabeth are leaving on Wednesday, and I shall be right behind them on the road to London. I am going to call on Miss Montford, and I will reassure her that all the blame will fall on
me. And I will apologize profusely for misjudging… everything. In trying to do the right thing, I came very close to ruining her life. She would never have been happy with me, nor I with her.”
“Bravo! All I can say is go to it, and the quicker the better.”
“But what do I do in the meantime?”
Fitzwilliam started to kick the gravel, trying to think of how best to proceed. “Egad, what a mess! I suspect Miss Elizabeth knows that you have been courting someone in London, so if you flirt with her, you will appear to be a total cad. On the other hand, you cannot ignore her as she is a guest in your home. Even if we should spend the whole of the day in shooting or riding, we must eat supper together, and then there are the evening’s entertainments.
“I would suggest that you act as you usually do when you are in an uncomfortable situation: be reticent, unavailable, and closemouthed. Keep any conversation civil, but distant, and spend as much time as you can with the uncle,” which was all well and good, but they had neglected to tell Georgiana of their plans.
Shortly after Lizzy returned to her room, Ellie came in followed by two footmen carrying a copper tub, and after setting out everything necessary for the bath, she ordered the young men to carry a screen over to the window. Lizzy was still getting used to the idea of someone other than her sister or mother washing her hair and scrubbing her back, but Ellie executed the task without making her feel uncomfortable. If all of this pampering kept up, she would soon need the servants to spoon feed her her meals.
“What dress should I wear this evening, Ellie?”
“Well, I like the yellow one very much, and Miss Darcy has a rope of pearls that will go with it quite nicely. And with your pretty curls, you might think about wearing it down.”
Lizzy was pretty sure that was Mr. Darcy’s preference as well, and for that reason, she thought it unwise. Why should she do anything to attract his attention? In two days’ time, she would leave Pemberley, and he would return to London—again. And in the near future he might possibly come to visit Mr. Bingley at Netherfield, and then go back to London—again. And the highs and lows she was experiencing as a result of his coming and going were beginning to wear on her.
“I know Colonel Fitzwilliam is partial to ladies who have their hair down,” Ellie said, interrupting her thoughts, “and I wouldn’t mind if someone as handsome as the colonel paid me a bit of attention over supper or cards.”
And then Lizzy thought, why not? If the colonel liked women with their hair down, she would leave it down. What would be the harm in having that gentleman pay her a “bit of attention,” as Ellie put it? Anything beyond a friendship was not possible as he was destined to marry a woman of wealth and rank. But so was Mr. Darcy, and it did not stop him from flirting.
“All right then. I shall wear the yellow dress with Miss Darcy’s pearls.”
“And your hair, Miss?”
“I shall wear it down.”
“I wish you had said something earlier about playing cards,” Georgiana said to her brother. “I have already planned out the whole evening. Isn’t it the responsibility of the mistress of Pemberley to make all the social arrangements, that is, until you marry?”
That last bit made Darcy smile. His sister had a subtle way of moving him in the direction she wanted him to go.
“Yes, it is, but I absolutely refuse to play charades.”
“I would not ask you to as I know how you detest it. I can assure you it is an entirely musical evening.”
“Which reminds me. I have a bone to pick with you. Why did you tell Miss Elizabeth I play the pianoforte?”
“Because you do.”
“As you well know, I play at the most basic level and only because Mama insisted I should learn a
nd would stay in the room to make sure I practiced.”
“You are not being asked to play Mozart, so please unfurrow your brow. It will be fun. I promise.”
While Darcy was dressing, he was hoping Elizabeth would not wear her hair down because her long dark tresses would make him want to look into her eyes, and his efforts to be anything other than a good host would collapse. Because he did not want to send the wrong signal, he needed to be in complete control tonight. It was only a few more days before he would be able to go to London and sort things out, but his hopes were dashed as soon as she walked into the dining room. He had thought green her best color, but now he decided it was yellow.
While Ellie had been curling her hair, Lizzy was planning how best to act during supper. Of course, she would be civil to Mr. Darcy, but she would look at him only when necessary. Instead, she would concentrate on getting to know the colonel better. However, those plans failed immediately because tonight Mr. Darcy looked as handsome as she had ever seen him. She did not think it possible for him to be more attractive than when he wore his green coat, black waistcoat, and tan breeches, but tonight he had chosen a black coat with trousers, and there was an elegance in his appearance that caused her heart to skip a beat.
“I know your older sister is to marry Mr. Bingley,” the colonel said to Lizzy who was seated next to him at supper, “but do you have any other sisters?”
“Yes, I have three younger sisters, all at home, except my youngest sister, Lydia, who has gone to Brighton as a guest of the wife of the colonel of a militia regiment. However, that is about to change as I have just received a letter from my sister, Jane, saying that our father has sent for her.”
Aunt Gardiner nodded her head in approval at her brother-in-law’s action. In her opinion, Mr. Bennet should never have approved of the scheme in the first place because there was always the possibility of someone of such a tender age getting into trouble in a town filled to overflowing with young men.
“Longbourn must be a positive bevy of beauties if your sisters favor you,” the colonel said.
Lizzy blushed at the compliment, but considering that Colonel Fitzwilliam must have dined with some of the most beautiful women in society, she was quite flattered by his attention. This exchange did not go unnoticed by Darcy, who was trying to catch his cousin’s eye. Since he was prevented from showing any special attention to Elizabeth, he thought Richard should do the same. Instead, Colonel Fitzwilliam was openly flirting with the woman Darcy was in love with.
“Colonel, I know you have an older brother who is the Earl Fitzwilliam, but are there others?” Lizzy asked.
“Yes, I have two sisters, but just the one brother, and with a brother such as him, one is enough. I assume you read The Insider, Miss Bennet?”
“I must confess, with some embarrassment, that I do, but for those of us who live in the country and who go up to town only once or twice a year, we must have some entertainment.”
“I am pleased to hear my brother’s antics have some value, if only to entertain.”
“Not just your brother, as there are others for whom the printers must buy their ink by the barrel,” Lizzy said, thinking of the Prince of Wales and his brothers.
“Do you pity me then, Miss Bennet? As a younger son, I am destined to a life of self-denial and dependence while my brother has his every wish granted. As milord frequently says, ‘Richard got the looks and hair while I got everything else.’”
Lizzy laughed at his comment. She had read enough about Lord Fitzwilliam to know he had no interest in his own wife but could not stay away from anyone else’s, and that he played at high-stakes card games where he would lose a fortune one night and win it back the next.
“Truthfully, Colonel, when has a want of money ever prevented you from going wherever you chose or procuring anything you wanted?”
Darcy laughed to himself. He had warned his cousin that having a conversation with Elizabeth was quite different than anything he was used to because she always spoke honestly.
“There is truth in your question,” the colonel answered, “but our habits of expense make us too dependent. Unlike my cousin here, younger sons cannot marry where they wish.”
Georgiana, seeing that her brother did not like Richard’s last comment, interrupted by relating news from Longbourn that Lizzy had shared with her. “Elizabeth, please tell my brother about the Crenshaw children.”
“The Crenshaws? Those hellions?” Richard said in a surprisingly animated manner.
“Yes, one and the same,” Georgiana answered, “but I have good news. The beasts have been tamed.”
“I do not believe it,” Fitzwilliam and Darcy said in unison.
“They are beyond reformation,” Richard said. “If I were of a litigious bent, I would have sued their father for destruction of private property. They put some putrid plant in my new boots, making them perfectly useless. When Darcy and I got our hands on those twins, we took them up to the house by the scruffs of their necks to their mother, and do you know what she said? ‘They are infiltrators executing acts of sabotage behind enemy lines.’ And Darcy said to the two boys, ‘Do you know what happens to saboteurs when they are caught?’ but then the mother saved them by telling them to go to their rooms. She then assured me that her husband would pay for a new set of boots, but he must not have known where to send the cheque because I never got it. Bingley made good on it.”
“Richard, I am sorry. I did not intend to upset you,” Georgiana said in a soothing voice, “but it is true. The beasts roar no more.”
“And who accomplished this miracle?”
“Miss Jane Bennet.”
Darcy broke out into laughter. “Richard, now I am sure Georgie is joking. I know the lady, and an unkind word has never passed her lips.”
“I thank you, Mr. Darcy, for being so complimentary of my sister,” Lizzy interjected, “but I can assure you that Jane did succeed where the colonel and you could not, and she did so by the use of her reason.”
Darcy sat back in his chair and gave Lizzy a look that clearly showed he did not believe a word of it.
“We anticipated your skepticism, Mr. Darcy, and so I have brought Jane’s letter for you to read. How such a feat was accomplished begins halfway down the page.”
After reading all of the details of the singular afternoon at Longbourn, Darcy nodded his head in approval. It was true. Miss Bennet had succeeded where everyone else had failed. After putting down the letter, Darcy briefed his cousin on its contents and said, “Well, Fitzwilliam, we must give Miss Jane Bennet her due. She was very clever. I would have thought it would have been easier to raise Lazarus than to get those twins to behave.”
“Call me a doubting Thomas,” Richard grumbled, “but I would have to see them in action to believe it. Never mind. I never want to be in their company again.” Everyone laughed at the absurdity of such young children having so many adults tied up in knots.
“So, Mr. Darcy, will you concede that, in this case, brains succeeded where brawn had failed?”
“I readily concede that female ingenuity won the day, Miss Elizabeth, and I would not debate the point in any event as I have been on the losing end of every argument since I first met you.”
“If you truly believe that, Mr. Darcy, then your losing streak has come to an end because, in this case, I agree with you.”
“I will make a note of it in my journal.”
“Will, I think you are deliberately putting your fingers on the wrong keys,” Georgiana said in frustration. “We have played this duet numerous times.”
“But not for more than a year, and despite what you say, I am not doing it on purpose.”
“Georgie, do you have the music for ‘I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In’?” Richard asked in an attempt to stop the sparring. “Will knows how to play that tune, and I will accompany him.” Georgiana quickly went through her music chest and found the sheet music for the carol.
“Richard, that is an excellent sugge
stion,” Georgiana said, “as tomorrow is the first of December and St. Nicholas’s Day is but six days off. It is the perfect tune for the season,” and Georgie left her brother so that he might perform.
“I am warning you, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and Miss Elizabeth, that I play badly,” Darcy said, and looking at his sister for a reprieve, which she refused to grant, he told her, “Put Pepper out of the room or he will start barking.”
“Don’t worry, Darcy. I intend to sing very loudly to cover your poor performance,” his cousin teased him.
After Darcy had finished, he asked Mrs. Gardiner what she thought.
“The colonel has a fine baritone.”
“You cannot avoid the question, Mrs. Gardiner. What did you think of my playing?”
“Sir, I will tell you what I tell my children: Practice, practice, and more practice will get you the desired results.”
“Gently put, Mrs. Gardiner,” Darcy said with a smile.
Aunt Gardiner turned to her niece. “Elizabeth, dear, will you sing, ‘I Liked But Never Loved Before’?”
“Oh, no, not that maudlin ballad,” Mr. Gardiner groaned. “Please forgive my wife. She has an insatiable appetite for songs about lost love and other tragedies that will have everyone in tears.”
“I am only asking for the one ballad, Mr. Gardiner.”
“Very well, Aunt, if you will accompany me,” Lizzy said, agreeing to her request. Lizzy had a pleasing alto voice and, like her aunt, had a weakness for romantic ballads, and no sheet music was needed as they knew the song by heart.
“I liked but never loved before
I saw thy charming face;
Now every feature I adore,
And dote on every grace.
He never shall know the kind desire,
Which his cold look denies,
Unless my heart that’s all on fire
Should sparkle through my eyes.
Then if no gentle glance return
A silent leave to speak
My heart which would forever burn
A Wife for Mr. Darcy Page 13