Coincidence

by Jann Rowland

  “Such demands are onerous indeed,” replied Elizabeth. “But they must be borne. Have you attended any events in Derbyshire, Miss Darcy?”

  The girl turned white at the mere suggestion. “I have not. I am quite content to wait until my own coming out to do so.” She paused, and when she spoke again, it was in a voice which was little more than a whisper. “I would not wish to come out at all, to own the truth. It is ever so daunting a prospect!”

  “Yet it is one that you will undertake with poise and grace,” said Mrs. Annesley, directing a significant look at her charge.

  “It can be intimidating, Miss Darcy,” said Mrs. Gardiner. “It might help to remember that the other young ladies, and even the young men, are just as uncertain as you are. Anything that is new and unknown to us will always cause anxiety.”

  “It is best to face the unknown with fortitude,” added Elizabeth. “When I visited your aunt in Kent, I imagined a lady who moved with the best of society and would see every flaw I possessed. But when I came to know her, I realized that she is naught but a lady—a high born lady, to be sure, but in essentials, she is still just a person.”

  “My aunt is absolutely terrifying,” owned Miss Darcy, though she stifled a giggle when she confessed her fear.

  “Only if you allow her to dominate you,” replied Elizabeth. “In fact, I found that her snarl was much more frightening than her sharp tongue.”

  “You will excuse me if I take your word for it, Miss Elizabeth,” said Georgiana, and they all laughed.

  They continued to speak in this amicable fashion for the rest of their time together in the sitting-room, and by the time they rose for the promised tour, they had agreed to address each other using their first names. By this time, Elizabeth had decided that she would not think on Mr. Wickham’s words concerning Miss Darcy, though she had several times wondered at them. Perhaps the man was not the expert concerning the Darcy family which he had always represented himself to be. What Elizabeth did not consider—in fact, when the thought occurred to her, she shunted it to the back of her mind with all haste—was that if he was mistaken about Miss Darcy, could he be trusted when it came to Mr. Darcy?

  The rest of the house was much as they had seen upon entering. They were taken through several rooms, including Georgiana’s personal sitting-room and bedchamber, which were decorated in lovely pastel colors Elizabeth was not surprise to learn she favored, through several more rooms on the first floor, including one which held one of the largest pianofortes Elizabeth had ever before seen.

  “It is a lovely instrument,” said Georgiana, trailing her fingers across the keys in a way which showed her to be a true music enthusiast. “We have a good instrument at Pemberley too. But William has promised me that he will replace that instrument this summer, as it has become difficult to keep in tune. Still, it is an old family heirloom, so I suspect he shall simply have it moved to one of the family rooms.”

  “That is a marvelous gift,” said Elizabeth.

  “He is so good to me,” said the girl, her voice falling to the quiet tones with which Elizabeth was by now quite familiar. “Sometimes I do not know if I deserve it.”

  “I cannot imagine you do not,” said Jane, favoring the girl with a beautiful smile. “And even if you do not, it is sometimes the prerogative of those who love us to treat us as if we did anyway.”

  A grateful look came over Miss Darcy’s face, and she smiled shyly at Jane. “Thank you, Miss Bennet. Sometimes . . . sometimes I feel I must be reminded that love has no bounds.”

  “It is for those around us to remind us,” replied Elizabeth. “And we must remind them in our turn.”

  Seemingly free of whatever distress had suddenly come over her, Miss Darcy led them out the door and toward another further down the hall. Before she opened the door, she paused and turned back. “This is my brother’s favorite room in the house, though it is nothing to what you would see at Pemberley.”

  Then she threw opened the door and led the way into the room. And Elizabeth gasped with pleasure.

  It was a library, and what a library it was! The room was light and airy, with several immense windows upon the far wall letting in the brilliant light of the sun. It was also spacious, more than three or four times the size of her father’s study, Elizabeth thought, and there were large bookshelves lining the walls, upon which sat an absolute embarrassment of riches. Elizabeth was certain that should her father find his way into this room, he would not be easily removed.

  “This is nothing to what you have at Pemberley?” asked an awed Elizabeth.

  “Indeed, it is not, Miss Bennet,” said a new voice, “for that library is the work of many generations.”

  Startled, Elizabeth turned to the sound of the voice, to see Mr. Darcy standing near one of the bookshelves with a book in his hand. In her awe of the room, Elizabeth had failed to note his presence.

  “Mrs. Gardiner,” said Darcy, closing his book and bowing. “Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, welcome to my home. I trust Georgiana has been treating you well?”

  Giggling, Georgiana exclaimed: “Of course I have been, William! We have been having a lovely time touring the house. I thought you were to be absent due to a meeting with your solicitor.”

  “It was cancelled due to another matter arose,” said Darcy, his answer ready on his tongue. “I decided to finish some work in my study, and came to the library to reference a book.”

  Holding the book up as evidence of his claim, Darcy smiled at his sister, though his attention was firmly upon Miss Elizabeth Bennet. For her part, Miss Elizabeth looked on him with surprise, but it was not long before that expression of suspicion with which he was becoming familiar overtook her countenance. Darcy almost cringed—it seemed like she was not misled by his obfuscation, though he did not think she would call him on it at present.

  “Have you already had tea, Georgiana?” asked Darcy, changing the subject. “If not, we could ask to have it served here.” He smiled at Miss Elizabeth. “I am certain you, at the very least, must love this room, though I am not certain how much your sister or aunt reads.”

  “I do read, Mr. Darcy,” said Miss Bennet, “though I do not tend toward some of the weighty subjects which Lizzy finds so intriguing.”

  “And we have already had our tea,” said Georgiana. “If I had known you were here, I would have had you summoned.”

  “It is of no matter,” said Darcy. It had been his preference to not be summoned anyway. At the moment, he was attempting to determine a way to ensure Miss Elizabeth stayed in his company a little longer, despite her current suspicions.

  “And you, Miss Elizabeth? I understand your tastes in literature are varied. Is there something in this room which you think would catch your fancy?”

  “I do not doubt there are many things, Mr. Darcy,” said Miss Elizabeth.

  She stepped forward and approached one of the shelves, her fingers trailing along the spines of the books with an ever so light caress. She read some of the titles as she looked, seeming to stop at several to look at them for a few moments. Though Darcy was eager to learn of her opinion of his taste in reading material—though he certainly could not claim to have been the one to have purchased everything in the room—he forced himself to wait patiently for her to speak.

  A little removed from where Miss Elizabeth stood looking at the bookshelves, Miss Bennet stood with Mrs. Gardiner and Georgiana, and their conversation, though quiet, was friendly, as he had hoped. It could only help his cause if Georgiana became an intimate with these ladies. When he glanced at them, however, he noticed several glances in his and Miss Elizabeth’s direction, and he wondered how much they suspected of his behavior.

  “This is a wonderful room, Mr. Darcy.”

  When Miss Elizabeth finally spoke, her words were soft, and they contained a depth of feeling Darcy could not quite decipher. That she was impressed was a given, but he was not certain of anything beyond that simple fact.

  “I thank you, Miss Elizabeth
. I was certain that you would approve.”

  “Must I remind you, Mr. Darcy?” asked Miss Elizabeth. “I am not a great reader, and I do take pleasure in many things.”

  Darcy laughed. “I remember that very well. But though I know you claim to not be a great reader, I do know that you appreciate the written word, as I have observed you many times with a book in your hands. And your choice of literature has been more serious than simple novels.”

  “Have you been looking at the titles of the books I read?” gasped Miss Elizabeth, though he was certain her reaction was entirely feigned and playful.

  “I could hardly miss it. Several times you put books down on tables while at Netherfield, and as they were, on occasion, quite close to where I was sitting, I could not help but note your preferences.”

  “Then I must take care in the future. I did not know you followed my doings so closely.”

  At that moment, Darcy’s cravat suddenly felt tight, and he was forced to refrain from pulling on his collar, though he thought it to be a near thing!

  “Noticing the title of a book cannot be compared with following your doings, Miss Elizabeth. I like to think that I am simply observant.”

  “I am certain you must be,” said Miss Elizabeth, though she said nothing further on the matter. Instead, she raised an eyebrow at him again. “Do you take credit for this entire collection, Mr. Darcy? With such a wealth of books at hand, I must think that you have almost bankrupted your estate, if these books were all your purchases.”

  Laughing again, Darcy shook his head. “I am certain you think no such thing, Miss Bennet. In fact, this library—and the larger one at Pemberley—is the work of many generations. I have, perhaps been as prolific about acquiring new material as any of my forbears, but I certainly cannot claim credit for it all.”

  “Then you are to be commended, sir, and in this opinion, I am certain my father would agree. I do not think you have ever been in my father’s bookroom, he collects new works as assiduously as you do, and his room, though much smaller than this, is still fairly bursting with the bounty he has managed to assemble.”

  “A man after my own heart,” said Darcy, nodding. “I should like to discuss it with him when I have the chance. It is interesting to compare opinions and debate positions. Your father impressed me as an intelligent man, and one who would have interesting views to share.”

  “And you think I am not able to debate, Mr. Darcy?”

  “Of course, you are, Miss Elizabeth,” said Darcy. “But I have heard some of your opinions, whereas I have rarely spoken to your father.”

  “Then perhaps we should redress that issue at some point,” said Miss Elizabeth, though in a quiet tone.

  They continued to speak for some moments, sharing anecdotes and stories of their experiences, particularly about the books they had read. Though they did not discuss in any detail or depth, Darcy very much wished to. Darcy suspected that a respect for her intelligence would be a requirement in a man to whom she would potentially consider as a husband. That Darcy possessed to a great degree.

  Unfortunately, it was soon time for the visitors to depart, and Darcy accompanied them when they were escorted back toward the entrance, walking beside Miss Elizabeth and following the other three ladies. Feeling like he could not allow Miss Elizabeth to depart before canvassing her opinion, he turned to speak with her.

  “I hope you enjoyed your visit, Miss Elizabeth. I hope the house met your approval.”

  “Of course,” replied she. “It is beyond my ability to understand how anyone would not approve, for you have a lovely home. And Georgiana is a dear, sweet girl.”

  “You now refer to each other by your first names?” asked Darcy, surprised their friendship had progressed to that point so quickly.

  But Miss Elizabeth seemed to take his surprise for disapproval, as she was quick to say: “We did agree on it, Mr. Darcy, though we have not known one another for long.”

  “I am happy to hear it,” replied Darcy quickly. “As I mentioned before, Georgiana has not had much opportunity to have friends close to her age, so I am happy that you have become friendly so quickly.”

  “I am happy to have made her acquaintance, Mr. Darcy. She is a wonderful girl, and I believe you should be proud of how you have raised her. She is a credit to you and your cousin.”

  “Thank you, Miss Elizabeth.”

  They did not speak any further, and soon Darcy had assisted the three ladies into their carriage. Georgiana chattered about how happy she was to have made the ladies’ acquaintance, but while Darcy inserted a word or two, his focus was almost wholly on the carriage disappearing down the street, and the dark-haired beauty whose touch was still scalding his skin.

  He longed for the time when she would not be required to leave.

  “Well, Lizzy, do you still deny the fact of Mr. Darcy’s interest in you?”

  Elizabeth, who had been staring out the window and thinking about the man they had just left behind, shook her head, though her exasperation was half-hearted at best.

  “I cannot deny it, Aunt. It seems to be nothing less than the truth.”

  “Is that my sister, Lizzy Bennet, confessing that she might have been wrong?”

  “I am not that opinionated, Jane!” cried Elizabeth, surprised her sister could think that of her.

  “No, Lizzy, you are not,” replied Jane, her sister fondly laying a hand on her arm. “But you must own that you often judge quickly, and it can be difficult to move your opinion once formed.”

  Elizabeth scowled, but she did not respond. Though she had often thought she knew her own character quite well, she was beginning to understand that there were things about herself that she had overlooked. It was possible that she had not wished to see them.

  “What do you intend to do about it?” asked Mrs. Gardiner.

  “At present, nothing,” replied Elizabeth. “It still may come to naught. It is a man’s duty to approach a woman. If Mr. Darcy does nothing, I will not be required to concern myself about the matter.”

  “Given what I have seen, I cannot imagine that Mr. Darcy will be content to let you go. It would behoove you to have some idea if you will accept him, even if he never proposes to you.”

  “I still do not appreciate his pride,” said Elizabeth, her tone a little sharper than she had intended.

  “Oh, Lizzy!” exclaimed Jane.

  “He did not display any pride today, Lizzy,” said Aunt Gardiner.

  “No, but he has displayed ample pride and conceit on other occasions.”

  “I have never seen it.”

  “And you have not been in company with him since our first meeting,” insisted Elizabeth. She was beginning to feel a little cross with the subject of Mr. Darcy, and she heartily wished that he would leave her alone! “Is a man not on his best behavior when trying to impress a woman? You are certain that he means to pay his addresses to me, and if he is, he would not wish to disparage my favorite relations in the process.”

  “No, he would not. But a man also cannot be other than that which he is, and I have seen no signs of Mr. Darcy’s disdain, either to myself or my husband.”

  “But even Jane must own that he acted as if he was above the company when he came to Hertfordshire,” said Elizabeth, turning to her sister. Though she tried not to influence Jane, she was well aware that a certain pleading expression had bled into her look, and that she fervently wished for Jane to agree.

  “He was not the most approachable,” said Jane slowly.

  “But that may be due to many factors,” said Aunt Gardiner. “He might be shy, he might have had weighty subjects on his mind; there are many things which might have influenced his behavior.”

  Elizabeth only huffed her exasperation. She understood Aunt Gardiner might be entirely correct, but she was still annoyed about it.

  “What of Mr. Wickham?”

  “Elizabeth Louise Bennet!” exclaimed Mrs. Gardiner. “You insist on bringing that man up, but I would remind yo
u that you have not ever heard Mr. Darcy’s accounting of the matter. It would be best to ignore it until you do.

  “And before you bring up Mr. Bingley,” Mrs. Gardiner turned an apologetic smile on Jane, “I must assert that Mr. Bingley must be at least partially responsible for what happened, if he is, indeed, in love with our Jane. No matter what others may say, the man is still that—a man, and from everything I have heard, Mr. Bingley possesses his own independence. He might have determined to return to Hertfordshire at any time he wished. If he was persuaded, it cannot speak well to his resolution.”

  “I know all this, Aunt,” replied Elizabeth, letting out a forceful breath of air. “But Mr. Darcy puzzles me exceedingly, and you know very well how much I enjoy being confused.”

  Mrs. Gardiner smiled and laid a hand on Elizabeth’s arm. “I know, Lizzy. But I urge you—take care that you do not irrationally drive Mr. Darcy away due to nothing more than unsubstantiated opinions and confused anger. We have already spoken of how you need to put these things aside and see him for what he is. I would not wish for you to miss out on the love of a good man due to your own prejudice.”

  “And what if he is exactly what we have been told?”

  “Then you may refuse him with impunity, as we all know you would not be happy with such a man anyway.”

  Signaling the end of the discussion, Mrs. Gardiner looked away, leaving Elizabeth to her own thoughts. Elizabeth thought that Jane might say something, but in the end, she kept her counsel. And for the rest of the journey back to Gracechurch Street, Elizabeth was left alone to the company of her thoughts. But clarity did not come.

  Chapter XIII

  By the time they were to return to Longbourn, Elizabeth’s frustration with Mr. Darcy was reaching unprecedented heights, and she heartily wished the man would just leave her alone. It was their acquaintance with Georgiana that allowed him the opportunity to be in attendance, which he did several times, most shamelessly, in Elizabeth’s opinion. While there was no longer any question of the reality of his attentions to her, Elizabeth could not decide whether she truly wished for them, and she wished for some time in solitude where she could gather her thoughts without worrying about rounding a corner and seeing him standing in front of her.