Chance Encounters

by Linda Wells

  “She did, but I was hoping for a more personal response from you, given your awareness of my courtship with Mr. Darcy. I would have appreciated your support.”

  “You are certainly aware that my approval for this courtship was given reluctantly.”

  “I am aware of it, and I have yet to understand the reasons behind your disapproval. Mr. Darcy is the best of men. He is kind, intelligent, generous, and respectful. He is everything a gentleman should be, and my esteem and regard for him continues to grow.”

  “I do not agree with you, Lizzy. I have allowed this little adventure of yours to continue, but I know that in time he will move on to a more suitable candidate for his wife.”

  His insult was as painful as a slap would have been. How could he think so poorly of his own daughter? She glared, “If I am so unsuitable, why would he introduce me to his family?”

  “It is a rich man’s game. They can do whatever they wish to achieve their ends.”

  “What exactly are you implying, Papa?” Her offense at his words was making it difficult for her to continue the conversation.

  “As I have stated before, I think that he wishes to take advantage of you. Fortunately, you are now home and safe from his machinations. I will keep you well protected, and he will quickly grow tired of the difficulties and return to his women in London. His attempt at seducing a country girl will be over, and he will laugh about it with his friends.”

  “Well protected? Safe from him? You know nothing of this man and that is your own fault!” Elizabeth stared at him in disbelief. “If Mr. Darcy had wished to take advantage of me, he had plenty of opportunity over the course of our courtship, and always treated me with respect. How can you say such lies with a straight face?”

  “You are old enough, Lizzy, to know the true ways of men.”

  Unable to stand any more, she rose from her seat. “Yes, Papa, I certainly have recently learned the ways of some men, and they disappoint me completely.” She walked out of the room. It had taken every bit of her self-restraint not to throw Alex’s existence in his face. It was only her respect for her brother that kept her from hurling that truth at her father.

  Mr. Bennet watched her go. “She will thank me for this someday.” He said to the empty room, but even to his own ears the words sounded ridiculous. His desire to keep Lizzy close to home was warring with his growing guilt and disgust with his own behaviour. He saw the hypocrisy of supporting Jane and denying Elizabeth. By now he was fully aware of just what a great man of consequence Darcy was. He knew his honourable character. He knew that he was infinitely more important and wealthy than Mr. Bingley, and he was in no doubt of Lizzy’s affection for him. Her astonishing defiant attitude made that perfectly clear. He was completely cognizant that she would, now that she was of age, exercise her own desire and marry Darcy with or without his consent. His eyes closed. If he chose to take it, there was one last chance to be redeemed in her eyes. He was sure that eventually Darcy would come to ask for his consent. The question remained, could he put his pride aside, admit he was wrong, and receive the man as he should have months ago, or would he let his selfish desires and disappointment over his life drive Lizzy away forever? He did not know.

  ELIZABETH WAS FURIOUS both with her father and herself, and stormed out the front door and into the garden. What was she thinking, coming back home? She should have remained in London and married, then simply sent a note to Longbourn proclaiming the news. Now she was here and would have to suffer through whatever her father’s plans were to protect her. And, because of her, William would have to come to dinner and pretend that all was well, and then face her father in the morning!

  “What a fool I am!” She declared as she paced through the trees. “I hoped that the man I thought my father was would welcome us back; instead I found nothing but disappointment. Our relationship has changed forever.” She mourned the man she once proudly called Father.

  She continued her walk and could not help but feel resentment towards Jane and Mr. Bingley. Why were they permitted happiness in marriage, and she and William were not? Dinner that night should have been a celebration for both couples; instead it would be an uncomfortable trial to be endured. And Jane, she would continue as ever, seeing the world in rosy hues, and not admit that anything could possibly be wrong. Elizabeth’s frustration grew.

  When she returned to the house, her mother pulled her into the empty drawing room. “Lizzy! Tell me of Mr. Darcy! Am I correct in what I saw? Are you attached to him?” She eagerly grasped Elizabeth’s hands.

  Ordinarily Elizabeth would prefer to keep such information to herself, but her mother’s knowing of her attachment would make things harder for her father. Smiling, she squeezed her mother’s hands. “Yes, Mama, Mr. Darcy asked Papa for permission for us to court almost two months ago. We are very close to an understanding.”

  “Oh Lord Bless me! Could I have two daughters married?” Mrs. Bennet exclaimed. “Tell me of him, Lizzy! Where does he live?”

  Hoping that William would understand and bear the effusions that he would receive upon his arrival, she braced herself and said with a smile, “Mr. Darcy has a large estate in Derbyshire, and owns a townhouse in London. He has a younger sister who is not yet out, and his parents have both passed, so he is Master of both homes.” Seeing her mother’s eyes widen, she hurriedly added, “He is very kind and gentlemanly, and I hold him in great esteem.”

  Mrs. Bennet asked the inevitable question. “Do you know his income, Lizzy?” Elizabeth felt herself cringing a little. “It is rumoured at ten thousand a year, but that is not why I . . .” Her attempt to temper the news of Darcy’s income with the statement of her affections was interrupted by her mother’s screech. “Ten thousand a year!! Oh my, oh my, I shall faint dead away! Where are my salts? Is it true? Oh Lizzy, can it be true?”

  “Yes Mama, but Mr. Darcy does not like people talking about such things in front of him.” Then with a flash of brilliance, she added, “It may drive him away if you do, so please, do not talk about these things in his presence.”

  “Oh no! I would not think of it! I could not live with myself if I drove him away! Oh Lizzy! I knew that if you went to town you would find someone suitable! Mr. Collins is nothing to this! Just wait until I tell Lady Lucas!”

  Elizabeth heard the danger. “Please Mama, until everything is settled, you must not tell anyone. When the time is right, I will let you know, and then you can inform the neighbourhood.”

  Mrs. Bennet did not like that at all and glared at Elizabeth for spoiling her plans. Then, thinking of her remaining daughters, she asked. “Tell me about Mr. Carrington. Is he married?”

  Kicking herself for not thinking of this sooner, Elizabeth hurriedly replied, “No, Mama, he is not married, but he is close to an attachment to a lady in town. He will not welcome any suggestion of a friendship with my sisters, so it is best not to offend him by promoting it.”

  Her disappointment was unhidden. “Oh, what a shame, such a handsome man, he reminds me of your father when we were courting.” Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “But I would not wish to offend any friend of Mr. Darcy’s, so I will not suggest anything. He is certainly welcome to visit with us tonight.” She ended, sniffing.

  Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you Mama, I am sure that Mr. Darcy will appreciate you welcoming his friend.” She had not considered Alex’s resemblance to her father as a young man and its impression on her mother. She hoped that her mother would not mention it again. Now that she knew he was not a candidate to marry one of her daughters, Elizabeth knew that she would not pay him any more attention than absolutely necessary.

  The gentlemen returned for dinner, and Elizabeth made a point of meeting the carriage. She drew Alex and Darcy aside before entering the house. “Alex, you should know, my mother was asking me about your marital status,” Alex rolled his eyes, “I informed her that you were close to an attachment to a lady in London and would not welcome any suggestions from her regarding my si
sters. I apologize for the deceit, but under the circumstances. . .”

  He smiled at her. “No, I appreciate it; you have saved all of us a great deal of misery. I thank you. Perhaps I can ask Bingley to mention the news to his sister. I made the mistake of answering her questions about my father’s estate.” Then noticing Darcy’s fixed stare at Elizabeth, he said, “I think that I will go ahead inside and talk to my other sisters.” He left, grinning.

  Immediately Darcy took Elizabeth’s hand and led her to the garden, away from view, and held her tightly. “I can see the pain in your face, Elizabeth, please tell me what has happened. I did not wish to leave you, and I can see that my misgivings were correct.” Elizabeth told him of her conversation with her father, and Darcy’s mouth set in a grim line. She confessed to him her regret in wishing to come to Longbourn at all, and berated herself for ever believing in her father. Darcy kissed her, “Elizabeth, you were right to come here, as painful as it is proving to be. You would have never forgiven yourself for not making the attempt to come to terms with him. None of us know the reasons behind his behaviour, but we will get through dinner tonight. He surely will not behave badly in front of his family and guests, and tomorrow, I will speak to him. After that it is up to him what part he will play in our future. You and I will have done all that we can.” He embraced her, lending his strength.

  Listening to his heart she asked quietly, “Am I worth this, William? Would you be happier with some woman who does not bring with her all of this trouble?”

  “You are worth the world to me, Lizzy. I cannot imagine spending my life without you by my side.” He captured her lips and they shared a reassuring kiss.

  “I suppose that we must go in.” She said softly as they drew apart, and smiled at his resigned nod. “I did gain one huge ally for you today.”

  “And who might that be? I appreciate anyone who welcomes me.”

  “You may live to regret those words. I told Mama that we are courting. I told her of Pemberley and the house in town, and,” She paused dramatically, “I told her that you have ten thousand a year!” Darcy groaned. “But take heart, sir, I also told her that you are much offended when anyone speaks of these things in front of you, and she agreed that we must not chase you away before our engagement is secured!” She laughed gleefully.

  Darcy grinned. “That was a very well executed plan, my dear! I thank you for it!” He kissed her nose and hugged her to him. “I love you, dearest, loveliest, Elizabeth!”

  They turned and entered the house, and were immediately called to dinner. Mrs. Bennet arranged the seating so that the two couples were together, and Alex found himself seated to the left of Mr. Bennet. The elder man stared pensively down the table to Elizabeth and Darcy. The two were obviously in love. The glances, the slight touches, the small smiles, and soft laughter made the situation clear, and it was painful for him to see. He was roused from his musings by the young man beside him.

  “Mr. Bennet, could you tell me about your estate? From what I have observed, it is of a fair size.”

  “No, it is not terribly large, enough to provide for our family and tenants, but little else.” He refocused his mind on the confusing man.

  “If you use the latest farming techniques, you would increase your yield substantially. It has proven to be true with my father’s estate.”

  “I do not like change.”

  That is obvious by your objection to Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage. Wishing to learn more of his own history, he asked, “Has your family held Longbourn long? My own father’s estate had an entailment on it, which was broken with my coming.”

  Startled and unhappy to be reminded of his lack of an heir, he said shortly, “Yes, Longbourn has been in the Bennet family for generations. Unfortunately, it will be no more after my demise. A distant cousin will inherit.”

  “I am sorry to hear that, sir.”

  “As am I.” His attention returned to Darcy and Elizabeth, talking with Charles and Jane. Mr. Bennet sighed and turned to Alex. “Have you known Mr. Darcy long Mr. Carrington?”

  “Yes, sir. I was a year behind him at Cambridge.” He paused looking at him, “He is a very good man.”

  “So I have heard.”

  Alex regarded him. “You are not losing a daughter, sir. You are gaining a son.”

  Mr. Bennet sighed again and said, almost to himself, “I have always wanted a son.”

  Alex opened his mouth as if to say something, then shook his head and looked away. Mr. Bennet did not notice that he never spoke again.

  The rest of the evening went as Elizabeth expected. Her father, not wishing to pretend civility with Darcy any more than necessary did not encourage the separation of the sexes after the meal. Instead, he bid the group a good evening and retired to his library. After their initial interest in Alex, their mother’s whispered news that he was unavailable encouraged Lydia and Kitty to ignore the men completely for the rest of the evening, and instead they entertained themselves in their usual exuberant fashion. Mary, who cared little for any man, retired to another room, and the sound of the pianoforte could be heard in the distance. Mrs. Bennet fawned over Bingley, and paid even greater attention to Darcy’s needs and wants. Alex was, as Elizabeth expected, only tolerated. Darcy and Alex observed with astonishment the behaviour of the younger sisters and Mrs. Bennet, and regularly caught Elizabeth blushing in embarrassment, sent her small smiles of encouragement and understanding.

  Darcy could not help but wonder what his opinion of her might have been had they met the previous autumn with her family present. He hoped that he would have seen her for the treasure she was and been able to separate her from their behaviour. He smiled to himself, yes, Elizabeth’s beauty and charm would have outshined them all, and he would have undoubtedly approached her immediately, just as he had done at the theatre.

  WITH GREAT RELUCTANCE, Darcy left Elizabeth at Longbourn. Her father reappeared upon hearing the gentleman ready to depart and gave them no opportunity to kiss goodnight. The gentlemen boarded the carriage and returned to Netherfield where they were immediately welcomed by Caroline, who insisted that they join her and the Hursts in the music room. She was unhappy that Darcy stayed in his suite after arriving in the afternoon, and had managed to avoid her completely before leaving for dinner. She did have the opportunity to enjoy Alex’s company, and was pleased to learn about him being the only child of a man with an estate of six thousand a year. It was not Pemberley, but it had possibilities. Darcy was in no mood to bear Caroline, and suggested that Bingley announce his engagement to his family. Charles, not realizing what unhappiness he was about to unleash, joyfully agreed.

  “Caroline, Louisa, Hurst, I have an announcement to make!” Charles stood and beamed at his family.

  “Well, for heaven’s sake, what is it, Charles?” Louisa cried. “You look as if you are about to burst!”

  “I am, I am!” He laughed. “I have been given the great honour of Jane Bennet’s acceptance of my hand, and today, her father gave me his consent! I am to be married!”

  His two sisters stared. Gilbert Hurst rose unsteadily to his feet and walked over to him, hand extended. “Congratulations, Bingley. She is a damn fine looking girl.” He glanced with amusement at his wife and sister, and settled himself down to watch the fireworks.

  Darcy and Alex exchanged glances and congratulated Bingley with enthusiasm. Bingley’s smile was huge, and he accepted his friends’ words with joy. Finally, he turned to his silent sisters. “Well, Caroline, Louisa, what do you say?”

  “What do we say?” Caroline screeched. “Are you out of your mind? Have you met this woman’s family? They are our inferiors! Our father did not work to amass his fortune for you to waste it on this country nobody! How can you consider such a thing? Could you not simply fall out of love with her like you do all of the rest and find someone suitable?”

  Bingley, shocked and hurt, turned to Louisa. “Do you feel the same way?”

  “Charles, I have met her twice
, and she seems nice enough, but you know that you were to marry a woman with a fortune to improve the family name and add to its value.”

  “I was to marry a gentleman’s daughter and purchase an estate.” Charles said defensively.

  “That is exactly what you are doing, Charles.” Darcy stepped in. “Miss Bennet is a gentleman’s daughter, and as much as your sisters dislike the fact, she is several steps above themselves in social consequence by her birth. She may not have a large dowry, but in terms of connections, they have nothing of which to complain. When you purchase an estate, you will have fulfilled the rest of your father’s desires for your generation. It will be up to your children to continue the advancement.”

  Bingley looked at him gratefully. “Thank you, Darcy. I could not have stated it clearer. Besides, I would marry Jane Bennet regardless of her status. I know that she is the perfect woman to have by my side.”

  “She is a wonderful woman, Bingley, you are a fortunate man.” Alex slapped his back

  “Mr. Darcy, surely you cannot support this! You would never lower yourself to such a woman!” Caroline ran to his side and clutched his arm.

  Darcy quickly detached her hand from his sleeve. “I am a gentleman, if I were to marry one of the Misses Bennet, I would be marrying a gentleman’s daughter, she would be my equal. I would only be lowering myself if I were to marry someone like you.” Caroline gasped. It was harsh but he had tolerated her behaviour for too many years. He addressed Bingley, “Of course, if I were in love with the lady, her status would be meaningless. Like your brother, I share his desire to marry for affection. He is simply fortunate to fall in love with exactly the woman who his father charged him to find. Well done, Bingley!”

  “Thank you!” Bingley’s confidence was renewed by his friend’s support. Then looking to Caroline he said, “We have not as yet set a wedding date, Caroline, but when we do, we would be happy to have your involvement in the celebration plans. Tomorrow we will speak of your living arrangements after the wedding, so that you will have time to prepare your own home.” Charles had been thinking long about this. He was tired of Caroline overspending her allowance, and ordering his life. His marriage would be the perfect time to make the break from his sister. If she did not marry, she would have to establish her own household in any case, and there certainly were no suitors knocking on her door.