by Nancy Kelley
A very good match for her, he observed, but not one Elizabeth would have chosen for herself. Just what would you consider a good match, Elizabeth?
That was far too bold a question for Darcy to ask, so he settled for commenting on the marriage. "It must be very agreeable to her to be settled within such an easy distance of her own family and friends."
Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head quickly. "An easy distance, do you call it? It is nearly fifty miles."
He frowned a little. If she considered fifty miles long distance, what would the miles between Hertfordshire and Derbyshire seem? "And what is fifty miles of good road? Little more than half a day's journey. Yes, I call it a very easy distance."
"I should never have considered the distance as one of the advantages of the match. I should never have said Mrs. Collins was settled near her family."
Her answer upset him a little, until he realized that in it, he had found a way to divulge his attentions. "It is proof of your own attachment to Hertfordshire. Anything beyond the very neighborhood of Longbourn, I will suppose, would appear far." He smiled, in hopes she would see the question his words held: Would you be willing to leave your friends and neighbors for Derbyshire?
She pursed her lips, and he held his breath as he waited for her to understand his intent. The frown cleared a moment later, and her cheeks pinkened with a soft blush. That alone sent Darcy's heart racing, and her next words took his breath away.
"I do not mean to say that a woman may not be settled too near her family. The far and the near must be relative, and depend on many varying circumstances. Where there is fortune to make the expense of traveling unimportant, distance becomes no evil. But that is not the case here. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have a comfortable income, but not such a one as will allow of frequent journeys--and I am persuaded that my friend would not call herself near her family under less than half the present distance."
He drew closer to her; nothing could keep him away now. "You cannot have a right to such a very strong local attachment. You cannot always have been at Longbourn."
Until he saw the expression of surprise on her face, he did not realize how close he had gotten to her. Embarrassment overrode his desire to be as near her as possible, and he withdrew to the distance propriety demanded. He sought frantically for a topic that would ease the tension he could now feel, and finally settled on, "Are you pleased with Kent?"
It was a logical segue from the conversation on traveling, and he congratulated himself for that.
"Oh! Yes. I had never before been to the Downs. Is it always this lovely in spring?"
This at least was a comfortable topic for Darcy, and they managed a few minutes of light conversation before Mrs. Collins and Maria arrived home from the village. "Mr. Darcy!" Mrs. Collins said. "I did not expect you to call today, sir. I do apologize for being away."
"Pray, do not trouble yourself, ma'am. I had not planned it myself, but found myself in the neighborhood. Now, however, I must return to my aunt." He rose from his chair and bowed, and took his leave.
Chapter Twenty
"I do not mean to say a woman may not be settled too near her family..."
The memory of Elizabeth's words added a spring to Darcy's step that not even tea with his aunt could remove. When she maneuvered him into the place beside Anne, he smiled and remembered how lovely Elizabeth had looked that morning; when she inquired about his plans to return to Pemberley, he imagined what it would be like to take Elizabeth there for the first time.
At that thought, his smile dimmed a little. He could not ask her to Pemberley without a formal engagement between them; he could not leave Kent yet.
"What is it, Darcy? What are you thinking of?"
"Would it trouble you, Aunt, if we stayed at Rosings a while longer? I know we came with the intention of staying only two weeks, but would you be very much annoyed if we stayed through till Saturday, rather than leaving on Monday as we had intended?"
On the other side of Lady Catherine, Richard froze, his teacup halfway to his lips. Darcy knew he would have much to answer for. But once I make an offer for Elizabeth, all will become clear.
Darcy focused his attention on his aunt, whose smile of feline delight raised a faint alarm. It was never a good thing when Lady Catherine looked so pleased with herself. "Of course you may stay, Darcy," she said. "Anne would not hear of you leaving when you wish to stay, would you, Anne?"
Darcy did not hear his cousin's dutiful agreement, so complete was his frustration. Richard smirked at him; both men knew he was caught. Convinced as she now was that he intended to finally pay his addresses to Anne, it would not be easy to escape Lady Catherine's clutches. But I will manage somehow, he promised himself.
They had no company that evening, and Darcy doubted the Hunsford party would be invited to join him again. Intent on forcing a proposal from Darcy before he left, Lady Catherine would not wish to divert any of his attention from Anne.
Darcy rose early the next morning, and instead of joining Richard for breakfast, he dressed and walked outside. The sun had just barely begun to burn off the predawn mist when he reached the grove's edge, and he pulled his coat closer against the morning chill. He rounded the bend that led to the copse, and his heart stopped. Elizabeth stood by the water, bathed in pale golden sunlight. In the distance he heard the call of a lark, and he knew he would always picture her like this, his herald of the morn.
He took another step toward her, and she turned around. "Mr. Darcy! I did not know you were such an early riser, sir."
They met on the path, and Darcy turned back with her in the direction of the house. "You will discover that early morning is the only time one is truly free when at Rosings." She had trusted him with her impressions of her cousin and his marriage; he could offer this veiled insight into his aunt.
"I see. Lady Catherine does like to arrange players to her own wishes, does she not?"
Darcy looked over at her, a wide smile on his face. "Indeed she does. When next you are in Kent, your stay will give you ample opportunity to become intimately acquainted with her ladyship's ability to manipulate the lives of those around her."
Her cheeks tinged with a faint pink that he felt sure was not merely a reflection of the sunrise. Darcy mentally reviewed his words and realized he had as good as said he expected her to stay at Rosings when next he was in Kent. His own color rose to match hers, but he held her gaze. Let her see my intent, he thought. It will not be long before I openly declare myself.
They reached the open part of the park all too soon, and Darcy watched Elizabeth continue on down to the Parsonage. His presence there and absence from Rosings would raise questions on both ends which he did not wish to answer.
Richard met him in the main hall before the breakfast room. "I see you have been out already," he said, indicating Darcy damp boots. "What draws you from bed so early?"
Darcy waited to answer until they were seated with their coffee. "I wished for some time to myself. It seems these hours are the only ones Lady Catherine has not filled with endless activities of taking tea or calling on the local gentry."
Richard pointed at him with his knife. "You have only yourself to blame for that. Whatever gave you the idea of extending our stay?"
Darcy took a sip of coffee and considered his answer. Confident though he was of Elizabeth's acceptance, he did not wish to give his rival any more information than necessary. "I am considering some changes to the home farm at Pemberley and I wish to discuss them with Edgeley," he said, naming a prominent gentleman farmer in the neighborhood.
"And this will take an additional five days?" Richard pressed.
Darcy shrugged. "As we will by that time have stayed one day longer, what does it matter if we stay out the week complete?"
Richard laughed. "Oh, it makes no difference to me, Cousin--after all, I am not the one being courted with all the subtlety of a battle-ax."
Darcy grimaced. "I admit, I did not take that into consideration before
I spoke. However, once I made the suggestion, she would not allow me to shorten our stay."
"Oh no; in fact, I believe she will entice you to stay till Sunday to have the banns read."
"Hold your tongue, Richard!" Darcy glanced over his shoulder, almost afraid he would see Lady Catherine standing there, triumphant smile in place. "If our aunt heard such things, you know it would be almost impossible to extricate myself."
Richard for once looked truly penitent. "I am sorry, William. I spoke without thinking. How do you plan to spend your day?"
"I believe I shall oblige our aunt today, so she will not fuss when I call on Edgeley tomorrow. And you?"
"Oh, I plan to call on the Parsonage this afternoon," Richard said casually. "As you know, I have scarcely met with a lady as uniformly charming as Miss Elizabeth."
Darcy gritted his teeth. "She is pretty, yes."
"Pretty?" Richard snorted. "Lord, William, have you lost your sight? She is entirely lovely and quite clever as well. When she gave you that set down regarding your behavior at the dance--'because I would not take the trouble of practicing'--I could scarcely keep my countenance."
The remembered rebuke stung more at its repetition than it had when she had first uttered it, but Darcy maintained control over his temper. "So you say," he replied blandly. "Well, if you will excuse me, Richard, I will need to change before attending to our aunt."
He left the room before Richard could respond, still vexed with his cousin's clear recollection of Elizabeth's words. It was not long, however, before the more recent memory of their morning meeting overcame his mortification, and he wore a smile when he answered Lady Catherine's summons to join her in the salon.
True to form, Lady Catherine continued, by means of various impertinent questions, to keep him with her for the whole of the afternoon. Darcy resolved to call on Edgeley the next day, and it was not until he recalled that Richard had visited the Parsonage that he felt any true consternation with the arrangement.
However, it was not only that day his aunt monopolized his time. By Thursday, Darcy wondered if he would have any time to himself before they left Kent. He had sat with her two afternoons and visited the members of the parish on the third, and he still had not spoken with Edgeley.
"And how was your afternoon, William?" Richard inquired a few evenings later. "I noticed you and our aunt had not finished your morning calls when I returned from Hunsford."
Darcy poured their after-dinner port and handed Richard his glass. "Yes, I fear her attentions are more assiduous than I had anticipated. I have barely been allowed to leave her side--or rather Anne's--since I suggested we might stay in Kent a few extra days."
Richard chuckled. "I told Edgeley you mean to call."
"Thank you, Richard. You see now why I believed that would require more than a day. With the exception of that first morning, I have not had a single moment to myself."
"You are far too agreeable, William."
Darcy knit his brows together--agreeable was one thing he had never been accused of. "I beg your pardon?"
Richard chuckled again at his baffled tone of voice. "You allow Aunt Catherine to control your life in a way you would not tolerate from anyone else. Do you not think my presence is required at these tea parties and afternoon calls?" He shrugged. "I simply tell her I have business of my own."
"Richard, you devil." Darcy stared at the rich plum-colored wine of his glass, then sighed. "But I am afraid that will not do for me. You forget that I am about to disoblige her in the worst possible way. It would be better for all involved, not the least..." He barely caught himself before naming Elizabeth. "...my future bride, if she is not already--"
"Most seriously displeased," the cousins chorused, a grin on their faces as they repeated their aunt's oft-used phrase.
"So you have a bride in mind then?" Richard questioned.
Darcy nearly choked on his port. "Why do you ask that?"
Richard bent his head to light his cigar, but Darcy thought he saw the familiar gleam of wicked humor. "You said you were about to disoblige our aunt. I assumed from that you had a woman in mind."
Darcy remembered suddenly that it was Richard's job to notice details others might overlook. "I am not yet engaged, if that is what you are asking," he said, after pausing for an instant too long.
"It was not," Richard replied cheerfully, "but we can leave it at that for tonight. Come, I am sure Aunt Catherine is requiring our presence."
Darcy followed him out of the room, filled with the sudden certainty that Richard knew a great deal more than he let on. That belief was solidified the next afternoon, when they called together at Hunsford Parsonage.
The ladies greeted them in the parlor, and a few minutes later the hurried steps in the hall announced the arrival of Mr. Collins. Darcy cast a sidelong glance at Elizabeth, who seemed as amused by the man's pompous behavior as he was. It was some minutes before the parson finally drew breath, and when he did, Richard stepped in to fill the gap.
Darcy leaned back in his chair, all his confidence suddenly gone. He could hold his own against his cousin in many things, but conversation was not one of them. However, as the call went on, Darcy suspected that Richard purposely chose topics he knew Darcy could not speak on.
"You will have to forgive my cousin," he told Mrs. Collins at one point. "He is not usually so inarticulate." Darcy protested, but Richard just laughed. "Did you not promise Miss Elizabeth you would practice, Cousin?" he gibed.
Darcy wished very much to speak with Elizabeth; the difficulty was, he could not say any of the things he wished to when they were in company. He looked over at her and suddenly he knew exactly what he could say to direct the teasing away from himself.
He sighed and glanced between Elizabeth and Richard. "You considered it ill-fortune to have met someone here who could expose all your faults--imagine my bad luck then to always have my cousin with me."
She and Richard both laughed, and it was only a few minutes later when the clock struck three o'clock, and he realized they had been there for nearly an hour. Both gentlemen rose from their seats and made their farewells.
"You surprised me, William," Richard said when they reached the road. "I did not think you capable of laughing at yourself so easily."
Darcy glanced sideways at him. "Perhaps that is because when I am with you, I have no need to laugh at myself. You do quite a good enough job of it for both of us."
It was not truly a joke, but Richard laughed anyway and slapped him on the shoulder. "Well, better to laugh at yourself than to sit there with that stupid look on your face."
When they arrived back at Rosings, they found their aunt in an ill humor. Anne was feeling poorly, and Darcy had not been available to show his care of her, as he ought. He inquired of the physician who tended her and learned his cousin suffered a feverish headache. Likely brought on by exerting herself for me, he thought, with no very charitable feelings toward his aunt.
Darcy doted on his cousin--when they were younger, they had been quite close. But Anne had fallen ill when she was only eight and had never fully recovered. He would have liked to care for her as he did for Georgiana, but his aunt's ridiculous assumption regarding their future made that impossible. It was partly this sense of responsibility and remembered fondness that kept him from denouncing her plans, as Richard believed he ought.
On Saturday, Darcy and Richard sat with their cousin and took turns reading to her or simply keeping her company. It was not much, and Darcy chafed at his inability to do more.
The next day, their party was one short at church. Mr. Collins fawned over his aunt and pretended concern for Anne in a way that sickened Darcy. However, before he could cut him down with one of his famous scathing remarks, Elizabeth met his gaze and said, "I do hope Miss Anne does not suffer long."
Her simple sincerity brought the first smile to his lips in a full twenty-four hours. "I will pass along your good wishes, Miss Elizabeth."
Of course, with Anne ill
, they did not entertain that evening, and the company grew rather tiresome. Lady Catherine was more petulant than usual, and Richard escaped early with the ruse of a letter to write. She turned to Darcy after he left and said, "I suppose you are going to say you must write to Georgiana--well, I shall not keep you."
Darcy bowed over her hand and barely kept himself from running out of the room. A few minutes later he heard a quiet tap on his door and Richard walked in. "Managed to escape did you? Good, I am glad. You looked like you were about to lose that famous Darcy temper."
Darcy took a deep breath and shoved his hands into his hair. "I cannot stay with her tomorrow," he confessed. "Will you make my excuses? Tell her I have to visit Edgeley--I still have not spoken with him, and tomorrow is as good a day as any."