He nodded. “Of course.”
She stared up at him, making no move to leave his company and find her uncle. She was terrified, she realised, that she might leave him and then return to find her gone.
He blinked, not taking his eyes off her for a moment.
The silence grew between them. Soon it became uncomfortable. Finally, when she could not bear it any longer, she managed to force her feet into action. She turned and hurried away, resisting the urge to look behind her to satisfy herself that he was still there.
She found them a moment later to her great relief, for the inn was large and cavernous.
“There you are Lizzy!” her aunt cried. There was a mischievous look on Madeline Gardiner’s face that Lizzy had not seen for a very long time.
“Yes. I have just encountered Mr. Darcy. Do you recall we met him yesterday?” She said it more for her uncle’s benefit than her aunt’s, for it was obvious from Mrs. Gardiner’s wide smile that she knew exactly who her niece had just encountered.
“Is that so?” Edward Gardiner looked about as interested in Mr. Darcy as he was in his cooling porridge.
“Yes,” his wife said, practically bubbling with enthusiasm.
“Mr. Darcy apologises for not inviting us to stay with him on his estate yesterday. He had some matter or other to take care of there. He has invited us to stay there for the rest of our visit if it does not interfere with our plans.”
Elizabeth watched her uncle anxiously. She did not know why she wanted him to agree to the plan. After all, what could come of it now? But she was not thinking about that. All she could think was that she wished to spend as much time as she possibly could in Fitzwilliam Darcy’s company. That was the truth of it.
To her dismay, Mr. Gardiner frowned. “I thought we had agreed that we would go north today to make up time. We did not travel far at all yesterday. I know Madeline is very intent on seeing the highlands and we must be disciplined so that we do not run out of time.”
Elizabeth nodded, trying to keep her great disappointment from her face. “Of course. I shall tell Mr. Darcy and thank him for his kind offer.”
“Wait!” Mrs. Gardiner cried. “I have decided that I no longer care for the highlands. Shall we not take Mr. Darcy up on his offer?”
Her husband looked at her as if she had gone mad. “But you have spoken of them so often in the past. Only today, you said—”
“I know what I said! And I have changed my mind! It is not a crime to do that, is it?”
Edward Gardiner shook his head in dismay. “No it is not, though I must say it is rather unlike you.”
“Well then what do you think? Shall we see Mr. Darcy’s estate?”
He looked from his wife to his niece. “Why are you asking me, my dear? It seems that the decision has already been made. Very well. Perhaps there is good fishing there.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“I am afraid,” Darcy said when he met them outside the house. “That it is not at all as grand as my estate in Derbyshire.”
Elizabeth allowed him to help her down from the carriage. She frowned in surprise. “Nonsense. It is magnificent! It is wild and wonderful. Those trees must be hundreds of years old.”
He nodded. “They are very old indeed. It has been a long time since I have been here and the place has rather gone to seed, though my steward is a very capable man. It is my own fault for not spending more time planning the place. There is only so much he can do.”
“But you must not change a thing about the place!” Lizzy cried, before becoming embarrassed at her outburst. “Unless you wish to, of course.”
He was wrong-footed by this. He had not expected her to declare her liking for the place so passionately. “Well I did not say so exactly… I… Come. Once you have been shown to your rooms and settled in, I would very much like to show you around.”
“How is the fishing, Darcy?” Mr. Gardiner asked after his wife had been helped down.
“Splendid.” Darcy entered into a lively discussion with the other man about the trout, but never once did his eyes leave Elizabeth’s face.
They all promised to meet downstairs again. Miss Darcy had already entered the house before their arrival. They had exchanged a few pleasantries before they departed from the inn, but Elizabeth was left feeling that she would very much like to become better acquainted with the young lady. She hurried upstairs and changed her clothes as quickly as she could. It took a great effort on her part to make herself wait for the others. She very much looked forward to their walk.
***
It seemed Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner did not share her enthusiasm. No sooner had Lizzy reached the bottom of the stairs than her aunt emerged at the top, smiling apologetically.
“I am afraid we shall not be able to join you,” she said, though to Elizabeth’s mind she did not look at all regretful. “Edward is exhausted and I have offered to remain here with him.”
Darcy nodded curtly. “As you wish. We shall have plenty of time to view the lake tomorrow.” He turned to Lizzy. “I see no reason why we should not take in the grounds. Do you?”
She nodded. “Yes, that would be lovely. Is your sister joining us?”
He shook his head. “No, she is not. Unfortunately Georgiana is still rather poorly. She did not mention it to you at the inn, but she has lately been recovering from an illness. That is why I brought her here, you see. I am told the moss at the lake has curative powers.”
“The poor girl. In that case, we must gather some on our walk.”
They left the house and walked down the steps. To Elizabeth, it seemed as if no time at all had passed since the last time they walked together. Her cheeks coloured as she recalled what they had discussed that day. She glanced up at Darcy and wondered if he was remembering the same thing. She was surprised to find he was watching her intently.
“It is a beautiful day,” she said, looking away quickly and no doubt flushing even redder.
Was there no end to her platitudes? Mr. Darcy must think her frightfully boring. She tried to think of something interesting to say but she could not. She was too agitated by his proximity after so much time apart.
They walked on in silence, moving from the manicured lawns close to the house into thick woods before long. The trees were densely packed together to the extent that it was difficult to tell whether it was night or day.
Elizabeth closed her eyes. It had been quiet at the house but now it felt as if the silence was so total it was almost unnatural. She smiled. How peaceful it was! She felt sure she could stay standing in that spot for months at a time if it meant she could cling on to the feeling of peace that had risen up inside her.
She opened her eyes and her sense of calm evaporated. Darcy was watching her. He looked very agitated indeed.
CHAPTER TWENTY
It was no use at all. Darcy’s resolve had all but evaporated. There was such serenity on her beautiful face that he could not stop himself from uttering the words he had uttered many times before in his dreams.
Her eyes widened in shock as she heard what he had to say. He looked away.
“I apologise, Miss Elizabeth.”
“Whatever for? You have no reason to apologise.”
“But I have. I promised you that I would never again mention my feelings for you. And now I have done just that.”
She sighed. He glanced at her and saw the consternation on her face.
“You are too kind. I have embarrassed you. That much is plain to see. Please forgive me.”
He turned back towards the house, certain that she would wish to return there to the sanctuary of her relations and his sister. To his surprise, she did not budge.
“Mr. Darcy.”
“No. You must not… Let us forget this ever happened.”
She sighed. “You misunderstand me. I am so very flattered that you would think so highly of me. I am… I simply…”
He looked down at her, alarmed. “Please, Miss Elizabeth.” The thought that h
e was the cause of her discomfort was almost too much for him to bear. “You must forget what I said. I insist.”
She glanced up at him, sadness etched all over her lovely face. “What if I do not wish to forget it? What if I would like to cherish this moment forever? You must believe me when I tell you that I shall never forget.”
He frowned. Her tender words were at odds with the look on her face. Perhaps it was the shock.
She spoke again before he could respond. “I cannot marry you, Mr. Darcy. It is not from any lack of love on my part. On the contrary…” she stopped and shook her head as it was taking a great effort to do so. “I am sorry, Mr. Darcy.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Darcy was aghast. “Why do you say you are sorry?”
Elizabeth stared up at him in alarm. She had never before seen him look so alarmed. She sighed. Though it pained her to even think of mentioning it, she knew she had no choice. She needed him to know that she very much wanted to marry him, but the circumstances of her life made it impossible. She knew she must tell him, even if he shunned her when he learnt the truth.
She shook her head wildly. How was it possible that he did not know? It was absurd! Unless Mr. Darcy had been quarantined for the past year, there was no way he could not have heard what had happened. It was, after all, the sort of tale that members of society took great glee in recounting while secretly thanking their good fortune that it was not their relation that had fallen for the rake’s charms.
“Have you been quarantined?”
“Quarantined?” Now he looked even more confused. “What for? Why would I have been quarantined?”
She sighed. There was no way to proceed except to say it outright. “Mr. Darcy, you may not be aware—and I cannot imagine how—but a rather grave scandal befell my family last year. It was a few months after we saw each other in Kent. You see, my sister Lydia is an impressionable girl and she was flattered by Mr. Wickham’s attentions. I pleaded with my father to stop her from travelling to Brighton, but no-one could have predicted what would happen there. After all, it is not as if she had a great fortune to her name.”
Darcy grunted. “Wickham’s avarice extends much further than many people think, I am afraid.”
She looked at him curiously. She had been watching him as she spoke, even though it pained her to have to see the moment he understood why she was now eminently unsuitable for him. But he had not reacted. Darcy was even more unreadable than she had previously thought.
She took a breath and went on. “Indeed. We have surely discovered that. In any case, I cannot marry you because you can imagine the shame and scandal such a marriage would bring to your good name. We found my sister after several months, but by then it was too late. The rumours had spread and the damage to her reputation was already done.”
He nodded. “I am afraid I only heard of it after your father had found her. By then there was nothing I could do to help.”
She nodded. “Yes, she was sent to…” She gasped and stared him. “You mean you knew the truth? You knew what had happened?”
He smiled wryly. “Of course, I did eventually. I do not pay attention to such idle gossip, but it reached a point where it was all anyone could discuss…” he shook his head and looked away.
“I do not understand.” She walked a few paces and steadied herself against a tree that was thicker than she was tall.
He followed close behind. “You must forgive me if I spoke too freely. It was my understanding that you were aware of how widely the story had spread.”
She spun around to face him, keeping one hand on the tree. She felt faint all of a sudden. “I was aware of it. Keenly aware, you might say. It is not… Oh, Mr. Darcy. Your plain speaking is not what has alarmed me. It is… How can you know of this and still ask me to marry you?”
His brows furrowed but there was light in his eyes. “Because I love you, Miss Elizabeth. Just as much as I did last April. Perhaps even more now that I have had the pleasure of reacquaintance with you.”
She shook her head, refusing to believe it. Darcy of all people knew the damage society’s disapproval could do to a person’s standing.
“But marrying me would be catastrophic! You must see that!”
“No,” he said quietly, closing the distance between them. “On the contrary, not marrying you would be catastrophic to me.”
“You would come to regret it.”
“I would not. My main regret is that I did not hear of your sister’s troubles in time to intervene. That is the truth of it. Marrying you? Ha! It is surely not something I would regret.” His smile vanished. “Is your sister’s situation the only thing preventing you from accepting my proposal?”
She stared up into his eyes, entranced. She had dreamt of this moment many times since Lydia’s disappearance. Never once had she entertained the possibility that it might be anything other than fantasy.
She could not deny it any longer. There was no trace of doubt or hesitation in his eyes.
“Yes, Mr. Darcy. Yes, it is. I can think of nothing I want more than to marry you, but I would never willingly bring your name into disrepute.”
“Then it is settled,” he said, his smile wider than she had ever seen it. “We will marry.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
When they returned to the house, they found Mr. Gardiner had made a miraculous recovery. The Gardiners were seated in the drawing room and looked alarmed to see Darcy and Lizzy.
“So soon? Has something happened?” Mrs. Gardiner cried, leaping from her chair. She stopped and frowned when she saw her niece’s face. “What is it, Lizzy?”
“Oh nothing bad, Aunt!” Lizzy glanced up at Darcy and tried to stop the tears that were threatening to flood from her eyes. She had never known such happiness. She squeezed her eyes closed and laughed at her own emotions. “Mr. Darcy has asked for my hand in marriage!”
Mrs. Gardiner’s shock was audible. Her husband was more circumspect, but even he rose to his feet and looked at each of the young people in turn.
Darcy cleared his throat. “I am aware of the unfortunate circumstances of last year. And I would like to say that it does not matter a jot to me.”
Mr. Gardiner’s eyebrows shot up even further. “Are you sure you have told him the whole tale, Lizzy?” This earned him a subtle elbow in the ribs from his wife, who looked furious at the indiscretion.
“Please, madam,” Darcy said. “You must not be angry. Your niece herself wanted to refuse me because of her family’s circumstances. I have let it be known to her that I am aware of everything that happened last year.”
“And it does not trouble you?”
He frowned. “It troubles me greatly that my dear Elizabeth’s sister appears to have vanished. It has caused no end of consternation for your family.”
Edward Gardiner shuffled from foot to foot. “We have tried everything. She is not to be found and I have exhausted my few connections in Ireland.”
“You misunderstand me, my good man. I am not seeking to lay blame. No,” he said, crossing the room and sitting opposite the Gardiners. “No, I simply meant that I know people there. Influential people. I hope you shall allow me to assist.”
The Gardiners looked at each other, astonished.
“First there is the matter of our marriage.”
Lizzy sat beside him and smiled up at him. “I have reached my majority. There is no need to seek permission from my father.”
“Not that I expect you will have any problem receiving it!” Mr. Gardiner cried. This time his wife did not rebuke him; she merely smiled.
“We will arrange for the banns to be read at the chapel in Meryton when we return.”
“Pemberley is closer.”
Mrs. Gardiner smiled. “You have quite a few weeks to decide.”
Darcy frowned. “That seems rather a long time.”
“Of course,” Elizabeth sighed. “The banns will need to be read no matter where we choose to marry. And that is after we have returne
d. It is not just weeks but more than a month at least.”
“A month or more? That is far too long.”
Mrs. Gardiner laughed, though she was the only one of them who appeared even slightly light-hearted. “I suppose you could write to your parish. Though it will not make much difference. The banns must be read on three Sundays. It is the law. It is to allow time for anyone to object to the marriage.”
“Why would anyone object to the marriage?”
Elizabeth smiled. “I imagine there are a good many people who might object to you marrying me.”
He stared at her, frowning.
“Your aunt, for example?” she offered, wondering how such an intelligent man could be so ignorant to the likely effect their marriage would have on his family. “Please, Darcy. I do not think you have considered this fully.”
“My aunt has no say in the matter. It is for me to decide. And I have. It seems rather futile to wait several weeks when I have known for more than a year that I wish to marry you. And we shall either have to hurry south immediately or postpone the wedding even longer.”
Mrs. Gardiner and her niece exchanged worried glances. Darcy noticed this.
“I am not reconsidering my proposal,” he said quickly. “In case that is what you have assumed.”
“What then?” Mrs. Gardiner asked. “I am afraid there is little you can do to escape the rules. Perhaps you might seek a special license to marry, but I have heard it is a rather onerous task.”
“No,” he said dismissively. “That in itself would require considerable time because I would need to travel to London. No, I have another idea. One that I think shall be agreeable to us all.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
After that, Darcy had called for his steward and the two men had disappeared to his study for more than an hour.
Elizabeth spent the time composing a letter to Jane to tell her what had happened. By the time she had finished, Georgiana Darcy had joined them in the drawing room. How the young lady had danced and sung when she heard the good news!
The Darcy Estate Page 6