Courting Elizabeth: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Renata McMann

  Mary spent a great deal of time in the library as well, trying to improve herself, though she also played with Georgiana. Georgiana, who had been exposed to the benefit of excellent tutors for most of her life, quietly gave Mary advice. To everyone’s relief, this resulted in a conspicuous improvement in Mary’s playing. Noting it, Elizabeth began to join them as well. She knew her playing, too, could do with improving.

  Lydia and Kitty spent much of their days about the grounds in the company of Lord Henry. Miss Bingley made valiant attempts to join them. They never dissuaded her, but it was readily apparent she didn’t enjoy the activities they selected. She soon became peevish, snapping at even Jane.

  Jane and Richard were permitted to be alone with each other often, a luxury not yet afforded Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth disliked being jealous of her older sister, but couldn’t help it. In spite of their distraction, both of her parents somehow managed to see her better chaperoned than they’d ever done before, while Jane had every happiness. Elizabeth’s jealousy was a small thing, though, and didn’t dampen her joy for Jane the first week the banns were read.

  Later that day, the gentlemen busy, Elizabeth, Jane and Georgiana went for a stroll. They’d invited Miss Bingley, to be kind, but she’d informed them she had better occupations for herself than spending time in the company of Bennet women. Mary had elected to read instead, and the married women and Lady Agatha to extend tea. Kitty and Lydia were nowhere to be found. Feeling their duty to the others well executed, the three, fast friends by now, made their way to a particularly lovely glade, where green-tinted sunlight slipped through the leaves of ancient elms to dapple the ground.

  Reaching the glade, Georgiana threw her arms out, turning in a slow circle, her face lifted toward the treetops. She let out a long, happy sounding sigh. “It’s a perfect afternoon, don’t you feel?”

  “You seem to be in more than fine spirits today,” Elizabeth observed with a smile.

  “I am. I’m happy the first week of waiting for the wedding is through, making it that much sooner that Jane will be my cousin, and my brother told me this morning that Mr. Wickham left England. Somehow that makes me feel lighter inside. I was always afraid I would see him one day, and I was afraid he would tell people . . .” She trailed off, dropping her gaze from the leaves above to the ground.

  “About the fact that you briefly agreed to elope with a man who was trusted by your father, but then you thought better of it?” Jane’s tone was gentle.

  Georgiana’s head popped up. “You know?” She looked from Jane to Elizabeth. “Both of you?”

  “I do, but I’ve told no one,” Elizabeth said, turning a questioning look on her sister.

  “Richard told me, and said you already knew, Elizabeth.” Jane smiled at Georgiana. “You did make a mistake, but you corrected it before any harm was done.”

  “If people knew, they would look down on me.” Georgiana’s voice was small.

  “Jane and I know, and we don’t look down on you,” Elizabeth said.

  “But I was wrong to agree to the elopement,” Georgiana said. “How can I expect my brother to respect me after that?”

  “Yes, you were wrong, but it’s understandable and excusable.” It was Elizabeth’s turn to be embarrassed. “I once thought Mr. Wickham was an honorable man and your brother wasn’t,” she admitted. “Your brother has forgiven me for that. I doubt he was ever angry with you.”

  “He should have been, and disappointed as well,” Georgiana said.

  “I believe he was too livid with Mr. Wickham for there to be room in his heart for anything but relief toward you.”

  Georgiana’s face looked glum. “That makes it worse. The blame wasn’t entirely on Mr. Wickham. I should share it.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “Don’t you trust your brother?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then you may trust his judgment in this. If he feels the blame belongs on Mr. Wickham, it does.”

  Georgiana’s face became thoughtful. After a time, she shrugged. “I do trust my brother, and I realize I should trust his judgment about what happened. I just think he should have been angry with me.”

  “He didn’t need to be,” Elizabeth said. “You were sufficiently angry with yourself.”

  Georgiana sighed, then her face brightened. “Elizabeth, thank you for not telling anyone my secret, and you for not speaking of me behind my back, Jane.”

  “I would never have told,” Elizabeth assured her. “I came to know it through . . . convoluted circumstance, but it was clearly not my secret to pass around. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “Did you even know me when you found out? I know it must have been Fitzwilliam or Richard. They’re the only ones who know.”

  “I didn’t know you, but that didn’t matter. It would have been wrong to tell.” She gave Jane an apologetic look. “Even to Jane.”

  “Yes, Elizabeth is brilliant at keeping secrets, even from me.” Jane’s tone was amused, but Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, wondering at the statement.

  “Well, I am lucky to have two such friends in my life, one of them soon to be my cousin.” Georgiana turned a shy smile on Elizabeth. “And I can only hope the other will someday be my sister.”

  Elizabeth flushed, but she couldn’t keep from smiling. “I hope the same.”

  Georgiana opened her mouth to say more, but Jane held up her hand. Elizabeth turned to her sister questioningly. A moment later, she heard the rumble of male voices. They soon clarified themselves into those of Mr. Darcy and Richard. A smile bloomed on Jane’s face.

  “. . . sure they went this way?” Richard said.

  “There is a glade just up here which Georgiana prefers excessively,” Mr. Darcy replied. “I expect we shall find them there.”

  Elizabeth exchanged a smile with Georgiana. “I expect you shall indeed,” she called.

  Mr. Darcy and Richard came around a bend in the trail, marked by a large and ancient elm. Elizabeth looked on in envy as Jane hurried to Richard, taking his hands in hers. Mr. Darcy crossed to her and Georgiana, but all Elizabeth was allotted was a bow.

  “Mr. Darcy, Richard, how nice to see you,” Elizabeth said.

  Mr. Darcy looked at his sister. “Mrs. Annesley wished for me to remind you that you’re due for a lesson with your drawing master shortly.”

  Georgiana’s eyes went wide. “Is it so late?” She looked from Elizabeth to Jane. “I have to return. Please don’t let that spoil your walks.” She dropped a curtsy and hurried away.

  Mr. Darcy watched until she disappeared into the trees. He turned a smile on Elizabeth. “You and Georgiana seem to be getting along well.”

  “We are. So well, in fact, she let us in on her secret. I’m happy she did, because she still feels guilt and I welcome the opportunity to help her overcome it.”

  “Her secret?” Mr. Darcy asked, his smile disappearing.

  “Her near elopement. She found out today that Jane and I both knew, but I didn’t know Jane knew. I think it brought us closer in more ways than one. She was very happy to learn neither of us had shared that we knew her secret.”

  Mr. Darcy frowned. “Is that a reprimand to me?”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “No. You were right to tell me. I needed to learn the truth about Mr. Wickham, and it was your secret as well. You were a part of it.”

  He nodded. “For a moment, I feared she had another secret.” He still sounded worried, his eyes on the path his sister had disappeared down.

  “If she does, she’s not telling, but I doubt she does.” Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder at Jane and Richard, only to find them already meandering off down one of the paths leaving the glade. She turned back to Mr. Darcy with narrowed eyes. He and Richard had obviously planned to meet them and send Georgiana away. She wondered if it was even time for Georgiana’s drawing lesson.

  She turned back to find Mr. Darcy offering his arm. “Come. There is a spot on the grounds I should like to show you, one I’m sure
Georgiana has not.”

  Elizabeth took the proffered arm. The fabric of his sleeve was soft under her palm, for she hadn’t donned gloves to walk the grounds with Jane and Georgiana. “I believe, sir, you have connived to rid me of my chaperones.”

  “What if I have?” he asked, leading her in the opposite direction Richard and Jane had gone.

  “Then I applaud you.”

  “I’m looking forward to the day I don’t have to do any conniving to get you alone,” he said as they walked down a narrow path. “I’ve never had so many secret meetings as since I first proposed to you.”

  “Secret meetings? Oh, like Anne’s wedding?” Elizabeth asked.

  “I hadn’t counted that one, but the first was the one Anne arranged and brought you to. I was unhappy when I saw you, but looking back, I’m delighted she did it. Henry, Richard, Bingley, and I even had secret meetings in Netherfield Park. We had them so often, it became routine.”

  “Secret from Miss Bingley and the Hursts?” she asked.

  “Yes. Now all we need is privacy, not secrecy.”

  Elizabeth pressed nearer to Mr. Darcy on the narrow trail, rather than walking in file. She wasn’t sure it was a truly meant for humans. It looked more like one left by deer. Mr. Darcy was correct that Georgiana had never suggested that path. Elizabeth hadn’t even noticed it before, though it touched the edge of the glade.

  The narrow track turned, circling a stand of soft pines, but Mr. Darcy didn’t follow it. He stopped, pushing back the thick branches to reveal another glade, one encircled by dense conifers. A statue of Artemis stood in the middle, bathed in the lone beam of sunlight in the center of the clearing. She had her brows raised, the look she leveled across the space at once penetrating and thoughtful. The ground about her was thick with soft moss, mute testament to the solidity of the pines. Mr. Darcy ducked inside, pulling Elizabeth along with him.

  “She’s beautiful,” Elizabeth said, walking in a slow circle about the statue, admiring the perfection achieved in every drape of cloth. “This place is lovely, but why is she here, closed in, with only a deer trail leading to her?”

  Mr. Darcy was watching her walk. “She’s been forgotten. In my grandfather’s time, the trees were small. She stood above them. There was a trail of white stone. We have a painting of it in the green parlor.”

  “Yet, the trees obviously grew. No one thought to hinder them? How did you find her?” She’d come full circle now, and stopped before him.

  “I used the painting. Rather, the painting inspired me to hunt for her.” His gaze swept over the space before coming to rest once more on Elizabeth. “I don’t know why she was forgotten, but I used to come here, to think.”

  Elizabeth searched his face. There was so much warmth there. Yes, it was austere, his fine features only adding to the image of the aloof aristocrat. Yet, his eyes were full of emotion. She’d seen the color of them stormy or light, as the mood took him. His mouth, too, told the tale of his inner feelings. Its perfect lines could be pulled taut with anger, or turned down in annoyance. Right now, though, his eyes were bright and his lips appeared inviting, turned up slightly at the corners.

  “Thank you for bringing me here,” she murmured, reaching up to lightly trace his smile. “She’s extraordinary.”

  “You’re extraordinary.” He took her into his arms, and showed her just how expressive his lips could be.

  ***

  The moment Darcy and Elizabeth returned to Pemberley, a footman met him and informed him that Mr. and Mrs. Bingley awaited him in his study. Darcy frowned, sure that must mean trouble, but turned to Elizabeth with a smile. The happiness shining in her eyes was enough to drive away all worry for Bingley and Anne. Not caring that they stood in the hall, he brought one of her hands to his lips. “I shall see you at dinner.”

  “I should hope so. I also hope nothing is too amiss with Mr. and Mrs. Bingley.”

  Reluctantly, Darcy released her. He nodded his agreement and left to find out. From the silence behind him, he knew Elizabeth watched him go. Moments later, as he drew near his study, he could hear someone speaking.

  “. . . done to Miss Bingley?” Richard’s voice reached him through the open door. “Jane said she’s been particularly venomous today.”

  Darcy paused, wondering if he’d misheard his footman about who awaited him, or where.

  “I made her see I will not be marrying her,” Henry said. “I took Miss Lydia and Miss Kitty fishing. Miss Bingley attempted to participate, comically so. She was obviously revolted. Miss Kitty was as well, actually, but she tried to do it.”

  “Miss Bingley isn’t one to give up an earldom over baiting a hook and netting a few fish,” Richard said.

  Darcy grinned, picturing Miss Bingley trying to bait a hook while maintaining her all-important dignity.

  “While we were at the stream, I also expounded on what I’m looking for in a wife.” Henry’s voice was amused. “I told them I expect to have a wife who hunts, climbs mountains with me and rides, or at least attempts to learn those things. I said I want someone who prefers to spend their summers outdoors. I also said I’d had more fun in Hertfordshire and here in Pemberley than I could dream of having in London. After I made that little speech, Miss Bingley left in a huff.”

  “What did Miss Lydia say?”

  “She said she’d be happy to learn to do anything I enjoy doing.”

  Darcy could hear the delight in Henry’s voice. Someone guffawed, but he wasn’t sure which of his cousins it was.

  “She said what?” Richard’s words were garbled with laughter.

  “How, I ask you, is any man to pass up an offer like that?” Henry said.

  “Will you two grow up? Richard, send another footman to look for Darcy.” Anne’s tone was flat.

  Darcy started forward, feeling a bit guilty. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. He’d just been caught up in Henry’s story. Long strides carried him rapidly into the room.

  Richard, who was standing, sat back down, nodding in greeting. A glance showed he and Henry seated on either end of the long leather couch. Anne had taken one of the plush armchairs before Darcy’s desk, and both were turned to face into the room. Bingley sat in the other, several pages clutched in his hand and a scowl on his face. A man Darcy didn’t know was off to the side, on the sofa across from Henry and Richard.

  “There you are,” Anne said. “Where have you been? No one could locate you.”

  Darcy took in the hard look on her face and the anger on Bingley’s. He’d never seen either of them wear the expressions they wore now. “What’s wrong?”

  “Darcy, this is my attorney, Mr. Grey,” Bingley said, standing.

  Mr. Grey also stood, bowing. “Mr. Darcy.”

  “He came from Rosings,” Bingley continued, before Darcy could speak. “They kicked him out. Two footmen grabbed his arms and forced him out.”

  Darcy rocked back on his heels. “Did they say why they were ejecting you? Please, sit.”

  Mr. Grey looked to Bingley, who nodded, before reseating himself. Darcy walked past Bingley and Anne, taking his place behind his desk. Bingley turned Anne’s chair and his own, and everyone resettled.

  Mr. Grey cleared his throat. “It was on Lady Catherine’s orders, sir. She had, um, several areas of contention.” He lifted a case and took out some papers, shuffling through them. “Her first statement is that her daughter’s marriage is not legal.” Mr. Grey glanced up quickly. “That is nonsense, of course.” He looked back down at the papers. “Lady Catherine’s second is that, if the marriage is legal, then it was not authorized by her, which she claims means Mrs. Bingley cannot inherit. I’ve seen a copy of Sir Lewis de Bourgh’s will. That is also nonsense. Mrs. Bingley will gain full control of Rosings on her birthday.”

  Mr. Grey wiped his brow and shuffled through the papers again. “Lady Catherine also claims that even if the marriage didn’t violate the terms of the will by taking place, the will states that Mrs. Bingley is not permitted to reside
at Rosings if her husband has another residence. That is also not true. The existence of another residence has no bearing on Mrs. Bingley’s rights to Rosings.” More papers moved under his fidgeting fingers. “Lastly, Lady Catherine says her late husband’s will states that so long as Mrs. Bingley resides at Rosings, Lady Catherine must also be permitted to live there.” He looked up at them. “There is absolutely nothing in Sir Lewis’s will that says that.” He cleared his throat again. “As she informed me of these things, Lady Catherine didn’t refer to Mrs. Bingley as Mrs. Bingley, but as Miss de Bourgh.”

  Darcy looked between Anne and Bingley. “What will you do?”

  “What can we do?” Anne shook her head. “She’s being completely unreasonable. My birthday is in two days.” She raised her chin, her jaw set. “I think we must evict her.”

  Darcy held her gaze for a moment, trying to ascertain if she meant it enough to go through with it. If they began to remove Lady Catherine from Rosings but then relented, there would be no living with her. Seeing the resolve in his cousin’s eyes, he turned to Mr. Grey. “Does Mr. Bingley have a legal right to evict Lady Catherine?”

  “Yes, beginning two days from now, he does. Only, he’d better bring someone who can handle her footmen.”

  They all looked about the room at each other. Darcy took in the grim expressions, knowing one was mirrored on his face. If they did this thing, their aunt would never forgive them. Her anger would be unfathomable. With relief, though, a small part of him noted it wouldn’t be aimed at Elizabeth any longer.

  “Are you up to evicting her?” Henry asked Bingley, breaking the silence.

  Bingley looked at Anne. “Are you certain that is what you want?”

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Then I am up to it,” Bingley said.

  Darcy reached into his desk and pulled out several clean sheets of paper. “Anne, I think you’ll need to make a list of the servants you wish to keep. With your permission, I’ll write and have Lady Catherine’s new residence made ready.”