Elizabeth winced, wishing her mother wouldn’t say such vulgar things.
“I assure you, Mrs. Bennet, I have not come to interfere in Miss Bennet’s and Bingley’s plans.” Mr. Darcy’s tone was polite, which was more than Elizabeth felt.
“Mama, didn’t Jane write you that Mr. Darcy encouraged Mr. Bingley to visit her?” she said.
Mrs. Bennet sniffed. “She did, but I don’t credit it. It’s just her forgiving nature. When I took the news to the Phillips, we all agreed Mr. Darcy didn’t do any such thing.”
Elizabeth doubted that was true, at least of her uncle and Mary. “Mama,” Elizabeth said, her tone beseeching. Behind her mother, she could see Sir William, Lady Lucas, Charlotte, Maria and Susan all staring. Arthur had taken the distraction of the adults as opportunity to keep playing his game.
“I don’t see why you’re taking his side, Lizzy. Especially after the horrible thing he said about you at the assembly.”
Heat shot through Elizabeth’s face. She caught Mr. Darcy frowning at her and looked down, unable to meet his eyes. Why must her mother ruin the happiness of this day with her venom and foolishness?
Mrs. Bennet leaned toward Mr. Darcy. “Jane is marrying Mr. Bingley. You may as well leave, sir, for you will not succeed.”
“Now, Mrs. Bennet--” Sir William said.
Elizabeth’s mother whirled back around. “I demand you throw this man out of your home,” Mrs. Bennet said, cutting off Sir William. “If ever you were a friend to me and my daughters, you will cast him out.”
“Mrs. Bennet,” Lady Lucas’ tone was firm. “Mr. Darcy is not here for anything to do with Jane or Mr. Bingley. He is here . . .” She trailed off.
“I see.” Mrs. Bennet cried. “He’s here about the home your daughter robbed me of. Well, I don’t care. She may have it. Our worries are over. I will live with Jane and Mr. Bingley at Netherfield Park. My Lydia will return, for I’m sure Jane will want all of her sisters with her. Bingley will give money to Mr. Wickham so they needn’t sully themselves with menial tasks any longer and they will find a home in Meryton.”
“I wouldn’t assume any of those things will happen with the marriage,” Mr. Darcy said in a quiet voice. “Particularly pertaining to Mr. Wickham.”
“Who asked you?” Mrs. Bennet said, turning back to face him. “You’re the one responsible for Mr. Wickham’s poverty to begin with.”
“Mama,” Elizabeth cried, putting all the reprimand and warning she could into that word. She looked at Mr. Darcy, beseeching his forgiveness. She wondered if she should explain about Mr. Wickham’s accepting money to give up the living. Mr. Darcy gave a minute shake of his head. “Mama, stop this unbecoming nonsense this moment. I cannot believe you are standing here, insulting a man like Mr. Darcy. He’s told you he will not interfere with Jane and Mr. Bingley. You must take him at his word, for he is a gentleman.”
“I don’t see why you’re taking his side, Lizzy, but then you always did think you were better than the rest of us.” The scowl on her mother’s face pulled the lines of it downward into a parody of anger. “And you still do, living here in this fancy house with the very people who took our home away from us, leaving poor Kitty and me desolate, Jane banished, and my perfect darling Lydia forced to work for her bread. Work.” This last, Mrs. Bennet all but sobbed.
Elizabeth scanned the faces behind her mother. The Lucas family, even Arthur, stared with looks ranging from shock to pity. She didn’t know which was worse, truly. To see them still startled by her mother’s vitriol, even for all the years they’d known Mrs. Bennet, or to have them pity her for her mother’s terrible behavior. Mr. Darcy, for his part, had a face like stone.
“Have you nothing to say for yourself, Elizabeth?” Mrs. Bennet wailed. “Do you not care that you break your mother’s heart by being here with these people? Oh, you wish I had died. I can see it on your face. Me, and not your father.”
Elizabeth clenched her fists, eyeing her sobbing mother. “Sometimes, yes.” Turning on her heels, she stalked from the room, her mother’s wails following her out.
Not sure where she was going, Elizabeth marched down the hall and out the front door, ignoring the startled servants she passed. With long strides, she was quickly around Mr. Darcy’s carriage, cutting across the yard to set off up a steep hill. She needed the challenge of the incline to help clear her head.
She crested the small knoll, finding the wind blowing steadily there. Elizabeth wrapped her arms about herself, trying to settle breath made ragged more by anger than exertion. As she did, she shivered. The sun was sinking and the whirling wind taking on the chill of night.
Legs swishing through the tall grass caused her to look over her shoulder. Mr. Darcy approached, carrying her shawl. He came to stand beside her, offering it. Elizabeth accepted, unable to muster a smile, and wrapped it about her shoulders. They stood in silence for a long moment, eyes turned toward the setting sun.
“She is wrong on so many counts,” Elizabeth finally said. “Why did you not wish me to set her straight on Mr. Wickham, at least? The whole county should know he lied about you.”
Mr. Darcy shrugged. “There’s no point in saying anything. Mr. Wickham is now your brother and you should not reveal things to his detriment.”
“Even if they’re true?” And defaming you. She didn’t say it aloud, sure he didn’t care for his own reputation. At least, not among people who would so easily believe ill of him, as she had. She bit her lip.
“Especially if they are true. A lie can be countered.” He offered a wry smile. “Besides, I don’t think your mother will be swayed by facts.”
“She’s never been in the past.” Elizabeth kept her eyes on the sky and clouds, too embarrassed to meet his. “My family . . . I am constantly embarrassed by them.”
“As the nephew of Lady Catherine, I can sympathize.”
“But she has rank,” Elizabeth protested. Was that not something Mr. Darcy respected?
“But not manners.”
“She is a little overbearing,” Elizabeth temporized, not wanting to add more insults to what her mother had already subjected him to.
“A little?” He sounded amused.
Elizabeth dared to look at him. He was smiling. The expression looked right on his face. She hadn’t expected it would. It drew an answering smile from her. “All right, she is very overbearing, but you never seemed embarrassed by her.”
“I hide it well.”
She searched his face, seeing sincerity coupled with dry humor. More than that, the odd look was back in his eyes. It reawakened the fluttering feeling inside her. Her heart took up a dizzying beat.
Elizabeth looked away, confused by the sensations, and sought steadier ground. “I can’t think Mr. Bingley should be responsible for Mr. Wickham.”
“Mr. Bingley is quite capable of telling Mr. Wickham no. He had no reason to show that side of him, but he does not approve of the kind of behavior that Mr. Wickham and your sister indulged in. Aside from the other moral implications, they caused their families much pain. Mr. Bingley won’t forget that.”
“Neither will you,” Elizabeth said, her voice soft.
“No, I will not.” His tone was implacable.
Nor would he likely ever forgive her, Elizabeth realized. She’d insulted him gravely, and for the most part, erroneously. Even his true offenses, his arrogance, his words about her family and his treatment of Jane, were not as they’d seemed. He wasn’t so haughty as she’d thought, he’d rectified Jane’s state, and as for what he’d said about her mother . . . could it be that wrong if it was quite so true?
“I’m sorry for my words about you at the assembly.” Mr. Darcy’s voice was tentative. “You should know, I didn’t mean them. I was lashing out and it was unfair of me to include you in my ire.”
“At least you didn’t believe lies about me robbing a man of his inheritance,” she whispered, ashamed of herself. No, Mr. Darcy would never forgive her. For some reason, the thought settled
a crushing weight on her chest. Tears started to form behind her eyes. She felt as if she’d lost something very valuable. It wasn’t fair, for she hadn’t know it was hers to lose, or that she wanted it, until it was gone.
“Miss Bennet, I--”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Please, I would like time alone.” She didn’t want Mr. Darcy to see her cry. She wouldn’t have him pity her too.
He nodded. After a moment, he turned on his heels and walked away. The emptiness where he’d stood loomed huge beside her. Elizabeth closed her eyes, letting her tears fall.
Chapter Seventeen
He’s very good at remembering what she reminds him to do.
The next morning at breakfast, Darcy found Elizabeth avoiding his eye. He was dismayed, unsure where he’d stepped wrong this time. He glanced around the table, still surprised to find Miss King there, seated beside Mr. Lucas. That had been an additional surprise for Darcy, the two arriving at Lucas Lodge just in time for dinner the evening before.
He’d no idea Miss King was staying with the Lucases. A question to Mrs. Collins during their meeting regarding his aunt’s letter the previous day revealed the two were engaged, but Darcy hadn’t pressed for details. He hadn’t even thought to ask about the break-in at Longbourn, his mind too full of thoughts of Elizabeth to hold much else. Now, he sought to remedy that, for the break-in was much of his excuse for being there. When a pause in the conversation came he asked, “May I have details of the break-in at Longbourn?”
Mr. Lucas set down his coffee and turned to Darcy. “I went over to take a look. Someone broke the glass of a ground floor window. In the dining room, actually. They opened it, and climbed in. They didn’t ransack the house, but took a few valuable items.”
“Housebreaking is a hanging offense,” Miss King said. “I’m surprised they risked it.”
“It was a risk only if they got caught,” Lady Lucas said. “I understand from the footprints it seems there were two people involved.”
“It looked like it,” Mr. Lucas said.
“Is this type of crime common here?” Darcy asked.
“Not at all,” Mrs. Collins said. “That’s why everyone is so shocked.”
Darcy looked to Elizabeth, hoping she would offer an opinion. She was pushing food about on her plate. He turned to Sir William. “Why do you think it happened? Is it because Mr. Collins isn’t looked on as part of the community?”
“Probably not,” Sir William said. “He hired some of the Bennet’s older servants as an act of charity. Mr. Bennet’s butler is on the wrong side of fifty and probably couldn’t get another job. It’s shameful that he was left only ten pounds in Mr. Bennet’s will.”
Darcy agreed, but held his tongue. He resolved to have one of his men inquire into the former Bennet servants. Anyone who’d put up with Mrs. Bennet for years deserved proper compensation to retire on.
“And therein lies the problem,” Lady Lucas said. Everyone turned to her, even Elizabeth. Lady Lucas shrugged. “Not Mr. Bennet’s will, but the servants. Mr. Collins only has three and they sleep in the attic. No one would expect them to be downstairs at night. Mr. Collins is sleeping in a room in the back of the house. The dining room is in the front. He should hire two manservants and have one of them patrol at night. That would keep away housebreakers.”
Elizabeth dropped her eyes back to her plate.
Lady Lucas’ suggestion made sense to Darcy. He looked to find Mrs. Collins watching him. “You should authorize the expense.” Darcy kept his tone even, but he was sorry to have the solution presented so quickly, and almost annoyed at Lady Lucas for having done so. He wanted an excuse to stay longer.
“Shall we call on Mr. Collins, then?” Mrs. Collins asked.
Darcy eyed her increased roundness. The baby was due soon. “I will call on him for you, if that is acceptable.”
She offered a grateful smile. “It very much is. Thank you.”
Darcy rode over to Longbourn shortly after breakfast, borrowing a mount from Mr. Lucas. It wasn’t the best steed, but far preferable to time spent in a carriage on a lovely day. To Darcy’s surprise, he never made it to his destination. He found Mr. Collins coming down the lane.
“Mr. Collins,” he greeted, reining in the horse and dismounting. A quiet tempered beast, it immediately started sniffing the ground for grazing.
“Mr. Darcy. I heard you’d come. Thank you.”
“May I have a word if you’ve time?”
“If you don’t mind walking with me toward Pine Cottage.”
“Pine Cottage? We’d best speak here. You won’t endear yourself to Mrs. Bennet if you’re seen with me,” Darcy added, by way of apology.
“I’m afraid nothing will ever endear me to her, though I’m doing my best.”
“You visit Pine Cottage often, then?”
Mr. Collins looked down, not quite hiding his smile. “I visit Miss Kitty Bennet, often.”
Darcy raised his eyebrows, recalling the two walking in the field. He’d been so focused on Elizabeth at the time, he hadn’t given much thought to Miss Kitty and Mr. Collins going off on their own.
“But you’re here about the silver,” Mr. Collins prompted.
“Yes,” Darcy said, allowing the conversation to return to his original purpose. “While we all concede it was someone local, who knew the state of the house and where the silver was likely kept, we don’t feel there is any animosity toward you in the community.”
Mr. Collins looked surprised. “I hadn’t considered there might be. I don’t believe there is.”
Darcy nodded. Collins was a good man and commanded more sympathy than hostility. “Therefore, we surmise two additional staff are all that’s needed. Footmen, to take turns patrolling the house at night. Mrs. Collins agrees with the expense.” Darcy thought it likely former servants who hadn’t found employment might be the source of the theft, but didn’t want to accuse anyone without evidence.
“I’m glad to hear it.” Mr. Collins looked relieved. “I was hoping she would conclude as much. I already have a couple men in mind. Kitty, that is, Miss Kitty, helped me with the selection. She knows everyone, and has a clear head on her shoulders.”
Darcy hadn’t thought of Miss Kitty that way, but recalled her reasonable seeming behavior the day the four of them had walked together. Perhaps, with added responsibilities and away from the influence of her younger sister, Miss Kitty was maturing. He liked to hope so. “Then we’re all in agreement and you’ll see to it?”
“I will.”
Darcy looked up and down the lane. It was still early. Early enough for him to return to London, but he didn’t wish to. “I wish you luck at Pine Cottage.”
“Thank you, sir.” Mr. Collins bowed, heading off down the lane.
Darcy remounted. As he rode back, he decided he would stay another day. He needn’t fabricate an excuse. No one would ask why he remained until morning. It would be rude to do so, after all.
He returned to find the entire Lucas family, along with Miss King and Elizabeth, all seated in the parlor. Mrs. Collins looked up expectantly as he entered, not rising to greet him along with everyone else, for which he was pleased. In her state, she shouldn’t exert herself.
“It’s all seen to,” Darcy admitted. He looked about the room. There was nowhere near Elizabeth to sit. Despite his earlier resolve, he felt the pressure of everyone waiting for him to announce his departure, as he normally would do.
“Thank you again, Mr. Darcy,” Mrs. Collins said.
Darcy turned back to her, realizing he’d been staring at Elizabeth. “It was my pleasure.”
“It is a fine day?” Mrs. Collins asked.
“It is.” His gaze strayed to Elizabeth. She looked pale. He hoped she was well.
“If I were able, I should take a walk. It’s a shame none of you are out enjoying this weather,” Mrs. Collins declared with a slight smile.
Miss Lucas leaned toward Miss Susan, whispering something.
“Don’t whisper
in company, dears, is isn’t polite,” Lady Lucas said.
“We should like to go for a walk,” Miss Lucas said, looking from Mrs. Collins to her mother.
“It would be lovely,” Miss Susan said.
“We’ll join you,” Mr. Lucas offered, nodding to Miss King, beside him.
“Mr. Darcy? Elizabeth?” Mrs. Collins asked.
“That would be pleasant, thank you,” Darcy said.
Elizabeth gave a shake of her head.
Darcy frowned. Elizabeth always wished to walk. Was she avoiding him? If he’d thought she would refuse, he would have as well. Across from Elizabeth, Mrs. Collins frowned, but kept silent on the nature of her displeasure.
There was a bustle as everyone made ready to go out. Darcy put a polite smile on his face, to hide his annoyance. What good was there in managing to stay another day if he wasn’t afforded the chance to pursue his true goal of winning over Elizabeth?
They were halfway down the lane, Darcy walking last and alone, when Elizabeth caught up to them. She offered a tentative smile, falling in step with him. Darcy felt an easiness come over him at her presence, shortening his stride to match hers.
Casting a mischievous look over her shoulder, Miss King broke into a run. Laughing, Mr. Lucas took off after her. They sped up the roadway, turning off ahead, leaving the others behind.
Darcy shook his head at their lack of subtlety. Miss Lucas turned back to them, she and Miss Susan stopping. They wore matching smiles as Darcy and Elizabeth caught up to them.
“We’re not really taking a walk with you,” Miss Lucas said.
Miss Susan shook her head, curls bouncing under her hat. “We’re going to Meryton.”
“Your mother knows?” Elizabeth asked, her tone stern.
“I’m sure she does.” Miss Lucas grinned.
“Mama always knows everything, just like Charlotte,” Miss Susan added.
“I see.” Elizabeth sounded grave, but Darcy caught a glint in her eyes. “Off with you, then. We shall follow the path your brother and Miss King took, to Oakham Mount. They ought not be left alone for too long.”
Believing in Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Page 13