by Wendi Sotis
Bingley accepted the offer of refreshments. Mrs. Bennet asked the gentlemen to take a seat.
Once all were comfortably settled, Bingley and Mrs. Bennet began to chat, allowing Darcy a chance to examine his surroundings. The room was of decent size for a small manor house, and the walls seemed to be newly papered with a design similar to those he had seen in recent days in London. The style of furniture was quite old, but the upholstery had been recently updated. All in all, it was a more comfortable room than he had expected.
Miss Bingley will be disappointed with her brother’s report, he thought, but then realized it was more than likely that Bingley had not noticed the room at all since he seemed to be having an extraordinarily difficult time tearing his gaze away from Jane Bennet.
Several minutes later, the tea arrived. Darcy took the opportunity of the interruption provided to step to the window and look about at the grounds on that side of the house. As he noticed a pretty little wilderness just past a stretch of lawn, he spied Elizabeth coming down a path that ran through the informal garden.
He swallowed hard. Although Elizabeth had no trouble fitting in no matter where he had seen her, she seemed to belong amongst nature—as he preferred, as well.
Sensing someone approach him, Darcy turned to find Jane Bennet standing nearby, a slight smile playing with the corners of her mouth. He took the teacup that Jane offered before turning again to peer out the window. Disappointment welled within his chest when he realized Elizabeth was now gone from his sight. A minute or two later, she reappeared just entering the lawn, seeming to be headed towards a swing hanging from a branch of an ancient tree. A servant-girl ran out to meet her, and the two spoke for a moment. Elizabeth smiled and hurried towards the house.
When Elizabeth was again out of his sight, he turned to join the others. It would not do for Elizabeth to know that I have been watching her. Darcy found a chair that happened to have an unoccupied seat next to it and set down his cup before taking his seat. Darcy then looked up to find Jane’s eyes upon him—still smiling. Too late, I have been caught out! Jane moved her gaze to Bingley, and her features softened ever so slightly. Just as he began to think of what that could mean, the door opened.
It was fortunate that standing when a lady entered the room was instinctual, for he was too distracted by the vision of loveliness that entered the room to have remembered otherwise. Just as had happened when he first saw her at the assembly ball, filling his lungs with air seemed easier than before. Elizabeth’s fine eyes were brightened by her exercise; her complexion glowed with health and well-being. Her gaze met his, and he imagined she smiled especially for him, bringing a sense of life to the room that had not existed before.
Elizabeth turned to speak to Jane and Bingley, and the spell that had taken hold of Darcy was broken.
Hertfordshire is proving to be a dangerous place for my heart. If I must see Elizabeth nearly every day while staying with Bingley at Netherfield, I will have to find an excuse to leave here—and soon. What did Mrs. Hurst say about the Bennets? Two thousand a year and their highest connexion being Sir William Lucas, a knighted tradesman. It will not do!
As he again took his seat, he noticed Mrs. Bennet’s attention was on him, a calculating gleam in her eyes that chilled him to the core—one he recognized too well from his experience with a multitude of marriage-minded mamas in the past. Lord, help me. Mrs. Bennet has five single daughters!
Not knowing where to look next, Darcy was about to return to the window when, from the corner of his eye, he saw Elizabeth approaching. Again, he rose. She took the seat adjacent to his, leaving a faint scent of lavender in her path.
They conversed pleasantly for several minutes before the door opened once again, and in walked Mr. Bennet. The gentleman looked older, but very much the same as Darcy remembered from their last meeting in South End.
After being introduced to Bingley, the younger man turned to introduce his friend, but Mr. Bennet took several steps closer to Darcy and said, “There is no mistaking that you are Mr. Darcy.” He extended his hand to shake Darcy’s.
“Thank you, Mr. Bennet; I did not think you would remember me.”
“I may not remember names readily, but I never forget a face! It is amazing how much you favour your father.” Mr. Bennet settled himself into a chair across from Darcy. “How is your father?”
“He has been gone these five years, sir.”
Mr. Bennet’s expression sobered. “Oh, I am sorry to hear it.”
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Elizabeth asked, “Papa, how did you know Mr. Darcy’s father?”
“’Twas all your doing, Lizzy.” Mr. Bennet chuckled. “I am sure you remember how I have said little James Gardiner reminds me of you. Just as James’s curiosity lures him away, while we were visiting at South End, you wandered away from your mother and nurse and became lost. From what I understand, Mr. Darcy here kept you occupied while his father went in search of your family.”
Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open. “That was you?”
“Apparently so. As soon as Mr. Bennet entered the room, I recognized him.”
“I met your father once more in Town, at my attorney’s office. It seems both our families have been using the same firm for generations.”
“Mr. Bennet!” Mrs. Bennet called out. “I must speak with you for a moment.”
Mr. Bennet raised his eyebrows. “Will you excuse me?” He rose and joined his wife. The two left the room together.
“Why did you not teach Georgiana to build castles in the sand?” Elizabeth asked once her father had left them.
Darcy furrowed his brow in confusion.
Elizabeth continued, “That day at South End, you taught me to make sand castles. When we came across Georgiana one day on the sands at Ramsgate, she watched my niece and nephews building castles. She said she had never before seen one.”
Darcy coloured slightly. “When we were at South End, Georgiana was only two years of age. We did not return to the seaside until this summer.” Elizabeth’s expression remained curious, so he continued. “Whilst my mother was alive, my father took us on many holidays by the sea in hopes of the air improving my mother’s health. Once she had become too ill to travel, and subsequently passed on, the tradition ended.”
She nodded and seemed about to say something when the housekeeper approached and curtsied. “’Scuse me, Miss Elizabeth.” She held out a silver tray bearing a letter. “A messenger came with this, miss. I wouldn’t have interrupted, but he made me promise—said to give it to you right away.”
Elizabeth took the letter and glanced at the direction, then blanched. “A messenger?”
“Yes’m.” Mrs. Hill curtsied and began to walk away.
Tensing as if she were about to rise, Elizabeth looked at the door to the hallway and asked, “Is he still here?”
Mrs. Hill replied, “No, miss. I offered him a plate of food, but he said he was in a hurry and rode off like the devil himself was chasin’ him.”
“Thank you, Hill.”
Darcy raised both eyebrows in response to Elizabeth’s pocketing the letter without a second glance. Peering up at him tentatively, she blushed a deep crimson and quickly looked away.
Elizabeth was uncharacteristically quiet for the remainder of the gentlemen’s visit at Longbourn. As Darcy and Bingley were donning their coats and hats, he saw Elizabeth slip out the door of the parlour and take the stairs up to what he assumed would be the bedchambers.
Who could have sent a letter to cause her to be in such a state of agitation? He shook his head. It is likely she was embarrassed that the housekeeper gave her the letter during our visit.
~%~
Upon answering her bedchamber door, to her relief, Elizabeth discovered Jane in the hallway. She took Jane’s hand and pulled her inside, locking the door behind them.
“Lizzy, what is wrong?”
“Did you not see Mrs. Hill deliver a letter while Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy were here?”
Jane shook her head.
Elizabeth nodded. “You were too distracted by Mr. Bingley to notice, but I had not that luxury since she gave it to me directly—and while Mr. Darcy was speaking to me, no less. Jane, it came by messenger this time! I almost ran from the room to see if I could speak to the man—perhaps he could have given me some answers—but Mrs. Hill said he immediately rode away.”
“Was he a gypsy?”
“I know not. After the gentlemen departed, I looked at the pictures, and then I went to the kitchen to ask Mrs. Hill about the man who delivered them. She said he looked no different from any other young man of the working class.” Elizabeth was agitated. “If Mr. Darcy is not suspicious of me now, he soon will be.”
“Why would you think so?”
“As I said, he was there when Mrs. Hill delivered the letter. When I saw the handwriting, I thought I would faint! Mr. Darcy was staring at me so intently; every inch of my skin must have blushed.”
“Perhaps he only liked what he saw.”
Elizabeth shook her head and sighed. “Would you like to see them?”
“The drawings? Yes.”
Blushing, Elizabeth handed Jane the first of three sketches that had come today. “I do not know why they insist on sending some of these pictures when I know they cannot come true.”
Seeing a sketch of Elizabeth and Darcy walking together in a garden, Jane smiled brightly. “Oh, Lizzy! You are wearing a wedding ring!”
“Sometimes I think the gypsies are only teasing me.” Elizabeth fought to keep sadness from entering her tone.
“This garden is so beautiful. Do you know this place?”
Although she felt the garden was at Darcy’s home in Derbyshire, Elizabeth shook her head. “Now, brace yourself, Jane, for the next two are disturbing.”
Jane gasped. “Mr. Wickham in front of the bookshop in Meryton—speaking to us! How can this be?”
“I do not know. Do you recognize this man standing between us?” Elizabeth pointed to a short, rotund, red-faced clergyman.
Jane shook her head.
Elizabeth hesitated before showing her sister the last. It was the same scene, but Wickham was leering at their sister Lydia in such a way that made Elizabeth shudder. The colour drained from Jane’s face as she examined the drawing.
Elizabeth said, “Wickham is wicked, is he not?”
“The way he is looking at Lydia—at times, I have noticed some young men gazing at ladies in a way that is not entirely proper, but I have never seen such an expression as this! We must tell Papa!”
“We cannot warn Papa that Wickham will be a danger specifically to Lydia, but we must find a way to warn him that this man is no good. Perhaps I can write to Aunt Gardiner now, telling her that I understand Wickham may soon be arriving at Meryton. I shall ask her to have Uncle write to Papa about what he knows.”
~%~
As they dined that evening, Bingley asked, “Darcy, did I understand correctly—Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth are friends of your sister?”
Darcy nodded and took a sip of wine to wash down his supper. “We met the Misses Bennet at Ramsgate this past summer.”
“Do not forget, Charles, that Miss Darcy has been a particular friend of Caroline’s for ages,” Mrs. Hurst stated.
“Dear, sweet Georgiana. I cannot wait to see her again,” Caroline stated with a pout she displayed so often that Darcy was certain she thought it to be attractive.
“It is a shame,” continued Bingley, “that Miss Darcy could not come with you to Netherfield; it would be such an opportunity to visit with so many friends. Is she still at Matlock with your aunt and uncle?”
“Yes, and my cousin. I received a letter from Richard just today. He will soon return to his regiment, and as he must pass through Hertfordshire, he is planning to stop off at the inn at Meryton for a night so that he may call on us here.”
“Nonsense—Colonel Fitzwilliam is most welcome in my home. Please extend my invitation to stay at Netherfield for as long as he is in the area.”
Darcy nodded his appreciation.
“What a delightful plan you have hatched, Mr. Darcy!” Caroline exclaimed. “Georgiana will be able to accompany the colonel as far as Netherfield. Simply perfect! We all miss your sister dreadfully—you most of all, I am sure.”
Darcy’s eyes widened slightly. I did not mention sending for my sister; Miss Bingley’s scheme is plain. She always thinks that if she can become a particular friend of Georgiana’s, I will welcome her as my wife. Having known that Georgiana had never enjoyed the company of Bingley’s sisters, he had not even asked if she would like to accompany him to Netherfield, but he was certain she willingly would contend with Mrs. Hurst and Caroline Bingley if it meant she could visit with Miss Bennet and Elizabeth. As a result of Georgiana’s coming, I would see Elizabeth more often, making my task harder still. He tried to conceal his sigh. But now that Georgiana has already spent weeks with my aunt and uncle, I have no excuse to offer that would not disappoint Georgiana and Elizabeth... and Miss Bennet, as well, of course. If only I could order Richard not to come. Ha! I see no way around this.
“Thank you for the invitation. I will send letters to Richard and Georgiana in the morning post.”
Why did I ever agree to assist Bingley?
Chapter 14
October 8, 1811
The clock on the mantelpiece chimed the quarter hour, and Louisa Hurst rose to pace the floor of the sitting room. “This is intolerable. How typical of country manners for the Bennets to be late to our appointment. Are we to wait indefinitely? This shows no consideration for their hosts,” she huffed. “I am hungry.”
“You are always hungry, Louisa.” Caroline giggled.
“I do not understand why you invited them in the first place, Caroline!”
“While I can comprehend what attracts our brother to Miss Bennet—she seems a sweet girl, though quite naïve—I must confess I do not see what the Darcys see in Miss Eliza. Under normal circumstances, I would wish to have nothing to do with her... but in this case, we must.”
“I would not mind had you invited Jane Bennet—alone,” Louisa sniffed. “Mr. Darcy must have known very little about their family and connexions before allowing his sister to attach herself to them.”
“That is obvious and precisely why we shall befriend them—for the time being. I do not wish to think of what manner of sordid behaviour Miss Eliza must have employed while at Ramsgate in order for Mr. Darcy’s unnatural attraction to have developed.” Caroline shuddered visibly. “We must protect both of the Darcys and Charles, Louisa! Georgiana’s friendship with them must be based solely on her brother’s approval, for I cannot fathom any other excuse. I trust Mr. Darcy was affected by them at Ramsgate due to there being a decided lack of fashionable ladies to which they could be compared. By discovering as much as possible about the Bennets now, we will be able to put Mr. Darcy’s opinions to rights. After he is familiar with all the facts and sees for himself how the Bennets’ behaviour contrasts with our own superior breeding, Mr. Darcy will forbid his sister from seeing them again.”
Louisa nodded. “And once that is done, Mr. Darcy will be exceedingly grateful to us.”
“Especially to me,” Caroline added. “And when Charles sees that Mr. Darcy pronounces the leading family in this forsaken area as unsuitable company, our brother will give up the lease at Netherfield and find a more appropriate property... preferably near Pemberley.” Caroline smiled knowingly. “All of our hopes will be satisfied at once, Louisa. That is why I invited them here.”
Louisa’s smile matched her sister’s sly grin. “Shall we mention that Miss Darcy is coming to visit us?”
“Absolutely not! After all, Mr. Darcy has not yet heard that Colonel Fitzwilliam will bring her. And I hope to succeed in convincing Mr. Darcy of the Bennets’ unworthiness before Georgiana arrives.”
~%~
Elizabeth had utilized every bit of her strength of will to prevent herself from s
napping at Mr. Bingley’s sisters as they interrogated Jane and her during their visit. When Elizabeth attempted to steer the subject in a different direction, they changed tactics. One sister would keep Elizabeth engaged in conversation while the other continued her examination with Jane alone. Poor Jane.
Upon exiting the house, Elizabeth acknowledged to herself that she could remain civil no longer and climbed into the carriage first, making certain she slid across the bench to the side opposite Netherfield so that Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley could not possibly expect that she should wave goodbye as Jane was doing now. Jane has an infinite amount of patience. I do not!
As Jane turned back from the window, Elizabeth said, “That was a very strange and exhausting visit.”
Jane looked surprised. “In what way, Lizzy?”
Elizabeth’s jaw fell open in shock. “Do not tell me you actually enjoyed that inquisition! I barely endured it.”
Jane furrowed her brow. “While they did seem overly curious, I saw it as a good sign.”
Elizabeth raised both eyebrows. “I know you tend to look back upon events differently from the way I do—but really Jane! You will never convince me to think of this afternoon in even a slightly positive light. We spent the last few hours answering endless questions about our family and connexions, which obviously they felt to be far inferior to their own.”
“I understood it only as their being interested in their new neighbours.” Jane paused. “Oh, please do be nice to them, Lizzy...” Jane’s voice trailed off as she blushed. “For me?”
Jane is the best person I have ever known! As Jane blushed further under her gaze, Elizabeth thought, Ah, ha! She also hopes their abundant curiosity indicates that Mr. Bingley might be interested in her and that they are just being protective of their brother. I believe it to be the opposite—they look for a reason to convince him that Jane is unworthy of his attention. Elizabeth sighed quietly. “I can promise to remain civil, Jane—nothing more.”