by Lilian, Lory
Elizabeth stared at Miss Darcy, unable to trust this revelation. Mr. Darcy expressed his approval of me? There must be some sort of mistake! She was tempted to declare her doubts once more, but Miss Darcy seemed so honest and trusting in her own words that Elizabeth dared not upset her again. She smiled and whispered a polite, “Thank you.”
“Well, this is a surprise,” said Lady Selina. “Not only does Darcy seem to be an acquaintance of the Miss Bennets, but you appear to know Miss Elizabeth very well.”
“Oh, not very well, unfortunately,” Miss Darcy replied, suddenly more inclined to talk. “But my brother wrote me almost every day from Hertfordshire…and I also heard accounts from Mr. Bingley…”
Jane instantly grew pale, and Elizabeth was intent on knowing more.
“Mr. Bingley is a friend of yours, I understand. Miss Bingley told me as much.”
Miss Darcy hesitated a moment, and Elizabeth was certain she understood the reason.
“Mr. Bingley is a close friend of my brother. He is a very amiable gentleman; it is such a pleasure to listen to his stories.”
“Do you see Mr. Bingley often?” Elizabeth continued, and Mrs. Gardiner was ready to intervene; however, Miss Darcy’s answer came easily, along with a slight smile.
“No…I only saw him twice after he arrived in town. The first time was almost a month ago, and he seemed very eager to return to Hertfordshire. For the entire dinner, he shared recollections of his friends from there. He seemed very fond indeed of Netherfield Park,” she concluded, and Elizabeth was once more at a loss for words.
She turned to her sister, only to see Jane’s eyes moist with tears. Miss Bennet suddenly rose from her seat and hurried to pour herself a cup of tea. Her hands trembled so that she could not hold the cup properly, and Elizabeth went to help her.
“That was kind of Mr. Bingley,” Lady Selina declared. “I hope he returns soon to his estate.”
“I am not certain of his future plans,” the girl continued, oblivious to Jane’s distress. “The second time I met him, he seemed quite preoccupied, and we spoke very little. I imagine he had some business that interfered with his plans.”
“Well, we can only hope his business will be resolved soon in the best possible way,” Lady Selina concluded, and with that, Mrs. Gardiner changed the topic.
A short glance from her aunt confirmed to Elizabeth that the subject of Mr. Bingley was closed for the evening, and she did not dare disobey. Besides, she needed no further details; their short conversation held shocking revelations.
Miss Darcy had no romantic interest in Mr. Bingley—anyone could see that—and she even tried, shyly and not very skilfully, to become friendly with both of them. Even more, her words gave rise to hope and proved once more the lack of honesty in Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. As for those ladies’ much declared intimate friendship with Miss Darcy, Elizabeth was certain it could not be further from the truth.
I wonder how Mr. Wickham could have been so wrong in his estimation of Miss Darcy’s character… She surely does not seem anything like her brother—quite the contrary.
“Miss Darcy, I am glad we had the chance to talk,” Elizabeth said, and a smile spread over the girl’s face.
“As am I, Miss Elizabeth.”
“You know, my dear Georgiana, Mrs. Gardiner grew up in Lambton.” Lady Selina brought a new subject into the conversation, which changed Miss Darcy’s spirit in a moment.
“Truly? In Lambton? I was not aware of that! Have we met before, perhaps? And have you been in Derbyshire lately?” she asked, allowing little time for answers between questions.
“That is indeed surprising, Mrs. Gardiner.” “Did your father possess an estate in the neighbourhood?”
Elizabeth looked at him for a moment, wondering how long he had been there. A smile twisted her lips as she tried to imagine his expression at hearing Mrs. Gardiner’s revelation about her family. She feared his usual behaviour might distress her aunt, but would he dare be disrespectful to a guest in his uncle’s home?
Mrs. Gardiner answered with perfect composure and a warm smile.
“No, sir. My father had a small shop in Lambton.”
“Oh, I see…”
As Elizabeth anticipated, Mr. Darcy was surprised, and he remained disconcerted for a moment. She expected him to return to his usual aloofness and leave their company, but he looked at the ladies and finally replied:
“Lambton is a charming little town.”
“Yes, it is. And Derbyshire is the most wonderful place in the world.”
“I shall not argue with you, Mrs. Gardiner; I should be pleased to speak with you more about Derbyshire at any time,” Mr. Darcy concluded. Then with a proper bow to the ladies and a warm smile to his sister, he joined the other gentlemen.
Elizabeth stared at her aunt with a puzzled expression, trying to remember whether she had ever heard Mr Darcy speak with such warm politeness. Her aunt smiled.
***
Darcy remained in the hall, close enough to hear the ladies’ voices chatting amiably. He had yet to recover from the shock of seeing Elizabeth in his uncle’s house, and he was yet unable to breathe, talk, or behave properly.
This could not be; he had left Netherfield a month before, trying to put her out of his memory and ease his conscience for his participation in Bingley’s departure.
Yes, he had been certain that his judgement of Miss Bennet’s feelings for Bingley had been correct. Yes, he was certain that it was better for Bingley to escape from marriage to a beautiful lady who did not share his affection. Besides, he was not sure that Bingley’s feelings for Miss Bennet were real or would last more than a month; he had seen him in love many times before.
But he could not deny his own interest in removing from Netherfield, and that was the reason for his lack of sleep during the last month. He was also in danger of being trapped. Her smiles, sparkling eyes, teasing and witty replies, dark hair playing along her nape—all made his days and nights at Netherfield a torture, and there was little improvement once he left. But he had been certain that, with time and distance, his strength and self-control would conquer the feelings he battled.
And now she was there, and she likely would be around for some time as his uncle made it clear that he found the Bennet ladies pleasant company.
Darcy felt the urge for a glass of brandy as he remembered the conversation with his uncle the previous day. The earl allowed him to make a fool of himself when he related his disapproval of the Bennet family. He had not felt so dreadful in a long time. He was tempted to take Georgiana and return home that instant. But did he have the right to ruin everyone’s evening by behaving in such a savage manner? And what explanation could he find for an impromptu leaving? Besides, Georgiana seemed to be enjoying herself. She seemed to feel at ease with the Miss Bennets, which was surprising—or was it? Was it surprising that anyone, even a person as shy as his sister, felt at ease with Elizabeth and Jane Bennet? His uncle had met them the day before and liked them instantly, and the earl generally liked few people on such a short acquaintance. On the other hand, it was not a surprise that the colonel was charmed by both of them as he himself declared. But he was not to be taken seriously; he was even worse than Bingley when it came to beautiful, young ladies. Darcy was more cautious in judging people; he did not approve of either sister at first meeting. Miss Bennet used to smile too much. And Miss Elizabeth was not handsome enough to tempt me to dance with her.
Suddenly, his thoughts sounded ridiculous. Surely, those were not the reasons he disapproved of them in the beginning! There must have been other things to form his poor opinion of them, and the most important was their family’s behaviour and situation, which could not be forgotten or dismissed. But Miss Bennet does not seem to smile any longer—not at all! And Miss Elizabeth… He could not think of any lady more handsome—or more tempting.
“Darcy, what on earth are you doing here? Let us return to the ladies; dinner is ready.” The earl’s voice startled him,
and he could not reply before his gleeful uncle continued.
“And I absolutely need your opinion: Which of my sons should marry Miss Elizabeth Bennet, do you think? We could not reach an agreement, and you seem to be an expert on difficult problems of the heart. I shall put her near you during dinner so you can observe her behaviour towards both of them and inform me whether you sense any partiality to one or the other. Oh—and do not worry about her family’s faults; I dare say her charms are adequate compensation.”
His uncle and cousins passed nearby, and he heard their laughter from the dining room; Darcy remained motionless in the hall, staring after them and forgetting to breathe.
All hope for a peaceful evening had vanished. He could only pray that his uncle continued to mock him and that none of his words was taken seriously—except for the fact that he would put Elizabeth near him at the table. Could it be true? Would he spend the entire evening only a few inches from Elizabeth? Miss Elizabeth, of course, he corrected himself and hurried to the dining room. He did not need the earl’s assistance to make a fool of himself; he had been a fool since the first moment he met her, and neither time nor distance had changed that.
Chapter 3
Taking her place at the dinner table, Elizabeth paid little attention to her surroundings. Her thoughts were preoccupied with the revelations of the last hour.
Aside from the unique behaviour of Lord Matlock’s entire family—which included the earl’s amusing but tiresome insistence on her marrying one of his sons—she was puzzled by Mr. Darcy and, more importantly, his intentions.
Elizabeth had not the slightest doubt that Mr. Darcy convinced Mr. Bingley to remain in London just to keep him from Jane. Mr. Bingley’s sisters must have played an important part in the scheme, but surely, Mr. Darcy had a more powerful influence over his friend. What his reasons were, Elizabeth could not guess.
Elizabeth’s initial suspicion—and Miss Bingley’s own declaration—about a future connection between the Darcys and Bingley was obviously far from the truth. Miss Darcy’s sincere description of her conversations with Mr. Bingley confirmed that she had no romantic interest in him and that Mr. Bingley’s affections remained in Hertfordshire.
It was understandable that Miss Bingley—whose main interest in life seemed to be Mr. Darcy and everything related to him—and her sister would not want Mr. Bingley to enter into a marriage that could bring him neither wealth, position, nor any other benefits aside from the love and honour of a wonderful woman like Jane.
What Mr. Darcy’s interest was in such a dishonourable scheme, Elizabeth could not understand. Was he so selfish and proud that he planned to force a union between his sister and Bingley despite their wishes? Or did he simply despise the entire Bennet family, wanting to be as far from them as possible?
If she were tempted to accept the worst about that gentleman before their brief interaction, the evening revealed some unexpected details.
He had appeared quite surprised—even shocked—to see her and Jane in his uncle’s house, but he showed nothing but politeness towards them, much more politeness than he had shown in all the time he spent in Hertfordshire. To Mrs. Gardiner, his behaviour was not merely proper but almost friendly. Surprisingly, he expressed his intention to talk more about Derbyshire with Mrs. Gardiner, the daughter of a small shop owner from Lambton. Though he was obviously influenced by the earl’s friendship with the Gardiners, it was a pleasant change from his past aloofness and disturbingly proud behaviour.
But the most shocking revelation—one that Elizabeth still could not believe—was the notion that Mr. Darcy had mentioned her—Elizabeth Bennet—in his letters to his sister. She remembered an evening during her stay at Netherfield when poor Miss Bingley insistently begged him to include a few words of admiration from her in his letter to Miss Darcy, and he refused her. Was it possible that he found time and space to put in his letters such things as her playing the pianoforte or her ‘extensive’ reading?
Were these the actions of a man who only looked at her to find fault and whose long, insistent, reproachful stares only made Elizabeth uncomfortable? If he had such a poor opinion of her entire family, why waste time writing his sister about her in an apparently positive manner as Miss Darcy declared? His affection for his sister was beyond any doubt, and his attitude towards her was protective and warm. He would surely be careful regarding news he shared with her and people he introduced to her—even through letters.
And another intriguing thing: He left the gentlemen in the library and came into the drawing room to join their conversation for a few minutes. That was uncommon behaviour, and she certainly would not expect it from Mr. Darcy. Or perhaps he just wanted to see whether his young and painfully shy sister was comfortable amid so many new acquaintances. Yes, that was a logical explanation—and one that gave him much credit as a brother.
Such puzzling information about that gentleman; it almost made her dizzy.
She remembered their conversation from the ball when he asked her not to sketch his character. That night she had said she might not have another opportunity. Well, she seemed to have been wrong about that as there obviously would be many other opportunities after that evening unless he took his sister—as he took his friend—and left London immediately to avoid further encounters. Perhaps that would not be so bad, after all, because she had little interest in discovering his character. No, that was not entirely true; she was interested in knowing him better, so she could understand his reasons for ruining Jane’s chances of happiness and challenge them. Yes, that was what she would do!
Her eyes met Mrs. Gardiner’s worried gaze, and she smiled at her aunt. She did not miss the reproach and silent scolding on her aunt’s face, and once more, she wondered how Mrs. Gardiner seemed to read her mind.
Suddenly, her own thoughts seemed unreasonable as she remembered a previous talk with Mrs. Gardiner. How was it that her anger and reproach for Jane’s situation turned on Mr. Darcy alone? Where was Bingley, after all, and why could he find no other way of securing his happiness than amusing Miss Darcy with pleasant stories of Hertfordshire? Surely, a man should do a great deal more to protect his desires and future happiness. Unless I misjudged his true wishes and desires as Mr. Wickham misjudged Miss Darcy’s character. Or perhaps Jane misjudged his worthiness and gave him more credit than he deserved.
A moment later, the earl’s voice startled her from her musings. She tried to answer but could not remember the question, so she took her seat and tried to smile as she drank some cold water; she was suddenly very warm. She was about to refill her glass when she noticed on her left the presence of the very person whose character she was so desirous to sketch.
“Mr. Darcy…”
“Miss Elizabeth… Please allow me to pour you a glass of water.”
“I… Thank you, sir,” she said, taking the glass hesitantly and avoiding his eyes.
Situated next to Elizabeth at his uncle’s right, it was not difficult for Darcy to notice the earl’s friendly care for Mrs. Gardiner and consequently for her nieces if for no other reason than the gratitude and respect he had for the late Mr. Gardiner.
He also knew that the earl disapproved of his intervention in Bingley’s situation. He could remember every moment of his conversation with the earl from the previous day, and now he understood why the earl’s tone and expression changed the instant he mentioned the name Bennet. Yes, his uncle was displeased, and he would continue to show his displeasure for a while, one way or another.
Still, Darcy was certain that his judgement of the Bennet family’s lack of proper behaviour was correct, and surely, the earl would agree with him if he met them. And he was certain that, despite the earl’s mocking declaration, he would not allow either of his sons to join a family whose situation was so beneath them.
He stared at Elizabeth’s face, and he could see that she was deep in thought. Her eyebrow was arched, and she was biting her lower lip—two sure signs of her preoccupation. He had spent unc
ounted minutes in Hertfordshire watching her and silently studying every small gesture as she read, played, talked to others or danced. He always watched from afar, and now, suddenly, he was inches away and felt suddenly warm. He needed a glass of cold water, too, he thought, glancing at her again. Her lips were still wet and red and apparently very soft, and he could not look away.
“So, Miss Elizabeth, what have you done these last couple of days? Have you enjoyed London?” asked the colonel, and Darcy suddenly turned his attention to him.
“We have done little, sir. I spend most of the time at home or walking in the park with my little cousins; Lord Matlock and Lady Selina’s visit a few days ago was the only special event since we arrived in London. Oh, and yes—my aunt and sister called on Miss Bingley a couple of days ago, but I did not join them.”
“Do you have some specific plans for your stay in London, Miss Elizabeth? And Miss Bennet?” The viscount’s direct question took both sisters by surprise, and for a moment, they looked at each other, uncertain who should answer.
“No, nothing of the sort,” Jane finally replied. “We intend to spend as much time as possible with our aunt and cousins. We have few acquaintances in London.”
“Oh, you must not worry about that, Miss Bennet,” Lady Selina spoke up. “After the ball next week, a lack of acquaintances in London will be your last worry.”
“A ball? I do not think that… We did not…”
“We were not aware there is a ball next week to which we are invited,” Elizabeth said, her pleased voice covering Jane’s small whisper. “May I ask who will host this ball? Not Mr. Darcy, certainly, as I know he is not fond of dancing.”She knew it was impolite to address such a comment to Mr. Darcy, but Jane’s sad countenance compelled her to punish a certain person for her sister’s distress.
“Miss Elizabeth, I am curious to know how you can be so sure of what my nephew is fond! May I dare ask how well you came to know each other during his stay in Hertfordshire?”