Eavesdropping
A Pride and Prejudice Novelette Variation
Rose Fairbanks
Chapter One
Fitzwilliam Darcy was as a moth to a flame. He tried to stay away but found his eyes continually sought out Elizabeth Bennet. Hearing her unguarded laughter, so different from the ladies of the ton, he attempted to covertly cross the large drawing room at Lucas Lodge. He smirked to himself as he recalled his Aunt Catherine’s penchant for interrupting private conversations stating, “I must have my share of the conversation!” How similar his actions were, but the motives entirely different! Just to be near Elizabeth and hear her conversation, her wit, her vitality gave him a sense of feeling alive he had never before felt.
Drawing closer and hiding behind some gathered officers, Darcy was able to overhear much of Elizabeth’s conversation with the colonel of the militia regiment encamped in the nearby town. The more fascinating discussion, however, took place between Elizabeth and her friend, Miss Charlotte Lucas.
“Well, Eliza, I’ve heard your mother’s opinion, but what is yours on Jane and Mr. Bingley’s attachment?”
“Even my mother has been unable to scare off Mr. Bingley.”
“Do you think he is very attached to her, then?” Miss Lucas asked while glancing at Bingley and Jane.
“You cannot doubt his admiration for Jane! Look, even now, she talks with others, and he stares at her.”
“Oh, it is not his admiration that I doubt. I only wonder if he will stay as enamoured with Jane if she does not help him along. She should show more than she feels.”
“More than she feels?” Elizabeth laughed. “Goodness, Charlotte! You must see she is half in love with him already. To show more than she already feels would be to make her a spectacle to one and all.”
“Then she would be a happily married spectacle rather than end up on the shelf. Mark my words, Eliza. Jane’s countenance is too serene for someone who does not know her as well as we do to understand her feelings.”
“She cannot change what she is for the sake of a man. I daresay we Bennets have enough unreserved and immodest ladies in the family.” Elizabeth frowned as she watched her youngest sister pretend to stumble and fall forward into an officer who caught her by the elbows. Miss Lydia’s hands landing on his chest. The tension in Elizabeth’s frame eased slightly when her eldest sister whispered to the youngest, who looked somewhat put out but returned to more acceptable behaviour.
“Say what you will about the conduct of your sisters, but no gentleman can be in doubt as to their preference for him. Do not underestimate how much vanity or gratitude plays in the part of an attachment. We all begin freely enough. However, most people require encouragement to really be in love.”
“Jane has only known Mr. Bingley for a fortnight. That is far too early to know his character, let alone fall in love.”
Miss Lucas sighed as Bingley and Jane looked at one another, although they talked in different groups. Each went slightly pink and held one another’s eyes. “Jane can take all the time she likes, but I think she should snap him up. There is all the time in the world to get to know him after they are married. I think their chances of happiness are the same, whether they were to marry tomorrow or in a twelvemonth.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “That is good advice if one only means to marry well. However, Jane does not act by design. She wants a love match, and that takes time to build.”
“Yes, I know all about you and Jane and your silly notions of love matches. I hope you never have to see the world through my eyes, Eliza.”
“As it happens, I would welcome your perspective on one thing.”
“What is that?”
“What do you think Mr. Darcy means by listening to my conversations with others? He never joins them and always holds himself apart. I do not see him do this with others.”
“I cannot fathom an answer to that. He alone must know his reasons.”
“Some help you are!” Elizabeth grinned. “Well, I shall prove to him that I am not afraid of his critical eye.”
Miss Lucas glanced over her shoulder and saw Darcy, who quickly looked away.
“Well, here is your chance to say so to him. He is just behind me.”
Darcy chanced a peek and caught Elizabeth’s eye. Hers darted away to Miss Lucas, and they seemed to have had an unspoken discussion. Knowing he had been caught eavesdropping, or intending to at the least, Darcy took a step forward.
“Good evening, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said with a smile he recognised as foretelling a tease. “Do you think I expressed myself well when I was teasing Colonel Forster to give us a ball at Meryton? Or did you not hear that part of my conversation?”
Darcy’s stomach flipped. If he admitted to hearing the earlier discussion, then they would know that he had also listened to their private conversation regarding Bingley and Jane. However, he hated lying.
“It is Eliza’s turn to be teased, Mr. Darcy. Mama is signalling me to open the pianoforte, and you know what that means.” Miss Lucas winked at her friend.
“Must I, Charlotte?”
Darcy seemed to have been excused from finding an answer to Elizabeth’s question. However, he grew interested in the disagreement between the two ladies. Miss Lucas had to insist that her friend play. Unlike most of the ladies Darcy had met, Elizabeth did not seem eager to display her accomplishments. Most curious of all, before Elizabeth marched off to the instrument, she admonished Darcy to mind his own affairs and stay out of her business. How intriguing! A lady who was not desperate for his notice!
Elizabeth played well, but would never be considered a very talented performer in any other room Darcy had been in. Her sweet soprano voice washed over him, and it might have been enough to make him fall entirely in love with her during a song if he had not spent much of the time considering what Elizabeth had said to her friend. Was Bingley very enamoured with the eldest Miss Bennet? Darcy had not previously seen any signs of Miss Bennet’s regard for his friend but knew Elizabeth would be more informed on the matter. More than once, Darcy had to help extract Bingley from an entanglement of unequal affections. While none of those ladies would have helped Bingley’s standing in life, Darcy would not have counselled against them if the women had truly loved his friend. Jane Bennet may have regrettable connections and family members that behaved poorly, but if they truly loved one another …
Elizabeth’s performance ended, and one of her sisters took over for her at the pianoforte. This Miss Bennet had a conceited air, but her application did not merit it. However, it was more technically superior than Elizabeth’s. Despite the errors when Elizabeth played, Darcy found himself wishing he could hear her again on the pianoforte, perhaps the beautiful instrument at Pemberley.
What? It would not do to imagine Elizabeth at Pemberley. However, now that he had, he could scarcely put it out of his mind. Soon dancing began, and Darcy stood against a wall, avoiding others and trying to stop the ache in his head. Unbeknownst to him, Sir William Lucas approached. Darcy had not seen him until it was too late to move away. It would have been too obvious and insulting. The older gentleman talked with Darcy, and he replied, scarcely knowing his own words until suddenly, Elizabeth clouded his sight.
Sir William hailed the vision of loveliness and seemed intent on having her dance with Darcy. He had almost taken her hand in his when she pulled away. Despite Darcy finally finding his tongue long enough to properly request a set, she refused him.
Darcy’s head swam even more, and he hid in the corner of the room, hoping for solitude and quiet. Unfortunately, Miss Bingley discovered him.
“Like always, we are of one mind, I believe, Mr. Darcy,” she said.
“I hardly think that is so.”
“Oh, but it is. Allow me to guess. You hate it here! Come, let me hear your criticisms.”
“On the contrary. I was captivated by a young lady and her mesmerizing eyes.”
“Indeed! And may I ask who the young lady is?�
�� she said with a knowing smile.
It was not wise at all, and yet Darcy could not bear to have his thoughts of Elizabeth sullied by Miss Bingley’s opinion and grating voice. How could she imagine that he was thinking of her at all? “Miss Elizabeth Bennet.” Did he sigh after saying her name like an uncultured youth with his first taste of lust? Surely that was all it was.
“Goodness, Mr. Darcy! And when shall I wish you joy?”
“You should be careful what you wish for, Miss Bingley. You might very well talk me into it. Of course, I know how rapid a lady’s imagination is.”
“Surely it is not imagination on my part if you are serious about her. Pray, you must invite your mother-in-law to meet your aunt, Lady Catherine. And do not forget that your lady’s uncle is in the same line as yours—although a country solicitor is nothing to a judge, of course.”
Darcy made no reply, and Miss Bingley continued in a similar vein for the next half an hour. Listening to Caroline Bingley mock Elizabeth and her family with outward indifference was one of the most challenging things Darcy had ever done. By the time he entered the carriage to return to Netherfield, he had a raging headache.
Chapter Two
Elizabeth avoided a mud puddle as she traversed the fields and lanes between Longbourn and Netherfield. Jane had been invited to dine at Netherfield with Mr. Bingley’s sisters—to the immense joy of their mother. As the matron had calculated, it rained, and Jane could not return home that afternoon. An unintended side effect from the scheme was Jane catching a cold, but Mrs. Bennet insisted that there was no reason for alarm. However, Elizabeth could not bear the thought of her dearest sister ill in a home with people she barely knew. Jane never complained about anything and hated to be a bother.
Another motive propelled Elizabeth to Netherfield. Mr. Darcy had overheard what she and Charlotte had talked about the other night. He now had information about Jane’s feelings that he might pass on to Mr. Bingley. That was hardly fair. Jane had always taken such trouble to conceal her emotions from others. She hated being an object of scrutiny, and it was exceedingly difficult in a family such as theirs to avoid such notice. Elizabeth had broken a code among sisters! She may as well have gone right up to Mr. Bingley and told him that Jane was in love with him. Nay, for Mr. Bingley—whether he reciprocated the feeling or not—might be more likely to keep the information to himself. What Elizabeth had done, was akin to blabbing it to Sir William Lucas, the area gossip.
Well, Elizabeth thought, Darcy might be more discreet than Sir William. Nonetheless, she had exposed Jane’s feelings to an outsider and a stranger. Stupid, stupid Lizzy, she chided herself. She ought to have cut Charlotte off at the beginning of the conversation rather than humouring her friend. They had no business discussing Jane’s feelings, especially in such an open area. Elizabeth had known that Mr. Darcy had taken to eavesdropping on her conversations. She ought to have taken more care.
So, now her only choice was to speak with the gentleman that could make or break her sister’s heart. Would Darcy tell Bingley what he had heard? And would he be willing to give Elizabeth an insight into his friend’s heart?
Elizabeth arrived at Netherfield, sweating and out of breath. Her cheeks felt hot from the exertion, and her hair hung limply around her face, except for one side where the wind had torn at it. Her boots and ankles were muddied, and her skirt did not entirely hide her dirty petticoat. She had hoped to be taken directly to Jane. Instead, the butler showed her into the breakfast room where Bingley’s sisters gaped at her. Mr. Darcy looked at her with such a severe expression, she did not know whether to be terrified or defiant. Thankfully, Mr. Bingley did not seem to notice Elizabeth’s appearance and showed her every kindness and consideration. He left his meal to take her to Jane’s chamber and seemed nearly as desperate as her to go inside. Elizabeth smiled a little as she shut the door in his anxious face.
“Jane,” Elizabeth whispered as she went to her sister’s side.
“Lizzy?” Jane said in an alert, although scratchy voice. She had flung an arm over her eyes, and there were several used handkerchiefs around her on the bed. Her nose was already quite red. “You should not have come.”
“Nonsense, silly. What else was there for me to do?”
“You might get sick.”
“I did not ride in the rain. I do not think I shall catch your cold.” Elizabeth busied herself with tidying the room and rang for a servant.
“Now, I shall have you feeling better by this evening, or I shall ask the apothecary to come again.”
“There is—ah—ah—achoo! There is no need.” Jane finally moved her arm so she could blow her nose. Elizabeth saw her red and watery eyes.
“You poor thing. And Mama is at home convinced that you are courting Mr. Bingley and shall leave Netherfield engaged.”
“I should have argued harder for the carriage, but I did not want to be obstinate.”
“My dearest, Jane,” Elizabeth said with a sigh. “You should not have to tell your mother what is proper or in your best interest. She should be looking out for you.”
“So she does…in her own way. You know how concerned she is with the entail.”
“I do know. I also know her eldest daughter.” Elizabeth raised a brow. “She has never before been so anxious to please her matchmaking mama. Why is that?”
It would have been impossible for anyone else to know given the state of her already pink face, but Jane blushed. “I do not know what you mean. I am as I have always been.”
“You are more smitten with Mr. Bingley than you have been with any other gentleman you have met. And between coming out at fifteen and having such a determined mother, you have met a great deal of men.”
Jane giggled. “Do not tease me so when I am sick!”
“Then you will just have to get better!” Elizabeth laughed as two maids entered with a bowl of warm water, more handkerchiefs, a light meal, and a pitcher. “Thank you,” she said before directing where the items should go.
After breakfast, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst visited Jane. Elizabeth was pleased to see that they could be attentive when they desired to be so, and there was no one more deserving of the ladies’ kindness than Jane. Now and then, they included Elizabeth in their conversation, Mrs. Hurst making up for where Miss Bingley lacked
Elizabeth thought she detected a greater coolness than she usually experienced from Miss Bingley. But then, she was only getting to know the lady, and as Elizabeth was not very much like Jane, it was no surprise the other woman did not like her.
At last, it came time for Elizabeth to depart. She had not meant to sit so long in the room with Jane, but she could hardly leave it in hopes of meeting Mr. Darcy if Bingley’s sisters were within the chamber.
“Lizzy, I wish you did not have to go. I worry about you walking so far this late in the afternoon. You have already had a great deal of exercise for the day.”
“The distance is nothing when one has a motive, dearest. I have rested very well all day in this room with you and seeing that you are better than I had hoped, gives me energy indeed.”
“But you have not dined and might grow faint.”
Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst looked at one another. “Of course, Miss Elizabeth. You must stay for dinner, and then you can return to Longbourn in my brother’s carriage,” Miss Bingley said.
“I am afraid that is impossible, Caroline. Do not you remember? The gentlemen are dining out again.”
For a brief second, Elizabeth thought Miss Bingley would growl in frustration. The woman evidently very much wished her gone.
“Then stay the night, Miss Elizabeth. It is no trouble at all to ready a room for you. Send a note to Longbourn, and a servant may fetch your clothes.”
Elizabeth fought the urge to roll her eyes. Evidently, six miles was too much for Elizabeth to walk, but not for some servant and laden with her clothing, as well.
“Why not stay until Jane is recovered?” Mrs. Hurst said. “If we send it off now, th
ere should be time for the horses to go to Longbourn and back before my brother needs them.”
Caroline’s brows rose, and Elizabeth stifled a laugh. If the horses could be used for a wagon to bring a trunk, then surely they could have been used for the carriage to take Elizabeth home on the outset of this discussion. Of course, once the dinner invitation had been issued, it could not be rescinded. If Elizabeth cared more about the comfort of Miss Bingley, she would decline dinner and offer that as a solution. However, she did desire to be with Jane longer and still needed to speak with Mr. Darcy. Miss Bingley would simply have to endure Elizabeth’s existence in her home a little longer. For herself, Elizabeth did not intend to be in anyone’s company except Jane’s for very long. As Elizabeth did not stink or have warts, she believed even Miss Bingley could tolerate her presence for a few days without justifiable offense.
“That is most kind. Thank you.” Elizabeth smiled.
Mrs. Hurst returned the gesture with sincerity. Her sister did not. Elizabeth had observed Miss Bingley enough to notice the signs of tightness around her smile and the forced look of complacency in her eyes. Now, how could she get the ladies to go? Even if Elizabeth did not need to speak to Mr. Darcy, Jane required rest.
“Is there writing equipment in here? Or shall we retire to the drawing room and allow Jane to sleep?”
“Oh!” Mrs. Hurst said in concern and then glanced at Jane, who had already begun to doze. “Yes,” she said in a whisper. “Let us go to the drawing room. The desk is well-supplied as Mr. Darcy often uses it.”
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. She could write Mr. Darcy a note, and that would be even easier than attempting to speak with him in person. It was just as well that Elizabeth had determined upon the idea. She would never have had the opportunity to talk to Mr. Darcy with Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst in the room. They hardly gave the poor man a chance to breathe!
After quickly scrawling a note to Longbourn requesting clothing and toiletries for a few days, Elizabeth wrote a missive to Mr. Darcy. She left it in the desk, stating she needed to discuss something with him of significance. With any luck, he would see it and reply soon and know how to gain a moment of privacy away from Miss Bingley. Elizabeth wondered if she could justify leaving Netherfield before Jane did. All she needed was the assurance that Jane was on the mend and that Mr. Darcy would not break Jane’s heart by gossiping to his friend.
Seven Days With Mr Darcy Page 109
