by P. O. Dixon
“I suppose we both needed time to allow cooler heads to prevail.” Elizabeth shifted her posture a bit. “Sir,” she began, “surely you must think I am quite naïve, dare I say gullible, to have believed Mr. Wickham’s easy lies and, yet you placed an inordinate degree of trust in me in exposing the gentleman’s true character.”
“Miss Elizabeth, when I said I loved you, I meant every word of it,” he said impulsively. Remembering himself, he said, “Pray, forgive me for speaking on a subject that I promised never to mention again.”
“I wish you would not say that.”
His voice sprinkled with a hint of optimism, Mr. Darcy asked, “Why not? Dare I hope your feelings have changed?”
“It is safe to say that your letter has given me much to consider,” she replied tentatively. “Were I in possession of the facts as conveyed in your letter, I surely would not have spoken so harshly, especially as regards my ill-advised defense of Mr. Wickham.”
“And what of the matter of my role in separating your sister and my friend Bingley?”
“I do not know that I would ever truly regret expressing my disapproval of your officiousness, but I am willing to confess that I now have a better understanding of your motives.”
“My good intentions toward my friend aside, the fact remains that your sister was wounded and for that, I am truly sorry. Would that I could make amends.”
“Oh, but you can, sir,” Elizabeth exclaimed with energy. “That is to say, I believe it is fully within your power to set things right.”
Darcy arched his brow, which served as enough encouragement for Elizabeth to continue.
“Mr. Bingley values your opinion - even more than his own, I suspect. If you would tell him that you were mistaken, I am certain he would listen.”
Darcy said nothing, but rather pursed his lips. At length, he remarked, “I think my abrupt change in stance might be more plausible were I to see the two of them together once again and then announce my change in attitude. Besides, my friend is not nearly so constant as you give him credit for being.”
“Are you suggesting that his feelings for my sister may have changed in the span of four or five months?”
“I know my friend well enough to know that it is not outside the realm of possibility, especially when you consider that their acquaintance in Hertfordshire was of an even shorter duration.”
Elizabeth sighed. “I do not like to concede your point, but I must confess there is a chance. You know your friend far better than I do, after all.”
“Miss Elizabeth, I propose we arrange to have your sister and my friend meet again.”
“How do you advise bringing about such a meeting?”
Darcy could not help thinking that should events unfold between his friend Bingley and Miss Bennet as Elizabeth hoped they would, it would mean many opportunities for Elizabeth and him to be in company. On the other hand, he was very mindful of the fact that Bingley may have indeed met and fallen in love with another angel in the weeks since he had last seen him.
Bingley is nothing if not inconstant.
Preferring not to stake his own future to his friend’s capricious character, Darcy searched his mind for a solution that would serve his purposes as well as satisfy Elizabeth’s desire for a reunion between Bingley and her sister.
What if said reunion were to take place in Kent?
It meant delaying his trip for one and persuading Bingley to come to Kent. It also meant Elizabeth would have to persuade her sister to come to Hunsford. Darcy was certain that Mrs. Collins would be agreeable to the scheme, especially given the none too subtle measures she had employed in persuading him to seek out Elizabeth before departing from Kent.
He was rather confident his aunt could have no objection to the scheme, for nothing would please her more than to have added time to cajole Darcy into doing his so-called duty towards the family by asking Anne for her hand in marriage—as though such a thing would ever happen. As for the colonel, Darcy suspected he was in no particular hurry to return to town. Should duty call, he was certainly at liberty to avail himself to either Darcy’s largess or that of Lady Catherine and be on his way.
Darcy secretly congratulated himself on having concocted what he imagined was the perfect scheme. He only needed to present it to Elizabeth.
Intending to do just that, he said, “Do you suppose your sister can be prevailed upon to come to Kent?”
“Are you so opposed to bringing your friend to Cheapside, Mr. Darcy?”
“No—not at all. I am simply proposing that your sister comes here and likewise, I shall invite Bingley. He has always expressed an interest in visiting this part of the country with me and equally important, apart from his sisters. I shall send an express inviting him to do so this very day.”
“It sounds like a lovely scheme indeed. Of course, it will take more time for me to arrange all the particulars in bringing Jane here. I do not dare claim the ability to arrange things according to my own purposes so easily as you.”
“I am more than happy to do everything in my power to hasten things along—that is to say, should you wish it, Miss Elizabeth. You can have no doubt as to my own interest in this matter.”
“Sir, if you are hoping that a reconciliation between my sister and Mr. Bingley is a sure step toward the resolution of our own dilemma, I am afraid I cannot make any promises.”
“As you know, disguise of any sort is my abhorrence, and therefore I will be completely honest with you. It is indeed my greatest wish that this occasion will afford ample time for you and me to begin anew with a far better understanding of where we stand in each other’s esteem and possibly affect a far happier outcome than either of us might have expected after the events that unfolded between us when we were last together.”
Chapter 5
Well Worth the Effort
Colonel Fitzwilliam’s curiosity about his cousin’s last-minute change in plans would not be repressed. He knew better than anyone how Darcy enjoyed arranging things for his own convenience, but this was getting to be a bit too much. This was not the first time his cousin had delayed the return trip to town with little more than a shrug of his shoulder. Their bags were packed in preparation for their return to London, for heaven’s sake. Given the peculiar nature of the latest delay, the colonel wanted answers.
“Darcy, if it is not too much to ask, pray what on earth is the reason for your sudden change of heart? Mind you I will not allow my question to be so easily dismissed as on the prior occasions.”
By Darcy’s expression, the colonel could tell his cousin did not like to be questioned. Nevertheless, Fitzwilliam continued, “I cannot help thinking your decision to remain even longer has to do with Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
“You know, Cousin, you are under no obligation to remain here. It is not as though Lady Catherine is holding you as a hostage.”
“Your attempt at deflection will not work. Is there something more to your connection to Miss Elizabeth Bennet other than your being old acquaintances from your time in Hertfordshire last autumn?”
Darcy folded one arm over the other. “You take an eager interest in my affairs.”
“It has been one of my favorite diversions for the past couple of decades, has it not?”
The younger man scoffed. “As it pertains to Miss Elizabeth, I regrettably wish that were not the case.”
“Regrettably?”
“Indeed. Because you took it upon yourself to inform her of my part in saving my friend Bingley from a most disadvantageous alliance, her opinion of me is poisoned to such a violent extent that it may never truly recover.”
The colonel shrugged. “I only told Miss Elizabeth about that business with Charles Bingley as a means of vouching for your excellent character. Why do you assume she mistook my intentions?”
“I imagine it is because the young woman from whom I saved my friend was none other than her dearest sister, Miss Jane Bennet.”
“No,” the colonel stated with a lo
ok of astonishment.
Darcy swept his fingers through his dark hair. “How you could not have surmised the connection on your own is beyond comprehension?”
“I take umbrage with your attitude, Darcy, especially as my intention was to bolster Miss Elizabeth’s opinion of you.”
“What is done is done. Besides, I suspect I owe you in an odd sort of way. I truly had no idea that Miss Elizabeth’s sister had suffered Bingley’s leave-taking so heart-wrenchingly as she did. It pains me to know that I had a part in that, regardless of my good intentions toward my friend. Anything I can do to make amends is well worth the effort.”
What he did not say was as a painful result of his cousin’s loquacious nature, he had also gotten a glimpse of the depths of Elizabeth’s disdain for him. It would be quite some time before he no longer felt the sting of her words.
“From the very beginning—from the first moment, I may almost say—of my acquaintance with you, your manners, impressing me with the fullest belief of your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, were such as to form the groundwork of disapprobation on which succeeding events have built so immovable a dislike; and I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry.”
Stinging words indeed. He had George Wickham, his former friend and current nemesis, to thank for that.
Wickham, as well as myself, if I am to be completely honest. Whatever the cause, I shall not rest until I have garnered her good opinion, and even that will not be enough. I love her. I want her. I need her, and I will do all in my power to make her mine.
“So, what, pray tell, do you plan to do to remedy the situation, if it is not asking too much?”
“I have invited Bingley to Kent for a visit.”
“Hence your purpose in delaying your return to town. Unless I am mistaken, Miss Elizabeth’s elder sister is also in town. How does inviting Bingley to Kent benefit her?”
“Unbeknown to Bingley, Miss Bennet will also be visiting this part of the country. It is all arranged. She will be Mrs. Collins’s guest.”
“But I do not understand. Your purpose in separating the two of them in the first place was because you did not think that Miss Bennet cared as much for your young friend as he cared for her. That and the fact that you believed her family, more specifically, Miss Elizabeth’s family was uncouth. What has happened to change your mind?”
“Miss Elizabeth changed my mind.”
“How did she do that?”
“We had a very long talk. I addressed my concerns as regarded her sister’s tepid attachment to Bingley, and she assured me that I was mistaken.”
Elizabeth had also said her sister rarely showed her true feelings to anyone, which in hindsight struck him as particularly ironic. Had he not failed to show his own true feelings to Elizabeth?
She seemed utterly unaware of the depths of my love for her.
“Do you mean to tell me that the great Mr. Darcy of Pemberley openly confessed making a mistake to a woman?” the colonel inquired.
“I have always been willing to admit my mistakes when indeed I have made one. Bingley is of an age where he is always making new acquaintances. What is more, he is always falling in love with one angel or another. As I have said before, I had concerns that his attachment to Miss Bennet was stronger than hers was to him. My mistake was in thinking she had no feelings for him—that she might have been tempted by his fortune and her mother’s boasting aloud to whoever would listen that Miss Bennet and Bingley were soon to be married.”
“And now you have persuaded yourself that you were wrong about Miss Bennet’s affection for your young friend, Bingley?”
“I have come to consider that I should not have interfered in the love affairs of others.”
Had I only come to this realization sooner, Darcy thought, remembering his speech to Elizabeth at the parsonage house: "I have no wish of denying that I did everything in my power to separate my friend from your sister, or that I rejoice in my success. Towards him I have been kinder than towards myself."
He shuddered in recollection of his poorly chosen words. A part of him supposed he would never forgive himself for being the cause of Miss Bennet’s pain and thereby, Elizabeth’s.
Why then do I suppose Elizabeth’s sentiments would be so much different than my own?
“Having met Miss Elizabeth, I would have to say that if she and her sister are at all alike, Charles Bingley must be a fool to have allowed himself to be so easily persuaded to walk away from her.” The colonel took a sip of his drink. “I for one can hardly wait to meet the young woman.”
“So long as you remember the purpose of her coming, I shall have no cause to repine.”
“What is that supposed to mean, pray tell?”
“I know you, Cousin. Most of all I know how much you enjoy a pretty face.”
“Rest assured, Darcy. Miss Bennet is perfectly safe from me—that is assuming she wishes to be. I suppose we will have to wait and see.”
Chapter 6
Old and Dear Acquaintance
Much to Elizabeth’s delight, things were falling into place quite nicely. Her dearest sister, Jane, would be arriving in Hunsford at any moment. Word had come from Rosings by way of Mr. Collins that a young man from London - one of Mr. Darcy’s closest friends, had arrived the evening before.
Elizabeth knew without being told that the young man was Charles Bingley. She was more than a little pleased that together with Charlotte and most of all Mr. Darcy, she had played a part in the imminent reunion between Jane and her lover.
Her lover. Mr. Darcy’s words about his friend’s constancy echoed through her mind.
I shall not presume to know Mr. Bingley’s mind, nor Jane’s, for that matter. After all, a great deal of time has passed since they last saw each other. I shall wait until the two of them are once again in each other’s company, and then I shall know how to think and how to act.
At that moment, the long-awaited carriage drove up to the parsonage. There stood Mr. Collins waiting to receive his newest guest. Thoughts of her own arrival some weeks ago flashed through her mind. The gentleman’s manner, though gracious and warm, had been intended for one thing: to remind her of all that she had given up when she so thoughtlessly spurned his offer of marriage.
The bravado, the condescension, the pity, all of it merely reassured her that she had done the right thing despite the ongoing rift with her mother, whose promise never to speak to her depended mainly upon which direction the wind blew on any given day.
The last thing Elizabeth wanted was for her sister to suffer their toady cousin’s sole company a moment longer than necessary, and thus, she tore herself away from the window she had been staring out of for the past hour and rushed outside the room intent on greeting her sister. Having met Charlotte at the doorway, she gave her friend a knowing smile and a quick hug before the two of them headed out the door and up the graveled path to the gate in time for Jane’s descent from the carriage.
A very happy reunion ensued, for weeks had passed since Elizabeth and Jane were last together in London, and even more time had passed since Charlotte and Jane had last seen each other. Not to be excluded from the gaiety of the occasion, Mr. Collins too behaved in a manner befitting the renewal of an old and dear acquaintance.
A little while later, Elizabeth was glad finally to have her sister Jane all to herself. Alone. She was able to discern the bright smile which graced Jane’s face for the past half hour had been solely for the Collinses’ benefit.
Jane’s spirits seemed as low as they had been when they parted in London some weeks ago. What comfort Elizabeth took in the prospect of reuniting her sister and Mr. Bingley in a matter of hours, for Mr. Darcy promised he would bring his friend around soon after Bingley’s arrival in Kent.
Elizabeth soon decided that she and Jane had better go for a walk. Not that she expected to meet Mr. Darcy and his friend Mr. Bingl
ey by accident, but she surely would welcome the occasion should it transpire.
She had not seen Mr. Darcy since the meeting when the two concocted their scheme to reunite Jane and Bingley. She supposed he had purposely stayed away, perhaps in order not to arouse his aunt’s suspicions on the actual reason for his delay in leaving Kent. Another part of her feared it was merely his way of avoiding her.
Jane was not nearly so excited as Elizabeth. If Elizabeth could read her sister’s mind, then she would realize this. Jane really did not want to dampen her sister’s enthusiasm, and thus she maintained her pretty smile. Elizabeth had been so excited in asking Jane to join her in Hunsford. Perhaps excited was not the word. Perhaps Elizabeth’s attitude could best be described as determined. Persistent.
Jane could hardly object. She certainly had nothing better to do. Going out among society, hoping for a glimpse of Charles Bingley in the crowd, and chastising herself for even wishing for such a possibility was no fun at all. At least in Kent, she was safe from setting herself up for disappointed hopes.
Jane said, “I am quite over him. Lizzy. I believe if I should ever see him again, we would meet as nothing other than indifferent acquaintances.”
“Jane, I wish you would not say such things.”
“Why in heavens not?”
Elizabeth shrugged. She would hate to think she had persuaded Mr. Darcy to invite his friend Charles Bingley to Kent only for him to be subjected to Jane’s indifference. She replied, “One simply never knows how one might react under any given circumstance.”
“I know that I spent far too much time sitting in our aunt Mrs. Gardiner’s parlor, rushing to the window at the sound of every passing carriage on the street below, experiencing the height of anticipation every time the doorbell rang and suffering the depths of disappointment and despair upon learning once again that it was not Mr. Bingley.
“If I am to be completely honest, I must concede that his sister’s visit dealt the final blow to my waning hopes. Thank heavens for your letter inviting me to spend time with you and Charlotte. It came at a time when I was almost desperate for diversion and even the prospect of spending time under Mr. Collins’s roof would not dampen my ensuing enthusiasm.”
