Flirtation and Folly

by Anna Harlow

  Darcy frowned at this. “Madam, I was attempting to forget about that previous conversation, for the issues were never resolved, and Miss Elizabeth and I do not have time yet to address them. I pray you will put the thought out of your mind. For I am certain, since this amiability has returned so easily, that neither of us could be too angry with the other and will find our chance to make amends sometime soon.”

  As they headed out to the carriage, Darcy caught Elizabeth’s hand in his and would not relinquish it until after the older couple had gotten inside. Satisfied that they were unlikely to hear his words, he tugged Elizabeth closer still.

  “Did you have a chance to read my note, Lizzy?” he asked her, his lips much closer to her ear than propriety allowed.

  She did not move away from him as she answered. “I did, sir. And I am most devastated to have so misjudged you. I do not know how you can ever forgive my assumptions where you are concerned.”

  “You could not know the gentleman spoke false,” he said with a shrug. “Wickham is a master at manipulating the fairer sex. I would be surprised if his words did not so resonate with you. Count yourself lucky that he was not attempting to win your heart, or he would really have turned on the charm.”

  “My heart? Now that is something I would not so easily give,” she scoffed. “Besides, at the time I believed the gentleman to be in love with Mary King. Though, obviously, it could not have been more than a vague inclination, for he is now married to my sister Lydia.”

  “Wickham, marry Lydia?” Darcy gasped. “But how can that be? She had no decent dowry and no connections. It sounds like an impossibility.”

  “And yet it is so,” she assured him. “Lydia went to Brighton with her friend, Harriet, who is now Mrs. Forster, and while she was there, she snuck out in the middle of the night and met Wickham, and the two eloped to Gretna Green. The Colonel forced him to resign his commission, and he is now demoted to the regulars. I cannot say how the two of them will live, but the damage is done now, for good or ill.”

  “Please do not mention anything of this to Georgiana,” said Darcy, grimacing. “I am certain that she pines for Wickham still, and such news might upset her greatly.”

  “You may rely on my discretion, as always,” Elizabeth agreed.

  “I wish I did not have to relinquish you right now,” he admitted, and took her other hand as well as the first, bringing each of them up to his lips. “I have so much more I should wish to say to you. And I believe it is likely you feel the same.”

  “I do, sir, most emphatically,” she admitted, sighing. “Would it be wrong of me to ask you? Can we forget that night at Rosings ever happened and simply begin again? Go on from where we were before all the harsh words and continue to be friends?”

  “Miss Elizabeth Bennet, you are far dearer to me than any friend could ever be,” he told her in all sincerity. “You are my garden angel, and ever shall be. Come, I will help you up before your family expires from waiting. I look forward to your company again tomorrow.”

  “And I, yours, sir. Good night.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Bingley alit from the carriage in the early morning just outside the front door of Pemberley manor, and Bingley was quick to enter the house through a side door rather than bothering Reynolds, the butler, who happened to be the housekeeper’s son.

  “He’ll not wish to awaken at this hour just for us,” he explained as they went. “It is certain Darcy awaits us in the smallest parlor. This way, sir.”

  They entered the room in question and discovered Darcy seated in a comfortable chair. His hound, Bruce, was lounging near his feet, covering them with his body in a bid to keep him there. Grinning wryly, he patted the dog’s head even as he extricated himself in order to greet his company.

  “Mr. Bingley, what a pleasure,” he said, and the two men briefly thundered each other on their backs, grinning broadly.

  “Ah, Mr. Darcy, it is such a pleasure to be at Pemberley again,” Bingley said. “Especially under such wonderful circumstances as these. My mother has agreed to come to the wedding at Netherfield, thankfully. But, Darcy, if you do not come along to stand up with me, I shall feel very ill abused indeed.”

  “You know full well that I would never fail you, Bingley,” he replied. “It will be an honor to stand at your side for such an occasion.”

  “Tell me, sir, how does your own plan progress?”

  Darcy winced. “I have no idea, honestly. One moment I have hope, and the next uncertainty. But I shall prevail. I have never been one to give up easily.”

  “If you keep going about it in such a manner, you shall succeed admirably, sir,” Mr. Gardiner teased, and they all grinned at one another knowingly.

  “In any case, where is Fitzwilliam? Shall he not be coming out with us today?”

  “He shall,” Darcy confirmed. “If we can convince him it is time to rise.”

  ∞∞∞

  After the gentlemen had used the carriage to go to Pemberley earlier, it had returned to the inn to await the leisure of the ladies. Elizabeth would have been perfectly happy if Caroline had elected to remain with her mother for the day, but of course she arrived in plenty of time to be included in their party, for she would certainly not wish to miss a chance to visit with Darcy no matter how distasteful Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth might be to her. Jane, who had been deposited in her room at the inn late last night, was just as eager to see Pemberley as the rest of them.

  Caroline took the opportunity to tell them all about Georgiana, some of the times they had spent at Pemberley together, and how very amiable she was with every member of that household. “You must have met Mrs. Reynolds while you were there, I’m sure. She is the very best housekeeper in the world. I learned many of my own housekeeping habits from that dear lady. I declare, if she was not firmly entrenched in the Darcy household, I should easily snap her up myself.”

  “Yes, she did seem quite pleasant,” Mrs. Gardiner agreed. “And she seems to dote on the current Mr. Darcy very much.”

  “I imagine that is because she watched him grow almost from infancy,” Caroline replied. “I have known him since he was seventeen, and so have watched him mature into his present state from that point forward, but it would have been quite pleasant to know him as a boy. I sometimes imagine what he must have been like at that time.”

  “Now that Mrs. Reynolds has been telling me about him, I can sympathize with that notion myself,” said Elizabeth, smiling as she visualized her notions of future domestic bliss once again. What would a child between herself and Mr. Darcy look like? Perhaps very much like his father, and most likely sporting at least some portion of his name—though she would prefer to name him William rather than Fitzwilliam, as there were plenty enough of those already.

  This thought brought her back to the Colonel and her worries that his behavior toward her might not change. Not that she minded a little teasing, but she dare not allow him to become physical with her in front of Darcy again. Not if she hoped the gentleman might renew his addresses, in any case. And surely the look in his eyes yesterday, and the kisses her hands had received, suggested that was a possibility.

  How she longed for it to be so! Understanding that the gentleman was not the creature Wickham had painted had given her hope where it had never existed before. Well, that, and the fact that Darcy had declared he loved her even against every adversity. Knowing that one was loved certainly did make it easier to admit that love was shared.

  “You are uncommonly quiet today, Miss Eliza,” Caroline remarked after speaking with Jane and Mrs. Gardiner for a time. “I have never seen you so silent before.”

  “Forgive me,” she said, blushing. “I have a great deal on my mind. Though I imagine I must pull myself out of my reveries once we have arrived.”

  They were now traversing the cobblestone road that led from the gate to the front of the manor, but soon overtook the four gentlemen as they were walking up from the lake. They all waved a
nd smiled, and the driver stopped so they might speak to one another.

  “We have caught plenty of fish for supper tonight,” Mr. Darcy was pleased to inform them. “You will forgive us if we do not immediately join you in the parlor, as I believe you would not appreciate our company until we have all changed into something more suitable. I would wish for you to await us in the smaller sitting room, for I do not wish for you to encounter Georgiana until I am able to perform the introductions myself.”

  Elizabeth was quite aware of the honor he hoped to pay her in this manner. For, if they were to see her ahead of time, that service would be done by Caroline, and would lose much of its significance in the translation. Of course, the rest of the women understood the implication as well, and Caroline’s face went a deep shade of red as a result. The other two found themselves hard put to suppress their grins.

  “We shall wait for you, of course, sir,” said Elizabeth, smiling. “I would not suspend any pleasure you would gain from it.”

  “Miss Elizabeth, what a very great pleasure to see you again so soon,” said Fitzwilliam then. “I had not thought myself capable of extending my visit with my cousin to include Pemberley, but as the troops continue to train for the summer, and I am not needed for a few weeks more, I was able to come after all. And now that you have arrived in Derbyshire, I am most happy at the result.”

  “Do not tease me so, Colonel, please,” she admonished him. “Your cousin and I have yet to air out our differences, and I would not wish to give him a further disgust of me.”

  “Come now, Lizzy, did we not agree?” Darcy complained, though he could not help smiling. Noticeably more so when Caroline held back a gasp of dismay upon the use of her nickname.

  “I had not realized the two of you had become such close acquaintances,” she commented dryly. “Perhaps your stay at Rosings must have brought you together in such a way?”

  “Oh, yes, we were much put together there, though, of course, most of the interaction did not occur within Lady Catherine’s home. We mostly were outside, walking, exploring, or having picnics with Anne and a few others. Charlotte Lucas went to Kent with me, and so she and her new fiancé were often part of our party.”

  “Well then, the sooner we arrive, the sooner we may settle in for the evening,” said Bingley briskly. “Do you not agree, Darcy?”

  “Indeed,” he agreed. “We shall see you ladies as soon as may be.”

  After a few tense minutes in which Caroline fumed, the men rejoined the ladies as discussed. Darcy seemed quite eager to take Elizabeth by the hand as the party headed for the music room. Georgiana was surely the person inside who played so well, and when her brother opened the door, she literally sprang to her feet and flew across the room to greet them.

  “Miss Elizabeth!” she exclaimed. “My brother has told me so much about you, I feel as if we are friends already! And he has said you can play the piano very well! You simply must come and play a duet with me.”

  “Your brother had perjured himself greatly,” Elizabeth protested. “I do not play the piano nearly as well as you.”

  Her face fell and confusion overtook her features rapidly. “But he said—”

  “Elizabeth is teasing you, my dear,” Darcy insisted. “She likes to pretend to a difficulty which anyone who has watched her can hardly see. And what her fingers may lack in skill, she more than makes up for with her exquisite soprano.”

  “Sir, are you trying to embarrass me?” Elizabeth scolded him. “I shall not arise to such bait.”

  “Indeed, I must agree with Darcy in this,” said Fitzwilliam. “You most truly have the voice of an angel, Miss Bennet. A voice I should love to hear again.”

  “Oh, please?” Georgiana begged her.

  “Very well,” she agreed, though out of the corner of her eye she could see that Miss Bingley was not at all pleased by the attentions lavished on her by the Darcys. She followed Georgiana back to the piano and they sat together on the bench and ended up entertaining the rest of the company until it was time to eat.

  When they were finished, Georgiana’s eyes were shining with happiness. “Oh, that was wonderful! What must it have been like to live with four sisters, Miss Elizabeth? To always have one or another there to enjoy the afternoon with?”

  “I suppose that in the eyes of someone who had none, it might seem very appealing,” she speculated. “Though I admit, most of my own hours were spent with Jane.”

  “Oh yes, Miss Bennet, where are my manners? I must congratulate you on your match with Mr. Bingley! He is a most excellent gentleman, and I wish you happy.”

  With almost everyone there in such high spirits, other than Caroline Bingley, the evening was one of the most enjoyable Elizabeth had ever seen. Fitzwilliam did not flirt too much, but Darcy’s attentions to her were quite outrageous, leaving Caroline cross and disdainful by the time everyone crowded into the carriage to return to the inn and the Fisher home respectively.

  Darcy handed Elizabeth into the vehicle last, and not without administering a playful kiss to her hand. “I should like to see you again, Lizzy. Will you not fall into one of my gardens for a walk in the morning?”

  “Sir, it is five miles to reach your gardens from the inn,” she protested, though she could not stop herself from giggling.

  “Would that I could import you without censure, that would not be a problem. Perhaps you need to grow a pair of wings.”

  “Master Will, you are quite incorrigible. Is there not someplace closer to Lambton, sir?”

  “You might walk along the lake’s edge, I suppose,” he suggested, his eyes shining wickedly. “I believe my stallion would not dislike such an outing.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The following morning, as she was preparing to leave, Mr. Gardiner discovered Elizabeth and completely thwarted her purpose. “This is not Meryton, where you are familiar with the people and they with you, Lizzy. We have no idea what may motivate them or what aims they might have upon seeing an unprotected young woman out in the fields. Besides, Mr. Bingley has stated that his mother wishes to meet the rest of us, and we are to accompany them to her house early this afternoon.”

  “But, sir, you have no idea how much I wish for a bit of fresh air,” Elizabeth tried, but to no avail.

  “Tomorrow, or maybe the next day, we shall all take a walk together. Maybe even on the grounds of Pemberley, since your Mr. Darcy is so very accommodating.”

  Sighing, Elizabeth returned to her room and tried not to cry. If ever there was a perfect time for her and Darcy to talk freely together, it should have been this morning. For with so many members in the party as a whole, there could be no chance for the two of them to find a moment alone. Daring as it may be, she did not wish for him to go looking for her in a place she could not go, so she wrote a quick note and paid a footman to discreetly take it out to him during the course of the morning.

  That man arrived a bit later and slipped Elizabeth a note in return. She thanked him and slipped it into the folds of her skirt, then excused herself abruptly so that she might go to her room and read it.

  Dearest Lizzy,

  There is no need for concern. I’ve had a letter from Bingley inviting me to the visit this afternoon. With such knowledge, I was quite sure you could not get away, yet I did not expect your uncle to pen in you quite so well. But it cannot be helped, and we must wait for now. I shall see you soon.

  –D

  Sighing with vexation, Elizabeth knew she ought to return to the sitting room with the others, and yet she was completely out of sorts. She had so longed to see Darcy again, and yet at the same time she had no idea what she expected from him. Of course she would like him to renew his suit, but that was not precisely what she had asked him to do. She had told him they should be friends, but it was not what either one wanted. Darcy had specifically told her so, and over the last couple of days he had been quite open about his regard for her. Holding her hands or kissing them, leaning in far too close, and casting her look
s she was certain were meant to thrill. She could not be mistaken about his intentions, surely.

  Yet what gentleman, having been refused once, would endeavor to offer for a lady a second time? She had never heard of such a man. She must simply assume he wished to be on good terms with her for the sake of Bingley and Jane, for they would certainly find themselves much put together after that wedding. She must not allow herself too much hope, no matter what Darcy’s actions might suggest.

  A knock came on her door. Jane asked through it, “Lizzy, are you not coming out? Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam have come. Mr. Darcy says that they will ride beside the carriage out to Fisher house and will remain with us here until it is time to depart.”

  Her heart skipped a beat and the most profound joyfulness entered her being. Darcy was not to be deprived of her company, it would seem. They may not be able to spend time alone, but at least they could enjoy what togetherness was available to them.