“So, you believe love and respect in a marriage are necessary for happiness?”
“I do and will not marry without it, even if I have to marry someone who is of the middle-class. My Uncle Gardiner is quite a successful merchant and one of the best men I know. He and my aunt have a marriage of the kind I dream about. I would not be averse to marrying someone like him.”
“Then I would guess that part of your compelling reason for not accepting Farrington at this point is that you do not love him and believe he may not love and respect you.”
“Why are you fixated on my relationship with Mr. Farrington?”
“Because I cannot imagine a woman of your station refusing him. I am most interested in knowing what motivated you. You are unique among all the women I have ever known.”
“Oh dear. I suppose among those of the upper-class, being unique is not a good thing. I have developed a belief that the upper-class is full of conformists who have a set of rules they believe all must follow to the letter.”
“There are certainly many of those, but it does not include many of my friends, and it does not include me. However, you make it sound as if all their rules are bad, and that is not the case.”
“I suppose they are not, and I suppose I will never know.”
“There you have implied again you are not going to accept Farrington, because if you would accept his offer, you would know. I will pry your secret from you eventually, little by little.”
“You are persistent, Mr. Darcy. Surely we can talk about something else.”
“I would like to talk about you. I have been told you are well-educated, but not how you became so. Are you willing to tell me?”
“It is no secret, but I prefer to call myself well-read rather than well-educated. I showed some unusual aptitude when I was little and Papa, who was once a Scholar at Cambridge, decided he wanted me to be bilingual. He had a friend who married a French woman and she spoke to their daughter in French, while father’s friend talked to her in English. By the time the child was six, she could speak both languages quite well. When Papa observed my ability to learn, he decided he wanted me to speak both English and Latin, so he started speaking to me in Latin when I was three and everyone else was speaking to me in English. He was very proud of the fact that by the time I was six, I could speak both English and Latin. He then started giving me Latin books to try to read when I was seven and from there on, he kept urging me to read books in both languages. Eventually, he also urged me to study Greek, so I could read early versions of the Bible, as well as what he considered poorly translated books by the great Greek philosophers. Furthermore, I found I liked to read, so I was willing to study topics most children do not study, starting with the Bible and then going to histories, plays, and poetry. Lately I have been studying books on agriculture, estate management, and botany so that I can help father determine how we might improve yields at Longbourn.”
“Do you still speak Latin?”
“Papa and I occasionally converse in Latin when we are discussing something we have read in Latin. He has also encouraged me to learn French and Spanish, which are not difficult because of my Latin. I am not fluent in either, but I can read them, and I suppose I could get by in France or Spain if I necessary.”
“Did you have no time to enjoy yourself?”
“It sounds more difficult that it was. Thousands of bilingual children speak and read two different languages. I am just unusual in that one of the two I learned is Latin and perhaps that I read a little more than most. I enjoy reading and learning, walking, singing, and dancing, which I do not think are unusual activities.”
“However, I suspect the amount of time you spend on the former sets you apart and that your success with each of them is greater than that achieved by most.”
“How about you? What do you enjoy?”
“I certainly enjoy reading and learning. I prefer to ride rather than walk. Singing is not one of my talents, but I believe I dance reasonably well, although I do not do it often. I greatly enjoy attending good plays, operas, and classical concerts. I am particularly fond of Shakespeare, Blake, Cowper, and Wordsworth. I am also interested in Greek and Roman history.”
“Then you should speak with my father. He was a classical scholar and still seeks new books about those times. However, he usually looks for books in the original language rather than translations.”
Bingley and Jane had reached the Oakham Mount trailhead and stopped to wait for Darcy and Elizabeth. “I suspect we are dawdling a little too much,” said Jane. “I think we should walk more quickly along this part of the Oakham Mount trail and then on the trail into Meryton. Otherwise we will have no time for tea before we return to Longbourn. You know the trail the best, Lizzy. Why do not you and Mr. Darcy lead the way?”
“Very well, let us be on our way. But you do remember Jane, when I walk, I usually walk quickly, so be prepared to keep a more rapid pace.”
The first part of the trail was through meadow and there was plenty of room for two to walk abreast and the path was smooth, so the four walked together rather easily. During that part of the walk, the conversation was on the terrain and the clouds to the northwest which looked somewhat ominous, but which no one thought would bother them before they reached Meryton. However, when they reached the woods and the path was not straight and less smooth and they had to walk in single file most of the time, Jane and Bingley soon fell behind to the extent that Elizabeth and Darcy had to slow down to wait for them.
As they were walking slowly, Darcy said, “I was thinking of our earlier conversation, and it dawned on me that we were discussing topics about our personal lives, which meant we were acting as if I had called on you and we were trying to come to know each other. I remember asking you if Calabas would have attacked, and then I believe I asked what you meant when you said I was not ready to hear your reason. My first question was truly intended to try to establish conversation about neutral and impersonal topics, but my second seems to have led us in a different direction. Has this deviation from the expected upset you at all?”
Elizabeth thought about what they had talked about and the personal information they had exchanged. He was correct, as unattached chaperones, their conversation should have been less personal, but she, for one, was happy it had not been. She wanted to know more about him, and she comprehended she had been treating their walk as if he had called on her and was interested in her. “No, it has not, but I can see you are correct. I suppose it was my fault. To be frank, you just made me understand that I have been, without thinking, treating this walk as if the two of you called on the two of us. I assume your question was a reminder to me that you did not call on me. I apologize if I directed it to personal matters.”
Darcy laughed and shook his head. “You completely misinterpreted my intention, Elizabeth. I was concerned that I had been remiss in not keeping the conversation less personal and that you might be upset with me.”
She stopped completely and looked at him silently for a few moments. “Perhaps it was your fault, for that is the second time in these discussions when you have called me by my given name without the ‘Miss’ in front of it. Have you been treating this conversation as if you had called on me?”
Somewhat abashed, he said, “Yes, I believe, like you, I have been, a fact I believe I have been trying to ignore, because men of my station do not usually call on women of yours.”
She started walking again, looking back at him to say, “Which is exactly what I have been trying to tell Mr. Farrington.”
Jane and Bingley rounded the curve in the trail behind them, and they were soon all walking together again and finally came to the edge of Meryton. Elizabeth, becoming concerned about the darkening sky, pulled up the bottom of her dress slightly. “I suggest we start running, or we may be soaked. The Inn is on the corner ahead of us and we can find protection from the rain on the porch.”
As she said that the rain started to fall, and as they rounded the corn
er and steps up to the porch of the Meryton Inn, it began to rain in earnest. Luckily, they all made it inside without becoming drenched.
Chapter 8: Tea, Cakes, and Other Things
There were several people finding protection from the rain on the porch, and there was no place left to sit, so Bingley suggested they go into the restaurant, where they might partake of some tea and pastries. “I know it is not the tea shop, but it is a decent restaurant. I assume they can serve us tea at this time of day.”
“They can,” said Elizabeth. “They do not have the pastry selection the tea shop does, but they should have something we will enjoy. But what shall we do with the dogs? We cannot just leave them here untended. Many people are afraid of big dogs like them.”
As they were speaking, Mrs. Spencer, who ran restaurant, came out onto the porch with a tray containing a tea pot and cups and carried it to a couple who were sitting in chairs on the porch. After she served the couple, she came to the foursome and their dogs. “Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, you escaped the rain. It is good you are not out there. You would be soaked. Would you like to come in the restaurant and have some tea and pastries?”
“We would, Mrs. Spencer,” said Elizabeth, “but we do not know what to do with our dogs.”
“Are they dry, so they will not be shaking water off of themselves?”
“They are.”
“Then bring them in with you. I can set you in the corner and you can put them between you and the wall. They will not bother anyone there.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Spencer. We would appreciate that. And let me introduce you to Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. Mr. Bingley is the new renter of Netherfield, and Mr. Darcy is visiting him. You may see them in here again in the future.”
Mrs. Spencer curtsied and expressed her pleasure at meeting them and then told them to follow her. They were soon seated at a corner table in the restaurant, which was at the back of the room and out of everyone’s way and Mrs. Spencer took their order for tea and pastries, which in this case, were pieces of apple torte.
As they were seated there, Darcy saw an older man enter the restaurant on the arm of a middle-aged woman. He turned to Elizabeth. “Miss Elizabeth, do you know that gentleman who just came into the restaurant?”
“Oh, certainly. That is Mr. Furness. He is with his daughter, Mrs. Holloway. Her husband was killed in the war and her daughters are married and gone. He came to live with her three years ago. Do you know him?”
“I do, indeed. He was my tutor from the age of ten until I went to Eton when I was fourteen. He lived in Lambton and tutored two or three others in the area during those years. He came to Pemberley three mornings a week to work with me. My father thought he was the best tutor money could hire in those days.”
He stood. “Please excuse me a moment. I want to go say hello to him.”
When he approached the table at which Mr. Furness was sitting, Mr. Furness noticed him, and Darcy could tell Mr. Furness recognized him as someone he should know but could not remember who he was.
Darcy initiated the conversation. “Mr. Furness, it is good to see you after all these years. You may not recognize me. I am Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley.”
Mr. Furness stood, and his face brightened, as he was able to recognize in Darcy the boy he had known. “Master Fitzwilliam – excuse me – Mr. Darcy, I apologize, it has been many years, and I did not recognize you to be the young lad I tutored for four years. May I introduce you to my daughter, Mrs. Betty Holloway. Betty, this is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire.”
After the introduction was finished, Mr. Furness continued, “You are looking well, Mr. Darcy. May I ask why you are in our little village.”
Darcy motioned with his arm toward the table with Elizabeth, Jane, and Bingley. “I am visiting Mr. Bingley, who has recently leased Netherfield Park, and we are fortunate today to be escorting Miss Jane and Miss Elizabeth Bennet on a walk.”
‘Ah, you are lucky men, to be in company of two of the finest young women England has to offer.”
“I believe you are correct, Mr. Furness. How are you? I must admit, since I had not heard of you for so many years, I thought you must be dead, but I can see you are very much alive and looking quite chipper.”
“I am seventy-nine and am feeling quite chipper, partly because of Miss Elizabeth. She visits me at least once a week when she is at home, brings me goodies, checks my health, discusses books, and plays chess with me. May I ask, how are your father and little sister?”
“My sister is quite well, although she is not quite so little any more, but my father passed away five years ago.
“I am sorry to hear that. He was a good man. I am sure you miss him.”
“I do, indeed. Miss Elizabeth told me you came to live with your daughter a few years ago. Do you enjoy life here?”
“I do. Betty’s husband was killed in the war with Napoleon and her children have all moved away, so she and I have combined our small savings and are living quite comfortably in the house she owns. We manage to take good care of each other.”
“Good. I must return to my party, but it was good to see you again. I promise, now that I am staying in the area, I will schedule time to visit with you.”
“I shall look forward to it, Mr. Darcy, and let me tell you, if you are courting Miss Elizabeth, you could not have chosen a finer woman. She is the kindest, most intelligent, and well-read woman I have ever known. I cannot imagine how any man could stay away from her, once he has met her. Please tell her I look forward to her next visit.”
“I will.” He then bowed to Mrs. Holloway. “Mrs. Holloway, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
When he returned to his party, he said, “Miss Elizabeth, he told me to tell you he was looking forward to your next visit.”
Elizabeth looked at Mr. Furness, smiled and waved at him and received a wave and smile in return. “He is a wonderful man and has many wonderful stories about his years as a tutor and teacher. However, he never mentions the names of those he tutored. He says he considers it his duty to not disclose the names or anything about those he has tutored unless given special permission to do so.”
“I can imagine. His sense of loyalty to those he served is one of the traits which made him such a desired tutor. And, I must say, he was an excellent teacher. I can think of no one who taught me at Eton and perhaps only one or two at Cambridge, who were his equal. May I ask how you met him?”
“I happened to provide his daughter some help and met him through her.”
Jane laughed. “She is being modest. She will not admit it, but she saved Mrs. Holloway’s life and caused Mr. Furness to come stay with her. After Mrs. Holloway’s husband was killed in the war, she became very depressed and was starving herself to death – not intentionally, but she just had no interest in anything, including eating. Because people sometime call on Lizzy if Mr. Jones, our apothecary, is not available and they have a medical problem, one of Mrs. Holloway’s friends sent for Lizzy when she found Mrs. Holloway unconscious in her house. Lizzy recognized her symptoms as dehydration and malnutrition, and stayed with her for two days, seeing she was given water and forcing her to eat gruel and soup. Eventually, Mrs. Holloway rallied and her friends, under Lizzy’s direction, started feeding her and making sure she drank liquids. Also, Lizzy found a letter from her father in her desk, with his address on it, and she wrote to him, telling him of his daughter’s problems. A few weeks later, he moved in with her and now she and he are both, for their ages, in rather good health.”
Bingley then asked Elizabeth, “Why would they call on you if they have medical problems? Do you have some special training?”
“Not formal training, but when I was fifteen, I happened to pick up a book on medical procedures, which fascinated me. After reading it, I once asked Papa if I could go with Mr. Jones when he was called to treat one of our tenants. He allowed to do so, and Mr. Jones appreciated the help. Seeing my enthusiasm, Mr. Jones began to ask me to join him, whenever he wa
s going to visit one of our tenants, if he thought he might need some help. In the past few years, I have assisted him several times on visits, not only to our tenants but also to tenants of Netherfield and people in the town.”
“And your father does not object?”
“Heavens, no!” said Jane. “He is proud of her. He has some worry that she might bring an illness home to the family, but so far, it has not occurred.”
“Why has this discussion become about me?” asked Elizabeth. “I am sure there are hundreds of women in England who know as much or more about medical procedures than I do.”
“But you are the only one we know,” said Darcy, “And we find it an interesting topic while we wait out the rainstorm.”
“Well, I think we should speak of something else. Mr. Darcy, how is your sister. Is she doing well?”
“As far as I know. She is at a boarding school in London. It is a finishing school that emphasizes visual and musical art. She is an avid pianist and the school has a reputation of having some outstanding pianists on its staff. She has not communicated with me since she started school, so I cannot tell you how she likes it.”
“How is your cousin, Col. Fitzwilliam. Is he still on the Continent?”
“He is, and again, I have not heard from him in some weeks, so I cannot give an update on him. Have you met him?”
“I have. I was at a ball in London last Season and danced with him.”
“Do you know more of my family?”
“I do. I have met your aunt, Lady Matlock, and your cousin, Lady Alicia. I have also met Lady Willingham and Lady Penelope, who, I believe, are related to you in some way.”
“How is it they never mentioned you to me?”
“Why would they? My family does not move in the exalted circles in which you move, and they know my favorite uncle and aunt are merchants. They would consider me completely unsuitable for you; therefore, would have no reason to mention me.”
The Lady of the Mount and Patience Rewarded: Two Stories of Darcy and Elizabeth Page 6
