“I do not know, but I do not believe so. As I said, she is a very forgiving person and if he explains what happened, I believe she may accept his attentions again. If he does reopen Netherfield, I need to speak to her and convince her that if she does want to marry him, she must show him her feelings. Perhaps you can convince him to pursue her a little more aggressively.”
“I will do so if he indicates to me he is still interested in her. However, you must remember, I have not seen him since I left Netherfield, so I have no idea what his situation is now. He has not written in three months. Georgiana and I intend to return to London in October and remain there until the end of November. If he is still there, I will speak to him as soon as I can.”
Once again, they walked in silence for several minutes. “We have been so intent on our conversation,” said Elizabeth, “I have not been observing the vegetation as closely as I had intended. This walk around the lake is beautiful. There are so many blooming trees and wildflowers. Were all these trees and wildflowers purposely planted here, or are some of them native to the area?”
“I suspect it is a little of both. These flowers and trees have been here as long as I have, so I do not know which were planted and which grew naturally. I am sure Mr. Vanderoot, who has been a gardener here for 60 years, can tell you. You are the first who has ever asked that me that question, and I have never asked him; therefore, I will be interested in what he has to say.”
They walked for another half an hour discussing the landscape, when Darcy suddenly asked, “You asked me why I invited you here. May I ask: would you have come without your aunt and uncle?”
She considered her answer a few moments. “That is a question I cannot answer. I very much wanted to see Pemberley. Yet, I was distressed when I first saw you and was not truly interested in speaking with you. When you extended your invitation, my opinion of you was still colored by what Mr. Wickham had told me about you and by your rejection of me at the assembly the first night I saw you.
Darcy interjected before she could continue, “I rejected you? In what way did I reject you?”
“I overheard you speaking with Mr. Bingley. He suggested you dance with me and you, after briefly looking at me, told him I was tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt you. Then you went on to say you did not want to give consequence to young women who were slighted by other men.”
He thought for a moment and the conversation came back to him. He looked crestfallen. “I do remember saying that, and I remember hoping no one had heard what I said. It was unforgivable. I want you to know that my remark was not directed at you but was just an attempt to stop Bingley from insisting I dance. I hardly glanced your way when Bingley asked me about dancing with you.”
“Unfortunately, I heard you, and you cannot imagine how much it damaged my ego. I had always been told I was one of the prettiest girls of the region and receiving such a set down from a man of your standing was devastating. I tried to laugh it off, as I usually do such insults, but I suppose, because of your status, I could not. It made me decide I could not like you, and I am sure hearing your opinion of me contributed to my willingness to listen to and believe Mr. Wickham’s scurrilous attacks on your character.”
Darcy nodded his head. “I can believe it did. It was a very ungentlemanly and inappropriate thing to say. I can better understand your acceptance of Wickham’s words considering what you heard. I can only apologize for my poor behavior. I had not wanted to go to the assembly that night. I had just arrived at mid-afternoon, was in a foul mood, and had no desire to be out in any society that night. However, if I did not go, Miss Bingley insisted she must stay with me at Netherfield. That, in my opinion, would have been worse than going to the assembly. I had no desire to dance with anyone, which was why I acted so unfriendly. I know I do not mix well with those I do not know, but I am not usually as unpleasant as I was that night. As to my opinion of your appearance, once I had observed you more carefully, I found you to be considerably better than tolerable, and I regretted my remark. If you must know, I have come to believe you are one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.”
This last statement made Elizabeth gasp and stop to look at him. When he realized she had stopped, he also quit walking and turned to look at her. “You look stunned. Had you no idea that I thought you were beautiful?”
When she shook her head, he said, “Why did you think I stared at you so often?”
“I… I thought you were finding fault with me.” She shook her head again. “I was sure you meant what you had said at the assembly and that you were just confirming your initial assessment of my looks. Furthermore, I thought you did not approve of me and my penchant to occasionally disagree and argue with you.”
He gave a sardonic laugh. “I believe this illustrates the fallibility of our perceptiveness. You thought I was finding fault with you, and I thought you perceived my interest in you and relished the fact that you could argue and disagree with me. In fact, in some of those cases, I thought you were flirting with me. As I admitted before, when I left, I thought you admired me.”
She giggled and shook her head. “These revelations are almost unbelievable. It makes me wonder what our relationship would be if I had not overheard your comment at the assembly and our introduction to one another had been more amiable. I suspect I would not have been as open to Mr. Wickham’s accusations and our understanding of each other’s character would have been much better.”
He smiled at her and then bowed and said, “Miss Bennet, allow me to introduce myself. I am Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire.”
Realizing what he was doing, she curtsied and said, “I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Darcy. I am Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire. But my sister is Miss Bennet. Please call me Miss Elizabeth.”
“Thank you. I will. May I offer you my arm and show you some of the magnificent vegetation and views that may be found at Pemberley?”
Without hesitation, she took his arm and replied, “It would be my pleasure, sir.”
The rest of the walk was spent in pleasant conversation about Pemberley and the landscape. When they returned to the house and saw Georgiana, she could sense that somehow the relationship between the two of them had changed. Elizabeth’s smile went all the way to her eyes and even Darcy’s smile looked more genuine. “I wonder what occurred on that walk?” she thought to herself.
******
Darcy and Georgiana decided to take Elizabeth to Lambton personally. Some of the conversation addressed Mr. Gardiner’s desire to fish at Pemberley. As they pulled in front of the Rodgers’ house, Darcy said, “Miss Elizabeth, if I may, I will walk you to the door. I would like to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner a moment.”
“May I ask why?”
“I will let you know at the same time I tell them.”
When they reached the front door, Darcy and Georgiana remained on the front porch, while Elizabeth went in to ask her uncle and aunt to join Darcy on the porch. When the five of them were all there, Darcy said, “Mr. Gardiner, when we were speaking in the library, you mentioned how you enjoyed fishing in Pemberley’s streams and lake and that you had discussed with Avery the possibly fishing with him this week. I know he insists that the best time of day to fish these streams is early in the morning, starting no later than seven o’clock, but preferably 6:30. Might I invite the three of you to come for dinner the night before the day you wish to fish and stay the night with us? As you have seen, we have plenty of room, and it would give my abundant staff something to do. In fact, if you saw a favorite bedroom as you took your tour, you would be most welcome to stay in it.”
Elizabeth once again was astonished at this Mr. Darcy she did not know. Not only was he entertaining members of the merchant class, he was going above and beyond the normal level of hospitality. What could be his purpose?
Mr. Gardiner looked at Mrs. Gardiner with a look saying he would like to accept the invitation, but it would deprive his wife a night with her pa
rents, so he said, “We are visiting your parents, Madeleine; therefore, I think you should make the decision.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “You know when you look at me that way and speak in that voice, I could not deny you your wish. I believe we would like to accept your invitation, Mr. Darcy. Lizzy, I assume you have no objections.”
To Darcy’s surprise, Georgiana said, “Oh, please say yes. Miss Elizabeth, I would love to have you stay in the room that shares a sitting room with me. It is a beautiful room and the sitting room is very cozy. I would like to have a chance to speak with you more.”
“I will be happy to come again and have a chance to spend more time in this library, but Miss Darcy, I do not think it would be appropriate for me to stay in the family wing. I have no wish to be a subject of gossip.”
“Miss Elizabeth, I assure you, no gossip will come out of our household,” said Darcy. “The staff is very loyal. Were there others besides us there, I would agree with you, but I do not believe that staying one night in our huge house in the bedroom next to my sister will compromise your reputation. What are your thoughts on this, Mr. Gardiner?”
He thought for a minute and looked at this wife, who shrugged her shoulders as if to say it did not bother her. “I can see no danger in doing it, Lizzy. Besides, it will give you a chance to see a part of the house we have not seen.”
Thus, it was decided that Elizabeth and the Gardiners would return for dinner on Friday and stay the night. Then Mr. Gardiner would have an early morning fishing expedition with Mr. Avery.
Chapter 4: Staying at Pemberley
Darcy was at his desk, dealing with a pile of correspondence, when there was a knock on the door and Georgiana stuck her head in the door. “Will, do you have some time to talk with me?”
“Certainly, Georgie. I always had time for you.”
Georgiana approached the desk and sat in one of the leather chairs facing the desk. “Will, please tell me about Miss Elizabeth and the Gardiners? Last night, before I went to bed, I went through the five letters you sent me from Hertfordshire last year and was reminded of how many times you mentioned her in your letters. That led me to looking at other letters you sent me over the years, and I could only find two instances, in all those letters, of you mentioning a young woman, and in both cases, it was just a passing reference to them. No details were given at all. But in three of your letters from Netherfield, you devoted several sentences to Miss Elizabeth, always complimentary and describing her in sufficient detail that I remember wishing I could meet her. Then, after you left Netherfield to come here to deal with the fire, in the ensuing months, you made no mention of her, nor did you say anything to me about her after I returned to Pemberley. Now, suddenly, you invite her and her aunt and uncle, who are of the merchant class, to visit us. I remember you once telling me we must often deal with merchants and should be cordial to them, but people of our class do not mix with them socially. Furthermore, Miss Bennet, although a gentlewoman, is certainly not of our social status. I find much inconsistency in your actions.”
He smiled and shook his head. “You are absolutely correct, Georgie. I have discovered that some of the rules I considered inviolable became difficult to follow once I encountered someone outside of my experience. Miss Elizabeth is a woman such as I have never met – indeed, such as I never expected to meet. She meets my almost unachievable requirements for a wife except for one, which I thought was so important, I could not consider her acceptable, and that is, of course, she is not of our social class. Her immediate family is unacceptable, and she has no dowry, no social status, no wealth, and no illustrious pedigree, all of which are considered necessary for wives of men of our class. That is why, when I left Netherfield, I did everything I could to forget her. Therefore, I never mentioned her again. As for the Gardiners, when I spoke with them, I found them to be very unusual members of the merchant class. They are quite wealthy, sophisticated, and well-educated. If one did not know them, one might think they were of our social class. Thus, given I wanted to see more of Elizabeth, I had no difficulty inviting all of them to Pemberley.’
“I believe what you are admitting is that you could not forget her.”
He nodded his head and sighed. “As soon as I saw her, I discovered the feelings I developed for her in Hertfordshire had never gone. I had just repressed them. Seeing her so unexpectedly, I could not let her go without seeing more of her. My excuse was that I wanted you to meet her, so you could perhaps become friends and correspondents. I have always believed she would be good for you. Also, I wanted to discover how she, her sister Jane, and her parents had dealt with Bingley’s abandonment of his informal courtship of Miss Bennet. I had hoped their visit on Tuesday would satisfy my need, but it did not. My invitation to them to stay tonight was nothing less than an admission that I cannot seem to let go of my attachment to her. I know I must do it, but now I have seen her again, it is difficult. I am sure I will never find her equal among those who would be considered suitable wives for me.”
“I do not understand. She is a gentlewoman and a woman of exceptional character. Why do you need wealth or status or dowry or impressive lineage?”
“Because our family expects it of me, as would our parents, were they alive. The class structure we have in England is an unfortunate reality which, at present, we must accept. Our aunts and uncles would be appalled if I were to marry a woman such as Miss Elizabeth. And, of course, your chances for a good match would be materially impacted, should I marry her. I must not even think about it. Today, and tomorrow, I would like you to spend as much time with her as you can. I have already told Mrs. Annesley that you will not be required to do your lessons tomorrow. I would like you to go to the library with her, perhaps practice music with her, and even go walking or riding with her. I intend to go fishing with Mr. Gardiner and Avery tomorrow to stay away from her.”
“That is silly. You do not like to fish, and you just said you invited her, so you could see more of her.”
“I did, but I should not have. I need to fight that urge.
“Do you love her?”
“I do not know, Georgie. I have never been in love. But if it is not love, at least it is the beginnings of love.”
“May I ask what would make you unhappiest: being without Miss Elizabeth, or being with her and being estranged from all of your aunts and uncles?”
“I am afraid my happiness in this situation is not an issue, only my duty to our family.”
“You mean that because of who you are and your duty to the family, you are required to be unhappy the rest of your life?”
“Unless I can find another like Elizabeth among the women of our social class, then yes, it means I will not be happy in my marriage – at least as happy as I could be.”
“Then I suppose this applies to me also?”
“I believe both Richard and I would agree, you should marry a gentleman of some wealth, but if you found and believed you could be happy with a gentleman of lower status, I do not think either of us would object. However, of course, we hope you will find a man of our circle with whom you can be happy. My refusing to marry someone like Elizabeth may ensure you can find such a man. And, of course, you may choose to never marry. I do not have that choice, because I must produce an heir.”
Georgiana was silent for several minutes. Finally, she said, “I was always so happy to be a Darcy, but now I am not sure it is as wonderful as I thought it was.”
******
As Elizabeth travelled with the Gardiners to join the Darcy’s for dinner, she contemplated, as she had been for two days, the walk and conversation she had with Darcy. She was still not sure how to interpret their new relationship. Looking back over their history in Hertfordshire as one who admired Darcy rather than disliking him and who understood his discomfort among those he did not know, she could interpret some of the things that had happened from a new perspective. She realized that if she had not disliked him so, she would have been quite attracted to hi
m. What did she expect now? He had said he thought she was beautiful, but she knew she was not as beautiful as Jane or, she suspected, despite what he said, as many of the women he knew. Did he see her as more beautiful because he had some affection for her? Even if he did, she was certain there was nothing that could come of it, because he was a member of the highest circles and had a distinguished ancestry full of nobility. His mother was the daughter of an Earl, his uncle was an Earl, and his aunt had been the wife of an earl who became a marquess. She was just a Bennet. She was proud to be a Bennet, but there was little chance a man of his status could marry her. He could admire her, but he could not marry her. It was distressing to her, because she could imagine he might be just the sort of man she had been waiting for. He was intelligent, honorable, caring, a good and kind master, a devoted brother, and, of course, he was quite handsome, especially when he smiled.
Then she wondered why she was thinking about him as a potential mate. She had disliked him until a few days ago, had she not? But the revelations of her misjudgment made her understand that her reaction to his slight of her went far beyond her usual reaction to such things. Why had she not just laughed it off, as she often did when people criticized her? She knew it was because the minute she saw him enter the assembly hall, she thought he might be the kind of man she needed, and to hear his rejection of her before they had even met dismayed her to the point that she had overreacted. She had decided she would dislike him intensely and find anything she could about him to support her dislike. That was why she had been so receptive to Wickham’s disparagement of him. Now that she knew what a good man he was, what did she think about him?
The Lady of the Mount and Patience Rewarded: Two Stories of Darcy and Elizabeth Page 21
