Goodly Creatures: A Pride and Prejudice Deviation

by Massey, Beth

  Darcy was heartened that he would be able to see her on Thursday, if not before. He needed to tell her of her father’s inquisition, but most of all he wanted to see how she had changed. Some of the things he had been told about her sadness and inability to sleep concerned him.

  Both of Elizabeth’s sisters proved to be quite different from his first impressions. Miss Catherine was a very happy young woman, and he was quite enamoured of her smile with the dimple that registered on only one side of her face, as well as her frequent giggle of delight. She resembled Miss Elizabeth the most of all her sisters. They had the same hair, but she was slightly taller, and her hazel eyes were beautiful, but did not shine with the joy and intelligence he had seen in her sister when they first met. The animation she displayed when she told him about her tiles was infectious. She and John were considering adding pottery at some point to what they produced. She thought the Perrault designs would be lovely for children’s plates and cups.

  He noticed she and John smiled at each other quite often, and they seemed not to care who saw them. Mr Darcy was envious of their unblushing affection, and without thinking of the implication of his desire; he wished her sister would smile, or better yet grin at him when they met.

  Miss Bennet was one of the more accomplished riders he had met. Her skill reminded him of his mother, and he decided to compliment her. “Miss Bennet you have an excellent seat. How long have you been riding?”

  She seemed a trifle startled by his observation, but answered him with a smile. “My father put me on a pony at five. I started riding horses at eight and rode with a childhood friend almost daily until I was fourteen.”

  “Do all your sisters ride?”

  Jane and Kitty looked at each other and laughed. Jane said, “No, Mr Darcy, Elizabeth does not ride. She, who was always climbing trees and was not even afraid of snakes as a child, was petrified of horses. I think it was because she was so tiny, but for whatever reason, to this day, she steadfastly refuses to get on a horse. As sisters, we have been cruel and teased her mercilessly about her fear. Usually when we tease her, she becomes determined to prove us wrong, but not when it comes to horses.”

  Mr Darcy was thinking of what strategy he would use if he ever had the chance to teach her to ride, when they arrived at the brickworks. He wondered what caused him to think he would have the opportunity.

  He was impressed with the operation, and saw a large stockpile of bricks. John told him that the lot he was observing would be used in London for a group of houses being built near Bloomsbury Square. John decided to broach a subject he had hoped to discuss with Mr Darcy. “I have heard from Catherine’s uncle, Mr Gardiner, that many among the ton are refacing their townhouses with brick. If you ever desire to do that, I would give you a very good price on the brick. Your word of mouth advertising would be worth the discount. I know from my aunt how invaluable your opinions are among your circle.”

  “Mr Gardiner is correct, and I have indeed thought about doing so myself. I will consider your offer. Your aunt, I think has a higher opinion of me than I deserve.”

  Bingley chimed into the conversation. “Darcy, you are too modest. You know Mrs Reynolds is correct. I am not the only person of your acquaintance who looks to you for guidance in matters of business. Mr Reynolds, would you consider making me a similar inducement if I persuaded my brother-in-law to reface his townhouse?”

  John Reynolds donned an enthusiastic grin. “I would indeed, Mr Bingley. With two fine gentlemen talking of using my bricks at your fancy clubs, I am sure my business would increase.”

  Miss Catherine showed Mr Darcy her Perrault tiles. He was very impressed, and was about to tell her of the murals on the nursery walls at Pemberley, when she volunteered that she had gotten the idea from a baby’s room Lizzy had seen in Derbyshire. He realized he had almost made a disastrous mistake. He longed to be out of this morass of lies and deceit.

  On the way back to the house, Darcy observed Miss Bennet and Bingley. They talked quietly as they rode. Miss Bennet was not reticent about conversing, but she seemed to hold back emotionally. She did not give any hint of a special regard for Mr Bingley, but she was equally careful to not express complete indifference. That was what he noticed… she did not allow Mr Bingley, or any who observed her, to know what her true feelings were. He wondered whether she felt anything for his friend or if she was just a dutiful daughter who did what her mother wanted.

  They approached the manor from the opposite direction from their leaving. Mr Darcy noticed a room attached to the back of the house. It was a very utilitarian version of his solarium. It appeared to be connected to a cold room. It was filled with trees and flowers, and had what appeared to be a work area on one end.

  Miss Bennet saw him looking at the room with interest and said, “My sister had that built for me. She received an inheritance five years ago, and this was one of the first things she did with the money. I had a disappointment and was angry with her for being away so long. I think she was trying to appease me.” Jane both laughed at the memory and simultaneously displayed her own version of a troubled look. It was, of course, much more circumspect that her sister’s, but seemed to originate in a similar place.

  For the first time since meeting Miss Bennet, Mr Darcy noticed that she displayed excitement. Her eyes sparkled as she gave him and Bingley a tour of her workshop.

  “I have been making fragrances since I was quite young. This conservatory allows me to have certain things I need year round. I grow jasmine, limes, lemons, and oranges. Their oils combined make an excellent base for many of my scents. Elizabeth also bought an apparatus to allow me to distil flowers to capture their essence. What was a diversion for many years has now become a business. I know it is considered unladylike by many to be involved in work, but this allows me to feel as though I am contributing to my family. Both Kitty and I are careful about the appearance of our activity. Mr Reynolds directs my sister’s business affairs, and my Uncle Gardiner has taken over the business of selling my fragrances. Neither of us is publicly associated with what we create, but I am most proud to have made fifty pounds last year.”

  Mr Darcy thought about Bethany wanting to help Georgiana over her sadness, and was filled with remorse for the thoughts he had about her mother’s desire for a solarium. He desperately needed to see and speak to her mother.

  29 BEWITCHED, BOTHERED AND BEWILDERED

  On Thursday evening, Miss Bingley came down the stairs to see Mr Darcy pacing in the front hall. He had been restless to set out toward Lucas Lodge for at least the past hour. Charles had been sent upstairs twice to hurry his sisters along. Her brother needed little encouragement, as he was eagerly anticipating spending time with his angel. Where Darcy had been unhappy about attending the assembly, on this occasion he seemed anxious to arrive. Caroline wondered what exactly he was expecting from this party at the house of the tiresome Sir William Lucas. Truth be told, Mr Darcy had been acting strangely ever since he returned with her brother from visiting the Bennets. She caught him several times with a faraway look on his face. Caroline had cajoled her brother into telling her the particulars of their visit to Longbourn. According to Charles, he had been with Darcy the entire time except when he had a private conference with Mr Bennet to make his apology. It did not appear that anything untoward had happened, so she was quite concerned as to what had brought on his insistence they be prompt in arriving at this party. She was worried she might have a rival; but the only Bennet daughters he had seen were Miss Bennet, Miss Catherine and Miss Mary. Two were spoken for, and it was her brother who had an interest in Miss Bennet. Tonight she would watch him to see if he showed special interest in any of the company.

  Darcy knew Miss Bingley was going to be a nuisance this evening. He particularly did not want her around when he renewed his acquaintance with Miss Elizabeth. Being alone when he saw her, when he breathed in her lavender scent was of the utmost importance. Most of all, he wanted privacy when he talked with her. They had to wo
rk together to protect their secret from exposure.

  When he arrived, he scanned the room for her. He saw her parents and her sisters, but he did not see her. His shoulders slumped with the fear she had decided once again to avoid him. Miss Catherine and Colonel Forster had said it was her goddaughter’s birthday. She had to be present.

  He walked about the room and still did not see her. Despite his growing desperation, he finally noticed that no young children were present. There were older children participating in the dancing, and even some playing cards, but he observed none under ten. Suddenly he saw an alcove off the far end of the room. Determining Miss Bingley was nowhere in sight, he walked toward the nook resolutely. This must be the place. As he got closer, he heard her voice first… she was laughing and telling someone named Betsy not to be afraid. “Betsy, Hop O’ My Thumb is too clever by far to be defeated by the giant. Even though he is the smallest, rest assured, he will save his entire family.”

  Mr Darcy saw her first out of the corner of his eye and felt a delicious tingle run through him. Hungering for more, he inched forward. There she was on a sofa with children on either side, a tiny one on her lap and several at her feet. She was wearing that same mustard coloured gown she had worn five years ago when they read together… the one he thought made her glow. Quietly he moved close enough to catch a hint of her lavender scent. His heart was pounding as he breathed her in. A glance at a boy beside her allowed him to see her eyes. They were as they had been at the theatre in London. The flecks of gold shone, and pleasure radiated from them. He was elated… the joy he thought had been lost was back.

  She had no vestiges of the childlike appearance from when they first met. She was very womanly, and to him, more beautiful than he had remembered, and he was instantly struck by how much Bethany was like her.

  He watched and listened as she finished her story. She had a different voice for each of the characters, and the children looked at her with rapt attention. The tiny one on her lap buried her face in her bosom when her voice deepened to portray the giant. The scene was just as Bethany had described she and Lewis wanted in a mother.

  She smiled at her audience at the end of her story, but if he was not mistaken, the next thing she did was grin at the sight of him from under lowered lashes. Without thinking, he walked up to her and said, “Miss Elizabeth, you are a truly talented story teller.”

  Elizabeth stopped grinning, looked around cautiously and frowned at him. The flecks of gold in her eyes had once again been extinguished. “I am sorry, sir, do I know you?”

  Darcy realized his mistake and backed away from her. “Excuse me, Madame. I was told who you were, and quite forgot propriety.”

  They were hidden from view in the alcove, so she decided to take a chance. She whispered, “Meet me tomorrow morning at dawn at Oakham Mount. Anyone in the stables at Netherfield can direct you.” With that, she turned and herded the gaggle of children to the refreshment table.

  Miss Bingley saw Darcy an hour later, staring absentmindedly into the room. He did not seem to be focused on anyone in particular, but had a sort of silly grin on his face. “Mr Darcy, what are you smiling about?”

  “I was remembering a pair of fine eyes, and a particular joyful look in them that I had thought gone, but I am now of the opinion they might still have some life.”

  Mr Darcy seemed so vague about his reverie that Miss Bingley decided not to probe him about the object of his admiration. She did, however, decide to be vigilant in observing him in the hopes she could determine to whom he was referring. A woman of her accomplishments would not be bested by some country nobody.

  Darcy tied his horse to a bush at the base of the mount. He walked up the path carefully, as it was not yet dawn. As he approached his destination, he heard a dog growling. The sun was just peeping over the horizon as he reached the crest.

  Because of Caliban, she was aware of his arrival and sat expectantly facing the path, the sunrise behind her. The first rays over the horizon created a halo around her head and caused her hair to blaze. He never seemed to see this woman that the effect of her did not awe, bewilder, annoy or mesmerize him, and this time his reaction was a mixture of all four. Dressed in shades of russet, amber and mauve, with her bonnet resting beside her on the blanket, he realized she was the improper young woman who had waved at him a fortnight ago. The massive dog that had been with her that day was resting on his hind legs beside her like a sentinel. Darcy was struck by how ugly he was.

  “Thank you for coming, Mr Darcy. Would you like a mug of tea? It is still quite warm, and has honey and milk added.” He nodded yes, and she poured tea from the jug for him. She motioned for him to sit down on the blanket at a respectable distance from her—the dog settled between them with his head in her lap. She stroked his neck and fondled his ear for a few seconds while she planned a strategy for her mission. “This animal is my dear protector. I named him Caliban because of his unfortunate looks.”

  The vision of Miss Elizabeth at the theatre watching The Tempest came to him. Darcy noticed that the flecks of light in her eyes he had seen briefly the night before were not present this morning. “The name is most appropriate.”

  “Mr Darcy I am very sorry for your loss. I know it was almost four years ago, but even now I often think of her. Mrs Reynolds wrote to tell me. Mrs Hinton also sent a moving letter about both Mrs Darcy’s and Lady Hughes’ deaths. They were the first mothers she ever lost, and to have them die at the same time was very distressing for her. Mrs Reynolds communicated with me through my uncle. I thought of writing you in a similar fashion to offer my condolences, but decided it was not prudent to have any correspondence between us. It was not because I strictly adhere to society’s rules of conduct though.” She laughed as she noted, “You must be thinking I have no sense of propriety at all—inviting you to meet me here at dawn. Proper behaviour is often balanced against the needs of keeping my secret. I simply believed writing to you was not in either of our interest—or your daughter’s or even your son’s. It is important there be no association between us in anyone’s mind. To this day, no one knows of our deception except the original participants in the plot.”

  “Thank you for your condolences. Your concern for hiding our connection is most valid. Your father and sister, Miss Mary, are obviously suspicious of an acquaintance between us; but you can rest assured, Miss Elizabeth, it would take more than your father’s relentless inquisition to cause me to divulge our secret.” He noticed she chuckled at his description of her father’s interrogation… the interrogation she had forced him to face alone. He felt a familiar disapproval with her for finding humour in his discomfort, and that, combined with her previous statement about disregarding society’s rules, compelled him to retaliate by adding, “But, you are correct; I love my daughter and my son too much to jeopardize their happiness,” as he made his reply, he emphasized my daughter.

  She kept her face composed at his attempt to wound her. Caliban felt her tense and raised his head to bare his teeth at Darcy. Inwardly Elizabeth agonized because his attitude made her suspicious that Mrs Darcy had not confessed. Still, she was determined to remain focused on what she needed to accomplish. “Mr Darcy, I understand I became the talk of the assembly because of a remark you made to Miss Bingley. I have heard from practically everyone in my family of your desire to right that incivility. I appreciate your concern, but I do not think an apology is necessary. You were the target of rude talk as improper as any indulged in by you and Miss Bingley, and I am certain my mother and my aunt were two of the worst offenders. Let us chalk up the incident to the unfortunate propensity of humans to indulge in gossip for amusement. It is, I am sure, one of the main reasons both of us shun company whenever possible, and not at all because either of our appearances is less than tolerable.”

  Darcy smiled at her humour and acknowledged her ability to deflect his hurtful remark with a carefully placed jab. Her sweetness in the face of his petulance was already causing him regret. “I see
you are still a very witty young woman, Miss Elizabeth.”

  Elizabeth saw his dimples and remembered just how tolerable his appearance could be. She was momentarily disconcerted and stared off across the meadow. As usual, Caliban registered his awareness of her anguish. This time she was the recipient of the dog’s wary stare. His reaction allowed her time to plan how to broach her main topic. Finally, after several seconds, she turned, looked at Mr Darcy forthrightly and said, “We have a delicate situation to contend with now that we are in the same neighbourhood. I know you hate disguise, but we must pretend we have never met.”

  Elizabeth felt she should explain more about the fear she had lived with since leaving Derbyshire. “I was more concerned about your approaching me last night at Lucas Lodge without a proper introduction than I was with your slight at the assembly. Again, it is not because I am rigid about propriety, but because no one in Hertfordshire knows anything about what happened all those years ago.” Lizzy chuckled and said, “Of course they know something happened because I came back an ‘heiress,’ but they do not have any inkling I had a child. My family and friends observed a change in me, and Mr Darcy no matter how hard I try; I cannot recapture my former lively character. My sister, Jane, accuses me of being secretive. My friends tell me I have a hint of sadness about me that was never there before. Everyone says I have lost my joy, and my sisters complain I do not make them laugh as much anymore. My father wonders why I cringe when he kisses me. He and my sister Mary are currently very curious about you because you are from Derbyshire.”

  “Miss Elizabeth, I thought you close to your father. Why do you cringe?”

  “Because he smells of port and tobacco, the way your cousin did. I do not have the heart to ask him to give up two of his favourite vices just to appease my nonsensical anxiety. He has already been forced to give up reading because of his diminishing sight.”