“And what of Mr. Darcy?” Aunt Gardiner asked.
Both Jane and Lizzy exchanged glances and said, “What?” at exactly the same time, causing their aunt to study them with that peculiar look unique to mothers who think their children might be up to mischief.
“Jane mentioned in her letter that Mr. Darcy is a friend of Mr. Bingley’s and that he is staying at Netherfield Park. My interest in Mr. Darcy is that I grew up in Lambton very near to the Darcy estate.”
“I did not know that Lambton was so near to Pemberley, but, of course, until recently, I did not know that Pemberley even existed. Did you know the Darcys?” Lizzy asked.
“Not personally. But when Pemberley was open to view, I did go with my parents to see the house. It is a lovely Georgian stone mansion that absolutely glows in the setting sun. All the public rooms were beautifully decorated by Robert Adam, and I must admit that the pale green in their dining room has been my favorite color ever since.”
“Did you ever meet Mr. and Mrs. Darcy?” Lizzy asked.
“Yes, I did. It seems that the elder Mr. Darcy and Lady Anne truly enjoyed Pemberley and spent a good deal of time there. The present master’s father vastly expanded the gardens and supervised the changes himself. However, my father had moved the family to London to set up his own apothecary shop before the undertaking was finished—if a garden can ever truly be finished.”
“What did they look like? Mr. Darcy and Lady Anne?” Jane asked on behalf of her sister.
“Mr. Darcy was quite tall with black hair and very handsome. Lady Anne was petite and powdered her hair, as women did in those days, and wore those enormous hats with lots of feathers. But what I remember most about her is that she had green eyes. I had never met anyone up to that point who had green eyes.”
“Her son has gray-green eyes,” Lizzy told her aunt.
“Does he?”
“Yes, and he is very tall with dark hair. He too is handsome when he does not furrow his brow, which is something he often did when he first came to Hertfordshire, but not so much of late.”
“If that is the case, then he must be comfortable with his company. His neighbors have made a good impression on him.”
There was nothing more to be said on the subject as Mrs. Bennet and the three younger girls had found their hiding place. Mama asked numerous questions about what warehouses Jane should visit when picking out her trousseau, but before she could answer, Lydia, who was bursting at the seams with good news, told her aunt that she was to go to Brighton as the most particular friend of Mrs. Forster, the wife of the colonel commanding the regiment. As pleased as Lydia was, Kitty was equally displeased because she felt that she should have been included in the invitation. Mary was quite vocal in her disapproval of the arrangements before being quieted by her mother. From the look on Jane’s and Lizzy’s faces, Mrs. Gardiner understood that neither was happy with Lydia’s visit to Brighton. Both considered their youngest sister to be immature and one who frequently acted without any thought about consequences. Mrs. Gardiner continued to listen attentively to what Kitty and Lydia had to say about some of the more attractive officers, including a detailed portrait of a very handsome Mr. George Wickham.
There was a clock in every public room at Netherfield, but the only one that kept accurate time was in the foyer. So if Darcy wanted to know just how late the Bennet family was in arriving at the ball, he would have to go out into the foyer where Bingley’s sisters were greeting their guests. Because his reservoir of goodwill for Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst had run dry, such an action was out of the question, and so he waited.
Elizabeth had warned him that her family was always delayed, and so to pass the time, he had asked Miss Graves for a dance. But with the number of couples in attendance, every dance might last as long as thirty minutes, and he did not want to be dancing with another lady in case the Bennets did arrive. In order to avoid such a situation, he had turned to the gentlemen and ended up discussing crop yields with Mr. Patterson and the poor condition of the roads between Meryton and Watford with Mr. Everett.
After fifteen minutes of debate as to where a carriage was most likely to encounter the worst stretch of road, Darcy decided he would find a dance partner, as dancing was less demanding than his attempts to avoid dancing were. He looked about the room, hoping to find Charlotte Lucas, who had made an excellent impression on him during his evening at Lucas Lodge, but when he had finally located her, she was talking to the parson. There was something in their manner that suggested intimacy, and he wondered if Charlotte and the reverend were engaged. But if that were the case, wouldn’t he have heard of it?
And then he realized what he was doing. He actually had his ear to the ground in case any of the local news involved Elizabeth Bennet. But there was more to it than even that. As was the case with Lambton, he did care about what happened to his tenants, the villagers, and those living on the surrounding farms, and in the case of Charlotte Lucas, because she was so pleasant, he hoped that she would marry well.
“Get thee to London, Darcy. The provinces are swallowing you up. Before you know it, you will be drinking at the public house,” he mumbled to himself.
For the fourth time that evening, he refilled his punch cup and thought it very likely that when Elizabeth finally did arrive, he would be out in the bushes answering Nature’s call. But then he heard the unmistakable sound of Mrs. Bennet’s voice. Finally, at long last, the Bennets had arrived.
He quickly glanced in the mirror and then laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. He had not felt like this since his years as a youth when the dancing master had finally allowed the boys to dance with the girls. While the future debutantes giggled, the boys milled about the room stealing furtive glances at the young beauties, and he smiled at the memory.
When Darcy saw Elizabeth, he took a deep breath. Before him stood one of the loveliest creatures he had ever seen, and he genuinely feared that he would give himself away. While he was enjoying the view, she had swept the hair off her shoulders, revealing a neck that he longed to kiss, that is, after he had stopped kissing her mouth. And although it was impolite to stare, he could not help himself, and even if he had been able to see only her eyes, he would still have known that she was smiling because all of her emotions were reflected in them.
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet, may I welcome you back to Netherfield Park?”
“Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said, bowing her head and enjoying a look at his long legs. “There is such a crush of people here. We have been waiting outside for more than fifteen minutes.”
“I wish I had known that.”
“Would you have broken through the crowd and brought us to the beginning of the line or would you have snuck us into the hall by way of the kitchen?”
“Oh, by way of the kitchen definitely. Much more dramatic.”
“Is your sister here, Mr. Darcy?”
“Georgiana was here earlier, but something happened with her dress and she had to leave. In all the time she has been gone, she could easily have made another.”
“You are being too hard on your sister. Making a good appearance is so easy for a man. You put on a handsome waistcoat and coat with a fine pair of boots, and you are done. I envy you.”
“You are once again correct, Miss Elizabeth, and I withdraw my criticism, especially when all of your efforts have been rewarded with such excellent results.”
Darcy looked around and realized that a place had been cleared around them. Since his adoption of a good neighbor policy, he was now a source of special interest to the local population, and because of his height, he was visible to all. He decided it would be best if he visited with others in an attempt to avoid any gossip in connection with Elizabeth, but not before he had seen to his number one priority.
“Miss Elizabeth, may I be so bold as to ask for two dances this evening? I would like to dance with you before the supper break as I wish for you to meet my sister.”
“I would be honored, and I woul
d very much like for you to meet my Aunt and Uncle Gardiner who are visiting from London.”
“Of course, it will be my pleasure.”
“May I ask if you have already decided on the second dance?”
“If you would be so kind, may I request the last dance of the evening?” He had chosen the final dance as it would be their last and not just for the evening.
“I look forward to both dances.” When she started to turn away, he called her back.
“May I ask if you know the name of the gentleman who is speaking to Miss Lucas? I feel as if I have seen him somewhere else.”
“That is Mr. Collins. You may know him as he is Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s vicar.”
“Ah, yes. Now I remember him,” he said in a flat voice.
“Did you hear Mr. Collins preach while you were in Kent?”
At this point, Mr. Darcy went silent, and after a long pause, he said, “I have been in attendance when he was preaching, but…”
“You find such discourse to be tedious.”
Darcy smiled as he recalled their first conversation. “I never was one for listening to sermons. My parents insisted I sit between them in the family pew, so that I would not fidget. But how is it that he has come to be at Netherfield?”
“He is my father’s cousin, and the family estate is entailed away from the female line to his benefit. In an act of generosity, he came to Longbourn in search of a wife, so that we would not find ourselves homeless in the event of our father’s death.”
“Surely, you are not saying that Mr. Collins was interested in making an offer to you?” he asked in genuine amazement.
“I hope I am not so unattractive as to be beneath Mr. Collins’s notice.”
“Are you fishing for a compliment, Miss Elizabeth? Have I not already told you that you are more than tolerable?”
“You did not always think so, Mr. Darcy. At the assembly, you easily resisted my beauty. If I recall correctly, your full statement was, ‘She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.’”
“I imagine you will probably remember that one sentence forever.”
“Yes, I am sure that I will. However, it was greatly appreciated when you came to Longbourn to amend your original statement.”
“It was necessary that I do so as I was in error.”
Lizzy looked embarrassed. “Forgive me, Mr. Darcy. I really was not fishing for a compliment.”
“I did not think you were. If you recall, at Netherfield, we had a discussion on pride versus vanity. I think we agreed that vanity is a failing, but I also mentioned that where there is a real superiority, pride would always be under good regulation. Although you may not comment on your own beauty, as that would be vanity, you may certainly take pride in your appearance as Nature has been exceptionally kind to you.”
“I believe this conversation began with our discussion of Mr. Collins,” Lizzy said in full blush. “He is to be married to my good friend, Charlotte Lucas.”
“Ah, now I understand why people were congregating around her at Lucas Lodge. I think Mr. Collins has done very well for himself as Miss Lucas seems to be a sensible lady and that will serve him well.”
“Most men are in need of sensible wives,” Lizzy added, thinking of her father, “but Mr. Collins most particularly.”
Knowing that the crowd had grown closer, they departed to find other dance partners, all the while thinking of the dance they would shortly have together.
Darcy was relieved when his sister finally came downstairs because he had found that making himself agreeable to all and sundry was fatiguing, especially if it included a discussion with Mr. Collins about the inhabitants of Rosings Park. Darcy dearly loved his cousin, Anne de Bourgh, and although frail, she was a handsome woman. However, he had never considered her to be a candidate for being the “brightest ornament in the British court if her health had allowed her to be presented to the king and queen,” and the praise Collins heaped upon his grouchy and overbearing Aunt Catherine was not only inaccurate, it was nauseating.
“Where have you been, Georgiana? I was beginning to think you had climbed down the trellis and escaped.”
“Will, as you very well know, I enjoy appearing in public. If anyone could be found on the trellis, it would be you, and I apologize for the delay. While I was speaking to Mrs. Hurst, I noticed a wine stain on the lace on my bodice. I went upstairs and changed into another dress, only to have two buttons pop off, so I sat there while Mrs. Brotherton sewed on the buttons.”
“Popped your buttons, did you? Are you fatter now than you were in May at the start of the season?” he whispered to his sister.
“Will, it is questions such as those that make it clear why you remain a bachelor at twenty-seven,” Georgiana answered, clearly enjoying the affectionate, but teasing, relationship that had developed between them since she had come out into society. “But never mind about my weight. I would like to be introduced to Miss Bennet.”
“She is dancing at present.”
“If Miss Bennet is dancing, then who is speaking to Mr. Bingley?”
“Oh, my mistake. That is Jane Bennet talking with Bingley. Miss Elizabeth Bennet is dancing.”
“Which of the ladies would be Miss Elizabeth?” Georgiana asked, keeping her voice even so that she would not reveal her suspicions that Will’s interest in Elizabeth Bennet was more than that of her being the sister of Mr. Bingley’s intended.
Georgiana immediately liked what she saw: a pretty woman with an open countenance who gave the appearance of being friendly and engaging. With the fair-haired, blue-eyed Miss Montford in mind, Georgiana realized that the ladies were as different as any two women could be. With her brother waiting for her impression of Elizabeth, Georgiana merely commented that she was very pretty. “But nothing to Miss Montford.”
“If you are referring to Elizabeth’s dress being made of muslin rather than silk or her wearing a rope of pearls rather than a diamond necklace, I will agree with you. However, as to physical beauty, I think Elizabeth, with her dark eyes and engaging smile, is Miss Montford’s superior in looks.”
“Onyx eyes.”
“What?”
“I believe you referred to her eyes as being like onyx, reflecting the light.”
Darcy closed his eyes and shook his head. He had been found out by his little sister and with so little effort. He told her she would have an opportunity to gauge the accuracy of his description during supper.
“I look forward to it.”
With the time for their dance quickly approaching, Jane mentioned to Lizzy that with so many couples the set might last an hour.
“What on earth are we to say to each other in the course of an hour?” Lizzy asked, her voice indicating her concerns. “Since Mr. Darcy does not enjoy conversation, it will fall to me to do most of the talking.”
“Mr. Darcy does not seem to mind talking to you, Lizzy. It might go quicker than you think.”
Lizzy would find out soon enough, as Mr. Darcy was walking in her direction. When he extended his arm, she did feel like la belle de la danse. As they stood opposite to one another, Mr. Darcy commented, “Once more into the breach, Miss Elizabeth.”
“Quoting Henry V’s speech before the Battle of Agincourt is not the best way to start a conversation in a ballroom, Mr. Darcy. Surely, you are not equating dancing with going into battle?”
“With you, it is more like a duel. I know from past experience that you are capable of reducing conversation to its most essential elements, stripping away all layers of polite speech in favor of dealing with the heart of the matter.”
“You are making me out to be a fearsome creature. That is ungenerous of you.”
“On the contrary. I am paying you a compliment. You refuse to be drawn into the silly games polite society demands of us.”
“We are less formal in the country, sir. When I ask a question, I want an honest answer.”
“That makes you a rare bird, indeed,” he commented,
while passing behind her, “in either town or the country.”
“As a woman, and knowing the consequences of deviating from the norms of society, I understand what you are saying. However, you are a man from a prominent family, a person of rank, and yet you still find it necessary to ‘play these games,’ as you put it.”
“I do not endure these inconveniences for myself, but everything I say and do must be viewed as to how it will affect Georgiana. If I insult Lord High and Mighty, it may affect her prospects for making an advantageous marriage, and since I refuse to fawn and coo, I remain silent rather than risk offending with hurtful comments. Something you can attest to.”
“I wonder if Miss Darcy understands the sacrifice you make on her behalf or if she would wish it if she did.”
Lizzy’s question went unanswered, and for the remainder of the dance, the two engaged in friendly conversation, and Mr. Darcy felt comfortable enough with his company to tweak the nose of the profligate Prince of Wales for his enormous appetite in just about everything. But he was at his most eloquent when speaking of Pemberley.
“By the end of the London season, I am so eager to be free of the noise, the dirt, the smells, and the intense scrutiny that I go directly to my estate in Derbyshire. I am very much like a man who has been breathing through a narrow funnel for months on end, but who suddenly finds his lungs filled with pure oxygen. As far as I am concerned, Pemberley is as near to heaven as you can get on this earth.”
When the last notes were played and the final steps taken, Mr. Darcy escorted Lizzy to the table where they were to dine. Miss Darcy was already seated and was talking to Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, who soon departed to see to their duties as hostesses. Knowing about his intended courtship with Miss Montford in London, Lizzy was puzzled by his request that she meet his sister. She was not alone in her confusion, as Mr. Darcy was equally incapable of answering the same question.
A Wife for Mr. Darcy Page 6
