by P. O. Dixon
“Lady Gwendolen, may I introduce Mr. Bingley.” Darcy said.
She smiled and offered Bingley her hand. “Welcome to Latham Hall, Mr. Bingley. Now that I have met you, I do recall seeing you in Mr. Darcy’s company. However, I do not believe we were ever formally introduced.”
“I am delighted finally to meet you, your ladyship. I am honoured to have been invited here this week.”
“I do hope we shall become better acquainted during your stay.” Lady Gwendolen turned to Elizabeth. “Miss Elizabeth, may I steal you away for a stroll in my gardens?”
“Pardon me. I was hoping to have a word with Mr. Bingley,” Elizabeth said.
“You promised we would have a walk about the gardens. Besides, I want a moment alone with you before the others come down.” Lady Gwendolen urged Elizabeth to stand and then linked arms with her, determined to have her way.
Kind and amiable, Bingley’s face registered Lady Gwendolen’s resolve. “Yes, I shall go to my rooms to speak with my man. Shall I see you later this afternoon, Miss Elizabeth?”
“Indeed, Mr. Bingley, for I dearly wish to speak with you.” Elizabeth looked at his friend to gauge his response and was pleased by what she saw.
Bingley blessed her with a most obliging smile. “I can hardly wait, Miss Elizabeth.”
* * *
The two young ladies walked arm in arm along the garden path. “Mr. Bingley is a pleasant gentleman. I am no longer surprised by your knowing Mr. Darcy with Mr. Bingley being such a great friend of his.”
“Yes, Mr. Darcy is especially kind to Mr. Bingley. He seems more of a guardian of him than a friend.”
“From what my brother told me this morning, Mr. Bingley is eminently indebted to Mr. Darcy. Of course, it is merely speculation on my part. I have no reason to suppose that Mr. Bingley was the person my brother meant when he said that Mr. Darcy had taken a great deal of pride in having saved a close friend from the misfortunes of a most imprudent marriage.”
“What do you mean, your ladyship?”
“Mind you, my brother said nothing of the particulars, though I suspect the last thing Mr. Darcy would want is for the lady’s family to learn of his involvement.”
“I, for one, shall not mention it.”
“I would appreciate it if you did not. Again, my brother mentioned none of the specifics; in fact, he told me what little he did as a means of reminding me of Mr. Darcy’s loyalty and steadfastness as a true friend.”
“Why would Mr. Darcy do such a thing?”
“According to my brother, Mr. Darcy found the young lady’s family entirely unsuitable, vulgar, and quite objectionable.” Insofar as Elizabeth’s troubled countenance told her that she had hit her mark, Lady Gwendolen considered her mission accomplished.
“Good heavens! I did not mean for us to be away for so long. I must return before the other guests begin moving about.”
“Lady Gwendolen, please do not think me rude. I am of a mind to enjoy a longer walk before returning to the house.”
As the two commenced to head off in opposite directions, Lady Gwendolen said, “No—no, take as much time as you need.”
* * *
“Darcy, I am surprised you would stand by and allow my sister to befriend a woman whom you have compromised.”
“Compromised? What are you saying?”
“Do you deny that you have compromised Miss Elizabeth Bennet? Most egregiously, I might add.”
“I take offense to your accusing me thus. Miss Elizabeth Bennet is a gentlewoman. How dare you call into question her character by merely suggesting such a thing? You know me better than that.”
“I thought I did. However, in light of what is being said about the two of you in some circles, I have to wonder.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“Rumour is of Miss Elizabeth having spent the night alone with you in your home. Is this true?”
Darcy stood and stormed about the room. Blood rushed to his head. He said nothing.
Lord Latham pounded his fist on the desk. “You mean to say these accusations are true!”
“No! Although it is true that Miss Elizabeth spent the night at my home, nothing untoward occurred. Miss Elizabeth called on me at Darcy House. She could have no way of knowing we would be alone.”
“Then there is a misunderstanding? Not that it matters, as you well know. I wish to know for my own purposes.”
“Actually, Miss Elizabeth fell extremely ill. I dared not do anything but care for her as best I could.”
Lord Latham walked over to his liquor cabinet. “Thank you for clarifying the situation for me. I knew there had to have been a reasonable explanation.”
“Yes, for what it is worth.”
Having poured two drinks, he handed one to his friend. “Indeed, still this matter must be dealt with.”
“You need not state what is obvious to me.”
“What do you intend to do?”
Darcy’s eyes veered towards the window. He espied Lady Gwendolen walking along the path towards the house, alone.
Darcy took one swallow and slammed his glass down on the table. “I know what I must do.”
Chapter 10
Elizabeth walked about, her mind everywhere but her immediate surroundings. All this time it was Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy, not Caroline Bingley. Oh, she probably had a hand in the scheme—but Mr. Darcy!
As if intending to exasperate herself as much as possible against Mr. Darcy, she reminded herself of their last evening at Netherfield Park, what was without question the beginning of the end for her sister’s hopes. She recalled how he had watched his friend attending her sister, with what she now recognised as disfavour. How he had mocked her every time they had seen each other since her arrival in town, even laughed whenever she mentioned Jane’s heartbreak. How was she to remain in proximity to the man who had boasted shamelessly of the misery he had inflicted upon a most beloved sister?
Continuing along the path, she could not think of leaving the country without remembering her purpose in even being there in the first place. Although the prospect of knowing Lord Latham better had intrigued her, the opportunity to speak with Mr. Bingley had been more compelling. As she considered Mr. Bingley, she had to wonder if one so easily swayed by the opinion of his friend to abandon the woman he loved could make her sister happy. Elizabeth had much to contemplate, and she determined to walk on to settle her mind on what to do as regarded her sister’s fickle lover.
Any semblance of calm afforded her by the quiet serenity and the fresh awakenings of the early spring morning fled when, to her utter amazement, Mr. Darcy stood directly before her.
“Miss Elizabeth, I have purposely sought you out. I hope you do not mind. We must talk.”
“I am afraid, Mr. Darcy, this is an inopportune moment. I must return to the house.”
“I beg of you, please, listen to what I have to say.”
Gone was the hint of goodwill engendered by their friendly banter the evening before, taking with it any desire for civility. “Can this not wait, Mr. Darcy?” She had not wished to be rude, regardless of how much he deserved it. What choice had she?
“What I am about to tell you will not be easy to hear, but hear it, you must.” Despite Elizabeth’s cold reception and apparent disinterest, he pressed on. “I wish to start by saying that you need not worry for I have the solution.”
“This sounds ominous.” Elizabeth met his awkward demeanour with wide-eyed curiosity. “Pray tell what this is about.”
“I am afraid it has to do with the time we spent alone at my home some weeks ago. Others have learned of the incident—by a disgruntled servant, I suppose.
“Now, there is the threat of a scandal should the wrong people become privy to the information.”
Elizabeth felt embarrassed as she considered that if what he was saying were true, she had no one but herself to blame. “You say you have a solution. What do you propose?”
“I propose we marry. Marry me, Miss E
lizabeth, that I might protect you from this threat of scandal and ruination.”
“You speak as though you are granting a favour, Mr. Darcy.”
“If not for my love for you, then, yes, I would be granting you a favour. As I am in love with you, and have been for months, if I am to be honest, you need not consider it as such.”
“You love me, Mr. Darcy?”
“Yes, although I have struggled in vain these past months that I would not act upon it. This incident has forced me to realise my feelings will not be repressed. I admire and love you, most ardently.”
Elizabeth’s bewilderment was beyond expression. She stared in disbelief yet kept silent.
“You are astonished by my declaration. Indeed, though no more astonished than I am in even suffering such feelings. Alas, I cannot command my heart for if I could exercise such control, I would not have subjected myself to the scorn, the derision, and the degradation that must surely come with such an unequal alliance as ours.”
As if taking Elizabeth’s silence as encouragement to push the merits of his proposal forth, Mr. Darcy pressed on. “Though I never wished to disappoint my family in this way, nor did I ever wish for a marriage borne out of necessity, the fact that I am in love with you, and my suspicions that you are not indifferent towards me, are a start, something we might build upon.”
Darcy traced his fingers through his hair and looked away. “I have no other choice. I am honour bound to protect you, even if it means I must now congratulate myself on the hope of relations whose conditions in life are decidedly beneath my own.”
He had said enough. The simmering rage inside Elizabeth boiled over. “You may not have a choice in this matter, Mr. Darcy, but I certainly do. I would sooner return to Longbourn and never show my face in polite society again than marry you.”
Darcy’s face manifested his awe! “What? What are you saying? Are you rejecting me?”
“You heard me correctly, Mr. Darcy.”
“But why, and with no pretence of civility, I might add, when I have told you of my love for you?”
“What I heard you say is you would be marrying me against your better judgment, at the risk of disappointing your family. And why, Mr. Darcy—because of the threat of scandal?”
“Because I wish to protect your reputation. Because I do not wish to see you ruined. The fact that I am in love with you and have been for months makes the ensuing mortification bearable.”
“Why must either of us suffer? What transpired at your home between the two of us that either of us must hang our heads in shame?”
“Even if the worst happened, I would suffer no disgrace as a result, and you would be wise to consider that, Miss Elizabeth.” Her stubbornness unbridled his temper. “You arrived at my doorstep, unescorted. You fell ill. I merely did all that was necessary to protect you, then, as I am honour bound to do now.”
“Perhaps you took unfair advantage of me, and that is why you believe you must protect me—to ease your guilty conscience.”
“I did what I needed to do. My conscience is clear. However, others may misconstrue your motives in coming to my home in the first place.”
He threw his hands up in frustration. “I fail to understand why we are arguing, and I mean to put an end to it. What is done is done, and now the knowledge or lack thereof is public. We must marry. You need to resolve yourself to that fact.”
Darcy stepped closer and offered his hand to Elizabeth. She flinched and stepped away.
“Never! Do you think for one minute that any consideration, even the avoidance of scandal, would tempt me to accept the man who has been the means of ruining, perhaps forever, the happiness of my dearest sister?”
Elizabeth wanted to believe the man who stood before her had some semblance of humanity, compassion, dignity, a measure of regret. He had admitted being in love with her. Perhaps Lady Gwendolen had the account wrong. “Can you deny that you influenced Mr. Bingley to abandon Jane?”
Darcy said nothing, spurring Elizabeth on. “I no longer wonder why you refused my repeated pleas to right this injustice. All along, you have been its chief perpetrator.”
“I have no wish of denying I did everything in my power to separate my friend from your sister. I detected no special regard from your sister towards Bingley. Certainly, she smiled whenever he spoke, quite obsessively to the point of being insincere. However, that alone did not sway me against her. You heard your mother speak of the supposed alliance during supper that evening at the Netherfield ball. She spoke in such terms of inevitability as to be taken as mercenary.
“You cannot deny it. Did you expect me to rejoice in such an unfortunate prospect for my friend?”
No, Elizabeth could not deny his assertion as she recalled the shame and embarrassment she suffered because of her mother’s behaviour. Still, she did not intend to let him escape the burden of culpability as easily as that.
“My dislike of you is not founded merely on this matter. My opinion of you was decided long before I learned of your part in my sister’s predicament. Your character was unfolded when Mr. Wickham gave me an account of your cruelty against him. What can you have to say in defence of your selfishness towards him?”
“Why in heaven do you take such an eager interest in that gentleman’s affairs?”
“Why would I not, knowing as I do of his misfortunes?”
“His misfortunes!” Darcy said with utter contempt. “Yes, he is the most unfortunate creature which ever slithered across the earth.”
“You are to blame for his current state, yet you mock and ridicule him. Have you no shame, Mr. Darcy?”
“How dare you think so little of me?” He failed to conceal his anger, his disappointment. “I suppose in some twisted sort of way, I should be grateful. Knowing where I stand in your estimation serves us both well.
“It pains me to consider that you think highly of him and poorly of me. Nevertheless, it is beside the point. You and I must marry!”
Elizabeth’s heartbeat thundered with rage. “Never! The next time you boast of the great satisfaction you enjoyed in saving your friend from the prospect of such inferior connections, boast of saving yourself, as well!
“For regardless of the words you speak of loving me, even against your reason, I am quite certain I do not love you. I despise you, not only for what you have done to my sister, but for as long as I have known you. Your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain of the feelings of others, I find deplorable.
“You, Mr. Darcy, are the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed upon to marry. I would sooner spend the rest of my life tucked away in Hertfordshire, a scorned spinster, than spend another second in company with the likes of you!”
With those words, she hastily fled down the path. The tumult of her mind was now painfully great. Rumours of a scandal—she had brought this on herself, and she surely would suffer the consequences by herself. Her greatest regret was that she had been a complete failure as regarded her purposes in helping Jane.
Her head pounded. How might I possibly face Mr. Bingley now? Surely, as Mr. Darcy’s closest friend, he must know of my foolish actions. Who else knows? Lord Latham? Lady Gwendolen?
Tired and weak, she sat and cried for half an hour. Who is at the heart of this rumour? Is the situation as dire as Mr. Darcy proclaims?
Her astonishment as she reflected on what had passed was increased by every review of it. That she should receive an offer of marriage from Mr. Darcy! That he should have been in love with her for months! So much in love as to wish to marry her despite the objections that had led to his preventing Mr. Bingley’s marrying Jane. Having inspired such strong affection was somewhat gratifying.
She thought it was only fitting that he should feel the sting of rejection as painfully as had her sister. Nevertheless, she could not be wholly satisfied for if she would but admit it, she had sensed the attraction and been on her way to some semblance of reciprocity. However, his brazen declaration of what he had
done with respect to Jane, and the unfeeling manner in which he had mentioned Mr. Wickham. No, it was all entirely too reprehensible.
I shall never forgive him!
Chapter 11
Looking forlorn, Elizabeth sat in the carriage making its way from the manor house, as if saying good-bye forever to that which might have meant something to her. Lady Susan did not know what to make of her young charge. She had arrived at Latham Hall with such high hopes. Looking at her now, one would presume she had lost her best friend in the world.
Lady Susan could only think of one thing that might have happened to bring about such a change. Lady Gwendolen seemed a little too accommodating in seeing that we might be on our way, not at all disappointed in seeing us take our leave. What a shame. The two young ladies were getting along exceedingly well.
Elizabeth reminded her of her niece, Madeline, though Elizabeth’s prospects were better. After all, Elizabeth was a gentleman’s daughter—even if he was a lowly country gentleman. Her roots in trade were a knock against her, as well, thus Lady Susan’s purpose in trying to match her with Sir Robert Boxley. He was a decent, respectable man, and a landowner of adequate means. To her ladyship’s way of thinking, the match was advantageous for all concerned.
Now witnessing Elizabeth’s despair, Lady Susan pontificated upon her view of what had occurred. “I pray our precipitous leave-taking has nothing to do with Mr. Darcy, my dear.”
To Elizabeth’s confused look, she continued. “One would have to be blind not to have discerned how he attended you last evening. My dear, you are aware of the fact that Lady Gwendolen has her heart set on the gentleman. The whole world knows that. Have you and her ladyship quarrelled?
“As much as I adore you—adore you both, I do believe Lady Gwendolen loves him best. She remains unattached not for want of suitable prospects, I assure you.”
Elizabeth smiled weakly. “You need not be concerned in that regard. Should Mr. Darcy and Lady Gwendolen decide to live their lives as husband and wife, I shall not be the least bit disheartened.” Elizabeth sounded as if she might have been trying to persuade herself instead of Lady Susan.
