Charles was waiting in the study and had poured a brandy for both of them. He already knew the reason why Darcy had asked for this meeting. His friend had changed his mind regarding Miss Bennet because, if any reservations had remained, he would never have revealed that Miss Elizabeth was staying at the inn. It was evident that Darcy now approved of the match, and an unfortunate episode in their friendship could be put behind them. Charles was confident there would be a time in the not-too-distant future when Mr. Darcy would be welcoming Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bingley to Pemberley.
Taking the brandy from Charles’s hand, Darcy got right after it. “You know me well enough to know I do not beat around the bush. The reason I have asked you here is to apologize for my interference in your affairs with regard to Miss Bennet. I completely misjudged the depth of her affection, and it was presumptuous of me to assume that I knew more than you did as to matters of the heart. I did not understand how quickly one could fall in love, and I regarded it almost as an affliction that one would eventually recover from. However, I now recognize that it is a force that reaches into every fiber of your body, and that it is something not to be resisted but embraced.”
“Well said, Darcy. But are you talking about me or you?”
“The matter at hand is your love for Miss Bennet.”
“Darcy, I understand you were acting in my best interest, but you arrived at your decision based upon how you would have acted. But I am not a Darcy. I do not have Norman blood running in my veins, and my ancestors were not earls. I am a simple man with simple tastes. I want no more than to be surrounded by family and friends and to have horses to ride about my property on a fine day. And who knows what the future holds? I have just learned that my brother, George, is on the king’s birthday list for a knighthood, so the Bingleys are rising.
“In the early days of our friendship,” Charles continued, “I looked to you as an older and wiser brother, but in the intervening years, I have grown up. I now trust my own judgment and am confident that I am capable of making wise decisions. Not that I won’t need your counsel from time to time, but it must be a contributing factor, not the deciding one. So if it is my forgiveness you are seeking, you are forgiven.”
“I readily agree to your conditions,” Darcy said and hoped that Bingley would feel the same way when he had finished. “However, there is one other matter I must acquaint you with. A few weeks after our departure from Hertfordshire, Miss Bennet visited her aunt and uncle, whom you met this morning, in London. I knew she was in town but said nothing. I now know from Miss Elizabeth that her sister thought you knew she was staying with the Gardiners, but chose not to call. As a result, she was deeply hurt. Fortunately, Miss Elizabeth was able to reassure her sister that you were completely unaware of her presence. At the earliest opportunity, it is my intention to apologize to Miss Bennet. And now you know it all.”
Bingley started to pace about the room, saying nothing, and as the silence lengthened into several minutes, Darcy was less sure that his friend would forgive him now that he knew the full extent of his interference.
“I should be angry with you, Darcy, but I am angrier with myself. I should not have taken your advice regarding Miss Bennet nor given in to the pressure from my sisters. However, I cannot change the past, and since you are sorry for what happened in Hertfordshire and London, how can I not forgive you?” Charles stood next to Darcy and clapped him on the back, a gesture the older Darcy often did to his friend. It was the first time Charles had ever done it to him.
“Now, that we have cleared the air, in a gesture of friendship, I shall do you a favor. I know how much my sisters, especially Caroline, annoy you. Don’t pretend that they do not. If it was ever a secret, it came into the light of day at Hulston Hall. Caroline’s behavior towards our hosts put a permanent scowl on your face. So this evening, I will suggest that tomorrow we all go for a ride in the Peak District, knowing full well that neither of my sisters nor my bloated brother-in-law will get on a horse. Caroline will be unhappy, but she will be unhappy with me and not you. Of course, you must invite the Gardiners and Miss Elizabeth to go riding. I would be very surprised if Miss Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle accepted the invitation, which will leave Georgiana, Miss Elizabeth, and you. While you are showing Miss Elizabeth the wilds of the Peak, I shall offer to drive the ladies to the various lookouts that require no exertion whatsoever.”
“You are making it sound as if you are deliberately throwing me into the path of Miss Elizabeth, or am I mistaken?”
“Darcy, it will not do,” Charles said, laughing. “You are finally able to understand my love for Miss Bennet because you are in love. I had guessed as much when I saw how you looked at Miss Elizabeth at the inn this morning, but when you confessed that love fills every fiber of your body, only a man in love could utter such words.”
“It seems that I am easily seen through these days. Apparently, love lays bare your soul. It is quite a humbling experience.”
“Yes, but there is nothing like it on earth.”
***
Darcy’s heart was keeping time with the gait of the horses as Elizabeth’s carriage came up the hill. He was still unaccustomed to the physical change that came over him whenever he was in her company. It wasn’t only his heart racing, but the feeling of being caught up in something beyond his control, and it quite overwhelmed him.
When the Gardiners and Elizabeth were introduced, everyone was in the music room listening to Mrs. Hurst play one of her pieces on the pianoforte. She lacked the precision of her sister, but her playing was heartfelt, and it led Darcy to believe that if she ever broke free of her younger sister, Mrs. Hurst would be quite a different person.
Anne immediately went to Elizabeth and greeted her warmly, which did not go unnoticed by Caroline Bingley. Just how well did these two ladies know each other? It had been her impression that they had only recently been introduced during Elizabeth’s visit to Kent. If that was the case, why was Miss de Bourgh greeting her as if they were sisters? Caroline suspected a conspiracy, and the evidence was building.
“Miss Elizabeth, it has been too long,” Caroline said, making no pretense at sincerity. “I believe it was last autumn at the ball at Netherfield when we last saw you and your family. If I recall correctly, we returned to London shortly thereafter.”
“Was it only last autumn, Miss Bingley? How the months do pass when one is engaged in enjoyable pursuits in the midst of a loving family.”
Georgiana was already so in tune to Miss Bingley that she could tell by her inflection just how cutting any particular remark was. She knew nothing of the ball at Netherfield, but she had no doubt it was the first arrow out of Miss Bingley’s quiver.
“Miss Elizabeth, you must come and sit by me and tell me everything you have done since arriving in Lambton,” Georgiana said.
“Gladly. This morning, we went to a well dressing,” Elizabeth said enthusiastically. “The workers were still creating their design when we left, but when it is done, it will be of four children dancing around a maypole. It was wonderful. There is nothing like it in Hertfordshire, so we found it to be very interesting.”
Georgiana explained to Miss Bingley and the Hursts that a well dressing was a design made up entirely of flowers and other things taken from Nature, such as moss and leaves and pieces of wood.
“Oh, Will, we must tell our friends about the one we saw last year. It was the largest I had ever seen. It was a replica of a local ruin and very like.”
By the time she had finished her description of various well dressings, Caroline could hardly believe that such a thing had merited fifteen minutes of discussion. Miss Darcy had barely uttered the final word on the subject when Miss Bingley said, “Miss Elizabeth, I understand you were touring the gardens of Pemberley when Mr. Darcy arrived. What a happy event. Did it require much alteration to your plans?”
“There was no alteration on our part, Miss Bi
ngley. Our plans have been in place for several weeks. I came to Pemberley at the recommendation of Miss de Bourgh, and if any alteration was made, it was made by your party, not mine.”
That was the second arrow out of Caroline Bingley’s quiver, Georgiana thought. But from that exchange, she decided Miss Elizabeth was quite capable of taking care of herself, and her brother was of the same opinion. The parties had engaged, but Elizabeth had got the better of Miss Bingley. And it looked as if it was going to be an interesting evening.
Chapter 33
As the current mistress of Pemberley, Georgiana had met with Jackson to discuss the seating arrangements for that night’s supper and had requested only one change. She wanted Miss Elizabeth to sit on the same side of the table as Caroline Bingley. In that way, when her brother spoke to Elizabeth, Caroline would be unable to hear her responses, and if things went as Georgiana hoped they would, her role as mistress of Pemberley would be short-lived, as her brother would soon be marrying Elizabeth Bennet.
As soon as Caroline entered the dining room, she saw how it would be. Caroline was seated to Miss Darcy’s right, next to her brother-in-law, and diagonally across from Miss de Bourgh. With Mr. Gardiner sitting opposite to her, she was completely boxed in. While at the other end of the table sat Mr. Darcy, and to his left, Eliza Bennet. She was sure Miss de Bourgh was responsible for the seating arrangement. It had been just the previous day when Caroline had declared Mr. Darcy’s cousin to be a fool, but now she knew that she was anything but. Once Caroline learned that it was Miss de Bourgh who had suggested Elizabeth’s visit to Pemberley, she remembered what Mr. Darcy had said when he came to the Bingley townhouse: “I would ask that the date for our departure be moved up at the request of my cousin, Miss Anne de Bourgh.” That whole stupid conversation about yellow frocks, favorite flowers, and Elizabeth’s disagreement with Mr. Darcy concerning bathing resorts, was part of an act to disguise her efforts on Miss Elizabeth’s behalf.
Caroline had no doubt Miss Elizabeth and Miss de Bourgh were in collusion, and that the plot had been hatched when the two women became fast friends during Elizabeth’s visit to Kent. It was only after Mr. Darcy’s return from his visit with Lady Catherine that Caroline was told Miss de Bourgh was to accompany them to Derbyshire, a place she had not visited for two years because of her supposed ill health. But the success of their plan was thwarted when she had agreed to the sudden change in their departure date.
Caroline did not understand why Mr. Darcy’s cousin would encourage such a match. There was nothing to recommend Miss Elizabeth. She was considered to be a beauty only because she lived in a backwater village and moved in a society of the meanest sort. If she attended the grand balls in London, she would not have merited so much as a passing glance from anyone in polished society. And her clothes! How many times had she seen that yellow frock when they were in Hertfordshire? And her complexion! At least her sister had the good sense to protect her skin from the sun, but apparently Miss Elizabeth thought that being brown complemented “her fine eyes,” when all it did was make her look as if she worked out of doors.
In addition to the more obvious drawbacks to such a match, there was the matter of her inferior birth and lack of connections. The daughter of a gentleman farmer to be the mistress of Pemberley. Impossible! Or did Miss Elizabeth think her association with Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner would provide her with an introduction into London society? Equally ridiculous. The Gardiners could have the finest china and crystal in all of London, but what did it matter if the only people to dine at their London home were shopkeepers and merchants?
Mr. Darcy was completely innocent in all of this and would have been offended if he knew what the two women had got up to. She was sure he would be outraged if he had discovered that his sister had been drawn into their intrigue by appealing to her love of drama, which was so evident at Hulston Hall when Georgiana had gone up into the attic in search of ghosts. Her brother would not have approved of that either, but Anne had found it to be a lark.
“Miss Bingley, I think you and my wife may have something in common,” Mr. Gardiner said after a prolonged silence by his dining partner. “Mrs. Gardiner’s grandfather was born in Edinburgh, and I understand from your brother you too have some Scots blood in you. Have you ever visited Scotland?”
“No, I have not, and it is my intention to keep it that way. My grandfather moved to Durham when he was still a young man, and the Bingley connection to Scotland is so remote, I am surprised my brother mentioned it at all.”
“I know the Scots have a reputation for being a bit rough at the edges,” Mr. Gardiner said with a laugh, “but we all owe a debt of gratitude to some Scotsman. They are men of science and industry and medicine. If London is ever to be lit by gas, it will be because of Mr. William Murdoch. Have you not seen the public lighting at Pall Mall?”
“Of course, I have. But as you say, Mr. Gardiner, the Scots are men of science and industry and are not gentlemen.”
Fearing that his attempt to engage the lady in conversation had only served to annoy her, he thought it best to change the subject. “I understand your oldest brother is to be knighted, Miss Bingley.”
“Yes, I hope this will be the first of many honors for George.”
“May I add my congratulations to your brother being so honored,” Anne said, “but before we leave the topic of Scotsmen, since we are at Pemberley, we might add Robert Adam’s name to the list of sons of Scotland to whom we are indebted, as he designed all the public rooms here in the manor house. Mr. Darcy would know more about that than I do because he had actually met the man when he was a child.”
“Miss de Bourgh, the statement regarding Scotsmen not being gentlemen was not meant to be universally applied,” Caroline said. “There are always exceptions, and I cannot think of one more thing to say about Scotland or its inhabitants.”
Mr. Darcy had heard nothing of their discussion because he had been otherwise engaged in a conversation with Miss Elizabeth and Mrs. Hurst. Without embarrassment, Mrs. Hurst had shared the story of how she had got lost in the maze during her visit to Pemberley the previous summer. “I probably should not tell that story as it makes me look foolish, but I did so enjoy it.”
Instead of being ridiculed for her inability to navigate the maze, Elizabeth complimented her on her desire to find humor in an awkward situation.
“I am glad you think so, Miss Elizabeth. Caroline was quite upset with me, especially when I got lost a second time. But Mr. Darcy assured me that it was a complicated design, and he did not know of anyone who had not got lost at one time or another. It is just one of the many pleasures to be found at Pemberley.”
Darcy smiled at the compliment. Mrs. Hurst’s relaxed attitude and pleasant conversation served to confirm what Darcy had already suspected. Mrs. Hurst was a follower, and unfortunately the leader was her sister, who seemed to find little joy in anything except carving up perceived rivals.
“Miss Elizabeth, Mrs. Hurst has expressed her opinion of Pemberley, but I was wondering if you had any comment to add.”
“I do not think I do, Mr. Darcy. I am ill equipped to describe your own Garden of Eden. I have never been to a manor house that was so happily situated with its incredible views of the Peak and the gardens and the lake. You once said to me that your thoughts are clearest when you are at Pemberley, and I can well believe it. Who could think anything but happy thoughts when in the midst of such beauty?”
“I agree wholeheartedly with that statement, but such beauty should be shared. Would you agree, Miss Elizabeth?”
“Yes, I would agree.”
Darcy smiled at her answer. He took it to mean that she would be receptive to another offer of marriage. Could it be interpreted in any other way?
After the pudding was served, Jackson asked his master if he intended for the gentlemen to withdraw to the study. Darcy decided that leaving the women alone for even a short period
of time was not a good idea, and he told Jackson they would all adjourn to the music room and asked that coffee be served immediately.
Caroline was relieved when supper finally ended. Now, they would go into the music room where she would outshine everyone else. There was no doubt she was the most talented musician, and that included Miss Darcy, and her skills would be further enhanced because she would be playing on a pianoforte that was as fine an instrument as she had ever seen. But once she was mistress of Pemberley, she would have the piano moved to the other end of the room to allow for more intimate entertainments.
“Miss Bingley, perhaps you will favor us with a tune?” Mr. Darcy asked almost as soon as they had entered the room.
“Will, if I may make a suggestion?” Georgiana said. “Miss Bingley is such an accomplished musician that if she plays first we shall all pale in comparison. Perhaps, Miss Elizabeth could entertain us with a ballad, and Mrs. Hurst might accompany her.”
Anne and Georgiana had anticipated that Miss Bingley would sit as close to Will as possible and would remain there until forced to move. If she was asked to perform later in the evening, she would have to get up, allowing Will and Elizabeth more time to engage in conversation.
Darcy was convinced his sister’s request had nothing to do with musical proficiency, but he acceded without trying to puzzle it out. After the two ladies had completed their first piece, Caroline made no comment on the performance, but used the break to compliment Mr. Darcy on the design of the music room.
“Your cousin shared with us that Robert Adam was the designer of the public rooms at Pemberley. I cannot think of anyone else who brings such a light touch to his work. It is the perfect design for this room—so peaceful, so serene.”
The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy Page 17
