The Maiden's Stratagem

by Margaret Gale

  She could not begin to sort out what she felt in return. She had always thought him proud and disdainful of the feelings of others, certain of himself and always in control of his emotions, yet in the last two days he had shown a quite different side of himself – more understanding, more caring, more … affectionate – and now positively anxious. That he was nervously awaiting her response was obvious. Despite everything he had related, Mr Darcy was waiting on bended knee to know his fate. And his fate was in her hands.

  She could not say that she loved Mr Darcy as she had hoped to love the man she wed, but she had come to think of him as a friend, and to understand him better. Suddenly, it was simple. She had no other options. Her fate was to become either Mrs Collins or Mrs Darcy. Faced with a choice between an honourable gentleman and a fool, between a man who acknowledged his mistakes and begged her forgiveness and a man who thought himself perfect, between a man who professed to admire her wit and intelligence and a man who loved only the sound of his own voice, and (though she blushed at the thought) between a man she could bear intimacies with and a man who physically repulsed her, there really was only one answer she could make.

  “Mr Darcy, I am honoured by your declaration and accept your offer with gratitude. But please stand, as I need to explain my answer more fully, and it might be best if we can walk while we talk. I think better when I am in motion.” She held out her had to help him to his feet, and he kissed it softly before releasing it.

  A little flustered by such a gesture, Elizabeth continued: “I will not lie to you by pretending more affection than I feel, but I can truly say that I do respect and esteem you, sir. I was distressed by hearing of the events you have described, and hope that you understand that I do not like having decisions made for me. I hope you will consult me in future before making decisions about my life. But I do understand the unusual circumstances you found yourself in, and am pleased, I suppose, that you managed to find a solution that has saved us both from being forced into wedlock with people we abhor. You must forgive me if I triumph just a little at the thought of Miss Bingley’s disappointment.”

  They shared a gentle smile, and Darcy, who had been listening attentively, began to speak. “Miss Elizabeth, thank you for your generous and forgiving nature. I wish circumstances had not thrown us into such a precipitous engagement, but I cannot resent the fact that you have not yet given me your heart. I have done little enough in all our acquaintance to show you my affection – indeed, I have foolishly striven to hide it from myself and from you. I am astounded that you are willing to give me a second chance, and promise you that I will cherish whatever fondness you find for me. If we remain friends for all our lives, I will have the best of friends by my side. If you come to feel more for me, I will be the happiest of men. But I make no demands of you, and can never resent your honesty in telling me how you feel.”

  “I need to be clear, Mr Darcy,” she replied. “I had always hoped to marry only for the deepest love. As you know, that choice has been taken away from me. I am unhappy at the circumstances that have forced my hand, sir, but I am not unhappy at the prospect of marrying you. I find the idea pleases me. I will enter into this marriage with every intention of being happy, and as I come to understand your character more fully, I am content that we may have every expectation of happiness. After all, you are a gentleman of honour, intelligence, and, obviously, impeccable taste,” she raised an eyebrow and he was delighted to see some of the sparkle in her eye that had been absent since her cousin’s proposal. “You have come to my rescue, and I, even if unawares, have come to yours. I see no reason we cannot expect felicity in marriage, Mr Darcy,” she concluded with an impish smile.

  Darcy laughed, releasing the tension of the past hours. Elizabeth Bennet had accepted his hand. His heart began to sing. “You have indeed come to my rescue, my dearest Elizabeth,” he cried, almost giddily. “You have saved me from a most terrible fate. I have a pleasure in owing you so immense a debt. I cannot say more. Nothing else that has being would have been tolerable to me in the character of creditor for such an obligation: but you: it is different – I feel your benefits no burden. I find the prospect of spending the rest of my life repaying your kindness to be a very pleasant one indeed.”

  Elizabeth smiled at his joy: “There is no debt, benefit, burden, obligation in the case, Mr Darcy. But before I can consent to you addressing me so informally, I must ask you to speak with my father. I would have matters final and agreed as soon as possible.”

  “Of course, my dear. I would be happy to speak to him immediately. Do you think I should tell him of the rumour of compromise? I suppose it cannot be helped. Will he be very angry, do you think?”

  “My dear Mr Darcy,” she replied, deliberately using such an affectionate address, and was pleased to see his eyes brighten at the words, “my father was not happy with requiring me to marry my cousin – it is just that he could see no alternative. I think he will be very surprised, and may indeed be angry at first, but if you and I both reassure him that this is an alliance we want, I am sure he will quickly see its merits. In any case, we have left him with little choice. I will accompany you, to tell him of my sentiments before you speak.”

  Darcy was impressed with his beloved’s confident demeanour. She could understand and forgive even the parent who had stood ready to force her to marry that Collins creature, and was concerned to ease her father’s anxieties as well as her future husband’s, in what could only be a difficult interview.

  A Father’s Heart

  Mr Bennet was ensconced in his study. He had been spending even more time there than usual lately, since whenever he ventured into the rest of the house he was sure to encounter his wife, who would scold him for giving Lizzy a week’s grace, his heir, who was unbearable company at the best of times (and these were not the best of times), or his daughters, each of whom seemed to silently rebuke him for forcing Lizzy’s hand.

  Of Lizzy herself, he had seen nothing since he had so badly disappointed her. He could not blame her for avoiding his company – truth be told, he did not like his own company much just at the moment – but he missed her cheerful comments at the breakfast table and her quiet companionship as she read at the window seat in his study. In short, he missed her, but he dreaded what she would say when next he saw her.

  As a result, he looked both hopeful and nervous when she knocked and entered his sanctuary. “Good morning, Lizzy,” he said. “What can I do for you?”

  “Papa, I have news that will surprise you. I hope you will be pleased for me, although it will disappoint Mr Collins. I have accepted an offer of marriage from Mr Darcy.”

  In the silence that followed, Elizabeth thought she would have been able to hear the proverbial pin drop, despite the rather thick carpet in her father’s study. Mr Bennet sat in amazement for near a full minute before asking, in slightly strangled tones, “Mr Darcy? Mr Darcy has proposed to you?”

  “Yes, Papa.”

  “My girl, do not jump from the frying pan into the fire! I know Collins is not what you would wish for, but you are smart enough to manage him very well. You have always hated Mr Darcy, and a man like him cannot be manipulated, Lizzy. He will insist on getting his way in everything, and you will be miserable. You have accepted him, you say? Does anyone else know of this?”

  “Please, Papa, do not speak of him so. Truly he is a good man. Perhaps I did not always like him as well as I ought, but that is all forgotten now. I do like him. I respect and admire him. He is honest and thoughtful, and takes my views into account. I believe he loves me.

  “I want this, Papa. I will not marry Mr Collins, whether or not you consent to my marrying Mr Darcy. I have thought, and thought, and I could not do it. You gave me a week to find an alternative, and I have done so. It is a good alternative: an upstanding gentleman of considerable means has asked for my hand, and I am most happy to accept his suit. We need only your blessing to make us both happy. You must see this is for the bes
t. Please, Papa.”

  “I see you are determined. Very well, I will hear what the young man has to say. If I am satisfied that he will take care of your mother and sisters, should it come to that, then you will have my blessing. Show him in.”

  Darcy, who had been pacing impatiently in the hall, entered the room as soon as Lizzy opened the door. He sat down for a few moments in the seat indicated by Mr Bennet, and then getting up, walked about the room in an agitated manner, and thus began, “Mr Bennet, I hope Miss Elizabeth has explained the purpose of my visit this morning. I most earnestly request your consent for me to marry your daughter, and your blessing on our match. But before you answer, it is incumbent on me to explain some of the circumstances. I am aware that this proposal must be unexpected, and understand you must be concerned at its sudden nature. I assure you that my affection for your daughter is no recent thing – my regard for Miss Elizabeth has been growing since the earliest moments of our acquaintance. Her knowledge of my regard is a more recent thing, but I am delighted to say that her opinion of me has improved in recent days.

  “Miss Elizabeth and Miss Bennet came to Netherfield Park yesterday morning. As it transpired, the two young ladies took a stroll in the gardens with myself and Mr Bingley. For a short period, Miss Elizabeth and I were out of sight of Bingley and Miss Bennet. During that time, Miss Elizabeth stumbled a little. I reacted instinctively – although I admit my instincts to protect Miss Elizabeth from harm are stronger than those I feel towards any other lady – in any case, I tried to stop her falling, and found myself holding her in an overly familiar way. I apologised to her, and now I apologise to you, sir. We discussed the question of whether I needed to take action to restore her reputation, but as we were unsure whether anyone had seen us, your daughter generously agreed to forgive and forget. It speaks highly for her character, sir, that despite the opportunity this gave her to escape a future as Mrs Collins, she made no attempt to entrap me.

  “As we talked, I realised that your beautiful daughter had no inkling of the strength of my regard for her. Indeed, I would have happily been entrapped, so long as it was Miss Elizabeth Bennet who held the keys to my cage. I determined to do all I could to win her affections before pressing my suit, but two things happened to speed me to a proposal today. First, as you are aware, I faced the very real prospect of losing her to another. She told me of Mr Collins’ proposal, and that she had only a few days before she must submit to that fate. I could not bear to see the woman I love bound to such a man, sir. I apologise. I know he is your heir, but he is entirely unsuited to Miss Elizabeth. To know her married to another would be awful, but I could at least comfort myself with the thought that she was happy. To know her married to a cretin with whom she could never be happy – that would be worse than death, sir. And so I determined to make my offer immediately, so that she would have a choice.

  “The second event which forced my hand occurred yesterday evening at Netherfield. Miss Bingley does not share your daughter’s delicacy of mind, and had no qualms at attempting to press a compromise. When she tripped – she claimed accidentally – and fell into my lap in front of the assembled company, as well as several servants, she clearly expected me to bow to the inevitable and make her an offer. That would have been intolerable, sir. You have met the lady. Faced with the choice of Miss Elizabeth or Miss Bingley as my bride, I did the only thing I could think of, which was to declare I was already beholden to your daughter.”

  Mr Bennet stood and thumped his desk with his fist. “Damn your presumption, sir! You have sullied my daughter’s reputation in order to avoid your duty!”

  Darcy stood firmly in front of the desk. “You are right to chastise me, sir, but I have not sullied Miss Elizabeth’s reputation. I have been clear to everyone that it was I who compromised her, however innocently, and I have acted immediately by seeking this conference. I should not have told anyone before I spoke to you, and for that I apologise. I admit I was not at my best, with that woman looking like the cat that got the cream, her sister squawking about compromise, and half the staff of Netherfield Park looking on. I panicked. But what I said was only the truth. I was already bound to offer for Miss Elizabeth, not only for the incident in the garden that morning, but because she held my heart.

  “In any case, what’s done is done. You may accept my apology or not, as is your right. Miss Elizabeth has accepted my offer. You know her well enough to believe that she has expressed her anger about my presumption very clearly. But she assures me she wishes to marry me nonetheless.

  “I press my suit most firmly, Mr Bennet, and ask sincerely for your consent. I am happy to disclose my finances to you, and to discuss terms of a settlement. My income is somewhat in excess of the ten thousand pounds I have heard bandied about, mostly in property but with about fifty thousand tied up in various investments. Of course, it goes without saying that if the need should arise Elizabeth and I would provide for your family.”

  Mr Bennet’s flash of anger had subsided in the face of this earnest young man’s respect for Elizabeth, which was obvious in every mention of her, and his apparently sincere apology for anticipating the announcement of an engagement in order to escape the clutches of Bingley’s sister. The assurance of Darcy’s wealth satisfied his anxiety for the future of his wife and other daughters. He resumed his seat, and raised one eyebrow – a gesture disconcertingly reminiscent of Elizabeth – saying, “Well then, sir, I give you my blessing. You are the kind of man, indeed, to whom I should never refuse anything which you condescended to ask, and it seems my Lizzy is determined to have you. I charge you to take care of her.”

  “It will be my honour and my joy to care for Miss Elizabeth, sir. I thank you. Should we not make an announcement to the rest of your family? I would be sorry for them to learn the news from the Netherfield servants.“

  “Perhaps that would be wise, Mr Darcy, but I do not think you will want to hear my good wife’s first effusions on learning the news. It might be best if we let her continue to believe you worth no more than ten thousand pounds. Correcting that figure could only lead to her smelling salts! Would you not prefer me to make the announcement once you have left for Netherfield Park?”

  “Indeed no. Your family will be my family soon. I will bear with their effusions well enough, and I would not leave Elizabeth to face Mr Collins’ disappointment without my support. As my aunt is his patron, I may be best placed to encourage him to moderate his behaviour.”

  Struck by Darcy’s consideration for Elizabeth, Mr Bennet shrugged his acceptance and limited himself to asking whether Elizabeth had granted the gentleman permission to speak of her so informally. Darcy blushed, and admitted he had not yet been granted that honour.

  Discussion then turned to finalisation of settlement papers, and possible wedding dates. Bennet hoped for a long engagement, while Darcy wanted to take his bride home to Pemberley as soon as might be. They both agreed that Elizabeth would not be best pleased to have such a decision taken out of her hands, and so they adjourned the conversation until she could be consulted.

  The two gentlemen emerged from the study to find Elizabeth waiting on a seat in the hall. She leapt to her feet, glancing anxiously from one face to the other. Both were smiling, Mr Bennet wryly and Mr Darcy broadly. A matching smile broke out on her face, and she rushed to give her father a kiss and a whispered “Thank you, Papa.”

  “Well, my dear, it seems he deserves you, and I am glad not to have to part with you to someone less worthy. Now let us break the news to your mother and your cousin.” With a grimace at that prospect, Elizabeth agreed, and followed her husband and fiancé into the parlour.

  A Disappointed Suitor

  Mrs Bennet and Mr Collins had been discussing his parsonage at Hunsford, near Rosings Park. Or more accurately, Mr Collins was describing his home in excruciating detail and Mrs Bennet was providing an occasional murmur of mild interest whenever he drew breath. He had just launched into a description of the shelves whi
ch had been installed in the cupboards in the guest room, on the express recommendation of the benevolent Lady Catherine de Bourgh, when Mr Bennet, Mr Darcy and Miss Elizabeth entered the room.

  Mr Collins immediately abandoned his narrative in order to lavish his attentions on his patron’s nephew. He stood up precipitously, nearly overturning his chair, bowing deeply and with great flourish towards the object of his adoration. Before he could get more than a few words into what would doubtless have been a lengthy salutation, Mr Bennet loudly cleared his throat and declared that he had some news.

  Mary had been quietly reading near the window. She closed her book and sat with her hands demurely folded in her lap. Kitty and Lydia, who had been giggling in the corner while they worked on refreshing an old bonnet, also fell silent. Their father was rarely formal, and the presence of the tall gentleman from Derbyshire made the occasion even more unusual. Except for Jane, who was still walking with Mr Bingley in the garden, the whole family waited attentively to hear what this news was.