by Lory Lilian
Now that things were calm and clear, he could smile at the absurdity of the incident with the colonel and even take pity on his cousin for his misapprehension. What pain and disappointment he must have suffered, imagining all those horrible things regarding him and Miss Bennet. Surely, it must have been the effects of his exhaustion, or else he never would presume I am to marry Cassandra. He laughed. Since they were quite young, their families had discussed the possibility, and later, in the first years of their youth and after their first Season in Town, the speculation was on everyone’s lips. Both he and Cassandra had laughed about it endlessly.
Of course, there had been that dreadful moment when their marriage was needed and would have helped Cassandra—and he had been more than willing to do it; yet even then, Cassandra had rejected him, and it was many months before he understood the reason for her decided refusal. After all, most marriages were arranged, and those spouses certainly did not share the affection and friendship he and Cassandra possessed. At that moment when their parents had passed away and they were all alone—he, Cassandra and Georgiana—the prospect of a lifetime together was the best thing he could imagine.
However, after he met Elizabeth and his heart succumbed helplessly to her, he understood what a man should feel for the woman with whom he wished to spend his entire life. The fact that most gentlemen did not possess strong feelings for their spouses was no longer of any importance to him. And now, when he finally had reason to hope that Elizabeth was returning his ardent love, he managed to comprehend fully the wisdom of Cassandra’s refusal of an arranged marriage. What a tragedy it would have been for him to meet his true love after he had pledged himself to another! Once more, he discovered a further reason to feel indebted and grateful to Cassandra—even if she sometimes pushes me past the limit of my patience as she did last night with Caroline Bingley. What a torture!
Cassandra had always enjoyed putting proper manners aside, and their behaviour toward each other had seemed difficult to accept or understand by the people around them, especially members of the ton. Had they been family—true brother and sister—the liberty with which she always addressed him and teased him in public would have been hardly acceptable. But there was nothing to be done with her manners, not after her parents as well as his had always allowed her those little breaks in decorum. Their close acquaintances and friends had become accustomed to their friendship, and Darcy was certain that, despite the colonel’s assertion, no one could misread their familiarity as an indication of romantic involvement.
Of course, to a complete stranger, their closeness could be bewildering, but that rumour about his marrying Cassandra was ridiculous considering that he also had been in the close company of Elizabeth and openly shown his preference for her. Even the first time they all met at the theatre and later at the ball, surely it was clear that his behaviour toward Elizabeth was different than his friendly familiarity with Cassandra, and his intentions toward her surely were clear enough. How could anyone confuse that? It was also true, he admitted on closer introspection, that Elizabeth’s manner was more proper and restrained then Cassandra’s, but still —
Suddenly, Elizabeth’s beautiful face filled his thoughts, and he let himself be spoiled by those delightful memories, but a moment later, he almost jumped from his bed. Elizabeth!
Elizabeth was surely one of those who had witnessed his familiarity toward Cassandra without being aware of the nature of their connection. How was it possible for him not to have considered that until now?
He tried to ward off the sudden headache that seized him, while images of his previous encounters with Elizabeth in London flew into his mind: that first day in the park, her visit to his home, the night at the theatre, his visit to the Gardiners, and then the ball. He remembered how puzzled and troubled he had been by the unsteadiness in Elizabeth’s manners and attitude toward him. Moment by moment and memory by memory, it became clear to him that the changes in her behaviour were due not to his presence—as he had presumed then—but to Cassandra’s presence. What a horrible situation for Elizabeth! What must she have thought of me—paying attention to her and, at the same time, being so familiar, so intimate with Cassandra! How could I have been such a fool? And that day she and Cassandra left my house together…God knows what Cassandra said to her!
He paced the room and stopped at the window; it was almost light outside. He struggled to remain calm and use good judgement. It was likely, due to her admirable intelligence and perception, that Elizabeth had already understood his intentions; so much was obvious. Had she any doubt about the honour behind his attentions, she surely would not have behaved warmly toward him, nor would she have allowed him in her room, let alone held his hand. How have I been so fortunate to gain the affection of such an admirable lady despite my folly and my thoughtless actions? he wondered, smiling to himself with pride and joy.
Now, there was nothing for him to do except prove himself worthy of her and remove every obstacle from the path of her serenity and happiness. “Elizabeth,” he whispered again, while allowing sleep finally to conquer him. It was already daylight.
***
Darcy slept no more than a couple of hours, but he felt rested and remarkably alive when his servant entered the room quietly.
“Good morning, Stevens. Would you bring me a cup of coffee, please? Or even two?”
“Certainly, sir. I have already taken the liberty of bringing you the coffee.”
“Thank you; you are truly a mind reader.” Darcy answered with a familiarity that surprised the servant. Stevens was certain he had not seen his master possess such an easy disposition since he took over full responsibility for the estate five years before.
“Stevens, would you please inquire after my sister and Miss Bennet? Has the doctor arrived yet?”
“I already did that, sir. Mrs. Reynolds informed me that both Miss Darcy and Miss Bennet slept quite well and are not yet awake. Apparently, the fever is gone, and she said she doubted the doctor would be needed, but she sent the carriage for him regardless.”
“Excellent! Excellent,” Darcy declared, his mood brightening even more.
“The colonel is still asleep, sir,” continued Stevens.
“Ah, yes, I imagined as much. Please take care that he is not disturbed; he needs as much sleep as possible. These last months with his regiment have been trying for him, I am afraid.” The servant did not answer; discussing the colonel’s condition was again an extraordinarily uncommon event for his master, so he wisely chose not to comment.
An hour later, Darcy was informed that the doctor had arrived and was examining both Miss Bennet and Miss Darcy.
The doctor departed with a most satisfactory report, and Darcy went to talk to his sister. His surprise was great when he found Elizabeth there as well, both of them chatting amiably. At his appearance, they stopped, and he could see that Elizabeth was nervous; yet, the mirth in her eyes and her becoming blushes showed she was pleased to see him.
“Good morning, ladies. What a pleasure to see you so well.”
“Good morning, Brother; please do come in. Elizabeth and I were just discussing the weather. I truly hope the rain will be gone for some time.”
“Miss Bennet—I hope you rested well?”
The trace of a blush over her beautiful face was the only indication of her slight embarrassment. “Yes, I did, sir. I did not sleep much, but I feel well and rested. I hope you are well.”
“I am. Thank you.” Despite their apparently neutral conversation, Georgiana did not fail to notice there was something more behind their polite inquiries, but as long as they both seemed pleased, she was as well.
“Do you have any plans for today, Brother?”
“Unfortunately I do, at least for the morning. I intend to check whether the storm may have affected the land or the tenants.”
“Can you not send someone else?”
“No, I cannot, though I confess I would rather spend the day at home.” He could not help loo
king at Elizabeth, but she shyly kept her eyes averted; however, her cheeks and throat down to her neckline coloured visibly. “Yesterday I only managed to check on Mr. Eaglewood and had to return immediately because of the rain.”
“Oh, I forgot to ask you—how was Mr. Eaglewood?” asked Georgiana.
“Worse than we hoped and better then we feared,” he answered and then turned to Elizabeth to explain to her. “Mr. Eaglewood was the oldest tenant of Lord Russell, Lady Cassandra’s father, and he resides exactly at the border between his estate and Pemberley. Both my father and Lord Russell shared a high opinion of Mr. Eaglewood. Lady Cassandra and I have known him most of our lives and have grown very fond of him. Lord Russell even recommended and supported Mr. Eaglewood’s son at school. The young Mr. Eaglewood is now a respected army doctor.”
“Oh, yes,” Miss Darcy intervened with much enthusiasm. “Cassandra and I met them while we were in London, and we agreed that Mr. Eaglewood’s wife is a lovely lady; they have three beautiful children.”
Mr. Darcy smiled and continued. “Unfortunately, the old Mr. Eaglewood has been alone since his wife passed away two years ago, and he has been quite ill lately. But he is stubborn and refused to live with his son. Instead, he pretended he was strong enough to keep his own home. That is why Lady Cassandra accompanied me yesterday. She intended to convince him either to move in with his son or accept my offer of moving into a smaller house closer to Pemberley, so we can help him as needed. And she succeeded, as always. He will move in a few days, and she has hired two maids and two male servants to stay with him.”
“That is wonderful of Lady Cassandra—and of you too, sir—to have such concern for the gentleman.”
“Well…yes, perhaps…but I confess we had a selfish motive, too: Cassandra said Mr. Eaglewood is one of the last of the remaining living proofs of our past and our childhoods—and she is right, of course.”
“Mr. Eaglewood also seems to be a bond between your lands,” Elizabeth whispered, forcing a smile. “I was not aware that Lady Cassandra’s estate was so close to Pemberley,”
“Yes, it is. I am sorry that I did not mention it earlier,” he said, his eyes never leaving hers. “In fact, I must apologise that I neglected to be more specific about many things regarding Lady Cassandra.”
The barely noticeable blink of her eyes, together with a slight change of her expression, were proof enough for Darcy that he had been right in his suspicions: she was still affected by his relationship with Cassandra.
Before she could reply, he added, “Lady Cassandra’s estate is in our immediate vicinity. Our fathers had grown up as friends since their childhood, as have Georgiana and I with Cassandra.” He paused a moment to allow her time to understand his meaning completely. “I know that for many people it might appear strange, but Cassandra is like a sister to us; I truly behave no differently toward her than toward Georgiana.”
Despise her struggle to remain calm, Elizabeth released a deep sigh of relief; Darcy smiled at her.
“I love Cassandra so much; I have always been happy when she was near me,” added Georgiana. “She has always been my dearest friend.
“Lady Cassandra seems a wonderful lady,” offered Elizabeth, lightheartedly.
“Yes, she is wonderful, Elizabeth, and I am glad you like her, because I really hope she will stay with us even after you— Georgiana’s enthusiasm paled instantly, and she turned white as she heard her own words and understood their audacity.
Though she was not certain exactly what Georgiana meant, Elizabeth guessed—and she blushed in mortification. Darcy, obviously a little disconcerted himself, smiled at both of them and tried to put things in order before they all grew more embarrassed.
“We indeed hope that Cassandra will remain with us for as long as possible as a part of our family, no matter what changes might occur in the future. That is, of course, if she does not find a worthy gentleman to win her heart and make her a wonderful husband.”
He then changed the subject, inquiring whether their plans for the day were fixed and whether they were including the other ladies in the house. Elizabeth fought to regain her spirits, though her mind kept wondering whether Mr. Darcy truly meant somehow to ask her consent regarding Lady Cassandra’s presence in their family after…Or perhaps he meant nothing of the kind, and she simply read too much into his words.
Mr. Darcy offered to accompany both ladies down to breakfast. “Miss Bennet, I received a note from Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner; they are quite well and informed me they will join us later, around noon. I hope they will remain for dinner,” Darcy said as they walked along the hallway.
“Thank you for telling me, sir. My aunt sent me a note too, as well as some clothes.” She blushed, remembering the previous day and the poor state of her soaked clothes—as soaked as his. She thought she could feel a slight tightening of his arm as she was holding it and dared to presume he was thinking of the same thing.
“I have other news to share,” he said a few moments later. “Colonel Fitzwilliam arrived during the night. It is likely that we will see him very soon.” The colonel’s presence was a most pleasant prospect for both Elizabeth and Georgiana, and they enthusiastically expressed their enjoyment.
However, when they entered the room, everyone was gathered except the colonel. They broke their fast without him, as Darcy suspected his cousin was in greater need of sleep than food for the present.
Breakfast was a pleasant affair for many in the party. Elizabeth felt more light-hearted than she had been since Hunsford as all her doubts—about her feelings, his feelings and the intriguing Lady Cassandra—had vanished. She did not fail to understand that, somehow, Mr. Darcy had finally understood her uncertainties regarding him and Lady Cassandra, and he took the first opportunity to clear up any misapprehension. In the meantime, she felt nervous at the thought that Mr. Darcy might solicit a private talk with her as soon as he returned from his riding inspection of the estate.
Mr. Darcy specifically insisted upon the fact that he was anxious to leave as soon as possible so he might return quickly. Though Elizabeth was not looking at him as he spoke, she could feel his gaze upon her, and she knew his words were meant mostly for her. She blushed with happiness and no little distress. Would he truly propose again that very day? And if he did, how would he ask her? How should she answer so that he would be certain of her feelings and forget her angry and deeply offensive replies from that day at the parsonage?
The colonel eventually appeared when they had almost finished breakfast—with dark circles under his eyes and an obvious need for coffee; his entrance was met with enthusiastic greetings, but to everyone’s surprise, the colonel seemed more restrained than ever before. He chose to sit near Elizabeth and across from Lady Cassandra, and he ate in silence. Lady Cassandra asked him a few direct questions despite his obvious lack of volubility, but she did not succeed in obtaining more than a few short, though polite, replies.
The party separated again after breakfast. Mr. Bingley and the colonel decided to accompany the master of the house on his excursion, and Miss Darcy invited all the ladies to join her in the music room. However, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst declined, insisting they would rather retire to their apartments, while Lady Cassandra insisted she wanted to go for a short ride.
Therefore, it remained for only Elizabeth and Georgiana to move to the music room, both equally pleased to be left to themselves as they still had much to share with each other. They sat at the instrument, but they talked rather than played. They did not even notice when Mr. Darcy opened the door and moved toward them, closely followed by Colonel Fitzwilliam.
“William, Cousin, I thought you already left,” cried Miss Darcy
“We will in a few minutes, but we wanted to say good-bye first,” declared Mr. Darcy, looking more at Elizabeth than his sister. Miss Darcy exchanged a few meaningful glances with the colonel, who was busy studying both Darcy and Miss Bennet with great attention.
“Good-bye, Mr. Darcy, Colonel.
Please ride safely, and I hope we shall meet again soon.”
“Thank you, Miss Bennet, we will,” Darcy answered. But before he departed, he took a few steps forward until he was close to Elizabeth, and only then did he add, “Miss Bennet, if I am not asking too much, I was wondering if you could allow me a few minutes later today. There is something of great urgency about which I would speak to you.”
His tone was so serious that Miss Darcy startled and looked with worry at both her brother and Elizabeth. However, their eyes were fixed on each other, oblivious to the others in the room, and the expression on her brother’s face—as well as on Elizabeth’s, who agreed with obvious embarrassment—was a clear indication that, no matter how urgent the matter was, it was certainly nothing to worry about.
***
To Elizabeth’s surprise, not an hour later a servant announced to Miss Darcy that the Gardiners had arrived.
The greeting was warm and friendly, and Miss Darcy seemed to have lost all her timidity and shyness with the Gardiners. She apologised that her brother and the other gentlemen were not present to give a proper welcome to Mr. Gardiner but was certain all would return soon.
“Oh, it is we who should apologise, Miss Darcy,” Mrs. Gardiner offered. “We had informed Mr. Darcy we would arrive much later—after noon—but the sky was clouded again, and we were afraid of another storm, so we hurriedly changed our plans to arrive sooner.”
“I am pleased that you have come earlier, Mrs. Gardiner. As you well know, I always enjoy your company very much.”
While the guests were offered drinks and refreshments, Miss Darcy asked Mr. Gardiner if he would rather visit her brother’s library, as it was obvious their chat was of little interest to him; the gentleman accepted with no hesitation. In fact, he declared he would enjoy the company of a book until Mr. Darcy returned. A servant was fetched to show him the way, and just before he left the room, Mr. Gardiner turned to his niece. “Elizabeth dear, I almost forgot: These letters arrived early this morning for you.”
