Expecting His Proposal, page 2
Elizabeth’s heart flew against her chest, such was her joy in being addressed so. That he would even think of addressing her so intimately told her that his feelings for her were as powerful as her feelings for him. Oh, if only they both had not spent so much of the past weeks seeking to mask their mutual affection. In a voice meant only for his ears, she said, “Must you ask? We only parted company less than a few hours ago.”
“Pray forgive my eagerness, for although it was a short time ago it seemed an eternity.”
Elizabeth and Darcy continued speaking in that vein for a time, oblivious of the fact that they were being observed.
Not much transpired in that particular room that went undetected by her ladyship. Throughout the course of the evening, she had seen it all. How her nephew made a spectacle of himself in overtaking his cousin, who meant to sit next to Elizabeth during her lackluster exhibition. How his rarely bestowed smiles flowed like wine and solely in Elizabeth’s direction. But most telling was the manner in which he leaned a bit too close to her as the two of them spoke in hushed tones. Lady Catherine’s expression changed from mildly curious to outwardly aghast. Her ladyship was most seriously displeased, and her sentiments she no longer repressed.
She rose from her seat and made her way to the pianoforte. Her voice filled with contempt, she said, “When I was first told of this, I could not allow myself to believe it, but how does one refute such a scandalous notion of an involvement between the two of you when your own behavior confirms it?” She pointed her walking stick at Elizabeth. “Is this how I am to be repaid for my benevolence towards you, young woman?”
“I’m sure I have no idea of what you are accusing me, your ladyship.”
“Then you deny that you are involved in a scandalous liaison with my nephew Darcy!”
Darcy stood. “Before you go any further, you should hear what I have to say. I know not the source of your information pertaining to my involvement with Miss Elizabeth, nor does it matter. We had planned to keep this solely between the two of us until Mr. Bennet could be informed. However, I will not have you slander Miss Elizabeth. The fact is I offered her my hand in marriage today, and she accepted.”
Other than Elizabeth, there was but one other person in the room whose face did not speak to their astonishment—Elizabeth’s friend Charlotte. Lady Catherine’s face took on a heightened shade of pale, and she nearly tumbled and fell. All heads turned when her daughter, Anne, raced from the room.
Elizabeth, in all her joy of receiving a proposal of marriage from the man of her dreams, had taught herself not to suppose Anne might be truly wishing that same joy for herself. Poor Miss de Bourgh, how horrible it must be to have her hopes and dreams shattered in such a manner as this. Standing, Elizabeth headed off behind her.
Lady Catherine said, “Where do you suppose you are going?”
“I mean to have a word with Miss de Bourgh.”
“And what do you intend to say?”
“I mean to explain.”
“Explain? Explain? You mean to explain to her how the pretensions of an upstart like yourself have been the means of thwarting the favorite wishes of her dearest aunt, Darcy’s own mother, my own sister, Lady Anne, that my Anne and Darcy should be united in wedlock. While in their cradles, we planned their union.”
“Actually, I mean to apologize for the way she learned of the engagement.” With that, Elizabeth curtsied and went on her way. With even more reliance upon her walking stick, Lady Catherine hobbled behind Elizabeth.
Waylaying his aunt with his hand on her arm, Darcy said, “Please give this a rest. Nothing you can do or say will dissuade me from my purposes. I love Miss Elizabeth. I will marry her.”
Jerking away from her nephew and nearly losing her balance, Lady Catherine cried, “You will do no such thing if I have a say in the matter.”
Darcy’s complexion grew pale with anger. “Miss Elizabeth and I are most fortunate that you do not!”
The elderly woman directed her steely gaze towards the Collinses who sat next to each other. “That woman whom the two of you invited into your home and thereby forced into my society is not someone with whom you are to associate. I insist you tell her to leave post haste.”
Charlotte, whose face earlier had borne a mixture of approbation and knowing, stood. “Elizabeth is my guest, and I shall insist that she be allowed to remain at the Parsonage for the rest of the week as planned.” She looked at her husband to see what if anything he might say to contradict her and was satisfied with the stupefied look on his face. “Now, if you will pardon me, Lady Catherine, I believe I shall seek out my guest and wish her fitting congratulations.”
With that, she quitted the room leaving a very shocked Collins speechless having found himself in the crossfire between his dear wife and his noble patroness.
Poor Mr. Collins apologized profusely saying to her ladyship that he would handle the situation in a manner that would prove satisfactory to all concerned.
“See that you do or else I shall take matters into my own hands!”
Elizabeth hardly even knew Miss Anne de Bourgh, but that did not mean she was insensitive to the other woman’s pain. Perhaps if she knew her better she would have an easier time explaining things. All Elizabeth’s efforts and heartfelt accounts were in vain. Anne refused to be consoled.
“You are no better than all the other women who deigned to tempt my cousin with your arts and allurements. To think I was almost taken in by your feigned indifference and cool civility towards him,” said Anne, her eyes welled with tears. “May I be the first to congratulate you on accomplishing a feat that other women of your ilk have been unable to execute successfully?”
“Miss de Bourgh, it’s not like that at all.”
“Why are you even here? You can have nothing of consequence to say to me.”
“I mean to apologize to you for the manner in which you found out about the engagement.”
Anne said, “What is the usual way for someone to discover that the man to whom one felt herself to be engaged has offered his hand to another?”
“Had I supposed you two were truly destined for each other, I would not have accepted Mr. Darcy’s proposal under these circumstances.”
“Our engagement was of a peculiar kind. It was the favorite wish of our mothers. They planned our union while we were in our cradles.”
“Your mothers may have done their part in planning the union, but surely you will agree that its execution depended upon both Mr. Darcy and you. Having heard of the supposed arrangement, I observed the two of you most diligently and never once did I discern any tender regard on either part.”
“Had you known how much I longed for it, would it have made a difference?”
“What is the point in conjecture?”
“It serves to illustrate your character and reinforce what I now know about you—that you thought only of yourself in accepting my cousin’s proposal, and now for selfish reasons of your own, you want me to believe otherwise. Well, it will not do.
“This union will not be ordained by anyone in the Fitzwilliam family, not even by Georgiana. By your earlier assertion, you have yet to meet her. By the time I’ve told her about you, you will not wish to meet her.”
Turning to her companion, a Mrs. Jenkinson, Anne said, “Will you see to it that this woman has no trouble finding her way out the door?”
By now, Darcy and Fitzwilliam had managed to calm Lady Catherine down, and desiring to find Elizabeth, Darcy prepared to take his leave. As they were heading out the door, her ladyship said, “Fitzwilliam, if I may, I would like a private audience with you.”
With that, Darcy went on his way, leaving his aunt and his cousin alone in the room.
“You can have no doubt of why I asked to speak with you alone, Fitzwilliam.”
“I have a fair idea, your ladyship. However, let me just start by saying you’re wasting your time if you think I will have any success in changing Darcy’s mind.”
“At least you see the folly in his idea of marrying that upstart.”
“I would not go as far as to say that.”
“What do you say?”
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet is a charming woman. There’s no reason to suspect Darcy will not be just as happy with her as any other young lady.”
“She is charming indeed. Do not suppose for one instance that I did not see the way the two of you went on with each other. I wager she would have been tempted to accept an offer of marriage from you were you half as rich as Darcy.”
“We shall never know.”
“I want you to tempt her. She strikes me as someone of loose morals.”
“I shall do no such thing. Even if she were not Darcy’s choice, Miss Elizabeth is a gentleman’s daughter. She deserves to be respected.”
“You speak too soon. I mean to compensate you dearly.”
“Do you suppose for one instance that any matter of compensation would persuade me to do harm to Darcy?”
“Five thousand pounds,” she stated calmly.
Richard bolted from his chair. “Lady Catherine, you have insulted me in every possible way. I insist you desist, or I shall know how to act.”
“And this is your final resolve! Very well. I, too, shall now know how to act. Do not imagine, Fitzwilliam, that your cousin’s foolish ambition will ever be gratified. I meant to try you. I hoped to find you reasonable even if Darcy is not; but, depend upon it, I will carry my point.”
Chapter 3 ~ A Most Loyal Friend
Darcy met Elizabeth at the foot of the grand marble staircase. Unsettled by the dejected look in her eyes, he grasped Elizabeth’s hand. “Come with me, my love. Allow me to escort you to the Parsonage House—away from all this turmoil.”
Elizabeth squeezed his hand, and seeing in her eyes a hint of her reviving spirits, he decided to lead her into the garden rather than straight to the path leading to the Parsonage House. When they were seated next to each other on a bench, he said, “You will be happy to know that Lady Catherine calmed down considerably by the time I left her. I believe the worst of it is over.” He gently tucked a loosened lock of her dark hair behind her ear. “How did you leave things with Anne?”
“I’m afraid your cousin is determined to hold on to her hurt feelings.”
“I’m sorry you were put in this situation.”
“I feel sorry for her. I truly supposed she did not harbor the hope that you and she were destined for another.”
“Did she bore you with an account of how we were ‘fashioned for each other at birth’?” said Darcy in a voice eerily reminiscent of his aunt Lady Catherine’s.
Mr. Darcy behaving ridiculously was enough to lighten Elizabeth’s spirits considerably. Nodding, she mimicked the grand lady as well. “It was the favorite wish of the gods.”
Darcy lifted Elizabeth’s hand to his lips and kissed it. “It’s good we can laugh about it now, but the fact that our engagement is no longer a secret impacts our original plans considerably.”
“Yes, I shall have to write to my father and tell him.”
“And I must write to inform my sister. If it’s any consolation, you should know she will be pleased. She has always wanted a sister.”
Here, Elizabeth’s happy smile faded.
“What is the matter?”
“Anne has promised to do all in her power to poison your family against me—starting with Miss Darcy.”
“On what basis?”
“She contends I’m no different than all the other scheming young women of your past who have attempted to use their arts and allurements to trap you.”
“Pray do not give my cousin any mind. Clearly she is delusional.”
Elizabeth arched her brow.
Darcy said, “You are nothing at all like any other woman of my acquaintance. While I will not deny that you have bewitched me, body and soul, I would say your winning my heart is largely due to the liveliness of your mind.”
“Ah, so my feminine arts and allurements played no part at all in your estimation?”
Here, Darcy reflected upon the first time he began to realize he was in danger of losing his heart to Elizabeth. Was it her teasing manner during her stay at Netherfield? Was it that mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner that made it difficult for her to affront anybody, even if she wished it? Her light and pleasing figure surely did her no harm. Unable to fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation, the material point was that he was half in love with her before he even knew he had begun. And now she was his, and no man or any woman was ever going to come between them. Leaning forward, he brushed a kiss along the corner of her lips. He spoke softly in her ear. “What do you think?”
It was late when Darcy said goodnight to Elizabeth at the Parsonage gate. Feeling unequal to the prospect of an argument with her cousin, Elizabeth went straight to her room.
Early the next morning, Elizabeth sat at the writing desk composing a letter to her father telling him all that had happened. She had not got very far before a scratch at the door impeded her task.
After waiting to be received, Charlotte walked into Elizabeth’s room.
Elizabeth said, “Good morning, dearest Charlotte. Have you come to help me pack my things?”
Charlotte sat on the bed. “No—on the contrary. As I told her ladyship, you are my guest, and you are welcome to stay as long as you wish.”
“Bravo! Although, I don’t imagine my cousin agrees with your hospitable sentiment.”
“No, he does not. However, you are not to concern yourself with all that. I came to congratulate you. I wish you and Mr. Darcy all the happiness you two so richly deserve. And speaking of richness, do you realize how rich you’ll be?”
“Now, Charlotte, you know none of that matters to me.”
“Of course not. But that does not change the fact. Oh, dearest Eliza, it’s just as I said it would be.”
“Indeed, you always speculated aloud that Mr. Darcy held me in esteem.”
“Now you must be honest with me, and tell me that you felt it all along.”
“I don’t suppose there is any harm in confessing how much I wished it would be. You know perfectly well how much I have admired him since he first singled me out as his sole dance partner beyond his immediate party at the Meryton assembly.”
“However, there was a time when I supposed you were equally enamored of the dashing Lieutenant Wickham.”
“Again, you know me better than most anyone. Both gentlemen from Derbyshire each had their own good qualities, but there was that shade in Wickham’s character which bothered me more than just a little and forced me to be guarded when in his presence.”
“Do you mean when he attempted to poison your mind against Mr. Darcy?”
“Indeed—although I would not allow him to go on, for I strongly suspected that anything he had to say against Mr. Darcy would be one-sided. There are two sides to every story and although I strongly suspect Mr. Darcy does not care for the lieutenant, never once had he said anything about him to poison me against him.”
“Then you have no idea what caused the two of them to be at odds with each other?”
“I have not the faintest idea. As it can have nothing at all to do with me, I frankly don’t care.”
“I suppose it’s for the best. Now let us not waste another minute discussing the dashing Mr. Wickham. Pray, now that your engagement to Mr. Darcy is no longer a secret, how do you plan to proceed as regards obtaining your father’s consent?”
“Actually, I was in the middle of writing to him. Mr. Darcy and I had looked forward to telling him after I returned to Longbourn, but now it seems I have no choice. Pray my missive reaches him before he receives the intelligence elsewhere.”
“I know not but one person who would thwart your hopes in that regard.”
“Lady Catherine?”
“Indeed.” Charlotte’s face turned pensive. “Oh dear—”
“Whatever is the matter?”
“Mr. Collins was up at the crack of dawn, and while I supposed he was composing this week’s sermon, what if he were taking it upon himself to inform your father?”
“Pray my cousin has not resorted to such stratagems. On the other hand, her ladyship did allude to being told of a dalliance between Mr. Darcy and me, without saying who had been her informant. Perhaps I have my cousin to thank for that as well.”
“How would he have known?”
“Well, when Mr. Darcy and I were preparing to part yesterday we were standing together downstairs in the parlor when we thought we heard the door closing. We owed it to our imaginations. It might easily have been Mr. Collins.”
“Dearest Eliza, I wish I could say your suppositions were truly without foundation, but I’m afraid I cannot. You and I both know that my husband’s unwavering loyalty to Lady Catherine would insist that he be the one to bring her the news.”
“This brings me once again to the matter of my staying here.”
“Again, you must not be bothered by any of that. Lady Catherine is his patron, but I’m his wife. She may have his ear during the day, but I daresay I have other parts of him during the night.” Charlotte arched her brow. “Need I say more?”
The thought of her friend and her cousin engaged in the act to which Charlotte alluded was beyond anything Elizabeth wished to contemplate. Suppressing her urge to shudder, Elizabeth said, “Honestly, dear Charlotte, I would much rather you didn’t.”
~*~
Richard waltzed into the room where Darcy sat drinking his coffee and reading a newspaper. After preparing his own cup of coffee, he took the seat opposite Darcy’s. “I had hoped to see you last night after her ladyship detained me. Where did you go off to?”
“I waited for Elizabeth to conclude her business with Anne, and then I escorted her to the Parsonage.”
“Did your intended say how things went with our cousin?”
