Expecting His Proposal, page 4
“How could you? Did you ever once consider that Elizabeth might know the young lady in question?”
“She didn’t say anything that would lead me to suspect she did.”
“This is grave indeed. It’s no wonder she left without seeing me ... wishing to see me. She likely despises me.”
“I do recall her growing rather pensive as I related your coming to the service of your friend, but it’s a far leap to suggest it affected her affection for you.”
“For heaven’s sake, man. The young woman from whom I saved my friend Bingley was Miss Jane Bennet, Elizabeth’s eldest sister.”
This news sufficiently silenced Colonel Fitzwilliam for a moment or two. When he spoke, his voice was filled with contrition. “Darcy, other than I’m sorry for speaking out of turn, I know not what to say.”
Darcy marched over to the side table and poured himself a drink. He threw it back in a single swallow and slammed the glass on the table. What must her opinion of me now be? Surely she will misinterpret my abhorrence towards her family as an indication of the strength of my regard for her. Darcy ran his fingers through his hair. He had spent so much time worrying about how he was to put aside all his apprehensions about forming a serious attachment to her owing to that family of hers. He never once considered what would happen if she learnt that acting on Bingley’s behalf; he had prevented him from being trapped by a scheming mamma the likes of Mrs. Bennet. In so doing, he had been kinder to Bingley than he had to himself. It would have been so much simpler had his cousin kept his mouth shut.
Colonel Fitzwilliam walked to where Darcy stood. “Pray you believe me when I say that I never meant to cause trouble for you.”
“Your intentions or lack thereof are of little consequence to me. My only concern is Elizabeth—what she must be thinking and how she must be feeling.”
“What do you plan to do now?”
“What do you think I plan to do? I’m in love with her.” Indeed, the depths of his desire for this woman consumed him. “I cannot lose her, not when we are so close to being man and wife but for this misunderstanding. I intend to do the only thing I can do.”
Chapter 5 ~ Secret Affairs to Discuss
By the time the carriage pulled up in front of the Gardiners’ home in Cheapside, Elizabeth was more than eager to flee her cousin’s company. Hours of his effusive ramblings praising her for coming to her senses still rang in her ears and even her frequent pretenses of sleeping were insufficient to silence him.
Only the sight of her dearest Jane had been enough to calm the tumult in her mind. When they were alone in the Gardiners’ parlor, they embraced each other for a good long while. There was so much for Elizabeth to tell her sister. As they were the closest of sisters, who better than Jane knew how it pleased Elizabeth to be the lucky woman towards whom Mr. Darcy bestowed his handsome smiles?
Though Jane might well understand the reason Elizabeth had accepted Mr. Darcy, she must never know the reason Elizabeth now questioned her decision. What good would Jane’s knowing Mr. Darcy’s role in her present discomfort serve other than to poison her against the man who might be her brother should Elizabeth be forced to go through with the wedding. She was certain that if her parents didn’t know already about her engagement they would know as soon as her father received her letter.
Her parents had been divided in their stance on the matter of her marrying Mr. Collins. Her mother had insisted that if Elizabeth did not marry him, she would never speak to Elizabeth again. Her father insisted that should Elizabeth marry Mr. Collins, then he would never speak to her again. Her father’s opinion had prevailed, but what would be the chance her father would side with her again? Mr. Collins was no Mr. Darcy.
Elizabeth was about to confide in her sister those things she felt at liberty to confide when her aunt Mrs. Gardiner entered the room. By her expression, Elizabeth was the last person she expected to see.
After a number of starts and stops in their attempts at making polite conversation, Mrs. Gardiner must have sensed the siblings’ somber mood. She said, “If you and Jane were in the middle of discussing secret affairs, I should be happy to take up my mending in another part of the house.”
Elizabeth said, “Actually, I would have you stay, for I was about to confide in Jane a matter that you ought to know as well. It has to do with my arriving from Hunsford earlier than planned.
Elizabeth told her relations how she had accepted an offer of marriage from Mr. Darcy. At first the ladies had been astounded, but their astonishment was on the verge of giving way to joy when Elizabeth confessed to having made a grave mistake.
Mrs. Gardiner said, “I admit to having a suspicion that you were fond of him, and I’m not unaware that he was most attentive towards you, but then he went away, and I thought that was the end of it.”
“Indeed, I would never say I suffered his leave-taking with anything akin to a broken heart. However, when we renewed our acquaintance in Kent, the tender regard I suffered towards him rekindled into something more—at least, I thought it had.”
“What happened in Hunsford to compel you first to say yes, and most importantly, what happened to give you cause for regret?”
Elizabeth said, “I’ve been given to know about a serious defect in his character which puts me in grave danger of an unhappy alliance should I go through with the wedding.”
“What, pray tell, have you discovered?”
“Mr. Darcy does not like my family. He abhors my relations, and I fear he would have no qualms in separating me from all of you.”
“Not liking one’s future in-laws is hardly a defect in one’s character, although I suppose acting upon it is,” said Mrs. Gardiner. “What evidence do you have that he would do such a thing as what you have suggested?”
Elizabeth not wanting to injure her sister’s sensibilities thought long and hard on what she might say. “Were I to marry him now, I fear it would be a marriage of convenience, and I know myself well enough to know I would never be happy in such a situation ... even if Pemberley is as beautiful as Caroline Bingley describes. What difference would any of that make if it were gained in exchange for my family?”
~*~
Jane had taken up the habit of solitary rambles in the nearby park, likely as a means of placating her broken heart over Mr. Bingley’s defection. Knowing how much she enjoyed her own solitary strolls, Elizabeth didn’t press Jane to allow her to join her when she spoke of going out that morning. Hoping to see Jane at any moment, Elizabeth was sitting in the window seat overlooking the street when she saw Mr. Darcy’s carriage approach. Intending to head him off outside, she jumped to her feet. Before she could don her coat and bonnet, a servant showed him into the room.
He bowed. “Miss Elizabeth.”
“Mr. Darcy,” she said, curtsying. “I’m surprised you have travelled all this way—and to Gracechurch Street no less.” He must suppose a month’s ablution is needed to cleanse himself from its impurities.
“You are my bride. You left Hunsford without saying a word of your intentions to me. Where else would you expect me to be?”
“No—I have begun to think better of my hasty acceptance of your hand, and as nothing is truly official, I feel safe in saying I made a mistake in accepting you.”
Darcy stepped closer to her. His urge to kiss her senseless was palpable. Even if they were not at odds, kissing her passionately would not be the thing to do. Soon. The possibility that he might never hold her in his arms or kiss her tantalizing lips was unthinkable. “You don’t mean that.”
She nodded. “Yes—I’m rather certain I do.”
“It’s not so easy as that, and if you suppose it is, then you know nothing at all about me.”
“That is the thing, Mr. Darcy. After what I have learned, I feel I do not know you at all. How could you do it? My sister loves Mr. Bingley! Had you not interfered, the two of them would be happily married by now. Because of you, my sister is nursing a broken heart!”
“You are upset and I understand; however, I beg you to hear what I have to say.”
Now standing directly in front of each other, Elizabeth’s dark eyes shot daggers in his. “I’m more than upset. I’m furious!”
Here, Mrs. Gardiner entered the room and thus put an end to Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s heated discourse. If she did not see the tension that poured from the young lovers, she surely felt it.
Casting aside her anger for the sake of civility, Elizabeth made the requisite introductions. Expecting to see Darcy’s disdain, she witnessed his deference towards her aunt instead. Not that she was impressed. I know he can be exceedingly agreeable when he chooses to be. Mrs. Gardiner didn’t stay very long, offering the excuse of attending to an urgent family matter upstairs.
Not wanting to pick up exactly where they had left off earlier, Darcy said, “In my heart we are engaged. I shall not release you from the promises we made.”
“Then you refuse to believe me when I say I made a mistake in accepting your hand as quickly as I did.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“Indeed, I do. What do we even know about each other? I hardly know anything at all about you other than the irrefutable fact that you do not like my family. Who is to say I care about your family? If what I’ve seen is any indication, there is no telling how the rest of them comport themselves. I’m not sure I even want to know.”
“I assure you they are nothing at all like Lady Catherine or Anne, for that matter. Surely you find the colonel beyond reproof. I recall the two of you got along swimmingly when you first met.”
“Oh, and let’s not forget how indebted I am to him.”
“I believe his intentions were good.”
“Are you quite certain that he meant no harm? I’m not.”
Darcy said, “Have dinner with me this evening. I will invite my uncle and aunt as well as Georgiana. In fact, I shall extend the invitation to Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner myself.”
Elizabeth crossed her arms over her bosom. “Oddly enough, you made no mention of Jane.”
“Yes, of course, Miss Bennet is invited. What’s more, I shall invite Charles Bingley.”
Chapter 6 ~ Mistress of All This
Bingley sat up straight and tall in the finely appointed leather chair opposite his old friend. “Of course, I’ll dine at Darcy House this evening, although I insist you give me some indication of what I am to expect,” said Bingley in response to his friend’s last minute invitation.
“Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth will be there.”
Bingley’s astonishment was beyond expression. “Miss Bennet? Miss Elizabeth? I wasn’t even aware of their being in town.”
“Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth are staying in Cheapside.”
“With the aunt and uncle whose circumstances my sisters derided when we were in Hertfordshire—a Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, I believe?”
“Indeed.”
“I find that hard to believe. You’re telling me that Miss Bennet is in town?” Bingley sprang from his chair. “I must see her.”
Darcy could not say when he last saw his friend this enthusiastic, and he was further convinced that Bingley was as much in love with Elizabeth’s eldest sister as ever before. If what Elizabeth said was true about her sister’s feelings, and Darcy had no other evidence than to take Elizabeth at her word, then Bingley and Miss Bennet might be engaged by the end of the evening. As much as he did not truly believe such an alliance would be in Bingley’s best interest as regarded elevating his rank in society, if that’s what he wanted, then who was Darcy to object.
Certainly my marriage to Elizabeth will provide the Bennet family, as a whole, much needed connections such that even his sisters should have no cause to repine. The thought of Bingley’s sisters and the measures they had taken to keep Bingley and Miss Bennet apart immediately came to mind. What a disaster it would be if they told Bingley what he had done. He already had his work cut out for him as far as earning Elizabeth’s forgiveness—did he dare risk Bingley’s alienation as well?
There was only one thing to do—to tell Bingley everything. After persuading his friend to resume his former attitude, Darcy stated his case. Bingley at first was silent as if in complete disbelief of all Darcy had confided. Calm words quickly grew heated, however, with Bingley’s subsequent outrage over what Darcy had done.
“How dare you interfere in my life to such a grievous extent? You, of all people, knew how much I adored Miss Bennet—how much I still adore her.
“I did it for your own good!”
“Pray what has happened to compel you to put us in each other’s paths now? Did you have some sort of epiphany while you were in Kent?”
“In a manner of speaking, I did. I might as well tell you my surprise. You see, Miss Elizabeth and I ... we are—”
“You and Miss Elizabeth are what? Surely you do not mean to tell me you and she have reached an understanding?”
“Actually, we have or rather we had. It’s rather complicated. I offered her my hand in marriage while we were in Kent, and she accepted.”
“You and Miss Elizabeth are engaged?”
“At the moment we would best be described as estranged, but I mean to correct all that with this evening’s dinner party.”
“Ah, so this invitation has nothing to do with your making amends to me for interfering in my life, but rather it has to do with placating Miss Elizabeth.”
“Bingley, I wish you would not see it that way.”
“Why are you even telling me all this?”
“I wanted you to know the truth and hear it from me.”
“Who else is privy to what took place?”
“I would rather not say, for I believe there have been enough hurt feelings already, and although I do not expect you to forgive me so easily as all that, I do hope that you will trust me when I say that I’m trying to make amends.”
“Earlier you said you and Miss Elizabeth are estranged. I take it she has not forgiven you.”
“As I said, our situation is complicated.”
“How so?”
“Miss Elizabeth said she believes she acted too precipitously in accepting my offer of marriage, and now she has second thoughts.”
~*~
Mr. Darcy’s household staff had outdone themselves in organizing such a large dinner party in such a short span of time. In keeping with his promise to Elizabeth, he did not inform them that they were arranging the party in honor of their future mistress. Nor did he address her as such when he introduced her to all his family, much to his dismay.
Despite her current misunderstanding with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth was a little nervous over the prospect of meeting his sister, Miss Darcy. Once the formidable introduction took place, Elizabeth was astonished to see that her new acquaintance was as uncomfortable as she was herself. She had taught herself to believe that Miss Darcy was exceedingly proud, but the observation of a very few minutes convinced her that she was only exceedingly shy. Elizabeth was much-relieved by all she discerned about the young lady who might possibly become her sister.
The opportunity to meet Mr. Darcy’s noble relations—the Earl of Matlock and his wife, Lord and Lady Edward Fitzwilliam as well as their eldest son and his wife, Lord and Lady Robert Fitzwilliam—was indeed an honor for Elizabeth. She could easily say that the only thing these relations had in common with Lady Catherine was a strong family resemblance. She had expected to see the colonel as well, but as his presence would have likely added to the evening’s tension, she surmised Darcy had purposely excluded him from the party. If only the same could be said of Bingley’s sisters, Mrs. Louisa Hurst and Miss Caroline Bingley.
Elizabeth easily discerned that they were little impressed with her aunt and uncle Gardiner and their disdain in seeing their brother reunited with Jane was written all over their faces. Towards the Fitzwilliams, however, the spiteful sisters were all that was deferential even to the point of sycophancy. Poor Miss Darcy was an even greater target of their unabashed adoration.
Seeing them behave almost as badly as they did in Hertfordshire, Elizabeth silently amused herself throughout the evening over how disgusted they would be were they to discover that Mr. Darcy had offered her his hand in marriage. Indeed, that was one of the disadvantages of her explicit instructions to Mr. Darcy that there would be no formal announcement of any sort of understanding that evening, as a condition of her even being there.
It didn’t help that he escorted her to the formal dining room, when he might just as easily have escorted his sister. Elizabeth went along with his scheme, however. In truth, she was more than a little overwhelmed by the grandeur surrounding her—the rich mahogany walls, the beautiful furnishings, lush carpeting and exquisite vases, all speaking not only to his wealth, but also to his excellent taste. To think, it was within her power to one day be the mistress of all this.
Looking around as if to make certain no one might overhear him, Darcy placed his hand over Elizabeth’s hand resting on his arm and spoke in a tender voice intended solely for her pleasure. “I shall be more than happy to give you a private tour of the town house at your earliest convenience, my love.”
What a pleasure it was. His rich melodic voice, his warm breath against her skin almost threatened her resolve. Determined to resist his charms, Elizabeth said, “Sir, do you not suppose you are getting ahead of yourself?”
“In such cases as this I would refer you to my favorite philosophy.”
“Oh, and what is that pray tell?”
Leaning closer than the propriety of their current situation allowed, Darcy spoke softly in Elizabeth’s ear. “Ask and you shall receive.”
After dinner, Darcy and his guests gathered in the music room, and Miss Darcy exhibited on the pianoforte. Not having wanted to speak out of turn earlier in the evening, Lord Edward Fitzwilliam beckoned his nephew to the side. “I was rather surprised you didn’t address Miss Elizabeth as your intended.”
