Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
A s they stood just inside the parsonage gate, having finally reached their destination, Elizabeth asked the gentlemen, “Will you be attending the assembly in Westerham tomorrow night?”
“No, I do not believe so. We do not usually attend the local assemblies while we are here,” the colonel replied.
“And what say you, Mr Darcy? Or does Colonel Fitzwilliam always proceed to do all the talking and negotiating for you?” She looked him full in the face while she teased him and was pleased when he smiled in reply to her jibe.
“I daresay I am able to make my own decisions. But, in this case my cousin is correct. We had not planned on attending.”
“I would not mind attending in the least. My cousin here”—the colonel gestured towards Mr Darcy—“would find it almost impossible, however.”
Elizabeth felt more keenly disappointed—and equally piqued—than she had imagined she would. Did Mr Darcy imagine dancing to be beneath his dignity? Or did he think that every lady there would fall in love with him if he looked her way? Forcing herself to continue speaking lightly, she said, “And why is that, Mr Darcy?”
“I find crowds to be a bit…overwhelming.”
“Overwhelming?” She raised one brow dubiously.
“I do not have your easy, sociable nature.”
Seeing that Elizabeth was not completely convinced, Colonel Fitzwilliam interjected himself to help his cousin’s cause. “What he is not telling you is that he is usually the centre of attention at any gathering he goes to because of his…circumstances. Attending something like a local assembly would garner him the crowd’s attention, which he despises.”
So, as I suspected, he imagines that every lady in the room will fall in love with him merely because he appears. “I see.”
“Will you be there, Miss Bennet?”
She nodded at the colonel’s question. “Yes, I am looking forward to it. I find assemblies so diverting. We do not have them often enough in Hertfordshire, and I own to my sociable nature that I find it quite agreeable to be in new places meeting new people.”
“Perhaps I will try to draw Darcy out of Rosings for it, although I cannot promise he will be great company if I do bring him. If he can help it, he will not dance a single dance.”
Feigning shock, Elizabeth cried, “Mr Darcy! Why, I thought you were the perfect gentleman. I cannot believe that you would ever dare to leave any ladies without a partner?”
He smiled slowly. “Indeed, I could not dare.”
She laughed at this, then continued. “How I wish you both would be there. I will not know a single soul, and I dread that my first introductions will be made in connexion to Mr Collins.” Abashed, she covered her mouth after she said so, realising she had spoken too freely.
The two men chuckled. “If you would desire our company, Miss Bennet, we could not refuse being there,” said Mr Darcy, adding a small, endearing smile at the end. Colonel Fitzwilliam raised his eyebrows slightly towards his cousin.
She felt her stomach squeeze with pleasure and offered Mr Darcy a genuine grin. “Very well, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.” She bid them farewell and walked towards the parsonage door.
Darcy stood next to his cousin as they watched Miss Bennet disappear into the parsonage. A brisk wind swept through the clearing, stirring some fallen blossoms from the blooming trees to swirl at their feet. He lingered a few moments longer than usual, watching the fallen flowers dance at the spot where he had last seen her before forcing himself to turn around and begin the walk back to Rosings.
They ambled along in a silence interrupted only by the melodies of birdsongs and the gentle rustling of branches overhead. As they strolled, Fitzwilliam bent down to retrieve a large branch from the ground and fashioned it into a walking stick.
“She is a delightful, charming woman, is she not?” he remarked nonchalantly as he examined the stick .
“She is...intriguing,” Darcy responded, tugging at his cravat and looking at the trees ahead as he walked.
“Intriguing? Is that all you think?”
“I find her...perplexing,” he admitted, his brows furrowing as he looked down.
“Is that so? Well, I find her utterly delightful.”
Darcy nodded slowly in agreement. “Indeed, her wit and spirit are unlike, well, really any woman whom we have ever encountered,” he conceded.
“A breath of fresh air!” the colonel exclaimed.
“Yes, but her manners are perhaps a little too playful.”
“Yet she is still ladylike. In truth, I find her lightness rather enjoyable. Have you not said yourself that you tire of the airs of women of the ton ?”
“Yes, but I wonder if she teases more than a lady ought,” Darcy countered. “And one could argue she borders on impertinence.”
Fitzwilliam shrugged, prompting Darcy to engage in his own debate. “But there is a sweetness in her teasing that prevents it from being truly offensive. And she is truly intelligent.” Shaking his head, he concluded, “Nevertheless, she and her circumstances are too unconventional for an advantageous marriage.”
“Since when did our discourse become about marriage?” The colonel chuckled as Darcy felt himself being eyed curiously. He remained silent long enough for his cousin to continue his musings.
“But yes, she is unconventional. Surely, we have never kept company with a woman who could climb such a steep terrain as she did today. And she did not even bat an eye at getting her dress muddied!” Fitzwilliam lifted his stick to hit a nearby branch and watched the leaves shake furiously before continuing, “No lady of the first circles would be caught dead looking as Miss Bennet did this afternoon.”
“But she left me charmed,” Darcy countered quickly, then blushed furiously as he realised his slip of tongue.
His cousin halted in his tracks and stared at him. “Has she enchanted you?”
“No, I only meant…she looked…” he said firmly. “That is ridiculous. I will not even dignify such a question with a response.”
Silence hung in the air. Darcy lowered his gaze and looked sharply at his cousin when he heard him begin to chuckle. “What are you laughing at?”
“That in spite of your greatest efforts, you simply cannot resist her. It is rather entertaining to witness.”
“Enough. We are not talking about this any longer.”
The colonel smiled but said no more. They resumed their journey in silence as Darcy continued wrestling with his sentiments. Miss Elizabeth Bennet inspired such contrasting emotions in himself that he could not untangle all his feelings towards her. He trudged forwards in frustration, and suspected he would spend most of the evening trying to figure them out.