Mrs. Bingley’s Sister (The Austen Novels)

Chapter 28

Darcy met the Bingley party at a half past one o'clock, and they were just about to set off on their tour of the house when suddenly Georgiana and Miss Llewellyn came upon them.

"Brother, what is this?" she asked him in a private word off to the side, "Are you giving a tour of Pemberley? Please let me assist you—I cannot believe you would plan such a thing without me! You know I love giving a tour of my childhood home."

He couldn't argue with her without drawing any undo attention to his secret scheme, which was to have Elizabeth on his arm, so he agreed upon it: Georgiana would help lead the tour. But unfortunately, she also invited along her sister-in-law.

"Louisa adores Pemberley," she explained to him, "She would not want to miss yet another tour."

This did not bode well, for he scarcely had time to glance back at Elizabeth before Miss Llewellyn took his arm, and thus, he was forced to pay his attentions to her. When Darcy finally did get a chance to glance back, he saw that Georgiana had put her arm into Elizabeth's, and the two were as friendly looking as ever. He smiled to himself for that, at the very least. He was thrilled that Elizabeth seemed to make Georgiana feel most at ease, but still disappointed in his dashed plans to have a more meaningful time with Elizabeth this afternoon.

They toured the home in such a way that there was a large gap of space between the pairing of him and Miss Llewellyn and the pairings of Georgiana, Elizabeth, and the Bingleys; he felt like there was no way to extricate himself from Miss Llewellyn without drawing any negative attention to them both. Thus, he powered through the tour and was relieved to bid his sister and Miss Llewellyn adieu. He looked very apologetically at Elizabeth as he thanked the Bingleys for attending. Bingley noticed no discomfiture on Darcy's side, and he and his wife made their way upstairs to their chambers to rest. Elizabeth, on the other hand, hesitated to leave right away.

"Your home is quite beautiful, sir," she said, casting her eyes downward. Darcy felt more than he could say—he almost wanted to offer another tour, a private one, just for the two of them—but no, that would be improper, he knew that.

He cleared his throat and said, "I had intended to keep the party smaller."

She smiled. "Your sister gave a most informative tour, though. I can tell she was once the mistress of this place."

He nodded. "Indeed, she loves Pemberley. That was the only aspect of her marriage that saddened her, leaving her childhood home."

At this juncture, they both began to walk slowly back in the direction they came, although she was not on his arm. There was a little space between them, and he nodded to the window before them, which provided a grand view of the back of Pemberley's grounds, including Pemberley Pond, a small lake that took up much of the visible landscape.

"What Georgiana may not have told you about this view here," he said, walking towards it and looking out, "is that this was always my favorite spot, even as a little boy. Nan had told me that even when I was naught a year old, she would bring me to this window, and I would pull up and look out."

She walked closer to the window, looking down at the windowsill, chuckling a little. "Indeed, I can imagine a little Darcy pulling up and trying to peek over the sill."

His heart beat a little faster at her words—at her imagining a 'little Darcy'—and he cleared his throat nervously, before he smiled at her when she glanced up at him. He turned his attention out the window.

"My mother and father enjoyed walking this very path, you see—there—"

Here he leaned close to Elizabeth, his face very near hers, and he slowly pointed to a specific spot on the narrow, winding path that led from the house to the perimeter of the lake. He was close enough to place a kiss on her cheek, he could hear the light sound of her breathing as she inhaled and exhaled softly. He sensed her nodding her head slowly. He spoke further, in a low voice.

"And I would watch them, every day, when they walked the path," he very softly. He heard her breath catch—for a moment he was tempted to turn his head and kiss her—

He straightened up suddenly, providing her some space. He glanced at her, and saw she was gazing at him with some kind of surprised look, but then she looked away from him, back out the window.

"You're correct, Mrs. Llewellyn did not share that with me," she uttered in a soft voice, then, turning back toward him, she said, "Perhaps I would have liked a tour on your arm, then."

Darcy felt his heart move a little in his chest, and he only held her gaze for a moment before looking back out the window, elated yet unsure of how to proceed. A very significant part of him merely wished to burst and exclaim to her his feelings, in the very same fashion he once did so many years ago— "In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you"— but an anxious part of him was fearful of the consequences of such an action, so he remained silent, staring out the window, gazing out over the lake into the wintry distance, the trees bare and the woods beyond empty and still, the clouds dampening the sun from shining any brightness upon the scene.

He finally looked back at Elizabeth and saw she was blushing. Was she embarrassed? Did she wonder if she said too much? He opened his mouth to quell that possible anxiety—

"Miss Bennet, Mr. Darcy," a quiet, masculine voice sounded from behind them. They turned. Mr. Swann. Darcy bowed, Mr. Swann bowed, and Elizabeth curtsied.

"Good afternoon," the man said after a moment, "I have just seen the Mrs. and Miss Llewellyns, who told me there had been a tour. Did you like it, Miss Bennet? I quite enjoyed it when we took ours upon our arrival, as well."

And thus conversation took a turn toward Pemberley, in which Darcy participated as any good host should, and they three made their way into another part of the house leading to the guest wings. After some time, Mr. Swann bowed and said his adieu, and Elizabeth and Darcy were alone again, at the foot of the stairs. It seemed neither of them wanted to leave, and Darcy was unsure what to suggest when Elizabeth said, "It is, indeed, quite cold outside, but I am in mind for a walk."

"Would you like me to accompany you?" he asked, hopeful to spend more time with her. She smiled but a little.

"Only if you do not have other matters to attend to. I do not wish to keep you."

He wanted to exclaim how she could never keep him from anything at all, that being in her presence was the only thing he desired at this moment and at any other moment too, but all he uttered was, "Shall we meet back at the door in ten minutes? Will that be enough time to ready yourself? It is cold, and the sun is not shining."

She nodded. "I think that shall do."

And they walked up the stairs, remaining near one another, and before separating at the top to go to their respective wings, she said, “Perhaps we could take the path your mother and father were so fond of?”

Darcy's heart leapt at the idea of he and Elizabeth walking in the same way his parents once did, and he couldn't help but let his mind assert the parallel: shall the future mistress of Pemberley walk the path of the former? But, hiding his true feelings, all he said was, “I should like that, Miss Bennet.”

And then they separated, going to their respective chambers to ready themselves.