Chapter 6
Elizabeth left the two gentlemen, fighting the temptation to glance back at them, her heart fluttering after the unexpected encounter — one more added to her history with Mr Darcy.
The crisp autumn air did little to quell the warmth in her cheeks, and her mind whirled with confusing thoughts.
Mr Darcy’s surprising request to accompany her to Oakham Mount was unsettling.
She did not doubt his intentions; he simply wished to speak to her privately about their past encounters and probably to decide whether to reveal anything to her family.
He could not have any other purpose, yet she felt troubled, as if something improper was about to happen.
His subtle allusion to their shared past in Brighton — a midnight swim and a distressing moment on a secluded beach — stirred a thrilling mix of anticipation and unease within her.
The memory of his strong arm steadying her in the waves and the warmth of his skin beneath her trembling fingers as she bandaged his wound haunted her, igniting a blush she could not suppress.
As she slipped through a back door, hoping to evade her mother’s scrutiny, the lively chatter of her younger sisters and Mrs Bennet’s fervent instructions for the forthcoming assembly greeted her. Elizabeth barely had time to compose herself before the matron’s sharp gaze fixed upon her.
“Lizzy! Where have you been?” her mother exclaimed, adjusting a ribbon on Lydia’s bonnet with a flourish. “I expressly told you to remain near the house! We are in the midst of preparations, and you are traipsing about like a wild creature!”
“I only took a brief walk, Mama,” Elizabeth replied, forcing a serene smile. “I chanced upon Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy upon the path. They were riding through the neighbourhood and paused to exchange pleasantries.”
The room fell silent, all eyes turning to Elizabeth, and she immediately realised her error. Her slip in mentioning the gentlemen would rob her of her sanity for the rest of the day.
Mrs Bennet’s jaw dropped before she erupted into a frenzy of delight.
“Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy? Oh, Lizzy, this is splendid! Did Mr Bingley mention Jane? Did he seem particularly attentive? Perhaps he rode close to Longbourn for some purpose. Could he have a plan in mind? Oh, girls, this could be the beginning of something truly magnificent!”
“How is that, madam?” Mr Bennet enquired. “I fail to understand your reasoning. The gentlemen only left here a short time ago. Surely Mr Bingley had no time and no desire to already form a plan involving Longbourn.”
“You may tease me if you wish, Mr Bennet! Since you brought Mr Bingley into our home, nothing you can say will ruin my disposition.”
“I am sorry to hear that, Mrs Bennet,” he replied in earnest, and Elizabeth bit her lip to prevent a laugh escaping.
She glanced at Jane, whose cheeks were flushed a delicate pink as she lowered her eyes, a soft smile gracing her lips. Her sister seemed curious about a certain gentleman too.
“Mama, it was merely a courteous exchange of greetings,” Elizabeth assured her. “Nothing of consequence. As Papa said, we have just been introduced to each other. Mr Bingley was still amiable, and Mr Darcy was…polite.”
“Polite, indeed!” Mrs Bennet huffed. “That Mr Darcy may own a grand estate, but his manners are as cold as a winter’s morn! And what did they say? I mean, what did Mr Bingley say?”
“Not much, Mama. Both of them spoke of their enjoyment of the countryside and Netherfield’s prospects. Mr Bingley mentioned that it was Mr Darcy who advised him to choose the estate, and he was happy with the decision.”
“Oh, did he?” Mrs Bennet suddenly changed her tone.
“Well, Mr Darcy seems wise enough to support his friend in making such a decision. His judgment compensates a little for his unpleasant manners. I still cannot fathom his acquaintance with my brother and sister Gardiner, though. Such a peculiar gentleman!”
“He is a little bit frightening,” Lydia said. “I am sure everyone is uncomfortable in his presence.”
“But Mr Bingley’s amiability is a promising sign,” Mrs Bennet declared. “He said he is happy that he chose Netherfield? Jane, you must wear your blue gown to the assembly — it complements your eyes. Oh, I can scarcely wait to see you dance with him!”
Mr Bennet raised his brows and shook his head, closing his book with a deliberate snap. “Upon my word, Mrs Bennet, twenty-five years of marriage have not been nearly enough to help me understand your reasoning. You jump from one idea to another so quickly that you make me dizzy.”
Elizabeth stifled a laugh as she caught her father’s eye across the room. “Well, Lizzy, it appears you have made more progress with our new neighbours than I did during my visit. Perhaps I should send you to call on them next time.”
“Oh, Mr Bennet, do not tease!” Mrs Bennet cried. “How unfortunate Jane did not accompany Lizzy on her walk. I am sure Mr Bingley would have been particularly charmed to see her again.”
“I cannot speculate about Mr Bingley, but I know I am particularly annoyed, and I shall withdraw to my library,” Mr Bennet said, leaving the room.
Elizabeth listened to her mother absently, her thoughts drifting to Mr Darcy’s tentative smile and his unexpected proposal of a walk. That was something she could not divulge to anyone, not even Jane.
At her mother’s insistence to tell her more, she repeated, “They were both entirely civil, Mama. They even enquired about Oakham Mount, and I described its splendid view.”
“Oakham Mount!” Lydia giggled. “What a dull topic!”
“Dull indeed! Luckily, they cannot imagine how you tramp through the mud going back and forth to that place, Lizzy. None of my acquaintances has any interest in climbing up there more than once in their entire life. But it is good you saw Mr Bingley. Now you are better acquainted with him than anyone in Meryton,” Mrs Bennet declared with apparent satisfaction.
“We must ensure Mr Bingley feels welcome at the assembly. Lizzy, you must not monopolise his attention — let Jane have her chance. As for Mr Darcy, he may keep to himself if he pleases. I dare say he will not dance with anyone!”
“I assure you I do not expect to speak much at the assembly with either of them,” Elizabeth replied.
The conversation swirled around her, and she felt equally amused and distracted, her mind lingering on Mr Darcy.
His aloof demeanour at Longbourn had contrasted sharply with the warmth in his voice during their chance meeting on the path.
Was he truly as unpleasant as her mother and sisters believed, or did a deeper, more intriguing nature lie beneath his stern exterior?
The prospect of a private conversation with him sent a shiver of anticipation through her, tempered by a flicker of caution and nervousness.
As evening fell, Elizabeth sought solace in the garden, settling on a bench beneath an old tree.
The fading light and cool breeze offered a moment of respite, but her thoughts remained a tangle of curiosity and apprehension.
After a while, she entered the house to prepare for dinner, but she was called by her father into his library.
Puzzled, she joined him. He sat and invited her to do the same; he held his pipe in his hand and an enquiring glint in his eye.
“What is it, Papa? May I help you with anything?”
“Yes, actually. My child, you have seemed uncommonly distracted in recent days,” he said, puffing on his pipe. “I trust this has something to do with our new neighbours?”
Elizabeth laughed softly, shaking her head. “You see too much, Papa. I was merely…surprised by the coincidence of Mr Darcy’s presence. I had not expected to encounter him again, and certainly not at Longbourn.”
“Again? So you have met him before. May I ask when?” he asked with a frown.
She felt her cheeks burning as she struggled to form an explanation.
“Oh, it is nothing, really. I met him briefly in Brighton three years ago. Very briefly. We did not even have time to speak or to be introduced. It was nothing, really,” she repeated.
“Uncle Gardiner became better acquainted with him afterwards. And my aunt had long known his family and his estate in Derbyshire. She grew up somewhere nearby…”
She knew she was mumbling and could hardly understand her own words.
Mr Bennet’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “A curious coincidence, indeed. So you say it was nothing? Well, I must take your words as truth since you bothered to repeat them.”
Elizabeth’s fingers twisted the fabric of her skirt as she hesitated to respond.
She had never lied to her father before; she never needed to, as he had always understood her and taken her side.
But now she could not confess the truth — not the midnight swim nor the frantic moment on the beach when she had bandaged his wound.
For a moment, she wondered why not. Why all the secrecy, when in truth there was not much to say, in any case?
Neither she nor Mr Darcy had done anything wrong, and her father would have had no reason for reproach.
He would surely keep the secret from her mother if she asked him to.
He loathed all the drama and exaggeration as much as she did, maybe more, and would do anything to avoid it.
“However, I could not help but notice that something about Mr Darcy unsettled you, Lizzy.”
“I suppose it was the strangeness of meeting him again here, in Hertfordshire. I have no other reason to be unsettled. As I said, I barely know him, and he would certainly not have recognised me had we met somewhere else.”
“He might cause people to feel a little unsettled, I admit. Your uncle wrote me a letter and spoke highly of him. He says he is a man of honour and generosity, despite his reserved nature.”
“I would not know, Papa, but I trust Uncle’s judgment.”
“So do I. From the little I saw of Mr Darcy when I called at Netherfield, and today when he visited, I rather like him. He neither speaks nor smiles too much, which suits me perfectly.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Then shall I dare assume you are not particularly fond of Mr Bingley’s smiles and chatter, Papa? Those are precisely the traits Mama admired the most in him.”
“Once again, my opinion opposes your mother’s utterly and completely. However, I have no reason to dislike Mr Bingley. Quite the opposite. He seems to be a pleasant fellow, though not too complex in character.”
“Mr Bingley appears to be an amiable and good-natured gentleman, Papa.”
“I am sure he is just as he appears to be and will become a favourite of all the ladies in Meryton, especially of your mother and sisters. Unlike Mr Darcy, whom your mother already dislikes.”
Elizabeth laughed again but with a slight unease that she tried to conceal.
“Why this sudden interest in Mr Darcy, Papa?”
“He strikes me as a man who values substance over appearance — a rare quality. That is the sort of man I hope you might marry one day, Lizzy.”
“Papa!” Elizabeth exclaimed, her cheeks on fire. “You are as bad as Mama with your matchmaking! I assure you that I have no interest in Mr Darcy or any other man. And please do not say such things to Mama, or I shall never hear the end of it!”
“Do not worry. I have long ceased to share my thoughts with anyone but you. However, you should consider the prospect of marrying a man who truly deserves you. Not someone as rich as Mr Darcy, of course — he belongs to completely different circles from us, and your lack of fortune and connections does not allow you to aim so high. But let us hope you may find substance and an honourable character in someone with a lower situation in life. Maybe a clergyman, an officer, a lawyer, or maybe a doctor.”
“Papa, you are impossible today!” She laughed. “Should I choose my future husband now, or will you kindly allow me a few days to decide?”
“You may laugh, Lizzy, but I am getting old, and I am worried about what will become of you all when I am gone. As you know, Longbourn is entailed to my cousin Mr Collins.”
“You are not old, Papa! And I demand you not even think of leaving us for many, many years. However, you are rather annoying when you persist with such conversations, I grant you. We should prepare for dinner. You know Mama will be upset if we are late.”
“Just another moment, child. As much as I enjoy teasing you, that is not the reason I wished to see you.”
“Oh…?”
“I am slightly concerned for Jane.”
“For Jane? Why?”
“I fear your mother is filling her mind with all sorts of unrealistic expectations about Mr Bingley, which will probably end with her being disappointed and hurt. Would you do me the favour of helping your sister keep her head on her shoulders and her feet on the ground? I am quite certain Mr Bingley has no intention of marrying at present, and I am not even convinced he will remain at Netherfield longer than a few months.”
“I certainly will, Papa. But you must trust Jane and give her more credit. She is not so easily impressed and certainly not foolish.”
“I hope you are right,” Mr Bennet said, then smiled and patted her hand. “I am relieved to have shared my concerns. Now let us prepare for dinner.”
Elizabeth nodded with a sigh of relief, content with the outcome of the slightly awkward conversation.
How could she have mentioned her prior meeting with Mr Darcy when she had been so determined not to?
Why was she acting in such a silly manner?
Her father was right — Mr Darcy’s presence did make her unsettled, and she prayed she might regain some composure soon, before she let slip another indiscretion to make things worse.
As she sat down at the dinner table, Mrs Bennet lecturing her about not being on time, Elizabeth was still lost in her thoughts. She was unexpectedly pleased that her father liked Mr Darcy; though why she would care about such a thing, she could not explain.
She agreed that there was more to Mr Darcy than she had originally supposed.
Not only were their two prior meetings a bit of a mystery, but so was the man himself.
To her knowledge, he had never told her uncle anything about his attacker in Brighton.
The memory of that violent encounter cast a shadow over her recollections.
Why had Mr Darcy concealed the truth about his injury?
If the assailant was still at large, he might repeat the attempt, and Mr Darcy could never feel safe.
Was Mr Darcy protecting someone, even at the risk to his own life? Or was he hiding something?