Chapter 14 #3
The thought steadied her almost immediately.
Her uncle had not attended the assembly two evenings prior, having been called to a nearby village to assist with the will of an elderly farmer who had changed his mind three times about which nephew deserved the cow and once about whether a daughter-in-law could be left only the churn.
Mr. Philips did not yet know Mr. Darcy had arrived.
He did not know there was now a gentleman in the neighborhood who could connect Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn to the discovery at Gracechurch Street.
And Mr. Philips, being a man, could call upon Mr. Darcy without impropriety.
A quarter hour later, Elizabeth had obtained permission to walk into Meryton on the perfectly true excuse of visiting her aunt, though she had no intention of lingering under Mrs. Philips’s cheerful curiosity longer than necessary.
The morning was cool and bright, the road still damp in shaded places, and the hedgerows full of late-summer green beginning to yellow at the edges.
Usually such a walk would have cleared her spirits.
Today, she moved quickly, rehearsing what she would say and discarding every version as either too dramatic or not urgent enough.
Mr. Philips was in his office when she arrived, his clerk looking up with visible relief when Elizabeth asked whether he might be disturbed.
“He is with no one, miss, only papers,” the clerk said. “And papers never mind being interrupted.”
Mr. Philips looked up from his desk as she entered. “Lizzy. This is unexpected.”
“I am sorry to disturb you, Uncle.”
“You do not look like someone bringing an idle disturbance. Sit down.”
She sat, folded her gloved hands in her lap, and told him everything: Mr. Bingley’s arrival, Mr. Darcy’s presence in the party, the assembly, the fact that he had not seemed to recognize her, Susie’s intention to go to Netherfield on her next half-day, and the danger that talk among servants might bring the truth far too near disclosure.
Mr. Philips listened without interrupting, though his expression sharpened as she spoke.
When she finished, he leaned back in his chair and tapped one finger thoughtfully against the arm. “Mr. Darcy is in Hertfordshire.”
“Yes.”
“And staying at Netherfield.”
“Yes.”
“Of all houses.”
Elizabeth gave a weak smile. “Providence has an interesting sense of humor.”
“It has many things. Humor is not always the one I appreciate most.” He was silent a moment longer. “You say he did not recognize you?”
“No. At least, I do not think so. He looked at me as though I were any other young lady in the room.” Her cheeks warmed despite herself. “Perhaps with less approval than most.”
Mr. Philips’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing of consequence.”
“Lizzy.”
She looked away. “He said something unkind, but that is not why I came.”
“It may not be why you came, but I am not certain it is nothing.”
“It is nothing that threatens Netherfield,” she said firmly. “This does.”
Mr. Philips accepted the correction, though not happily.
“Very well. You are right to be cautious. Mr. Darcy is honorable, from all I know of him, and I have Lord Matlock’s confidence in him as further proof.
But honor does not prevent a man from speaking what he does not realize must be secret.
If he remembers you, or if one of his servants hears enough to connect matters, he must be warned. ”
“Can you speak to him?”
“I can, and I shall.”
Relief loosened the tightness in Elizabeth’s chest. “Soon?”
“This afternoon, if possible. Tomorrow morning at the latest. I have sufficient reason to call upon Mr. Bingley regarding the lease and household arrangements, and I may ask for a private word with Mr. Darcy under the guise of renewing an old acquaintance.”
Elizabeth exhaled. “Thank you.”
Mr. Philips studied her with the same searching look that had once made her confess to climbing beneath the cellar before he arrived. “Lizzy, has Mr. Darcy given you cause to think he would not keep your secret?”
“No,” she admitted. “Not cause. Only uncertainty.”
“And perhaps a little pain.”
She looked down at her gloves.
Her uncle’s voice gentled. “I will speak with him. I will remind him of all that must remain private, and I will make clear that your name, Netherfield, and the Crown’s settlement are not matters for conversation. If he is the man I believe him to be, that will be enough.”
“And if he is not?”
“Then I shall make it sound more like a legal warning than a request.”
Elizabeth laughed softly, and some of the fear eased. “That is very comforting.”
“I intended it to be.” Mr. Philips rose and came around the desk, placing one hand briefly upon her shoulder. “You did right in coming to me. Leave this in my hands.”
By the time Elizabeth walked home, the road seemed less oppressive, and the autumn air had regained some of its usual pleasure.
The difficulty was not solved, precisely, but it was no longer hers alone to carry.
Mr. Philips would speak to Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy, if he was the man Susie believed him to be—and perhaps the man Elizabeth had once believed him to be—would understand.
And if he did not, she reminded herself, then she would know exactly how much of her admiration had been foolish.
She wished the thought were more comforting than it was.