Chapter 54
Darcy arrived in Hertfordshire by midday and was immediately taken to meet Mr. Bennet. He was surprised to see that the gentleman was not alone but was involved in a riveting chess match with Lord Grimsley.
“Mr. Darcy, please do take a seat,” Mr. Bennet immediately offered.
“Mr. Bennet. Lord Grimsley,” Darcy replied in a clipped tone.
“Mr. Bennet, I will take my leave,” Lord Grimsley nodded towards Darcy and walked out of the library.
“You have nothing to worry about from him,” Mr. Bennet said once Lord Grimsley had departed.
“I am sorry, I did not mean to be rude. I was just surprised to see him here,” Darcy replied, trying to compose himself.
“Lord Grimsley is having a hard time with the loss of his family. He is not really ready for marriage, but the ton can be relentless and then there is the matter of an urgent heir.”
“That still does not explain his interest in Miss Elizabeth. I will freely admit that she is the most admirable lady of my acquaintance, but Grimsley has never met her.”
“He is rather shy and holds you in high esteem. Once he heard about your approval of Lizzy he was convinced that she must be a paragon. He gave more credence to the gossip than he should have and thought that since Lizzy was not interested in marrying you he might as well offer for her.”
“So you are telling me that it was my interest that caused him to propose rather than Miss Elizabeth’s merits. I am not sure I follow such logic.”
“That is because you would never make such a decision. You, sir, are confident in your own abilities and judgement, but there are those who would prefer others to decide things on their behalf, your friend Bingley is an example,” Mr. Bennet said with a knowing smile.
“I—Bingley is young,” Darcy stammered.
“Mr. Darcy, let us put aside Mr. Bingley and Lord Grimsley. You are not here to discuss either of those gentlemen,” Mr. Bennet interrupted, taking pity on Darcy.
“You are right, sir. I am here to request your consent for Miss Elizabeth’s hand in marriage.”
“It was quite a shock for me to receive your letter with the request. Lizzy did give some explanation when she wrote, but I am sure there is a lot that happened that I am still not aware of.”
“I am an inherently private man, sir, and it is difficult for me to speak about personal details but as Miss Elizabeth’s father it is your right to question and I am prepared to answer whatever you ask.”
“My sister sent me a letter. She seems to hold you in high regard and has congratulated me on gaining such an estimable gentleman as a son.”
“Oh.” Darcy said, surprised.
“I understand from Elizabeth that you were quite gracious in all your dealings at Willowmere.”
“I was just doing my duty. That being said, Mrs. Hardwicke was not always fond of me.”
“Yes, she mentioned that. Ironically it was your action at the inn that convinced her of your sincerity. She expressed that you would not have behaved the way you did if you did not genuinely care about Lizzy.”
“Mr. Bennet, I assure you that my feelings for Miss Elizabeth run much deeper than I am able to express in words. Her happiness and comfort will always be my first concern.”
“I trust you, sir. Elizabeth has always been special to me and I do not think I could have parted with her for anyone less worthy.”
Darcy smiled at that, and the conversation then continued to more practical matters regarding the wedding. Darcy apprised Mr. Bennet of his wish to get a special licence if at all possible.
“If not, I will get a common licence and we can marry in the Meryton church.”
“I am sure you will take care of all the details with much more precision than I can imagine. Come, sir, let us go to the drawing room and I will ask for some refreshments.”
Mr. Bennet then took his crutches and rose to proceed and Darcy accompanied him, asking polite questions about his injury.
They arrived in the drawing room where Mary and Kitty were already present with Lord Grimsley.
Mary immediately rang for a servant and asked to bring in some refreshments while Lord Grimsley asked to speak to Darcy.
They decided to take a short walk in the garden.
“Darcy, I am sorry for interfering between you and Miss Elizabeth. Believe me, that was never my intent,” Lord Grimsley said as soon as they had some privacy.
“Grimsley, I do not understand why you are still lingering in Meryton, if not to convince Mr. Bennet against me,” Darcy sternly replied.
“No, no. Mr. Bennet is good company, and I was not ready to face society. He was the first person who had ever told me that I should not marry in haste.”
“That is good advice in any situation. So you will not try to ingratiate yourself with Miss Elizabeth.”
“No, of course not. Mr. Bennet believes that we will not suit, though I would be honoured to meet her.”
“Hmm. Elizabeth will remain in London for a few weeks before returning to Hertfordshire. You may call on her at your convenience,” Darcy replied.
He thought that Mr. Bennet was right in advising the young man against marriage.
If Grimsley had offered for Elizabeth based on his approval and was decided against her based on her father’s view then he had no business thinking of marriage.
“Thank you, Darcy. Once again I am really sorry.”
Darcy just nodded at Lord Grimsley as they both made their way back to the house where refreshments were waiting for them.
Darcy stayed for another hour before he made his way back to London. Both Kitty and Mary had been curious about Elizabeth and he had answered as best as he could. He had been surprised by how demure Kitty was and made a note to mention it to Elizabeth.
It was late that night when Darcy arrived back in town and immediately retired, hoping to meet Elizabeth for breakfast at Matlock House.
Elizabeth was sitting in the music room and contemplating all that had happened. Caroline Bingley’s visit had been the most surprising of all. She had mentioned it to Jane and Lady Matlock. Jane, surprisingly, had not been so easily convinced.
“My dear Lizzy, I would advise you to be on your guard with Miss Bingley. She can be self-serving in her friendships as we very well know.”
“Miss Bennet is not wrong, Miss Elizabeth. In London every friendship is valued according to a person’s situation in life, but Miss Bingley did prove herself useful today and you may well reciprocate.”
“Frankly, Jane, now that we have our happiness secured, I find that I do not resent Miss Bingley as much as I did,” Elizabeth said, then turning towards Lady Matlock she continued, “Lady Matlock, I have always been aware of Miss Bingley’s interest in Mr. Darcy, but I had no clue that she saw me as a rival.
While I still blame her for separating Mr. Bingley and Jane, I feel that I do not resent her for any of her behaviour towards me; after all Mr. Darcy is a very handsome gentleman. ”
At this comment, both Lady Matlock and Jane could not contain their laughter. “That wit, Miss Elizabeth, will assure that you are the perfect Mrs. Darcy,” Lady Matlock said with a smile.