Chapter 9
SPEAK THE TRUTH
That particular morning, Elizabeth arrived at Rosings later than she was wont to do.
She fretted all the way there, supposing that she might be obliged to seek out the lady of the house, whom Elizabeth by now was aware was a late riser, to console her yet again on the removal of her nephews from Kent.
The closer she drew to the east library, the more her curiosity grew.
The music ringing throughout the halls was as beautiful as anything she had ever heard her whole life.
But who could it be? Lady Catherine? Miss de Bourgh?
No, it must be Mrs. Jenkinson, Elizabeth supposed.
By Lady Catherine’s own admission neither she nor her daughter could boast of such proficiency, and as Elizabeth had never heard the elderly companion play and there was no one else to think of then it must be her.
Elizabeth slowly opened the door. What on Earth is Mr. Darcy doing here?
What is more, who is the fair-haired young creature who holds him enthralled?
Her curiosity simply would not be repressed.
Elizabeth walked in the room, and the young woman responsible for the beautiful sounds that guided Elizabeth’s tentative footsteps down the long corridor immediately ceased playing.
She sprang from the bench and rushed to where Elizabeth stood.
She curtsied a little. “You must be Miss Bennet!”
Elizabeth was taken aback by the eager manner of the young woman’s greeting. She looked at Mr. Darcy, her confusion on full display.
Darcy walked to where the two ladies stood. “Miss Bennet, allow me to introduce my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy.”
Elizabeth curtsied. “Miss Darcy, it is such a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Bennet. My brother spoke so fondly of you when he came back to town that I insisted that he allow me to accompany him upon his return to Kent. Pray you do not mind. I simply had to meet you for myself.”
“It is not my place to object, and with such a warm reception as this, I would not dare.” When she could, Elizabeth tossed Mr. Darcy a questioning look. What specifically had he told his sister about her to encourage so much enthusiasm?
“Pray you will forgive me for infringing on your practice time. I thought I might distract my brother while we waited for you to arrive this morning.”
“I am not the least bit infringed upon, Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth said in genuine sincerity. “Your reputation of being a truly accomplished young woman precedes you, and I must say there is no wonder your family is so proud of your talent. You play so beautifully.”
A hint of color overspread Miss Darcy’s countenance. “You are very kind, Miss Bennet.”
“I only speak the truth. I should be delighted if you would accompany me—that is assuming it is no inconvenience to you and your brother, although I must warn you that my talents are extremely wanting by comparison.”
“Brother?” the younger woman said, looking at her brother pleadingly yet willing to defer to his wishes. Elizabeth strongly suspected that Mr. Darcy would not deny his young sister anything that was in his power to bestow.
“That sounds like an excellent plan.” His eyes locked with Elizabeth’s. “Thank you,” he said, smiling.
“I suspect I am the one who ought to be thanking you, sir.”
“I would by no means suspend any pleasure of yours, Miss Bennet. If you give me leave, I should like to take care of another matter. I shall come back in time to escort you to the parsonage.” Bowing slightly, Darcy quit the room, leaving Elizabeth and Georgiana to their own devices.
“What say you, Miss Darcy? Shall we press on?” Elizabeth asked, flexing her fingers to calm herself a bit after seeing Mr. Darcy again and so unexpectedly. With that, the two new acquaintances commenced poring over the music sheets in search of an appropriate piece.
Just as he had promised, Darcy returned to the east library in time to escort Elizabeth to the parsonage. When he could, he said, “I trust you have been enjoying your visit while I have been away.”
“Indeed, sir.”
“I must apologize for the haste of my leave-taking. I would have written to explain my actions; however, in view of our circumstances, such a thing would have been entirely inappropriate.”
“You owe me no explanations regarding your comings and goings, but I fear my ears are deceiving me. Did you honestly utter the words, ‘I must apologize’?”
“I am sorry to have left without saying goodbye or informing you of my intention to come back to Kent when my business in town was done. Do you think me so unfeeling?”
“I am afraid I do not know what to think. I was given to believe that expressing remorse went against your character.”
Darcy stopped walking. Elizabeth did likewise. They turned to face each other. “Are you referring to our earlier conversation when you spoke of overhearing my cousin and me? Did I not say that I would take those words back if I could?”
“Is that your idea of an apology, sir?”
Without ceremony, Darcy took Elizabeth’s hand in his and lowered himself to one knee.
“I humbly apologize for wounding you with my ill-spoken words. The truth is that I have long considered you the handsomest woman of my acquaintance.” He raised her hand to his lips and bestowed a tender kiss. “Does that satisfy?”
The fluttering in her stomach and the pounding of her heartbeat aside, Elizabeth did not know whether the gentleman was serious or simply enjoying a bit of fun at her expense.
If it were the latter, she had never seen this side of him.
She quickly looked about their surroundings, concerned that there was someone about who might bear witness to this display and possibly misinterpret what was taking place between the two of them.
“Yes—yes, you have made your point. Now, I beg of you to return to your feet at once.”
Standing, he slowly let go of her hand. He tucked his own hands behind his back. Elizabeth did likewise, and the two of them resumed their walk.
Darcy said, “What I said just now is true. You are the handsomest woman of my acquaintance. I have a great deal of admiration for you. You must know what I am saying to be true.”
Upon hearing Mr. Darcy’s pronouncement, Elizabeth felt her heartbeat pick up its pace. She did not know how to think or feel. Was the gentleman about to say what she thought? She did not dare to chance it. “Meeting your sister was a welcome surprise,” she said, endeavoring to change the subject.
“I am very pleased to hear you say that, Miss Elizabeth. I had high hopes that the two of you would get along.”
“Oh?”
“Indeed. Georgiana, you see, is very shy, and she does not often have a chance to be with young ladies who are close to her in age.”
Upon first meeting the young woman, Elizabeth would never have accused her of being shy. However, once her brother quit the room, her spirits were rather less animated. Elizabeth attributed it to her dedication when playing the pianoforte.
“Your sister is one of the most gifted young women I have ever met. Her performance on the pianoforte is nothing short of masterful. I am given to wonder if you brought her here solely to demonstrate to me how a truly accomplished young lady ought to play.”
“No—not at all. In case you are unaware, I rather enjoy listening to you exhibit. I could spend hours watching you—listening to you—and I would not complain.”
“Mr. Darcy, to what do I owe all this approbation?”
“Do I have to say it aloud, Miss Bennet? I came back to Kent solely for the purpose of seeing you. I dare not say more now, but when the moment is right, I shall. I promise,” he added.
“For now, I want to thank you for your kindness to my sister. I can see that she likes you very much, which is of vital importance to me.”
Indeed, Darcy had given the matter a great deal of thought while he was away.
He could no longer deny that he had fallen in love with Elizabeth.
Certainly there would be strong objections to such an unequal alliance.
Such a union would do nothing to elevate his standing among Society.
However, if his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam and his sister, Georgiana, approved of a possible alliance between him and Elizabeth, what did it matter what others thought?
The colonel and his sister were the most important people in the world to him.
Soon, if things progressed as he hoped they would, Elizabeth would earn such a distinction in his life too.
In truth, his purposes in bringing his sister back with him were twofold: to introduce Elizabeth to Georgiana—thinking both women could benefit from each other’s company very much—and to regulate his own behavior around Elizabeth, a gentleman’s daughter, and to court her properly, again, if matters progressed as he hoped they would.
Once inside the house, Elizabeth exhaled deeply.
At length, her heartbeat slowed and her quivering stomach settled.
The things Mr. Darcy’s nearness did to her left her utterly bewildered.
To add to all his other admirable qualities, he smelled better than any gentleman of her acquaintance.
He had a way of confounding Elizabeth’s sensibilities like no other gentleman before—invoking inexplicable urges with the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes. Elizabeth shook her head.
I must teach myself not to think of Mr. Darcy in this way, else I shall go entirely distracted.
“Eliza?” Charlotte said, looking at her friend still standing there in the hallway with her head pressed against the door, long after she had walked into the house.
Elizabeth jumped. “Charlotte!”
“Pardon me for startling you, but do my eyes deceive me or was that Mr. Darcy whom I saw escorting you to the parsonage gate?”
She shook her head. “Indeed. He arrived at Rosings late yesterday. He brought his sister, Miss Darcy, with him,” Elizabeth quickly added.
“Did he?” Charlotte inquired with a suggestive smile.
Elizabeth held up her hand. “Whatever you are thinking, Charlotte, I am certain you are mistaken.”
“Be that as it may, dear Eliza,” Charlotte said knowingly, “for I am not one to say I told you so.”