21. Chapter 21 #2
“No balls, sir,” Miss Bennet responded with laughter in her voice. “Just a dinner or two, and of course, the musicale.”
“After making the acquaintance of Mr. Bingley’s sisters last evening, it is clear they are . . . very different from him,” Miss Elizabeth observed.
“That is putting it mildly,” Fitz said, looking at Darcy.
Darcy just shook his head.
Both Miss Elizabeth and Miss Bennet attempted to hide amused smiles.
Changing the subject, Darcy said, “After we tour the exhibit, we will travel to Berkeley Square. I suggested to your uncle that we could visit a few shops, then go to Gunter’s for tea.”
“That sounds lovely,” Miss Elizabeth said. Pleased to have her approval, Darcy smiled. It was not long before they arrived at Rutherford House.
They had just been relieved of their outerwear when an older gentleman with wavy, silver-white hair approached them.
“Darcy! Good to see you, my boy!”
Mr. Darcy turned to the gentleman with a grin and shook his hand. “Good to see you, sir!”
The older gentleman then took Georgiana's hand. “Georgiana, my dear, how are you?”
“I am very well, Lord Rutherford. How are you, sir?”
“I am well for an old fellow and happy to see you,” he said, smiling at her. “I see you have brought young Fitzwilliam with you!”
“Lord Rutherford, a pleasure as always, sir,” Mr. Fitzwilliam said, shaking the gentleman’s hand.
“And I see the rumors are true,” Lord Rutherford said as he looked down at Mr. Fitzwilliam’s attire. “Your batman has misplaced your red coat!”
Mr. Fitzwilliam chuckled.
Lord Rutherford grinned. “No, no, of course he has not. Your father told me your batman has served you well for many years, and I am sure he will continue to do so. Congratulations, man!”
“Thank you, sir.”
Lord Rutherford then turned to Mr. Darcy. “Darcy, please introduce me to your friends.”
“Lord Rutherford,” Mr. Darcy began, “please meet Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gardiner of London and their nieces—Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, and Miss Mary of Longbourn in Hertfordshire.”
Lord Rutherford smiled. “Welcome! I am pleased to meet you all. Now, who among you has an inquisitive mind?”
Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle, as well as her sisters, all glanced at her.
Lord Rutherford raised his brows as he followed their gazes to her. “They all seem to be looking at you.”
Elizabeth chuckled. “Then I suppose I cannot hide.”
“No indeed. Resistance is futile. Take my arm, young lady. You are in the right place. This is where inquiring minds come to play!" Lord Rutherford insisted as he led her from the room. “Please, everyone, follow us!”
Elizabeth and Lord Rutherford carried on a perfectly amiable and in-depth conversation as if they had not just met.
She found the older gentleman very entertaining and appreciated his friendliness.
Elizabeth grinned at Mr. Darcy, who walked along with them, showing him her delight in his old family friend.
He grinned as well, no doubt used to Lord Rutherford’s teasing.
They walked through a wide corridor to a large room at the back of the house.
Elizabeth drew in a breath at the sight before her.
There were instruments and contraptions, living things and fossils, diagrams and mathematical models—so much to see and explore!
The smile on her face grew as she looked around her.
Lord Rutherford chuckled. “I believe we have her attention now, Darcy!”
His eyes on Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy grinned and said, “I believe you are correct, sir.”
“Well, I shall leave you both to it. Enjoy yourself, Miss Elizabeth!”
She smiled. “I know I shall. Thank you, my lord.”
He returned her smile, patted Darcy on the shoulder, then walked in the direction of a group of gentlemen.
Elizabeth noticed that her family, Georgiana, and Mr. Fitzwilliam had also walked ahead to look at a display.
“If you do not mind my company, I would enjoy touring the exhibit with you.” Mr. Darcy said, watching her closely.
Elizabeth looked at him and smiled. “I always enjoy your company, Mr. Darcy.”
“That is good to know,” he said with a crooked smile. He then gestured ahead. "Shall we?"
Elizabeth was feeling a rush of emotions.
Though several were swirling around inside her, three stood out overwhelmingly: happiness, excitement, and nervousness.
Elizabeth was looking forward to exploring the exhibit with him.
She always got a heady feeling whenever he centered all his attention on her.
Now she was aware of his interest, and it was having a curious effect on Elizabeth.
It was causing her to be somewhat shy with him at times, which was unusual for her.
They approached a display that was solely comprised of fossilized plants and leaves and fronds, perfectly preserved.
“Oh, these are amazing!” Elizabeth exclaimed as she leaned forward for a closer inspection.
“It says here fossilization typically occurs in sedimentary environments where plants are rapidly buried by mud, sand, or volcanic ash. Over long periods, the plant material decays. Minerals from the surrounding sediment and groundwater seep into the plant’s cellular structure and the spaces left by decomposition.
The minerals harden and create a mineral replica of the original plant—that is amazing,” she repeated, looking again at the plants.
“It is amazing how these natural changes and processes leave behind such an accurate copy of the original,” Mr. Darcy agreed.
Elizabeth noticed Jane and Mr. Fitzwilliam standing a few feet away from them. He leaned toward her sister, speaking softly, as they closely observed the items on display. She smiled to herself and then turned her attention back to Mr. Darcy.
Next, they walked to a glass case that was almost entirely draped in dark fabric. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy found the display label which read: Bioluminescent Worms. They both looked at each other in surprise.
“Glowing worms?” Elizabeth questioned with raised brows, her eyes still on Mr. Darcy’s.
A young man stood behind the case and asked if they would like to have a look. After looking under the cloth from behind the case, he gestured for them to raise the cloth on their end, so they did.
Elizabeth laughed at the sight before her. “My goodness! Look at them!”
There, inside the case, crawling and burrowing around in damp soil, were a dozen glowing worms. She had never seen such a thing!
“Do they always glow?” Mr. Darcy asked, lifting his gaze to the young man.
“No, sir, they do not, and we do not yet understand why they glow. It could be as simple a reason as lighting their way in the dark. Also, there are actually two different species of worms in the case. As you can see, they all emit a green-colored glow. However, one of the species has the ability to emit a red glow as well. This seems to happen when it is jostled or feels threatened. If you will allow me . . .”
Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy both took a step back.
The young man shook the case gently and slightly inverted it from side to side.
He set it back down and lifted the drape to peer under it.
Smiling, he lowered the drape and invited them to have another look.
Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy grinned at the glowing bodies.
Several worms were indeed now also sporting a red glow in their heads as if they were angry.
“This gives new meaning to being red in the face,” Mr. Darcy said.
Elizabeth giggled. “Yes, it does!”
Mr. Darcy spent a few more minutes discussing the worms with the young man while Elizabeth looked on in awe at their bioluminescence.
Mr. Darcy turned to her. “Shall we continue?”
She nodded, then they thanked the young man and moved on.
He led her to a part of the exhibit that featured a voltaic pile and a gentleman demonstrating how it worked. There were several others also viewing the demonstration.
Elizabeth leaned toward Mr. Darcy and asked quietly, “Are you familiar with this invention?”
“I am,” Mr. Darcy replied softly, leaning toward her. “It is the first device ever to provide a steady supply of electricity. A continuous electric current is produced by stacking alternating layers of zinc and copper discs, separated by a moist cloth or paper soaked in a saltwater solution.”
“Interesting,” Elizabeth remarked as she observed the device.
“It is a significant advancement in the study of electricity, and it will allow for experiments that were simply not possible before.”
She nodded, intrigued.
They approached a beautiful display that held a variety of different seashells, coral, and starfish. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy discussed the wonder and beauty of each of them.
The next display they viewed had microscopes with slides of insects, strands of hair, and even crystals. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy each stood looking through a microscope. They marveled at the makeup of these specimens when they were able to view them with such great magnification and clarity.
“Have you viewed such things through a microscope before?” she asked him as she focused on a slide.
“Yes, several times.”
“I suppose seeing these things as they actually are is not so shocking to you then as it is to me,” Elizabeth said.
“No, but it is always interesting. Would that we could examine people under a microscope, especially the character of a person. Then we could see them for what they really are.”
“We would no doubt find the true nature of some as shocking as these specimens,” she quipped.
“No doubt,” he agreed, then backed away from the instrument.
Elizabeth did likewise. She noticed Mr. Darcy’s attention was on something across the room.
“I believe there is a lecture that is about to begin on the solar system,” he said, returning his gaze to hers with a smile. “Would you like to hear it?”
Elizabeth smiled up at him excitedly. “Yes, I would.”
Darcy offered Miss Elizabeth his arm, and together they walked towards the crowd of people gathered for the lecture.
They approached a display that featured an array of telescopes and charts with visually striking depictions of the stars and planets.
They studied the charts and took turns looking through the various telescopes, which were aimed out the windows.
Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see anything in the sky or beyond.
Darcy stood next to Miss Elizabeth, admiring her profile as she looked through the telescope. Her intoxicating scent teased him. Indeed, it had done so from the moment they began touring the exhibit together.
He leaned close to her. Keeping his voice low, he asked, “Have you spied something of particular interest?”
Darcy smiled when he saw Miss Elizabeth shiver and gooseflesh cover her skin in reaction to his quiet words and proximity.
“I did, but I think I lost it . . . wait . . . there it is!”
She stepped away, allowing him to have a look. He grinned.
“Do you see it?” she asked.
“I do.”
She had found a rabbit in the grass near the woods.
“Is it not adorable?”
Darcy chuckled and stepped back from the telescope. “It is indeed.”
Smiling, she moved to the telescope for one last look, then turned away.
“Do you think there are more planets out there to be discovered?” Miss Elizabeth asked.
“I do. I think the possibilities of what may be found out there are endless,” he replied.
After the lecture, they listened to a few questions and answers, then their party decided to take their leave. As a group, they approached Lord Rutherford, who was standing at the entrance to the room speaking with a couple who appeared to be leaving.
After bidding the couple farewell, Lord Rutherford turned to their party and asked, “Well, how was it?”
“In a word, excellent! We thoroughly enjoyed it,” Mr. Gardiner replied.
“Good, good!” Lord Rutherford said with satisfaction. “Miss Elizabeth, I hope the exhibit has supplied you with much to consider at your leisure.”
“Indeed, it has, my lord. I shall reflect on everything we have seen here, and I shall be eager to share it with my family and friends.”
“I am glad to hear it,” Lord Rutherford said, smiling. He turned to Mr. Gardiner and shook his hand. “It was a pleasure meeting you and your family.”
“The pleasure was ours, my lord,” Mr. Gardiner replied.
The Gardiners and their nieces headed outside. Lord Rutherford bid Fitz and Georgiana farewell, and they walked out soon after.
“Another exceptional exhibit,” Darcy said to Lord Rutherford.
“Thank you, Darcy. It has turned out rather well.”
“Indeed. I must also thank you, sir. I know our friends appreciated your warm welcome.”
“If I do not miss my mark, you are quite taken with Miss Elizabeth,” Lord Rutherford said with a knowing smile.
“Your aim is true, sir. I am indeed quite taken with her.”
“Well, son, she seems a very bright and lovely young woman. I wish you success.”
“Thank you.”
Lord Rutherford squeezed Darcy’s shoulder, then accompanied him outside.