Chapter 3
After knocking on the door at Longbourn, Darcy was immediately shown into Mr. Bennet’s study and asked to wait.
On any other day, Darcy would have expected Mr. Bennet to be available at this time of morning, but upon reflection, he realized that the Bennets likely didn’t get home until the wee hours of the morning, making his visit far too early in the day to be considered polite.
Darcy didn’t care over much. It was imperative that he speak to Mr. Bennet as early as possible.
Fifteen minutes after his arrival, Mr. Bennet finally entered the room.
“Mr. Darcy, I must admit to quite a bit of surprise at your presence so early this morning,” he said.
“I apologize for intruding on you,” said Darcy. “The situation could not wait, however.”
Mr. Bennet sighed and sat in the chair behind his desk. He waved Darcy to sit in the chair opposite. “And what could possibly be so urgent?”
“I want to ask you to refuse permission for Mr. Collins to marry Miss Elizabeth,” said Darcy.
Mr. Bennet’s eyebrows rose. “And why would I do that?”
“Because I will pay you one thousand pounds if you do,” said Darcy.
The older gentleman simply stared at Darcy. No change of expression gave away what he was thinking. Eventually, he said, “Mr. Darcy, I believe we are speaking at cross-purposes here. Just what are you trying to accomplish and why.”
“It has come to my attention that Miss Elizabeth will likely be pressured into marrying Mr. Collins,” said Darcy. “I simply cannot allow that to happen. Therefore, I am here to stop it.”
Mr. Bennet’s eyes narrowed, showing a trace of anger, the first expression other than apathy or wry humor that Darcy had ever seen on that man’s face. “And just what business is it of yours?” Mr. Bennet asked.
Darcy didn’t know how to answer that without expressing emotions that he had deliberately buried. “I have made it my business,” was the best answer Darcy could come up with.
“I do not enjoy talking in circles, Mr. Darcy,” said Mr. Bennet. “If you will not speak plainly, then I shall. It is my opinion that you are not here only to stop my daughter from marrying Mr. Collins, but that you would prefer if she didn’t marry anyone.”
Darcy opened his mouth to object, but Mr. Bennet continued.
“If that is the case, your offer of one thousand pounds will not serve either of us. If you know that I will be pressuring Elizabeth to accept that repulsive man, then you must know that it is only because I must do what is necessary to save my family. Replacing a very advantageous match with only one thousand pounds is not an equal exchange, nor will it help my family in the long run.”
Having heard of the entail on Longbourn, Darcy knew what Mr. Bennet was speaking of. If something were to happen to Mr. Bennet, a single thousand pounds would not make a significant difference in his family’s ability to provide for themselves.
“Are you asking me to increase my offer?” asked Darcy.
“I am suggesting that you drop it altogether,” said Mr. Bennet.
“I cannot fathom your motivation for inserting yourself into a matter that should be of no concern to you, but I do know this: preventing Elizabeth from marrying Mr. Collins will not preserve her from marrying someone else, possibly someone equally repulsive in your eyes. Since your offer does not help either of us, it is pointless to continue this conversation.”
“It is not pointless,” said Darcy in desperation, “for I intend to propose to her myself once Mr. Collins is out of the picture.”
He had not, in fact, intended any such thing.
His entire purpose in this visit was to prevent Miss Elizabeth from being thrown away on that silly parson.
No thought of proposing for himself had entered his mind.
Now that the statement had been said, however, he could not retract it.
Nor did he wish to. In fact, instead of feeling mortified at losing control of himself, he felt relieved…
relieved that his struggle with himself was over, relieved that he could enjoy Miss Elizabeth’s company without constant internal restraint.
Darcy’s attention was so absorbed by his own feelings that he, at first, did not notice the change in Mr. Bennet’s expression…until he heard the laughter.
He looked at the older man in consternation. He could not understand what was so funny about any of this. Perhaps the man was going slightly insane with relief that his family was certain to be taken care of.
Eventually, Mr. Bennet’s laughter calmed enough for him to say, “She would rather accept Mr. Collins than you, I assure you.”
“That is not possible,” said Darcy.
“Are you saying that because of your wealth?” asked Mr. Bennet. “Or perhaps it is your charming personality that gives you so much confidence.”
Darcy did not know how to reply to Mr. Bennet’s sharp questions. After a few moments of silence, Mr. Bennet continued.
“My daughter is delightfully intelligent,” he said, “though she is also a bit prideful in her brilliance. Because of this, she is quick to form judgments and opinions of people and slow to change those opinions. From the first moment she heard you speak, she has been certain that you have no ability to respect anyone lower than you. Elizabeth will not willingly put herself and her intelligence under the thumb of such a man.”
Darcy was struck dumb at this image of himself, but he didn’t ponder it for long. “You say this,” he said, “but you are forcing her to do exactly that. Mr. Collins cannot respect her. He cannot adore her the way she deserves to be adored.”
“Ah, that is where you are wrong,” said Mr. Bennet. “He has never insulted her, never ignored her the way you have. Nor has he insulted and ignored everyone she cares about the way you have. I will say it again, she would sooner marry Mr. Collins than you.”
Darcy took a minute or two to absorb and think about what Mr. Bennet had said, and for once the older gentleman remained silent, allowing Darcy to ponder.
He had, in fact, insulted Miss Elizabeth before they had even been introduced.
At the assembly where he first saw her, he declined being introduced to her, essentially calling her plain and uninteresting, though he had used far more words in the moment.
It was not long afterward that he noticed the sparkle of intelligence in her eyes and the glint of humor that was often in her face.
Over the next few weeks, he had grown increasingly fascinated with her, though he still made no effort to speak with her. He did, however, listen to her conversations with interest, noticing her quick wit and readiness to laugh at the world, though never with cruelty.
Through all of this, Darcy thought he was merely admiring beauty from afar and taking pleasure in the sight, much like one might admire the Mona Lisa and be intrigued by her knowing smirk.
It wasn’t until Miss Elizabeth stayed at Netherfield for four days to care for her ill sister, where he was able to converse with her on more equal ground, that Darcy began to feel some level of danger from his attraction to her.
When examined objectively, most of his interactions with the lady had been completely one-sided.
The only exceptions were a couple of conversations at Netherfield.
Even those had been followed up by him completely ignoring her on her last day in Bingley’s home, in order to ensure she had no expectations from him despite his growing attraction.
Apparently, he had been too successful. Not only did she have no expectations, she had no fondness for him whatsoever, assuming her father was correct.
His best move would be to quit the field altogether, to allow Miss Elizabeth to marry where her family needed. If she would not accept his protection, his offer of marriage, she should be allowed to accept the best offer available.
He could not stomach the thought, however.
He might have managed it if she was to marry anyone but Mr. Collins, but Darcy knew that he would see Miss Elizabeth again and again when he visited his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
He would have to bear witness as she gradually faded away under the “care” of her cousin.
He could not do it. He could not allow it.
“Very well, Mr. Bennet,” said Darcy. “I believe I understand the situation better. I will make you this bargain. If you refuse to allow Mr. Collins to marry Miss Elizabeth, I will attempt to persuade her to marry me. If, after one month, she still refuses to marry me, I will pay you ten thousand pounds which you can use to care for your wife and any remaining daughters once you leave this life. This is all on the condition that you never again attempt to pressure any of your daughters to marry where they do not wish.”
“You would do all this for a family that you have no connection to?” asked Mr. Bennet.
“I would risk that and more for the chance to have Miss Elizabeth in my life,” said Mr. Darcy.
It was said with a fervency Darcy himself did not expect, but he knew now that he meant it.
He should not have fought against his inclination for so long, and he could only hope that he had not ruined all his chances through his ridiculous pride.
Mr. Bennet was silent as he looked at Darcy.
Then, he shook his head. “Young love is rather ridiculous, is it not?” he said.
“I remember feeling rather similar about Mrs. Bennet, but things have changed dramatically since then. Very well, Mr. Darcy, I accept your offer, though given its complexity and importance, I would prefer to make a written contract so that we can each be clear as to its terms.”
“I have no objections,” said Darcy.
“In that case, there is no time like the present,” said Mr. Bennet as he got to his feet.
“It will take me a few minutes to get my carriage ready. I assume you rode your horse?” When Darcy nodded, Mr. Bennet said, “Just ride your horse into Meryton, to my brother-in-law Phillips. He is a solicitor and the soul of discretion despite his wife’s specialty in spreading rumors.
I will meet you there as soon as I can.”
The two gentlemen left the study together.
Once they were in the hall, Darcy noticed that Miss Elizabeth was descending the stairs.
Somehow, the knowledge that he would be spending the next month attempting to court her good opinion made him feel more in awe of her than ever before.
She was more beautiful in her simple morning gown than she had been in her best ballgown the night before.
She almost immediately noticed him staring at her, and she stopped and returned his stare, though it was clear that there was no awe or admiration in her gaze. In fact, now that he was aware of it, he could detect the antipathy that simmered beneath the surface.
Forcing himself to speak, he said, “Good morning, Miss Elizabeth,” and he gave her a brief, short bow.
“Good morning, Mr. Darcy,” she said, bobbing a minimal curtsey in return.
They stared at each other for another few moments until Mr. Bennet cleared his throat and said, “Shall we?” He was holding one arm out toward the front door.
“Ah, yes,” said Darcy, turning to leave the house. “I shall see you in Meryton shortly.”
An hour later, the contract was drawn up and signed.
Mr. Phillips promised both parties a copy as soon as possible, but he kept the original in his files.
Darcy had until December twenty-seventh to convince Miss Elizabeth to marry him willingly.
If she refused him for any reason before that date, even if she later accepted him, he would be obliged to pay Mr. Bennet ten thousand pounds, which was to be used exclusively for the care of his family after his death.
Additionally, Mr. Phillips added a secrecy clause.
If either party told anyone of their deal, there would be penalties.
Darcy then headed back to Netherfield. Though he was anxious to begin his courtship, there was business that needed to be taken care of.
He had promised his sister, Georgiana, that he would return to London in time for Christmas, but that would not be possible if he was to stay in Hertfordshire to woo Miss Elizabeth.
So, he would need to make a short trip into the city to see what could be done.
When he arrived at Netherfield, the house was in an uproar with servants rushing about and packing up various objects. When he asked the servants, he was told that Miss Bingley had decided to follow her brother to London.
He eventually found Miss Bingley herself. “Why have you suddenly decided to leave?” he asked.
“I am on a mission to save my brother from a grave mistake,” she said.
“You must have seen how devoted he is to Miss Bennet. I cannot allow him to marry so far beneath him. So, Louisa and I are heading back to London to convince him to stay there instead of returning here only to be reeled in by those artful Bennets like a big fish. I assume you will be accompanying us.”
“I do have business in London, but I have already made plans with some of the locals to return in a day or two. I cannot break my promise,” said Darcy.
“You?” asked Miss Bingley, clearly stunned. “I have barely seen you speak to any of the locals. Who could you possibly wish to make plans with?”
“I am afraid that is my own business,” said Darcy. He did not wish to tell Miss Bingley of his intentions of marrying Miss Elizabeth. The lady had already shown that she could behave poorly when in the grips of jealousy, and he had no intention of allowing her to interfere in his plans.
Miss Bingley narrowed her eyes. “Well, at least we may travel together to London,” she said. “I am certain that once you are there you will have no desire to return to this awful backwater place.”
“Perhaps,” was the only concession he was willing to make.
“The Hursts and I will be ready to leave in a couple of hours,” she said. “Will you be joining us in their carriage?”
“I am afraid I must be off even sooner than that,” said Darcy. “I will be taking my own carriage. Though I thank you for the offer.”
With that, he headed upstairs, completely ignoring the look of irritated confusion on Miss Bingley’s face.