Chapter 7
Three days after the ball at Netherfield, Elizabeth was sitting in the window seat at Longbourn. She was supposed to be working on a reticule that she wanted to give to Jane for Christmas, but her attention kept being diverted by the outside world as well as her own thoughts.
For one thing, her mind kept being drawn back to the very surprising fact that Mr. Collins was engaged to Charlotte Lucas. Though the idea was incomprehensible to Elizabeth, the truth of it could not be doubted. Charlotte had told Elizabeth herself just this morning.
Mr. Collins had been unbearably smug ever since, but at least Elizabeth was free of him. He planned to spend the rest of the day at Lucas Lodge, and he would be leaving tomorrow morning. Elizabeth only hoped that her friend would not regret her choice.
Charlotte had said that all she wanted from a husband was a comfortable home, and Mr. Collins could certainly give her that, but the price of that home was that she must submit, both physically and mentally, to the whims of that silly, ridiculous man.
If anyone could manage under such circumstances, it would be Charlotte. She had a way about her which combined apparent patience with subtle manipulation. It was how her mother managed to deal with Sir William’s many whims and how Charlotte managed to deal with everyone in her family.
Elizabeth simply hoped that Charlotte’s skills would help her create comfort in an innately uncomfortable situation.
As she stared out the window with thoughts of Charlotte and Mr. Collins floating through her head, she saw and heard a carriage coming up the drive.
It was definitely one she had never seen before.
The extravagant decorations and large size made it clear that it was more expensive than anyone in the neighborhood owned.
It came to a stop at the front of the house, just out of sight of Elizabeth. She tensed up with curiosity and anticipation, wondering who would be arriving in such a vehicle. She could only hope that they would not be shown directly to her father. If that happened, she might never know who it was.
“Mama,” she said, “are you expecting someone today?” Mama and Jane were sitting on the far side of the parlor, each working on their own project. Mary was practicing piano in the drawing room, and Kitty and Lydia had walked into Meryton out of boredom.
“No, not unless one of our neighbors drops by,” said Mama.
“A strange carriage just arrived. It most definitely does not belong to any of our neighbors,” said Elizabeth.
Mama got up and came over to the window to peer out. By leaning at just the right angle, she could make out the back of the carriage, but she would not be able to see who emerged.
“My goodness, that is an elegant carriage,” said Mama. “I cannot imagine who that might be.”
Even Jane’s curiosity was piqued. She got up to look as well, though she didn’t have any more insight into the mystery than Elizabeth or Mama.
Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait much longer. Moments after Jane had sat back down in her chair, Mrs. Hill entered and announced, “Mr. Darcy, Miss Darcy, and Mr. Masters have come to call.” She then moved aside to allow the guests to enter the room.
Elizabeth was shocked enough that she didn’t even remember to stand and greet the new arrivals. Fortunately, when she saw Mama and Jane stand, she remembered her manners.
“Mr. Darcy,” said Mama. Her voice carried a great deal of surprise, but there was an undercurrent of displeasure as well.
The surprise was because Miss Bingley had written to Jane saying they would all be in London for the winter. The dislike was simply because she had never liked the man ever since he insulted Elizabeth at the assembly where they first met him.
“Good day, Ma’am,” he said with a bow. “I hope I find you all well.”
Elizabeth was certain that his eyes wandered toward her when he said that. She supposed it must be because her gown was slightly wrinkled from the way she had been curled up in the window seat. He was always staring at her to find some kind of fault.
“May I introduce my sister and friend?” Mr. Darcy asked.
“Of course,” said Mama.
Introductions were accomplished. Then Miss Darcy, her companion, and Mr. Masters all sat near Jane and Mama to chat. Surprisingly, Mr. Darcy made his way over to Elizabeth’s side of the room. He sat in the chair nearest the window seat, as Elizabeth sat back down in the window.
“I hope you are doing well,” said Mr. Darcy.
“You said that earlier,” Elizabeth replied. “My condition has not changed in the last minute or two.”
Mr. Darcy’s eyes twinkled with humor, though his expression did not change in any other visible way. Even that much expression surprised Elizabeth. She did not think the man had any sense of humor.
“Then may I ask what you are working on?” he asked, looking pointedly at the half-complete reticule that lay in the seat beside her.
“It is a reticule,” she said. Then she lowered her voice and whispered, “It is for Jane’s Christmas present.”
“Aren’t you worried she will see it?” he asked in an equally quiet voice. He leaned toward her to ensure she heard him.
The intimacy of the closeness and the low rumble of his softened voice gave Elizabeth a shiver of pleasure, but she quickly brushed it away. This was Mr. Darcy, she reminded herself. He disliked her, and she returned the sentiment.
“She has seen it,” said Elizabeth as she gazed down at it. She couldn’t meet Mr. Darcy’s gaze when he was so close to her. “She thinks I am making it for Lydia.”
Mr. Darcy chuckled. The sound startled Elizabeth into looking back at him. Mirth and happiness were in his eyes, and there was a slight smile on his face. He was more handsome than Elizabeth had ever seen him, and the sight made her breath catch in her throat.
“I see,” he said. “That is a clever trick. Perhaps I shall try something similar the next time Georgiana finds one of her gifts at an inconvenient time. I shall simply tell her it is for my aunt, Lady Matlock. Or perhaps I shall tell her it is for my cousin, Anne.”
“Since Miss de Bourgh is your betrothed, I think it would be easier to pass it off as hers than your aunt’s,” said Elizabeth.
The happiness that had suffused Mr. Darcy’s face disappeared. “Who told you she was my betrothed?”
“I heard it from both Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham,” she said. “I assumed that, since it had come from two very different sources it must be true.”
Anger passed over his face briefly, and Elizabeth feared that their conversation was about to turn into an argument like the one they had when dancing at Netherfield.
Instead, he quickly mastered his anger enough that it barely colored his speech when he said, “Anne is not my betrothed. She never has been, and she never will be. Because of her indifferent health, she is terrified of childbirth and swears she will never marry. Her mother refuses to listen or even acknowledge her fears and instead continues to spread the rumors of our engagement.”
“That must be a disappointment to you,” said Elizabeth. She was trying to gauge how he felt about it.
“Not in the least,” he said. “I have never had any intention of marrying Anne. I had hoped to one day find a lady I could love, but even if that never happened, Anne is not someone I could marry.” His gaze shifted to the window behind her, and his expression softened a bit.
“It seems as though you have already found someone like that,” said Elizabeth. His softened expression led her to believe he must be thinking of a lady whose company he missed.
“I have,” he said. His gaze shifted back to Elizabeth’s face, but it kept its soft, warm expression. If anything, the warmth intensified. “Though by the time I realized it, I had ruined my chances with her.”
Elizabeth could well believe that Mr. Darcy’s manners were bad enough that he would scare away a lady he secretly loved. “I am sorry to hear that,” she said, and she truly was. Much as she disliked the man, she did not wish to see anyone truly miserable. “You must miss her greatly.”
A twinkle of humor lit his eyes, though Elizabeth couldn’t imagine what could be funny about his situation.
“Not particularly, no,” he said. This shocked Elizabeth.
She had known him to be unfeeling, but to laugh and say he did not miss the lady he loved bordered on inhuman.
She was so incensed at the thought that she almost missed it when he said, “She is right in front of me.”
Through the haze of anger at the man, it took several seconds for her to fully comprehend what he had just said.
When she did, she felt her eyes widen. Then her anger rose.
“You can’t mean that, Mr. Darcy,” she said firmly.
“It is very wrong of you to declare something like that when you feel no such thing.”
Elizabeth didn’t know how he would take her admonishment, but even if she had thought about it, sadness and disappointment would be the last thing she would have guessed, but that is what appeared on his face.
“It is exactly as I said,” said Mr. Darcy in a subdued voice. “By the time I realized how I felt, I had already ruined my chances with the best lady I have ever known.”
The sadness in his eyes, the sincerity in his voice, the very real feeling of regret that she detected in his expression, all told Elizabeth that this man, Mr. Darcy, believed what he was saying.
Such a declaration turned her perception of him and everything she had assumed about him on its head. She did not know what to make of the man sitting next to her.
Suddenly needing space and solitude, Elizabeth stood up. “Please excuse me,” she said. Then she dashed from the room.
Once she was in the hall and out of sight, she paused. In doing so, she heard her mother say, “Mr. Darcy, you have insulted my daughter once again. How could you do that under my roof and in my presence?”
“I promise you, Madam, I did not insult Miss Elizabeth. I believe she simply felt a need to refresh herself,” replied Mr. Darcy.
Though it was embarrassing, Elizabeth was relieved that he had framed his explanation in such a way that her family would assume she suddenly needed to use the necessary. She would rather they not know anything about what Mr. Darcy had said.
In fact, Elizabeth wished she did not know.
She wanted to go walking to clear her head, but it was a very cold day. She would need to fetch her cloak and her pelisse as well as a scarf, warm boots, and gloves. By the time she did all that, her mother would be expecting her to return to the parlor.
Instead, she paced in the hallway toward the back of the house, thinking furiously all the while.
Even so, she came to no conclusion. She had no idea what Mr. Darcy was about by making such declarations.
She wanted to doubt him, but she had never seen a more sincere expression, a more disappointed reaction, than what she had seen on his face mere minutes ago.
Eventually, she returned to the parlor. She expected to see Mr. Darcy still sitting by the window, ignoring everyone else.
It was how he usually behaved in company, even occasionally when he was at Netherfield among close friends.
Instead, he was chatting with Mama while Mr. Masters and Miss Darcy chatted with Jane.
Elizabeth could not believe her eyes or her ears. If she had believed it was possible for Mr. Darcy to speak with anyone, Elizabeth would have assumed it would be Jane, but there he was, chatting with Mama and seeming to be quite at his ease.
She listened to what they were speaking of for a few moments before approaching. It seemed as though Mr. Darcy had asked what kinds of things Mama grew in the kitchen garden as well as what kind of game and fish could be found on the estate.
Mama was in full flow. Since it was a subject related to housekeeping and entertaining, Mama was quite knowledgeable and not nervous or embarrassing in the least.
Elizabeth joined the pair of them, while her mother was still speaking. “Thank you, Mr. Darcy,” she said very quietly. She hoped he knew she was thanking him for covering for her and that she was not thanking him for his declarations, but she could not elaborate while her mother was speaking.
Ten minutes later, the guests departed, leaving behind two confused daughters and one pleased mother.