Chapter 45 Mr. Allen #2
She rose and followed him down the hall. When they were both seated, he spoke.
“My dear, your brother-in-law has done a fine thing in inviting Mr. Allen into the neighborhood. I believe you find this gentleman pleasing.”
“I do, Papa. He is very amiable, and he has asked whether he may visit me so that we might discover if we suit one another.”
“Yes, my girl, I suspected as much. But what of Mr. Darcy? Do you set him aside so easily?”
Her eyes clouded. He waited while she patted them dry with her handkerchief. She sniffed.
“Mr. Darcy is a fine man, and I confess that I love him, Papa. However, nothing can come of it, for I refuse to become my mother, who married above her station and never felt at ease in the world into which she entered. I have seen how much you suffered in that marriage, and she also suffered, though she never understood the cause.”
Elizabeth worried the delicate handkerchief in restless hands.
“You heard what he said. He would be opposing his uncle, the Earl. He is expected to marry brilliantly. A marriage to me would be a degradation to Mr. Darcy, and I will not do it. Beyond that, I wish to be happy in my marriage. Though I love Mr. Darcy, Aunt Madeline has told me of a friend who married from prudence and is now happily settled, with children, and in love with her husband, though she had once loved another. Her friend has never regretted her choice.”
She raised her eyes to read her father's.
“Do you believe that such a thing is possible, Papa?”
He sat for a time considering her words.
“I believe it is possible, Lizzy, especially if you are resolved that it shall be so. The human mind is capable of remarkable things, my girl. Mr. Allen has granted you time in which you may discover whether an attachment might grow between you. Be easy in your mind and enjoy his companionship. Then you will see whether the acquaintance leads to anything.”
She reached for his hand and pressed it.
“I will, sir. I shall not attempt to force anything, but will keep my mind and my heart open.”
Bennet cleared his throat.
“Lizzy, since we shall be one person short at dinner, I mean to send Mr. Hill to invite my friend Hettie Talbot. She and I have known one another all our lives, and there was a time when I wished to marry her. I was seventeen, deeply in love, and I believed she returned the sentiment.”
When she saw the pain in his eyes, Elizabeth took his hand in both of hers and held it fast.
“But she left me for another. An older gentleman who swept her off her feet. It was not many months into the marriage that she realized they were ill-suited, and she was not happily married. Years later, when I married, I too made an ill-suited choice. However, both of us persevered and raised our children.” He sighed long and deep, his gaze fixed upon the distance as his thoughts wandered far into the past.
“I have often considered what might have been had we married. I would not now be the father of five beautiful daughters. I would not have you, Elizabeth. Hettie had only one daughter in all those years. Whether the difficulty lay with her or with her husband, I cannot say, but had it been with her, and had I married her, I might have no family now. My life would be very bleak indeed.”
Neither spoke for a time, both lost in reflection.
“Who can say which man will bring you the greater happiness, my girl. Love will find its way.”
“Thank you, Papa.”
“What say you, my dear? Will you be uncomfortable if I invite Hettie and Mary to dine with us this evening? Mrs. Talbot is fond of the classics and is presently reading Sophocles, and has read the Aeneid several times over the years. Her mind is astute. I believe you would take pleasure in hearing her thoughts.”
Elizabeth was surprised by the history of her father and Mrs. Talbot.
“Pray do invite her and Mary. You had best send Mr. Hill now so that they may have time to reply and prepare. Shall you send the carriage for them?”
“I shall.”
Lizzy rose.
“I must order the menu for our dinner, then change for our tenant visits. I am now mentoring two young ladies rather than just one. Wish me good fortune and patience, Papa.”
He chuckled, and she left him.
That evening, when Mr. Allen was presented in the drawing room, Elizabeth’s eyes brightened at the sight of him. His own crinkled at the corners as he bowed. Thomas Bennet introduced the other guests, and soon they divided into pairs for conversation.
“Miss Bennet, you look very lovely this evening.”
“Sir, since I am in half-mourning, my gowns appear much the same. I chose white this evening, for my only other choices are gray or lavender. Since those mournful shades do not suit my coloring, it will appear to you that I wear the same gown always. I assure you, I do not.”
He grinned.
“Miss Bennet, have you not yet discovered that a man does not care a fig what a woman wears? Most often, he does not notice her gown or her hair. He is occupied with her eyes, her expressions, and her words. Everything else fades into the background.”
“Sir, you jest.”
“No, ma’am. It is the truth. You may ask your father, and he will confirm my observation.”
They were then summoned to dinner. The lamb was prepared to perfection, the potatoes were well seasoned, and the bread was hot from the oven. The fish was fresh, and the pudding most agreeable. When Elizabeth rose to lead the ladies from the table, Mr. Allen’s gaze followed her.
The two gentlemen soon joined the ladies, and Mr. Bennet said, “Allen, do you know that Lizzy sings? You will not have had an opportunity to hear her yet.”
“No, sir. I did not know there was a songbird among us.”
“Oh yes. My little Lizzy is a gifted vocalist.”
“Lizzy, sing my brother’s favorite,” Georgiana begged. “The one about the Elfin Knight.”
Mr. Allen frowned slightly at the mention of Mr. Darcy, though the expression was so fleeting that no one marked it.
Mr. Bennet said, “You must also sing The Two Magicians, my girl. I have not heard you sing in months, not since before your Mamma’s passing.”
Kitty added eagerly, “My favorite is The Cruel Brother. Lizzy, will you sing that one as well?”
“Mr. Allen, I hope you possess a fondness for music, for it appears you are now committed to hearing me.” Laughing, Elizabeth crossed to the far corner of the room and opened the pianoforte.
She sat and began to play, then lifted her voice in song.
Her clear soprano rose with ease, and as the haunting melodies filled the room, the little party fell silent while she sang.
As the music continued, a melancholy stirred within her, and she realized that she mourned Mr. Darcy. The depth of that feeling trembled through the notes she sang. When the final song ended, she remained seated for a moment, working to collect herself.
The three young ladies dabbed at their eyes, and Mr. Bennet wiped at his face with his handkerchief. Mr. Allen walked to her and took her hand.
“Miss Bennet, you pierce my soul. Only a woman of deep feeling could impart such emotion to her voice. I am humbled to have been privileged to hear so fine a performance.”
Elizabeth met his gaze with warmth in her own.
“Thank you, sir. If you continue with such praise, I shall soon become insufferable.”
Mr. Bennet chuckled.
“Allen, allow me to assist you in placing matters in their proper light. My little Lizzy was a most adventurous child. When she was about eight years old, she was, in truth, something of a hoyden. She could outrun the boys, climb the tallest tree, and perform every manner of exploit better than any lad in the neighborhood. I need not add that she was the only girl among them.”
Elizabeth covered her eyes with one hand and bowed her head with a quiet groan.
“Papa, must you tell this story?”
“I must, Elizabeth, or Mr. Allen will conclude that you are an angel sent down to sing to us poor mortals, and you are no such thing, my girl.”
He turned again to Allen.
“One day, my little daughter resolved to take the boat out upon the pond for a day of fishing, despite my express command that she should do no such thing. We had endured several days of heavy rain, and the pond was overflowing while the creek nearly ran its banks. Such conditions, as you may suppose, only increased the attraction of the scheme.”
Elizabeth bowed her head lower and covered her eyes with her hand while the others listened with growing interest.
“Nevertheless, she and her particular friend Charlotte Lucas armed themselves with rods and tackle and launched the boat with great determination. They rowed to the middle of the pond and passed several hours in what they considered very serious angling. To their credit, they had already secured three or four fish, which they had placed in a bucket.”
“The consequence of the adventure was that she hooked a pike of nearly four feet, which promptly pulled her out of the boat, for in those days my little Lizzy was as thin as a rail. She went in headfirst but refused to release the rod.”
Mr. Allen laughed.
“Did you lose the pike, Miss Bennet?”
She lowered her hand and met his gaze.
“No, sir. I brought the pike home.”
Bennet was laughing now.
“Allen, you would scarcely have recognized Elizabeth as a girl that day. Her hair was caked with mud, her dress was streaked with muck, she had lost both shoes, and to complete the spectacle, the two girls were burned to a crisp by the sun. Their skin was so red one might have feared it would ignite.”
Elizabeth groaned softly.
“Well, sir, I need not tell you that Mrs. Bennet was quite livid. The dress was beyond saving. Yet we dined very well that evening upon the pike, and I have never forgotten the sight of my bedraggled daughter, nor the excellent fish she brought home.”
Mr. Allen grinned.
“And your rod and tackle, sir?”
“She returned with the whole apparatus. I suffered no loss that day, except her poor dress and missing shoes.”
Mrs. Talbot laughed, the three young ladies clapped their hands gleefully, and Mr. Allen regarded Elizabeth with clear amusement.
“Do you still fish, Miss Elizabeth?”
“I do, sir. I possess my own rod and dress my own flies, though it is not generally a skill I confess to. My mother would have been quite mortified had she heard this story told in her drawing room and before company.”
Mr. Allen grinned.
“Have no concern, Miss Bennet. I find a woman who can dress her own flies and cast a line extremely attractive. And if she can also sing, why then she must surely be an angel sent from Heaven.”
Elizabeth covered her mouth to suppress a giggle.
After this, the little party separated into smaller groups. Elizabeth was pleased to see that her father was deep in conversation with Mrs. Talbot, while the young girls were quite absorbed in the finer details of a gown in the latest fashion magazine.
Elizabeth turned to Mr. Allen, who was watching her earnestly.
“Sir, has my father’s tale frightened you away? I was something of a hoyden, and in good conscience I must tell you that when I am at home, I take the air at sunrise each morning...alone.”
She studied his expression, attempting to measure his reaction. He remained perfectly at ease.
She made a slight face as she summoned the courage to complete her confession.
“I run in the mornings, sir. It is a habit I have maintained all my life, and I still do it. I find that I possess much more energy if I take the air early.”
Again, she watched him closely to see how he would respond.
“I ride my horse every morning for precisely the same reason. I require exercise, so I can hardly judge you, Miss Bennet. I take it you do not possess a mount?”
“No, sir. We have old Nellie, but I cannot say I feel any great enthusiasm for riding her.”
“Do you ride, Miss Bennet?”
“I must confess that I do not. I never learned. It will perhaps not surprise you to discover that I was a rather ill-behaved child, and in keeping with that reputation, I once mounted a new pony without permission, though I had never been trained. Bitsy immediately bolted with me. I flew over her head and landed upon my arm.”
She raised her arm for him to see.
“I broke my wrist just here, sir, and since that day I have harbored a fear of horses.”
“So, you run instead?”
“Yes, sir.”
He took her hand and kissed her knuckles.
“I find you uniformly enchanting, Miss Bennet. I hope you will allow me to visit you tomorrow.”
She laughed.
“So, you have not yet heard enough to frighten you away, sir?”
“No indeed, my girl. I find myself more and more in your power.”
Her cheeks colored, though she laughed again.
“You are a tease, sir.”
“I believe you like it, ma’am.”
“I do. It is a great pleasure to laugh and to be happy.”