Chapter 46 Courting
For the next three weeks, Mr. Allen visited Longbourn every day at two o’clock and remained until ten in the evening. He also joined the family at church on Sundays. Elizabeth quickly came to delight in his easy manner and his dry wit.
This afternoon, the three young women were delayed in returning to the house. They rushed into the foyer laughing and chattering as they removed their light cloaks and gloves. Mrs. Hill hurried from the pantry to assist them.
“Lizzy, my dear, Mr. Allen awaits you in the drawing room.”
Elizabeth tugged at the ribbons of her bonnet.
“Thank you, Hill. I must first tidy my hair, and I shall join him.” She turned to Kitty. “You girls may go in to him now and keep him company until I have seen to my hair.”
She removed her bonnet gingerly and then stood before the mirror, securing the loose curls that had escaped their pins. When she was satisfied, she hastened to the drawing room.
Mr. Allen rose as she entered, and the two girls moved to the far corner of the room, where they took up their embroidery.
Elizabeth curtsied. “Sir, I am sorry to have kept you waiting. Have you been here long?”
“No, Miss Bennet, not long. Yet I would wait as long as necessary for the privilege of conversing with you.”
She laughed quietly, her eyes bright.
“You are an unconscionable flirt, sir.”
Her gaze then fell upon the book in his hand.
“And what have you there?”
He extended it to her.
“I spent an hour at the bookseller’s in Meryton. He produced this volume and informed me that you had ordered it some weeks ago, though it has only now arrived.”
Her eyes brightened.
“Oh, it is The Secret Witness. I confess I had quite forgotten about it.”
He chuckled. “Has my company proved so distracting that everything else has slipped your mind?”
His expression held a trace of mischief.
She grinned.
“You may think so if you wish, sir. I shall not contradict you.”
“Come, Miss Bennet. Sit with me here.”
She sat on the couch a little apart from him.
“Now tell me, Missy, how it happens that you were late to a meeting with one who longs for your attention.”
Her cheeks colored. “Sir, you are very pert this afternoon. To what may I attribute your high spirits?”
He laughed.
“There is no deceiving you, is there? I received a letter from my father this morning. He informs me that my eldest sister is betrothed at last.”
He raised his brows with comic gravity.
“At last, sir?”
“Yes, at last, Miss Bennet. You must understand that Clarinda is neither a beauty nor a wit, and we had long feared she might end her days an old maid, for she is seven and twenty.”
Elizabeth raised her brows in question. “An old maid, sir?”
“Yes, Miss Bennet. I do not mean to suggest that a woman must be either beautiful or particularly amusing, but a person ought to possess at least one attractive quality. My poor sister has never excelled in any of the usual feminine accomplishments, nor in conversation either.”
He paused with mock solemnity.
“However, my mother writes that our neighbor, who owns a respectable little estate some six miles from our home, has asked for her hand. According to my mother, they fell in love over geology.”
“Geology, sir?”
“Yes, ma’am. Geology. It appears they have spent the past month in very earnest study together, and my sister is considerably more learned in the subject than her suitor. That circumstance, it seems, captivated him entirely.”
Elizabeth listened, her eyes lively with interest.
“And what think you, Miss Bennet? Is it love, or admiration for an intelligent mind?”
“I believe they are one and the same, sir. I congratulate you. It sounds as though your sister will be happily matched with a gentleman of means who shares her passion. I confess I envy her. We should all be so fortunate.”
“We should indeed, ma’am.”
Georgiana and Kitty watched the couple from their corner. After a moment, Kitty reached for a sheet of paper and a quill and soon bent over it, composing a short note. She handed it to her friend, who read, “I believe Mr. Allen is in love with Lizzy.”
Georgiana took the proffered quill and wrote her reply. Kitty drew nearer to read the words as they appeared upon the page.
“I am truly happy for her. When she is with him, she scarcely notices anything else. I declare, the house might be burning down, and she would still have eyes and ears only for him.”
Kitty lifted her eyes to her friend and smiled broadly. Then she sighed and wrote again.
“He is very handsome. Any woman might fall in love with him.”
Georgiana studied her friend’s face and wrote, “Are you in love with Mr. Allen, too, Kitty?”
Kitty’s eyes scanned over the note and answered in a lowered voice, “No indeed. I have been in love with Alexander Lucas since I was five.”
“Five? How old is he now?”
“He is Jane’s age, two and twenty. But it signifies nothing.
He does not even know that I exist in the world.
He has been away for many years. First, to a private academy, then to university, and afterward he went abroad upon a grand tour.
He is expected home by the end of this year.
I have only seen him twice, when he came home from school.
He is handsome, Georgiana, and amiable, very much in the style of Mr. Bingley. But he has had eyes only for Jane.”
She sighed. “We once believed he might marry Jane, but he left and has never returned. Which is neither here nor there, for what would a sophisticated gentleman of the world want with a green girl like me?”
The two young ladies spent the remainder of Mr. Allen’s visit whispering together of Kitty’s misgivings and the anticipated return of Mr. Alexander Lucas.
That evening, Georgiana wrote a long letter to her brother. It was filled with news of Elizabeth’s happy courtship and Kitty’s unrequited love. She ended her letter with these words:
Brother, love appears a very perplexing thing.
Perhaps you are wise to desire a woman whom you may respect, without the consideration of love.
In Lizzy’s case, Mr. Allen seems to love her very much, and in these three short weeks, I believe she has opened her heart to him, for she appears quite happy, and when he is with us, she has eyes for no one else.
Yet what of my poor friend who has no hope of ever securing Mr. Lucas?
How does one overcome such feelings? Kitty says she has loved him since she was a child.
Is it possible for her to move beyond such early, long-held affections?
Can affections formed in childhood be genuine?
Darcy sat in the darkened room with Georgiana’s letter in his hand.
For nearly half an hour, he had been staring out the window of his bedchamber in Haddon Hall, considering what he had read.
Elizabeth Bennet, his Elizabeth, was in love with another.
Allen had remained in Hertfordshire for nearly a month and was seriously courting her. How could this be?
She still loved him. He was certain of it, for he had seen her eyes when she refused him.
There had been love, pain, and resolve. She had told him then that she would not allow herself to be brought low by him, nor by men of his stamp, arrogant, wealthy men who believed they might purchase anything, even the love of a woman.
What had she said that night? That she would rather remain unmarried than be a rag beneath his feet? She must be deliberately turning away from him.
He laughed bitterly.
But who was the downtrodden one now?
He had been moving through his life as one lost. His future had become a bleak prospect. What were money, position, even life itself without love? Without the love of a good woman? Without Elizabeth.
But what was to be done now? It was too late. She was in love with another.
He read that passage again.
“Mr. Allen seems to love her very much…”
Allen loved her. There was no surprise in that.
What man, once he came to know her, could fail to fall in love?
Yet Georgiana had not written that Elizabeth loved him in return.
Only that “she has opened her heart to him, for she appears quite happy, and when he is with us, she has eyes for no one else.”
Perhaps there was hope.
She had not yet fallen in love. Perhaps…
He must not delay. If there remained any chance at all, he must seize it.
Darcy moved to the writing desk, and within a short time, two letters lay completed. The one addressed to Charles requested his hospitality. The other was written to his solicitor.
“Kendall, use the marriage articles my father prepared for his marriage to my mother when drafting my own.”
He sent his groom with the two letters to Matlock to be delivered by express, and then he dressed for dinner and went to join his family.
When he entered the drawing room, he was pleased to see Phillip seated upon a sofa in quiet conversation with Lady Abigail.
In another part of the room, Richard sat in a corner with Lady Anise, listening intently as she spoke.
Aunt Helen and Uncle Henry attended closely to Lady Harrington, who was recounting some anecdote with cheerful laughter.
His family appeared much improved. Richard’s shoulder had mended entirely, and Phillip was again upon his feet.
Though he remained somewhat weakened by his ordeal, he had regained much of his weight, and he was able to walk outdoors for short distances before he tired.
Darcy felt no anxiety for his elder cousin’s recovery.
He drew near to his uncle and addressed him.
“Uncle Henry, I must depart early tomorrow morning upon an urgent matter of business. May I request a word with you in your study? It is still an hour before dinner. My cousins should be present as well.”
Henry Fitzwilliam studied his nephew’s face, and his own expression grew grave.
“Of course, nephew. Richard, call your brother. Let us retire to my study. Helen, my dear, we shall return in time for dinner.”
Lady Helen turned anxious eyes upon her nephew. “Is Georgiana well, Fitzwilliam?”
His expression softened into a smile. “She is very well, Aunt. She spends her days visiting tenants and sewing garments for the poor and could scarcely be happier unless she were permitted to eat ices at Gunter’s every day.”
Lady Helen laughed.
“It is only business that requires discussion with my uncle, for I must leave in the morning before he rises. You will excuse us?”
“Of course. I shall not trouble myself if it is only business that has distressed you, my dear boy.”
When they were seated in the earl’s study, Darcy began.
“Uncle Henry, Richard, and I have completed our inspection of the estate. The land is in good order, and preparations for the spring planting are completed. I have written to the architect who will draw up the plans for the drainage system on the west side. Since Richard continues to act on Phillip’s behalf, I have provided his name, and Evans will direct correspondence to him. ”
He paused. “Uncle, I released the head groundsman today.”
Henry’s eyebrows rose sharply, and both cousins straightened.
“The man was embezzling. Upon reviewing the ledgers, I discovered that he has stolen 5,000 pounds over the past 5 years. I am sorry to say that this could only have occurred with the knowledge of your steward. As the men are related, I believe the steward concealed the theft on behalf of his uncle. You must determine whether you wish to dismiss him as well.”
Darcy continued. “I received a letter today and must return to London to address a personal business matter.”
Seeing their concern, he added quickly, “It is a simple matter that requires my attention. You need not worry for Georgiana or for me.”
He turned to Richard. “John says he will recover the money his uncle embezzled. He will meet with you tomorrow to return it.”
“Write to me at Darcy House if you require any further assistance. I will take my leave of you now, since my plan is to depart early tomorrow morning.”
Darcy moved toward Phillip and embraced him. “I am glad beyond measure to see how well you have recovered. When next we meet, I expect you to be entirely yourself again.”
Then he turned to his uncle and embraced him. “Uncle Henry, I hope to return within two months. Write to me if you require my presence sooner.”
He embraced Richard. “I am glad to see your injury has mended completely, cousin. I will confess that I was greatly concerned when I saw the blood pouring from the wound and your face the color of ash.”
Richard grinned. “I was rather concerned myself when I saw all that blood. I have been as weak as a kitten, but I grow stronger by the day.”
“Richard, when next I see you, I expect you will be announcing your betrothal to Lady Anise.”
Richard’s expression widened into a broad smile. “I believe you are correct, Darcy. We have discovered that we suit one another exceedingly well.”
“I am glad of it, cousin. Perhaps you will sell out of the army, marry, and raise a family.”
“Yes. Anise and I have spoken of it. If all proceeds as planned, we shall be married this spring.”
Phillip and the earl stepped forward to embrace the colonel and offer their congratulations. Darcy then drew out his pocket watch. “Shall we return to the ladies before they begin to wonder what has become of us?”
That evening, after dinner, Phillip rose, and with his glass in hand, he said, “We had not intended to make the announcement tonight, but as Darcy departs in the morning, I wished to share our news. Lady Abigail has accepted my hand, and we are engaged.”
He raised his glass.
“To the most beautiful woman I know. I shall soon be the happiest man in all of England.”
After the toast and the many congratulations that followed, the party removed to the music room. The four ladies took turns at the pianoforte while the gentlemen sat back and enjoyed the music.
Darcy’s thoughts turned to Elizabeth. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever beheld, and, should she accept his hand, then he would be the happiest man in all England. But would he reach her in time? Had she already bound her future to Allen’s?
At half past ten, he excused himself, citing an early departure in the morning, and withdrew quietly from the room.