Chapter 1
There were few places Elizabeth Bennet’s aunt gave her permission to go on her own, but the shops was one of them.
She walked along the high street in Lambton, delighting in everything she saw.
The shops were decorated for Christmas, greenery and ribbons seeming to greet her as cheerfully as the people she had met over the last few weeks.
Even the homes, no matter how humble, showed some mark of festive joy.
It made a picturesque setting for her stroll, and she was glad to see the traditions being upheld.
Such displays were less frequent in Meryton, where a number of her neighbours declared it was old fashioned to decorate for Christmastide and time to leave such practices in the past.
Distracted by the enchanting scene, Elizabeth thought nothing of her initial flash of recognition when she noticed a gentleman out of the corner of her eye. But then her feet refused to move, and her gaze flew towards him. It cannot be! What is he doing here?
Mr Darcy, the disagreeable gentleman she had first met at an assembly in Meryton a little over two months previously, stood not fifteen feet from her, ladies at either side of him, their arms wrapped around his, watching him curiously, giving the impression that he—like Elizabeth—had been shocked into immobility and speechlessness.
The elder of the ladies spoke; Mr Darcy—tall and handsome and as imposing as ever—gave a quick shake of his head, briefly averted his eyes from Elizabeth’s, and said something she could not hear. Then the trio stepped towards her.
Heat rushed to her cheeks, though why she should be embarrassed she did not know.
When they were close enough, she curtseyed and said, “Mr Darcy, I am…I had no expectation of seeing you, or anyone I knew, in Lambton.” She had not recalled earlier, but she had a faint memory of someone mentioning his estate was in Derbyshire.
But it was a sizeable county, and it would be far too great a coincidence for his home to be nearby, would it not?
“Miss Bennet,” he said, his voice oddly soft. “I-I too am surprised. Pemberley, my estate, is but five miles from Lambton. What are you doing here?” He cleared his throat, and the colour in his cheeks deepened. “Forgive me. That sounded horribly rude.”
“It certainly did!” the woman to his left said with a laugh.
Elizabeth guessed that the lady who had spoken was about her age, but the other young lady was several years their junior.
Glancing between both women, she wondered who they were.
The younger resembled Mr Darcy enough that it was natural to conclude she was his sister.
As for the other, seeing her gave Elizabeth an uncommon sensation she could not explain.
Then again, seeing him made her almost queasy; she had no other word for it.
Mr Darcy looked from one lady to another, then asked Elizabeth, “May I present my companions?”
“Of course.” Elizabeth struggled not to stammer and ensure her demeanour remained polite, despite the unwelcome nature of this encounter.
She had expected never to see Mr Darcy again, even anticipated it, given her dislike for him.
It was intractable; she had decided as much after her sister Jane had received Miss Bingley’s note saying she and her relations were leaving Netherfield and she doubted her brother would return.
Elizabeth was convinced Mr Darcy disapproved of Mr Bingley’s interest in Jane and had acted to separate them, leaving her sister broken-hearted and despondent.
The ladies were Miss Georgiana Darcy—his sister, as Elizabeth had suspected—and Miss Rebecca Darcy, the daughter of his father’s younger brother.
Was she Mr Darcy’s betrothed? Elizabeth had heard he was to marry one of his cousins, but she had the impression it was the daughter of his aunt, the one who had given Mr Collins a living in Kent.
But what did it matter? She cared not about Mr Darcy’s affairs beyond a slight curiosity, which was likely only because she had spent time with him often during his sojourn in Hertfordshire.
He explained, “My uncle, Rebecca, and her younger brother are staying at Pemberley for Christmas.”
Elizabeth acknowledged his words politely while seeking an excuse to depart. Before she determined what to say, he continued.
“May I enquire why you are in Derbyshire?” Again, he shook his head. “Forgive me. I have not asked after your family. I hope they are well.”
“They are,” she said stiffly. “As to your first question, I am here with my aunt Mrs Gardiner. She passed some years of her youth in Lambton and has come to see a distant cousin, an elderly lady, who will soon be removing to London with her and my uncle.”
The opportunity to leave Longbourn for a time had been welcomed.
Mrs Bennet had threatened not to speak to Elizabeth again if she refused Mr Collins’s proposal, and while she had not lived up to that vow, she was still distressed and angry, and she had not let Elizabeth forget.
When the Gardiners had explained that the doctor recommended her aunt go into the country for some weeks to speed her recovery after an illness that autumn and they had conceived the journey to Lambton, Elizabeth had been quick to seize the chance to escape a home that was presently uncomfortable, as well as to provide companionship and assistance to her aunt.
“Miss Pratt,” Elizabeth added, assuming he would not recognise the name; she doubted their social circles were the same. “I do not suppose you know her.”
“I remember Miss Pratt!” Miss Rebecca Darcy exclaimed. “I have not seen her in over a year. She is moving to town?”
Mr Darcy nodded slowly as he said, “Because Miss Cole died. When I asked Miss Pratt last summer what she would do afterwards, she said she had relations who would take her in, even though the connexion was not close. Your aunt? What was her name before her marriage?”
Once again, Elizabeth was almost too shocked to speak—not only because he knew Miss Pratt but that he was so familiar with her situation.
She was further thunderstruck when he professed to remember the uncle Mrs Gardiner had lived with, although he had been but a child when the family had left the county.
“We must call on Miss Pratt,” Rebecca said. She leant forwards to look around Mr Darcy and added, “Do you not agree, Georgiana?”
The young lady nodded but did not speak. It was not rudeness that stilled her tongue; her demeanour suggested she was painfully shy. She kept her eyes lowered, peeking at Elizabeth several times, and her grip on her brother’s arm was tight.
Rebecca asked Elizabeth, “Is your uncle here as well?”
“He is not. After escorting us here, he returned to town, where his business keeps him occupied.” The Gardiners’ four children were currently at Longbourn, under Jane’s care.
Mrs Bennet wished her eldest daughter to remain at home, still hoping Mr Bingley would return and resume his attentions to her.
Otherwise, Jane might have accompanied Mrs Gardiner and Elizabeth to Derbyshire.
“Would your aunt object to meeting us?” Rebecca continued.
“We have only just arrived—well, the day before yesterday—but my father always calls on Miss Pratt when he is here. It seems so unfair that she lost her position in society when her father died, and even more unjust that she was left with so little.” She waved a hand.
“You must forgive me. I could speak for hours on the subject of how women are mistreated in our society.”
Mr Darcy chuckled, causing Elizabeth yet another shock. How many does that make?
He said, “You would find Miss Bennet agrees with you, unless I am entirely mistaken in her character.”
He was not, but it did not need saying—especially when she was busy noticing how great a change a simple mark of humour made in him, and all for the better. At once, he appeared more handsome and much less disagreeable.
“Since we all agree,” he went on, “we should move on to a different subject.”
Before he could propose one, Elizabeth said, “My aunt would not object, I am sure, should the occasion arise. You must excuse me. She and Miss Pratt will be wondering where I am.” She said her goodbyes, curtseyed, and was gone before they could do more than wish her a good day.
Darcy sat in church the next morning, the vicar’s voice a faint, incoherent murmur.
He ought to pay attention, but he was distracted by seeing Elizabeth Bennet the day before—and had been since he first spied her.
His family had remarked on it, and he had made an excuse about a matter of business, hating the lie but knowing he could not tell them how deeply meeting her in October had affected him and still did, despite their recent separation of almost a month.
They would tease him, certainly, but it was not that which concerned him; it was that they would believe he had met the lady who would finally tempt him into marriage.
And, whatever her charms or how his heart fluttered when she was near, she was not a suitable choice.
Even though Georgiana and Rebecca both said how much they enjoyed meeting her and hoped to see her again soon.
After they had returned home the day before, his sister and cousin had told his uncle Frederick and cousin Freddie, Rebecca’s younger brother, about the encounter.
Already, his family was discussing when they might call on Miss Pratt and whether it would be appropriate to invite her, Mrs Gardiner, and Miss Bennet to join them at Pemberley or on any excursions they made over the next fortnight, and so forth.
Miss Pratt might find it too soon after the death of her dear friend, with whom she had lived for years, and Mrs Gardiner had apparently been ill recently.
But Elizabeth will want activity and company. How she would value exploring the countryside!
Was it wrong that he thought her presence in the neighbourhood was a gift—a Christmas gift, given the season?
How wonderful it would be to spend time with her here, away from her vulgar mother and younger sisters, somewhere he need not worry that Bingley was acting imprudently, showing too much preference for Miss Bennet when he hardly knew her!
Yet, Darcy could not deny that his own desire to be near Elizabeth was likewise imprudent; how could it be otherwise when just a glimpse of her sent a warm, calming sensation through him, making it nearly impossible not to grin like a fool?
Stop it! he ordered harshly, forcing himself to listen to the vicar’s words rather than day-dream about Elizabeth.
Even as he did, he decided he would call on Miss Pratt the next day. After all, she deserved the consideration. Seeing Elizabeth would be…incidental.