Chapter 17 #2
“Oh, the poor girl! I can well imagine how confusing it must have been, as well as dispiriting.”
He nodded, his expression sombre. “She has known him all her life. Even though she had not seen him these past few years, she would not have thought to wonder why. She would have been glad, welcomed him almost as part of the family.”
“Thank you for explaining the situation. It does help me understand why her manner towards me has been so wary.”
He smiled, which she believed was meant to thank her for accepting his explanation, not cause a fluttering sensation in her stomach as it did. “She understands she has been discourteous to you, and our cousins, and I have assured her she has nothing to fear from you.”
He paused, and when she glanced at him, she saw that he was observing her thoughtfully. “Mr Darcy?” she said, suspecting she knew what more he wanted to say.
Taking a deep breath, he said, “Watching her has made me reflect on how difficult I find it to trust the motives of people new to me.”
Her conjecture had been correct. “Is there a reason, do you think? I understand why your sister might, between what happened and her youth, but you must meet new people often.”
“Shall I be honest and trust you not to hate me for what I am about to say?”
“I am warned that I may not like it. It would have to be something very dreadful indeed for me to hate you.”
Again, he offered her a brief, grateful smile.
“My father and mother were excellent people, but I see now that, both being proud of their heritage, they taught me some…unfortunate habits. While I was brought up to understand the importance of working to preserve what I had been given, thanks to my birth, I was also spoilt and raised to believe I had a right to expect the best of everything. More to the point, I learnt to think meanly of those whose connexions and wealth were less than my own. I would say Wickham also played a role in my developing this rather distasteful tendency. When we were boys, I considered him one of my closest friends, very nearly like a younger brother.”
Gently, Elizabeth interjected, “And he betrayed you by becoming someone you could not like or respect.”
He nodded. “Worse, he became someone who would allow envy to direct their actions. He used to disparage me, twist things I told him in confidence or that I had done when we were boys to paint me as mean-spirited, hateful, jealous of his connexion to my father, which is laughable. How he intended to use Georgiana was the worst betrayal of all.”
She sensed his distress at the memories and wished she knew how to ease him.
If they were better friends, she might slip her hand around his arm or know how to tease him into a happier mood.
It vexed her that she was so unsure how to act.
And it surprised her to realise how much her opinion of him had changed in the brief period since they had met at Mr and Mrs Ware’s recent ball less than a fortnight ago.
How had it happened? Was it just a matter of seeing him in a different place, one in which he was more comfortable?
Or was it that here he was surrounded by his family?
There was also the possibility that—realising how he had initially mistaken her position in life combined with what had happened with Mr Wickham—he had reflected on his behaviour, accepted where he had gone astray, and was correcting it. Whatever it was, she was glad.
“If you would permit me, there is one other matter I would like to mention,” he said.
“Oh?” Elizabeth heard the suspicion in her voice but hoped he did not. Given she had been remembering Dublin, she feared he would want to discuss their argument, whereas she did not believe it would do any good.
“Bramwell,” he said. “A conversation I had with my aunt Darcy when we dined at Grosvenor Square brought it to mind. My cousin has been the subject of far too much gossip, some of which led the earl to insisting he go to Ireland, where we were so fortunate as to meet you. You may have heard something about it?” When she nodded, he continued.
“The situation was misconstrued. Far too much was made of it, and it rapidly became more scandalous the longer people spoke of it. But I have often observed that that is how gossip starts and spreads amongst the ton.”
“It is not so different elsewhere.” Elizabeth chuckled, thinking of several similar instances near Longbourn, all involving her mother, who was one of the neighbourhood’s chief gossips.
“Unfortunately, that is true. I shall be the first to admit that my cousin’s behaviour has not always been without fault, mainly in his younger years.
He would agree, for what it is worth. But it was never anything uncommon for young men in our circle and rather less…
open to censure than many I could name.”
Her brow arched, Elizabeth regarded him. He blushed and gave an awkward chuckle.
“I am not speaking of myself,” he insisted.
She found it difficult to imagine him flirting with ladies—an art the viscount was practiced at—but there was other mischief gentlemen could lose themselves to, most notably gaming and drinking to excess.
Yet, Mr Darcy, serious and responsible as he was, would not be so reckless with his fortune, and she had never witnessed him drinking more than he ought or seen sign that he had, even when they met early in the day.
“What I mean to say is that Bramwell is an honourable man,” he added.
“I am uncertain how to explain it, and I do not want to disclose too much of what Bramwell has confided to me. But we have spoken of Rebecca, and he claims that he knew the moment he saw her at the Wares’ ball that she was for him.
From that evening on, he has absolutely refused to hear any suggestion that his sentiments will be fleeting or entertain the notion of marrying another lady. ”
“Meaning Rebecca should take his attentions seriously, and if she likes him, she need not fear he would use her ill?”
“Yes,” he agreed, sighing as though in relief.
“And if you or she has heard anything about him being engaged or on the point of being engaged, I assure you, there is no truth to it. The dinner party the other night was intended to permit the earl and countess to know Rebecca better and should be taken as a sign that they are not opposed to the match, whatever they might have once hoped.”
She thanked him for telling her, and proposed they leave aside serious matters for the rest of the day.
At the moment, she preferred to speak of the Tower and give her attention to taking advantage of their visit.
Over the next while, they caught up with their friends and continued the tour together.
Elizabeth was delighted by the ravens but less so with the poor creatures in the menagerie.
Fortunately, no one had wanted to linger there.
When they had seen enough, the seven of them went to take refreshments at a respectable establishment Colonel Fitzwilliam knew that was not too far away.