Vol 2, Chapter 2
The next morning, before she had to endure breaking her fast with her arduous cousin who ate more food than any other three people combined, Elizabeth took a refreshing walk in the grove.
It was not just the amount of food which her cousin consumed that disgusted Elizabeth, but the manner in which he consumed it.
It was as if he could not insert enough food into his mouth to satiate his apparently voracious appetite, and if that were not bad enough, he thought nothing of conversing with his mouth full, which sprayed food in all directions.
It was within moments of sitting at the table with him in the parsonage that she understood why Charlotte sat at the opposite end of the table and had placed Elizabeth next to her.
When Elizabeth thought back to the visit they had received the previous day from the two Darcys and Richard, she had to admit the recollection brought not a little pleasure.
Mr. Darcy had changed and changed for the better.
She liked Miss Darcy and was hoping they would spend much time in one another’s company while both were here in Kent and beyond.
Elizabeth knew from what she read in Andrew’s letter that, at least when it had been written, Mr. Darcy held her in a certain amount of tender regard.
She was at a loss when she tried to divine when and how that could have happened given the limited and contentious interactions in Hertfordshire.
She turned when she heard a horse approaching her; discovering Mr. Darcy as if her very thoughts had conjured him.
“Good morning, Miss Elizabeth,” he greeted as he dismounted.
“And a good morning to you, Mr. Darcy. Who is this fine fellow?” Elizabeth asked, allowing Darcy’s stallion to sniff her hand.
She had an apple with her that she had intended to eat, but when the big black animal sniffed her pocket, she offered it to him on the palm of her hand and he happily munched on the treat.
“It is Zeus who just charmed you out of your apple, Miss Elizabeth,” Darcy laughingly informed her. “Did you not bring your black and white stallion with you to Kent?”
Elizabeth was impressed he seemed to have being paying attention to her enough to know what Mercury looked like.
“I was not sure there would be anywhere to stable Mercury, so he remains at my uncle’s house in London.
Does it shock you that a lady would choose to ride a stallion rather than a more docile mare?
” she challenged. She had forgiven him but wanted to push a little to see if the haughty, proud man would make an appearance.
“Not in the least, Miss Elizabeth. If Gigi, that is what we call Georgiana, ever wanted one, and so long as she could command him, I would not object,” Darcy replied, impressing his walking partner.
As they ambled along, he offered his arm and Elizabeth rested her hand on it lightly, his stallion trailing behind them like a dog following his master.
“Andrew and Richard informed us of Miss Darcy’s nickname.
As we are to be cousins, do you not think we may dispense with formality, and you call me Elizabeth or Lizzy?
” Elizabeth offered, which elicited a smile from him like she had never seen before.
If it were only the smile it would be pleasant enough, but he revealed his dimples to her for the first time.
‘My, he is handsome when he smiles, and those dimples! I suppose he was always handsome, but I refused to see it before,’ Elizabeth admitted to herself.
“In that case, please call me William as my family does,” Darcy responded, grateful at being granted the privilege to use her familiar name.
Darcy guided them to a glade, and they sat on a bench near the side of the pond. “As we are soon to be family, I find that I must reveal some information to you we keep hidden for the same reason you employ that infamous mask of yours,” Elizabeth told him.
“You are not poor, are you?” Darcy had finally pieced pieces of the puzzle together while in town after the multiple admonishments, unsurprised when Elizabeth nodded.
“All of the signs were there, but I refused to see what was before my eyes as it did not fit with my preconceived notions. How blind and arrogant I was!” Darcy berated himself.
“What clues did you ignore?” Elizabeth teased him into a less frustrated state of mind.
“First of all, the horses! The sheer number of them, and more importantly the quality. There is no poor country squire I know of that has more than one carriage. I almost dismissed the thought the night of the ball until I saw that both were pulled by matched pairs rather than farm horses. I was distracted by a true beauty that night,” he looked directly at Elizabeth who blushed lightly, “so I may be excused from not fully considering my thoughts about the horses,” Darcy commented, causing Elizabeth’s blush to darken.
“I always prided myself on my perspicacity, but it seems I had none where you and your family are concerned.”
“It is not just the wealth,” Elizabeth revealed.
Darcy turned to hear the rest, a sinking feeling in his stomach that the wealth was the least of it, and the glint of amusement in her eyes proved it was so even before she continued.
“Jane’s mother was the daughter of a solicitor when my father fell in love with her.
She was taken from them but days after Jane’s birth.
My father met my mother by chance just longer than a year later.
They courted, married, and a year later yours truly made her appearance into the world. ”
“Then I assume your connections are wider than the Phillipses and Gardiners?” Darcy asked carefully, almost dreading the answer.
“One could say so. Before she married my father, my mother was Lady Priscilla De Melville." Elizabeth smiled when Darcy’s expression changed to stunned disbelief.
“Your grandparents are the Earl and Countess of Jersey? Your uncle is Viscount Westmore, and the Marchioness of Holder is your aunt?” Darcy laughed; a full belly laugh escaped before he had a chance to stop it.
“Good Lord, if Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst would have had any idea who your family was, they would have been kissing your feet!” He grinned.
“Which is exactly why we never corrected what is reported. I must return to watch the feeding at the menagerie. That was not kind of me, but my cousin’s way of eating…” Darcy lifted a hand to prove he understood without Elizabeth finishing her excuse.
“William, before we go our separate ways, you must allow me to apologise,” Elizabeth added, much to Darcy’s surprise.
“I fail to see how I am due an apology when the offence was all given by myself,” Darcy asserted.
“It has been pointed out to me that I am quick to judge and slow to forgive. I said uncharitable things about you. However, my mother made me consider things that I had refused to, as it was much easier to paint you as the villain,” Elizabeth admitted.
“Although I do not believe you need to beg my pardon, you have it, nonetheless. I find there is little I would deny you.” Before Elizabeth could formulate an answer, he carried on to change the subject so she could not correct him out of his hopes just yet.
“I told you I would provide an explanation of the split from Bingley. When we next have time to talk, I will make good on my promise. Before I forget, may I bring Gigi to visit you later this morning?”
“Any of you would be welcome any time you choose to visit,” Elizabeth replied so pointedly, he grinned at the acceptance of them all by the ladies who held the hearts of himself and his cousin in their gentle hands.
They walked back towards the parsonage and the two separated before they could be seen from the house. Darcy mounted his horse and turned Zeus back towards Rosing’s stables, while Elizabeth walked toward the front gate of the parsonage.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Tongues were wagging in the Ton. Lord Hilldale had been seen at multiple events, always with the same blond beauty on his arm.
It quickly became evident that the Viscount was courting the unknown lady and would soon propose to her or already had done so, depending on the version one heard.
It was discovered that she was a Miss Bennet of Hertfordshire.
Lady Elaine smiled as the number of morning callers increased significantly; those just seeking information receiving far less than they hoped.
The Countess confirmed that her son was courting a young lady, and they had the full support of both families.
The news that the eligible, but elusive, Lord Andrew Fitzwilliam was off the marriage mart was a blow to many a debutant and their matchmaking mothers.
They lamented that such a prize as Viscount Hilldale was now courting in earnest, and from what they could glean from the little known about the lady, she was a country miss without any reported fortune or connections.
For their part, Jane and Andrew ignored the gossiping members of the Ton and revelled in one another’s company. With both sets of parents’ approval, the couple selected the first day of May as the date they would marry from Longbourn. The more time the two spent together, the more their love grew.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“I understand my great-niece is to wed Hilldale on the first of May, is that correct?” the Duke asked after Bennet had seated himself in Bedford House’s library with his relative.
“There is something I need to ask you, and it is rather a delicate subject,” Bennet asked tentatively.
“What to do about the wedding should I die before it has taken place?” the Duke guessed.
“Yes, exactly. We do not want to disrespect your memory, so I would appreciate some guidance from you on this,” Bennet requested of the man he now considered an uncle.