Chapter 2 #3
Elizabeth stared at Miss Darcy, unable to trust this revelation.
Mr Darcy expressed his approval of me? There must be some sort of mistake!
She was tempted to declare her doubts once more, but Miss Darcy seemed so honest and trusting in her own words that Elizabeth dared not upset her again.
She smiled and whispered a polite, “Thank you.”
“Well, this is a surprise,” said Lady Selina. “Not only does Darcy seem to be an acquaintance of the Miss Bennets, but you appear to know Miss Elizabeth very well.”
“Oh, not very well, unfortunately,” Miss Darcy replied, suddenly more inclined to talk. “But my brother wrote me almost every day from Hertfordshire…and I also heard accounts from Mr Bingley…”
Jane instantly grew pale, and Elizabeth was intent on knowing more.
“Mr Bingley is a friend of yours, I understand. Miss Bingley told me as much.”
Miss Darcy hesitated a moment, and Elizabeth was certain she understood the reason.
“Mr Bingley is a close friend of my brother. He is a very amiable gentleman; it is such a pleasure to listen to his stories.”
“Do you see Mr Bingley often?” Elizabeth continued, and Mrs Gardiner was ready to intervene; however, Miss Darcy’s answer came easily, along with a slight smile.
“No…I only saw him twice after he arrived in town. The first time was almost a month ago, and he seemed very eager to return to Hertfordshire. For the entire dinner, he shared recollections of his friends from there. He seemed very fond indeed of Netherfield Park,” she concluded, and Elizabeth was once more at a loss for words.
She turned to her sister, only to see Jane’s eyes moist with tears. Miss Bennet suddenly rose from her seat and hurried to pour herself a cup of tea. Her hands trembled so that she could not hold the cup properly, and Elizabeth went to help her.
“That was kind of Mr Bingley,” Lady Selina declared. “I hope he returns soon to his estate.”
“I am not certain of his future plans,” the girl continued, oblivious to Jane’s distress. “The second time I met him, he seemed quite preoccupied, and we spoke very little. I imagine he had some business that interfered with his plans.”
“Well, we can only hope his business will be resolved soon in the best possible way,” Lady Selina concluded, and with that, Mrs Gardiner changed the topic.
A short glance from her aunt confirmed to Elizabeth that the subject of Mr Bingley was closed for the evening, and she did not dare disobey. Besides, she needed no further details; their short conversation held shocking revelations.
Miss Darcy had no romantic interest in Mr Bingley—anyone could see that—and she even tried, shyly and not very skilfully, to become friendly with both of them.
Even more, her words gave rise to hope and proved once more the lack of honesty in Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst. As for those ladies’ much declared intimate friendship with Miss Darcy, Elizabeth was certain it could not be further from the truth.
I wonder how Mr Wickham could have been so wrong in his estimation of Miss Darcy’s character… She surely does not seem anything like her brother—quite the contrary.
“Miss Darcy, I am glad we had the chance to talk,” Elizabeth said, and a smile spread over the girl’s face.
“As am I, Miss Elizabeth.”
“You know, my dear Georgiana, Mrs Gardiner grew up in Lambton.” Lady Selina brought a new subject into the conversation, which changed Miss Darcy’s spirit in a moment.
“Truly? In Lambton? I was not aware of that! Have we met before, perhaps? And have you been in Derbyshire lately?” she asked, allowing little time for answers between questions.
“That is indeed surprising, Mrs Gardiner.” “Did your father possess an estate in the neighbourhood?”
Elizabeth looked at him for a moment, wondering how long he had been there.
A smile twisted her lips as she tried to imagine his expression at hearing Mrs Gardiner’s revelation about her family.
She feared his usual behaviour might distress her aunt, but would he dare be disrespectful to a guest in his uncle’s home?
Mrs Gardiner answered with perfect composure and a warm smile.
“No, sir. My father had a small shop in Lambton.”
“Oh, I see…”
As Elizabeth anticipated, Mr Darcy was surprised, and he remained disconcerted for a moment. She expected him to return to his usual aloofness and leave their company, but he looked at the ladies and finally replied:
“Lambton is a charming little town.”
“Yes, it is. And Derbyshire is the most wonderful place in the world.”
“I shall not argue with you, Mrs Gardiner; I should be pleased to speak with you more about Derbyshire at any time,” Mr Darcy concluded. Then with a proper bow to the ladies and a warm smile to his sister, he joined the other gentlemen.
Elizabeth stared at her aunt with a puzzled expression, trying to remember whether she had ever heard Mr Darcy speak with such warm politeness. Her aunt smiled.
∞∞∞
Darcy remained in the hall, close enough to hear the ladies’ voices chatting amiably. He had yet to recover from the shock of seeing Elizabeth in his uncle’s house, and he was yet unable to breathe, talk, or behave properly.
This could not be; he had left Netherfield a month before, trying to put her out of his memory and ease his conscience for his participation in Bingley’s departure.
Yes, he had been certain that his judgement of Miss Bennet’s feelings for Bingley had been correct.
Yes, he was certain that it was better for Bingley to escape from marriage to a beautiful lady who did not share his affection.
Besides, he was not sure that Bingley’s feelings for Miss Bennet were real or would last more than a month; he had seen him in love many times before.
But he could not deny his own interest in removing from Netherfield, and that was the reason for his lack of sleep during the last month.
He was also in danger of being trapped. Her smiles, sparkling eyes, teasing and witty replies, dark hair playing along her nape—all made his days and nights at Netherfield a torture, and there was little improvement once he left.
But he had been certain that, with time and distance, his strength and self-control would conquer the feelings he battled.
And now she was there, and she likely would be around for some time as his uncle made it clear that he found the Bennet ladies pleasant company.
Darcy felt the urge for a glass of brandy as he remembered the conversation with his uncle the previous day.
The earl allowed him to make a fool of himself when he related his disapproval of the Bennet family.
He had not felt so dreadful in a long time.
He was tempted to take Georgiana and return home that instant.
But did he have the right to ruin everyone’s evening by behaving in such a savage manner?
And what explanation could he find for an impromptu leaving?
Besides, Georgiana seemed to be enjoying herself.
She seemed to feel at ease with the Miss Bennets, which was surprising—or was it?
Was it surprising that anyone, even a person as shy as his sister, felt at ease with Elizabeth and Jane Bennet?
His uncle had met them the day before and liked them instantly, and the earl generally liked few people on such a short acquaintance.
On the other hand, it was not a surprise that the colonel was charmed by both of them as he himself declared.
But he was not to be taken seriously; he was even worse than Bingley when it came to beautiful, young ladies.
Darcy was more cautious in judging people; he did not approve of either sister at first meeting.
Miss Bennet used to smile too much. And Miss Elizabeth was not handsome enough to tempt me to dance with her.
Suddenly, his thoughts sounded ridiculous.
Surely, those were not the reasons he disapproved of them in the beginning!
There must have been other things to form his poor opinion of them, and the most important was their family’s behaviour and situation, which could not be forgotten or dismissed.
But Miss Bennet does not seem to smile any longer—not at all!
And Miss Elizabeth… He could not think of any lady more handsome—or more tempting.
“Darcy, what on earth are you doing here? Let us return to the ladies; dinner is ready.” The earl’s voice startled him, and he could not reply before his gleeful uncle continued.
“I absolutely need your opinion: Which of my sons should marry Miss Elizabeth Bennet, do you think? We could not reach an agreement, and you seem to be an expert on difficult problems of the heart. I shall put her near you during dinner so you can observe her behaviour towards both of them and inform me whether you sense any partiality to one or the other. Do not worry about her family’s faults; I dare say her charms are adequate compensation. ”
His uncle and cousins passed nearby, and he heard their laughter from the dining room; Darcy remained motionless in the hall, staring after them and forgetting to breathe.
All hope for a peaceful evening had vanished.
He could only pray that his uncle continued to mock him and that none of his words was taken seriously—except for the fact that he would put Elizabeth near him at the table.
Could it be true? Would he spend the entire evening only a few inches from Elizabeth?
Miss Elizabeth, of course, he corrected himself and hurried to the dining room.
He did not need the earl’s assistance to make a fool of himself; he had been a fool since the first moment he met her, and neither time nor distance had changed that.