Chapter 22 Sweet Saturday
Sweet Saturday
Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Bingley arrived at Gracechurch Street as early as was polite.
Mr. Gardiner had given Bingley permission to wed Jane, though she did not truly need it as she was of age, and he had brought the settlement for Mr. Gardiner to peruse.
He had had it drawn up the day after he called on Jane in London for the first time and had been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to use it.
While Mr. Bingley was closeted with their uncle, Jane and Elizabeth took the other two gentlemen for a walk. To everyone’s surprise, once they were out the door, Elizabeth took Colonel Fitzwilliam’s arm, leaving Darcy standing rather stupefied next to an equally confused Jane.
“Jane, do you mind keeping Mr. Darcy company while I discuss something with Colonel Fitzwilliam?”
“Of course, Lizzy.”
Elizabeth thanked her and moved swiftly down the walk, pulling Colonel Fitzwilliam alongside her.
He chuckled lightly. “Why are you in such a hurry?”
“I do not want Darcy or my sister to hear me.”
His expression immediately became serious. “Is anything amiss? Are you well?”
“Perfectly so, thank you, but something is amiss. Are you going to tell me what yesterday was all about?”
Fitzwilliam looked away guiltily.
“Out with it, Colonel.”
He sighed. “Very well. Some time ago, I became… let us say enamored, of Miss Covington.”
“Go on.”
“Her family fell on hard times, and she was soon after in mourning for her father, so the flirtation never had an opportunity to develop into something more.”
“And now you wish to see if it will?”
“Yes, but I am more serious than you make me out to be.”
“Forgive me, but I did not think Miss Covington was in possession of a large fortune. Do you not need a well-dowered wife?”
Colonel Fitzwilliam made a noncommittal noise. “I do, though…”
“You would not require it for the right lady.”
“Just so.”
“I see. So you are more than enamored of Miss Covington.”
He flushed. “We have only recently begun to see each other regularly again.”
She nodded. “But you think you would like to marry her?”
“She is my first choice, yes.”
“First? Or only?”
“At the moment, only.”
Elizabeth nodded but said nothing.
“I tried to forget her two years ago. I paid attention to the daughter of one of my mother’s friends and thought we might make a go of it, but I could never fully forget Miss Covington. Every woman I met, I compared to her.”
“Let me guess. They all fell short?”
“Precisely.”
“Oh dear, I believe I should call you Fitz regularly now.”
He looked at her in confusion.
“You have just confessed to being in love with Miss Covington. Such a statement demands a more informal address, don’t you think?”
He looked surprised for a moment, then smiled and said, “I would be pleased for you to call me Fitz. Even though my dolt of a cousin has yet to work up his courage and propose to you.”
It was Elizabeth’s turn to flush. “I do not think it is courage he lacks.”
“You do not?”
She shook her head. “I asked him to give me time to become accustomed to the idea. After all, it was barely over a fortnight ago that I would not have even considered him a friend.”
“But you have spent a great deal of time with him since then. Much more than you would if you had seen one another at a few dinners and balls.”
“You are not incorrect.”
“So it is you who lacks the courage?” he asked softly.
She tilted her head and sighed. “It is not courage I lack, but conviction.”
“You are still unsure of him?”
“Do not look at me like that. You have had a lifetime of knowing his character, seeing him in every situation, watching how he reacts to difficulties. I have had a fortnight. Under the circumstances, I think I have come a rather long way.”
“Forgive me, you are correct of course. I know Darcy to be an exemplary man and I would be remiss if I did not tell you that you could do far worse in a husband.”
She gave him a look he could not interpret, but he thought it was a cross of exasperation and interest.
“Not only would he be a good husband to anyone lucky enough to marry him, but he will be especially good to you, for he is desperately in love with you.”
She could not help the smile that formed at such a pronouncement. “I have come to the same conclusion.”
“So what are you waiting for, Lizzy?”
She looked at him in surprise, seeing the stern expression she would expect of any self-respecting elder brother. “Nothing, I suppose.”
He smiled. “You should tell him that. The poor man is tied in knots.”
She laughed. “I could. But I am enjoying this period of courtship. It is short, and it will only happen once. I want to savor it.”
“That is understandable, but you may continue to court after you have accepted him.”
“Hmm.”
Fitzwilliam rolled his eyes.
Elizabeth laughed. “Very well. I relent!”
Fitzwilliam shook his head in exasperation as he smiled at her. “It is about time you came to your senses.”
When they arrived at the park, Darcy quickly reclaimed Elizabeth.
“Dare I ask what you were discussing with my cousin?”
“I was asking him about Miss Covington.”
“Oh?”
Elizabeth gasped and stopped suddenly. “I forgot to ask about him about Mr. Covington.”
“Mr. Covington?”
“Yes. He paid a great deal of attention to Lady Clara and I wondered if Fitzwilliam organized it or if the gentleman did it of his own accord.”
Darcy looked thoughtful. “Fitz has never been a matchmaker, but I suppose it is not outside the realm of possibility.”
Elizabeth laughed at his turn of phrase. “I begin to think very little is outside the realm of possibility when it comes to your cousin.”
“So you think Jonathon Covington is pursuing Lady Clara?”
“I cannot be certain—it was only one day. But he did walk with her the entire afternoon, and I saw them talking privately together each time we stopped.”
“Hmm.”
“Is he a good man?”
“I could not say. I know no ill of him. His care for his sister is commendable. I know he has done everything he could to rebuild her dowry after their father’s mistakes. Not every man would have done so.”
“No, they would not.” She looked thoughtfully toward the trees. “He is a friend of the colonel’s?”
“Yes, they have known one another some time.”
“Do you think her parents would sanction the match if she were to choose him?”
“Why the sudden interest in my cousin’s affairs?”
“Answer the question, Fitzwilliam.”
“Very well. It would be an uphill battle. Mr. Covington is certainly not who they would have chosen for the only daughter of an earl. Her fortune is splendid.”
“Yes, she told me. Forty thousand pounds is hard to overlook.” She looked at Darcy searchingly. “Why do you suppose she is not yet married? She has a large dowry, good connections, and a pleasant personality. I do not understand.”
“I know she was pursued heavily by more than one gentleman her first season, but her father found them all wanting.”
“What was the problem? Were they lacking in connections?”
“One was too beneath the daughter of an earl. Another was too indebted and likely looking for a well-dowered bride to save him from his own mistakes. I cannot fault my uncle for refusing that one.”
“Of course. So do you think other gentlemen have been reluctant to pursue her for fear her father will decline their suit?”
“That likely has some bearing on her prospects, though as her near family, I would hardly hear of it.” Darcy looked about him uncomfortably and tugged on the cuff of his jacket.
“We cannot ignore the matter of Lady Clara’s relative plainness.
She is kind and a worthy lady, but she is not handsome, and the gentlemen whom her father would approve of—”
“Rich and well connected,” interjected Elizabeth.
“—are able to choose whom they wish.”
“And they wish for a pretty wife.”
“Just so. The less choosy gentlemen with less fortune or who are in need of connections would not meet the earl’s approval.”
“Even if they truly cared for her,” said Elizabeth with sad finality.
“I am sorry to distress you.”
Elizabeth sighed. “You have not, not truly. I hate that marriage is a business arrangement for so many, and that a lady may not simply choose the man she wishes to wed! Lady Clara has her own fortune. She could marry a younger son or a country gentleman with a small estate. They might be very happy together. But her father’s ambitions will stand in her way. ”
“I cannot disagree with you. If Lord Hopewell continues as he has done, he will likely end up having to arrange a match for her in her fifth season when she is considered on the shelf.”
Elizabeth huffed. “It is ludicrous that a woman can be a spinster at three and twenty, but a man can be well over thirty and still be considered a good catch.”
“I shall refrain from commenting on that.”
She glared playfully at him and took his arm as they continued walking. “What would happen if Lady Clara accepted a man her father did not approve of?”
“She is not of age. She cannot legally wed without his consent unless she elopes to Scotland.”
“Of course. Do you know when she will be one and twenty?”
“This autumn, in September I believe, though I do not remember exactly.”
Elizabeth looked thoughtfully at the trees again.
“While we are speaking of gaining one’s majority, when is your birthday? You have never told me. You are twenty, are you not?”
“Yes, I am, though not for much longer. I shall attain my majority next month.”
His eyes brightened. “I shall have to think of a way to celebrate.”
She smiled. “Nothing extravagant!”
“I make no promises.”
She shook her head at him.
“Is there anything in particular you would like?”
“As a gift?”
“Yes.”
“I do not know. I have been planning to get a new pair of walking boots.”
Darcy rolled his eyes. “Only you would think walking boots a suitable gift from a lover.”
“What would you prefer to get me?” she retorted.
He turned to face her and gently placed his hand along her neck. “Something shiny and delicate, to hang just here.” He traced the skin just above her neckline. “Or perhaps here.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed the inside of her wrist. “Something as lovely as you are.”
Her breath quickened and she looked at him with a promise in her eyes. “Fitzwilliam.”
Realizing he had started something he could not continue in a public park, he turned and began walking toward the pond with a determined stride.
“Mr. Gardiner tells me he is considering sending your cousin to school next year, though they may wait a year. What is your opinion on the matter?”
Elizabeth smiled to herself and answered accordingly, thinking that Colonel Fitzwilliam was right. It was time to relent.