Chapter 15
As planned, Louisa met with Charles Bingley the day they had agreed to speak. It was not long before she discerned her brother was indeed sincere and genuinely wanted to help. She was surprised when she learned he was offering his assistance, with no intention of gaining something in return.
Louisa had the foresight to have Mr. Hurst and Miss Jones wait for her in the tearoom. She showed her brother in, and after he repeated his tale a second time, he found himself in a carriage with the three and on their way to Netherfield Park.
Still not trusting her brother to the extent of revealing that Elizabeth was in the house, they were shown to a public drawing room rather than the family sitting room near Elizabeth’s bedchamber.
When the Duke entered the drawing room with both of his Fitzwilliam cousins and Major Wickham, Bingley did not misunderstand the hostility the men displayed towards him.
That began to change as he told his story.
When he was done recounting his tale a third time, the livid duke spoke first. “That woman thinks she will be able to blackmail me into marriage by having you compromise my sister, her own niece? And she instructed you to despoil my sister?”
“Correct, Your Grace. She cares for nothing but her own selfish desires. She is obsessed with getting her claws on your wealth,” Bingley said.
“I know I have done things in the past that would make you doubt my word, but I do have her last letter with me, Your Grace.” Bingley handed the missive to Hurst.
The Duke quickly read it and passed it to the Viscount, who shook his head after he read it, and passed it to his younger brother. “She is a loon!” Richard exclaimed. “Who is this Dryden she threatens you with?”
“He is the one that does her dirty work for her, Colonel. They know your cousins are always guarded, so how they thought I would ever be able to achieve what I was sent to do, even had I the inclination to attempt it, is beyond me,” Bingley averred.
“This is what we will do…” the Duke enunciated his plan. “You will assist with this, Mr. Bingley?”
“Yes, Your Grace, I am willing to do anything you require.”
“It is time to invite my parents to your estate, William,” Andrew stated. No one disagreed with him.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Elizabeth no longer needed sleeping draughts a week after her injuries. First Mr. Harrison, and then Mr. Bartholomew, had returned to Town as they were no longer needed. Elizabeth suffered no complications other than a low fever, which lasted but a single day.
Mr. Jones returned to his abode and had been replaced by Miss Jones.
She had received a letter calling her home to care for an ailing friend.
Neither Mrs. Bennet nor her daughter regretted the departure of the companion, as she was a reminder of Cinder-Liza in their home.
She had done them a favour, for they were not permitted to dismiss any servants, though they had desperately wanted her gone.
Neither of the criminal women noticed or cared when Mr. and Mrs. Hill began to spend a good portion of time away from Longbourn.
They did not care as long as their needs were met.
Even though Louisa slept most nights in a house with two attempted murderesses, she was away from Longbourn most days and not a few nights, at Lucas Lodge, or so Mrs. Bennet and her spawn believed.
Much to the disappointment of the local populace, the masque ball to be held at Netherfield Park had been cancelled for an unspecified reason. Martha and Caroline were most put out, for they were certain they would have received an invitation and the Duke would have made them his personal guests.
There were few outside of the close-knit circle who knew the true reason; the Lucas, Long, and Goulding families were the only others aware of the true reason for the cancellation.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
A little over a week after the attack, Elizabeth woke from a restful sleep to find her Cousin William reading to her from her beloved Utopia.
After so many years of reading and then re-reading the book, Elizabeth could recite most of it verbatim, but hearing his deep, baritone voice caressing the words she loved so dearly made her feel warm all over.
His voice gave her a sense of comfort, but more than that, she felt safe in his presence in a way she had not since before her beloved father had died.
Miss Jones was sitting in a corner fastidiously working on her sampler. As Elizabeth looked at her incredibly handsome cousin, she did not see a duke, but a man. A man who was compassionate, who would do anything to protect his loved ones, who was intelligent, and who she had fallen in love with!
She could not be certain of his feelings, but unless her perspicacity had deserted her, all the signs pointed to the fact he too felt their deeper connection which meant they were formed for each other.
“You know, William,” Elizabeth stated boldly, “people may get the wrong idea about your spending so much time with me.” She arched her eyebrow. “Please pass me the glass of water.”
Before Miss Jones was able to set her embroidery aside, her cousin performed the office himself. “And what idea would that be, Elizabeth?” William asked, his voice heavy with emotion.
“That there is something beyond cousinly affection between us,” Elizabeth dipped her head, blushing at having been too forward.
“Miss Jones, it seems I need to have a private conversation with my cousin,” William said in his best Duke of Derbyshire voice.
“I will be in the hall, Miss Elizabeth, and I shall leave the door open!” She was not cowed by the Duke, but she had no doubt that her charge wished to hear what he had to say.
Elizabeth was looking down at the half-full glass of water she held in her uninjured hand.
She watched as William reached for the glass in her hand.
He wrapped his hand around the glass, brushing hers while they were both touching the glass; she felt the sensation of his touch and the warmth of his hand, causing warmth to flood throughout her body.
He then lifted the glass and Elizabeth’s eyes followed it up until she met William’s eyes as he placed the glass on the bedside table.
She broke eye contact and lowered her head as she blushed profusely.
Her head was still down when she felt his fingers below her chin gently lifting her head.
The frisson she felt at his touch was something she had never experienced before, and while she was not sure what she wanted, she knew she wanted more of whatever it was he had to offer.
“Let people talk, Elizabeth; it is no more than the truth. It is my hope your feelings will one day match my own and you will agree to be my life partner,” William stated, unequivocally. “However, if you do not feel as I do, I will be silent on this subject forever.”
“How could you be interested in me, the daughter of a man who was but a lowly country squire?” she asked, despite hoping this was real. If it were not, she was sure she would suffer from the greatest heartbreak.
“Do you think me so proud of my position that I would ignore my heart, Elizabeth?” She hated that he looked wounded by her words.
“I hoped not, William, because I find I am falling in love with you, or may be in love with you already,” she replied, shyly.
“Then we have that in common. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I love and admire you, Elizabeth. I think it began the day you accosted me for being on Longbourn land; it seems it was Cupid’s arrow disguised as an apple!” William related.
“I thought you would abhor my behaviour, especially after my performance in Meryton that led to your being importuned by those two women!” Elizabeth looked chagrined.
“I was tongue-tied because I was so affected by you, Elizabeth. I see if you accept me, I will have to be aware of that quick temper of yours,” he half joked.
“Where do we go from here?” Elizabeth asked quietly.
“As your Uncle Bennet is missing, your Uncle Gardiner is your guardian, is he not?” Elizabeth nodded, most appreciative William had said missing and not dead. “In that case, Elizabeth, I request a formal courtship with an eye to the natural conclusion of making you an offer of matrimony.”
“Yes, William, I would like nothing more than to be courted by you, but have we not been courting already?” Elizabeth arched her eyebrow. How he loved it when she did that, especially when he saw his love reflected in her shining green eyes.
William rose from his chair and bestowed a lingering kiss on the wrist of her right hand over her pulse, and at that moment it seemed both of their hearts beat in unison. He left to find Mr. Gardiner, and Elizabeth was joined by Miss Jones, who returned to her sampler without a word.
It was not long before William returned with escorts. “You will be a very happy woman, Lizzy,” her uncle noted, thereby indicating his consent—not that he would have denied anything for which the Duke deigned to ask.
“Lizzy, you will be my sister!” Georgiana almost squealed and covered her mouth at the unladylike sound she produced.
“If William proposes, and if I decide to accept, then yes, Gigi, we will be sisters,” Elizabeth teased the young lady.
The four were soon replaced by Louisa and Mr. Hurst. “I am so happy for you, Lizzy! Great minds must think alike, as Mr. Hurst—Harold—requested a courtship today, and I have, of course, granted his request,” Louisa gushed.
“Oh Lulu, I am so pleased for you. I hope you treat her as the jewel she is, Mr. Hurst,” Elizabeth wished the couple joy, as she had longed for such for both her sisters of the heart.
“Her happiness will be my life’s work, Miss Elizabeth. We do not plan on a lengthy courtship,” Hurst related, as Louisa nodded her agreement.