Chapter 38 The Fishing Party #2
She looked up. “Yes. I hope to meet and marry a man I can love or respect. And if not, Lizzy has opened her home to me. She says I may live with her forever.”
A little smile touched her lips.
“You love your sister very much,” he said softly.
“I do. Lizzy is all that is good and kind. I love both my sisters dearly. We are very close.”
“I heard that Bingley is to purchase an estate in this area so your two eldest sisters may live near each other.”
“Yes. Mr. Bingley will do anything to ensure Jane’s happiness.”
He hesitated, his gaze searching her face. “And what makes Miss Mary happy?”
She turned to look at him. He was asking the question seriously.
“I am a simple woman, sir. I like to work with my hands. I told Lizzy that a simple man would do for me, a rector, solicitor, or physician. These are men I could help, either with their work or by keeping a home for them and raising their children.”
He smiled. “How about an estate owner?”
She gave a small, wry smile. “Only if his estate is not too large or imposing, sir.”
He laughed. “Well, Miss Mary, it so happens that my estate is neither too large nor too imposing.”
Her voice grew quieter. “Is it not, sir?”
He offered his arm and led her to the brim of the well and said, “No, ma’am. It is just the right size.”
She removed her glove and held her hand beneath the dripping water, then touched the ribbon. “Not a stone yet.” Turning, she grinned at him. He offered his handkerchief, and she dried her hand. He helped her draw on her glove, then offered his arm, and they turned back the way they had come.
They walked in companionable silence for several minutes before he spoke again. “Are you naturally silent, Miss Mary?”
She raised her eyes to meet his. “Yes. I prefer silence. I like to think.”
He laughed. “I do as well. My mother says I am too silent and that I should learn to rattle away as other young men do nowadays.”
Mary giggled. “What did you say to that, sir?”
“I kissed the top of her head and told her I would think about it.”
They walked on, the sound of the brook murmuring beside them.
After a moment, he said, “I know I began poorly with you, but I think you are a very beautiful woman, and I am drawn to your quiet manner. I do not feel the need to ‘rattle away’ to keep you entertained,” he said with a self-conscious smile.
“With most young ladies, silence is an awkward thing to be filled at once with chatter. But with you, Miss Bennet, I find it easy to be myself. I feel serenity in your company that I had not known before with women on the marriage mart.”
He paused and turned slightly toward her. “Miss Mary, I would like to court you during this visit. I wish for us to become better acquainted. I would only ask that you not see those other men while we are courting.”
“Other men, sir?”
“Yes, Rivendell or the rector. Darcy said the rector approached him yesterday, asking to pay you court. He evidently is quite taken with you.”
His brows lifted. “Darcy did not tell you?”
She shook her head. “No, sir, there has hardly been time. We have all been so busy.”
“Of course,” he said. “Then I am glad I was able to speak to you first.”
She colored up to the tips of her ears, and he noticed. “What is it, Miss Mary? Why are your cheeks flaming hot?”
“Sir, I warned Mr. Darcy to hint to the rector that I have no dowry. I did not wish him to be misled by my sister’s hospitality or my manner of dress.”
He pressed her hand gently. “It is well. That was how it came up. I asked about you and whether there were any prior attachments, and he said there were not, but that he had hinted at your lack of dowry to the rector. The rector has no concern; he has his own fortune and seeks only an amiable, serene wife.”
“Oh,” she said softly. “I did not know.”
“I have my own fortune as well,” he continued, “and need not marry a woman with a dowry. I can marry where I choose.”
She flushed again.
“Ah, your lovely complexion is as expressive as your eyes,” he said warmly.
“Well, Miss Mary Bennet, will you permit me to pay you court? I am not the ogre I appeared when we first met. I was worried about my sister, whom I love very much. I am her only protector, and to me falls the burden of looking after her best interests, and sometimes that can be worrisome. I know it is no excuse, but I wanted to give you the context of why I was out walking, irate and kicking stones, and I ask your pardon, ma’am. ”
She raised her eyes and caught his glance. “What say you, Miss Mary? Will you pardon me? Can you see your way to forgive me?” he asked, his expression so beseeching that she smiled and covered her mouth with her hand to repress a giggle.
“Sir, I think I must forgive you. Anyone must forgive you when you look so…”
He grinned. “Pathetic? Hangdog? Blue-deviled?”
She laughed. “Yes, sir. I was thinking beseeching, but pathetic will do.”
“And will you permit a courtship?”
She inhaled slowly and looked away from him.
“That does not look hopeful,” he said lightly. “Please tell me, what holds you back?”
She turned to him. “Sir, when first I met you and saw how often you frowned, I told myself that you would make some poor woman a very miserable husband, and that she would lead a miserable life. I thought it a pity and a shame.”
He raised a brow. “A pity and a shame? Why is that, Miss Bennet? Did you see something in me that it would be a pity and a shame to lose?”
She laughed. “Sir, you grant no reprieve.”
“No, Miss Bennet. I am fighting for my life here, and the lives of my future children, who are crying out to me to secure their mother.”
She giggled. “Sir, you are not taking this seriously.”
“On the contrary, ma’am,” he said earnestly.
“I am fighting for my future happiness. I am serious. Will you permit a courtship? Let me show you that I can be happy, that I can smile, that I can learn to be amiable. And you may send me away at any time, if you come to believe you would be miserable with me. But please, give me a chance to prove myself worthy of your affection.”
She stood still and looked at him gravely. His eyes were again beseeching. She could not deny him. “Very well, sir. I will permit a courtship, and will pray that you do not break my heart in the process.”
He took her hand and kissed her knuckles.
“I promise, I will not break your heart. I shall take you to meet my mother. Let us go tomorrow. She will tell you, I am a good provider. I care for my tenants and my family. I do not imbibe, gamble, or keep a mistress. I am six and twenty, young enough to change.”
She was smiling, though her eyes were misty. He drew out his damp handkerchief and offered it. She dried her eyes.
“Come,” he said gently. “Let us return. I have kept you out too long, and it will look unseemly. I will speak with your brother tonight after dinner, and ask permission to take you to meet my mother tomorrow.”
He hesitated. “May I tell Darcy to hint away the rector, and any other who might approach him? I believe I have already sent Rivendell packing. He is three and thirty, my dear, too old for you. He has children, and I saw that you love children. I will give you as many children as you wish. What say you, Miss Bennet?”
She laughed softly. “Yes, sir. You may tell my brother that he can send other callers away.”
He pressed her hand. “Very well, ma’am. You have granted me all I asked. I can return to our party satisfied.”
As they neared the others, he led Mary to a smooth, flat stone and seated her there beside him. They spoke quietly together, unnoticed by anyone save Richard and Isabella, who were both grateful to continue in each other’s company without interruption.
That afternoon, Hurst received a letter from his American friend, John Dudley, announcing that he was in Leicester and traveling north to Leeds. He wrote that he still had five of the new American rifles and could stop at Pemberley if it suited.
Hurst turned to Darcy, who stood by the window overlooking the terrace. “Darcy, my friend Dudley is on his way to Leeds. He writes that he can stop here to show us the rifles. May I extend an invitation?”
Darcy looked interested. “By all means. I am curious to see these new firearms you have spoken of. Tell him he is welcome to stay the night.”
Hurst nodded and called for his servant, giving orders for the letter to be taken at once to Leicester.
Richard waited until the other men were absorbed in their billiards game, then leaned toward Darcy and said in a low voice, “May I speak with you in private?”
Darcy turned away from the window and nodded. “Come to my study.”
Once the door was closed behind them, Richard turned, his expression earnest. “I am going to Matlock in the morning to the registry office to purchase a common license. I mean to wed Miss Lewis next week.”
Darcy turned sharply. “Good God, Richard, are you certain? Her brother will never forgive it. A slight such as this will fester; he may carry the resentment to his grave. He will resent both of us for the rest of our lives. And he may turn his back on his sister as well.”
Richard’s jaw tightened. “Let him. I have been waiting for Isabella since I was at university. She is of age, and she has accepted me. I will not lose her again.”
Darcy stood in silence, his brows drawn, his arms folded. At last, he said, “Very well. Elizabeth and I will stand up with you.”
“Thank you, Darcy,” Richard said warmly.
“What excuse am I to give for your absence?” Darcy asked.
“I will return by ten. It is less than twenty miles. If I leave at six, I can be waiting when the registry office opens and ride straight back.”