Chapter 12. A Job for Henry Jones #2
Then he turned to the boy and asked, “Young man, how did you come to be so well informed?”
Henry looked confused until Elizabeth asked, “How did you know what Mr Darcy is to do?”
“Mr Collins…” Henry replied.
Elizabeth intervened, “Mr Darcy, this is Henry Jones from the farm next to the parsonage.”
“Is your father Tim Jones?”
“Yes, sir.”
“He is an excellent farmer,” Darcy replied. “He can take a weak calf and raise it to be a strong ox, save lambs in the middle of winter, and make certain sows do not roll over their piglets.”
Elizabeth’s face reflected her confusion at Mr Darcy’s choice of complements but then she noticed how the boy’s face burst with pride to hear his father spoken of so highly by a man such as Mr Darcy.
She watched the man again, as he asked, “Did Mr Collins tell your father about the…gentlemen coming to Rosings Park?”
“Yes sir. Mr Collins tells me da all about Colonels Fitzwilliams and Mr Darcy Fitzwilliams coming to Rosings Park to pick out a husband for Miss de Bourgh.”
Henry looked at Elizabeth and asked, “Miss, why do the swells use the same names over and over? It makes it hard to tell ‘em apart most times.”
Grinning, Elizabeth agreed, “You are correct, Henry. It does make it difficult to keep them separate sometimes.”
“May I join you in your walk?” Darcy asked, offering Elizabeth his arm.
“I should be pleased,” Elizabeth replied and then corrected herself. “Henry and I should be pleased if you would walk with us Mr Darcy. My escort knows every turn and every tree along this path, but we would welcome your company and conversation.”
As they strolled along, Elizabeth coaxed the story from Mr Darcy about the ‘search of a suitable husband’ for Miss de Bourgh. The gentleman explained, “My cousin asked for my aid, and I set out for Kent the same day. I arrived two days ago.”
“And what brought you out for a walk so early in the morning?” she asked, curious about the circumstances that brought them together.
“My sister wrote Richard and insisted that I walk out…” he explained but then stopped as Elizabeth began giggling. Pleased to hear her happy, Darcy waited patiently though he noticed Henry watched them carefully.
“Mr Darcy…your sister…I must write her this afternoon,” Elizabeth tried to explain between bouts of giggles.
“Miss Bennet sounds like my sister when Tom Brown comes round with his wagon of wood for the fire in the kitchen,” Henry complained.
“Women are very hard to understand, Mr Jones, but never forget they are God’s most wonderful creatures on the entire earth.”
“That was a very pretty speech, Mr Darcy,” Elizabeth said as they began walking again.
“Now what has Georgiana to do with walking in the parks?” he insisted to know.
After explaining that Aunt Madeline wrote to Charlotte Collins about providing a change of scenery to help Elizabeth deal with her grief for Jane, she added, “I wrote to Miss Darcy about my trip into Kent. Yesterday, I received a letter from your sister in which she sang praises for the lovely walks besides the meadows of Rosings Park particularly in the early morning.”
“My sister is…” he scowled.
“…very smart,” Elizabeth completed his statement.
Rather than discussing the situation with Miss de Bourgh’s potential suitors, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy spoke of the past month, how the loss of Jane hung over Elizabeth’s heart but also how the couple missed speaking and seeing each other, and how Miss Darcy facilitated communication even if it was only second-hand.
Upon arrival at the parsonage, Charlotte Lucas came out to greet Elizabeth and Henry; she was greatly surprised to find Fitzwilliam Darcy escorting her friend back from her walk.
“Mr Darcy, I did not know you were in Hunsford,” Charlotte stated.
“Did not Mr Collins tell you of my arrival?”
“My husband mentioned Colonel Fitzwilliam attending to his aunt’s needs this month, but he did not mention your name.”
Darcy glanced at Elizabeth and explained, “My cousin asked for my aid in dealing with Aunt Catherine.”
“And how do you know Miss Elizabeth?” she asked in the commanding voice of a determined matron confronting a gentleman in an awkward situation.
“Mr Darcy is a client of my Uncle Gardiner. We met last summer and have continued…”
“My sister prefers Miss Elizabeth’s company over the other young ladies in town and until the passing of Miss Jane, we were in regular company,” Darcy added.
Charlotte nodded but turned to the farm boy standing beside them and said, “Henry, you must be here every day to escort Miss Elizabeth everywhere she goes outside the parsonage. You will earn that penny every day!”
Glancing back at Mr Darcy, she continued, “There will be nothing improper in this household!”
“Yes, Mrs Collins,” agreed both Mr Darcy and Henry.
Now Darcy bowed to Charlotte and asked, “Mrs Collins would you permit me to bring my cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam to call this afternoon? I wish to introduce him to Miss Elizabeth and assure you of my honourable intentions.”
“Very well, Mr Darcy,” Charlotte agreed. “Sometime after two of the clock.”
Saying his farewells, Darcy kissed Elizabeth’s hand one more time and walked toward Rosings. Charlotte stared at the smile on her friend’s face as Mr Darcy walked away.
Henry Jones asked, “Do I get lunch like promised?”
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