Chapter 23
“Mr Crawford?” Elizabeth repeated, while the others watched in puzzlement.
“Indeed, Mrs Darcy. I must confess that, since I discovered you and where you live, I have been watching your house from afar. And when I saw you tonight, I could not help but introduce myself. I cannot express how happy and grateful I am to have finally made your acquaintance.”
Darcy frowned, noticing many eyes gazing at them with even more curiosity. Thomas Crawford’s appearance, out of nowhere, under public scrutiny, was an intrusion; the Matlocks looked perplexed and displeased, in opposition to Elizabeth’s obvious joy.
“You must not apologise, sir!” she said. “I have wondered about you for years, and I am delighted to finally meet you.”
“I can understand your trepidation and haste, Mr Crawford, though I hoped this encounter would occur tomorrow, in the privacy of our home,” Darcy finally intervened, trying to keep his voice down. “We do not wish to arouse more curiosity and rumours.”
His subtle scolding was immediately noticed by the man, as well as by Elizabeth, whose face clouded.
“Since you have been watching our house, you must know who I am. Allow me to introduce you to Lord and Lady Matlock, Viscount Garvie, and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Also, Miss Bennet and Mr Bennet, Mrs Darcy’s sister and father.
” He turned to address the rest of his party.
“This is Mr Thomas Crawford, Elizabeth’s second cousin who has recently arrived in London.
It seems their mothers were first cousins. ”
Astonishment and curiosity were the mutual feelings expressed on everyone’s countenance, while Mr Crawford bowed politely to them.
“I am honoured to make your acquaintance, and I apologise again for my sudden appearance. Mr Darcy is correct — such an encounter would have been better in private, and my only excuse was my eager anticipation.”
“You should not apologise, Mr Crawford,” Elizabeth said. “I would have been quite sad if I knew you were here and you did not come to greet me.”
“Thank you, Mrs Darcy. I shall leave you now, and I wish you all a wonderful evening. I look forward to the pleasure of seeing you again tomorrow.”
Elizabeth was gazing at Darcy. Did she expect him to invite this stranger into their box?
After all, they did not even know whether his alleged identity was real.
Besides, he had already opened his house to this man who proclaimed to be family, though he had not yet gathered enough evidence to support or dismiss his assertions.
“Are you here with a party, Mr Crawford?” Darcy eventually asked.
“Yes, I came with a few friends, who, I am sure, are wondering about my delay. I should return to them.” With that, he bowed again and left; shortly after, he appeared downstairs and occupied a seat amidst other young men.
As he gazed at the new acquaintance, Darcy noticed Wickham looking back at him.
The scoundrel was a few rows away from Thomas Crawford, but surely he had noticed the latter’s visit to their box.
“So, who is this young man? You said he was Elizabeth’s cousin. I was under the impression she had no family on her mother’s side except Mr Gardiner,” Lady Matlock enquired in a low voice.
“He lived his entire life abroad,” Elizabeth explained. “His father was a Colonel Crawford, and his mother was my mother’s cousin. He returned recently to England and sent Mr Darcy a note, asking to meet me. He will come to visit us tomorrow. We shall find out more details then.”
She spoke with obvious emotion, and Darcy’s cousins and uncle glanced at him doubtfully. Mr Bennet said nothing, and Darcy realised that while Thomas Crawford had shown particular interest in Elizabeth, he had almost entirely overlooked her father and sister.
“My dear Elizabeth,” Lady Matlock continued, “I can see you are delighted to meet this young man. He looks decent, educated, and fashionable,” the lady continued.
“However, I hope you will request evidence to support his assertions. It is not easy to discover the truth about someone who has spent his entire life on the other side of the world.”
“You must not concern yourself, Aunt,” Darcy replied. “If this gentleman is Elizabeth’s cousin, he will be welcomed into our family. But I shall protect my wife from any possible deception.” He cast a look at her and noticed her uneasiness.
“That would be very wise on your part, Mr Darcy,” Mr Bennet said. “After all, anyone may pretend to be the cousin of a young woman of good fortune, married to a man of such consequence as you.”
“Papa, we should not assume the worst before we have any evidence for such suspicions,” Elizabeth responded, clearly annoyed.
“Nor should we assume the best without any evidence, simply based on an amiable countenance or good manners,” Mr Bennet replied to his daughter.
The conflict between the two was discernible, and Darcy would have been puzzled if he had not eavesdropped on their earlier conversation. Mr Bennet was clearly as suspicious about anyone in that family as Elizabeth was delighted.
“That is why I suggest prudency,” Darcy said in an attempt to conciliate them. “We shall welcome Mr Crawford tomorrow, but I shall inform him that I am seeking proof of his claims. Any honourable gentleman would expect as much.”
“But are you not engaged with Mr Gardiner tomorrow, Darcy?” the colonel asked.
“I am, early in the morning. We should return together in time to meet Mr Crawford. If not, I am sure Elizabeth, her father, and her sister will entertain him.”
“Would you mind if I join you, Mrs Darcy?” the colonel asked, and Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “I am curious to hear more about Colonel Crawford. I am sure someone among my acquaintances must have heard of him.”
“It is quite possible since, from what I know, Colonel Crawford was the youngest son of Lord Brintoul,” Mr Bennet said.
“No, I do not mind, Colonel,” Elizabeth finally answered.
“Your company is always a pleasure.” She smiled, but her voice was tight, betraying a slight irritation, proving she did not appreciate the colonel inviting himself and imposing his presence.
Darcy, however, felt more at ease and safer knowing his cousin would be in attendance.
The rest of the evening passed without further incident, but Darcy could feel Elizabeth’s tension and frustration.
She kept glancing down at the pit, probably looking for her cousin, who also looked up a few times.
In their box, Lord and Lady Matlock whispered to each other, and Darcy could guess the subject of their little chat.
The only ones seemingly unaffected by Thomas Crawford’s appearance were Bingley and Jane Bennet, who, except briefly during Crawford’s introduction, had been deeply engaged in what seemed a captivating conversation.
During the next interval, the gentlemen left the box, proposing to bring back refreshments for the ladies.
Restless, and growing more and more anxious, Darcy wondered whether he would meet either Crawford or Wickham in the lobby and reflected on how he would handle those two men the next day.
He had confessed to the colonel that he planned to release to Georgiana’s fortune to Wickham and bring his sister back home.
The colonel had tried to insist on accompanying him, reminding Darcy of an earlier conversation, after the elopement, but Darcy had convinced him otherwise, mentioning there would be two other solicitors in attendance as well as Mr Gardiner.
As close as he was to the colonel, Darcy did not dare confess to him — or anyone else — the full truth about his financial ordeal, even less so about the money he had taken from Elizabeth to satisfy Wickham’s shameless demands.
“Your wife was not too happy about my offer to join her tomorrow,” the colonel said in hushed tones.
“Very likely, but I wish to thank you. It is not that I do not trust my wife, but I certainly do not trust a complete stranger with my house and my family in my absence.”
“I well understand that, and apparently so does Mr Bennet. At least I have his approval. Are you certain you do not need me tomorrow, with Wickham? I think I saw that fraudsman here tonight. Georgiana was not with him, so I might have been wrong.”
“You were not wrong. He is here with some other people. Georgiana must be at home.”
“She is safe, I hope?”
“Yes…I have men watching the house all the time and informing me about her every step,” Darcy admitted.
“I see. Well, it seems you have everything under control.”
“I do. You are helping me more by being with Elizabeth.”
“So, what about this Thomas Crawford? Where did he appear from?”
“I know nothing more than what Elizabeth told you. I received a letter from him last night, expressing his wish to meet his cousin. He said he had visited the family at Longbourn prior to that, so he must be at least well informed and quite determined in his endeavour.”
“Well then, I shall ask my connections what they know about a Colonel Crawford serving abroad. Mother found out some details about your wife’s mother, so she will probably be able to discover something about that lady’s cousin too.”
“I am sure she would. Aunt often gets what she wants.” He tried to smile, while musing that, luckily, Lady Matlock, as resourceful as she was, had failed to discover the real drama that had unfolded in the Darcys’ lives over the last ten years.
He had struggled to keep the secret to protect his father’s reputation, and finally he was close — very close — to the point where the healing might begin. He had to bear only one more night.
They returned to the box for the second act, and Darcy noticed that Elizabeth, while talking to his aunt and her sister, was more serene. She seemed calmer but avoided meeting Darcy’s gaze, and that remained unchanged for the rest of the play.