Chapter 12
After breakfast, Darcy went to Longbourn to speak with Mr. Bennet. An eerie silence pervaded the normally boisterous house, as if its inhabitants were too stunned to speak. Bennet’s face was worn and pale, looking as if he’d barely slept. He greeted Darcy and invited him into the study.
The room was not elegant but a functional, masculine escape.
Its central feature was a large desk of dark wood, which faced the window overlooking the lane.
The desk’s surface was a battlefield of scars topped by letters, books, and ledgers.
Behind this imposing piece of furniture sat a saddle-brown leather chair, its arms worn smooth by years of use.
The acidic scent of paper and lemon polish hung in the air.
“How is your eldest daughter this morning?” Darcy asked.
Bennet regarded him with unfocused eyes, as if unable to make sense of the events the night before. “Jane hasn’t left her room. She took a little tea but ate nothing from the tray the maid took her.” He shook his head. “How did this happen? She swears she was never even introduced to Wickham.”
“She’s the wealthiest young woman in Meryton. That was all he needed to know.”
“Bingley must marry Jane.” Bennet’s voice grew tight. “If he doesn’t, she’ll be ruined. I’ll never allow that reprobate Wickham to have my daughter or my property.”
“I haven’t despaired of Bingley,” Darcy said firmly. “He hardly knows what to think. He found his fiancée in the arms of another man. Give him time. Meanwhile, I’ll do everything in my power to help.”
Bennet’s interest seemed to pique at that. “What have you in mind?”
“I’m going to London to look for the maid. She can corroborate Miss Bennet’s story, I’m sure of it.”
“How will you find her?” The puzzlement in the older man’s voice didn’t raise Darcy’s confidence.
“I know who Wickham associates with. They’re a vulgar bunch, but they can be bought.”
Bennet nodded, the tiredness around his eyes easing somewhat. “My brother-in-law, Edward Gardiner, may be able to help. I’ll give you his direction in Cheapside.”
“Thank you. It will be good to have an ally.” After a moment, Darcy said, “I want you to know, this in no way changes my feelings for Miss Elizabeth. I’ll return as soon as I can and make a formal offer for her hand.”
At that, a true smile broke over Bennet’s face. “I’m glad to hear it. You’re a fine man, Darcy. I’ll be proud to have you as a son-in-law.”
“Thank you.” He pulled a card from his pocket. “Here is my direction in London, in case you need to reach me.”
After a few parting pleasantries, Darcy left the study. He stopped short when he spotted Elizabeth in the hallway.
She turned from the flowers she was arranging, and they exchanged smiles. The sight of her lifted some of the heaviness in his heart. The urge to touch her swelled within him. But in such an exposed spot, it would be unwise.
Instead, he said in a teasing tone, “Miss Bennet, were you eavesdropping?”
“Not at all.” She took a few steps towards him. “I thought I heard your voice, and I hoped to see you before you left. Do you travel to London today?”
“I do. I may be gone a while, depending on my luck in locating Minnie. If I have to, I’ll enlist the help of an investigator.”
“You have my everlasting gratitude.” She gazed at him fixedly, as if she wanted to say more. The air between them crackled with tension.
“Then it’s well worth the effort.” He held his arms determinedly at his sides, fighting the desire to pull her into a kiss. “Might we take a quick turn in the garden?”
She seemed to sag with relief. “I’d like that.”
She retrieved her wrap, and they proceeded outside with eager steps. Words of love were poised on his lips, but now was not the time for them.
He couldn’t tarry if he wanted to reach London before dark. Days were short at this time of year. But he wanted to give her a proper goodbye.
They headed towards the path that encircled the garden, edged with clipped boxwoods. Salvias bloomed in flaming spires amidst beds of green periwinkle.
He forced himself to speak of practical matters. “I’ve been trying to puzzle out why Miss Bingley would have involved herself in Wickham’s scheme. I thought she and your sister were friends.”
Elizabeth pulled her wrap closer as the wind whipped through the trees, their skeletal branches etched against the grey sky.
“Their friendship has always seemed like a matter of convenience, at least on Miss Bingley’s part.
I suspect she didn’t wish Jane to marry her brother. My family is not fashionable.”
Darcy nodded his understanding. “The better a match Bingley makes, the better a match she can aspire to.”
“Precisely.” Elizabeth gazed at him pointedly. “And she hasn’t been subtle about where her interest lies.”
Darcy grimaced. Caroline had doggedly pursued him whilst Elizabeth had stayed at Netherfield. In fact, jealousy had made Caroline even more transparent.
“Yes, I’ve seen some evidence of that,” he said.
Elizabeth let out a laugh. “So given your kind attentions to me lately—you can see why her brother’s alliance to my family would be particularly unwelcome to her.”
Hot rage rose inside him. “If she thinks she can manipulate me—” He took a deep breath to calm himself. “Last night, you and I came to an understanding, did we not?”
“We did.”
Her words warmed him. No, they did more than that. They spread delight through every atom of his being. “If Miss Bingley is sabotaging your family, perhaps we should announce our intentions. At once.”
They walked in silence as Elizabeth seemed to ponder his suggestion.
A flock of birds called to each other, feasting on the red berries of a rowan tree.
“An engagement announcement now could have the opposite of the intended effect,” she said at last. “Given what Miss Bingley did to Jane, imagine what she might do to me.”
Darcy let out a growl. Rage pulsed through him at the idea of anyone harming the woman he loved. “You make a good point. I could get a special license…”
She shook her head. “It’s tempting, I admit. Right now, Jane’s happiness is of utmost importance to me. I can’t think about my own future until she and Bingley are reunited.”
His chest fell at her response. If they wed, it might mitigate some of the gossip about Jane and Bingley. Darcy considered pointing that out.
Yet he saw the wisdom of Elizabeth’s approach. A rushed marriage would distract him from his primary purpose. He must find the maid before she disappeared into the bowels of London.
They reached the secluded spot by the rosebushes where she’d kissed him the previous week. It felt more like a month, so much had changed since then. Yet a few crimson blooms clung stubbornly to the branches.
Hidden from the house, he took her gloved hands and interlaced their fingers. She looked up at him with a soft smile that pierced his heart.
He hated leaving her behind. “I’ll miss you while I’m gone.”
“I feel the same.”
He took a step closer. “I’ll apprise your father of my progress. Might I…include notes to you in my letters to him?”
Her expression brightened. “That would please me very much. I don’t think my father will object.”
“It’s not quite proper,” he teased.
“It’s mostly proper,” she said with a grin, “since we have an understanding.”
He cupped her cheek in his free hand. “May I—”
“Please do.”
His heart soared at her words. He brushed his lips against hers, the barest touch at first. She arched into him. Growing bolder, he drew her closer, his hand at the small of her back.
She tipped her head back, and he deepened the kiss—tender yet full of promise. She was exquisite in his arms, her taste as sweet as fresh strawberries.
He wanted to draw her against him, to feel her soft curves moulding to his body. With a visit to the Archbishop of Canterbury, she could be his tomorrow. That very night, even.
But she’d been clear about her wishes. He wouldn’t press her, no matter how tempting her kisses.
With a disappointed growl, he drew back, breathless and pulsating with desire. “I can’t linger. As it is, I’ll barely make it to town before dark. Mayfair is well lit, but the rest of the city is not.”
“You must go, then,” she said as a rook let out a lonely caw. “Nothing means more to me than your safety.”
“I’ll come back to you as soon as I can.”
They walked back to the house, and reluctantly, he took his leave. It pained him to say goodbye, but he was doing this for their future. Thoughts of her would get him through the difficult days ahead.
∞∞∞
Three days passed, and Jane received no word from Bingley. According to the rumours from Meryton, he was traipsing about the park at Netherfield—a shotgun and groom at his side—killing all the birds he could flush out.
Lizzy found a few scraps of sympathy for him. She would have viewed him in a more favourable light had he gone to London with Darcy. Shooting all the game on his property would take him no closer to the truth.
And in the meantime, heaven knew what lies Caroline was filling his head with.
Jane, meanwhile, barely ate—barely even left her room. Lizzy’s worry increased daily, until finally she spoke to her parents.
They gathered in the front parlour after breakfast. Morning light spilled in through the east-facing windows. But it couldn’t brighten the mood.
“Jane would benefit from a change of scenery,” Lizzy suggested to her parents. “What think you of a trip to London for a visit with my aunt and uncle?”
“Your aunt was kind enough to send an invitation,” Mrs. Bennet informed her. “Unfortunately, with all my obligations, I can’t get away right now. And poor Jane is in no condition to travel alone.”
Hope stirred in Lizzy’s chest. “I’d be happy to go with her.”
Mrs. Bennet shook her head. “But would she not be happier here with her family, rather than in a strange city?”
“Not when she’s the subject of gossip,” Lizzy countered. “Not when everything around her reminds her of heartache.”