Chapter 8 #2
His discomfort increased as he realized Mr. Gardiner was watching him, bemused, as if he knew exactly what Darcy was thinking. It was beyond embarrassing that he had revealed his astonishment in such a blatant, incoherent manner. He winced inwardly. What must Miss Bennet think of him?
Now he really had no idea what to say next. He was completely tongue-tied.
This time, it was Elizabeth who rescued him from his blundering. “We have only just been introduced, Mr. Darcy. There is so much we do not know about each other, even the most basic things.”
Her eyes were dancing, but her tone was kind. Ought he to apologize, or would that make matters worse?
“Of course,” he said. He was about to say there was plenty of time to be further acquainted, but he checked himself. That would not do at all.
He had already made enough mistakes. There was no need to add impulsiveness to the list. Miss Bennet may be a gentleman’s daughter, but that did not change the reality, which was that her relatives were in trade.
To pursue this would be reckless. The wisest course of action for him was to steer wide and avoid seeing her again.
He had come here to fulfill a promise, and he had done so. There was no further reason for him and Georgiana to visit the Gardiners.
“It is time for us to take our leave,” he said, “before we overstay our welcome.”
“It is very kind of you, Mr. Darcy.” Miss Bennet briefly touched his forearm, and he was shocked to find himself craving more.
“You must stay for dinner, Mr. Darcy,” said Mrs. Gardiner. “It is the least we can do to repay you for your kindness.”
For a moment, he was about to accept. It would have been nice to share dinner with them, but he was only too aware of how easily that could be misinterpreted.
“Thank you. However, you do not need to repay me for an old, discarded toy.”
He rose to his feet, aware that he still needed to correct his earlier mistake with Margaret. He strode over to her.
“Well, Miss Margaret, are you enjoying the rocking horse?”
“Oh, yes, Mr. Darcy,” she said, her eyes shining. “Thank you very much, sir.”
He went down on his haunches. “It is a pleasure. You may keep the horse but on two conditions.”
She looked perplexed and worried.
“First, you must promise me you will never, ever run towards a pond or river again, even if it is frozen. Water is dangerous.” Margaret was looking at him with big, somber eyes. “Even if you are proficient swimmer, you must never approach the water alone. Do you promise me this?”
“Yes, sir,” she nodded vigorously.
“What do you promise?”
“Never to go near the water alone.”
He gave a quick nod. “Very well. That is my first condition. Do you want to know the second one?”
She nodded.
“My second condition is that you must take care of the horse. It is a very special one, and very delicate. You must not treat it roughly or allow anyone else to do so. Do you promise?”
“Yes, sir. I promise I will be careful and not treat it roughly.”
He nodded and stood up. “Good. We have an agreement, then.” He looked over to Mrs. Gardiner. “Right Mrs. Gardiner?”
“Right.” She smiled at him, then turned to her daughter. “Where are your manners, Maggie? You need to curtsey to Mr. Darcy. He is leaving.”
The little girl climbed down with obvious reluctance and gave him a brief curtesy, clearly eager to get it over with. He bit back a smile.
Now it really was time to take his leave.
As he bowed over Miss Bennet’s offered hand, he felt a stab of regret. Was this really farewell? Did it mean he would never see her again? He hesitated. Should he accept the dinner invitation after all?
A quick moment’s reflection determined it would be unwise. He could not allow a temporary attraction to cloud his judgement.
“Goodbye, Miss Bennet.” Was there an echoing regret in her eyes?
He looked away. He did not want to examine her too closely, because he did not want to hesitate.
“Thank you for everything, Mr. Darcy,” said Miss Bennet warmly. “I know we have expressed our thanks too many times already, but we are in your debt, sir.”
“I am glad I could be of assistance,” he said, falling back on formality.
Then there really was nothing more to say. He signaled to Georgiana, turned, and walked away, his footsteps firm on the marble floor. That was that.
Still, as the door shut behind him and he went down the steps of the townhouse, he could not help wishing it was otherwise.
“I enjoyed the visit, William. I do hope we will be calling again. They are very amiable people.”
“They are certainly amiable people,” said Darcy, looking up at the drawing room window and wondering if Miss Bennet was watching him depart.
Was the curtain twitching, or had he imagined it?
“Unfortunately, we have no reason to continue the acquaintance,” he added, in a tone that put an end to the conversation.
Georgiana looked unhappy, but, for once, he could not take her feelings into consideration. At this point, he could only pay attention to his own. Much as he disliked the idea, he had to be ruthless with himself.
It was too much of a risk to visit Miss Bennet again.
As the door downstairs shut behind the Darcys, Mrs. Gardiner allowed the children to go back upstairs.
“Oh, look,” she said. “Mr. Darcy’s footmen have forgotten the goblets. We will have to send them back tomorrow. Did you not find the ices delicious, Mr. Gardiner?”
“The best,” replied her husband. “It appears he has a very good pastry chef.”
Elizabeth stared at the empty goblets, thinking of Mr. Darcy’s kindness.
She had never imagined he would keep a promise made in a desperate moment.
It was not difficult for his chef to procure ice at this time of the year, but strawberries were a miracle, even in a hothouse.
She could only imagine the expense involved in procuring them.
A gentleman who kept his promise under those conditions was a noble gentleman indeed.
“What did you think, Lizzy?” said Mrs. Gardiner.
“The ices were excellent, and Mr. Darcy was kindness itself. It just felt very awkward.”
“You thought it awkward?” said Mr. Gardiner. “I did not. You must not forget, Mr. Darcy started off on the wrong foot with you, Lizzy, and he does not quite know how to extricate himself.” He rose to his feet. “I must be gone now. I have business to attend to.”
As her uncle left the room, she was left with a strong sense of disappointment.
“I expected him to mention that we would be meeting again, but he did not,” she said to her aunt. “Do you think he intends to call on us again?”
“It is impossible to tell,” said Mrs. Gardiner, “but I am very grateful to him for his kindness to Maggie. It is rare to see a man who will do so much for a child who is not his own.”
Naturally, her aunt’s main concern was her daughter.
“Though I must say, Lizzy, you have been very sly. You did not tell me Mr. Darcy was so handsome.”
“I had other concerns,” she said.
“And I would also like to know why you hid your embroidery from him,” said her aunt, waving her pathetic work in front of her face.
“The answer is simple. I was embarrassed.”
“I do think he likes you, Lizzy.”
“If he does,” said Elizabeth, blushing, “why would he not mention the prospect of meeting again?”
“I cannot answer that,” said her aunt, considering the matter. “I may be wrong, but I have a feeling you will be seeing him again.”