Chapter 12 #2
Darcy’s ears began to burn, embarrassed at the direction of his thoughts. He cast a quick look towards Georgiana and cleared this throat. “She is charming. And quick minded. And pleasing to look at. And kind.” He gestured to Georgiana. “Ask Georgiana. She is better at these things than I am.”
The colonel leaned back, locked his hands behind his head and grinned.
“Well then, Cousin Georgiana. Tell me why this young lady has your brother’s ears turning bright red. In your female opinion, would you call her handsome?”
“They are not—” said Darcy, hotly.
“Look in the mirror.”
“I have no need to look in the mirror,” he said, holding onto every shred of dignity he could.
“I suppose I would call her handsome,” said Georgiana, with a little smile.
“You suppose?” objected Darcy. “She is one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed. “Well, that certainly clarifies some things. Help me out, Georgiana, does she have anything else to redeem her?”
“Well, I will tell you, Cousin,” said Georgiana, speaking earnestly this time. “She is very pretty. And she is very likeable. And she does not have a mercenary bone in her body. I think anyone would be lucky to have her as a wife.”
“Excellent. That is very good news. Now that she has turned you down, Darcy, we can move on to our second plan of action.”
“Did we have a second plan of action?” asked Darcy.
“Yes. We talked about finding her a husband, remember? I have a number of young officers that would fit the bill, with an adequate dowry.”
Georgiana made a choked sound. The two gentlemen turned to look at her.
“I wish you would not make plans to dispose of Miss Bennet like that. I like her, and I know you mean well, but I do not think you have the right to manage her life.”
Both Darcy and the colonel regarded Georgiana in astonishment.
“I did not know you felt that way,” said Darcy. He felt oddly pleased that she had come to Miss Bennet’s defense.
“I feel obliged to defend her, because clearly both of you think you can make her do whatever you wish. But as you already know, Brother, you cannot make her do anything. She refused to marry you. What makes you think she will agree to marry a soldier my cousin picks out for her?” She turned to look at her cousin defiantly.
“How do you know they will suit, Cousin, when you do not even know her?”
“Well, well,” said the Colonel. “She must be a very special person if she inspires such strong reactions from both of you. You are right, Georgiana. I really must meet this paragon of virtue.”
“Unfortunately,” said Darcy, “that is impossible. She made it abundantly clear that she did not wish to see me again.”
The colonel regarded his cousin.
“I do not think you capable of thinking in a rational manner tonight,” said the Colonel.
“We shall talk about it further tomorrow, shall we? Meanwhile, Georgiana, could you ring for one of the maids to put some of these excellent confectionaries in a bundle for me to take. I would hate to see them go to waste.” He shook his head, laughing.
“Strawberries in the middle of winter! What is the world coming to?”
As soon as the colonel left, Darcy excused himself and went up to his bedchamber. He felt exhausted. He had not yet recovered fully from the effects of his fever, and he needed to rest.
He sat and stared into the fireplace for some time, reflecting on both Georgiana’s and Richard’s reactions to Miss Bennet’s unexpected response. The very fact that Georgiana had been so involved was a surprise in itself, but he was glad to see his sister growing in confidence.
Georgiana had made an important comment. You must be relieved that you are not going to be forced into the marriage.
It was true. He should have been delighted that Miss Bennet had spared him from the terrible fate of being forced into marriage.
He should be feeling delighted that someone whose background was so inferior to his own had rejected him.
Why was he not jumping from joy? Any rational man would be. And yet, he felt no such thing.
It was bewildering. Beyond his justifiable anger, he was experiencing another feeling, something akin to disappointment. He suddenly had an overpowering urge to go back, to knock at Mr. Gardiner’s door and convince Miss Bennet not to throw away the opportunity.
The only thing that prevented him was the certainty that she did not consider his offer an opportunity at all. She seemed to look upon it as a prison, a life-time sentence imposed upon her.
Why should this even bother him, when he had made every effort to keep Miss Bennet at an arm’s length? He was as amazed at himself as he was at her.
He did not have the answer to Georgiana’s question, perhaps because he still expected Miss Bennet to change her mind. Any moment now, he decided, there would be a knock on the door, and he would receive a note.
Darcy poured himself a small glass of port, took up one of the books on his bedside table, and settled himself down near the fire.
He waited for Miss Bennet’s message until past midnight, but nothing came. Maybe he should have given her more time.
Well, there was nothing more to be done, at least, not tonight. Getting into bed, he blew out his candle. When he finally fell asleep, he dreamt of rescuing Miss Bennet. Except that instead of rescuing her, it was Darcy himself who was drowning.