Chapter 15
The morning after their visit to the theater, Elizabeth found it impossible to get up.
She could not face going down to breakfast. The very idea of food repelled her.
She took up a book, resolving to stay in bed and read.
Unfortunately, her resolution did not last long.
She could not read more than a few sentences without thinking about Mr. Darcy.
A knock on the door interrupted her futile efforts, and Mrs. Gardiner came into the room.
“I came to see where you were. Are you still not dressed, Lizzy?”
“No. I am not quite myself today.”
Mrs. Gardiner sent her a probing gaze. “You look perfectly healthy to me. I suppose I must take you in hand. We do not like lazy-bones in this family.”
It was something Mrs. Gardiner often said to the children.
Elizabeth chuckled weakly. “I think I am allowed to wallow in my misery, for once.”
“I will not have you moping about, young lady. I will drag you out of bed if needs be.”
Elizabeth shook her head, smiling. “I will try to get up. But I warn you, I have no intention of working on my embroidered cushion.”
“It is up to you what you do, so long as you join me downstairs. As for the cushion, I am inclined to agree with you.” She paused. “I must be frank, my dear. Your embroidery skills are abysmal.”
Elizabeth burst into laughter. “Is that how you encourage me to get out of bed? I think I will cover myself with my blankets and refuse to come out.”
Mrs. Gardiner gave her a pat on the arm. “Now, now! I am sorry I have hurt your feelings.” She did not look particularly contrite.
“At least I know you will give me your honest opinion, if I need it,” said Elizabeth.
Her aunt put her arms around her.
“I am always here for you, Lizzy. I hope you know that.”
“I do.”
“Now then, out of bed!”
Mrs. Gardiner took hold of Elizabeth’s nightgown and began to pull her out of bed. Elizabeth shrieked and tried to get away, batting at her aunt’s hands.
“You may as well surrender, Lizzy. I am an expert at getting my children out of bed. I have perfected several tricks, and I will not hesitate to use them.”
“Then I admit defeat. I will do as you ask.”
“Good. Because, when you come downstairs, I will tell you about my cunning plan.”
***
In the end, Elizabeth was motivated by curiosity to go downstairs. She found the household in a frenzy of cleaning, with the silver being polished, and Mrs. Gardiner in the center of everything, giving orders.
“What is going on?”
“I am preparing for my cunning plan.”
“The servants are cleaning the house. That does not appear very cunning to me. In fact, it appears remarkably mundane.”
“Have faith, Lizzy! Let us have breakfast and I will tell you.”
By now, Elizabeth was more than intrigued. She was not hungry, but she agreed to drink a cup of chocolate.
“Well?”
“I have sent a message inviting Miss Darcy to a family dinner. She is not out, but with the children present, there could be no object. At first, I thought tea would do, but then I changed my mind.”
Elizabeth frowned in puzzlement. “That is your cunning plan?”
“Yes, because if Miss Darcy sends her apologies, we will know Mr. Darcy has forbidden her from coming, and that she cannot convince him to change his mind. I do believe Miss Darcy will want to accept the invitation.”
Elizabeth nodded slowly. “I suppose that is a good way to discover how Mr. Darcy feels. Of course, Miss Darcy may decline the invitation for other reasons.”
“If that is the case, I would expect her to say not, then suggest another possibility. Tea, perhaps, or another time.”
Elizabeth grinned. “You are right. It may not be as cunning as you think, Aunt, but it is a good plan.”
“I am glad I have won your approval. Now, are you going to help me with the preparations?”
Elizabeth sighed. “Of course.”
As she participated in selecting items for the menu, it seemed to Elizabeth that all this preparation was too excessive for a simple family dinner with a young girl.
“Are you certain we need all these courses?”
“It is nothing to what the Darcys are accustomed to. This would be considered a simple meal by their standards. Besides, we want to make a good impression, in case Mr. Darcy asks his sister about it.”
“And what if she turns down the invitation? All our work would be for nothing.” Elizabeth thought glumly that this was the most likely outcome of her aunt’s plan.
“Then we can enjoy an excellent dinner ourselves.”
Half an hour later, a note arrived from Miss Darcy, in which she thanked Mrs. Gardiner, and accepted the invitation.
“There!” said her aunt in triumph. “Now we know.”
Elizabeth’s spirits soared. Mr. Darcy had given his approval. He was not holding a grudge! “Now we know,” she said, and threw herself wholeheartedly into the preparations.
Then later, a message arrived from her uncle. He had invited Mr. Millett to join them.
Elizabeth shook her head, grumbling to herself. She was looking forward to talking to Miss Darcy, but her uncle seemed determined to bring her and Mr. Millett together, come what may.
Some of the joy went out of the afternoon. She liked Mr. Millett, but she felt Mr. Gardiner was pushing too hard for her to think of him as a suitor.
Then a message came from Mr. Darcy, and everything changed.
Darcy pondered Mrs. Gardiner’s invitation for some time. It was unexpected, but it was an indication that they did not harbor any ill feelings towards him.
More importantly, Mrs. Gardiner had included him in the invitation. Though it was addressed to Georgiana, she had made it clear that both of them were welcome. It was a family dinner, so it would be acceptable for Georgiana to go on her own. The question was, should he go with her?
After long consideration, he decided it was his duty to go with his sister. She was really too young to dine with people she was not directly related to. After all, their connection with the Gardiners was very new, and Darcy did not know them very well.
Still, he would not wish to deprive Georgiana of something she evidently enjoyed. She had been very eager to go. But she did not have much experience being around strangers. What if something unprecedented happened?
In the end, he concluded there was nothing to be done but to accept the invitation as well and make sure his sister did not feel overwhelmed.
Darcy took several precautions as he and Georgiana went for dinner, in case his house was being watched by the vultures from his club who would stoop to anything to win their bets.
This involved switching to a hack cab, then driving around to make certain no one was behind them.
He did not want to reveal the location of Miss Bennet.
It had been another consideration when he decided to go with Georgiana to the dinner.
It took forever for them to arrive, and by then, Darcy was in fever of anticipation.
Then finally he was there. His heart thundered in his ears. He would be seeing Miss Bennet, and he would finally be able to talk to her.
The butler announced them, and, as he entered the parlor, Darcy’s gaze darted immediately to Miss Bennet.
He recoiled in shock. She was sitting on the sofa, and a young gentleman was seated next to her. Darcy could only assume he was the same one who had been there at the theatre.
Darcy considered his rival. Colonel Fitzwilliam had been right. The man was too handsome by far. Darcy eyed the gap between him and Miss Bennet and thought Mr. Millett was sitting rather too close to her.
Then Mrs. Gardiner stood up to welcome him, blocking his view.
“I am pleased you decided to join us for dinner, Mr. Darcy,” she said, curtseying with a warm smile. “And Miss Darcy, of course, you are very welcome.”
Darcy bowed, then turned to greet Miss Bennet. Mr. Gardiner came into the room just then, and the opportunity was gone.
“Ah! Mr. Darcy!” said Mr. Gardiner, more pleasantly than Darcy might have expected, considering how his last visit had ended.
“Maggie will be pleased you have come. She has been asking about you. I will ring for the children to be brought down from the nursery, that is, if you do not mind having them eat with us.”
“Not at all,” replied Darcy. “I understood that to be the case. It is, after all, a family dinner.”
“Exactly,” said Mr. Gardiner, smiling at Georgiana. “Meanwhile, allow me to introduce you both to Mr. Millett. I do not believe you have met.”
Darcy bowed briefly, then turned to greet Miss Bennet, trying to gauge her reaction to his presence. He could not help remembering his ill-advised proposal, and he felt very awkward. What must Miss Bennet think of him showing up so soon after he had been thoroughly and unequivocally rejected?
“Mr. Darcy,” she said, with a formal curtsey.
Had it only been two days ago since he proposed to her?
“I hope you are well, Miss Bennet.”
“Very well, thank you, Mr. Darcy,” she said, with a little smile. “And you?”
“Very well indeed.”
It was excruciating. Why could he not think of something to say that was not stodgy and meaningless?
His unfortunate proposal stood between them like a silent ghost. Neither of them knew what to say.
Too much had been said already. If only he could think of a way to bring back their earlier cordiality.
He stood there awkwardly, struggling to think of something funny that would make her laugh.
He was saved by Maggie, who come into the room, beaming, holding her arms out, ran straight in his direction and launched herself into his arms.
“Mr. Darcy! I thought you were never going to come again!”
“—Maggie, where are your manners?” interrupted Mrs. Gardiner. “You must curtsey to Mr. and Miss Darcy and enquire about their health.”
“Mr. Darcy, I hope you are well,” she said, curtseying primly, “and you, too, Miss Darcy.”
The nursemaid came in with the two other children.
“You remember Harry and Thomas, do you not, Mr. Darcy?” said Mr. Gardiner.
“Good evening, sir.” The boys bowed.
“Of course,” said Mr. Darcy, bowing back gravely. “Master Harry. Master Thomas.”
The boys went up to Mr. Millett and talked to him in a familiar manner. It was obvious that the children already knew Mr. Millett very well.
Darcy now wished he had not been quite so formal with them. How stodgy he must seem!
He was not used to such informal settings, he decided.
He looked around at the smiling faces, the clear affection between the parents and the children.
It struck a strange chord in him. His own family had never been close like this.
Mama was always too occupied with visits and friends to offer much more than a quick pat on the head.
Papa had taught him how to manage the estate and the requirements of being a gentleman, but in some ways, he was more of tutor than a father.
This was very different.
“Mr. Darcy, would you like to inspect the rocking horse?” said Maggie, tucking her hand into his. “I promised I would take very good care of it, and I have. I made sure my brothers did the same.”
Darcy smiled at the idea of such a small figure holding off her older brothers. “I am certainly relieved to hear it, Miss Margaret,” he said. “Yes, I would like to assure myself of the rocking-horse’s wellbeing.”
Mrs. Gardiner shook her head. “Oh, that is not possible at the moment. The rocking horse has been moved to the nursery, Mr. Darcy.”
She turned to her daughter. “Maggie, you cannot take Mr. Darcy upstairs.”
“It is a long trek for my weary legs, Miss Margaret,” added Darcy, gently, seeing the disappointment on the child’s face.
“Why are your legs weary, sir?”
“You ask too many questions,” said her mother. “Anyway, it is almost time for dinner. Perhaps another day.”
It warmed him to imagine future visits, and that his clumsy proposal had not destroyed his relationship with the Gardiners at least. Perhaps there was hope that he might be able to connect again with Miss Bennet after all.
Meanwhile, Maggie seemed to accept her mother’s statement. She came to perch on the arm of his chair, then jumped up.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said. “I have something to show you. I will go upstairs and fetch it.”
She came down soon afterwards with a slate and a drawing of a child and a man standing together.
“Is that me?” he said. “What is that strange object on my head. It is not an eel, is it?”
Maggie giggled. “Of course not! It is a weed.”
It was strange to think that this was how the child thought of him. Not a tall man in a top hat, but a man with weeds in his hair.
“I like this drawing. May I keep it?”
Maggie hesitated. “Umm, I think I should keep it. Then I can look after it properly and make sure the chalk is not smudged.”
Having shown him the drawing, her attention was now diverted to Georgiana, who was explaining a game she had learned at school to the boys.
Watching her interact with the children, reminded him how young his sister still was.
She may be on the cusp of becoming a young lady, but she was still very much a child.
It warmed him that she, at least, felt at ease in this environment. If only he felt the same!
Then Miss Bennet laughed at something Mr. Millett said, and Darcy forgot about everyone else.