Chapter 15 #2
Just as they were shaking hands, each in admiration of the other, Carter entered the room and announced, “The Right Honourable the Viscount Wessex.”
Darcy sprang up, strode to his friend, and clasped his hand warmly. “Wessex! It is wonderful to see you again.”
“Darcy! My congratulations on securing Miss Elizabeth Bennet. She is everything lovely.”
“Lord Wessex, permit me to present Mr Gerald Hurst.”
The men bowed to one another but were soon speaking quite informally about Richard’s condition, the roads, the shooting experienced at Netherfield so far, and plans for shooting the following morning.
Mrs Nicholls entered a few minutes after Wessex’s arrival, and as she showed him to his rooms, she asked if she should send up tea and cold meats to his sitting room. “Or will you be down with the party directly?”
The viscount opted for the latter and arrived back in the drawing room half an hour later. He had barely sat down before maids and a footman arrived with heavily laden trays of tea, spirits, fruits, breads, cakes, and cold meats.
The Bennet ladies entered, and Jane was introduced.
Wessex offered Elizabeth felicitations, commented on how tall and lovely Georgiana looked, these days, said he was delighted to meet Mrs Hurst, and then turned towards Jane.
Darcy was not a bit surprised to see his friend’s eyes widen at the sight of Jane’s serene sort of beauty; however, Darcy did have a feeling of “Not again!”
Of course, Wessex was nothing like Bingley. He was older, for one thing—he was almost exactly the same age as Darcy, having been born five days before him. Also, Wessex had proved innumerable times that he was decent and loyal, someone who deserved the title gentleman.
Taking advantage of a moment when Hurst was eagerly listening to the ladies describe the house party menus, Darcy murmured to his friend, “We are telling everyone that Bingley has a business emergency that requires his presence in London, but I will tell you the full story later.”
Wessex nodded, seemingly unsurprised to hear that the man who had invited him to his home was not in attendance.
Mrs Hurst poured the tea, and Elizabeth cut and served slices of cake.
Hurst suggested everyone help themselves to the other offerings.
The food was plentiful and delicious, and soon the group moved on to taking a walk.
Georgiana excused herself again, and the others paired off as they stepped out to the veranda.
“I wonder if the rose garden has half as many blooms as the last time I saw it,” Elizabeth said.
Of course, Darcy could not help but associate that “last time” with Bingley and Miss Bingley, and he sighed at the memory.
As they entered the rose garden, she whispered, “Making new memories in a place is important!”
He nodded but could not muster a smile.
“Especially given the fact that you now own the place, the garden, the rose bushes,” she persisted.
That was a worthy point. He gave her a sidelong look, and she let go of his arm and—he was startled to see—she bent down to pluck two heavy-headed Autumn Damask roses, which she rubbed slightly together in her hands. Then she flung the rose petals at him.
His shock at having his lady throw anything towards him gave way to pleasure as scores of petals of varying shades of pink and cream showered down on him.
He laughed and chose the very largest blooms from the bush nearest him; both of the roses were drastically drooping towards the ground, and by morning they would have fallen.
He shook the flowers in his cupped hands to ensure most of the petals dislodged from the hypanthium, and then he tossed the petals at Elizabeth.
She stood with her face turned upwards, arms outstretched, palms up, and she laughed.
He loved seeing her dark curls with petals caught amongst them, and one daring petal managed to nestle in between her breasts, still a bit visible as it curled from her décolleté.
As he stared at it, he saw that she blushed from her chest to her cheeks.
He knew he would always remember how Elizabeth looked at that moment. “Thank you,” he said, mystified but grateful that she always seemed to know what he needed.
Of course, the rest of the group must have seen some portion of their petal-tossing fun, but they politely walked on, and although everyone was smiling, nobody asked questions or made teasing comments.
Since the day was quite pleasant, and Wessex seemed to enjoy walking with Jane, Darcy led the group further, to the sculpture garden and then the Chinoiserie garden, which featured an Asian-inspired pavilion and several types of exotic plants.
After they returned to the manor house and rested or dressed for dinner, the group regathered in the drawing room and then the dining room. Georgiana, by prior arrangement with Darcy, was to take her dinners upstairs during the house party, though she would eat breakfast and luncheon downstairs.
The meal was wonderful, and Wessex was very sociable; he seemed especially delighted by Elizabeth’s wit but also clearly enjoyed exchanging viewpoints with Jane.
The group spoke of novels, theatre, and the Lewis and Clarke expedition.
Upon the separation of the sexes, however, while Hurst poured and passed out brandies, Darcy got down to a more serious matter.
“Wessex, I must say that you seemed completely unsurprised that Bingley is not here, even though he was the man who invited you. Why is that?”
“The butler.” Wessex shot a smile at Darcy and said, “Excellent man, that. If I did not already have the best butler in the world, I would be tempted to steal him. All he said was, ‘Mr Bingley is currently away from home,’ but the subtle way in which he held his head, the exact note of his voice, made me realise that Bingley is truly gone. No longer host of the house party and, I would suppose, no longer the master of Netherfield Park.”
Hurst responded, “Carter is a treasure, my lord, but I suspect that you must have occult powers.” He chuckled, but a moment later, his face turned somber. “In actual fact, Bingley turned out to be quite disappointing as a brother.”
Wessex nodded and turned to Darcy. “I always greatly admired the efforts you made on behalf of Bingley, who I viewed, through your eyes, as the orphaned victim of better-connected boys who loved to harass anyone they considered weak. As Bingley got older, however, I began to wonder whether or not his earlier upbringing, the principles taught by his parents and nannies and nursery governesses, leant themselves to a truly moral life.”
Darcy shook his head, closing his eyes briefly.
When he opened them again, he looked directly into Wessex’s eyes and said, “I hoped rather than believed that he was as virtuous as he was affable.” He then succinctly related Bingley’s actions, choosing to speak at very low volume even though there were no servants in the room.
Wessex looked very shocked. “I had not thought him as bad as that!”
Darcy said, “We are not spreading this story to the other guests. You know as well as I that many times ladies are blamed for being the victim of an attack.”
“I will not say a word, but I suppose you will allow me to generally warn people that Bingley is not entirely trustworthy?”
Darcy shot a glance at Hurst, then both men agreed.
“I would that I had never befriended him.” Darcy shook his head yet again.
“No, Darcy, that you tried is part of your goodness—the very goodness that attracted as worthy a woman as Miss Elizabeth. You cannot control everything; you can only do your best, which is what you did.”
“Thank you.”
Wessex sat in silence as Hurst poured another helping of brandy for himself. As usual, Darcy was comfortable with the quiet; he just sipped his drink and relaxed back into the leather chair.
Finally Wessex tossed down the last swallow of his brandy and said, "I am heralded by many as a great example of a highly moral creature, and yet I know that I cannot measure up to your exalted example, Darcy. I only spoke with Bingley a few times, but one of those times I got the distinct feeling that he thought your reputation as the Monk was more lip service than truth, that nobody could so well resist temptations of food AND drink, gaming AND women.”
Darcy grinned a bit wolfishly, saying, “Well, truth be told, I cannot as easily resist temptation as I had always supposed, when it comes to exactly one woman.”
Hurst chuckled, but Wessex raised his eyebrows with surprise.
Darcy, looking at Wessex’s mien, blushed. “We have not anticipated our vows, if that thought is what prompted your expression.”
“You need not explain anything to me," Wessex said. “As I said before, you put everyone else to shame in all things pertaining to ethics.”
“Well, I am only human. But Elizabeth is divinity come to earth. She is perfect, at least perfect for me.”
And Darcy blushed again when he saw how Wessex and Hurst regarded him.
“I am glad to see you so besotted, Darce.” Wessex got up and said, “Let us rejoin the ladies before your intended has to return to her home.”
Darcy did not resist the idea even the slightest bit.