Chapter 3
Several more minutes passed and their mutual distress amplified.
When they started to lose hope of being found in reasonable circumstances, a powerful knock on the door startled them both.
They glanced at each other, then hurried to the door where, to their utter surprise, they were met by Bingley’s worried voice.
“Miss Bennet? Miss Elizabeth Bennet–are you there?”
Elizabeth looked at Darcy, waiting for a suggestion as to what to do next. He nodded to her to answer, and he retired to a dark corner.
“Yes, I am here,” Elizabeth answered.
The noise from the unlocked doorknob startled her, then the door was pulled open and the master of the house entered.
“Miss Elizabeth–thank God you are unharmed! I went to see if Miss Bennet was improved; I asked the maid who assisted her, and she was very worried that she knew nothing of your whereabouts. She said you disappeared from the chamber while she was resting. She suspected you were searching for something to read and I remembered the library door handle was broken.”
“I am well, just very happy to be free at last,” she joked. Please excuse me now; I will return to my sister. Thank you for your care, Mr. Bingley.”
She attempted to depart when Bingley called her name again. She stopped and turned back. In the hall, slightly behind the master, there was another man waiting.
“Is that Darcy’s coat?” Bingley enquired, with apparent astonishment.
Bewildered, she crossed her arms over her chest wordlessly. It was the first question of her life to which Elizabeth did not know how best to respond.
“Bingley, keep your voice down,” Darcy unexpectedly interjected, stepping forward.
Bingley’s mouth opened wide in astonishment.
“I was still in the library when Miss Bennet locked the door by mistake, a little while ago,” Darcy explained.
“Oh, I see…” Bingley said, disconcerted. “Miss Bennet, are you well?”
“Very well, as I already assured you,” Elizabeth smiled nervously, blushing for no apparent reason. She turned with her back to them, attempting to take off the coat but instead became tangled in the large sleeves.
As Darcy helped her remove the jacket, the touch of his hands burned her skin, while her cheeks were crimson. To her relief, the others could not see her face; therefore, without facing them again, she almost ran away, whispering a hasty, “Good night.”
The three men looked at each other in the middle of the hall.
“Stevens, I expected you to search for me earlier. If not for Bingley, would I have had to freeze in the library till morning?” Darcy sharply addressed his tormented valet.
“Sir, I…I was coming to the library when I met Mr. Bingley…I thought…I beg your forgiveness…” Stevens was pale, babbling excuses until Darcy stopped him. He knew his severity was undeserved, but he was worried that things had not unfolded as he had anticipated.
“You may retire now, Stevens. I will not need your assistance until morning,” he declared.
While the servant bowed and stepped backwards, with the same apparent distress, Darcy put on his coat. The heat readily enveloped him as he realised the fabric had touched Elizabeth’s skin only moments ago, still carrying her scent and her warmth.
“I will have another drink,” Darcy declared, entering the library again and placing the log back against the door. Bingley followed him and filled two glasses of brandy.
“So?” Bingley enquired impatiently.
“What do you mean?”
“I can see you are irritated, but I hope you were not rude to Miss Bennet. If she locked the door by mistake, it was surely not her fault. She did not know it was broken.”
“Bingley, why on earth would you suspect I had been rude to Miss Bennet – or to any other woman?”
Bingley glared at him. “Not rude to any other woman, but with Miss Bennet I have reasons to worry. Come now, we both know how much you dislike her–and the entire Bennet family. Including Jane Bennet–who is the image of perfection. I doubt anyone else in the whole world could fault Jane for anything.”
“Bingley, I do not fault Jane Bennet. And I do not dislike the entire Bennet family!”
His words sounded dishonest even to himself, so he stopped abruptly.
Bingley immediately interjected, “Well, your behaviour has shown the opposite so far. But I trust your words more, so I will not worry about your short interlude with Miss Elizabeth. At least you lent her your coat so she did not suffer from cold. That should be enough proof of your politeness.”
“I assure you I did everything to make Miss Bennet comfortable; but, Bingley, let us keep this incident to ourselves. I would not wish to raise any unjustified rumours that might harm Miss Bennet’s reputation just for closing a broken door.”
To Darcy’s astonishment, Bingley laughed.
“You may trust my secrecy. But I truly believe you have no reason to worry. Nobody in the entire county would presume that something improper happened between you and Miss Bennet in my library. They would probably imagine you argued and offended each other the whole time.”
Darcy’s annoyance increased as he heard Bingley repeating Elizabeth’s mocking statement.
Had he been a complete fool to imagine that he had to conceal his feelings for Elizabeth?
Was it true that nobody noticed his inclination and his torment had been as ridiculous as it had been useless?
As for Elizabeth’s true opinion of him–he had no doubts remaining.
She had made it very clear to him, leaving no room for uncertainty.
“Nevertheless, let us never speak of this again. It was a small mishap that might produce terrible consequences. Just imagine if your sisters heard about it–I would never have a moment of peace from them and I would be truly forced to leave Netherfield at once.”
“Rest assured that the secret will remain locked in the library,” Bingley still mocked him. “I only hope you and Miss Elizabeth will improve your mutual opinion. You might meet quite frequently in the future,” Bingley added.
Darcy cast a stern glance towards his friend.
“Do you not want to ask me why?” Bingley continued.
“Come now; one does not need much wit to guess your meaning.”
“And…what do you think of it?”
“Of what, Bingley?”
“Of the opportunity to see Miss Elizabeth often…And Miss Bennet, of course.” Bingley’s voice was slightly trembling with concern and his expression showed his anxiety while waiting for a reply.
Darcy hesitated to offer a straight answer. Earlier that evening, he would have given it most readily. A few hours later, several words from Elizabeth had shaken his confidence in his judgment, thereby diminishing his willingness to interfere in the delicate matter.
“Is there anything you disapprove of about Jane Bennet? Not regarding her uncle in trade, or the one that is a lawyer or other nonsense. Just her.”
“There is not. Miss Bennet’s appearance and manners are beyond reproach. And in all honesty, I have rarely seen a more beautiful woman. Also, her sister, Miss Elizabeth, speaks very highly of her generosity and kindness. Of that, I cannot testify, I am only repeating what I was told.”
“Thank you for letting me know. Then what are the grounds for your opposition?”
“I have no right to oppose whatever you might want to do, Bingley. It is my wish to see you happy and content.”
“And you do not believe I can be happy with Jane Bennet? Is there anyone better suited to me?”
“That I cannot say. But keep in mind that when you choose a wife, you choose her family too.”
Bingley sighed deeply. “I am aware of that and I will not deny it is a cause of distress for me. But, if we are to be honest, my family is not flawless either.”
“True,” Darcy admitted.
“Is there anything else that troubles you on this subject?” Bingley continued. “I would like to have your blessing when I make a major decision. That is why I asked your opinion when I leased Netherfield.”
Darcy concealed his smile. On such occasions, Bingley still sounded like a young boy.
“Bingley, I just wonder if you are certain of Miss Bennet’s feelings for you and of yours for her.
Please keep in mind that I have often seen you in love with charming young ladies before and your inclination vanished as quickly as it appeared.
This is a small town and Miss Bennet does not look like a lady to trifle with gentlemen, nor to be trifled with.
So I believe it is your duty to search your mind and your heart carefully before raising vain hopes. ”
Bingley listened dumbfounded, his face changing from white to red. He frowned and attempted to reply several times, but the words refused to come out.
“You believe I am a shallow man?” he questioned.
“No, not at all. You are young and easily distracted. This is why I would advise you not to act in haste. I believe we should retire for the night now. It is very late and we can discuss this further tomorrow.”
“Darcy, is it only my impression or are you less severe on the Bennets than before?”
“Perhaps I am more aware of what is my right to judge. Good night, Bingley.”
“What do you mean? Oh well, good night,” Bingley replied, gazing after his friend who had already left the library.
It was long past midnight when Darcy finally entered his chamber and locked himself inside.
The storm was still strong, the rain hitting the windows as if it would like to enter.
He looked at the darkness outside and shivered.
A similar storm had been unleashed within him, threating to put him in great danger.
While the rain and the wind would settle down soon, his turmoil would last as long as the image of Elizabeth near the fire, inches away from him, wearing her nightclothes, with her hair loose, warming herself in his coat.
And thinking completely ill of him, as if he was her worst enemy.