Chapter 3 #2
Mr Gardiner’s amusement grew, but Elizabeth remained lost in her thoughts.
It was clear to her that the gentleman who was meant to marry Lady Cassandra could not have been Mr Darcy.
The first question that bothered her was why Lady Cassandra, if they were on such familiar terms, did not marry Mr Darcy?
Could he have been the reason for her refusal to marry the other gentleman and for leaving the country?
But why would she go so far away? Even if her relatives were somehow opposed to a marriage with Darcy, she was of age and did not need their approval.
And what was the reason behind her sudden return?
She and Mr Darcy seemed quite intimate, but he had made her, Elizabeth, an offer of marriage only two months earlier—so there could be no understanding between them.
Yet, Lady Cassandra had returned a month after Hunsford, and somehow, Elizabeth was certain she was not unaware of Mr Darcy’s proposal.
Was this the precise reason for her return?
Did the notion that he could marry another woman compel her back to London?
Her head was spinning, and she was unconsciously playing with her needlework as she struggled to understand this latest quandary. When the servant announced Mr and Miss Darcy, she startled so violently that she dropped her needle and sampler on the floor.
Mr and Mrs Gardiner hurried to greet their guests, and a few moments later, Elizabeth found herself curtsying to the Darcys.
Miss Darcy took a place on the settee near Elizabeth while Mr Darcy chose to sit across the room, close to Mr Gardiner.
His gaze rested upon Elizabeth, and she turned her eyes to meet his for only a moment.
Nevertheless, she continued to feel his eyes upon her as she spoke with Miss Darcy and expressed delight in seeing her again.
Tea and refreshments were ordered, and a few moments passed in relative silence with only polite exchanges and smiles as each of them tried to become accustomed to one another’s company.
Even Mr and Mrs Gardiner, usually easy in any group and exceedingly pleased with the Darcys’ visit, seemed at a loss for the proper words to begin an easy conversation.
“Mrs Gardiner, Mr Gardiner, you have a very comfortable home.” Mr Darcy was the first to speak, his warm and friendly voice drawing Elizabeth’s eyes toward him again.
Certainly, the Gardiner’s house could not be compared to Mr Darcy’s, yet Mrs Gardiner took tremendous pride in her home, and Mr Darcy’s compliment gave her great pleasure.
Elizabeth was grateful to him once again for his attentiveness toward her relatives, and she allowed her gratitude to shine in the smile that brightened her face. When their eyes met again, he seemed surprised at first, but then his face instantly lightened and he returned her smile.
Mrs Gardiner thanked both Mr and Miss Darcy—who had joined her brother in expressing her delight with the house—and thus the conversation began tentatively but soon grew more animated.
Elizabeth struggled not to look at Mr Darcy too often but with little success.
Miss Darcy’s shyness and Mr Darcy’s reticence soon vanished.
Mr Darcy was not as jovial as the colonel was and likely never would be, but he was polite, even friendly, or at least he was trying to be.
He obviously was taking the trouble of practicing more, as she had advised him earlier at Rosings.
A smile twisted her lips while their conversation came to her mind again.
“I certainly have not the talent which some people possess of conversing easily with those I have never seen before…”
Deeply immersed in her memories, Elizabeth attempted to recompose herself when the servants entered with refreshments.
Only then did she notice that her eyes had unconsciously been fixed again in Mr Darcy’s direction and that he was staring back at her with a puzzled expression on his face.
I have made such a fool of myself, was the only thing she could think of before taking the cup of tea with trembling hands.
“Miss Darcy, would you like some more tea?” Still not completely restored, Elizabeth realised that Miss Darcy was holding an empty cup in her hand and looking between them without daring to join the conversation.
“Yes please, thank you,” answered the young lady with a tentative smile. Elizabeth rose from her seat and then turned to her brother. “Mr Darcy, may I offer you some tea, as well, or some coffee?”
“Or perhaps you could join me in the library for a glass of wine, sir?” offered Mr Gardiner. “That is…if you are not in a hurry. I would not want to detain you from other appointments.”
“Not at all, sir. Fortunately, we have nothing scheduled until later this evening. I would be delighted to see your library, and yes, a glass of wine would be splendid.”
“Excellent!”
Once the door closed behind the gentlemen, the conversation among the ladies continued in a more animated manner.
“Miss Darcy, your visit is a pleasure as well as an honour for us. I imagine how busy you must be and how many engagements you must have.”
“Oh…not so many engagements. We wanted to come yesterday, but we had prior plans with Cassandra that occupied us the entire morning. My brother said we would not have time to visit you for more than half an hour; we did not want to call in haste, so we preferred to wait another day.”
“Is Lady Cassandra a relative of yours?” Elizabeth knew she had no right to question her guest, but she could not restrain her curiosity, especially when Miss Darcy seemed inclined to pursue that particular topic.
“No, she is not a relative, but she has been a friend of ours for many years. For as long as I can remember, Cassandra has been a part of our lives. I love her as dearly as I would a sister, and I hope she will never leave again.”
“Lady Cassandra seems to be a wonderful person,” offered Mrs Gardiner. “It was a pleasure for us to have made her acquaintance last evening.”
“Yes, she is wonderful; both William and I are very happy to have her here, and I can assure you that she was very pleased to meet you, too. She confessed that she enjoyed your company very much.”
“I am happy to hear that. Are you planning to remain in town long?”
“No, Mrs Gardiner. We plan to leave town for Pemberley in a fortnight. My brother has invited Lady Cassandra as well as Mr Bingley and his family to join us. You are familiar with the Bingleys?”
“No, we are not,” answered Mrs Gardiner. “By the time we arrived in Hertfordshire, Mr Bingley and his family had left Netherfield.”
“Mr Bingley is a friend of my brother. He is very amiable and kind.”
“Yes, he is,” agreed Elizabeth, though her thoughts about the “amiable and kind” gentleman who so hurriedly abandoned his happiness and Jane’s were not entirely cordial.
The gentlemen’s entrance and their animated voices interrupted their conversation. Elizabeth’s eyes were instantly drawn toward Mr Darcy, and she saw him looking as good humoured as was Mr Gardiner, that small smile never leaving his face.
“We decided not to be separated from your charming company for too long, ladies. I hope we are not intruding,” said Mr Gardiner.
“No, not at all. We were talking about leaving London in the near future, and Miss Darcy was just telling us that your family planned to depart for Pemberley very soon.”
“Indeed we are, Mrs Gardiner, and it is quite a coincidence that Mr Gardiner and I were discussing the same subject. In fact, I asked him if you intended to visit Lambton during your tour.”
“We have not planned our travelling agenda in detail as it largely depends on my husband’s business. But I would like to see Lambton again as I have not been in the area for quite some time,” answered Mrs Gardiner.
“As I mentioned to Mr Gardiner, if you will be in the area, I hope you will inform us of your presence. It would be a pleasure to have you all as our guests at Pemberley. Mr Gardiner and I just discovered that we share a passion for fishing.”
Elizabeth’s astonishment was great, and she looked at Darcy in disbelief. Had he just invited the Gardiners to Pemberley? This could not be; she must have misunderstood him. His words
“. . . relations, whose condition in life is so decidedly beneath my own…” instantly resounded in her memory.
Yet, his invitation was clear, and no misunderstanding could be applied to it.
But what could be the reason for such extraordinary civility?
This time it was not Miss Darcy who initiated the overture; rather, his will and desire prompted an insistent request for their presence at Pemberley and for Mr Gardiner’s company while fishing.
“Well, sir, if we are in the area and will not be intruding upon your privacy, of course, it would be an honour for us to visit you at Pemberley,” answered Mrs Gardiner with no little emotion.
“Excellent! Then it is settled—if you happen to be in the area, I mean.”
Elizabeth dared a quick glance at Mr Darcy and once more was surprised to see the expression of delight upon his face as he smiled at her.
She was too overwhelmed by emotion to say more than a few polite words, consumed by both the excitement and the dread of actually being invited to Pemberley and shocked to see Mr and Miss Darcy excited at the prospect.
The conversation continued for another quarter hour until the guests prepared to leave.
As they made their goodbyes, Miss Darcy invited both Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner to join her for tea on one of the following days, and her invitation was accepted without hesitation.
Throughout their visit that afternoon, Elizabeth was able to ascertain that both Darcys seemed to be taking an interest in her.
While she dared not admit the reason for their kindness, she was pleased to notice it.
Gone was most of the awkwardness that had gripped her whenever she was in their company.