Chapter 15
“Miss Bennet, I hope I am not disturbing your solitary reverie!”
“No indeed, sir. Besides, solitude is hardly the proper word in such animated company.”
He seemed pleased with her reply and cast a quick glance around. “Yes, Netherfield is very animated these days. I confess I was surprised to see Lady Cassandra and Miss Darcy here.”
“Mr Darcy is a friend of Mr Bingley and has been a guest at Netherfield previously. So it does not appear surprising to me that Mr Bingley invited Miss Darcy and Lady Cassandra.”
“Yes, you are correct of course. I was only wondering about their presence while Darcy is in Town. That appears surprising to me. Do you happen to know how long Darcy will be away?”
”I am afraid I cannot offer you a satisfactory answer,” she said, searching his expression with great interest. “But perhaps Lady Cassandra or Colonel Fitzwilliam could enlighten you.”
“Neither they nor Darcy is exactly my friend, so I doubt they would willingly offer me any information at all. But then again, since you seem to be a close acquaintance, I imagine you know our past dealings.”
“You are giving me too much credit, sir. I know nothing about your past dealings with either the lady or the gentlemen, and in truth, I do not feel comfortable speaking on this subject. It is not my custom to invade others’ privacy.”
“Then you are not aware that Lady Cassandra was supposed to marry my brother?”
Elizabeth looked at him in utter surprise—not only from the revelation but from his impropriety in persisting with a matter about which she had just suggested she was uncomfortable.
“No, I am not, sir. And as I said, I would rather not discuss it. I am sure Lady Cassandra herself will tell me anything she would like me to know. As for the rest, I do not require additional details from other sources.” Although her voice was rather harsh, Lord Markham did not appear disturbed.
“Oh, but Miss Bennet, you should consider that people like Lady Cassandra are not always inclined to share their affairs with others, especially those whose consequence in life is beneath them. In fact, I cannot help wondering how she came to be on such friendly terms with Bingley and accept the invitation to Netherfield for such an extended period of time.”
The nerve of this man! “Pray tell me, Lord Markham, what do you mean by, ‘people like Lady Cassandra’? You, sir, as the son of an earl, are certainly one of the people like Lady Cassandra, and you seem more than willing to share your affairs with me—not to mention that you accepted the invitation to Netherfield as well and are not even on friendly terms with the master of the house. Then again, being an intimate friend of Miss Bingley, your reason is quite understandable.”
She threw him a sharp glance, her eyebrow rising inquiringly. She knew she was being impertinent, and if he felt offended, all the better. Perhaps he would leave her and return to Miss Bingley, who was speaking animatedly in another corner of the room, apparently oblivious to their conversation.
A strange, disconcerting smile twisted his lips. “Miss Bennet, you are an astonishing woman! Your wit is a perfect match to your beauty, and it is as much a pleasure to watch you as to talk to you!”
“Thank you, sir. You are too kind,” she replied, equally amused and annoyed.
“I am only being honest, Miss Bennet. I am sure you did not fail to notice my admiration for you when we met in town. Since that moment, I have been wishing to see you again, and the opportunity fortunately arose when I received the invitation to Netherfield. In fact, you are the main reason for my presence here!”
The shock of his words left her speechless, and for a few moments, she looked at him in disbelief.
“I thank you, sir,” she said wearily, “but let us not forget you are here at the particular invitation of Miss Bingley! Now if you would excuse me, I should like to speak to my sister.”
“Miss Bennet— She turned toward him, but to Elizabeth’s relief, Miss Bingley seemed at length to remember her interests and walked in their direction with great determination.
Elizabeth smiled at her briefly with cold politeness and then moved past her.
She joined her sister’s group and tried listening to their conversation about the ball, but her concentration was deeply disturbed.
A few minutes later as Bingley spoke with the colonel, Lady Cassandra approached Elizabeth and whispered, “Miss Bennet, what is the matter? I saw you talking to Markham, and you seem unwell!”
Elizabeth blushed in embarrassment and then looked around her, afraid someone else might hear her. “There is nothing really, your ladyship; no need to distress yourself.”
“Miss Bennet! Everything that involves Markham means distress, so please indulge me!”
Not even at the beginning of their acquaintance had Lady Cassandra spoken with such a demanding tone; she became conscious of her rudeness and added in a low voice, “Miss Bennet, please accept my apologies. I had no right to address you in such a manner! But my curiosity has good cause: Markham is not to be trusted, and for somebody unaware of his true character, he can be dangerous.”
“Lady Cassandra, there is no need to apologise. I understand you meant well. Please be assured I have no intention of trusting Lord Markham. You are right; I was distressed because of him. But really—he is more ridiculous than dangerous.”
Lady Cassandra looked at her quizzically, and Elizabeth smiled, mortified. “Oh well—if you like, I will tell you. In fact, I would rather have somebody to tell because it is quite entertaining.”
“Then please, do tell me.” Lady Cassandra’s voice held no trace of amusement.
“Well, it appears Lord Markham was rather enchanted by my charms when we met in London, and he came here mostly to see me! Can you imagine anything more ridiculous? And he confessed it to me here! Poor Miss Bingley! Though, on the other hand, the situation could be dangerous. I am sure Miss Bingley would kill me if she discovered the truth!” She anticipated her companion’s laughter.
Lady Cassandra’s frown persisted. “Miss Bennet, did he say anything else?”
“No, he did not! In fact, he had no time, as I walked away from him.”
“Very well; you must promise me that, if he bothers you again, you will tell the colonel.”
“Oh, come now. Your ladyship must not worry; I am able to take care of myself. After all, I did handle Mr Collins remarkably well. Nothing can be worse.”
∞∞∞
Another hour passed, and Jane showed no inclination to leave. In the meantime, Elizabeth managed to regain her spirits and was more indulgent of her sister’s delay. It appeared that Jane could not bear to depart from her betrothed, and Elizabeth understood completely.
Miss Bingley exhibited little civility, continually indicating to the Longbourn guests that they should leave. She mentioned loudly and often that she felt quite tired and was tempted to retire, but she would not leave as long as Lord Markham remained in the salon.
Lord Markham, on the other hand, spent most of his time enjoying Mr Bingley’s brandy.
He tried several times to talk to Elizabeth but with little success.
Elizabeth remained close to Lady Cassandra and her sister—not because she had taken Lady Cassandra’s warning seriously but because she did not want to provoke a scandal.
Miss Bingley would surely have become furious if she suspected anyone were interfering between herself and her “suitor.”
When Lady Cassandra rejoined Jane and Bingley in their conversation, Elizabeth took the opportunity to slip out of the house into the fresh, cool, late September air.
It had rained the previous night, and the ground was muddy.
She laughed to herself, remembering her appearance at Netherfield the previous autumn after walking three miles as well as Darcy’s surprise.
Unconsciously, her steps took her to the precise place where she met him after climbing over a stile and landing in a mud puddle.
Now she could see clearly—with the eyes of her mind—the expression on his face the moment they faced each other.
Poor William, how I shocked him, she thought, missing him painfully.
The night was starless, and Elizabeth could barely see where she was walking. She turned to admire the sight of Netherfield and decided to return to the house as the night chill was making her shiver.
She recoiled, however, her heart pounding, when she noticed the shadow of a man mere inches away.
“Miss Bennet, forgive me for startling you—
“Lord Markham! Indeed, you startled me, sir. Excuse me; I must return to the house this instant.”
“Miss Bennet, please, just a moment…I noticed you have avoided me the entire evening, and I cannot bear the thought that you will not speak to me! Have I upset you in any way?”
She hesitated for a moment and then decided to behave normally; after all, he was an educated man of the world, and he could understand reason. The situation had become ridiculous beyond belief.
“Lord Markham, I am not upset with you; I have no reason to be. But you must understand my surprise, sir, when I heard your earlier statement. You are in my soon-to-be brother’s house; he trusts you and treats you with respect.
You must know everybody suspects you have an interest in Miss Bingley, and unless you utterly and publicly contradict that, you are expected to behave accordingly. ”
“So, if I declare I have absolutely no design on Miss Bingley, you would accept my attentions?”
“I said nothing of the kind. Sir, we met only once a couple of months ago. I do not think you can have any serious design on me, either. Let us put the matter aside this instant.”