Chapter 10 #2
“Are you well?” Darcy turned away from the duke and inspected her as well as he could. He had no idea when the duke had arrived, and he wondered what he had said or done before Darcy had even been aware he was near.
Elizabeth said in a soothing tone, “I am well, now.”
Darcy whirled to face the duke again as he asked, “What do you mean, sir, to come onto my estate and, instead of properly applying to the butler for entry, then speaking with me before greeting my guests or strolling in my gardens—instead of that, you just sneak onto my land and into my gardens, and then somehow you have your hands on my intended?”
The duke actually laughed. Darcy waited, arms folded, staring at the man.
Finally the duke had recovered enough to reply: “I attempted several times before this to meet your light skirt, Darcy, and you would not allow it. Apparently you are ever so anxious that I will show you for the prig that you are! Are you afraid she would break with you if I show her what pleasures a real man can offer?”
Darcy knew that duelling was illegal, and he believed that it was entirely stupid as well. How did one person injuring or killing another prove anyone’s guilt or innocence, or save anyone’s honour?
But at that moment, with his blood surging in his veins, his breath becoming swift and harsh, Darcy wanted nothing more than to call out the man who had called his Elizabeth a “light skirt.”
Gardiner stepped to Darcy’s side and simply put one hand on his arm. Darcy knew that the man must also be incensed with the duke, so he took it as a reminder to respond rationally rather than acting in anger.
It was hard to know what to do or say. The duke was almost universally despised locally, and most of the members of the ton knew him to be unpleasant and unprincipled.
Darcy wished he knew whether or not the rumours of the man’s loss of wealth were true, but even if they were not, Darcy supposed he himself might have three or four times the yearly income of the duke, although nobody outside of his bankers knew it.
But of course the duke did have the power of his title, and his family connexions were even higher than Darcy’s.
Elizabeth seemed to have no worries about power, wealth, and connexions.
She said, “I am so puzzled. Is Mr Darcy a prig who does not know how to please a woman, or is he the kind of man who would associate with a woman with loose morals, one who might be called a ‘light skirt’? Could you please explain which idea you are espousing so that we may properly be offended?”
The duke seemed taken aback. His eyes shifted from Elizabeth, who smiled calmly, to Darcy, who frowned thunderously.
The duke opened his mouth, shut it again, and darted glances at the Gardiners, Morris, and the other servants who had gathered nearby.
Darcy said, “Miss Bennet is a gentleman’s daughter.
She is a lady in all ways, and she has better manners than either you or I; to use a term that suggests that she is anything less than a respectable gentlewoman is to tear down all women everywhere.
I care not what you say of me, but do not use any further disparaging labels to refer to Miss Bennet. ”
The duke turned towards Darcy. Sticking his chest out, he said, “Oh, yes, Saint Darcy! As always, you are entirely noble and completely perfect. You have been posing as a saint in front of my people as well as yours, these days, and I hear the most ridiculous things about you now everywhere I go.”
Gardiner said, “Excuse us, my wife and I will see to our niece.” They led Elizabeth away, and when his back was turned to the duke, Gardiner mouthed, “Do not engage.”
Darcy saw that Connors was hurrying towards him again, and he supposed that whatever his butler would say may be a deliberate attempt to stop the interaction with the duke. After all, as disrespected as he was, the man still was a duke!
Connors said, “Sir, should we stall the preparations, or are you still on schedule for leaving?”
“Excuse me,” Darcy said to the duke, glad to leave the man’s presence, and he hurried to confer with Connors and Reynolds, once they reached a spot far away from the duke. He said, “We were planning to leave tomorrow, as you know; can things actually be readied in time for a departure today?”
“It might be the best thing to do, sir,” Connors said.
Mrs Reynolds nodded her agreement. “Georgiana has reported that she and Mrs Annesley are ready. And as long as all of you leave safely, we could always send anything that was forgotten later.”
“You are correct,” Darcy said. “I thank you both, as always, for your loyalty and flexibility.”
After consulting Elizabeth and the Gardiners, Darcy updated a few orders, issued a few more—such as ensuring that the duke left the estate—and then changed for the first leg of the journey to Hertfordshire.
The elevated heart rate he had felt when dealing with the duke was beginning to diminish, but Darcy was tremendously excited to so soon be on his way—with Elizabeth—to meet with her father and arrange a wedding date. At last….