Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
After the special birthday breakfast, Darcy ordered his carriage and informed Bingley that he would see Miss Elizabeth home. “Would you like to come with me for an early call at Longbourn?”
“I very much would like that!” Bingley enthused. Darcy promised Elizabeth that he would hasten to change his clothing—at long last, after that vigorous ride and messy rescue.
Before he left the room, Darcy murmured into Elizabeth’s ear, “Do you need any assistance, other than Sally’s—or even a bag large enough to carry anything that is still damp—before we go back to Longbourn?”
Elizabeth’s smile was accompanied by a blush, and as usual Darcy found it incredible that her loveliness had no bounds. He often thought, as he gazed at her, that there could be nobody in the world more alluring—but then she would somehow manage to look even more desirable.
She said, “I am certain that Sally and I have everything under control.” She asked Bingley to call for Sally’s assistance as Darcy hurried up the stairs.
When Elizabeth, Sally, Bingley, and Darcy arrived at Longbourn, and Elizabeth started to go to her room to change, Darcy asked to speak to Mr Bennet.
Darcy stiffened when Elizabeth’s mother started to squeal excited hopes, but Elizabeth immediately swished down again to put a stop to her mother’s exclamations.
“Do not be silly, Mama. A serious incident occurred today, as you know from the note we sent earlier, but it has nothing to do with romance or matrimony.”
Darcy wanted to slap himself out of his own irrationality, because the second Mrs Bennet began to hope for declarations and proposals, Darcy had felt that familiar feeling of I shall not be trapped by expectations and machinations, but then, when Elizabeth denied that the subject of the conference would include declarations or proposals, he felt annoyance that she seemed to think love and marriage could never exist between Darcys and Bennets.
He was shown into Mr Bennet’s bookroom, however, and he made himself focus on the task at hand.
“Mr Darcy,” Elizabeth’s father said as he stood and nodded to Darcy’s bow. “I gather this is about the morning’s excitement?”
“Sir, I am certain that Miss Elizabeth will want to relay to you all the particulars, but I feel honour-bound to address the topic as well.”
As simply as he could, Darcy told Elizabeth’s father about the near-drowning and the two-part rescue.
“Sir,” he said, “I am certain that the Ackermans will not be gossiping inappropriately about this event. Naturally, they are very grateful both to your courageous daughter and to me. But… you know how it is. One of the younger children could forget himself and say something to another child. Or a neighbour could have spotted Elizabeth, Betty, and me traveling to the Ackerman house. I felt I had to hurry, as it was a very cold morning even for those who were not wet through. At any rate, there could be talk, and if there is, whatever story is told could grow and change and spread.”
Mr Bennet sighed, removed his spectacles to wipe them clean, and put them back on.
“You are most concerned because you could have been seen together on horseback, and with a certain amount of dishabille, if the person who saw you did not realise the enormous danger that should excuse a shared mount and some undress?”
“Exactly. I think it is possible that there could be some gossip around the incident. But it is unlikely, I believe, because if anyone was near enough to see such, they would certainly have been coming to your daughter’s aid, would they not?”
Mr Bennet said, “I neglected to say thank you, sir. My daughters are precious to me, particularly Lizzy, and I am very grateful for your actions.”
Darcy waved that off. “Of course, sir. However, it is only what any gentleman would do.”
Mr Bennet showed his scepticism of that statement, and Darcy wanted to smile in acknowledgement that he had been sceptical when Elizabeth had used similar words at the Ackermans’ cottage.
But although he intended to smile more in almost every circumstance, Darcy knew that this conversation was not such a situation.
He was about to assure Mr Bennet that he would do the honourable thing, if gossip erupted, and that he was, in fact, interested in courting Elizabeth if she would have him.
However, Darcy’s lifelong habit of considering what he would say before even opening his mouth ended up to his disadvantage, this time.
Mr Bennet said, “You need not worry, Mr Darcy. Lizzy will not attempt to force you into a marriage, and I will not, either.”
Darcy put up his hand. “Sir, it never occurred to me that either of you would make such an attempt. I was about to say that, entirely separate from this incident, I had realised that I wished to court Miss Elizabeth with the goal of marriage. I have not had time to seek her approval of such, and I would not wish her to agree to my calls out of a sense of obligation in regards to today’s events. ”
Mr Bennet studied Darcy with an intensity he had never seen in the gentleman before.
Darcy continued, “I thought it best to apprise you of my intentions, in case there is gossip, and as I seek to ascertain Miss Elizabeth’s willingness to accept my attentions.”
“Well. That is… good of you. I am not certain if I can give you any response, however, until I speak to Lizzy.” He nodded, seeming to have become confident in his course, and he said, “Would you be so good as to send her in?”
“Certainly, sir.” He took his leave with another bow.
As Darcy approached Longbourn’s parlour, he cringed at two overly loud voices, one of which was distinctly whiny.
But he reminded himself to be civil to the people Elizabeth loved.
He was happy to see that Elizabeth was in the parlour, looking for all the world as if a sodden rescue had never occurred.
Her fresh, clean gown was dark green, which made her eyes look greener than he had ever seen them.
He crossed the room and said in a low voice, “Your father would like to talk with you.”
“Thank you, sir. I think I should warn you that I have already related the entire saga of your heroism, so be prepared for much flattery!”
“Horrors!” he said with a smile.
Everyone in the room fell silent, and Darcy saw that everyone except Bingley stared at him. Darcy was certain that, with all the whining and wailing going on, nobody could have heard what Elizabeth and he had said at such low volume, so, was the thunderous silence on account of his smile?
Dammit! Everyone must see me as a complete curmudgeon.
Elizabeth, of course, enjoyed the moment. Her eyes sparkled with mirth, and she said to her family, “Yes, of course he can smile. I just told you all how entirely competent Mr Darcy is at rescue and resuscitation. Could you think he did not know how to smile?”
“I supposed he knew how,” said Miss Lydia, “but I never could have supposed how devastatingly handsome he is when he smiles!”
Elizabeth chuckled but blushed, as well, as she remonstrated, “Lydia!”
Darcy knew that his cheeks were redder than Elizabeth’s. Appalled as he ever was by Miss Lydia’s boldness, he realised that he felt better about her high praise of his person than he had been about her wailing complaints, and he had to laugh at his own vanity.
“He laughs, too!” Miss Lydia exclaimed.
“Hush, Lydia,” Mrs Bennet said.
That Elizabeth’s mother spoke up against her youngest startled Darcy, and he saw that her other daughters were as surprised as he. But Elizabeth reached out her hand to him, gave his hand a little squeeze, and turned to go to her father.
Darcy, acting on impulse, brought her hand to his lips for a quick kiss.
At that, even Elizabeth stared at him. He supposed that he might have done it in an effort to communicate his intentions without having to use words.
He released her hand immediately. Elizabeth gazed into his eyes another long moment and then turned to go to the bookroom. Bingley looked utterly shocked but recovered quickly and gave Darcy a nod before turning to the imperturbable Miss Jane Bennet.
Darcy felt as if he must say something to someone—and he realised that the only person who was gracious enough to smooth over the awkwardness he always felt in groups had just left the room.
But then Miss Mary said, “Mr Darcy, I must thank you for your efforts on behalf of little Betty and our Lizzy. She told us that you, like her, had read about Dr Tossach and his method of assisting someone’s breathing.
I admire that you and she knew of it and that you tried it.
I was just now considering that I ought to read more widely.
But I must admit that I do not know in what sort of book you might have come across such a useful bit of information. ”
Darcy was surprised that Miss Mary had even spoken to him at all, let alone that she made such a long and sensible speech.
And of course, he was deeply grateful that she had saved him from his own frozen mind; it was much more difficult for him to think of a new topic to speak on than to reply to a question.
“Miss Mary, I cannot recall exactly where I read of Dr Tossach’s work, but I will say that my lifelong reading habits have afforded me a certain breadth of knowledge.
Those habits include frequently reading books found in the well-stocked libraries created by my forebears over generations and also keeping apprised of new developments by reading many new books as they are published.
I read a daily and an evening paper, whether I am in Town or at my estate—for me it is The Times and The Globe—and I also read some quarterly journals such as The Edinburgh Review and The Philosophical Magazine. ”
Miss Mary looked quite impressed, and she said, “That is quite a lot of reading, sir. You must read much more quickly than I.”