Chapter 13
In the midst of the din of greetings and introductions, Elizabeth’s eyes were reluctantly drawn towards Darcy. Tall and silent, his steady gaze rested upon Elizabeth, warming her more than the heat of the day.
“Forgive us for this impromptu visit,” Jane said, embracing Lady Kendal, then her two sisters. “We do not want to intrude, so we shall not stay long. But Anne and Georgiana came to see me, then we stopped at my parents’ house, and we decided to come and greet you too. Only briefly.”
“It is no intrusion, my dear. We are happy to see you all. Please come in,” Lady Kendal said.
They all entered the parlour and each took a comfortable seat.
Anne and Georgiana sat together on a sofa.
Again, Darcy chose a distant chair, behind his cousin and sister, while the colonel sat close to Elizabeth.
Sitting near Lady Kendal, Mary was slightly uncomfortable with the presence of people she did not know.
“Where is Philip? Is he resting?” Bingley asked, holding his wife’s hand tenderly.
“Sea bathing,” Lady Kendal said. “It will be a little while before he joins us. But if you are in no hurry and can wait, he would be pleased to see you, I am sure.”
“Perhaps on another day,” the colonel said. “We have some engagements later today. At least Darcy and I do. We only wished to see Miss Bennet. And you all, of course.”
Darcy’s silence and aloofness distressed Elizabeth instead of calming her.
He said nothing, but she felt his gaze on her, and his mere presence stirred her senses.
By contrast, the colonel’s amiable manners and his flirtatious conversation steadied Elizabeth and put her at ease.
With the colonel, she never felt anxious or nervous.
His presence always gave her comfort, while Darcy’s nearness had troubled her from the beginning of their acquaintance.
“Miss Bennet, we had the pleasure of meeting your family today,” the colonel said.
“Indeed, they are so warm and welcoming,” Georgiana agreed.
“It must have been a joy to grow up with so many sisters,” Anne added.
“I am sure they were delighted to make your acquaintance, too,” Elizabeth said. “You both look lovely. I assume you like Brighton,” she addressed Darcy’s sister and cousin.
“You look beautiful too,” Anne said. “You are slightly tanned, but it is very becoming on you.”
Elizabeth blushed. “I am tanned, and I imagine I shall become even more so, as I enjoy taking long walks on the beach. Imagine! We have only been here three days. I fear I shall look appalling by the end of the summer. I must remember to protect my face from the sun. I must, but I doubt I shall,” she said in jest.
“That cannot be,” the colonel contradicted her. “Tanned or not, you always look charming.”
“How very kind of you to say so. Of course, I am perfectly aware you use the same skilful compliments with the other ladies you know,” Elizabeth teased him.
“Mr Collins used to do the same,” Anne interjected. Elizabeth looked at her in surprise; she had never heard Anne ridiculing anyone so directly. Then both began to laugh, while the colonel looked somewhat disconcerted.
“Well, I shall hardly recover after being informed that I share some similarities with Mr Collins,” he said, much to the others’ amusement.
“Oh, you are completely different from Mr Collins,” Mary said in such complete earnest, and the laughter increased.
With much seriousness, the colonel moved towards Mary and brought her hand to his lips with formal politeness.
“Thank you for defending my character, Miss Mary. It seems no other does.”
Mary’s face turned red while she stared at the colonel, so dumbfounded she could find nothing to say in return.
“So, I have heard of a Mr Collins and a Mr Wickham recently. Should I ask more about either of them?” Lady Kendal enquired.
Elizabeth stole a glance at Darcy, and briefly met his eyes, noticing his perturbation. She then looked at Georgiana, who had paled at Mr Wickham’s name. Elizabeth smiled at the young girl, then replied to her ladyship.
“Mr Wickham was an officer who was stationed with his regiment in Meryton for a few months. He was a close acquaintance of our family for a short while. Sadly, he proved unworthy of our friendship, so we did not miss his presence when he left Hertfordshire. There is nothing else to be said about him.”
“He is a scoundrel of the worst sort, that is all I shall add about him,” the colonel said.
“He was very handsome,” Mary added, much to the astonishment of those around her. She realised what she had said and turned crimson, mumbling, “That is what Kitty and Lydia said.”
“Miss Bennet described the situation accurately,” Darcy interjected, surprising Elizabeth. Their eyes met and held for another moment, while he addressed the room. “There is nothing else to be said about Wickham.”
Being completely oblivious to any past dealings with Wickham, the statement amused Lady Kendal exceedingly. She imagined the man was a handsome rascal who had trifled with the Bennet girls’ affection.
“And Mr Collins?” Her ladyship enquired.
“Mr Collins, Papa’s cousin, is a clergyman and is married to our dear friend, Charlotte Lucas. Mr Collins’s parish is near Rosings, Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s estate,” Elizabeth explained.
“Mr Collins is quite a character! But we are ready to forgive his flaws, as that is how we met Miss Bennet,” the colonel added. “She was staying with her friend Mrs Collins when Darcy and I visited Aunt Catherine at Easter. A most fortunate coincidence.”
Elizabeth smiled apprehensively and instinctively looked at Darcy again.
“Most fortuitous,” Anne de Bourgh agreed.
“I believe I have seen Rosings once. A beautiful property with an impressive park,” Lady Kendal declared.
“Very handsome,” Elizabeth said.
“Thank you. Your ladyship has a wonderful property here too,” Anne uttered. “A perfect combination of greenery, shadow, sun, sea, and shingle. Simply lovely. But best of all is the privacy, the peace, the silence. So comforting compared with the bustle of other places in Brighton.”
“It is perfect indeed,” Georgiana agreed.
“I confess we like it too, as does Elizabeth,” Lady Kendal stated.
“Brighton is so busy that it may become tiresome,” Jane said.
“Especially the beach during the day. Lydia and Kitty have found a place for sea bathing. Mama and Aunt Gardiner are both pleased with it. They are excited about the tumult and the bustle of people and horses. The children are thrilled too. But for me, it was too crowded.”
“We shall find a more secluded place for the three of you,” Bingley promised his wife. “Darcy and I shall enquire later today.”
“Surely you know that you may come here anytime,” Lady Kendal offered.
“We do not have enough rooms to accommodate many more guests, but there are two more available. You may come early in the morning and spend the day with us. You could sea bathe, then come in to rest, enjoy a cup of tea with us and return home in the afternoon. We have hired enough dippers to assist us all.”
“Oh, that is so generous of you,” Jane said, exchanging glances with Anne and Georgiana.
“Not at all, I assure you. We would enjoy your company. And you will have all the privacy you need. Philip is using one of the machines now and we have another one available.”
“That would be a perfect arrangement!” Bingley cried.
“Perhaps we would not bother you every day, but it would be lovely,” Jane agreed.
“Lady Kendal, we are truly thankful for such a kind offer,” Anne added. “As the doctor recommended sea bathing for me, having the chance to do so without any intrusive eyes would be a blessing. We gladly accept your kind offer, if you are in earnest.”
“My dear, let us not discuss this any longer. You are welcome in our home at any time,” Lady Kendal concluded.
Although pleased with the prospect of her friends and sister’s company, Elizabeth was apprehensive about the proposal.
She cast another glance at Darcy, who remained withdrawn in the corner, silent and pensive. His countenance showed nothing of his opinion; he seemed somehow lost in his thoughts, apparently oblivious to the conversation.
“We should leave now,” Colonel Fitzwilliam declared. “As I already mentioned, I am afraid we do have a previous engagement.”
“We shall await the ladies tomorrow morning,” Lady Kendal said.
“And we are looking forward to seeing you at dinner tomorrow evening. Would six o’clock be convenient for you?” Jane asked animatedly. “It will be a lovely dinner, I promise you!”
“We shall discuss more of this when we meet again,” Lady Kendal said conciliatorily.
The guests prepared to leave, and Elizabeth had not exchanged a single word with Darcy. He only bowed to them and left, leaving her distressed and heavy-hearted, wondering why he came if he was determined not to speak to her—or anyone.
When Philip eventually returned to the house, he was informed of the visit and the plan that the ladies would be sea bathing the following morning. His acceptance was readily expressed, especially after his grandmother spoke most approvingly about both Anne and Georgiana.
Before changing for dinner, Elizabeth took another stroll on the beach. To her surprise, Lady Kendal joined her.
“It was lovely to receive our guests today,” Lady Kendal said. “And very considerate of them to come all this way to greet us so soon after their arrival in town.”
“Yes, very considerate.”
“You and Colonel Fitzwilliam appear to be good friends. He seems to admire you,” her ladyship continued.
“The colonel is one of the most amiable men I know and always pleasant company. He is the sort of person whose presence everybody favours.”
“I imagine he is. It is unfortunate, as a second son, he does not have the freedom to marry where he chooses,” Lady Kendal said.