Chapter 13 #2
“I am well. And you? Was your journey pleasant?”
“Yes, perfectly uneventful. We made excellent time,” he replied.
She nodded and continued looking at the ground.
“Is there nothing you wish to say? No questions for me?”
She could tell by the look on his face what sort of questions he had in mind. Would that dratted letter follow her forever? “No sir, I said I would say no more about it, and I shan’t.”
“Truly?”
“A lady keeps her word, sir,” she said, slightly offended.
“Very well, then. But please allow me to say, Elizabeth, I have the greatest faith in our felicity. We are well suited, truly, and I can assure you I will be the best of husbands to you. You will have no cause to repine.”
She blushed at the ardent look on his face. “Neither shall you.”
He smiled, nodded, and tucked her arm into his.
“Do you have many engagements this week?” he asked.
“Not many, no. We are due at a neighbor’s for tea and cards this evening, and there is an assembly Thursday. I am sure you will not be expected to attend. Where are you staying?”
“At the Dorcester.”
“I’ve heard it’s beautiful inside.”
“Yes, it is.” He paused and looked down at her. “I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.
She took it awkwardly and thanked him.
“Aren’t you going to open it?” he asked.
She smiled uneasily and pulled the top off the small box. Inside were two shining blue hair combs. They were very pretty and not gaudy, thankfully, but neither were they a style she favored.
“Thank you, it’s very kind of you. It really isn’t necessary to buy me gifts.”
“I enjoy giving them to you.” He waited for her to extol the virtues of the gift and by extension, himself, but the words never came. She slid the small box into the pocket of her dress and continued walking as if nothing had just occurred between them.
Darcy was confused.
“I made the mistake of bringing bread for the birds once,” she said. “I was completely surrounded. I had to hurry back to the house.” She laughed as she told the story and he smiled tightly.
Is she really not going to say anything at all?
They continued on in silence, him deciding not to think about the gift anymore and her looking towards the water with a distant look on her face. After a lengthy silence, Darcy spoke.
“Would your mother allow you to stay behind this evening? I assume your younger sisters will remain?”
“I do not know. Kitty was going to accompany us this evening to visit with the daughter of the house. Lydia is not much of a chaperone,” she said awkwardly.
“Your father will not mind. I shall speak to him when we return,” he said decidedly.
She was shocked by his presumption, but quickly dismissed the feeling.
Why should she be shocked? Had he not always done what pleased him exactly when it pleased him and expected everyone to go along with his plan?
Even his own cousin had been at Mr. Darcy’s mercy.
If a colonel in His Majesty’s army and the son of an earl was no proof against his high-handedness, what chance had she?
She, merely a Miss Bennet of Longbourn, a small estate in the country.
How could she expect him to consider her in his plans?
How could she expect him to allow her to make decisions as simple as whether she would stay home or go out?
She took a deep breath and said, “I do not know if my mother can spare me this evening, though I’m sure you would be welcome to join us if you’d like.” Though they are likely too low for you to suffer their company.
“I do not desire company after a journey, but I thank you for the invitation.”
Then why do you not stay alone? Why insist on my company? Oh, that’s right! I am no longer ‘company’, but will soon be simply an extension of yourself. Of course! How could I have been so silly!
She nodded and walked on, stopping to pick up a smooth stone and hurl it into the water.
Darcy watched her silently for several minutes, an odd feeling intruding on his notice.
He could not place what it was exactly, but Elizabeth seemed unhappy.
Why? They had been getting along so well in their letters.
He’d convinced himself her attempt to cry off had simply been bridal jitters and maidenly fears.
Clearly she was growing more accustomed to him, or so she seemed in her letters.
In person, she was still a bit uneasy, but was that not to be expected after a month’s separation and the eventful time they were in?
She would grow used to his presence in time, just like she had grown used to him in their correspondence.
He just needed to continue to show her affection and kindness and she would grow in ease and affection for him.
By now they had turned back and were nearing the path to the Bennet cottage. He caught her hand as she turned away to go up the stone steps leading away from the shore.
“Elizabeth?”
“Yes?”
He squeezed her hand. “Know that I will do anything within my power to make you comfortable—I will do anything for your happiness. You must know this.”
She nodded and smiled just a little, then looked ahead and quickened her pace.
After speaking briefly with her father, Darcy went to his hotel and Elizabeth sat down with a book before preparing for dinner.
Mrs. Bennet had invited Darcy to join them, of course, and he had readily agreed.
He had spoken with her father. After dinner, the remainder of her family would go to the neighbors for cards while she and Mr. Darcy stayed behind with Lydia.
The latter was not in any way a deterrent to the couple spending time alone together, and Mr. Darcy seemed very pleased with his achievement while Elizabeth felt mildly queasy.
She did not know that her father could hardly say no to Mr. Darcy, knowing that his family would be entirely in the young man’s power in a matter of months.
Mr. Bennet wished for Mr. Darcy to think of his family with affection and ease, as accommodating and kind people, not as cantankerous fathers and difficult relations.
Darcy was exactly what he had been looking for.
A trifle serious perhaps, but that was not necessarily a bad thing.
He had enough money to take care of his favorite well and to take care of his widow if it came to it.
He would expose the family to a wider circle of acquaintance and the connection would ensure better marriages for the other girls.
Darcy was measured, intelligent, and not afraid of difficult tasks, something that would serve him well in his marriage and in raising his own children.
Bennet also thought it would be very useful once he was gone, since he did not trust Mrs. Bennet to keep Lydia in line.
The young girl had improved immensely, but she was still wild at heart, and he knew as soon as the firm hand was removed, she would revert to her previous ways.
He hoped the impression was lasting and that it would not change easily, but he was too realistic to believe that would come to pass.
Mr. Darcy was an answer to a most fervent prayer. He could be nothing but grateful. He hoped his daughter would realize it in time.
Darcy headed to the Bennet cottage shortly after changing for dinner.
His plan was to help Elizabeth to know him better and thereby set her at ease about their impending marriage.
He was sure that once she felt more comfortable with him, the idea of sharing his life would be one that made her happy instead of trepidatious.
He was still insulted she had tried to end the engagement—what man wouldn’t be?
But he was wise enough to know that what he loved about her was her energy and liveliness and that if she was frightened of him, or of the idea of marriage with him, those qualities would diminish.
So he set about making her easy with him.
Dinner came before Elizabeth was prepared to face her betrothed, but she had no choice in the matter.
Time marched on, and so did Mrs. Bennet.
She made Elizabeth try on no fewer than three dresses before settling on the first that Elizabeth had chosen before her mother’s intrusion.
Her hair was curled, plaited, and woven into an intricate style that was much too fancy for a family dinner at home.
After her mother left the room, having given her daughter extensive instructions on how to behave when Mr. Darcy arrived and all the things she must not say, Elizabeth accidentally pulled several of the pins out of her hair and Jane had to help her put it back up in a much simpler style.
The two eldest Bennet sisters stepped into the drawing room just as Mr. Darcy’s carriage pulled into the drive, leaving Mrs. Bennet only a few moments to glare at and berate her second daughter, though it must be said that she was significantly less strident than she had been in the past.
Mr. Darcy entered the room to curtseys from the five Bennet women present and a shallow bow from Mr. Bennet.
Mrs. Bennet stepped forward to greet him. “Welcome, Mr. Darcy. Please, sit here next to Elizabeth. She looks charming tonight, does she not?”
“Yes, she does.” He smiled and sat between Elizabeth and her mother.
“That dress is particularly becoming, don’t you think? Elizabeth has excellent taste in colors. She always chooses just the right one to flatter her complexion.”
Darcy caught Elizabeth’s eye for a moment and she had to bite her cheek to stifle a smirk. Darcy winked at her and turned to her mother. “A talent she gets from her mother, no doubt.”
“Oh, Mr. Darcy, you are too kind.” She tittered and began a conversation with Jane, her motherly duties complete for the moment.
Darcy faced Elizabeth and smiled. “How are you this evening, Elizabeth?”
She was still a little startled from his having winked at her. Mr. Darcy, winking! “I am well, Mr. Darcy.” He raised a brow. “Fitzwilliam,” she added quietly.