Chapter II #3
“I am curious about that myself,” replied Mr. Darcy, giving her an encouraging smile.
“Lady Anne was well regarded in Lambton.” Mrs. Gardiner smiled as memories washed over her. “She was kind and considerate to all, spoke softly, but carried herself with a quiet dignity that even a girl could recognize.”
Mrs. Gardiner reached forward and patted Georgiana’s hand. “I believe you were very much wanted, Miss Darcy. It was common knowledge in the neighborhood that your mother experienced difficulty carrying children.”
“That is true,” said Mr. Darcy, his customary impassive mask absent in favor of controlled emotion. “My mother had several miscarriages between my birth and yours. For the short time she was with us after your birth, she quite doted on you.”
“I wish I might have known her,” said Miss Darcy quietly.
“My mother also died when I was young,” said Mr. Gardiner. “Though I have a few memories of her, they are indistinct, as if they belonged to someone else. The pain of not knowing a parent is not one that ever leaves us, I think.”
“No more than the pain of losing beloved parents before their time,” murmured Mr. Darcy.
It was, Elizabeth reflected, something on which she had thought but little.
Elizabeth had an excellent relationship with her father, but her mother often exasperated her.
Yet, hearing the understated grief of those who had lost beloved family members or never known them brought everything into perspective.
Mrs. Bennet had her faults, as did they all, but Elizabeth appreciated her mother’s presence in her life.
For some time after, they continued to speak, though the subjects grew less fraught with emotion. In time, Miss Darcy asked if she might call Elizabeth by her Christian name and offered her own in exchange. When the Darcys rose to leave, the foundations of a friendship had already been laid.
“If I might,” said Georgiana as they were preparing to leave, “my brother and I should like to welcome you to Pemberley during your stay.”
“Should you enjoy fishing,” said Mr. Darcy to Mr. Gardiner, “there are some excellent locations on my property. If you are amenable, I should be happy to have you join me, and my friends would join us without hesitation.”
“I do enjoy fishing, though I seldom have the opportunity to indulge in it,” said Mr. Gardiner.
“While the gentlemen are fishing,” said Georgiana, “we can come to know each other better.”
Elizabeth considered who else was staying at Pemberley, but she elected to say nothing about Mrs. Hurst or Miss Bingley.
“And shall you not remain for dinner tomorrow?” asked Mr. Darcy.
The Gardiners shared a look. “We have an engagement tomorrow evening, Mr. Darcy,” said Mrs. Gardiner, “though we accept the afternoon invitation with gratitude. What of the following evening?”
“That is agreeable to me,” said Mr. Darcy, his sister nodding beside him.
They set the time for their visit to Pemberley, and the Darcys excused themselves amid professions of anticipation for the following day.
When they were gone, Mr. Gardiner excused himself to speak to the innkeeper about dinner, though Elizabeth did not mistake the significant look that passed between her uncle and his wife.
The moment he was gone, Mrs. Gardiner turned to her, the light of mischief in her eyes.
“This is most curious, Lizzy.”
“How so?” asked Elizabeth, feigning incomprehension.
Mrs. Gardiner regarded her for several moments before catching her hand and leading her to the sofa.
“Mr. Darcy’s behavior. A man does not bring his beloved sister to meet a lady of his acquaintance the very hour she arrives at his home without a particular motive in mind. Do you care to elaborate?”
Elizabeth found it prudent to avoid mentioning her meeting with Mr. Darcy in the street less than an hour after leaving Pemberley. “At present, there is nothing to report, Aunt.”
“Do you wish to hear my interpretation?”
Elizabeth laughed and pressed her aunt’s hands. “I rather think that I can guess your interpretation without hearing it.”
“I dare say you can, Lizzy. What I find most curious is this apparent alteration in Mr. Darcy. Did you not say that he was proud and disagreeable?”
Not wishing to speak out of turn, Elizabeth considered her words with care. “When he first came to Hertfordshire, his behavior gave me every reason to think him exactly as I described.”
“Then he has altered since then?”
“He has,” said Elizabeth. “After Kent, I understood him a little better, though he was still a puzzle. I have never seen him as open as he was today.”
Mrs. Gardiner nodded. “To what do you attribute this alteration?”
“Perhaps that he is in a location where he feels comfortable,” said Elizabeth. “Mr. Bingley once said that Mr. Darcy is more agreeable in a place in which he feels at ease.”
“Then there is nothing between you to report?” asked she.
“No, Aunt, there is not.”
Though she considered this for a moment and Elizabeth thought she would press the subject, Mrs. Gardiner relented.
“For my part, I think Mr. Darcy an excellent man. He is dignified, to be certain, but he has a certain charm that is not displeasing. Of greater importance, I suspect he has some interest in you, Lizzy. I shall not tell you how to act, but if I can give you advice, it would be not to judge the man before you entirely by the man you knew in Hertfordshire.”
“Yes, I cannot but suppose you are correct,” replied Elizabeth.
Mrs. Gardiner made no further attempt to prolong the subject, and Elizabeth was grateful for her forbearance. As it was, she had much on which to think.