21. Staying Indefinitely
Chapter 21
Staying Indefinitely
W hile the Bennet sisters ate at home, Darcy spent his evening in another fashion.
When Mr. Darcy dressed for his dinner with Mr. Thornton, Mr. Jefferson entered to tell him that he got a letter from Mr. Bingley.
To be on time, Darcy ordered the letter to be placed in his coat. When he finished dressing, he had his carriage brought round to the front of the hotel.
On his way to Marlborough Mills, Darcy opened the letter and began to read it. The contents of the letter made him smile.
Dear Darcy,
All is forgiven. You were looking at after my welfare, and I appreciate that. I do not deny that I wish that you had hadn’t interfered, for it may have marred my chances with her. But since you have informed me that she has no romantic prospects, perhaps she can forgive me as well.
I will never begrudge you, Darcy, for being a gra—great friend. You know me; when I choi choose to do something, it is done in the work of of a moment. If this letter precedes me, then know that I shall be at Milton by next Monday.
Look forward to my coming, for I shall check in at the hotel by then and I will need you to call on me for when I need to find Miss Bennet. I shall need your help. I know that I shall have it.
C. Bingley
Darcy closed the letter, not surprised at seeing some words scratched out in it. All was beginning to be put to rights. Now he only needed to clear his name with Miss Elizabeth. He would begin again tomorrow.
When he arrived at Thornton’s house for dinner, Mrs. Thornton was happy to see him, but it was Fanny Thornton who was very much the happiest.
“How lovely your cravat is arranged,” she complimented him.
“Thank you, Miss Thornton,” Darcy responded.
“How rarely we see men dressed in such an aesthetic way.”
“Thank you. You are looking lovely this evening.”
“Thank you.” She chuckled. “I send away for all the latest fashions from London. I firmly believe that I cannot go to London, so I had darn well better dress like I was on my way there.”
“Still a desire to see London?”
“Always. I still have not been to London, and it hurts. Believe me, Mr. Darcy, if you lived in such a dirty and smoky place, you wouldn’t be able to wait to leave. Especially if you were delicate, such as myself. Yes, I am very delicate. And I am sure that all this smoke is not beneficial to my health.”
“Let’s all sit down to dinner now,” Mr. Thornton responded, to put an end to Fanny’s talks about her health.
As they sat down, Mr. Darcy was able to inspect Mrs. Thornton, and saw that nothing was anything else but customary. She wore the same handsome dress in stout black silk, of which not a thread was worn or discolored. When Fanny had been talking, she was mending a long tablecloth of the finest texture, holding it up against the light occasionally to discover thin places, which required her delicate care.
Everything in the room, as always, was perfectly in place. But it was all still, and there was nothing feminine about it. Such a contrast to the Bennet residence, which was small, entirely feminine, but not being against the male touch.
As they ate, Mrs. Thornton asked Darcy how much longer they would have the pleasure of his company. There was no emotion when she said this, but Darcy knew that no offense was given. Mrs. Thornton was happy that he was there. It merely wasn’t her habit to display emotion, even when she felt it.
“At the moment,” Darcy answered, “I plan to stay indefinitely, until I have fulfilled my purpose in coming.”
“And what is your purpose?” Miss Thornton asked.
“Fanny,” Mrs. Thornton chided, “it is not our right to inquire.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Thornton. Miss Thornton, my purpose in coming is innocent and is merely the desire to reconnect with an acquaintance of mine who I wish to assist in her recovery.”
“What lady?” Fanny asked. Her spirit was alight. She had hoped, deep down, that Mr. Darcy might have been referring to herself. Imagine her disappointment when the truth will out!
“A Miss Elizabeth Bennet, from Longbourn.”
“Oh,” Fanny replied, looking a little disappointed. Although her expression soon shifted to one of familiarity. “Jane’s sister?”
“Yes.”
“Bennet!” Thornton gasped.
“John?” Mrs. Thornton questioned.
“Nothing, Mother. I just recalled something. I saw Miss Elizabeth Bennet today.”
“Did you?” Darcy asked.
“Yes. When I visited Mr. Hale. She was Miss Hale’s company.”
“You’ve spoken a lot about Mr. Hale since you met him, John,” Mrs. Thornton responded. Then she turned to Mr. Darcy. “To the point where he wishes for us to pay a visit.”
“It is merely out of friendship,” Thornton responded, “I admire Mr. Hale. He is a gentleman and I feel an ease around him. And his wife and daughter are ladies.”
Mrs. Thornton’s eye turned weary. Ah! A mother who was worried about her son being taken in.
“Do they teach too?” she asked. “What do they do? You have never mentioned them.”
“No, they do not teach. I have never seen Mrs. Hale, but I have only met Miss Hale twice and each time was less than half an hour.”
“Take care you don’t get caught by a penniless girl, John.”
Her mother bit into her food and Darcy could not help being interested in this discussion. After all, he had given Bingley the same advice that Mrs. Thornton was giving her son. And now he was encouraging the match. How the tides had turned!
“I am not easily caught, Mother,” Thornton responded, “as I think you know. But I must not have Miss Hale spoken of in that way, which, you know, is offensive to me. I never was aware of any young lady trying to catch me yet, nor do I believe that anyone has ever given themselves that useless trouble.”
“Well! I only say, take care. Perhaps our Milton girls have too much spirit and good feeling to go angling after husbands. But this Miss Hale comes out of the aristocratic counties, where, if all tales be true, rich husbands are reckoned prizes.”
Darcy scratched his chin, thinking of Elizabeth. He had found the one woman in England who did not view him as a prize.
Thornton clearly looked disconcerted by his mother’s comment.
“Mother,” he replied, laughing a little, “you will make me confess. The only times that I saw Miss Hale, she treated me with a strong flavor of contempt in it. She held herself over me as if she had been a queen, and I’m an offending vassal. I am safe from her, and you may rest easy.”
“No, I may not rest easy, nor be content either. What business had she, a renegade clergyman’s daughter, to turn up her nose at you? I would dress for none of them—a saucy set! And I only visit for your own wishes, John, and nothing more.”
Fanny laughed at this.
“Mr. Hale is good, and gentle and learned,” Thornton objected. “He is not saucy.”
“But Miss Hale despises you? Humph! I should like to know why. I am your mother, yes, but I can see what’s what, and not be blinded by favoritism. You are nobler than any other man this Miss Hale would ever find. Despise you? I hate her for it.”
Mr. Darcy’s eyes widened, and he continued to eat his food. Rather, he was secretly amused, and so was Thornton.
“First, Miss Hale is guilty for taking a fancy to me,” Thornton observed, “and now she is guilty for not taking a fancy to me.” He laughed. “Mama, what can she do that will have you forgive her?”
“Like you,” Mrs. Thornton responded, “but understand that she has no right to do anything about it. It is simple.”
Thornton and Darcy exchanged a look: both saw the humor in this.
After dinner, the gentlemen separated and went to the other room, to speak. While there, Darcy took advantage of this opportunity.
“Thornton, I must ask a favor of you.”
“What?”
“I do not know for how long I shall remain in Milton, but I know that it would be longer than I would like. And it is longer than I would prefer to remain at a hotel. I was wondering, if you wouldn’t mind, can I pay you rent and remain here at Marlborough Mills?”
“Oh, Darcy, that is the request?”
“Yes.”
“I cannot ask you to pay rent. You must be my guest.”
“That is why I didn’t ask you, but I offered it. You are a manufacturer. The last thing you need is a rich man living off you. Once I have your acceptance, I am going to offer my payments to Mrs. Thornton. Your mother is a practical woman; she will accept my fees.”
“Yes, mama would do that. My practical mother!”
“Yes.”
“Darcy, I must ask. Your staying so long…would it have to do with the Bennet sisters?”
“Yes. One in particular.”
“Miss Elizabeth?”
“Yes.”
Mr. Thornton sat down, rubbing his eyes. This did not escape Darcy’s notice.
“Thornton, what is that look for?”
“Like I said, I met her.”
“Yes.” Darcy was adept at reading into Thornton’s expressions and looking past his stern gaze. After all, Darcy’s face moved in the same fashion. “Thornton, what did you do?”
“I met her twice, while she was with her friend, Miss Hale.”
“Yes.”
“And I firmly believe that both women might despise me.”
“Despise you?”
“Yes.”
“Whatever for?”
“I believe that… I made a bad second impression. After the first bad impression.”
It was now Mr. Darcy’s turn to rub his eyes. It was as if Thornton had found Darcy’s own secret shame and began to share it.
“Oh,” Darcy responded, and he sat down next to Thornton. “Very well. Tell me what happened.”
Thornton told Darcy everything.