Chapter Five
Elizabeth saw Mr. Darcy several times a week thereafter. Miss Darcy accompanied them occasionally, but as time passed, she limited her presence, ostensibly so her brother might court his lady without distraction.
Mr. Darcy proved to be an attentive suitor.
He brought her flowers, escorted her about Ramsgate, browsed the shops at her side, and, more importantly, came to know her through lengthy, meaningful conversation.
Elizabeth learned about his estate, Pemberley, and came to appreciate his dedication to it, and to the people who relied on his leadership.
She, in turn, told him the unvarnished truth about her family, detailing the faults and flaws of every member, from her father to her youngest sister, Lydia.
Mr. Darcy seemed incredulous at her descriptions, but she assured him they were all true.
“Then I shall be prepared when I meet them.” He patted her hand, which was looped through his arm as they strolled the paths of a little park not far from the house let to the Gardiners.
The contact, though slight, was not unnoticed.
Elizabeth became suddenly aware of the steadiness of him—of the ease with which he seemed to claim a place beside her.
“Be prepared for a cacophony, sir. You are everything my mother has wished for her daughter, though she will complain loudly my aunt and uncle did not bring Jane.” Elizabeth pitched her voice up.
“‘Oh, if only Jane had gone to Ramsgate! Elizabeth’s beauty is nothing to her sister’s and no one deserves such wealth and privilege as my Jane.
Mr. Bennet! You must make Mr. Darcy see that Elizabeth is not the woman for him.
No, sir, you had much better marry Jane. ’”
Elizabeth glanced up at Mr. Darcy to find him staring at her intensely. She faltered beneath the look, her breath catching for no reason she could readily name. There was nothing improper in his expression—and still, she could not mistake its focus.
“Is that an accurate depiction of your mother?” he asked, his voice calm and controlled.
“It is, I fear. I am her most troublesome daughter, and it will take her by surprise that I managed to secure the affections of such a wealthy man.” She sighed.
“Perhaps you will not wish to connect yourself to a family with such…disparate manners.” Mr. Darcy had, in many instances, hinted at his desire to make Elizabeth his wife.
They spoke of the future as if it were a certain thing.
“Pemberley is a long way from Hertfordshire. Perhaps we shall see your family once or twice a year.”
Elizabeth swatted at his arm. “Teasing man. My mother will certainly prevail upon you to throw her daughters in the paths of other rich men. We shall not escape the obligation so easily.”
“Then we might host them one at a time during the season.”
He sounded very sure of his plan, but Elizabeth knew her mother.
She would harangue Mr. Bennet until he agreed to transport the whole family to Derbyshire.
“Perhaps,” she ventured, “my mother would be satisfied with that…and the occasional visit to the north. And we might stay at Longbourn on our journeys south.”
“That sounds agreeable. I am sure I shall become used to the verbosity of your family in due time.” Mr. Darcy pulled her closer.
“I confess, I am unused to any chaos in my homes. Georgiana is shy, as you know, and she is much younger than me. My life has been calm and peaceful. Mayhap some liveliness will do me some good.”
This pleased Elizabeth. By his own profession, her liveliness had brightened his days considerably, lightening his mood and demeanor. They complemented each other. It was as if they were two halves of the same coin.
Darcy fell silent then, and they walked in companionable silence.
“Is there something on your mind?” she asked after a time.
“There is,” he confessed. “A neighbor has fallen on difficult circumstances. We are distantly related, on my father’s side—Mr. Langford’s father was my father’s third cousin. He holds Derby Grange, the estate nearest to Pemberley.”
Darcy paused, as if weighing how much to reveal.
“His son died last year,” he went on, “and left the estate encumbered with debts of a most imprudent nature. The loss alone would have been blow enough, but the consequences have proven…extensive.”
Elizabeth’s expression eased, though she said nothing.
“Six months ago, Langford applied to me with what he termed a partnership. He wished to fell timber on my land—Pemberley’s northern wood—and divide the profits between us. The proposal was framed as mutually advantageous.” A faint note of dryness entered his tone. “It was nothing of the sort.”
“And you refused him.”
“I did.” Darcy’s gaze did not waver. “I have no need of the income, and I will not see Pemberley stripped for the sake of another man’s mismanagement.
I offered, instead, to purchase the debts outright and hold them privately—without interest, and with no demand beyond what he might reasonably repay over time. ”
Elizabeth’s brows lifted slightly. “That was…a generous alternative.”
“It was not received as such.”
“No?”
Darcy’s expression hardened, though his voice remained composed.
“Langford is a magistrate, accustomed to authority, and not inclined to place himself under obligation—least of all to a man he has known since childhood. My refusal denied him access to Pemberley. My offer placed him, in his own mind, beneath me.”
Elizabeth considered this. “And he could not bear either.”
“Precisely.” A brief pause followed. “He spoke of family—of expectations, of mutual interest, of what is owed between relations. But what he required was not assistance. It was acquiescence.”
“And you would not give it.”
“No.”
Elizabeth leaned her head against his shoulder briefly. “You are not at fault, sir. And your conscience must be considered clear. Did you not offer him aid? And he refused to accept, since it was not what he wished. You are blameless”
“You are correct. Still, I received a letter from him just today, with the same demands. The letter…I believe Mr. Langford might be bordering on desperation. He accused me of shaming my father’s name.
Surely, he must know I seek to act in a manner my father would deem acceptable.
George Darcy was not one to blindly aid anyone, even family, without some security or assurances on his side.
My father always insisted that my duty was to Pemberley and those who fell under its purview first.”
Elizabeth smiled, her heart warming. Darcy was truly a gentleman in every respect. He was honorable, dutiful, and genuine.
I love him, she realized. Was it possible to feel deeply for someone after only a few weeks? But no, it had been nearly two months since their meeting. July was but a breath away, and the Gardiners were due to return to London before the middle of that month.
“Thank you for your words, Miss Bennet. They are greatly appreciated.” Mr. Darcy sounded calmer now and she could feel him relax as they continued to walk.
“How is Miss Darcy today?” she ventured to ask.
“My sister is well. She is engaged in her studies, or so she claims. I believe she uses it as an excuse to stay at Mill House.”
Elizabeth grinned up at him impishly. “Does she dislike my company so much?”
Mr. Darcy laughed. “No, I believe she hopes she might secure your company permanently if she does nothing to interfere.”
“Ah, so she wishes for me to become her companion? Tell me, sir, will she have a household of her own in Town where I may join her?” Elizabeth loved how he smiled when she teased him.
“Minx. You know very well that I could not give you up to anyone else, least of all my sister. No, I am afraid Georgiana will have to live with us.”
She paused, and he stopped beside her. Neither spoke. The air between them shifted—no longer easy, no longer unguarded, but something deeper, more deliberate. Elizabeth faced him fully, warmth creeping into her cheeks as she regarded him solemnly.
“I have,” he said as he tenderly regarded her, “hoped that we might pursue this courtship to its natural conclusion. We have discussed the future as if we shall be together, but only in the vaguest of terms. What I feel for you… Dearest Elizabeth, if I had your father’s permission, we would be wed as soon as I could acquire a common license. ”
Her heart felt near to bursting. “Nevertheless, I had no notion we had entered a formal courtship.” She smiled, pleased when he grinned again at her tease.
“Your uncle has granted his permission as temporary guardian, but no, nothing can be formalized until I speak with your father. But I wish you to know the desires of my heart.”
Elizabeth could not look away. The feelings he professed were written in his expression. “Oh,” she murmured. Her hand came up and cupped his cheek. The gesture surprised them both. Neither withdrew. “You are so very tall, sir.”
Darcy’s hand came up and covered her own. “Fitzwilliam,” he replied. “Please, call me Fitzwilliam, if only in private.”
“Fitzwilliam.” The name felt strange on her lips, but not in an uncomfortable or awkward way. “My feelings…they are very much aligned with your own. Never could I have imagined such…felicity.”
His hand brought hers down from where she had touched his cheek and he leaned in, gently kissing her before pulling away.
For a moment, the world seemed to narrow to that single point of contact.
When he drew back, the absence of it was keenly felt.
Elizabeth’s heart raced. She cared not who had seen, though a quick glance showed there was no one about to see their display of impropriety.