Chapter 19
Chapter 19
For the following week or two, things in the Darcy household remained as they were before the ball. There was friendship, laughter, and of course, love. However, because both Mr and Mrs Darcy were under the misapprehension that their love was, at the moment, unrequited, it caused considerable anxiety on both sides.
Now that Elizabeth had understood her feelings, she craved reciprocation, but she did not know how to bring this about or how to discover what her husband truly felt for her. She considered going to her aunt and seeking her advice, but for some reason she felt reluctant to reveal details of something so intimate as her relationship with Mr Darcy to a third person, even if it was her most beloved aunt.
As for Darcy, he had begun to believe that the gratitude Elizabeth felt for him had been augmented by friendship and liking, but was that enough? And even if it was, how would he make Elizabeth realise that? He considered asking her directly, but the manner in which she had scurried away that day from the billiards room made him wary. Although his restraint had now begun to chafe at him, he forced himself to wait for that elusive sign from her that she was ready to deepen the intimacy of their relationship. It was difficult but he reminded himself that, while he had always loved her, she had disliked him before marriage. Naturally, it may take longer for her feelings to evolve and for her to make sense of them.
The ever-present restiveness might have compelled one or the other to seek some sort of resolution, but Jane Bennet’s impending visit made them more circumspect, and for the time being, they both decided to go with the flow and see where it led them.
∞∞∞
In the second week of February, Jane Bennet came to stay at Darcy House. Her initial plan was to stay for a se’nnight, get a part of her trousseau in London and get the remaining made in Meryton, but Elizabeth tried to convince her otherwise. Finally, it was agreed that Jane would stay for a fortnight, spending the final few days with Uncle and Aunt Gardiner.
Elizabeth’s experience augmenting her own wardrobe with Lady Matlock’s help served her well while assisting Jane. Although they spent most of their time shopping or visiting modistes, haberdasheries, and the like, Elizabeth also planned a few social outings for Jane to enjoy a bit of London while spending time with her betrothed.
Mr Darcy had been entirely correct about Mr Bingley’s preference for Jane to stay at Darcy House; he showed a willingness to visit with Jane every waking moment the ladies were not out shopping. Consequently, Elizabeth extended to him an open invitation to have dinner at Darcy House, which he availed of more often than not.
Georgiana and Emmaline also joined them when they went out for shopping or other outings planned for Jane’s entertainment. Elizabeth noticed Major Bramwell’s presence on several such occasions. He joined their party in Hyde Park while they were enjoying a leisurely walk. Another time, when she, Jane, and Georgiana went to Hookham’s library to exchange books, they found that not only had Emmaline arrived before them, but she was accompanied by the major. Elizabeth might have started wondering about the strange coincidence, but Emmaline confessed that it was at her instigation that he kept appearing so regularly. She also requested Elizabeth’s silence until she felt ready to confess her intentions to her family.
Mr Darcy could rarely accompany them as he was involved in some important negotiations for a piece of land he wanted to purchase. To make up for his neglect of his wife and their guest, he arranged a visit to the theatre one night to watch ‘As You Like It’.
For Elizabeth, the theatre visit was her most pleasant memory of those frantic days. The novelty of having their own private box, the lovely performances by the actors, and most of all, her husband’s presence as they quietly shared their enjoyment for the Bard’s work made it one of the most memorable theatre visits for her.
However, one odd incident marred the perfection of the occasion. It happened during the first interval, when they all went out to the foyer to get some succour for their parched throats. The ladies stood slightly apart from the crowd at the counter serving drinks. While Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley were waiting for their order to be fulfilled, Elizabeth observed a couple stop by to greet the two men. Elizabeth’s eyes widened at the daring cut of the woman’s gown.
“Who is that with Mr Darcy?” she had asked Emmaline.
“Oh, that is Mr Lawson and his third wife, Maria Lawson.”
“The previous two wives…” Elizabeth raised an enquiring brow.
“Dead,” Emmaline replied succinctly, then added in a soft murmur, “That woman is a pest.” And as if on cue, Mrs Lawson boldly leant forward and pressed her hand on Mr Darcy’s arm while her husband was busy talking to Mr Bingley.
“It is a good thing Darcy treats women like her and Letitia Hawkins with the contempt they deserve,” Emmaline muttered when Mr Darcy immediately pulled his arm away. Soon, he and Mr Bingley parted ways with the couple and went to pick up the drinks the server was holding out to them.
The incident and the conversation slipped Elizabeth’s mind as they returned to their box and the play resumed. Unfortunately, they did not slip from her consciousness and made her act to her detriment in a not-so-distant future.
∞∞∞
Ten days after Jane’s arrival, the sisters went to Gracechurch street to drop her at Uncle Gardiner’s house. While returning, Elizabeth’s carriage was stuck for a few moments in a dirty street near the dockyards. As she sat waiting for the traffic to disperse, she spotted a tall gentleman, who somehow looked familiar, arguing with a dirty ruffian, most of whose upper teeth seem to be missing from his mouth. As Elizabeth stared at them through the carriage window, the familiar gentleman suddenly looked her way, and she was astonished to see Major Bramwell staring at the window of her carriage.
She told Emmaline about the incident when she saw her next, with the hope that the major was safe and sound after his altercation with the thuggish man!
Two days before Jane and Mr Bingley were to return to Meryton, the Hursts invited Jane, the Darcys and the Gardiners for dinner the same evening.
∞∞∞
Elizabeth was getting ready to go for dinner at the Hursts when there was a knock at her bedroom door. Sarah went to answer it and returned with a large package.
“Who was it?”
“It was Mr Banes. Mr Darcy has sent this for you.”
“Now what?” Elizabeth muttered as she opened the package, then gasped when she saw the exquisite gown of wine-red silk. She took it out and spread it on her bed. Little red rosebuds made of lace adorned the bodice and the hem of the gown.
“This is becoming quite a habit,” she mumbled, gently tracing a finger over the bodice. Suddenly she had the impression that she had seen the red silk somewhere before.
“Oh!” she gasped once again as she recalled her argument with Miss Bingley in Uncle Gardiner’s warehouse. Who told Mr Darcy about it? She thought even as she searched the paper wrappings for a note.
Ah! There it is, she thought triumphantly as she picked it up.
Elizabeth,
Please wear this in the interest of scientific research to demonstrate that red colour becomes brunettes very well.
F
Elizabeth chuckled as she placed the note in the box containing the other note and the letter that her husband had sent her.
“There is a change in the plan, Sarah, I will be wearing the red gown instead of the blue one.”
“I thought so, Miss Li… Mrs Darcy.”
Since she had to change her dress, Elizabeth was the last one to come down from her room. Georgiana spied her at the door of the drawing room. “You look beautiful, Elizabeth. The colour suits you very well,” she said admiringly. “I truly hope that Miss Bingley does not suffer a spasm once she sees you in it,” Georgiana added with a chuckle.
Elizabeth shook her head in amusement before turning to her husband. “Thank you so much for this charming dress, Mr Darcy.”
“You do not need to thank me, Elizabeth. It was all done for the benefit of scientific research.”
Elizabeth looked into his dancing eyes and chuckled. “May I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Who told you… about my altercation with Caroline? Georgie?”
Darcy shook his head. “Richard and Aunt Susan. Oh…” his eyes widened as he realised that he had let the cat out of the bag.
“Do not worry, Mr Darcy. I had my doubts from the very first day, but the more I observed how deeply concerned Lady Matlock is about you and Georgie, the more I was convinced that it was Colonel Fitzwilliam and the countess in the warehouse that day. And I really cannot blame her; had I been in her place I would have done the same.”
“Well, I am glad I have not caused any problem between you and my aunt. And on that happy note, let us leave, otherwise, we shall be late.”
∞∞∞
They were met by Mr and Mrs Gardiner, and Jane at the front door of the Hursts’ town house and the two parties went in together.
Elizabeth and Darcy walked behind the rest of the guests, consequently Miss Bingley did not notice Elizabeth immediately as she entered the Hursts’ drawing room. However, there was no mistaking the moment she spied Elizabeth standing beside Mr Darcy. The tightly compressed lips, and the angry colour on Miss Bingley’s cheeks told their own tale.
“Congratulations, my dear; the research has now officially concluded,” Darcy murmured for Elizabeth’s ears only. She looked up at him with a tender smile. That her husband had taken an insult to her so much to his heart made her feel warm all over. “Thank you,” she mouthed, her eyes glowing a lovely green.
Despite what to her was a clear attempt by Eliza to embarrass her, Miss Bingley made heroic efforts to ignore the provocation and remained gracious to all the guests, at least outwardly. She had followed the progress of the new Mrs Darcy in the beau monde. To her chagrin, the countrified nobody from Hertfordshire with vulgar relatives had easily won over Mr Darcy’s Fitzwilliam relatives and through them, the ton. That she and Louisa had not received an invitation for Lady Matlock’s ball had been a bitter pill to swallow, but more than that, it had been an alarm bell. If she wanted her access to the ton to continue, she had to at least pretend to be cordial to Mrs Darcy and her sister. It was for this reason that she had even invited the Bennets’ trader uncle and his wife to their home. It was the first time she was meeting her brother’s betrothed after sending her that misleading letter before leaving Netherfield. As per her new resolve she pretended to herself that the letter and her opposition to Charles’s marriage to Miss Bennet never happened and went ahead to welcome her ‘dear Jane’.
For dinner, Mrs Hurst or perhaps Miss Bingley had put together a lavish five course meal that began with the artichoke soup and ended with an array of desserts including nuts, cheeses, baked apples, marzipan, and lemon ices. The main course was equally elaborate, with Lamb Haricot, ham slices, peas, glazed carrots, and an oyster ragout, accompanied by salads and savouries.
Good food and good wine created a relaxed atmosphere around the dining table, so much so that even the usually morose Mr Hurst was seen laughing and conversing with Mr Gardiner.
Miss Bingley addressed Darcy as soon as the footman brought the dishes for the main course, “Mr Darcy, please partake in some oyster ragout, I know how much you love this particular preparation.”
Darcy involuntarily exchanged a glance with his wife when Miss Bingley mentioned the name of the dish. “Uh… I thank you, Miss Bingley, but I no longer eat oysters, but I must say that the lamb is perfectly cooked and seasoned.”
“No longer eat oysters! But why, Darcy? Even I remember that you used to love this dish,” Mr Bingley looked enquiringly at his friend.
“Oh…I still love oysters, very much,” Darcy said in a strangely fervent voice.
“You love them for what purpose if you do not eat them!” Bingley stopped chewing and stared hard at his friend.
“Uh… I…”
“If you are lucky, sometimes oysters can give you pearls, Mr Bingley.” Elizabeth responded when her husband appeared at a loss to answer.
“Pearls?” Bingley looked down at the ragout in his plate, then looked up at her with an odd expression. “Oftentimes I find it difficult to understand Darcy, and now I find you equally incomprehensible. But you know what the good thing is? That you two seem to perfectly understand each other,” he said with a laugh in his voice.
Miss Bingley saw Mr Darcy and Elizabeth, (who were sitting next to each other because her brother had forced her to remove placeholders from the table), share an intimate glance at Charles’s words. She immediately asked the footman to serve Mr Darcy with some more lamb.
After the footman had moved away from them, Elizabeth leaned towards her husband and asked, “Why did you not partake in the ragout?”
Darcy gave her a sheepish look. “Would you consider me foolish if I tell you that I could not bring myself to eat them?”
“I now begin to feel that I did you a disservice when I compared you to an oyster that day.”
“No.”
Elizabeth looked at his flushed countenance for a brief moment then applied herself to the food on her plate.
∞∞∞
By the time the dinner came to an end, Miss Bingley was quite tired of her resolve to be cordial to her guests. She tried hard to suppress it, but her catlike instincts refused to remain subdued for too long.
Upon separation of sexes when it was only the ladies present in the drawing room, she turned to Mrs Gardiner and looked up and down at the good lady. She was taken aback to note that the trader’s wife had better taste and was dressed better than many ladies of the upper ten thousand.
“Mrs Gardiner, I must say that this is a beautiful dress that you are wearing,” she cooed.
“It is kind of you to say that, Miss Bingley.” Madeline Gardiner smiled politely.
“I suppose it is of some use to have a trader for a husband and have access to the best fabrics at the cheapest prices.”
Jane and Georgiana gasped at the rude words, and Elizabeth’s brows furrowed at the unexpected advent of Miss Bingley of old. Mrs Hurst also shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Only Mrs Gardiner remained unruffled.
“It is funny that you should say so, Miss Bingley. The other day at her tea party, the Duchess of Avon said something very similar to me. She said, ‘Mrs Gardiner, you do not realise how fortunate you are to have first choice of the best fabrics in London’.”
Elizabeth hurriedly changed a chuckle into a cough, as she observed the ugly colour rise on Miss Bingley’s face. At the dining table, she had almost felt sorry for her when Mr Darcy had refused a dish that was specially prepared for him, but not anymore. The unpleasant, supercilious woman did not deserve any sympathy.
Soon the gentlemen joined them. Tired of watching her brother and Mr Darcy make eyes at their respective Bennet sisters, Miss Bingley requested Georgiana to play something for them on the pianoforte. To her annoyance, that foolish girl then asked Elizabeth to accompany her with some stupid Irish ballad, and Mr Darcy appeared nauseatingly enthralled by that mediocre piece of singing.
As soon as the ballad ended, Miss Bingley decided to play something to soothe her frayed nerves. She closed her eyes and began to play a lively scotch air, completely forgetting that this was the one she had once played at Netherfield, when to his absolute amazement, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy’s request for a dance partner was rejected for the second time in his life, both times by the same impertinent woman.
Miss Bingley might have forgotten, but Darcy certainly had not. With a smile of pure mischief, he approached his wife and extended his hand towards her. “Do you not feel a great inclination, Mrs Darcy, to seize such an opportunity for dancing a reel?” he asked solemnly.
To his delight, his wife put her hand in his and replied, “Absolutely, Mr Darcy.”
The tapping sounds of footwear caused Miss Bingley to open her eyes. It took inhuman restraint for her to keep from screaming like a banshee at the vision before her eyes and continue playing. It was only the prospect of future invites to balls and parties hosted by the Matlocks and the Darcys that compelled her to exercise that restraint. But it would be a long time before she felt herself capable of inviting the Darcys to dinner.
∞∞∞
Two days after the dinner at the Hursts, Elizabeth and Georgiana went to the lending library. Elizabeth was not surprised to meet Emmaline there once again. What surprised and disturbed her though was what the youngest Fitzwilliam let out in passing—Major Bramwell denied being in the vicinity of the dockyard the day Elizabeth had seen him there. The intelligence gave Elizabeth a pause—she had to do something about the troubling situation.
Had Emmaline not been meeting the man secretly, Elizabeth would not have even dreamed of interfering, especially as it was Colonel Fitzwilliam who had introduced the major to his family. The problem was that she did not know exactly what to do about the situation. Emmaline was a loyal friend; she had asked Elizabeth to keep her secret, and Elizabeth could not break her promise. On the other hand, Emmaline was her family, and Elizabeth would not be able to forgive herself if some harm came to Emmaline because she, Elizabeth, had not lifted a finger to help her.
After much thinking, the only person she considered suitable to give her advice on the matter was her husband. She decided to go to Mr Darcy, present the problem to him as that of a friend, and seek his advice for that friend.
With that aim in mind, Elizabeth knocked at the door of Mr Darcy’s study that afternoon. When he bade enter, she opened the door and peered inside.
“Do you have a moment, Mr Darcy? I-I want your advice on a personal matter.”
Darcy’s eyebrows rose at the statement, but all he said was, “Of course, Elizabeth, please come inside.”
Elizabeth went to the settee by the window and sat down. For a while, there was silence in the room as she gathered her thoughts in order to explain the problem in a lucid manner. To her dismay, she found that it was not as easy to describe the situation as it had appeared in her imagination.
When the silence between them stretched, Darcy asked encouragingly. “Tell me, what is the matter, my dear?”
“Ah… this is about a friend, a-and since the matter is a little delicate, I cannot tell you her name. Sh-she specially asked me not to do so.”
Darcy’s eyebrows rose once again. “Very well, tell me what ails Miss Smith?”
Elizabeth blinked in surprise. “Miss Smith?” she began, then paused as understanding dawned. “Oh, right, Miss Smith. Well, Miss Smith has a cousin. Some months ago, the cousin’s brother introduced an… acquaintance, Mr Jones, to them. Miss Smith could see that the cousin was immediately smitten. Although there was a difference in their stations, Miss Smith was not overly concerned about the situation as the brother had introduced Mr Jones, and moreover, she was not even sure about the strength of her cousin’s attachment.”
“But now she is? Does that trouble her?” Darcy asked curiously.
“Yes to both your questions, sir. Yes, she has it straight from the cousin’s mouth that she is attached to Mr Jones. And yes, Miss Smith is troubled. Not because of the attachment per se. But because of the secret manner in which the cousin meets her beau.”
Suddenly, Darcy looked a little foreboding. “Do you mean to say that the cousin has been meeting him alone… and indulging in… er… the forbidden…?”
“Oh… no… no. There is nothing clandestine as such, at least as far as I… Miss Smith is aware. When I said secret, I meant the cousin’s family was not aware of the meetings. Otherwise, they meet in public places such as Hyde Park, Hookham’s library, or the like, where other acquaintances are present.”
“Hmm. If Miss Smith is so worried, can she not speak to her other cousin? I mean the brother who introduced this Jones.”
“Oh, she cannot do that! You see, she has promised her cousin that she would not. Once she had remonstrated about the secrecy, the cousin then begged her not to say anything to her family. She had also promised Miss Smith that when the time was right, she would tell the family herself.”
“So what is the problem? It is early days yet; maybe the cousin will keep her promise. Or is Miss Smith worried about something else?”
“Yes. That is exactly it. She is worried that Mr Jones might be involved in something nefarious!”
“What! How has she come to this conclusion?”
“Ah, one day she saw Mr Jones in a less salubrious part of the town talking to a ruffian in a… in a very suspicious manner,” Elizabeth explained, feeling a little foolish now that she had expressed her fears aloud.
“You describe the situation so well that it appears as if you saw it happening yourself.”
“Actually, I was not very convinced by her story, and that is why she described it to me in great detail.”
Darcy’s lips twitched. “Hmm. Of course. But what was Miss Smith doing in the er… less salubrious parts of the town?”
Elizabeth’s eyes widened for a moment, then she said, “To be honest, she was there because of me. She liked one of my dresses and wanted to know where I had procured the muslin. When I told her that I had got it from Uncle Gardiner’s warehouse, she too went there. While returning from the warehouse she saw Mr Jones near the docks.”
“Hmm.”
Although his face was grave, the golden flecks in his eyes made Elizabeth suspect that her husband was highly amused about something. However, he said seriously enough, ‘Well, she was also in the area with a perfectly legitimate reason; perhaps she can give Mr Jones the benefit of the doubt. I would advise Miss Smith to stop fretting for the time being and wait for her cousin to reveal everything to her family.”
“Well, Miss Smith was not the one talking to ruffians,” Elizabeth muttered under her breath, but aloud she said, “Initially, that is what she was planning to do. ”
“Then what changed?”
“She told her cousin that she had seen Mr Jones near the docks, but a few days later her cousin revealed that he absolutely denied being in the vicinity. And since then, Miss Smith has been worried that if he has nothing to hide, then why is Mr Jones lying?”
“Hmm. Perhaps she can relate her problem to the brother.”
“I already told you she could not do that,” Elizabeth retorted in a voice in which annoyance had crept in. It was a good thing she did not observe her husband quickly hide a grin behind his hand.
“Well, then, I do not know what to say. Perhaps she will have to leave the cousin to her fate.”
“She will not be able to live with herself if something untoward happens, but if there is nothing else you can suggest, I will let her know.” Elizabeth forced a smile and rose from the settee to leave.
Darcy sighed at the disappointment in his wife’s face as she walked past him. For a brief moment, he struggled with his conscience and then gave up.
“Elizabeth, wait!”
She paused with her hand at the doorknob and looked back at him. “Yes, Mr Darcy?”
“Please come back; I have to tell you something,” he said in a pleading tone.
“Very well, sir, what is it?” This time, instead of going to the settee, she came and stood in front of his desk.
“I… ah… Major Bramwell had a legitimate reason to be in the dockyard that day. He has been given a last assignment before leaving the army.”
“W-What?” Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open as she stared at her husband in silence. “You knew the whole time!” she cried in an accusatory tone.
Darcy grimaced a little. “Erm… yes, as soon as you said that the brother introduced Mr Jones to Miss Smith’s cousin,” he said apologetically.
Elizabeth glared at him angrily. “I hope you know that sometimes you really are quite odious!’
Darcy grinned. “How can I not, when you have developed a penchant for telling me so?”
Elizabeth looked at his smiling face and warm, sherry-coloured eyes and found her anger melting away. He just has to smile, and I am lost, she thought despairingly.
“But… how did you come to know about my doubts regarding the major?”
“As soon as Emmaline informed him about you sighting him at the dockyard, Major Bramwell got uncharacteristically flustered. Although he denied being there, he thought it prudent to update his superior, Richard, about the incident, who then told me about it.”
“Then why did you not tell me as soon as you realised what I was talking about? And you were laughing at me all the time!” Elizabeth’s voice rose at the end.
“You wanted to keep your promise to Emmaline so much that I did not have the heart to reveal that I knew.”
“Oh.”
“And I was not laughing at you all the time, Elizabeth. Only a few times was I amused by your great ability to spin tales to answer difficult questions,” he said, smiling mischievously.
“Truly odious,” Elizabeth mumbled, then asked, “So, why are you telling me now?”
“I could not bear the disappointment on your face, and I was also worried that you might try acting like a Bow Street Runner just to find out the truth.” He spoke only half in jest. “I truly could not take the risk.”
Elizabeth burst out laughing. “Ha! It seems you know me rather well, Mr Darcy.”
After a moment, she said thoughtfully, “But if Major Bramwell is telling Colonel Fitzwilliam about his meetings with Emmaline, then the colonel knows that his sister and the major are… er courting.”
“Well, according to Bramwell, they are not. He has a bee in his bon… er… beaver hat about not marrying for money. He keeps telling Richard about his ‘accidental’ meetings, perhaps in order to mitigate his guilt.”
“Does Colonel Fitzwilliam have no problem with the connection?”
“Why do you think he brought Bramwell to Matlock House that day?” Darcy smiled a little ruefully. “Recently something happened that made Richard think of introducing someone less… um… frivolous than a gentleman of leisure to Emmaline.”
Elizabeth realised he was thinking of Minerva and Stanhope. “Emmaline loses interest very soon if there are no obstacles in her path; that is why Richard does not want her to know that the union would have the family’s blessings. Emmaline has another challenge in Bramwell, who does not want to be seen as a fortune hunter. So, truth be told, we are waiting for her to wear Bramwell down so that he listens to his heart rather than his ego.”
“Oh! I never would have thought that Colonel Fitzwilliam has such a sly mind.”
“He is an army strategist, Elizabeth.”
“Hmm.” Elizabeth smiled at him in amusement.
“I hope you can now stop fretting about Emmaline and start preparing for our journey to Meryton for Jane and Bingley’s wedding with an easy mind.”
Elizabeth saw his smiling face and the warmth reflecting there, and she found herself crossing to the other side of the table in order to express her gratitude.
Darcy saw her approach and then lean towards his right cheek. He could see her intent, but he had waited far too long and too desperately for this moment, and he could not have stopped himself from turning his face if his life depended on it.
As a result of his manoeuvre, Elizabeth’s kiss landed smack on his lips, and he waited with bated breath for her response. It came instantly when her lips pressed over his, gently but firmly. It was a whispered touch, soft and beautiful, but it was not enough—not nearly enough—for Darcy, who burned for her.
Soon, she started to pull away, and he wanted to drag his hand through her hair to stop her and kiss her as he needed. But he clutched the armrests of his chair and made himself desist. He looked searchingly up at her face as she straightened, feeling rewarded for his restraint when he saw no hint of awkwardness at his earlier trick, only warmth, and ease, and familiarity.
She mouthed ‘Fitzwilliam Oyster Darcy’ as she stepped back. Darcy smiled at the sobriquet. And for the first time since the ball, he felt hopeful that very soon Elizabeth would be letting him know about her changed feelings.