Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
Darcy was seething as he strode quickly back to retrieve his friends.
“What happened, Darce?”
“It was Vauxhall all over again, Richard. I wanted to box the gentlemen and call out the ladies’ fathers. I cannot seem to control my rage when they speak of her like that.”
“Yet you did control it. Unless…we are not going back so you can challenge them, I hope?”
Darcy huffed out a humorless laugh. “She did not wish it at Vauxhall, so I assume she would not appreciate it here, either.”
“She can handle herself, Darce. You know what she said that so impressed my mother.”
As soon as Elizabeth’s aunt had called her to walk with her when they had first arrived today, Darcy had asked Richard for the full story.
He had been in such awe of Elizabeth, and a touch embarrassed, that he had barely known what to speak about when he finally had a chance to walk beside her.
That she would defend his honor in such a way was astonishing.
And he had not been able to say anything in the face of the indecent words directed at her.
“How can I protect her if I only freeze when people abuse her?”
“You removed her from the situation. That was not freezing; that was intelligence. Violence is not the answer and would solve nothing.”
“I must act more quickly next time. I assumed the people would keep moving, so we stood still, but I should have gotten her away immediately.”
“Darce, are you certain this is what you want? You speak as though you know this will happen again. Yet, your reputation is not truly tarnished yet. If you withdraw now—”
“It is too late. I have come too far.”
“Nobody will remember a brief infatuation. You could still marry well.”
Darcy stopped. They were almost back to where he had stood with Elizabeth, and the faces were all different now. He turned and glared at his cousin.
“Have you changed your mind about supporting me? I have no wish to lose you, Richard, but I will not give her up. Not even for you.”
“Very well, then. I only wished to be sure. I told you I would support you, and I will. Most fights do not end in love, but love is the greatest victory to be achieved in any battle.”
Darcy continued to look at his cousin for a few more seconds.
“What?” His cousin returned his look with a challenge.
“I am trying to work out whether that was really profound or really terrible poetry.”
“Such ingratitude. I offer my support and you ridicule my wisdom.”
“Forgive me, master. You know all. I appreciate your reinforcements.” Darcy clapped his cousin’s shoulder, and they both chuckled.
Just ahead, they saw the rest of their party.
When they all returned to Darcy House less than half an hour later, Darcy was gratified to see Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle had made themselves comfortable in his drawing room.
He was unable to speak privately with her beyond a few words for the rest of the evening, however.
She still appeared to be affected by the incident in the park, quieter and more withdrawn than usual.
He chided himself again for not having acted quickly enough.
The ladies all agreed to entertain them with music after dinner, but Elizabeth did not sing.
She played while Miss Bennet sang, so Darcy did not even have the opportunity to stand beside her to turn her pages.
He knew Miss Bennet would leave London at the end of the week, and he wondered how that would curtail his time with Elizabeth. If he was not ready to openly court her, he could not take her into society without her friends.
“Bingley. What do you say to taking the ladies to Gunter’s, perhaps Wednesday afternoon?” Darcy knew Elizabeth did not go to the Foundling Hospital on Wednesdays or Fridays.
“A fine idea. And Henry IV Part 1 is being performed this week. Is your box free on Thursday or Friday?”
“Yes. Invite everyone and inform me of the chosen day.”
Elizabeth had sampled Gunter’s ices once with her aunt and uncle when she was sixteen, but she had always thought it would be quite a different experience with a suitor.
She had sat in the tea shop to eat her treat, and she had looked out the window to see carriages standing in the street.
Waiters carried ices and sorbets through the traffic to ladies waiting in their seats and gentlemen standing on the foot-pavement below them, their backs to the trees and grass of Berkeley Square.
Today, Elizabeth still did not have a suitor, but she was gratified she would have the experience she had longed for years earlier.
She and Jane traveled in their uncle’s carriage with Dinah, and Matthew was with the coachman.
They stopped not far from Gunter’s, and Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley approached their carriage from where they had been waiting nearby.
Mr. Bingley opened the door, and Elizabeth opened the window, affording both gentlemen access to the ladies within.
Other carriages were open, but this would do, as well.
Elizabeth knew it was a simple thing to sit in a carriage across the street from a tea shop, but her childish memory had made her excited for the afternoon, and she could not restrain her smile.
“Are you having an agreeable day, Miss Elizabeth?” Mr. Darcy sounded surprised.
“I am. Thank you for inviting us to Gunter’s, Mr. Bingley.”
Jane chuckled. “Lizzy has wished to come here for years and be served by a waiter running across the street.”
Elizabeth blushed.
“Gunter’s has been a dream of yours, has it, Miss Elizabeth?”
“A little bit, Mr. Darcy. I did eat inside the shop once, but is it not exciting to have ices brought out to us? Although, it must not be as comfortable for you and Mr. Bingley to have to stand there the entire time.”
“We will survive quite well. I am glad you are satisfied today.”
They shared a friendly smile, and then the waiter arrived, and they had to make their selections.
Jane chose vanilla mousse, Mr. Bingley ordered pistachio sorbet, and Elizabeth selected a bergamot ice.
She blushed when she remembered why she liked the flavor even more than she used to, but her blush deepened when Mr. Darcy asked for a lavender ice.
Surely his choice had nothing to do with her favored scent.
Mr. Darcy soon distracted her from her embarrassment, however, when he insisted Dinah, Matthew, and the coachman order, as well. He paid for all the treats without hesitation and merely nodded at her thanks.
“Darcy, Caro and Jane have a ball Thursday, but they have agreed to the theater on Friday. I am not sure whether Sir Abraham or Mr. Hillyerd will come, but the Hursts have other plans.”
“Very well. Miss Elizabeth, would you like to see Henry IV Part 1 this Friday? My box has space for your aunt and uncle, as well.”
“I would like that, and I believe the Gardiners will also come.”
Observing Elizabeth in such high spirits had Darcy feeling better than he had since the Hyde Park incident Monday evening.
After eating their desserts, he and Bingley had left the ladies and walked to White’s.
Bingley had gone up to play a few rounds of cards, while Darcy read the newspapers in a quiet corner and considered his next steps.
Before he had gone to Kent, Elizabeth had mentioned the British Museum’s exhibition on Egyptology. He would apply for tickets to take her and her aunt and uncle.
He was thinking about other London attractions Elizabeth may not have seen when Bingley approached. They had planned to dine together, but surely he had not been woolgathering for so long.
“Are you ready to eat, Darcy? I know it is early, but I must get back. Jane and Caro asked me to escort them to a party of some kind tonight.”
“Very well.” He joined his friend at a table, and three others almost immediately sat with them. He had been friends with Warren and Lord Davenport since their days at Eton. Ashley was younger, but he had known him almost as long as he had known Bingley.
“Gentlemen. It is good to see you.”
“And you, Darcy. It seems you have been keeping secrets.”
“To what are you referring Warren?” With the thought of dinner, Darcy’s mind had returned to the flavor of his ice. Not nearly as good as Elizabeth smelled, but it would have to do for now.
“You always held back from amusing yourself with women, but it was only a matter of time.” Darcy stiffened. Warren shared a smirk with Ashley, while Bingley looked at the table and Davenport looked at him as though unsure of who was sitting across from him.
“When we first heard the rumors, we thought nothing of them. Idle talk and all that. But your name has been linked repeatedly with the same woman for several months. Once people got to talking about seeing you so close at Vauxhall and Hyde Park, people remembered hearing you were with her at some ball as far back as January. And then my cousin saw you with her at Gunter’s only a few hours ago. ”
“Do you have a point, Warren? I am perfectly capable of reading the gossip sheets if I want nonsense.”
“You deny it, then?” Davenport still looked at him intently.
“Deny what, exactly? That I have been in London since January and have not remained in my study for the past four months? I do not deny it.”
Bingley gave him a worried glance and then eagerly accepted the dishes a waiter delivered. Once everyone had slices of beef and ham, roasted vegetables, and thick dark bread in front of them, the interrogation began anew.
“Darcy, you have ever been careful to distance yourself so as not to be linked to any woman in a way a sensible person would believe, but we have heard troubling rumors—”
“What is it to you who I associate with, Dav?”
The men exchanged concerned glances.
“Very well, ask me. What is it you have heard, and what concerns you?”
Davenport nodded to Warren, who apparently spoke for them both.
“This girl—”
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Warren nodded and glanced at Bingley.
“She is cousin to my betrothed and was raised in Hertfordshire with her.” Bingley finally spoke up.
“Yes, which is why this could all go badly for you, as well, Bingley.”
“Miss Jane Bennet is unimpeachable. She is the daughter of a gentleman and the sweetest lady you could ever meet.”
“I do not doubt it, Bingley, but her cousin’s reputation could still harm you and will certainly harm Darcy if he does not cease seeing her.”
Bingley looked worried, but Darcy would have to deal with him later.
“So, you are concerned about my reputation, Warren? What do you expect will happen to me if I take Miss Elizabeth to the theater tomorrow evening, for example, in company with Bingley and his betrothed and their aunt and uncle? Will that be cause for my name to be dragged through the streets?”
“Yes, Darcy, it will. It is already happening.” Davenport had managed to keep his reputation unscathed, though he had done worse than befriending a woman of a lower social class.
Darcy sought to control his anger. These were his friends, he reminded himself. They were expressing the concerns he had known they would have. Darcy forced himself to breathe deeply and then picked up his fork and knife to begin slicing meat he had no intention of eating.
“You know we care about you, Darcy. We only wish to help you see the error you are making. If you wish to take a mistress, choose an actress or a widow. The daughter of a tenant farmer is unsuitable to be seen with you. It is ungentlemanly. You must avoid her completely.” Davenport’s concern would have been touching if Darcy did not think completely differently now.
“And what, for argument’s sake, would you all do, if I were to marry Miss Elizabeth rather than take her as my mistress?”
Warren and Ashley snickered, and Davenport scoffed.
“You cannot be serious, Darcy. She is completely unmarriageable. I have just said she is not even suitable as a mistress. She is beautiful enough and apparently intelligent, so if you could convince people of a different story of her descent, they may accept your choice in time.”
“Thank you, Davenport. Are you suggesting I would lose your friendship should I make such an alliance?”
His old friend stared at him, jaw slack, and shook his head slowly.
“Tell me you are not planning to throw yourself away for a bit of muslin. You could make an alliance with any family in the country, save royalty. You could easily increase your wealth and consequence with a word. You cannot possibly think so little of your companions and of all you know that you would turn your back on us for some coarse girl.”
Darcy stood abruptly, upsetting plates and nearly spilling a glass of wine, which Ashley steadied.
“As I said. I thank you for your concern. I understand your sentiments. Perhaps in time you will understand mine.” He turned and strode out of his club and did not slow until he had reached his own study half a mile away.