19. 21 November 1811 #3
Mrs Bennet narrowed her eyes. “I am not certain who started them, but I heard that Lady Lucas was spreading them with fervour. She has always been jealous of my daughters because hers are not as beautiful.”
Darcy said, “Thank you for the idea, ma’am, and goodbye for now. I promise you that I mean to get to the bottom of this problem and to restore Miss Elizabeth’s reputation, although I will happily marry her whether or not a solution is discovered.”
“That is very good of you, sir. As I said, you should speak with Lady Lucas.”
Stepping back from the carriage, Darcy waved to the driver and once again farewelled Elizabeth’s mother.
He was a bit worried if his efforts to make headway on solving problems may have created new problems. He was almost positive that Mrs Bennet would spread the word that his income was even higher than rumoured.
However, he judged that less important than ensuring that the most vociferous of the Bennet parents no longer wished for Mr Goulding to win Elizabeth’s hand.
Glancing at his watch before entering the house, Darcy made a few swift decisions.
He wrote several notes: one for Becky to take to Longbourn when the carriage called for Miss Bennet; one instructing Mrs Nicholls to pay a guinea to every servant in Netherfield from the purse he had entrusted to her, with his thanks for their discretion about the presence of Miss Elizabeth that morning; and a third one to Crocker, indicating that Lady Lucas might be an important person to interview regarding the origin of the rumours.
The other diners had waited for him at the table, and Darcy apologised as he rejoined them. “Please forgive me. If I had more notice of your visit, Aunt Ellen, perhaps I would not be quite so mired in ongoing projects.”
He quickly ate the food remaining on his plate and then allowed Bingley to lead the exodus from the table.
“Have my relations been grilling you in my absence?” he asked Elizabeth in a low voice as he escorted her back to the drawing room.
“We had a delightful conversation, actually. I asked about sheep and horse breeding, and your uncle was quite eloquent on those topics.”
Darcy chuckled and said, “I love to speak of agriculture, and he always insists that we discuss politics, instead. Ah, well, I suppose he does not find me quite so pretty as you.”
“Mr Darcy!” Elizabeth laughed but then whispered, “At some point, I need to find out what is going on with the…ah, the matter I brought to your attention this morning.”
He promised, “I will tell you everything, but I struggle to know when I can do that. How can we deal with the dramas inflicted upon you by persons unknown at the same time that we deal with my relations’ unexpected incursion?”
At that moment, Georgiana approached them and said, “William, I would love to get to know Elizabeth better, but it will be difficult with Miss Bingley attempting to interrupt and Aunt Ellen insisting that she, too, needs more time with Elizabeth.”
Darcy noticed his sister’s use of Elizabeth’s first name, and he smiled at this evidence of burgeoning friendship.
He said, “We have just been discussing the difficulties and necessity of holding private conversations.”
Elizabeth suggested, “I wondered if your sister and Mrs Annesley might accompany me to the house at which I am staying. A long carriage ride and a visit while I settle in….”
“That would be marvellous!” Georgiana said. “Perhaps I could even stay there with you. It would likely be only a night or two, would it not?”
Darcy thought the idea reasonable except for the fact that Mrs Nicholls had written to her brother, asking if one young lady and her maid might stay there. Two young ladies, a companion, and two maids—that was quite a different thing.
“Both ideas are good,” he responded, “but I would not presume to foist another two to three people on the family if the arrangements have already been made.”
“Pray, allow me to speak to Mrs Nicholls on the topic,” Elizabeth said. She left the room.
Miss Bingley and Mr and Mrs Hurst attempted to cajole Richard into a card game, but he turned to Darcy and said, “I would love to go on a ride with you, Darce. Perhaps we could even pay a very short visit to the gentleman we spoke of?”
“Splendid. Allow me to make a few arrangements.”
It turned out the earl and countess wished to rest. Darcy reminded Bingley that Miss Bennet was presumably to arrive at two; perhaps a card game that could accommodate smaller and greater numbers than four might be appropriate.
He whispered to his sister that they would attempt to speak to Mr Goulding, who was linked with Elizabeth in that ugly gossip.
“Please tell Miss Elizabeth of our goal.”
The two cousins conferred as they hurried upstairs to change into riding clothes. “How far is it to the place where this other suitor lives, Darcy?”
“It is between one and eight miles, but I do not know where it is, so I cannot be more accurate than that. I imagine that someone in the stables will know, however. I will meet you there as soon as may be.”
Indeed, the stable master and a groom both started to give directions. The groom fell silent, and the stable master explained that Haye-Park was three miles away if they cut through a fallow field and jumped the creek rather than going to the bridge.
“Excellent,” Richard said. After they mounted two of Darcy’s swiftest stallions, he added, “Let us go meet with this other suitor.”