Chapter VIII #2
Mr. Darcy regarded her with open curiosity. “I was not aware that your father was at all familiar with society in London.”
“He has never spoken of the particulars,” replied Elizabeth. “Yet he has mentioned it enough times that I am certain it is not bluster.”
“No, I would not have expected that of your father,” replied Mr. Darcy. The gentleman shrugged. “If I appear unapproachable, those with whom I do not wish to associate keep their distance.”
“Surely that does not keep everyone away,” observed Elizabeth.
“Perhaps it does not,” agreed Mr. Darcy. “There are always those who ignore or do not see obvious clues. But it does help.”
Mr. Darcy did not speak further, instead watching the room as was his custom. There appeared to be something occupying his mind, such that it was not long before he spoke.
“It seems my sister and yours are getting on well.”
Elizabeth’s eyes found the girls again, noting that Kitty and Lydia were giggling, while Georgiana was looking on with a grin. Given the way she had behaved when Mr. Darcy had first escorted her here, her ease with them was a matter of some interest, for her shyness had been pronounced.
“Yes, they are.” Elizabeth turned to the gentleman, allowing him to see a little complacency. “It is good for my sisters, as they have not been in company with the officers much of late. That, to me, is a rather significant benefit of your sister’s presence.”
A quizzical look preceded Mr. Darcy’s response. “Do you suppose she has been that great an influence on them?”
Though she favored him with a smile, Elizabeth continued to regard her sisters. “Can you doubt it? I am not suggesting that they are reformed, Mr. Darcy, for they remain the same silly girls they have always been. Yet I have seen an alteration in their manners.”
“They are not beyond amendment,” said Mr. Darcy.
A month ago, Elizabeth would not have thought it possible that Mr. Darcy would say any such thing about her sisters. Elizabeth pushed the thought away and essayed to respond.
“No, I have never thought they were. But I also recall Lydia’s behavior at the ball and the way they carry on with the officers. If they are not one step away from ruination, they are not much further.”
“They merely need guidance,” averred Mr. Darcy.
“Aye, that they do. It is unfortunate, but I doubt they will receive it in this house.”
Mr. Darcy shook the notion away as if uncomfortable with it. “Perhaps they will surprise you, Miss Elizabeth. Yet I cannot but agree that separation from the officers is wise. Not all the men are like Wickham, but if there is one such man, it is no stretch to suppose that there may be others.”
“It is a possibility I have considered,” confessed Elizabeth.
“Well, at least Wickham is no longer present to ply you with his civilities.” Mr. Darcy fell silent for a moment, his glances at her suggesting he was trying to determine what to say.
“While I would not injure you by suggesting you cannot see through men of Wickham’s ilk, there is no more chance of him charming you. ”
“There is not,” agreed Elizabeth, though she wondered at his meaning. “If Mr. Wickham had paid me any attention at all in the past month I might have felt more relief at his unmasking. As it is, I have no particular injuries to resent, though I am not pleased when another misleads me.’
Mr. Darcy turned to her, a frown creasing his brow. “I beg your pardon, Miss Elizabeth. Do you suggest that Wickham has not paid you and the other ladies of the neighborhood particular attentions? If not, that is quite unlike his usual behavior.”
“I cannot speak for the other ladies, but I saw little of Mr. Wickham after Sir William’s party a few days before Christmas.
” Elizabeth shook her head in exasperation.
“That, however, is another piece of evidence to support your claims of him, for at that party, he made the acquaintance of Miss Mary King, who had just inherited a fortune of ten thousand pounds.”
A slow nod comprised the gentleman’s response. “Yes, I have heard something of that. Yet Wickham would not hesitate to pursue one woman for her money while still ingratiating himself with others.”
“In this instance, he did nothing of the sort,” replied Elizabeth, wondering why he was trying to link Mr. Wickham to her. “His focus was on Miss King, such that I saw him but a few times.”
“Then he did not try to charm you,” stated Mr. Darcy as if to ensure he understood.
“Perhaps he did early in our acquaintance,” replied Elizabeth. “The last month of his residence here I saw little of him, though that day in Longbourn’s sitting-room his behavior was not dissimilar to what you are describing.”
“That is well then,” said Mr. Darcy.
The gentleman lapsed into silence, his distant gaze suggesting deep thought.
It was an insight into him, added to what she already knew and what the gentleman had confirmed himself that very day.
To an observer, Mr. Darcy’s quietude might indicate aloofness, but Elizabeth was certain that he was only consumed by his thoughts.
Elizabeth did not know if that improved him in her estimation, but at least she understood him better.
AS USUAL, DARCY HAD no concept of his sudden inward focus—he was cursed with a temperament that often leant itself to excessive focus.
Had he any notion that Miss Elizabeth was cross with him, he might have pulled back from his thoughts, but though she said little, she gave no impression of offense, allowing him the liberty of his contemplation.
What Darcy could not make out was whether those thoughts were unpleasant.
A notion had occurred to him, one that did not please him, though he understood several implications and certain benefits that had come about should his sudden notion prove true.
Fitzwilliam Darcy was not a man who allowed matters to pass without comment, and in this instance, it was not in his nature to remain silent.
Thus, when they returned to Netherfield, he sought occasion to raise his concerns.
In this, Mrs. Hurst did not prove difficult—unless Darcy missed his guess, she had been waiting for him to speak.
“Yes, Mr. Darcy?” asked she when Darcy requested a moment of her time. “How may I assist?”
Now that she stood before him, Darcy was at a loss for how to bring up the subject. In the end, he decided there was nothing to be done but to come out and state what he wished.
“I am curious, Mrs. Hurst. When we spoke of Wickham after my arrival to Netherfield, you made some comments that led me to believe that he was paying an inordinate measure of attention to Miss Elizabeth, yet she told me today that he was much engaged with pursuing Miss King.”
The woman appeared not the slightest bit bothered. “If you recall, Mr. Darcy, I said nothing of the sort. All I said was that Mr. Wickham was a danger to the local ladies, and that he had paid significant attention to the Bennet ladies in the past.”
Darcy considered this. “Yet you turned my attention to those ladies.”
“Mr. Darcy,” said she, nothing of hesitation in her tone, “I did not turn your attention anywhere as you suggest. I repeated what I had heard, not only from Miss Elizabeth, but from the youngest Miss Bennets.
“Tell me,” added she, “was Mr. Wickham’s removal for the best or did you use him ill?”
Darcy could not hold back his disdain. “Wickham deserved what he received and more long before I held him to account.”
“Then what is the difficulty?”
For several moments, Darcy considered this, wondering if she was not correct. Then another thought came to him.
“When I spoke to Wickham,” said Darcy, reflecting on the event, “Wickham made some mention of pursuing Miss Elizabeth.”
“Then you have your proof,” said she.
With a shake of his head, Darcy shifted in his seat, turning slightly away from Mrs. Hurst. “At the time, I took it as proof, but now I am not so certain. Wickham is a womanizer, but now I wonder if it was nothing more than his desire to tweak my nose.”
“As he was a danger to the young ladies in the neighborhood,” said Mrs. Hurst, “I cannot but think he would have acted at some time or another. If he intended ridicule, it was a grave miscalculation.”
“It was,” agreed Darcy. “That was the moment that I determined to act against him.”
“Then I will restate my position: I did nothing more than repeat what I had heard from others.” Mrs. Hurst smiled.
“I will own that I hoped you would act against him. The moment I heard Wickham’s name on Miss Lydia’s tongue, I was concerned—you said little of him, but Gerald knew enough to tell me that Mr. Wickham was not a man to be trusted.
But I did not direct you to Miss Elizabeth.
Given your behavior before, I did not know there was any connection between you. ”
Darcy regarded her closely. “You had no knowledge of my interest in her? As I recall, Miss Bingley spoke at length about Miss Elizabeth when we were here in November.”
The woman offered a smile, one Darcy mistrusted at once. “Caroline considers every woman a potential rival when it pertains to you, Mr. Darcy. She did not confide any suspicions to me.”
There was no reason to belabor the point. “Very well. You are correct that Wickham’s removal is for the best, so I shall not inquire into the matter further.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Darcy,” said the lady, “but am I to understand that my sister was not only suspicious, but that there is something to those concerns?”
This was dangerous territory, for Mrs. Hurst, though her recent behavior astonished him, had ever been her sister’s firmest supporter. She must have seen his hesitation, as she smiled and laid a hand on his arm.
“Do not suppose that I support my sister in this, Mr. Darcy. I have long known that you have no interest in her—if you recall, we discussed it after you joined us.”
Darcy fixed her with a quizzical look. “I have no memory of you contradicting your sister or even directing the conversation away.”
“That is because my sister does not take contradiction well at all, Mr. Darcy,” replied Mrs. Hurst. “Though I have learned something of what our avoidance has cost, in November I still preferred to allow my sister to have her way to keep the peace.”
Sighing, Darcy nodded. “Please know that I have made no decision yet, but I have long known that Miss Elizabeth is a rare woman. There is some hesitancy on her part.”
“That is not unknown to me,” replied Mrs. Hurst, a sense of mischievous amusement hovering over her.
“It is an irony to be certain,” said Darcy.
“I have no interest in your sister or in the legions of debutantes in London, but they would accept me without a second thought. My interest in Miss Elizabeth is far more substantial, but I have the distinct sense that she would not accept me unless I provoke her good opinion.”
“Then you have learned something, Mr. Darcy,” replied she, appearing delighted. “The esteem of a good woman is worth the effort of obtaining it, is it not?”
“Yes, I cannot but suppose you are correct.”
Darcy excused himself to return to his room, his mind whirling with possibilities.
Though he still suspected Mrs. Hurst of more than she confessed, he knew she was correct.
She may have set him on Wickham with her oblique concerns about his behavior toward Miss Elizabeth, but Wickham himself had sealed his fate.
That Wickham deserved what he had received was an incontrovertible fact.
In the end, it did not signify. However, Darcy made a note to himself to remain vigilant where Mrs. Hurst was concerned. The woman was far more devious than he had ever suspected. At least she would not support her sister when Miss Bingley discovered their location and returned to Netherfield Park.
“Brother,” said Georgiana as he stepped into the music room, finding her playing the pianoforte. “I am curious about the subject you wished to discuss with Mrs. Hurst.”
Pleased, Darcy approached his sister and kissed her cheek.
Georgiana had grown bolder these past days, the boisterous nature of the Bennet sisters leading her to greater confidence.
Though Darcy still did not approve of Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia, he could do nothing other than acknowledge their friendship had been beneficial for his sister.
“Just a matter of mutual interest,” replied Darcy.
Georgiana was not convinced, but she did not make an issue of it. “Thank you for introducing me to such interesting ladies. Elizabeth is wonderful, and I enjoy Kitty and Lydia’s company very well.”
“Yes, I supposed you would,” replied Darcy. “Are they not too unruly for your taste?”
“Not at all,” replied Georgiana. “They both can be more sedate when the occasion demands. It is only that they are usually caught up in some intrigue or another, or they are pining after the officers.”
“Do you wish to move among them?” jested Darcy.
“Not at all,” assured Georgiana. “Of the officers’ company, a little goes a long way.”
“I am pleased to hear it, Georgiana.”
Darcy sat on a nearby sofa and listened to his sister begin to play. They spent an agreeable time together until the dinner hour.