Chapter 2.5 #2
“Maud is your name?” Darcy asked, watching her carefully.
“Yes, sir.”
“Maud, where is your family from?”
“A small village near Oxford.”
“Do you have parents? Siblings?”
“My father passed away five years ago. I have two brothers and two sisters.”
“I see. So you came to Town to work, I imagine. Can you tell me what you did for a living?”
“I was a maid, sir.” The answer finally came with a trembling voice.
“And do you intend to find a place in another household? Or do you have other plans?”
“Yes…I mean…I am not sure if I can…I have no plans, sir.” The woman’s face turned paler, and she could barely whisper. Darcy glanced at Elizabeth, who continued in a softer tone.
“Maud, you can work here if you wish. You shall have a trial period, and if Mrs Hamilton is content with your performance, we expect a long-time commitment. Would you like that?”
Astonishment made the young woman silent and tearful, and she could barely nod in gratitude. Then Darcy stepped forward again.
“However, Maud, I must know why you were in the middle of the park on a very cold evening. Why did you leave your previous position? I cannot admit a stranger into this house without knowing more details.”
The woman’s knees seemed to betray her, and she clasped her hands together to stop their tremor.
“The mistress dismissed me two days ago. She was very upset and asked me to leave the house at once. Then I went to talk to my aunt, but she was not at the inn, and I did not know what to do. I slept the first night at the inn in the hall, but I had no money to pay, so I had to leave. I sat on the bench to rest…and then you found me. I thank you so much…I did not expect. Forgive me…”
“Maud, I see you are distressed, but I need you to answer me directly: why was the mistress so upset with you that she threw you out of the house? And with no proper payment? It seems a rather harsh measure. You must have done something dreadful.”
She was ghostly pale. “I broke the rules of the house, sir. That is all I can say.”
“Did you steal anything?”
“Oh no—no—I would never do that. No sir…”
Darcy paused a moment, watching her carefully.
“I see. So, Maud—if Mrs Darcy decides to hire you, how can we be confident you will not break the rules of this house too?”
“I will never do that, sir. It will never happen again—never.”
“Very well—we shall see.”
“Maud, you will remain with us. Our expectation is that you will accomplish your duties acceptably. You will work with a worthy staff, and I trust you will quickly find your place. Mrs Hamilton, please take care of everything,” Elizabeth said warmly, and the housekeeper approved then showed the young woman out.
When they were alone, Darcy poured himself a glass of wine while Elizabeth filled her cup of tea.
“What do you think, William? Is she guilty of some sort of crime? Otherwise, why would they throw her out to freeze to death? She refused to say more, and she is reluctant to speak against her former employer. She seems polite and modest—she surely does not deserve such treatment.”
Darcy took a few moments to search for the proper words. He looked at Elizabeth, slightly embarrassed, then took her hand.
“My suspicion is that she became involved on a personal level with someone in the house and the mistress did not accept it.”
“I see…you must be right. But still—that is hardly a reason for such cruel measures!”
“Except if he was a gentleman…if she was involved with the master or the master’s son.”
“Oh…yes, that is very likely. But—the gentlemen himself who was the subject of this—how could he allow the girl to be thrown out to her possible death? And speaking of this—he surely cannot be called a gentleman. He is just a horrible human being. Even worse than the mistress herself! I hope it was not a respectable family, or I would be very disappointed. People in possession of means, education, and connections are even more horrible when they take advantage of those below them. Surely, this girl was just a victim.”
Elizabeth grew angrier as she spoke, and Darcy smiled then kissed her hair.
“My love, you are right, of course. It was wrong, and this young woman was apparently saved from death. But we cannot know the entire situation. I mean—she might have been smitten with the young son who can easily be still a boy. From her behaviour, she seems to feel guilty and not at all indifferent to the people behind all this. It is not unusual for a young man to fall for a lovely maid. In this case, he can hardly make any decision—he might not even have been at home when she was asked to leave.”
“Yes, that could be. Perhaps someone is looking for her as we speak and wishes to help her.”
“My dear, I do not want you to entertain too much hope as I dread to see you disappointed. There can be many other circumstances that we cannot even guess now. I know it sounds horrible, but it frequently happens within marriages of convenience that a respectable gentleman prefers to spend his nights with a young maid than with his wife, who is very pleased with such arrangements.”
“Yes, I know. I am not naive,” Elizabeth replied, turning from pale to red.
“But this is just horrible. I know for some it can be acceptable, but I find it appalling. And it cannot be the case here; if it had been, Maud would not have been sent away. Or would she? Perhaps that so-called gentleman became bored with the arrangement and searched for someone new. Oh—this is too ugly to even speak of!”
He smiled and kissed her hand again. “It gives me so much pleasure to hear your decided opinion. I know you find it horrible—which is why you did not make a marriage of convenience.” He teased her, but she became even more serious and distressed.
“This is why I said so many times that I feel blessed. Marrying for love is for many women only a dream.”
“And for many men also, my love. I feel blessed too. And no matter what may have happened to Maud, she will be safe now that she has met you. I told you a long time ago that you have the power to bring joy into people’s lives.”
She laughed, and tears glittered in her eyes.
“You spoil me with undeserved compliments, dear husband. But please continue to do so.”
∞∞∞
In the afternoon, Elizabeth started to prepare for the theatre. Mrs Hamilton came to assist Molly in arranging the mistress’s hair, and more than an hour was needed before all of them declared themselves content with the result.
Elizabeth knew her appearance would be carefully observed and harshly judged. She wished to be the Mrs Darcy that her husband deserved on his arm.
She chose a pale green dress, and complemented it with the set of jewels she received the previous day. For a moment, she was tempted to wear another set of ornaments from those given to her after the marriage but she was too fond of her new and more meaningful gift.
A last glance in the mirror showed an image she was pleased to display when Darcy knocked on the door, and his expression of deep admiration was her best reward and confirmation.
“You look beautiful, my love. Any dress, any jewel, any colour suits you so well. Your eyes are simply glowing.”
“I thank you, my love. My eyes are glowing not from the dress or jewels but from my love for you,” she replied with a tender smile, and he touched her lips with his.
“Let us be careful. I cannot afford to ruin my appearance,” she said teasingly. “I am forced to look my best since so many gazes will be fixed on me only to find fault. I feel obliged to prove your good taste in choosing your wife, Mr Darcy.”
“I hope you are only mocking me, my dear. You cannot possibly give any consideration to such criticisms that, I must warn you, will come anyway, no matter how perfect you are.”
He helped her enter the carriage then sat in front of her and took her hands in his.
“You are so beautiful,” Darcy repeated. This time his voice was hoarse, and his eyes gazed deeply into hers.
A chill ran along her spine, and Elizabeth unconsciously bit her lips.
His eyes lowered toward her mouth, then he suddenly stole a kiss—a very brief one as he reluctantly separated from her only a moment later.
“I shall not risk ruining your perfect appearance, Mrs Darcy, do not worry. For now. However, on the way home, I cannot promise the same decorum in my behaviour.”
“I once considered you the most proper of men. But, as it happened with my other judgements of you, in time I gained a better understanding of your true nature,” she teased him, her voice carrying a sweetness he found impossible to resist. She caressed his face and continued more seriously.
“You are like deep, dark water. One must have courage to dive into it and search carefully to discover all the beauty and kindness and generosity you are hiding.”
He kissed her hands, the emotion apparent on his face.
“And you, my beloved, are like a fresh, lively summer breeze. You stirred my soul and warmed my heart—and now I can barely breathe when I am not with you.
Their entwined hands and locked gazes spoke the rest. The steps of the horses were the only sounds that broke the silence, filled with so much tenderness that even their hearts forgot to beat.
“Here, I have another small gift for you,” he finally said, releasing her hands reluctantly to place a small box in her palm. She opened it with surprise and curiosity to find, against a background of black velvet, an exquisite golden opera glass.
“It belonged to my mother. I thought you would like it. We may also order a new one if you prefer.”
“This is exquisite. I am happy and honoured to have it. Thank you.”
They only needed a few more minutes to reach their destination. In front of the impressive building, there was a large gathering, and the carriages kept arriving.
As soon as they entered arm in arm, Colonel Fitzwilliam hurried to them.