Chapter 4
The appointed hour found the three ladies of Gracechurch Street descending from their carriage before a handsome building, and Elizabeth stepped out with an unsettled sensation in her stomach.
Her spirits had been in a state of lively disorder ever since Mr King’s visit, and she adjusted her gloves with more care than the task strictly required.
Jane regarded the facade with silent preoccupation while Mrs Gardiner surveyed the house and the street with genuine curiosity and good humour.
Miss Darcy received them in an elegant, stylish drawing-room, attended by the quiet Mrs Annesley. The young lady rose at once, colouring a little, yet with a warmth that banished every suspicion of mere formality.
“Mrs Gardiner, Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, how very good of you to come. I have looked forward to this hour more than I can say.”
“It is an honour and an utter delight to be here, Miss Darcy,” Mrs Gardiner replied, while each took a seat. “Being invited by Mr Darcy and Lady Anne’s daughter is a privilege I never expected.”
“I am truly glad you are here,” Miss Darcy repeated gently, inviting them to sit. “Miss Elizabeth, I trust you suffered no lasting injury from your accident?”
“Not at all, but thank you for your concern.”
“And your guests? Are they improving?”
“Yes, we expect to leave for Kent soon,” Elizabeth answered.
Refreshments were brought, and the conversation ceased briefly.
“You said you knew my parents, ma’am,” Georgiana said, turning to Mrs Gardiner with shy eagerness. “I can scarcely remember my mother, and of my father I have only the fondest, most imperfect recollections. Any particular you might share would be a treasure to me.”
Mrs Gardiner smiled, the expression softening her features.
“Your mother was kindness itself, as well as beautiful and elegant. It was a joy for everyone to meet her in Lambton. And your father was the best master and best landlord — everybody in Lambton agreed on this. I know many tenants and business owners applied to Mr Darcy for help when they were in need, and every one of them received support.”
“My brother is the same,” Miss Darcy said, and Elizabeth could not repress a frown of disbelief.
“I have not had the pleasure of meeting the present Mr Darcy in person,” Mrs Gardiner explained.
“I mean, I did see him a few times in Lambton, when he was very young, but we have not been formally introduced. And by the time I arrived in Hertfordshire for Christmas last year, Mr Darcy had already left.”
“I am sure he would want to make your acquaintance, Mrs Gardiner. Nobody works harder than my brother, for the benefit of everyone who is under his protection — our family, his friends, the tenants or people of Lambton. My uncle, Lord Matlock, as well as my aunt Lady Catherine, trusts my brother with advice about managing their estates. Nobody who asks for his help is rejected. But if someone is refused, it is always for good reason.”
Miss Darcy spoke with utter confidence, which increased Elizabeth’s scepticism.
Of course she had the best opinion about her brother; she might not even know the truth about his nature, character, or manners.
He might be generous — in his own way — with his tenants and friends like Mr Bingley, but that certainly did not excuse his flaws and wrongs against other people.
“And Pemberley is by far the most beautiful estate I have ever seen,” Elizabeth heard Mrs Gardiner saying. “I only had the chance to go inside the house once, many years ago, and I remember being charmed immediately and forever.”
“Thank you for your kind words. I love our home,” Miss Darcy replied.
“I heard the library is exceptional,” Elizabeth interjected on impulse.”
“Oh, have you visited Pemberley, too, Miss Elizabeth?”
“No, not at all. In fact, I have never been even close to Derbyshire. I have just heard Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst praising it.”
“Ah… Indeed, the library is beautiful and very rich in books of every sort, from the oldest tomes available to new publications. My grandfather and my father were avid collectors, so the library is the work of several generations, as my brother says.”
Elizabeth noticed how much the girl enjoyed mentioning her brother, and she smiled to herself. To a young girl who had lost both her parents, an older brother must be twice as valuable, especially as he was kind to her.
“My fondest memory of the library is my father reading to me on cold days. My brother was mostly at school, so for a few years there was only Papa and me, and—”
She suddenly paused, and a shade of distress brought paleness to her pretty face. She sipped from her cup of tea and forced a smile, while Mrs Annesley promptly interjected.
“I have not seen Pemberley yet, and I am quite thrilled to spend the summer there,” the lady uttered, indicating she had been in Miss Darcy’s service for only a short while.
“I hope to visit Lambton again in the near future, and I shall certainly take the opportunity to admire Pemberley once more,” Mrs Gardiner declared.
Upon hearing this, Miss Darcy regained her composure and immediately said, “If you happen to be in Lambton when we are at Pemberley, please send me a note, Mrs Gardiner. I would be delighted to introduce you to my brother and to have you to dinner at Pemberley.”
The invitation surprised Mrs Gardiner, as well as Elizabeth. The girl’s kindness was undoubted, but Elizabeth suspected her brother would not be so happy to entertain cordial relationships with someone so below their social status.
“That is exceedingly kind of you, Miss Darcy. I shall certainly do that,” Mrs Gardiner responded.
The conversation turned to the Derbyshire hills, the excellence of the local stone, the particular beauty of the lime avenue in early summer.
Elizabeth contributed only when politeness demanded it, her mind elsewhere.
How easy it would be to ask, in the most casual tone, whether Miss Darcy remembered a certain companion of her brother’s youth — whether Mr Wickham’s name still held any place in the household.
The temptation flickered, sharp and dangerous.
She closed her lips firmly and reached for a biscuit she did not want.
Mrs Gardiner was relating an episode from when she was a child, in which Lady Anne had brought some treats for her and her companions, when the sound of footsteps and a servant’s voice startled and silenced them.
To Elizabeth’s astonishment and dismay, Mr Darcy strode into the room, then stopped as soon as he laid eyes on the party. His countenance changed immediately, and he stared in obvious stupefaction.
For an instant no one moved. The gentleman’s eyes, dark and startled, travelled from his sister to the unexpected visitors and fixed, with unmistakable shock, upon Elizabeth.
Colour drained from his face, then returned in a deeper flush.
Elizabeth felt her own cheeks flame in answer; her teacup rattled treacherously against its saucer.
Elizabeth hastily stood up, and so did Miss Darcy, then Mrs Gardiner and Jane.
“Miss Elizabeth?” he said with a frown.
“Mr Darcy!”
“Dear brother, what a wonderful surprise!” Miss Darcy hurried to him, while his eyes remained fixed upon Elizabeth. A grip of distress and anxiety tightened in her stomach, while her heart pounded and raced.
“I am certain you did not expect to find old acquaintances here, did you? You will not believe what happened!” Miss Darcy continued joyfully.
“It is a surprise, for certain,” Mr Darcy finally replied with a bow after clearing his throat. “Good day, ladies. How lovely to see you again.”
Elizabeth and Jane curtseyed, silently and awkwardly.
“Oh, I understand you have not met Mrs Gardiner yet!” Miss Darcy exclaimed. “She grew up in Lambton, can you believe it? And she knew our parents very well!”
Mr Darcy’s amazement seemed to increase with every word, and his eyes turned to Elizabeth again.
“Mrs Gardiner is my aunt, Mr Darcy,” she finally said. “Mr Gardiner is my mother’s brother. They live in Gracechurch Street.”
His surprise remained, while Elizabeth scrutinised his face. What could be in his mind at that very moment? He did not look happy at all, but he bowed to Mrs Gardiner properly and said in a fairly amiable tone, “Mrs Gardiner, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“I am truly honoured, Mr Darcy. As I just told Miss Darcy, being invited to your house for tea and meeting you both it is a wonderful privilege I have never imagined.”
“So, you were having a tea party? I am sorry I interrupted it,” Mr Darcy said. “I just returned home, but I shall leave again in two days.”
“Please stay with us for a little while, Brother,” Miss Darcy insisted. “Let me tell you how I met the Miss Bennets and Mrs Gardiner. You will not believe such a coincidence!”
The girl’s voice was so joyful that everybody in the room smiled.
She began to recount their fortuitous encounter in Hyde Park, while Mr Darcy cast repeated glances at Elizabeth.
Under his curious looks, she became more and more unsettled, and when his little smile that had made her uncomfortable so many times in Hertfordshire returned to his lips, she felt her cheeks burning.
“Quite a coincidence, indeed,” he admitted. “I remember Miss Elizabeth enjoys taking long walks.”
“It was the first time I had fallen in a long time, and of course, it had to happen in Hyde Park, of all places,” Elizabeth said to conceal her nervousness. “I was fortunate with Miss Darcy’s timely assistance.”
Mr Darcy smiled again, with a loving glance at his sister.
“So, Mrs Gardiner, my sister mentioned you grew up in Lambton?”
“Yes, sir. My father, Thomas Barnes, owned a shop until we moved to London, almost twenty years ago.”
“I confess I do not remember Mr Barnes, but it is a lovely coincidence, truly.”
“Oh, wait, Brother, there are more coincidences,” Miss Darcy continued. “Miss Elizabeth is only staying in London for a few days. She is on her way to visit — well, you should guess, but I am sure you never would! Lady Catherine, at Rosings Park!”
At this, Mr Darcy’s eyes widened again, and a frown of surprise returned to his face. He gazed at Elizabeth intently, enquiringly, somehow doubtfully.
“You are visiting Lady Catherine de Bourgh?” he asked in disbelief.
Elizabeth gulped some tea before answering.
“Not her ladyship directly. My cousin Mr Collins — I am not sure you remember him — married my friend Charlotte Lucas a few months ago. He is a clergyman at Hunsford parish, and they live close to Rosings Park. Charlotte invited me to visit her, together with her father, Sir William, and her sister, Maria.”
As she spoke, Elizabeth found her own explanation clumsy and hesitant; Mr Darcy remained incredulous and frowning.
“Sir William and Maria caught a bad cold, and they are recovering in my aunt’s house. We had to delay our departure for a few days, but I hope we shall be able to continue our journey soon.”
“I see…” Mr Darcy repeated. “Well, this has been a real succession of coincidences, as my sister proclaimed.”
Before she knew what she was saying, Elizabeth continued, with a boldness she knew to be improper but could not repress. “My sister Jane, however, will remain in London. She has been here for two months now and will stay until I return from Kent.”
“I see,” Mr Darcy repeated, with a glance at a very flushed Jane.
“Brother, do you happen to have news about Mr Bingley? Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth asked me about him, but I had little to say since I have not seen him in a while.”
This time, Elizabeth easily recognised Mr Darcy’s discomfort, as his face paled, then coloured.
“No…I have not seen him in a few weeks either.”
“His sisters told my aunt and my sister that Mr Bingley was busy with you and with Miss Darcy, which seems to be far from accurate,” Elizabeth said with audacity. She noticed Mrs Gardiner’s harsh glares of reproach but chose to disregard them.
“I am not sure why they would say so,” Mr Darcy replied.
“Since I did not know you would return today, I took the liberty of writing Miss Bingley a note and asking about her brother,” Miss Darcy declared. “I hope he is in good health.”
Miss Darcy’s complacency was not mirrored in either Jane or Mr Darcy; both of them looked deeply distracted, but the girl did not seem to notice and continued chatting.
“When you entered, we were just talking about Pemberley’s library. Mrs Gardiner remembered that people called our father the best master and landlord, and I told them you are exactly the same.”
“You give me too much credit, dearest, and I thank you, though I am sure I do not deserve such praise,” he replied, clearly uncomfortable.
Only moments later, the conversation stopped abruptly, silenced by a shock nobody had foreseen. A servant formally announced the arrival of two more visitors: Mr Bingley and Miss Caroline Bingley, who entered the room but then stopped short with a gasp of amazement.
Elizabeth glanced at Jane, who had turned pale and seemed to have forgotten to breathe, while Mr Bingley’s expression was similar. He appeared to be gasping for air, blinking repeatedly, while his sister leaned against the wall for support.
In the room filled with such excruciating awkwardness, Miss Darcy’s voice sounded strangely serene.
“Mr Bingley! What a lovely surprise to see you here, sir! Fitzwilliam returned home only moments ago, and we were just talking about you!”