Chapter 17 #3
After that conversation, the cousins continued walking in silence.
Mr Darcy could not help thinking about what Richard had said.
Elizabeth was indeed a beautiful and exceptional woman, and she would very likely find someone who wished to marry her.
Perhaps the damned Spaniard would decide to begin courting her again.
Apparently, he ought to hide himself away at Pemberley for a long time and pray that he never saw her again.
For the next week, Mr Darcy shut himself away in his aunt's library, working, putting Rosings' affairs in order, and meeting with the steward.
Every afternoon, when Richard returned from the parsonage, he could not help feeling envious.
At least he knew that his cousin had no romantic interest in Elizabeth.
Otherwise, his visit to Rosings would have been a nightmare.
Unfortunately, his aunt invited Mr Collins and his family to tea, and Miss Elizabeth, as expected, accompanied them. After tea, Lady Catherine asked Elizabeth to play the pianoforte. She did so and also sang a beautiful love song that Mr Darcy could not stop listening to while gazing at her.
"Miss Bennet, you will never play well unless you practise more. If you wish, you may come to Mrs Jenkinson's room to practise," Lady Catherine said condescendingly, prompting Mr Collins to praise her generosity. At the same time, Richard and Mr Darcy felt embarrassed by her rudeness.
"Thank you, Lady Catherine, but it is not necessary. I shall spend the rest of the Season with my aunt, Lady Campbell, and I have decided to take lessons with Maestro Russo. I also intend to improve both my singing and my French."
Looking defiantly at Mr Darcy, Elizabeth added, "I want to be recognised as an accomplished woman."
She loved teasing that man and making sport of all his pompous opinions.
Mr Darcy could not help smiling and feeling happy. His Elizabeth was trying to become a better person for him. While he was thinking this, however, Lady Catherine continued with her impertinent questions.
"I understand that Lady Campbell is a distant relation of your father. Why do you call her your aunt?"
She had questioned Mr Collins, and he had informed her that Lady Campbell was not closely related to the Bennet family of Longbourn.
"I do not know who told you that, but it is not true. Eleanor Bennet is my father's only sister. She is my aunt, and that is why I call her that."
Elizabeth would no longer play her father's game.
"Cousin Elizabeth, that is not what your father told me," said Mr Collins.
Mr Collins tried to defend what he had told Lady Catherine.
"I do not know why my father told you that, Mr Collins, but Lady Campbell is my aunt."
Elizabeth did not wish to continue discussing the subject, so she resumed chatting with Colonel Fitzwilliam about music and other topics.
Mr Darcy had seated himself near them, and when Lady Catherine called Richard over to ask him a few questions about his father, Mr Darcy immediately took the seat beside Elizabeth to converse with her.
Charlotte and Anne had both noticed how Mr Darcy kept looking at Elizabeth, smiling at her, and trying to attract her attention.
They were both pleased, though for very different reasons.
Charlotte thought they made a lovely couple, while Anne believed that, once Darcy was finally married, her mother would leave her in peace and stop insisting upon their supposed engagement.
"Miss Bennet, have you continued walking in the park surrounding Rosings? Since the day I had the pleasure of seeing you there, I have not been able to return. As you know, I am occupied for most of the day," said Mr Darcy.
He longed to speak with Elizabeth and see her alone.
He had thought long and hard about everything Richard had said, as well as many other things.
But after seeing her sing and hearing of her determination to learn new accomplishments, believing she wished to deserve his love, he had begun to imagine a future with her.
"Yes, I walk there every day, especially by the lake. But I go early in the morning. Charlotte prefers that we spend the afternoons together."
Elizabeth had deliberately changed the time of her walks to avoid meeting Mr Darcy. She thought that, by telling him of her routine, he would avoid walking along the same paths as well.
Mr Darcy longed to take her hand and kiss it as he had done at Lady Westcliff's ball. He thought that Elizabeth was inviting him to walk with her. If the emotion he felt at that moment was even a small glimpse of what his life with her could be like, he was lost.
"There are many beautiful trails at Pemberley, and I am sure you would love to see them," said Mr Darcy.
"I have always wanted to visit the north of the country. I have read that the countryside there is far more abundant and simply wonderful."
“All of that is true. I would very much enjoy it if you could manage to find the time to travel to Pemberley and to visit my home there,” he replied.
Elizabeth continued speaking for several minutes about the natural beauty of Derbyshire, its famous peaks, and its geography in general. She had to admit that, when Mr Darcy wished to be, he could be pleasant.
When Lady Catherine saw her usually reserved nephew talking so animatedly with Elizabeth, she panicked and immediately interrupted their conversation. She made certain that they did not have another opportunity to speak privately for the rest of the evening.
Finally, when everyone had retired, Mr Darcy reflected upon what he wished to do. He intended to use his remaining days at Rosings to court Elizabeth and make a final decision: either forget her forever or propose to her.
◆◆◆
During the weeks Elizabeth spent in Kent, Marcus made a habit of visiting Eleanor whenever he could.
They had managed to reconnect and discovered that, just as in their youth, they had a great deal in common and could spend hours engaged in pleasant, entertaining conversation.
He had promised to be her friend, though he often could not help taking her hand, kissing it, and telling her that she had always held a place in his heart.
Eleanor was ready to go to the theatre accompanied by her two nieces and her nephew, Christian.
She needed all the help she could get to keep Marcus away from her.
If he spoke to her about love again while kissing her hands, she feared she would no longer be able to resist and would end up doing something reckless, just as she had done more than twenty years earlier.
She was terrified of suffering for his love once again.
Eleanor wanted him to understand that their story was over.
It was an illusion from the past that had died along with their little angel.
Many other things had also happened over the previous few days.
Lady Claire and Georgiana had become very good friends with Mary and Kitty.
They had met several times during the past few days.
Of course, Claire's uncle always accompanied her.
He never missed an opportunity to tease Eleanor playfully in front of others and speak to her passionately whenever they were alone.
As if all that were not enough, Lady Samantha and her sister-in-law, Lady Westcliff, seemed to be engaged in some sort of battle, and she, for some reason, found herself in the middle of it.
It was clear that Lady Samantha was attracted to Marcus and saw Eleanor as a potential rival.
At the same time, however, Marcus seemed to have no interest in her.
Marcus had always been handsome; Eleanor had never understood why he had fallen in love with her.
Over the years, he had become even more attractive than most men of his age.
She could understand why Lady Samantha was attracted to him, but she could not understand why she persisted in flirting with him when Marcus showed no interest in her.
Although Eleanor did not wish to admit it, she felt jealous.
Lady Samantha was attractive and did not have ugly scars on her legs.
"Aunt Eleanor, are you ready?" Kitty asked through the door, interrupting Eleanor's thoughts.
"Yes, dear. Come in if you wish. Sarah is just finishing my hair," Eleanor replied.
Kitty came in and immediately asked, "How do I look? Georgiana helped me choose this dress."
"You look beautiful, my beloved niece."
Eleanor stood up and kissed Kitty on the cheek.
"Thank you, Aunt," Kitty said, happy and excited. Then she added, looking visibly troubled, "Aunt Eleanor, I do not want to embarrass you. I want you to know that I have gone over everything with Mrs Taylor many times, so I know how I should behave. But if I do anything wrong, please tell me."
Kitty did not want to disappoint her aunt. Neither her father nor her mother had ever taken the trouble to teach her anything, whereas her aunt constantly supported and guided her in everything she did.
"Do not worry, my dear girl. You will see that everything will go well tonight. And remember that your great saving grace is that you are young. If you do make an innocent little faux-pas, it will not be considered proof of bad manners so much as proof of your youth and inexperience. No matter what happens, I shall always be proud of you!”
Eleanor had witnessed how much Kitty had improved her manners and the way she expressed her opinions. She was no longer afraid to show how clever she was. It was evident that spending time with Mary had helped.
Mary was in the parlour waiting for her aunt and Kitty when Christian arrived.
She liked her new cousin because talking to him came effortlessly, and he genuinely wished to be friends with her and Kitty.
She had never had a male friend before and found it fascinating to converse with a young gentleman without becoming flustered.
"Miss Mary, I see you are the only lady who is ready," Christian said as he entered the room.