Chapter 23 #4
“My wife and my nieces, Kitty and Elizabeth, have gone shopping. Miss Bennet's wedding is only a few days away, and before she returns, I wish to make one thing perfectly clear. Elizabeth is now a member of my family, and I shall not permit anyone to cause her the slightest harm.”
As he spoke, Marcus fixed Mr Darcy with a steady, warning look.
Mr Darcy felt distinctly uncomfortable beneath the General's protective gaze.
He could not understand why Marcus felt such a fierce need to defend his new niece.
Yet, as he studied him more closely, he was struck by how remarkably similar his eyes were to Elizabeth's.
For the first time, he also noticed other resemblances: the colour and curl of their hair, the shape of their noses, and even the line of their cheekbones.
The likeness was too great to dismiss as mere coincidence.
Convinced that the General's concern concealed some deeper secret, Darcy decided that complete honesty was his wisest course.
“General, I hold Miss Elizabeth in the highest esteem. You have no reason to fear on her account. I freely admit that I behaved disgracefully towards her, but I have apologised most sincerely, and I believe she has forgiven me.”
Marcus was about to continue the conversation when the front door opened.
His wife, Elizabeth, and Kitty had just returned.
Knowing that Georgiana was waiting in the music room, Kitty hurried upstairs at once. Georgiana had sent her a note saying that she wished to ask a favour, and Kitty had been curious ever since receiving it.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Eleanor heard Marcus's voice coming from the drawing room and made their way there to join him.
Mr Darcy noticed the general's expression soften the moment Mrs Sinclair and Elizabeth entered the drawing room. Marcus looked at both ladies with unmistakable affection. There could be no doubt that he loved them dearly.
“Mr Darcy, I am sorry I did not know you were coming today,” Eleanor said.
“Please do not apologise, Mrs Sinclair. I accompanied my sister, as she wished to spend some time with her friends, Miss Mary and Miss Catherine. I also wished to offer you my congratulations upon your recent marriage.”
Mr Darcy found it impossible to take his eyes off Elizabeth. She seemed especially happy that day and, as always, looked lovely.
“Thank you very much. That is most kind of you. Please, do have a seat,” Eleanor said.
Then, she ordered tea, and the conversation continued pleasantly for some time.
Mr Darcy spoke only occasionally, content simply to listen.
It was enough to be in the same room as Elizabeth.
At the same time, he found Mrs Sinclair and her husband cultivated and intelligent companions whose conversation he thoroughly enjoyed.
After some time, Eleanor invited the Darcys for dinner, and he gladly accepted.
She wished to know better the gentleman who so evidently admired her daughter.
It proved a pleasant evening for everyone.
Although Marcus was far from pleased by Mr Darcy's presence, he acknowledged that his wife was right.
Before passing judgement, they ought to know better the gentleman who had made no secret of his admiration for Elizabeth.
When Mr Darcy returned that evening, impeccably dressed for dinner, Elizabeth found herself unable to look away from him.
Without question, he was the most handsome and interesting gentleman she had ever met.
The knowledge that he admired her—and had even proposed marriage despite all the prejudices he had once held against her family—made it impossible for her not to regard him differently.
She could also see how earnestly he was striving to overcome the pride and arrogance that had once governed his conduct.
For example, she had caught him several times during dinner either starting a sentence insensitively, catching himself, and then softening his tone.
Or, he would say something a bit judgmental and then, apparently realising his lapse, finish with a statement clearly meant to ameliorate his initial criticism by saying something like, "But, perhaps I do not know those people as well as I think. Or, perhaps I am being unfair."
Mr Darcy also appeared to no longer automatically condescend to entire classes of people such as merchants, farmers, or lawyers. If he referenced them at all, he referenced their hard work, the necessity of their jobs, and their productivity with respect.
Elizabeth hoped desperately that Mr Darcy was indeed making an effort to value people in the way that she and Jane valued people, by their heart and their actions above their money and their connections.
Although, if this was so, she feared it suddenly made Darcy into an irresistibly compelling bachelor.
All the distaste she had once felt for the man seemed to be vanishing rapidly before her very eyes.
It was a little frightening for Mr Darcy was, despite his recent changes, still a tall, imperious and intimidating gentleman, albeit an extraordinarily handsome one.
After dinner, Mr Darcy found an opportunity to speak with Elizabeth in relative privacy, though he was perfectly aware that Marcus and Eleanor never allowed them out of their sight.
“I hope you have a pleasant stay in Hertfordshire for Miss Bennet's wedding. Do you intend to return to London afterwards?” Mr Darcy asked.
“Yes,” Elizabeth replied rather too eagerly. “My aunt and her husband have invited me to live with them, and I gladly accepted. I want to make the most of the opportunity they are giving me to continue my education and become acquainted with more people.”
“I see,” Mr Darcy replied quietly.
“I am determined to transform myself into a truly accomplished woman, so that one day you may say you know not six, but seven accomplished ladies,” Elizabeth said with a smile and a wink.
“Miss Elizabeth, I fear your memory is far too good for my own comfort,” Mr Darcy replied with a laugh. “You seem determined never to let me forget my own conceit.”
“Oh indeed, I am afraid I shall not ever forget, for where would be the fun in that?” Elizabeth asked playfully.
“Then it appears that I am forever to be at your mercy,” Mr Darcy replied. “But I will come to terms with it. For it does seem a small price to pay for the pleasure of your company.”
“Thank you, Mr Darcy. And I do promise not to be too terribly cruel,” said Elizabeth.
“Miss Elizabeth, considering my past behaviour, I would not blame you in the slightest. In fact, I must commend you on your extraordinary restraint thus far.”
“Well, forgiveness is a Christian value!”
“That it is, Miss Elizabeth. That it is,” agreed Mr Darcy. “I suppose that makes you practically a saint.”
“Alas, I do not expect the church to be recognising me as such anytime soon,” Elizabeth pouted.
"’Tis a pity,” said Mr Darcy.
“And now that I shall be spending time in London, I am sure I shall have more opportunities to make you regret ever addressing me at all!" replied Elizabeth with a broad, playful smile.