CHAPTER 7
Mr. Darcy remained standing beside the window, his attention fixed upon the harbor, though Elizabeth suspected he no longer saw it. His mind was occupied elsewhere, carefully weighing possibilities and rejecting them one by one.
At length, he turned. "Miss Bennet," he began, with deliberation, "I believe there is only one practical course open to us."
Elizabeth looked up, uncertainty brimming in her eyes. "What course is that?"
"I would not propose it," he began, "were our circumstances less pressing."
Elizabeth's eyebrows raised, and she replied, "You alarm me, Mr. Darcy."
"I fear it may do so,” he added, as he drew a measured breath.
He lowered his voice, "The difficulty is not merely that we require lodging for the evening. It is that we have already been seen together, and I will not leave an unwed woman alone, without a chaperone or maid by herself at an inn."
She frowned slightly, "I do not understand, sir, why you should not leave me. I shall be perfectly safe." While Elizabeth knew she would not like to stay at the inn by herself, she would do it, were she required to.
Mr. Darcy reached up, unbidden, to push several locks of hair away from his head, feeling mounting frustration with the woman before him.
It was not the first time she had stirred his ire, and he felt it would not be the last. "Madam, we crossed from England aboard the same packet boat.
Every passenger who remains in this inn knows that we arrived together.
They know we are traveling without family or servants.
By tomorrow morning, if we continue to occupy separate rooms beneath this roof, every person here will also know that we are unmarried. "
Elizabeth blinked, looking startled, "But would that not improve matters?"
"Quite the contrary."
She stared at him, confused as to his meaning.
"The appearance," he continued carefully, "would invite precisely the sort of speculation we must avoid. Two unmarried people arriving together under mysterious circumstances, neither expected upon the island, it is a story that will improve with every telling."
Elizabeth felt her cheeks warm, "I had not considered..."
"No," he said gently. "Nor should you have been expected to."
She lowered her eyes, watching her fingers twiddle with one of her gloves, "I have considered little beyond finding Anne."
"As any reasonable person would." He resumed, resisting the urge to pace.
"The inn is, in fact, the worst place we might remain. Every movement we make will be observed. Every conversation overheard. Every delay remarked upon."
Elizabeth felt a growing uneasiness, "What, then, do you propose?"
Mr. Darcy stopped, "My family's cottage lies some distance from the harbor. It is secluded, attended only by an elderly caretaker and his wife. They have known the Darcy family for many years and are discreet."
Elizabeth looked at him expectantly, but he did not immediately continue. Instead, he seemed to summon a degree of resolve she had seldom witnessed. "If we travel there," he said almost whispering, "I believe it would be prudent to present ourselves as husband and wife."
The words hung in the air, and Elizabeth looked at him in complete astonishment, "Husband and wife?"
He was quick to add, looking altogether embarrassed, "Only in appearance."
She rose so abruptly that her chair scraped against the wooden floor, "Mr. Darcy!" Her voice, raising in alarm.
Darcy stood as well, trying to remind her to be quiet, as he put his hands up in defence, "I understand how extraordinary the proposal sounds."
"Extraordinary?" she repeated. "It is impossible!" Her whisper was sharp and poignant.
"Miss Bennet…” He paused, then started again, “Miss Bennet, I quite agree," he whispered louder.
"Sir, you ask me to deceive complete strangers; it is unconscionable. I will not," Elizabeth felt anger burning in her chest, and she began to consider the man and all his faults, as she had done in Kent.
"Please Miss Bennet. I only ask you to preserve your reputation," he let out an exasperated exhale.
"My reputation, sir,” she emphasized in a harsh whisper, “will hardly be improved by pretending to be your wife!"
She is not wrong, blast. Darcy knew it, yet he also knew that she was in an especially delicate position, and he was determined to protect her. “Miss Bennet, I assure you, it will be preserved."
Elizabeth stared at him, issuing her greatest scowl, yet met her gaze steadily.
He whispered again, "Please, you must consider that no respectable couple would travel together under these circumstances unless married.
A husband and wife taking temporary residence at a family cottage excites no curiosity.
An unmarried gentleman sheltering an unmarried lady, particularly after arriving together from England, invites endless conjecture. "
She turned away, pressing one hand lightly against the back of the chair as though she required a moment to collect her thoughts.
"I cannot believe we are having this conversation.
" A brief silence followed, during which Darcy watched her with a mixture of apprehension.
Then she turned back toward him. "You are abominably proud, sir, if you think me so easily persuaded that I would accept such an arrangement without question.
Do you truly imagine that because you have wealth, influence, and a tendency to decide what is best for everyone around you, I should simply stand aside and allow you to determine the course of my life? "
Darcy lowered his gaze to the floor before him and exhaled slowly, as though conceding a point he had long known he could not win.
"No," he admitted. "I have learned better than to expect that.
" The smallest hint of bitter amusement touched his expression, but it quickly faded as he continued.
"But I must confess, Miss Bennet, that you willfully misunderstand me.
" His voice softened, not in frustration, but in earnestness.
"Believe me, no one is more aware than I of the weight of what I am asking.
If there existed another course that would preserve your good name while avoiding the difficulties before us, I would choose it without hesitation. "
Elizabeth's thoughts raced, and her heart pounded harder than ever before. His proposal had been shocking, perhaps even more shocking than his first. It is improper, entirely, utterly improper and beyond anything she could have imagined that morning.
Yet beneath its absurdity lay an uncomfortable truth. To remain at the inn would place them under the constant observation of everyone who had traveled with them. Every hour would furnish new opportunities for speculation. Every explanation would require another.
She looked back at him, "And the caretaker?"
"They have served my family for many years, and I expect their loyalty as all my staff.”
"They would believe us?" she asked uncertainly, and still with a fire in her eyes that Darcy could hardly look away from.
Mr. Darcy hesitated only briefly, "They would have no reason not to."
Elizabeth gave a disbelieving laugh. "It appears, Mr. Darcy, that your solution requires me to become Mrs. Darcy before supper."
For the first time since their arrival, the corner of his mouth lifted, "I sincerely hope," he replied, "only until we can return to England.
I am told the ship should set sail by tomorrow.
" His expression soon grew serious again.
"I do not ask for your answer immediately.
Indeed, I should prefer that you reject the proposal if you find another that better secures your comfort and your reputation. "
For several moments neither spoke. The sounds of the common room drifted faintly through the walls, the clatter of dishes, subdued conversation, the occasional laugh of a traveler content to have reached his destination.
How strange, Elizabeth reflected, that everyone beyond that door knew precisely where they belonged, while she alone seemed to have no place at all.
At length she sighed, "I dislike your proposal exceedingly."
"I expected nothing less," he replied quietly.
"To practice such a deception..." She shook her head. "I confess, I had believed you the last man who would ever recommend it. You have always struck me as one who values truth above convenience."
A shadow crossed his face, “I do. But, there are occasions, Miss Bennet, when two duties stand opposed to one another.
I cannot preserve perfect honesty toward strangers without risking something infinitely more valuable, your reputation.
Faced with those alternatives, I must choose the lesser wrong. "
Elizabeth remained silent.
"I do not defend the deception," he continued.
"Indeed, I dislike it as much as you do.
But I would sooner bear the burden of an untruth than permit your good name to suffer through circumstances for which you bear no fault.
I would ask no such thing," he added softly, "were I able to offer you any better course. "
She lowered her eyes. And, finally said, "I think it borders on absurd."
"On that point," he said with the faintest smile, "we are entirely agreed."
Elizabeth could not suppress a reluctant smile of her own.
"And yet," she said softly, "I cannot think of a better alternative."
Mr. Darcy inclined his head but did not speak. He would not persuade her further. The decision, he knew, had to be entirely her own.
After another long silence, she drew a steadying breath, "Very well."
His eyes met hers, "To the cottage, we shall go.”
Without another word, Mr. Darcy called for the innkeeper, settled the account for their untouched meal, and requested that a cart be made ready. Within half an hour, the harbor lay behind them.
Night had settled over the island, and the road wound steadily away from Castletown, climbing gently through rolling fields bordered by ancient stone walls.
The last traces of twilight lingered above the Irish Sea, while the first stars appeared overhead.
Their driver spoke little, content to guide the horse along the narrow lane that led inland.
Elizabeth wrapped her shawl more closely about her shoulders and looked out into the unfamiliar countryside. Whatever awaited them at the cottage, she reflected, it was certainly not the adventure she had imagined when she accepted Anne de Bourgh's invitation.