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“Did you not dance with him at the Netherfield ball, Lizzy?” His daughter returned to sit beside him and hid her face in her hands. This did not, however, hide the rosy blush that had risen on her cheeks.

“Yes, Papa.”

“Well, well. Continue your story. We were in Kent, I believe.”

“Yes, Papa.” She studied the grass stem in her hands and began to wind it around her finger.

“One evening, I stayed behind at the parsonage while Charlotte, Maria and Mr. Collins went to Rosings for dinner. I had been invited as well but begged off claiming a headache. It was not entirely untrue. In a conversation with Colonel Fitzwilliam— Mr. Darcy’s cousin had accompanied him, you remember?

He mentioned that Mr. Darcy congratulated himself on having recently saved a friend from a ‘most imprudent marriage.’ The Colonel did not know any of the particulars but I knew instantly that it must be Jane and Mr. Bingley.

I knew she was still heartbroken and here was evidence that not only had Mr. Darcy purposefully caused her misery, but he had then boasted about it to someone wholly unconnected to the situation. ”

Thomas sighed and, to himself, admitted that he had not noticed his eldest’s true feelings.

Mrs. Bennet had been plotting matches since Jane turned fifteen and he had always ignored it.

For the second time that day he did some quick arithmetic in his head and realized that his firstborn was nearly twenty-three, an age when most young ladies of her station were married or at least affianced.

Setting that fact aside for future consideration, Mr. Bennet turned his attention back to Elizabeth when she resumed her story.

“So I gave myself over to an evening of solitude, re-reading Jane’s letters and seething over the arrogant, high-handed interference of Mr. Bingley’s so-called friend. And then, who should have the misfortune to come calling on me during my fit of pique but Mr. Darcy himself.”

Lizzy pressed fingers to her eyes as if attempting to block out the memory.

“Oh Papa, I was already so vexed… and then he proposed and I was so surprised and so angry. And I said so many things and he was so angry to be refused. Well, that is not entirely true. He was surprised to be refused. He only became angry after asking me why I had refused him. Oh, Papa, the things I accused him of…”

By now, Mr. Bennet’s head was spinning with new information.

Mr. Darcy had not only separated Jane from her beau but had proposed to his Lizzy?

And been refused? And she appeared to regret it?

He cleared his throat. “Well my dear, I don’t know quite what to say.

Am I to understand that this letter is from Mr. Darcy, then? ”

Elizabeth nodded weakly. “We parted in anger that evening, as you can imagine. I didn’t sleep well and when I awoke in the morning, I couldn’t bear to face Mr. Collins over the breakfast table so I went for a walk to clear my head.

If nothing else, Rosings Park does have some lovely old groves.

I met Mr. Darcy—quite unexpectedly on my part— though he did say he had been looking for me.

He put that letter in my hand and asked me to do him the honor of reading it.

In hindsight, I suppose he looked as exhausted as I felt. ”

Sighing, Elizabeth motioned to the pages in her father’s hands and added, “Please read it, Papa. I think I should like to know what you think.”

Mr. Bennet took his time reading the closely written missive but as Elizabeth had it nearly committed to memory, she could easily track her father’s progress by his changing expressions .

When he reached the charitable adieu, he sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes.

Not for the first time, Thomas wished that his wife was a source of sensible advice for their daughters or that there was a rational female relative living nearby.

He thought wistfully of his sister-in-law, Mrs. Gardiner, in London but knew that for now he would have to deal with his daughter’s worries by himself.

“Well, my dear, this is quite a letter that your young man has written.”

“Oh heavens, Papa; he is not my young man. After the hateful things I said to him I expect that he despises me quite thoroughly. If by some evil chance I ever see him again, I’m certain he will do everything possible to avoid me.”

“Hmmm. Does that bother you? You said you have always disliked him.”

“I barely know myself anymore. It would be the height of foolishness for me to become jealous of his esteem after I’ve abused him so horribly to his face.”

Mr. Bennet considered his daughter for a moment and then chided her gently. “You are avoiding my question.”

She sighed. “I read somewhere that one may feel uncommonly clever in taking so decided a dislike of someone. It is such a spur to one’s genius, such an opening for wit to have a dislike of that kind.”

Chuckling, her father folded his arms in the manner of a stern school master. “Miss Lizzy, you will answer the question.”

Elizabeth groaned in defeat and, if it must be admitted, embarrassment.

After pausing for a minute to collect her thoughts, she eventually responded, “I believe that he is a good man in essentials. He is intelligent, well-educated, and I appreciate the way that he listened to me and my pert opinions and was not averse to engaging me in discussions of books, philosophy, politics and…. oh, everything and nothing.”

Mr. Bennet’s eyebrows rose at this bit of fancy but he remained silent, encouraging her to continue.

“I believe he is a good elder brother and guardian to his sister—he truly cares for her education and well-being. He is also handsome, which a young man ought likewise to be, if he possibly can.” She smirked, needing to lighten the atmosphere.

“I sense a ‘but’ coming…”

Elizabeth sighed. “But… he should not have delivered his sentiments in a manner so ill-suited to recommend them. Between my prejudice and his assurance of success there was little chance of civility being maintained for long.

“I suppose I can forgive him for separating his friend from my sister. Even Charlotte noted that Jane’s admiration was wholly concealed from the world in general.

I understand how someone with no understanding of her nature could, after hearing Mama gossiping, assume that Jane would enter into a marriage of unequal affection in order to secure the financial security of her family.

If anything, knowing the truth has lowered my opinion of Mr. Bingley; that he so depends on the opinions of his friend and didn’t have the fortitude to believe in his own knowledge of Jane’s affections is no great compliment to his character. ”

“Well, that is for Jane to decide if it ever comes to it. I might point out that you’ve shown few qualms over discouraging your sister from those admirers that you determined to be wanting. But let us return to the subject of the young man from Derbyshire,” admonished her father gently.

Elizabeth paused, thinking back. “Once, in Kent, I teased Mr. Darcy about his poor showing in Meryton society and he responded by saying that ‘he had not the talent which some people possess of conversing easily with those he had never seen before.’ He said that he could not ‘catch their tone of conversation, or appear interested in their concerns.’ I am afraid I was quite impertinent and told him that he should try practicing more.” She sighed before continuing more firmly.

“I do not regret refusing Mr. Darcy’s proposal.

His words showed that he had feelings which would have made marriage between us insupportable.

He is an intelligent, educated man but I cannot agree with the significance he places on a person’s inherited wealth and position in society rather than their character.

Of course I know the importance of such things in our world, such as it is, but I cannot agree that such attributes constitute the innate value of a man…

or of a woman. If such are his principles, then I cannot approve of him. ”

Thomas cleared his throat to relieve some tightness that had gathered there. “Well, my dear, I am proud of you. There are few ladies (or gentlemen for that matter) who could sort through such an emotional subject and produce so well-reasoned a conclusion.”

They sat quietly for a minute until finally Mr. Bennet stood and offered his arm. “Come, I feel the need to walk. Perhaps we could go up to Oakham Mount?” Lizzy agreed and the pair proceeded along a well-worn path.

After some time, Elizabeth made the effort to form her confused feelings into words.

“It’s just that, though I’ve spent some significant time in Mr. Darcy’s company over the last year, I suddenly feel as if I’ve never actually met him.

The man I believed he was turns out to be a figment of my imagination. ”

“And do you wish to know the true Mr. Darcy?”

“I doubt I’ll ever have a chance to do so… I would be mortified to see him again and he… well, he must hate me for the things I accused him of… really of the way I’ve treated him since the night we met.”

This time Mr. Bennet made no effort to restrain his laughter. “Lizzy, the gentleman certainly does not hate you. Your letter is proof enough of that.” At her look of disbelief, he shook his head in amusement.

“My dear girl, he cared enough about what you thought of him to write an exceedingly detailed letter explaining himself. Few men who had just had their offer of marriage refused in such an… unambiguous fashion as you have described would make such an effort.”