Page 35

Darcy was about to argue but stopped when Elizabeth made a motion with her hand.

“I have not spoken to Jane about what you said regarding your friend but I hope that you will still speak with Mr. Bingley when he returns. My sister tries to hide it but I can tell that she remains melancholic… and if he feels the same way…”

Fitzwilliam could not help but interrupt. “Then they must be reunited. I cannot apologize enough for my officious interference. It was the height of arrogance and I will confess it all to Bingley when he returns next week, although I would not blame him if he never speaks to me again.”

Elizabeth managed a small smile at his heart-felt words. “I was recently reminded that I myself have had no qualms with turning Jane’s head away from admirers that I deemed unworthy of her. She is very trusting…”

The two shared an understanding look before Elizabeth’s eyes became worried again. “Is he always so easily led? Should I be concerned for my sister?”

Darcy understood her apprehension immediately.

“Bingley is a man of great goodness and sense but with a profound personal modesty. He was not deterred from his pursuit of your sister by any of Miss Bingley’s comments about your family’s lack of wealth or consequence.

He was only affected by my unfortunate observation that I was unsure of Miss Bennet’s affections and feared she might accept his proposal to please her mother. ”

Seeing Elizabeth wince, he began to apologize again but she interrupted him.

“No, I am well aware that my mother is all too public with her hopes and fears over her daughters’ marriage prospects.

” Elizabeth had been studying her hands and Fitzwilliam barely quelled his desire to take them in his own and reassure her.

He was startled when she lifted her chin and looked him straight in the eye.

“You must understand, however, that Mama loves us all dearly. She does not express it properly but her fundamental desire is that we all have comfortable homes after my father’s death.

She knows something of old Mr. Collins’ greed and has come to fear for reprisals from his son when it comes to the entail on Longbourn. ”

If they had been alone in the room or even in a private corner, Fitzwilliam would have dropped to his knees before her and begged forgiveness for causing the pain he saw in her eyes. As it was, he could no longer resist pressing her hand in remorse.

“Please forget those words I spoke. I cannot believe that I actually thought such things, much less spoke them aloud to you. Your mother acts no differently than many others, regardless of station, who are concerned for the welfare of their daughters.”

His speech ran down as he noticed that Elizabeth was watching him very intently.

After a few minutes of silence during which they each searched for answers in the other’s eyes, she spoke with a slight smile.

“I have always had a great deal of difficulty sketching your character, Mr. Darcy. You have puzzled me exceedingly but I believe that I am beginning to get a glimmer through the fog of our previous misunderstandings.”

Understanding that she was extending an invitation to begin again, Fitzwilliam could not help but break into a great smile, leaving Elizabeth blinking at dimples that she had never seen before.

“I would by no means suspend any pleasure of yours and I hope…” He forced himself to breath.

“I sincerely hope that we may soon meet again so that you may…” He trailed off.

He wanted to say that he wished for her to get to know him better, to like him, even to love him, but certainly that was much too forward.

For better or worse, the entrance of a maid with the tea tray gave Darcy an excuse to leave the sentence unfinished. Elizabeth gave him a soft, understanding smile before turning her attention to their hostess.

After the servant arranged a plate of ginger biscuits on the table and departed, Georgiana offered them around.

“Please, do try one. Our housekeeper at Pemberley sent along a box with some other things that had to be brought down from Derbyshire. Mrs. Reynolds won’t part with the recipe, no matter how we beg. ”

“And we do beg,” added Mr. Darcy. “She claims that it is her best lure to bring us home to Pemberley where we belong.” The Darcy siblings smiled at each other and Elizabeth was warmed to see their mutual affection.

“Mrs. Reynolds… you can’t mean that Susie Moore is housekeeper at Pemberley now!”

All eyes turned to Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth’s aunt smiled with embarrassment.

“Oh heavens, please forgive my manners—you just caught me by surprise... I should explain. I doubt you will remember, but my father had the living at the Lambton church until 1800. I was in London visiting my mother’s family when the pox took my parents and siblings. ”

There were some moments of silence as Darcy was reeling with astonishment.

“But that would have been… Reverend Jonathan! And your mother would have been Mrs. Rebecca— we generally attended services at the Pemberley chapel but I remember the vicar’s wife would often visit and spend hours in the music room with Mother.

” He squinted and a younger version of Mrs. Gardiner shimmered into his mind. “You are Miss Maddy!” he blurted out .

Mr. Gardiner grinned while Elizabeth and Georgiana were wide-eyed with astonishment, even more so when Fitzwilliam Darcy spontaneously embraced Madeleine Gardiner in the middle of the drawing room.

When they drew back, both were laughing, although Mrs. Gardiner had tears in her eyes and Mr. Darcy’s were suspiciously shiny.

“Very impressive, Master Wills. You can’t have been more than ten when last I saw you. And Miss Darcy, so very grown up. I held you in my arms when you were but a few days old, all big blue eyes and wisps of flaxen hair. Your mother was so very happy to have a baby girl.”

Just as Georgiana was thinking of a thousand questions to ask about her mother, Mrs. Gardiner’s face was darkening with grief.

“Oh, but I am so sorry. I sent a letter of condolence to your father after he wrote about what had happened, but it was so difficult to get any news out of Derbyshire in those days.”

Seeing the questions on her niece’s face, Mrs. Gardiner explained.

“When I was eighteen, my parents arranged for me to spend a few months with my aunt and uncle for a London Season.” At Mr. Darcy’s curious look, she expanded.

“My mother’s brother—Sir Edmund Churchill and his wife Agnes.

I’ve felt guilty about it for years. There I was, shopping on Bond Street and enjoying all that London had to offer.

And then I get a letter from old Mr. Darcy informing me that my parents were dead, along with my little sister and brothers.

.. and everyone else I knew, it seemed … ”

Madeleine Gardiner sniffed into the handkerchief offered by her husband as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders in comfort.

Reassured, she continued, “The Churchills took me in until Edward and I married. I shall always be grateful to my aunt and uncle, and my cousins. I don’t know what I would have done without them—they made me part of their family. ”

She looked up to Mr. Darcy who was still trying to take in their connection. “I tried to get news from Derbyshire, but it seemed as though everyone I knew well enough to write had either passed away or was frantically trying to rebuild their life.”

Mrs. Gardiner looked at Mr. Darcy where he had settled in a chair just by his sister. She suddenly realized that these two siblings would understand her heartache as not even her husband could, because they had lived through it as well.

The Gardiners and their niece left soon after, but not before extending an invitation to all three Darcys for dinner the following week.