Page 54

Darcy paused. “I hope that the truth did not hurt you too deeply.”

Elizabeth smiled sardonically. “There was no great affection on either side, I think. He flattered my vanity; I thought myself very clever to have taken such an instant dislike of you, and then to have it proven so completely was… heartening.”

She waved a hand as though brushing away an irritating insect. “Soon after your party left Hertfordshire, Mr. Wickham transferred his attentions to a young lady whose primary virtue seemed to be that she had recently inherited ten-thousand pounds.”

Seeing that Darcy looked instantly wary, Elizabeth rushed to reassure him. “Miss King is quite safe from him; not long before I returned from Kent, her uncle removed her to Liverpool.”

Darcy nodded but remained silent for a few minutes, his mind having returned to his resolution to make sure Wickham could no longer prey on any young ladies.

Upon their return from Rosings, Colonel Fitzwilliam had agreed to gather information on Lieutenant Wickham.

However, Richard was currently on an errand for his general and Darcy had no idea what progress had been made.

As her companion meditated on his boyhood playmate, Elizabeth’s thoughts had returned to his letter and she remembered another resolution that she needed to keep. “Mr. Darcy, there is another matter for which I must apologize. It concerns your letter, sir.”

The mere mention of that epistle was quite enough to immediately engage Fitzwilliam’s attention and he spent several more minutes protesting that she had nothing for which to apologize.

Finally Elizabeth stopped and turned to him.

“Please, Mr. Darcy. This is not easy for me to say, but you must allow me to speak.” Seeing that the gentleman looked somewhat startled, she smiled and lightened her tone.

“Meryton society would be quite astonished to see us now; the ever-chatty Lizzy Bennet unable to get a word in edgewise with the silent, serious gentleman from Derbyshire.”

Her smile diminished when she saw that her companion was embarrassed. “Please forgive me, Mr. Darcy. I forget that you are not accustomed to my teasing…”

However, Elizabeth’s awkwardness dissolved when she caught a mischievous glint in the gentleman’s eye.

“So, am I to understand that you wish me to talk more while dancing, but less when walking? I confess I am unclear on the protocols, Miss Bennet. Perhaps I require lessons, or is there an instruction manual?”

Both laughed at the reference to her spirited reprimand during their dance at the Netherfield ball. The couple turned to continue their walk in a pleasant mood, although Elizabeth was determined that he would know of the effect his letter had had not only upon her, but on her father as well.

The information was relayed in segments, interrupted by a pause to admire a Chinese pagoda and various other sights. When Elizabeth was finished, she waited anxiously for Mr. Darcy’s response and was relieved to see that he looked thoughtful rather than angry.

When Fitzwilliam realized that she was finished, he smiled wanly. “Please, do not make yourself uneasy, Miss Bennet. You have just solved two problems created by my previous behavior that I had recognized but not yet conceived of how to mend.”

Elizabeth shot him a confused look and he shrugged helplessly.

“First, I should not have left Hertfordshire without alerting the neighborhood of Wickham’s true nature.

I’ve been paying his debts and generally cleaning up after him for years; I knew what sort of damage he would leave in his wake and should have acted to prevent them. ”

“Mr. Darcy, he is not your responsibility…”

“I must beg to disagree, Miss Bennet. It is just the same as if I saw a group of people walking on ice that I knew to be too thin to hold their weight. It is my responsibility to warn them.”

Elizabeth tilted her head to one side, forced to admit that his logic was sound.

“Very well, I will agree to that. However, whatever your past acquaintance, Wickham’s misdeeds are his alone; you are not responsible for his wickedness.

Just as I may attempt to curb my youngest sister’s behavior but in the end, her mistakes are her own. ”

Darcy conceded her point and they walked in silence for several minutes before he recalled the other item he wished to discuss.

“Though I fear it shall not improve his opinion of me, I am glad that Mr. Bennet has seen my letter and heard the details of our… interactions… from you. Not long after I placed that letter in your hands, I realized how hideously improper my actions had been. Had someone approached Georgiana in such a way, I would have been furious.”

Oddly pleased by his admission, Elizabeth nodded somberly.

“For once, I find myself appreciative of my father’s permissiveness toward his daughters.

” She glanced up at the gentleman beside her and added quietly, “For I very much needed to hear what you wrote but I’m afraid that, at the time, I was not in the mood to give credence to any speech of yours. ”

Darcy heaved a sigh, for the impropriety of his actions had been weighing on him.

The couple walked silently for some minutes. Elizabeth was secretly forming a desperate resolution and perhaps he might be doing the same.

However, before either of them could act upon their resolve, the sound of running feet and joyful cries alerted them to the approach of the Gardiner children.

“Lizzy!”

“Come quickly!”

“There is such a wonderful luncheon set out for us but Mama won’t let us begin until you and Mr. Darcy catch up !

“Please hurry—there are apple tarts and cakes and ever so many good things!”

This last was said in a rush by Tommy who, though an otherwise serious, bookish little boy, was well-known in his family circle for his sweet tooth. Luckily, in this he was joined by his cousin.

Elizabeth smiled. “Apple tarts? Had I known that such delicacies awaited us, I would have been first in line!”

With happy laughter and a bit of playful teasing, the children led the wayward couple to the picnic site where Mr. Darcy’s servants had set things out.

While most men of his station would have demanded a full complement of liveried footmen serving courses on a table with silver and china, not unlike what might be found in his own dining room (the only difference being the tented walls), Darcy preferred a much more informal version and had planned a slightly enhanced version of the picnics he and his cousins had enjoyed in their boyhood.

For a moment, Will worried that the informality might have been a mistake but he was quickly reassured as all of his guests happily settled themselves on the blankets and were soon passing around the food prepared by his cook.

Georgiana was more comfortable than he had ever seen her in company, easily recommending various dishes and directing the servants.

After eating his fill, Fitzwilliam leaned back on his elbows, legs crossed at the ankles, and allowed himself to relax and simply enjoy the moment.

Their guide had been encouraged to join them and, once reassured of the genuine amiability of the group, Mr. Smith was found to be a superb story teller.

As a lad, he had been employed as a stove boy and he had a wealth of tales from his time stoking the heaters that warmed the greenhouses in addition to the plant collecting trips he had assisted on.

Eventually Darcy’s attention was caught by an exchange between Mrs. Gardiner and Mr. Smith. It seemed that John Smith had a particular love of ferns and was eagerly instructing Mrs. Gardiner and her niece for an upcoming holiday trip.

Fitzwilliam waited until a suitable pause in their conversation. “Mrs. Gardiner, do I understand correctly that you and your family shall be travelling to the northern counties soon?”

Madeleine Gardiner smiled at the young man. “Yes, indeed, Mr. Darcy. In fact, we had planned to depart a week ago but a family matter delayed our departure.”

Turning to his host, Mr. Gardiner added, “We had originally planned to visit the Lake District but I am afraid that my business requires me to return by the end of July so we shall have to cut our tour a bit short.”

Darcy appeared thoughtful. “That is unfortunate; it has been some years since I have been there but the landscape is beautiful.”

That lady smiled. “Yes, Lizzy is too polite to let us know how disappointed she truly is to miss it, I think.”

Her comment drew Miss Bennet’s attention away from young Amelia.

“Not at all, Aunt! I shall not say that I do not hope to see them some day, but I shall be very happy to spend time exploring the Peaks.” She could not help but glance shyly toward Darcy.

“I have heard that the landscape there is quite spectacular, as well.”

Darcy appeared as if he was about to speak but after a long look at Elizabeth, he remained silent.

The party continued to chat about the natural beauties of northern England and the differences between north and south until it became clear that all were finished with their meal.

As the servants began to pack up the detritus from the picnic, Fitzwilliam offered his arm to Elizabeth and the pair strolled slowly in the direction of the rose gardens.

Elizabeth’s curiosity had been fanned by Mr. Darcy’s thoughtful silence during the latter part of the meal so she remained quiet at first. However, after some ten minutes with barely a word from the gentleman, she was reminded of her resolution to question, tease, or otherwise argue the man into talking with her.

With a sparkle of amusement in her eye, Miss Bennet made some slight observation on the roses. Will replied appropriately but his mind was obviously far away. After a pause, she addressed him a second time.

“It is your turn to say something now, Mr. Darcy. I talked about the roses; now you ought to make some remark on the size of the gardens, or the number of plants.”