Page 15 of Darcy’s Guarded Heart

Elizabeth

“G oodness, gracious, the man is entirely insufferable,” Elizabeth declared as they ascended into the carriage and prepared to depart.

The rain had slowed to a drizzle and was now entirely gone, though the roads looked less than agreeable.

Still, they had spent enough time at Netherfield for one afternoon, at least for Elizabeth’s liking.

“I cannot disagree with you, Elizabeth. It appears he has taken a particular aversion to me, and by extension, the rest of the family,” Thomas responded, surprising Elizabeth, who had not perceived him capable of being critical of Mr Darcy due to some loyalty he had developed towards Mr Bingley.

“Pray, Thomas, do not speak ill of him,” Jane urged. “He is a dear friend of the family and it is unkind to disregard him. We scarcely even know him.”

“Oh, Jane,” Thomas sighed, “it seems you remain steadfast in your determination to see the good in everyone. It is one of the qualities I admire most about you,” he continued, “but if you will excuse me, I shall take my leave now and take us home, avoiding any further defence of Mr Darcy. Besides, I am certain you two have much to discuss concerning a far more agreeable gentleman.” He winked at them before closing the carriage door.

A moment later, the vehicle swayed slightly as he mounted the front, and they drove away.

“He is quite right. Instead of spending our time discussing Mr Darcy, we ought to reflect upon Mr Bingley,” Elizabeth remarked, “who is, indeed, most amiable.”

Jane flushed at once and brightened with a radiant smile. “I must confess, I am quite taken with him. He is charming, he is kind, and I absolutely adore him. He has already invited me for a stroll the day after tomorrow!”

“How wonderful!” Elizabeth replied.

“A promenade with Miss Bingley, of course,” she added. “She will act as chaperone, to make it proper. We would not want the townsfolk talking.”

“Indeed, a man like Mr Bingley is nothing if not proper,” Elizabeth said.

“He has informed me of all details concerning his home in Sheffield. He possesses horses and hounds, and his townhouse is utterly delightful.” Jane continued to make a full report on all she had learned about Mr Bingley, his preferences, his pastimes, and down to his favourite desserts.

“He resides in a townhouse, you say?” Elizabeth enquired. “How pray does he keep horses?”

“He has rented stables. However, he intends to move them here to more suitable lodgings,” Jane explained.

“Has he then resolved to purchase Netherfield Park?” Elizabeth questioned, eager to draw more of her sister’s thoughts regarding the young man’s intentions.

“He is contemplating such a venture, but he wishes first to ascertain Mr Darcy’s assessment of the matter,” Jane replied.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Of course he does. Nothing may transpire without the mighty Mr Darcy’s approval.”

“Pray, do not speak unkindly of him, Elizabeth. Mr Darcy enjoys ownership of the largest estate that has belonged to his family for many generations, and his uncle is an earl. He possesses considerable knowledge regarding the stewardship of such lands, and given his youth, he has executed a commendable job of it since taking control of the estate.”

“Many gentlemen assume their parents’ estates at a tender age,” Elizabeth pointed out.

“Mr Darcy was but one and twenty. It was not solely the estate he undertook. He also assumed the guardianship of his sister,” Jane said with evident sympathy.

“And his mother?” Elizabeth asked, though she understood, if he had taken over the estate, it was likely that his father had died whilst Mr Darcy was still young.

“His mother died even before his father. Mr Darcy was but a boy when she died, and poor Georgiana likely remembers her not at all,” Jane replied.

“How terrible,” Elizabeth exclaimed, feeling a twinge of sympathy for Mr Darcy. Mr Wickham had left out the fact Mrs Darcy too had died, no doubt because he assumed such information would allow for consideration for Mr Darcy to build.

She recalled he had mentioned his father’s death but had not spoken of being so very young at the time. “How dreadful for both Miss Darcy and Mr Darcy!”

“Indeed,” Jane continued, “he is Miss Darcy’s guardian, aided only by a cousin who is away in the military.

Furthermore, they have an overbearing aunt in Kent, who is ever so determined to meddle in their affairs, rendering Mr Darcy’s situation even more arduous. I do believe he merits our sympathies.”

Elizabeth absently traced her tongue over her lips as the carriage swayed, hearing the sounds of the rain splashing against the vehicle.

“It is true that perhaps he has endured a hard life—harder than we had assumed—but such trials are hardly singular amongst those of his station. Many in our class have faced difficult upbringings. Look at Thomas; I daresay his life has been more arduous than Mr Darcy’s, yet he is by no means as proud or unkind as Mr Bingley’s friend. ”

“We must not judge so harshly,” Jane contended. “Mr Bingley is quite fond of him, and perchance, if you would only grant him a chance, you might discern that he possesses more depth.”

Elizabeth prepared to voice her dissent—that she had little desire to undertake such a task—indeed, all she wished regarding Mr Darcy was to avoid his company for the foreseeable future.

However, before she could articulate her thoughts, the carriage came to an abrupt halt, jarring both her and Jane against the bench opposite them.

“Goodness gracious!” Elizabeth exclaimed, while Jane emitted a startled gasp. “What was that?”

Before she could enquire further, the carriage tilted slightly to one side, and they heard Thomas cursing from the front.

“We ought to disembark,” Jane said, grasping the door handle.

She pushed at the door, which opened not as it typically did, but tipped downwards towards the ground.

“Oh dear!” she uttered, retreating onto the seat again, no doubt frightened.

Elizabeth, ever more decisive than her sister, leaned her head out of the slightly ajar door to perceive their plight; the carriage had become mired in mud and was tilted aside.

Thomas leaped from the front, the mud splattering against her skirts, causing her to yelp—not from distress over her soiled attire, but from surprise.

With a sigh, she hopped from the carriage, intending to find a dry spot for her feet but stumbling instead, landing directly in the mud.

The hem of her gown was sodden, as were her shoes.

The chill of the mud enveloped her feet, sending a shiver through her, yet her focus remained on Jane.

“Thomas, put down your coat!” Elizabeth called, and he complied at once. Jane stepped upon the coat and then moved over to where it was drier, so as to spare her dress.

“Here, take my hand,” Thomas said, extending his arm to Jane, who grasped on similarly to the little monkey they had observed at the Royal Menagerie in London two years prior.

Elizabeth then extended her own hand, and once Jane leapt over the puddle, she landed upon Thomas’s coat, compressing it into the mud but ultimately alighting upon dry ground.

“Oh, Lizzy,” she exclaimed, “look at your gown!”

Elizabeth gazed down at the disarray and let out a small groan. The mud had completely stained her gown, not merely the portions submerged but splatters transforming her formerly soft white attire into a pattern reminiscent of a cow grazing in the pasture.

“Well,” Elizabeth remarked, “it is fortunate that Mr Bingley has no interest in me.”

“Mr Bingley!” Jane asked. “What does he have to do with any of this?”

“He has everything to do with it. We shall have to walk back to Netherfield and seek his assistance. I do not believe we are capable of freeing the carriage ourselves, are we, Thomas?”

“Not I,” Thomas retorted, shaking his head.

“Even if we could release the carriage, it would only become ensnared again. A most dismal turn of fate this week has offered me at Netherfield. And always involving our carriage. First the wheel, now this. Mr Darcy shall presume it was all a matter of design,” he added.

“Well, let us unhitch the horse and return to Netherfield. I am certain Mr Bingley will loan us a second horse to ride home upon, and a saddle for Misty,” Elizabeth suggested.

Thus, the trio journeyed back to Netherfield, the two young ladies lifting their gowns high enough to prevent further soiling, though in Elizabeth’s case, any effort was quite futile.

After a fifteen-minute jaunt, during which the drizzle recommenced, they arrived once more at the front door of Netherfield.

Thomas tied Misty to a hitching post at the side and then took a deep breath and rapped upon the lion-head shaped knocker.

A moment later, the butler appeared, and after hearing their tale, he ushered them in and summoned Mr Bingley, who arrived posthaste, accompanied by Miss Bingley and Miss Darcy.

“Goodness gracious, Miss Bennet!” he exclaimed, rushing promptly to her side. “I was informed you had suffered an accident! Are you injured?”

“I am entirely unscathed,” Jane declared. “However, I fear our carriage is not. We shall be unable to extract it from the mud today.”

“Nor return home safely. The road is impassable,” Thomas added. “We had hoped you might lend us a horse and a saddle, so we might ride home.”

“A horse!” Mr Bingley said, glancing outside at the diminishing daylight.

“It will soon be dark. I cannot allow you to journey home under such conditions. You shall remain here with us at Netherfield for the night. I shall dispatch a rider to inform your family of your safety. When the weather improves in the morning, you can return. I will arrange for assistance with the carriage.”

“Pray, we do not wish to impose,” Elizabeth interjected hastily, though she half-expected Mr Bingley to extend the invitation to stay. For Jane, this was indeed a delightful turn of events.

“Another misadventure with the carriage?” Mr Darcy enquired, his tone curt. “I take it this week has not brought you good fortune in that regard?”

“Indeed, it may have been more fortuitous had Jane ridden the horse here on her own,” Thomas conceded.

“Nonsense!” Miss Darcy interjected. “Had she ridden in the rain, she would certainly have caught a cold, and that would have been most dreadful! No, it is far better that things transpired in this manner. It grants us the pleasure of hosting all three of you for dinner. Perhaps we might engage in a game of Whist this evening.”

Elizabeth smiled, the young woman was indeed amiable.

Her brother, however, regarded them from his corner with a gaze of suspicion.

Though she was unsure of Thomas’s earlier assertion concerning Mr Darcy’s thoughts, it was evident from the scrutinising look on his face that he suspected their unexpected visit might not be entirely fortuitous.

“Well, I must inform the cook to prepare for three additional guests at table at once,” Mr Bingley said.

“I do hope there will be sufficient provisions,” Caroline added, her tone laced with condescension.

Mr Bingley waved his hand dismissively. “Do not be absurd, the cook invariably prepares enough to satisfy double our numbers. She will take pleasure in everything being consumed, but I daresay, even with three more mouths to feed, that will not be the case.” He clapped his hands together.

“Now, we must find you something in which to change; your garments are quite damp.”

“I venture to say my gowns shall not fit. I am quite taller and possess a different shape altogether than either of you,” Miss Bingley pronounced, and Elizabeth raised her eyebrows in response, noting her faint implication that her own form was more elegant, hence superior.

The assertion was, of course, absurd, as Caroline was but an inch taller, and her posture was by no means superior to that of either Elizabeth or, certainly, Jane.

Miss Darcy once more came to their rescue. “I possess a number of gowns that shall fit you both splendidly. I daresay the three of us are of a similar size. If not, we shall make it work. Shall we gather some attire, whilst my brother procures something suitable for Thomas?”

“I have but one pair of tails,” Mr Darcy interjected immediately, clenching his jaw.

“Fear not,” Mr Bingley replied, “I have a second pair, I shall find something for you to wear. Georgiana, if you would assist the Miss Bennets, Caroline, you shall see to dinner.” He made to ascend the stairs, the three ladies following behind, when he turned back to look at Mr Darcy.

“And Darcy, if you could ensure that one of the footmen tends to the Bennet’s horse, I would not wish it to remain outside in the rain, tied to a post in such poor weather. ”

Though his tone was commanding, it bore no rudeness; however, Elizabeth could perceive from the narrowing of Mr Darcy’s gaze that he was not pleased with his friend’s words, nor with their unexpected visit.

Despite this, she could not deny finding his indignation somewhat amusing, and a small part of her felt an odd sense of gratitude for the dismal weather.