Page 3 of Darcy’s Redemption (Holidays with Darcy and Elizabeth)

Chapter Three

A few mornings later, Elizabeth walked through the grove once again and encountered Mr. Darcy there. She accepted his offered arm, and they walked together, almost unaware of their actions, having grown more comfortable with each other. Since their arrival in the area, Mr. Darcy and the colonel visited the parsonage daily. If Mr. Collins was present, Mr. Darcy spoke little, but Elizabeth noticed that if the man was not in the room, Darcy was more talkative. She found this dichotomy interesting.

This was the first time Elizabeth had encountered him alone on one of her walks. She had heard him say more on Wednesday than at any other time in their whole acquaintance, but today he was as quiet as he had often been in Meryton. She wondered what it signified.

For several moments, the two walked in comfortable silence, with Elizabeth’s hand resting on his arm and their steps synchronised. It was Elizabeth who broke the silence and broached the subject that had been on her mind since the previous afternoon. She had received a letter from her sister Jane who was in London with their aunt and uncle to escape their mother’s histrionics over Mr. Bingley’s departing the area without a word in the autumn.

“Mr. Darcy,” she began, hesitating only slightly at the topic which might upset them both, “when you and your party were at Netherfield in the autumn, your friend gave the impression—to my family and all of my neighbours—that he was interested in my sister Jane. Yet he left after the ball and never returned. Can you tell me why he did not come back?”

For a moment, Mr. Darcy hesitated, taken aback by the question. He recalled his conversation with Bingley on the subject and debated how much to disclose—especially given the fragile peace between himself and Miss Elizabeth. Yet, if he truly wished to make her his wife—which he now desired more than ever—he knew he must be honest. He was not completely certain whether he would offer for her, for he was still worried how his marrying her might affect his sister’s prospects, but he did not want to give her anything else to hold against him.

He exhaled slowly. “His sister persuaded him not to return, I believe. As you may recall, Mr. Bingley left for town on business the day after the ball, intending to return within a few days. However, Miss Bingley, seizing the opportunity, ordered the house closed the very next day, forcing us all to accompany her to town. I did not see my friend for nearly a fortnight after that.

“When we finally met again at the club—I refused to visit his home—he confided his sister had nearly convinced him that your sister did not truly care for him. She claimed Miss Bennet would accept him when he proposed, but only because her mother wished it. He asked my opinion on the matter, and truly, Miss Elizabeth, I did not know what to say. Until Sir William approached us at the ball, the idea of the match never occurred to me. Though I observed Miss Bennet closely that evening, I saw no indication of her particular regard for Bingley.”

He paused at Elizabeth’s scoff and turned to look at her, bringing them both to a stop. “Please, allow me to finish,” he said, his voice low but sincere as he caught her eye and held it. “I told my friend that I had not spent enough time in her company to judge her feelings and that my observations were far from conclusive. While I did not notice any obvious signs of affection, I urged him not to take my opinion as absolute, for he had been the one in her company. Given his own behaviour towards her, he risked being seen as offering his attentions in earnest. If he did not intend to follow through, I advised him to remain in town a while longer before returning to assess Miss Bennet’s true sentiments for himself.

“As far as I know, my friend has not returned to Netherfield, and we have spoken little since.”

Darcy hesitated again, closing his eyes in indecision, unsure how much to reveal. Once more, he decided that complete honesty was the best course.

“That last night at Netherfield, Miss Bingley tried to imply that I was honour-bound to her because of my behaviour while staying there. I denied her claim, explaining that I had done nothing out of the ordinary, beyond visiting my friend at his request. I never gave her any particular attention, except for dancing with her once, as required, at any event we attended together. Hurst agreed with my statement, but then I took it a step further .

“I also pointed out that, given his attentions towards Miss Bennet while in the area, Bingley was far more likely to be considered honour-bound to that lady—especially after dancing with her three times at the ball. Miss Bingley took great offence to this statement and tried to explain how things were different in the country than in town. I agreed, though not in the way she desired, and pointed out that his dancing with Miss Bennet could be seen as a form of engagement. If Mr. Bennet had been an avaricious man, he could have demanded Bingley return to make an offer. Miss Bingley did not agree with that view.

“Since then, I have refused all invitations from the Bingleys and the Hursts. The few times I have seen Mr. Bingley since the autumn have been at the club, and if we have attended the same events, I have deliberately avoided him whenever he was with Miss Bingley.

“I am fairly certain I have offended my friend at this point, and I am uncertain whether I can even call him such anymore. As I have no intention of marrying Miss Bingley, her presumption that I was honour-bound to her was, quite frankly, ridiculous.”

Darcy stopped there, allowing her time to digest his words.

“Jane is in town; she has been there since January, with my aunt and uncle,” Elizabeth said after a moment. “My sister called on Miss Bingley, but the visit was short, and when Miss Bingley returned it, over three weeks later, she barely stayed ten minutes before claiming an appointment and leaving. Miss Bingley has made it clear to my sister that she does not wish to continue the acquaintance, even claiming not to have received any of the letters my sister sent to her to announce her arrival in town.”

Nodding, Darcy began to walk once again. “I have often warned Bingley about his behaviour towards women.” He noticed Elizabeth’s sharp intake of breath. “No, no, he has never…” A quick glance confirmed that Elizabeth’s cheeks were likely as pink as his own. He cleared his throat. “He simply pays women too much attention and then loses interest quickly. As I said, I have not seen him in some time.”

Elizabeth frowned at his reply. “My sister is heartbroken. While it may not have caused her physical harm, he has injured her. She did care for him and thought he returned her feelings. Jane conceals her feelings, but if she had shown more, Miss Bingley would have accused her of being unladylike or a fortune hunter, not to mention what Mama might have said or done. It was bad enough when I refused my cou…” Elizabeth stopped abruptly, not wanting to reveal so much to Mr. Darcy, not when she remained uncertain in her opinion of the man.

“So Mr. Collins did propose to you,” Darcy said, a wry grin on his face. “When Miss Bingley attempted to argue that I was honour-bound to her, she hinted you were likely to be married soon. It took me a moment to take her meaning, but then I recalled the way that man had toadied up to you all evening.”

It was Elizabeth’s turn to stop, prompting Darcy to turn and look back at her. “What did my potential marriage to my cousin have to do with your connection to her?” she demanded more sharply than she intended, startled by the thought.

Elizabeth was rather surprised to see the flush rise up his neck, turning his cheeks and ears a deep shade of pink .

“She, uh, she noticed my, um, fascination with you early on during our stay in Meryton,” he stammered. “I, uh, accidentally confessed my admiration for your fine eyes one evening at Lucas Lodge. It was the night you refused my first request to dance with you.”

Elizabeth stared at him, her mouth agape. After a moment, she closed her mouth and her eyes as she considered what to say next. “I thought you stared at me so often because you were looking to find fault,” she admitted.

Darcy chuckled, and Elizabeth’s eyes, full of anger, flew open.

“Miss Elizabeth,” he said softly, staring into her eyes, “do you spend much time looking at those things you find distasteful?”

His question took her by surprise, and she let go of the anger at the idea that he was laughing at her. “No,” she answered.

“Neither do I,” he replied. “If I stared at you—which I am not denying, I was unaware of how often I did so—it was simply because I find you fascinating. You are unlike most women of my acquaintance who seek to flatter me at every turn; instead, you challenge me. You never hesitate to state your opinion regardless of whether it was the opposite of mine. You have even demonstrated greater understanding of a topic on more than one occasion.”

“Because I disliked you,” she said, her temper flaring once again. The anger dissipated almost as soon as the harsh words left her lips. “Forgive me,” she added, her gaze fixed firmly on the ground. “I said I had forgiven you for your words that first night, but I suppose I am still holding onto a grudge.”

Darcy looked at her, his eyes filled with resignation. “It is my own fault,” he said. “Richard and I spoke yesterday afternoon, and he asked me some pointed questions about my stay in Hertfordshire. Although I should have realised it myself, his questions made me see how badly I behaved. I know it will take time to correct the impression I gave you, but I hope that, one day, you will come to understand that I am not that man. At least, I am trying not to be him anymore. I knew I had become somewhat…” He hesitated, searching for the right word. “…insufferable, but I did not realise the extent of it. After this summer…” He trailed off again, and for a long moment, neither spoke.

Elizabeth shook her head. “My opinion of you was too harsh. Yes, your words at the assembly were cruel, and you should never have spoken them, or at least apologised long before. However,” she hurried to add, surprised at how much she wanted to ease the pain she surely was causing, “however, your behaviour was not so bad. I simply built it up to be worse in my mind because of your words. Jane and Charlotte both tried to convince me you were not so terrible and encouraged me to question Mr. Wickham instead of believing him completely, but I wanted to see the worst in you. You have apologised, and I said I forgave you. I find it… more difficult to let go of the hurt than I realised.”

“I apologise, Miss Elizabeth,” Darcy breathed. “You have every right to hold a grudge against me for my words, but I do hope you will one day find it within you to forgive me. Perhaps it is too much to think that my words might be forgotten. Is there anything I might do to earn your forgiveness.”

Once again, Elizabeth stopped and turned to face the gentleman. “Why do you care, Mr. Darcy? We are not from the same level of society and are unlikely to encounter one another frequently in the future.”

Darcy ran his fingers through his hair, something Elizabeth had noticed he did only when highly agitated. “I hope that will not always be the case, Miss Elizabeth. I… I admit to rather enjoying your company. At the very least, I would like to think that the two of us can be friends and might encounter each other from time to time. In fact,” Darcy rushed to speak, having come to a decision, “with you here, I thought to invite my sister to join me at Rosings. The two of you would get along very well, and she needs the company of other lively young women to restore her spirits. How long are you to remain in the area?”

Elizabeth considered him for a moment, tilting her head to one side as she did so. “You would bring your sister here to meet me?” she asked.

“I would,” he agreed. “My aunt can be intimidating, but I believe that your friendship would outweigh any hardships caused by being near my aunt.” He paused and asked again. “How much longer will you stay with the Collinses?”

“Another month,” Elizabeth replied. “Maria and I arrived a fortnight ago with Sir William, who returned home. My uncle will send a carriage to convey us to London, and then Jane will accompany us home to Longbourn.”

“If you and my sister get along as well as I hope, perhaps we could accompany you to London. However, I am as yet uncertain that my sister will withstand a month in my aunt’s company, but, as I said, if your presence balances my aunt’s interference, she will wish to remain as long as you do.”

Yet again, Elizabeth examined the man standing in front of her. “You are different from what I expected, Mr. Darcy,” she said after several moments passed. He had resisted the urge to squirm under her scrutiny, and her words gave him relief.

“Have you found a way to forgive me for my inaccurate and hateful words at the assembly?” he asked, his voice soft.

Elizabeth looked down at the ground, not wanting to meet his eyes, especially after catching a glimpse of the earnestness she saw there. “I am trying,” she whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear. “You injured my vanity, and despite the fact that I know I ought to forgive you, I have held onto my hurt for so long that now I am unsure how to let go of the resentment.”

“I will do all in my power to convince you to forget what I said then,” Darcy promised seriously, then attempted to lighten the mood by teasing her. “Should I flatter you to erase the memory of my slight?”

Elizabeth’s lips turned up in a slight smile. “I am not sure that you are capable of flattery, Mr. Darcy. Moreover, I would always prefer honesty. In truth, I am accustomed to being found lacking, particularly in comparison to Jane, and what you said is scarcely worse than anything my mother has said about me. In some ways, your words were almost kinder, for at least you proclaimed me tolerable.”

Darcy shook his head. “You are lovelier than your sister, Miss Elizabeth. Although you may not be what is considered classically beautiful in the eyes of society, I find you much more attractive than Miss Bennet. You are not only enchanting, but lively and engaging, and I have never been bored in your company.”

Ducking her head, Elizabeth blushed at receiving such praise from him. She was still struggling to understand him and was having a difficult time reconciling how he had behaved in Hertfordshire with how he behaved here. When she first arrived, she had believed there were many similarities between him and his aunt, but she was now questioning her assumption. His openness with her about his sister’s struggles as well as in the matter of Mr. Bingley surprised her, but she began to recognise that he had always treated her differently than he did everyone else.

“I would be pleased to meet your sister,” she finally admitted, unwilling to comment further. “When might she arrive?”

He considered that for a moment. “I will write to her when I return to the house and will send my coach and coachman back to London to retrieve her. My sister’s companion will come with her, and the coach I used is the most comfortable one for travelling. She could arrive as soon as Monday, but if I know my sister as well as I believe I do, she will arrive late in the afternoon on Tuesday.”

The topic of the conversation had shifted enough that Elizabeth could now look at him again. “She will need two full days to pack her trunks, sir?” she said, deliberately teasing him to see how he would react.

To her surprise, her companion let out a laugh. “Indeed, she might,” he said after a moment. He bent nearer to her ear and, with a conspiratorial wink, whispered, “I once believed that Caroline Bingley packed an excessive amount whenever she travelled, but that was before my sister turned fifteen. The first time my aunt took her shopping for gowns, I was astonished at the amount they spent. She has assured me it will only become worse as my sister grows older.”

Caught off guard by his tease, Elizabeth laughed, more loudly than she intended. She lifted her free hand to cover her mouth as she turned to look at him. However, since she was not watching her step, her foot caught on an uneven patch of ground, and she stumbled forward.

She would have fallen had Darcy not reacted swiftly, tightening his hold on her arm while his free hand came to her waist to steady her. In the process, her hand slipped from his arm, and he instinctively wrapped both arms around her, drawing her close.

“Elizabeth,” he breathed, and she felt the light touch of his breath against her forehead.

She looked up and saw how close they were to each other. For just a moment, she felt the urge to draw closer, but startled at such a thought and immediately stepped back. He released her just as quickly, and she thought she imagined that he seemed resigned. Surely he did not wish to embrace me, she thought. He may be far more kind than I once thought, and while we might be friends now, or at least more friendly than we once were, he cannot desire anything more with me.

Darcy interpreted her step back as a rejection of him, instead of supposing her reaction was one based in discomfort and uncertainty. Since both were unwilling to comment on the incident, the two walked silently for the next several minutes.

“Miss Bennet,” Darcy began, returning to some of the formality of the early part of their acquaintance, “please forgive me if my actions just now offended you. I was only attempting to keep you from falling and not to… to take liberties with your person.”

“Think nothing of it,” Elizabeth said airily, still attempting to calm her racing heart that had begun again when he spoke. “I did not assume any untoward intentions, but correctly attributed their cause. I thank you, sir, for keeping me from falling over my own feet, for that would have been unpleasant.”

As she had intended, Darcy laughed, but his laughter was not as bright as it had been earlier. The two walked next to each other, though without touching, for a few more minutes until they arrived at the parsonage. Darcy said his goodbyes at the gate and watched until Elizabeth closed the door behind her.

To everyone’s astonishment, a knock at the door reverberated through the parsonage just as the family sat down to dinner. No one had been expected, and it was late in the evening for a call. Exchanging startled looks, Charlotte and Mr. Collins immediately feared the worst and wondered what dire news they would receive.

Collins bounded from his seat as quickly as a man his size could and met a housemaid in the hallway as he went to open the door for the unexpected visitor. Much to his surprise, he recognised the man standing before him.

“Bishop Baines!” he exclaimed, as he bowed nearly to the ground. “I am so pleased to see you at my house on a Saturday evening. But, sir, what are you doing here?”

“I have decided to visit Hunsford for Easter,” the bishop replied. “I had not planned to travel at all, but something told me I was needed here this evening. If you do not mind, I would like to deliver the sermon in the morning, for I was inspired as I travelled. I have a very particular message in mind and believe it is necessary for someone in the neighbourhood, or I would not be here.”

Mr. Collins was astonished. He could scarcely refuse such a request, but he had written what he believed to be the most engaging sermon—with Lady Catherine’s help, of course—and had been looking forward to delivering it on the morrow. Perhaps he could still find a way to share at least a portion of his little homily with his parishioners, for he would hate for them to miss the message that Lady Catherine had deemed essential.

The bishop seemed to recognise at least a portion of Mr. Collins’s inner conflict. “Perhaps,” he suggested, “we each could deliver part of our sermons. If you speak first, then I could share a few words at the conclusion of the service. My message will not take long, but I believe it to be of great importance.”

Mollified, Mr. Collins agreed to this unusual arrangement. He would speak first and, instead of his planned forty-minute sermon, attempt to pare it down by half. He then invited the bishop to join his family for the evening meal, assuming the man of God had not already eaten.

“I thank you, my good man. You are correct—I have not had a chance to stop for a meal and would be delighted to join you and your family. As I recall, you are newly married. Are more than just you and your wife present?”

Mr. Collins acknowledged that it was so, explaining that his wife’s sister and his own cousin, who was also his wife’s friend, were visiting.

The bishop was interested in all three ladies and was very civil to them all. He was particularly intrigued by Miss Bennet, wondering if she was part of the reason he had felt compelled to come to Hunsford so unexpectedly.

Dinner was the most enjoyable meal Elizabeth had experienced since her arrival at the parsonage. While she delighted in her friend Charlotte’s company, Mr. Collins had made mealtimes as tedious as he had once done at Longbourn. With the bishop there, he appeared to be almost cowed into silence and spoke only a little during the meal.

Elizabeth was grateful that her friend had managed to refine her husband’s manners somewhat; he no longer talked with his mouth full, and when he did forget, his wife corrected him gently. She acknowledged that Mr. Collins showed improvement in other respects as well, and she was pleased to see that perhaps her friend’s life would be more tolerable than she had initially feared.

After dinner, the bishop was shown to a bedroom that had been hastily prepared for him during the meal. Elizabeth, who had occupied the best guest room, would share with Maria for as long as the bishop remained in residence. The change did not trouble her; she was accustomed to sharing with one of her sisters at home.