Page 42

After the parson vanished along the path, Elizabeth assisted Charlotte in the kitchen for a time and then excused herself to gather a cloak, bonnet, and gloves so she could walk out.

Charlotte’s only direction was, “Do not overtire yourself. We shall dress at half-past one and walk out at two, and we shall arrive with our hair in place and shoes clean enough for the carpets in Rosings Park.”

Elizabeth walked purposefully along the path to Rosings Park; she hoped to encounter Mr Darcy this morning among the shrubbery and gardens. Halfway to Rosings Park, Elizabeth found the man standing patiently with a smile on his usually severe face.

“Good morning, Miss Elizabeth,” he said as he tipped his hat to the young woman when she reached the spot where he waited.

Elizabeth greeted the gentleman with a small curtsey and asked, “Mr Darcy, I am pleased to see you this morning.”

“Last evening, I was surprised when my aunt informed me that you and Mrs Collins are to call at Rosings this afternoon.”

“Yes, Mr Collins was most pleased to inform us of the invitation during our supper. This will be the first visit to Rosings for Mrs Collins since she arrived in Hunsford at Christmas.”

“Truly?” asked Darcy. “In almost four months, Mr Collins has not brought his wife to meet Lady Catherine?”

“I suppose the winter weather kept Charlotte from venturing the miles from the parsonage to Rosings, but I believe that Lady Catherine has called at the parsonage at least twice,” Elizabeth said to explain the lack of an earlier visit.

“No doubt the arrival of warmer weather has prompted this invitation to tea.”

Darcy huffed and added, “I believe my aunt wishes to display me to an audience who will listen attentively to her opinions and directives for an hour.”

“An hour?” Elizabeth inquired. “I believe the accepted length for a social call is fifteen minutes in town and thirty minutes in the country.”

“My aunt enjoys speaking and providing instruction when guests cannot escape,” the gentleman explained. “Now, shall we walk about? We could venture along this path into the woods that leads to several farms.”

“Certainly, Mr Darcy,” Elizabeth said as they walked beside each other. During their walk, four farm carts going toward Hunsford.

“The paths in Kent are very similar to the ones you find in Hertfordshire, I believe,” said Mr Darcy to begin the conversation.

“Yes, the same trees, hedges, and the same tasks for people living on the farms. Does your home county look the same?”

“Derbyshire is further north, and the flora is slightly different, but the folk in the countryside do the same type of tasks with their livestock and fields of grain.”

To speak of more personal matters, Elizabeth directed the conversation toward the man’s family. “As we walked from Hunsford the other day, we spoke about your sister, and I believe you said her name is Georgiana.”

“Yes, my sister is only fifteen years. This spring, she is in London and spends her time with her music and studies with her lady’s companion. Our aunt, the Countess of Matlock, provides additional guidance for Georgiana.”

“She is very young. Will she be presented to the queen?”

“Not as of yet,” Darcy replied. “Georgie will delay her presentation to the queen as long as possible because she is shy and does not wish to enter society.”

They walked briefly before the gentleman asked, “Were you and your sister Jane presented to the court?”

“No, sir. We were not presented, and I have never been to a formal ball in London, though Uncle and Aunt Gardiner did take Jane and me to a review last summer. We had new gowns and enjoyed the event a great deal.”

“Were you disappointed not to be presented?” he inquired.

Elizabeth grinned, shook her head slightly, and explained, “Mr Darcy, my father has five daughters. The cost of the gowns and lace to prepare for presentation to the queen would have left us without candles or some other item we must purchase each year.”

“But you would not have been presented at one time. Mrs Bingley would have been first, then you and Miss Mary in subsequent years,” he reminded her. “And your youngest sisters would still be in the nursery.”

Sighing, Elizabeth replied, “Our mother decided that Kitty and Lydia should already be out in Meryton society, and Mamma convinced our father to agree to it. Now, I think my parents regret the decision.”

Elizabeth glanced at Mr Darcy and continued, “I tremble to imagine the scene if Kitty and Lydia had been presented to Queen Charlotte.”

“Indeed?” asked Darcy, remembering the boisterous younger sisters.

“Lydia is obsessed with officers in their red coats,” Elizabeth confessed. “The militia being based in Meryton this past autumn spurred this obsession for my youngest sisters and even Mamma.”

“How did you avoid the attraction to the red coats last autumn?”

Again, Elizabeth glanced at her companion. “I spent time observing my sisters’ behaviour and conversing with you.”

“I enjoyed our discussions and conversations,” Darcy agreed. “I enjoyed them very much indeed.”

Looking away, Elizabeth broached another topic. “After you left, my father and I discussed a mystery.”

“A mystery?” Darcy asked, uncertain how to continue the conversation for a moment.

“Yes, after your departure, my father asked me several questions regarding The Natural History of Seldon. He prompted me to use reason and consider the sudden appearance of the book. After serious thought, I reached the same conclusion as my father.”

“And what was this mutual conclusion?” the gentleman asked.

“It was most unlikely that Mr Bingley was the true originator of the book loaned to my father.”

Darcy stopped walking and asked, “Whom did you and Mr Bennet decided had loaned the book?”

“We believe you sent the book, Mr Darcy,” she explained. Her tone was neither censorious nor judgmental of the man’s actions, and her eyes remained bright and engaging.

The gentleman sighed and once again stepped along the road as he admitted, “It was a convoluted gesture on my part. You mentioned the article in the newspaper and seemed to enjoy our discussion; I wanted to provide it so that we could discuss the letters the author wrote.”

Elizabeth remained silent momentarily and then said, “And if it were known that you gifted the book to my father, it would have generated gossip about your interest in a daughter in his house.”

“I chose to accept the risk, Miss Elizabeth.”

Smiling to hear the man’s admission, Elizabeth added, “Mr Darcy, every time you called at Longbourn with Mr Bingley, my mother watched you carefully when she was not watching Mr Bingley. If she thought you were a potential suitor for my hand, she would have instructed Mrs Hill to prepare your favourite biscuits for tea and not served anyone until you had your fill of our shortbread.”

Clearing his throat, Darcy declared, “Elizabeth Bennet, this winter, I thought of you many times and wished I were as brave as Charles Bingley last autumn. I understand that he is happily married this spring.”

“Jane and Charles give every indication of being happily married,” the young woman replied.

Swallowing nervously, the man continued, “When I visit Mr and Mrs Bingley this spring or summer, might I call on you?”

Her heart beating furiously, Elizabeth answered, “I should be glad to see you in my mother’s parlour Mr Darcy. And you must know, I call at Netherfield frequently to visit my sister and her husband.”

“At the first opportunity, I shall write to Bingley and beg an invitation to visit. Do you think Mrs Bingley will welcome a visitor so soon after their wedding?”

“My sister and her husband have rejoined society. They have been married for two months, and Mamma calls every third day now,” Elizabeth revealed. “I am certain when I return to Meryton at the end of the month, I shall see Jane and Charles frequently.”

They continued walking, and he said, “I should like to introduce you to my sister. And there is one cousin I should be pleased to introduce to you, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam.”

“I look forward to making their acquaintance, Mr Darcy,” Elizabeth replied. “This afternoon, I shall meet your aunt and cousin.”

Darcy frowned and explained, “Miss Bennet, Lady Catherine is a woman of strong but often unwarranted opinions. Do not take what she says to heart.”

“I believe you, sir. After hearing Mr Collins lecture about her grandness and position, I shall believe anything you say about the lady.

“This first meeting…” Darcy began to say, but words failed him.

“I shall be quiet and listen attentively,” Elizabeth assured the man.

They retraced their steps to the road between the parsonage and Rosings Park. As they drew close to where they must separate, Darcy ended their conversation saying, “Miss Elizabeth Bennet…Elizabeth, I look forward to seeing you at Rosings Park this afternoon.”

Reaching over, the gentleman lifted the young woman’s hand to his lips, brushing the skin on the back of her hand. The contact was for only a moment, but Elizabeth blushed wildly, and it took another moment for the couple to separate, turn and walk away from each other.

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