Page 22 of Sketching Mr. Darcy
D arcy arrived home long after dinnertime, exhausted from the torment of the last several days—and very hungry. He had last eaten at Longbourn, and he was forced to admit that Mrs Bennet could honestly be proud of her choice of victuals.
A cold shiver travelled along his spine as he remembered Elizabeth’s coming towards him and asking his given name.
That small, intimate exchange, right there with her family, meant more to him than everything they previously discussed.
She was not in the least curious about the settlement, she asked no other favour from him than to take her dog with her and to be allowed to visit her family, and she showed no interest in any material aspect of the arrangements—but she was interested in learning his name.
And she smiled at him—that little smile that usually twisted her lips and lit the sparkle in her eyes.
A mere question and a simple smile aroused more sensations than the attention bestowed upon him by every young woman he had ever met. It left him wishing for more—yearning for more. Less than a week and she will be here…
He startled when Georgiana entered the library and greeted him warmly, her look carrying obvious curiosity but—as always—not daring to ask .
“Dearest, I am glad you are still awake as I have something of great importance to tell you. I am sure it will be quite a shock, but I will say it directly. I was in Hertfordshire to ask Miss Elizabeth Bennet to marry me, and she consented. The wedding will take place shortly.”
His words had a more extraordinary effect on Georgiana than Darcy expected.
She first stared at him in disbelief then sat and turned pale.
He took her hands gently. “Forgive me for not telling you earlier, but I was not certain how things would end. I know it is late to ask your opinion, but I would love to know what you think.”
“You know best, Brother. If you believe she is a good choice, I have little to say. It is just that I never suspected such a thing. You never mentioned your intention to… And so soon?”
“I know it seems rushed, but I am sure we will both manage to accommodate it.”
“But what should I do? Will I have to move to my own house? It is Christmas…”
“Do? Move? Dearest, what questions are these?” He gently kissed her forehead and tightly clasped her trembling hands.
“There is nothing you need do except welcome her to our family. I hope that you will grow very close. Do you remember when I asked you a few days ago what you expected from my future wife? I assure you that Miss Elizabeth is everything you desire. I have no doubts that you will like her very much.”
“I am sure I will if you speak of her so warmly. I also hope she will like me. But, forgive me for inquiring, why so soon? Please do not be upset with me…”
“I will do my best to explain it, but the situation is not easy to share with my little sister. I told you earlier that Miss Elizabeth had an accident when I happened to be there. She became very ill afterwards, and I sent Dr. Taylor to help her recover. Everything seemed to end satisfactorily. Then, to my horrified surprise, I heard vile reports about Miss Elizabeth and me that had spread all the way to Town—reports as far from the truth as they are malicious and painful. Our Matlock relatives heard them too. So, after due consideration, I decided that, to put an end to the vile tales before they could harm our family’s reputation and good name, the best solution would be to marry Miss Elizabeth Bennet. ”
“So you are forced to marry so soon. You were trapped into all this. But do you know who started the gossip? What if… Forgive me. I do not mean to be rude, but…”
He gently caressed her hair. “Do not worry about asking. You fear that the Bennet family might have invented the tale in order to trap me, do you not?”
“I do. It is just that…even Robert jokes about young ladies trying to trap you all the time.”
“I am certain the Bennets were not involved in spreading the gossip because I know who is responsible, and one of them is our cousin James.”
“Oh… I am so sorry.”
“And speaking of being trapped, Miss Elizabeth rejected my proposal. In fact, she tried to convince me to wait and allow the gossip to run its course.”
Georgiana gasped in surprise and stared at her brother, who was strangely calm while confessing such astonishing events. “She rejected you? Why? I thought you admired her!”
“I asked her the same. It appears that my manners and my behaviour while at Netherfield led her to believe that I completely disapproved of her and her family. She was as shocked at my proposal as you were. I needed all my powers of persuasion to convince her.”
“But, William, I do not understand. Why would you…? May I ask why you insisted…?”
Darcy’s smile paled for a moment, and he found no words to explain. He was certain his sister did not miss his hesitancy. Georgiana was not a young girl any longer.
“I did it because, as I told you in my letters, Miss Elizabeth Bennet is truly a remarkable lady. And, aside from her family situation, she has all the qualities that I want and hope for in my future wife and your future sister. Her rejection only proved her worthiness once more. There are few young ladies with the courage to refuse an advantageous marriage. Though I was at first upset, I am now actually pleased to know that she is not a fortune hunter and has strong beliefs and values to which she is loyal. I have not the smallest doubt that she is truly the best choice I could make. Please trust me in this.”
“I trust you all the time, Brother. And I agree that Miss Elizabeth showed courage and strength. I will grant her that. But I will need to be convinced that she is worthy of your admiration—that she reciprocates it. I do not question her qualities, and I will gladly welcome her to our family, but I will only love her as a sister when I am sure she loves you.”
“Very well, my dear sister, that is fair enough. Please keep this secret for now. Tomorrow I will procure a special license. I do not want to make it public before everything is settled, and I certainly do not want anyone else to ever find out the reasons for this marriage.”
“Of course. William, you said Aunt and Uncle Fitzwilliam know about this. What about Aunt Catherine?”
“As I said—only after everything is settled. Now let us rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”
***
The Matlock residence was still animated at a late hour, and Robert was received with equal joy and eagerness. He gave his parents the news according to what he previously agreed with Darcy.
“I spent little time in Miss Elizabeth’s company, but I can say with certainty that she is beautiful and bright.
Her father is a very interesting gentleman—quite attached to his books.
He and Darcy seemed to have a good understanding of each other, which is helpful.
Mrs Bennet is a very…animated lady. I imagine she was a remarkable beauty in her youth.
Sh e still has pleasant features. And she has five daughters who all inherited her beauty.
Fortunately, the eldest two also inherited their father’s intelligence. ” The colonel laughed.
“I imagine they were all beside themselves with happiness when Darcy proposed to Miss Elizabeth. In truth, no matter how beautiful the girls might be, I doubt they could ever aspire to such an alliance.”
“Yes, well…I would describe their reaction with more tempered words, Mother. I can say with surety that neither Mr Bennet nor Miss Elizabeth is a fortune hunter. Miss Elizabeth is a decided young lady with strong opinions and personal values, and Darcy’s wealth carried little weight in the conversation.
Fortunately, he possessed superior persuasive skills as well as a powerful argument.
In the end, everything turned out as Darcy wished. ”
“Surely, you do not imply that a country girl from Hertfordshire refused to marry Darcy?”
“Father, please ask Darcy for further details. I just wanted to dispel any worry you might have regarding Miss Elizabeth’s character and to assure you there is a good chance this marriage will turn out to be exactly what Darcy needs.”
“Very well, son, I believe this will do for now,” Lady Matlock said kindly.
“I shall wait for Darcy to come with more details about the wedding date. Then I must make arrangements about a ball to introduce the new Mrs Darcy. Oh, I have quite a good feeling about all this. What a strange development…”
“Yes, but,” Lord Matlock interrupted, puzzled and vexed, “a country girl from Hertfordshire refused Darcy? How can that be? Why would she do that?”
“Husband, you should be less concerned about that and more concerned about your sister Catherine’s reaction. That is something worth worrying about!”
***
Longbourn was as animated as every year at Christmas time.
Except for the Gardiners and Mr Bennet, Elizabeth’s secret remained unknown.
She wanted to speak to Jane, but she did not feel confident enough to decide what to tell her, so she delayed the confession until she knew all the details.
More than ever before, Mrs Gardiner’s presence was a blessing for Elizabeth, as she had someone to share her concerns, to understand, and to advise her.
“Dearest, I must say that, from the little time we spent with Mr Darcy, I have nothing to reproach him for, and your uncle agreed with me entirely,” said Mrs Gardiner.
“He is perfectly well behaved and polite, and if there is something a little stately in him, it is confined to his air and is not unbecoming. You told me so many things about how proud and disagreeable he is, but I have seen nothing of it.”