Page 5

27th November 1812, Wednesday

Darcy turned around, handling his horse's reins with one arm while the other supported Miss Elizabeth. He could feel her tensed form as she walked quietly next to him, and she only began to relax once they’d gained significant distance between themselves and her cousin,

They walked quietly for a little while more, then Elizabeth stopped, and Darcy, after realising she was not walking with him, turned around. Her head was down, though Darcy could clearly see her cheeks flushing a brilliant pink. She was mortified, and the Lord knows he shouldn’t have found the sight of her so unusually shy so arresting, but in the moment, all he wanted to do was gather her in his arms till everything else in the world became irrelevant,

“Miss Elizabeth?”

“I would like to thank you.” She said suddenly, peeking up at him through her lashes, “I’m unsure how much of that you witnessed but I’m most grateful for your intervention.”

Darcy did not answer. Knowing it had been Mrs Bennet who had insisted on the private meeting between her daughter and the parson, instead, he asked, “Are you sure about returning to Longbourn? I could escort you to Lucas Lodge instead. ”

Elizabeth looked down to avoid his eyes, but smiled a little at his consideration. His concern enough told her just how much of that scene he had witnessed, and yet, she could detect no disdain in his countenance. His manner might be a little stiff, and his tone a little stilted but Elizabeth could tell that all he wanted to do at the moment was to help.

“No. No, Longbourn will be fine, Mr Darcy. I need to talk to papa. I’m certain he will take my part in this matter.”

“As you wish.”

It was not until they’d reached the gates of the Longbourn estate and decided to part before any of her family could see him that her curiosity won the fight over her sense,

“Mr Darcy.” She called just as he was turning to go after taking his leave,

“Yes, Miss Elizabeth?”

She hesitated, then realised she had nothing to lose. The last half an hour they’d spent in company together, her esteem for him had risen enough that she was willing to believe his character against that of George Wickham, an acquaintance she had only ever briefly met twice,

“Yesterday, at the ball, after you had retired, I talked to Charlotte- Miss Lucas.”

Mr Darcy seemed to realise what she was asking and he straightened as the confusion on his face cleared, “She informed you about me going to London?”

“She also told me of your reason for going.” Elizabeth nodded, “I confess to being much too curious for my own good. ”

Darcy looked at her intently for a long moment, taking in her easy profile, that impertinent arch of her brow that he so dearly loved. Her mouth, with its full and plump lips that always seemed to be on the verge of a smile, enticed him even now and despite himself, he took a step forward. Unbuttoning his coat, he pulled out the package that contained all the papers that he had acquired from his solicitor, and handed them over to Elizabeth without pause,

“I only have one request of you after you’ve read them.” He said. Elizabeth gave him a questioning look, and Darcy continued after a breath, “Wickham- whatever you decide fit to do against him for the people of Meryton, I would wish for my name to be kept out of it. There is a girl- a young lady of my acquaintance whose reputation is in his hands and whom he would not hesitate to ruin in order to get revenge on me.”

Elizabeth froze, for the first time realising because of the grave expression on his face that she might have accidentally befriended a very dangerous sort of a person. Nonetheless, she nodded decisively,

“Your name will be kept out of it.”

─── ※ ·?· ※ ───

It was not until Darcy was halfway back to Netherfield with Bubbles trailing behind him -in his daze, Darcy hadn’t even thought of riding back instead of walking three miles- that he realised he had forgotten to do something incredibly important-

He had spent a half hour in Miss Elizabeth’s company. An uninterrupted, quite pleasant half hour that it had taken them to walk to Longbourn and it had never crossed his mind to apologise to her for his slight at the country assembly!

Darcy stopped in his tracks, did not even feel when his stallion bumped against him in surprise, and then let out a long, drawn out groan. It would have been the perfect opportunity to beg for her forgiveness! They had been alone, with no other person in sight. The Lord only knew if Darcy would ever get an opportunity like that again. He had half a mind to turn around and run back to Longbourn, but the idea of Mrs Bennet trying to listen in on their conversation, or the younger Bennet sisters giggling every time he tried to open his mouth stalled him.

Next time. He told his heart, I will apologise next time.

When Darcy finally arrived at Netherfield, the sun was setting and in the parlour, Miss Bingley was incessantly pacing the length of the room, her elder sister following her with her eyes apprehensively,

“Caroline,” Mrs Hurst suggested meekly, “Why don’t you sit down? You’re going to damage the satin of your slippers with your pacing. You know they weren’t made for such strenuous exercise.”

Caroline huffed, but she did sit down. Her slippers, made from the most delicate of red satin were a design of the latest fashion but they would not hold against more activity than it took one to move from one chaise to another,

“What if he’s decided not to return, Louisa?” Caroline cried, “I certainly would not blame him for choosing to stay in town over this backwards country! Oh! But how will he fall in love with me if we aren’t to stay under the same roof! And how will we convince Charles to leave this wretched place without Mr Darcy’s support!”

On accounts of Miss Bingley’s last two statements, Louisa could not help but notice that her sister wanted both- to stay in Hertfordshire and to leave the place but she did not seem to notice the contradiction, and Mrs Hurst knew better than to point it out.

Just then, a footman opened the parlour door and announced to the room ,

“Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy.”

Mr Darcy entered and looked around the room. Noticing neither Charles or Mr Hurst were present, he frowned but nonetheless bowed to the two ladies,

“I apologise for my abrupt departure. It was a business matter of some urgency.”

“Oh, of course Mr Darcy!” Caroline exclaimed, her entire demeanour had shifted at the man’s presence. Her normally shrill voice had turned deep and low, her vowels more pronounced and her eyes more hooded. She sat with her spine straight but her shoulders loose. Her posture languid and yet her expression alert. The image she presented was the result of trying to emulate quite a few contradicting pieces of advice she had gotten from either her friends in the ton or the highly sought after ladies’ fashion magazine La Belle Assembleé on capturing the eye of a gentleman . And instead of seductive or alluring, she made a rather ridiculous picture.

If Darcy had been interested in Miss Bingley’s figure, he might have noticed how funnily she held herself. As it was, he barely passed her a glance before asking Mrs Hurst where he might find her brother or husband,

“I believe they’re at present in the Billiards’ room. However, dinner will be served soon. I suggest that we all convene in the dining room.”

Darcy bowed, “Then you must excuse me. I would like to refresh myself after a long day of travel before we convene for dinner.”

Dinner that night at Netherfield was the same as it had been in the past. Darcy stuck close to either Charles or Hurst, never giving the Bingley sisters the opportunity to confront him alone. Miss Bingley’s temper flared with every sweet word that Charles uttered about the eldest Miss Bennet and then it flared some more when she tried to meet Mr Darcy’s eyes to ally in their shared disdain only to realise the man was unaffected- if not a little amused -by her brother’s half incoherent acclamations over Miss Bennet’s golden hair.

However unsavoury dinner at Netherfield might have been for Miss Bingley, it was nothing compared to the nerves that Mrs Bennet suffered during supper at Longbourn. Once again, her least favourite daughter had managed to unite with her father and together, they might as well have thrown out Mr Collins from his future estate. The man had left Longbourn in a huff- angry and upset at having been refused his dear cousin Elizabeth’s hand which he had begun to think a rightful part of his inheritance.

He stayed at Lucas Lodge now, Mrs Bennet knew. She had seen Charlotte Lucas with Mr Collins just that evening as the spinster-in-making directed the man towards her home. No doubt the eldest Miss Lucas had her own plans for the parson. Oh, to think she will lose her house and be thrown out into the hedgerows by that plain old maid! And all because of her own most ungrateful daughter!

For Elizabeth, dinner was the most distracting affair. The package of documents Mr Darcy had given to her was hidden safely inside the writing desk she shared with Jane in their room. The whole evening, the presence of those papers tormented her, and the moment she could retire to her bed without raising any suspicion, she took Jane by the hand and pulled her upstairs with her,

“What is it, Lizzy?” Jane asked as they climbed up to their room. Mrs Bennet had spent the last hour lamenting her second eldest daughter and Jane was worried her sister might have taken the complaints to heart. But, when Lizzy closed the door behind them and turned around, Jane was confused at the look of bright eager-curiosity in her eyes,

“Oh, Jane!” Elizabeth started. Her hands fluttered a little before she managed to hold them in front of her, “You will not believe who I saw today on my walk back home! Indeed, it was Mr Darcy who rescued me from Mr Collins’ persistent refusal to my refusal of his proposal!” Here, her lips tightened, as if she were trying not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Now that a few hours had passed, and no lasting damage seems to have occurred except for Mr Collins’ upset, the mortification had ebbed away and Lizzy found herself being able to appreciate the humour and the ridiculousness that was her afternoon at the lake.

“Mr Darcy?!” Jane asked, just as surprised as her sister, for what could the gentleman mean by it? Intercepting another man’s marriage proposal in such a manner?

“Indeed! He was just coming back from London! And oh, what news he brings with him!” Here, Lizzy dug through her desk and pulled out the package and together, the two sisters examined it’s contents with all the knowledge they’d gained over the years in legal terminology and documents from their Uncle Phillips, the town solicitor,

“Dear God!” Elizabeth breathed, her mind calculating the sum of all the pounds of Mr Wickham’s debt that had been bought by Mr Darcy, “No matter how much of a wastrel, how can a single man spend such a sum in a lifetime?”

Jane said nothing in response, but in her furrowed brow and tightened lips, Elizabeth could see that her sister agreed. But, proof of debts weren’t the only documents Mr Darcy had. There were also papers signifying Mr Wickham signing away his living at Kympton in exchange for a sum total of three thousand pounds, and another outlining an inheritance of another thousand pounds that he had been given at the time of Mr George Darcy’s passing. There were employment papers of women in Lambton and London who’d been given opportunities in Darcy house or Pemberley or some other establishment where Mr Darcy had some influence.

Lizzy felt like a child learning the alphabet for the first time as she went through everything. To think, how wrong she had been! How thoroughly deceived! Frustration and anger at her own naivety and vanity fought inside her and she found her cheeks once again burning with mortification.

What would Mr Darcy have thought of her? She wondered despondently. he had never held her in any regard, she knew. But knowing now, how she had been duped with nothing more than a few pretty words from the mouth of such a scoundrel! Surely, he thought her the most simplest of women!

“I shall take these papers to Uncle Phillips tomorrow.” She told Jane, “He will know the best way to protect our people from that man.”

Jane nodded, her lips still pursed, “Do you think we should tell papa? Mr Wickham, along with other officers often visit us during calling hours.”

Elizabeth hesitated, then shook her head, “I think it will be better if he found out from Uncle Phillips. Mr Darcy doesn’t want his part getting out and Uncle Phillips is the only person I trust other than you to remain discreet. ”