Chance Encounters Read online

  “No, this evening was a special event for us. We always try to take our niece to a few performances whenever she comes to visit.”

  Sufficiently recovered, Darcy smiled and addressed Elizabeth, “So, I am to understand that you are not a resident of London, Miss Bennet? May I ask where you are from, or is it a secret?”

  Elizabeth laughed, “No, it is no secret. I live in Hertfordshire. My father has a small estate about a mile from the village of Meryton, called Longbourn.”

  “Meryton?” Darcy’s eyes opened wide. “Is there an estate near there called Netherfield?”

  “Yes, it borders Longbourn; the houses are about three miles apart. Do you know it? It is being leased currently by a man named Bingley, but he has yet to make an appearance.”

  “Charles Bingley is my great friend,” Darcy said quietly. “I was supposed to join him at his estate in September, but family obligations kept me from coming. I was to stay there two months. When I could not come, Bingley decided to wait to take possession until I could be there. This is his first time operating an estate, and he was hoping for my guidance.” Darcy saw that she had come to the same realization. “If I had come to visit my friend when I had planned, we would have found each other months ago.”

  They stared at each other, inexplicably sharing the same thoughts, How much time have we lost? Well, let us not waste any more.

  While Darcy and the ladies were talking, Mr. Gardiner and Richard stood off to the side, each closely observing the conversation.

  Richard turned to his companion. “Tell me about your niece, Mr. Gardiner.”

  “What would you care to hear about her? Her character, her home, her . . .”

  “Anything you are willing to tell me, sir.”

  “Well, Lizzy is twenty years old, and one of five daughters to my sister and brother Bennet from the estate of Longbourn, in Hertfordshire.” He paused, and noted Richard nodded his head, but kept his eyes on the trio before him. “She is kind, intelligent, well-read, and fiercely loyal to her family and friends. She does not suffer fools, and has a very sharp wit, which is known to scare men away.” Here he noted Richard’s sardonic grin. “She also is a girl of good sense and despite her expressions of self-doubt in comparison to her sister, Jane, she is quite lovely.”

  Richard looked at Mr. Gardiner, and grinned. “Well, my cousin did mention her eyes once or twice.” He tilted his head. “What of her circumstances?”

  “Dowry?” Seeing Richard nod, he said, “You do not hesitate, sir. It is small. She will share five thousand pounds among her sisters upon her mother’s death. Their estate is entailed away to a distant male cousin. She has little but herself to offer a man.”

  Richard raised his brow to Mr. Gardiner, and simply said, “Oh, I see.”

  “Before you grab hold of your cousin and drag him away from us, you should know one more vital piece of information about my niece. She is no fortune hunter.” Richard gave him a sceptical look. “No, I can assure you of this. My niece has stated many times that she will not marry without love and respect for her husband, and would prefer a life as a spinster, reduced to living as a governess than to settle for a marriage of convenience.” Richard shook his head disbelievingly. “She has rejected an offer of marriage from the cousin who will inherit her father’s estate because she thought him loathsome and ridiculous, despite the fact that even now, as he eagerly awaits her father’s demise, he has a comfortable home as the recipient of the living at the Hunsford Parsonage, at Rosings Park in Kent.”

  Richard looked at him with utter astonishment. He was not sure which piece of news surprised him more, the fact that this girl was so determined to marry on her own terms as to reject a life of relative comfort in favour of felicity in marriage, or the news that the man that she rejected was in fact his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s, parson. It was incredible! His respect for Miss Elizabeth Bennet rose considerably, and he looked forward to telling this information to his cousin.

  Mr. Gardiner registered Richard’s reaction, “Sir, I see that I have perhaps convinced you that my niece is no ordinary woman.”

  “Indeed you have, sir.”

  “So, I hope that you might indulge me in telling me of the worthiness of your cousin?”

  “Ha!” Richard laughed, “Well done, sir! I can assure you that my cousin is no fortune hunter. He has a house here in London, and has inherited his father’s estate in Derbyshire, and is quite financially secure. I have never seen him approach any woman before, and he has completely fascinated me this evening. Seeing him smile at your niece does my heart a great deal of good, since it is an expression that I have rarely seen on his face, particularly since the death of his father. He and I share guardianship of his fifteen year old sister, and the description that you provided of your niece’s qualities could just as easily be said about him. He is a good and liberal master and loyal friend. Duty and honour are deeply ingrained in him, and I would trust him with my life.”

  “Thank you for your reassurance, Colonel. I take the care of my niece very seriously, and I will not tolerate anyone trifling with her.”

  “As I said, my cousin Darcy has never approached a woman before, much less flirted with one and chased her out of a theatre, but I think that it is very safe to say that if he were to pay a call to your niece, he would treat her with the greatest respect.”

  Mr. Gardiner was pleased. Mr. Darcy was apparently a man of great consequence. His cousin was obviously being careful not to tell too much about his wealth, however, he did seem quite adamant about his worthiness. He decided that if Mr. Darcy did get his courage up to request permission to call on Lizzy, it would be granted.

  “Perhaps we should rejoin the others, Colonel?”

  The two men stepped back up to the three, just in time to hear Mrs. Gardiner realize that Darcy was the Master of Pemberley, and exclaim with delight that she grew up in Lambton.

  Darcy was happy to have an easy topic to discuss with the ladies. He could easily extol the virtues of his estate and Derbyshire without once tripping over his tongue. He asked Mrs. Gardiner if she had ever visited the estate, and she said that when she was a girl, she had taken a tour of the house and grounds during the Christmas season.

  She turned to Elizabeth, “The park around Pemberley is lovely, Lizzy, I think that there are enough pathways and trees that even you would be satisfied!”

  Darcy looked into Elizabeth’s eyes, “Are you fond of nature, Miss Bennet?”

  Elizabeth laughed, “Indeed, I am sir. I walk every morning, often for miles, and quite enjoy losing myself in the woods. I have several favourite pathways from my home, and often take a book or simply find a good rock to rest upon and enjoy the time to contemplate life, or more often than not, escape the noise of my sisters and mother!”

  “You must be quite disappointed in the loss of your daily walks while staying in London.”

  “While it is true that I do not have the opportunity to wander as far, there are still many charming parks here in town. I was hoping to take in Hyde Park during my visit, if the weather is favourable, but I do visit the small park near my aunt and uncle’s home daily, and sometimes in the afternoons with the children.”

  “Miss Bennet, with your aunt and uncle’s permission, perhaps I could be so bold as to request your consent to pay a call on you, and we could take a walk in this pleasant park together. I find beauty in nature at every time of year, and I would enjoy seeing it with someone who shares my view.”

  Elizabeth blushed and studied her hands. “I would like that very much, Mr. Darcy,” she said shyly.

  Elated, he looked at Mr. Gardiner, who nodded his permission. “Then, may I inquire where I might find you, and please tell me when we could meet?”

  “We live in Gracechurch Street, in Cheapside, Mr. Darcy. I am a tradesman, dealing with textiles, and it is convenient to the warehouses.” Mr. Gardiner regarded Darcy closely.

  Darcy quickly hid his surprise in learning that Elizabeth’s f
amily was in trade. He thought that they were people of fashion. He certainly never expected them to reside in Cheapside. But then he thought back to his earlier words to them about Bingley, whose fortune derived from trade. Perhaps he was in need of rethinking the way he judged people, simply based on their address.

  “Well then, may I call on you there Wednesday morning, Miss Bennet? Would eleven o’clock be convenient?” He looked at her hopefully.

  Elizabeth finally met his gaze, and seeing such a look of pleading in his soft brown eyes, she blushed again, bit her lip, and whispered, “I would be honoured to receive your call, sir.” She was happy to see the corners of Darcy’s mouth lift slightly, and his sombre face lightened with the movement. He is so handsome when he smiles, I must think of ways to encourage it!

  The parties took leave of each other, and found that the theatre crowd had thinned, and their carriages had arrived. Darcy took the opportunity to hand Elizabeth into her uncle’s carriage, and watched while it pulled away. He turned to face the wide grin of his cousin.

  “Please, Richard, let us return home and pour a brandy before you start on me.”

  “Who, me? Not a word, Cousin, I will not say a word!”

  Chapter 3

  Darcy settled back into the soft leather chair in the library of Darcy House and sighed. His mind was full of Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth. Never before had any woman so instantly captured his complete attention. He was relieved to have finally pushed Richard out the door and on his way back home. He endured an hour of his amused baiting, merrily describing Darcy’s tongue-tied, nervous attempts at conversation, and finally relented when he noticed Darcy’s gaze continually travelling to the set of fencing foils mounted on the wall. Taking his leave, Richard promised to say nothing to his parents about Darcy’s budding courtship, in exchange for full details of their first meeting. He did share with Richard the incredible news that Elizabeth lived next to the estate leased by Bingley. Richard, in turn, gave him verbatim the conversation he had with Mr. Gardiner. Darcy was deeply grateful and thoroughly impressed with all that he had learned. From her uncle’s description, Elizabeth was a treasure. He only hoped that he was worthy of her.

  When he learned that she had refused to marry her cousin, his respect for her grew rapidly. For a woman in her obviously diminished circumstances, despite being a gentleman’s daughter, it was a very brave decision. Learning of the connection to his aunt was somewhat disconcerting, but at least they had never met. So, he reasoned, she could not hold that particular unpleasant connection against him. Hopefully, he thought wryly, I can make a sufficiently good impression on her that she will be able to ignore the offensive behaviour of my most-vocal relation. He smiled again. How he had changed in this past year. Georgiana’s experience last summer and his continuing disenchantment with the people of so-called higher society had made him so much more aware of his and his own family’s behaviour.

  Cheapside. Her relations are in trade. Never before would he have considered associating with anyone from that part of town. How can a smile and a pair of warm eyes, placed so perfectly in the face of an absolutely lovely woman so affect him? He thought about it, and again realized that so much had changed for him over the past year. He had been trying to aid Georgiana through her recovery from Ramsgate, and feeling so terribly helpless. In addition, bearing the loneliness that had been his constant companion since his parents’ deaths had somehow become a smothering burden that he desperately wanted to remove. He had finally recognized that he needed more in his life than duty. The strange spark of hope that he felt when he met Elizabeth’s kind eyes in the theatre was something that he wanted to nurture. He decided that he would put aside his prejudices of the past and grab onto the joy that he sensed she could offer.

  DARCY FOUND HIMSELF at the breakfast table Tuesday morning feeling better than he had in months. He was not blind, he knew that the only thing different in his life was the introduction to Elizabeth. He was amazed at how a single evening and a brief conversation could so alter him. He realized that he must have been long ready for such a change, and that meeting her was the impetus that he needed to begin. He felt impatient for their visit the next morning, and mentally kicked himself for not arranging it for this day.

  Georgiana Darcy quietly entered the room and murmured a good morning to her brother. To her surprise, he returned her greeting with a warm smile, and lightness in his voice that she did not recognize. Finally raising her eyes to his, she tentatively asked, “Are you well, Brother?”

  “Quite well, Georgie. I had an enjoyable evening last night. I only regret that you did not come with us. The music and atmosphere was quite soothing to the soul.”

  “What an interesting description. How was your soul affected?”

  Picturing Elizabeth, he smiled a bit more, “I think that the best way to describe it is to say that I was in the mood to not enjoy myself at all when I arrived. I was feeling quite at odds with having to be once again on display, and listening to Richard’s happy talk was annoying me. However, a few minutes after taking my seat, completely prepared to be miserable, I observed the kindness of a lady extended to another, and that simple act allowed me to open myself to rejoicing in the pleasure that civility, without expectation of any return, can allow. Then I permitted the music to surround me and take me away from myself. I discovered a way to let go of thoughts which were weighing on my mind.”

  Darcy looked at his sister, wondering if his words had broken through the cloud that seemed to surround her. Georgiana stared at him, trying to understand what he was saying. “Do you mean that the music gave you a means to escape your thoughts?”

  “No, the music enhanced the escape. What augmented my ability to recognize the beauty of the music was recognizing the goodness of one person helping another. For too long, our circle of friends has consisted of people whose only concern was increasing their income, status, or vanity by their connections to us and others through means conducted under the guise of civility and propriety. It has always bothered me, but even more so in the past few years. I have come to the conclusion that I want to be valued simply for being myself, and the way I behave towards others. I want to be assessed for my own inherent goodness, and not judged solely on a few mistakes that I may make along the way to discovering who I am. I think that is a lesson that you would do well to consider.”

  “That it is not what I have and how I am named that is valuable, but my own goodness, and the way that I influence others with it that matters?”

  “Yes, Georgie, that is exactly what I am saying.” Darcy was relieved. He hoped that his words had given her something to dwell on other than her perceived misdeeds in allowing Wickham to attempt his seduction. At least she was thinking about it. He was truly at a loss as to how to help her. Her self-recrimination had been going on for so long, it had almost become a part of her, and he desperately wanted to help her to let it go before it became permanent. He realized that the first step to her doing that was to show her that he could let it go as well.

  Darcy settled into his study, and spent the morning discussing estate business with his steward. Georgiana had retired to the music room to practice the pianoforte, and with his study door ajar, he was able to listen to her efforts. He was happy throughout to recognize that Georgiana’s choice of music that morning was not quite as ponderous as it had been for the past few months. He took it as a hopeful sign.

  He was pleased to receive a note from Bingley saying that he was not able to pay a call that day. He missed his friend, but he knew that he would want to ask when Bingley intended to take up residence at Netherfield. That would inevitably bring up questions of why, and then would lead to his meeting with Elizabeth. He was not ready to share her with anyone else just yet.

  ELIZABETH SPENT Tuesday anticipating Wednesday. Her uncle told the ladies of his conversation with the Colonel, and Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth spent a great deal of time dissecting the conversation and behaviour of Mr. Darcy. Unknown to Elizab
eth, her aunt had also set about writing a few discreet letters to friends in Derbyshire, casually asking about Mr. Darcy and his estate. She knew that her friends would hardly be well-acquainted with him, but no doubt, the reputation of the man would be known throughout the area simply because Pemberley was the source of income to so many.

  Elizabeth asked her aunt if she would allow them to walk in the park, as Mr. Darcy suggested. She was a little hesitant to grant her permission, but she said that as long as they kept to the very public pathways, and did not stay out too long, she would let them go alone. It was not as if they were engaged, and therefore expected to flaunt the rules of propriety. She fondly remembered her days of courtship with Mr. Gardiner, and realized how much sooner they would have come to an understanding if they had simply been allowed some uninterrupted time on their own.

  ELIZABETH DRESSED carefully Wednesday morning, wearing a simple burgundy-coloured muslin gown, decorated with a scattering of embroidered flowers around the hem, and an ivory ribbon around the waist. The colours accentuated the pink of her cheeks and brought out the highlights of red in her dark hair. She perched herself in the window seat of the front room, pretending to read, while scanning the street for any sign of her visitor.

  Darcy spent the morning in such attention to his attire that even his valet, who was used to his master’s fastidious nature, was quite bemused. When Darcy finally approved of his appearance, it was with great relief that Rogers saw the back of him through the dressing room door.

  A magnificent coach arrived at the house on Gracechurch Street, precisely on time. Inside, Darcy donned the gloves that he had torn off on the trip there. His hands were sweating, and he found great relief in torturing his gloves into a twisted mass. His nervousness was taking him over, and he had almost convinced himself that he was being the utmost fool to be paying a call on this practically unknown young woman, when he found himself standing at the bottom of the front steps. The sight of her smiling face in the window instantly calmed him, and with a sense of newfound confidence, he knocked on the door.