Chance Encounters Page 4

  The two sat smiling at each other, and finally, Elizabeth indicated that they should probably return to her aunt’s house, as even her kindness had a limit, and they had been in the park for some time. Darcy instantly offered his arm to Elizabeth, which she happily took. They both let out a sigh of contentment, and looking at each other, surprised, they laughed.

  “This has been a most wonderful visit, Miss Bennet. I was so nervous to come here, and now, I think that this has been the happiest day that I have spent in a very, very long time.” He smiled down at her lovely face. “When may we repeat this? May I visit tomorrow?”

  “Yes, please! I have no engagements tomorrow, and would very much enjoy your company again. Will the same time as today suit?”

  “Yes, that will be fine. I am expecting a caller early, but I will happily send him on his way in good time to come to you. As a matter of fact, I will look forward to telling him about you. He is your absent neighbour, Mr. Bingley.”

  “Hmmm. If you could, ask him when he intends to come to Netherfield, and I will inform my mother. She would love to be the first in the neighbourhood with fresh gossip!”

  “Oh no, Miss Bennet, I will protect my friend from matchmaking mamas!”

  “Well, maybe I will just have to mention his presence here, and ask Mama to send her daughters to London! Mama will not be stopped!” Elizabeth raised her brow to him and grinned.

  Darcy let out a long sigh, “What am I going to do with you Miss Bennet?”

  “I am sure that you could think of something, Mr. Darcy.”

  Chapter 4

  Darcy stood in his library, scanning the shelves. With a cry of triumph, he found what he was searching for. Carefully opening the cover of the large book, he gently lifted the first page and looked at the beautiful illustration.

  “What have you there?” He looked up to see Richard strolling into the room.

  “It is a book of landscapes depicting the Lake District. The area came up in conversation today, and I remembered that I had this here.”

  “In conversation?” Richard smirked, “Who were you speaking with?”

  “I was in pleasant company.”

  “I can well imagine, Darcy.” Richard regarded his cousin carefully. Darcy had a slight smile on his face, his eyes were warm, and his posture, usually so stiff, was relaxed. “Will you tell me about your call to Miss Bennet?”

  Seeing Richard’s concerned expression, he surprised him with a growing smile. “It was wonderful. I was so nervous on my way there, but when I arrived, she was sitting in the window watching for me. I caught her gaze, and I felt like I had come home.”

  Richard looked at him with awe. “Do you hear yourself? I was joking with you when I spoke about proposing, Darcy.”

  “I am aware of that, Richard, and no, I have not proposed. But, I have no doubt in my mind that I have found the woman I will someday beg to be my wife.” Darcy spoke with conviction, and Richard had no doubt that he spoke the absolute truth.

  He sighed and dropped into a chair. “Tell me about your visit.”

  “Just let me say that she showed herself to be a woman of magnificent kindness, and fortitude.” Richard waved his hand, showing that he wanted more. Darcy continued, “If you join Georgie and me for dinner, you will hear a story. I will not mention the woman’s name to her, but you will know that it is Miss Bennet.”

  “That is all you will say?”

  “Believe me, when you hear the story, it will be enough.”

  “Hmmph.” Richard looked sceptical, but did not press him for more.

  THE THREE COUSINS sat down at dinner, and Darcy, after making inquiries after Georgiana’s day, was happy that she asked about the call he had paid that morning. “It was very pleasant. In fact, I heard a fascinating story involving a young lady and George Wickham.”

  Georgiana gasped, and Richard stared at him in disbelief. Darcy disregarded them both and continued. “It seems that Wickham joined a militia regiment last autumn, and sought to gain favour with the ladies of the neighbourhood. He selected one young lady as a particular favourite and endeavoured to curry her favour by telling her his tale of misfortune inflicted on him by myself.” Richard’s eyes narrowed and Georgiana hung her head, remembering Wickham’s persuasive manner. “The young lady, who was twenty years old, and more experienced with men,” here he met his sister’s eyes, “felt that although his manner was everything charming, resolved to remain wary of him. This served her well when Wickham pulled her to a secluded area of the garden, and attempted to seduce her.” Darcy paused. Richard’s fists were clenched, his face red with fury.

  Georgiana broke the silence and whispered, “Did he ruin her, Brother?”

  “No, he decidedly did not ruin her. She did not give him the chance.” They both looked at him as he broke into an enormous smile. “She could not move her arms or cry for help, but she could, however, use her knee, as she said, to strike him in his most sensitive area.”

  “NO!” Richard cried with delight.

  “YES!” Darcy crowed. “He was doubled over with pain and did not move for twenty minutes. When he finally reappeared, he could not mount, and blamed a leg cramp!” The men howled with laughter.

  Georgiana, finally realizing what exactly had befallen Wickham allowed a slow smile to spread across her face. “What became of him?”

  “Her father informed his colonel, and Wickham was sent packing to another regiment. I have no doubt that his new colonel was fully informed of his behaviour, and I am sure that his other vices were quickly exposed upon his departure.”

  Richard and Darcy were positively gleeful. Richard said thoughtfully, “I think that I just might have to write to his former colonel and see what became of old George.”

  Darcy studied his sister, and was gratified to see brightness in her demeanour that had not been present in a very long time. She said softly, “That young lady was very brave.”

  Darcy regarded her seriously. “Yes she was. She had the advantage of experience to guide her, and a rather fierce streak of independence to help her.”

  “Maybe if I had been older, I would have seen through him, too.”

  Taking her hand, he gave it a squeeze. “Yes Georgie, I am glad you see that now.”

  She jumped up from her chair and fell into his embrace, sobbing. He looked at Richard. They both had tears in their eyes. Maybe this was the breakthrough that she needed. He whispered to her, “It was not your fault, Georgie. It was all him. Please understand this.” He hugged her, and her sobs quieted, “Would you like to meet her?”

  Georgiana pulled away from her brother and regarded him with a mixture of wonder and anticipation. “Do you know her?”

  “Yes, I do. I will call on her tomorrow and invite her to come for tea on Friday. Would you like that? I know that she would be very happy to meet you.”

  “Oh yes, please invite her!” Georgiana was ecstatic. “What is her name?”

  Delighted, Darcy gave her a huge smile and spoke proudly, “Miss Elizabeth Bennet. I cannot wait to introduce her to you.” Richard looked on with amazement. In a matter of days the influence of one woman had turned the lives of his cousins around.

  THAT NIGHT when Darcy finally fell back into his bed, he smiled at the canopy, marvelling over the events of the day. Georgiana had left her brother and cousin immediately after dinner, wishing to retire to her rooms and think about the bravery of Elizabeth Bennet, and reevaluate her own behaviour when she responded to the advances of George Wickham. Richard and Darcy had spent several hours on the same subjects, both hopeful that meeting Elizabeth would further help in Georgiana’s recovery. Richard could not help but tease Darcy about him falling instantly in love, but on a very serious note, performed what he felt was a family duty to remind him of her poor connections, lack of dowry, and the likelihood of not being accepted by their relatives, let alone the first circles of society.

  As much as Darcy disliked hearing his cousin’s words, he could not discount t
hem. He knew very well that he would receive the approbation of family, particularly Aunt Catherine, and society if he continued to court Elizabeth. Then he laughed out loud at the absurdity of his thoughts. “If I continue to court her?!” For a man who had resisted every approach by every woman since the age of seventeen, the simple fact that he was finally courting any woman was a wonder unto itself. The thought of even considering rejecting following his desires after instantly succumbing to the beautiful, enticing, fascinating Elizabeth Bennet was absolutely inconceivable to him. A year ago he might have been tempted to reject her simply based on her unworthiness of station, now, he saw her with the clearer eyes of a man who had grown weary of suffering alone burdened with responsibilities, tired of the conceit and pretence of society, and who was able to recognize the happiness that loving her would bring. She had already proven that in the smiles that he and his sister now wore.

  He thought over their walk in the park that day, and was suddenly struck with the realization that he had compromised her. Perhaps, it was not so much when they held hands, but without question, their embrace had been absolutely against the rules of propriety. If they had been in a more fashionable part of town, where he would have been recognized, no doubt the news would have been published in the gossip columns the next day. But, because they were in a small park in Cheapside, where both he, and since she was a visitor, perhaps even Elizabeth were unknown, their indiscretion had happened unnoticed. Thinking about it some more, he realized that he would not give up the feeling of Elizabeth in his arms for anything. The moment that he pulled her to him, he knew that she belonged there, and he felt her acceptance of it, as well.

  She was the first woman, other than Georgiana who hardly counted, that he had embraced in such a way. The most he had done with any woman of his acquaintance was perhaps to bestow a kiss upon a gloved hand. Unlike the typical behaviour of men of his times, he did not visit brothels or keep a mistress. His father took him to a gentleman’s brothel when he was seventeen to be initiated thoroughly, and upon leaving delivered a very stern and adamant lecture that he was never to repeat the behaviour that he had enjoyed there until he was married. His father impressed upon him most emphatically that he wanted no chance that a child with the Darcy blood would be conceived outside of marriage, and furthered his point by telling his son what would likely become of a child born of a woman who sold herself. The mere image of a child of his, even illegitimate, being left to grow up in the slums of London, and if to survive, grow to toil in a workhouse, or if a girl, become a prostitute herself, was enough to keep Darcy from participating in such activities, much to the amusement of his friends, and not with a little personal suffering. He also rejected all of the ladies of society, married or single who offered themselves to him, which may in fact have made him all the more hunted. He kept his private life extremely private.

  THOMAS BENNET had received no such admonition from his father, and during his university days made full use of the brothels located near the school, and on occasional visits to London. He felt no remorse for it. The behaviour was generally expected of young men, and thoughts of consequences, other than the passing consideration of disease, really never crossed his mind. Perhaps once he had a thought about it, when he visited his friend John Markham’s home in Sussex on holiday and was subtly directed with a wink to the location of the chambermaids’ bed closets. He learned upon visiting again six months later that the maid in question had been dismissed, and it briefly occurred to him that unintended births did happen, but in his typical fashion, he did not let it bother him for long.

  Early Friday morning found Mr. Bennet where he could be located at just about any time of the day, any day of the week, in the library of Longbourn. He had received the day’s post, and knew that Jane had received a letter from Lizzy. He sat back at his desk, waiting for the knock on the door that would tell him of Jane’s arrival to share with him Lizzy’s news.

  He was a man of fifty years, an Oxford educated gentleman, owner of the respectably-sized, but poorly-producing estate. The fact that the estate was poorly producing due to his negligence was not lost on the intelligent man. However, he found that since he had made the rather foolish and impulsive decision to offer marriage to a beautiful but empty-headed fifteen-year-old Fanny Gardiner, a girl twelve years his junior and below him in station, he had increasingly spent more of his time retreating from the realities of the world and instead hid amongst his books. He loved his five girls, especially his second child, Lizzy, but after her birth, and not producing a son and heir, he had essentially lost patience with anything and everyone that did not challenge his sharp wit. Since the estate suffered under the rules of entailment, and would eventually go to a distant cousin, he felt no particular motivation to expend his energy and funds on a property that none of his family would ever inherit. As a result, the estate, the marriage, and the children languished out of a lack of attention and complacency. Only the two eldest daughters, Elizabeth and Jane, had managed to make the most of their gentlewoman’s heritage and sought to improve themselves, to be recognized by some accounts as the “brightest jewels of all Hertfordshire.”

  JANE EAGERLY OPENED Elizabeth’s letter. She had begun regretting her decision to stay at Longbourn instead of joining her sister on the trip to London. She read with astonishment the news that Elizabeth was apparently being courted by a handsome wealthy man, who somehow had connections to Mr. Wickham, not pleasant connections she gratefully noted, and was, although shy, everything kind and amiable. She felt the desire to go and join her sister and was relieved to read that Elizabeth felt the same way, and begged Jane to seek her father’s permission to come to London. She said that talking things over with Aunt Gardiner was everything wonderful, but it was not the same as discussing things with Jane. Everything seemed to be happening so quickly, she felt that she needed Jane’s calm influence to help her truly sort out her emotions.

  Elizabeth had received a note from Mr. Darcy that evening, inviting their aunt and her for tea with his sister on Friday afternoon, and reconfirming that he would again pay a call to her the next day, Thursday. Jane could almost feel the nervous anticipation of her sister through the letter, and she determined that she had to speak to her father immediately and gain his permission to go to her.

  Jane knocked on the library door, and upon hearing her father’s call, she entered. Mr. Bennet sat back in his chair and smiled. “Well my dear Jane, I understand that you received a letter from Lizzy, what mischief has she found in London?”

  “Oh Papa, you know Lizzy, she has always been such a well-behaved girl, she could never get into mischief,” Jane teased, smiling at her father who knew better.

  Mr. Bennet laughed, “Quite so.” Then noticing Jane hesitating, he asked with concern, “Is she well?”

  “Yes, she is well in fact; I have never received a letter so full of joy from her before.” Jane looked up at her father. He was now sitting up, his elbows resting on the desk, hands steepled together, and regarding her with great interest.

  “Joy? Please do not keep me in suspense, child. Tell me of your sister.”

  “It seems that Lizzy has made the acquaintance of a gentleman, a Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, and he has asked Uncle Gardiner for permission to call on her. They met at a concert on Monday, and she was introduced to him and his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. Mr. Darcy visited on Wednesday morning, and they took a walk in the park in Gracechurch Street. While they talked, Lizzy realized that Mr. Darcy was the man that Mr. Wickham accused of denying his inheritance. Mr. Darcy told her of how Mr. Wickham had imposed himself upon his own family, and even told her of another young girl that he had attempted to hurt. Mr. Darcy was to come and visit again Thursday morning, and had sent a note over inviting Lizzy and Aunt Gardiner to his home for tea today, so that they could be introduced to his sister. She said that his parents are passed, and that he is the master of his estate, Pemberley in Derbyshire.”

  His face carried an expression of conce
rn, and she thought; trepidation. “And, she seems to be full of joy?”

  “Yes, Papa, I truly think that she is very happy with this young man, and is hoping for a future with him. She asks that I come to London, to lend her my support and opinion. May I go, Papa? I think that she needs me.”

  Mr. Bennet sighed. He knew that this day would come, and he would have to start to accustom himself with the loss of his daughters’ hearts to other men. It did not make him in any way happy, but it was inevitable. He expected his daughters to leave home, but he wished to keep Lizzy with him, always. To know that a man of Mr. Darcy’s wealth would be interested in his Lizzy was gratifying; he had after all educated her almost as he would a son. He would not, however, let her continue with this relationship without meeting the man himself, and assure himself of his worthiness, and he hoped, would find him lacking enough to end it altogether. He looked up at his other dearest daughter, and noting her anxiety, smiled. “Of course you must go to town, and as a matter of fact, I will accompany you. I have some business to take care of, and I can deliver you to your aunt and uncle safely, and meet this young man. I will send an express telling my sister and brother of our plans, and we will depart tomorrow morning. Does that satisfy you, my dear?”

  “Oh yes, Papa! Thank you! I will go and tell Mama, and start packing!” Jane was relieved, not only was she escaping Longbourn, but she was going to join her best friend.

  Mr. Bennet quickly prepared the letter and called for a servant to send it on its way. He put his head back on the chair and closed his eyes, and thought, “Well, Mr. Darcy, let us see of what you are made.”

  DARCY FINISHED his breakfast Thursday morning and was ensconced in his study when Mr. Bingley was announced. The two friends greeted each other and settled themselves comfortably to catch up on each other’s news. They had not spent any time together since before Christmas.