“That may be a slight exaggeration,” Darcy replied diplomatically, though his eyes danced with amusement. “Though she does take a keen interest in domestic arrangements. I recall upon my first visit I was subjected to an interview lasting an hour, as she wished to ensure I did not harbour plans to ingrain myself into her sister’s good graces and somehow carve out an inheritance for myself.”
“How terrible,” she said, shaking her head.
“She is a cautious woman. One would be led to believe she was some close relation to the Prince Regent, given the way she carries herself.”
“Rather high in the instep, I dare say,” she said.
“I cannot agree nor disagree, it would not be proper,” he said but his smile told her he felt the same way she did.
“Of course not. And we have established how important property is to you, have we not?” she said, but kept her tone light.
Elizabeth reassessed her initial impression of their new steward entirely as they walked. His protective concern for his sister, his loyalty to those who had helped him, his quiet sense of humour—all painted a picture quite different from the officious man who had lectured her about muddy hems.
As they approached the original Longbourn house, now occupied by the Bingleys, Elizabeth gestured towards it. “My father was born in that house, you know. His family had owned the Longbourn estate for generations, though they were merely gentlemen of modest means.”
“Your father told me Mr Bingley seeks to purchase it. I am to meet with him to discuss the matter soon. Pray, how did your father come to purchase Netherfield? I hear some heroics in the war?”
“He fought in the Peninsula War and saved his commanding officer—a cousin of the king. His Majesty was pleased to grant him an earldom, and Papa used the financial reward to purchase Netherfield and unite it with the Longbourn lands he already possessed.”
“A remarkable rise in fortune.”
“Indeed. Though Mama sometimes frets that our elevation is too recent to command proper respect from established families.”
“Ah. I have heard there can be some judgement based on the length one has held the title. Lady Catherine is always rather proud of how long her family has held the title Earl of Matlock.” He lowered his voice, a sparkle in his eyes. “But do not mention her husband’s knighthood, she is not quite as eager to talk about how briefly he held it before he passed away.”
“How long?” she asked, eager for more gossip.
“She would like you to believe he was knight most of his life, but it was really only a year and a quarter,” he told her.
“No!” she said.
“Indeed,” he replied. “And having met Sir Lewis myself, I will tell you he cared little for the title. Far less than his wife, that is certain.”
“The same can be said for my father and mother.”
A rustle nearby interrupted their conversation and Mr Bingley appeared in the garden. He waved at them, a bright smile on his lips. Elizabeth wished Jane were here to see him.
Darcy returned the wave. “Mr Bingley has been most pleasant company since his arrival. We have struck up quite a friendship, actually.”
“Oh? You have become acquainted already?”
“After I had occasion to flee the assembly, he followed me to see if I was afflicted with illness. I assured him it was merely my ego that was bruised.”
Elizabeth closed her eyes, not sure how to react. She wanted to chuckle at the way he described events, as though she were not the cause for the aforementioned mortification, but she restrained herself. Mr Darcy was a difficult man to know. Humorous and full of wit one moment, prim and proper the next. “He is fond of your sister.”
This time, she beamed at his words. “Jane is everything good and gentle. Any man would be fortunate to earn her regard.”
“Even a man whose fortune comes from trade rather than inheritance?”
The question hung between them, weighted with implications about class, propriety, and the rigid social expectations that governed their world.
“I believe,” Elizabeth said, “that genuine goodness of character matters more than the source of one’s income. Though I confess that view is not universally shared in our household.”
“Given your earlier comment I assume it is Lady Hartford who is opposed?”
He was perceptive, that she could not deny.
“Mama believes we should aim higher, given Papa’s new title. She fears any association with people of lesser birth might diminish our standing.”
