“In my years in society, I have never come close to finding a lady who excited my interest, who saw me for who I am and not what I could give her. Given my attractiveness to marriage-minded ladies and their families, I have been the target of no less than three compromises; the final one was a few months past. It was that last one which convinced me that I would never find a wife I could love and respect in London’spolite society. Hence, with my parents’ blessing, I quit Town for at least a year. I headed for my estate, Hilldale, in Staffordshire, which is only about thirty miles from Pemberley.
“It took me a sennight or so to realise I would never meet a woman who I may come to love and respect if I hid away at Hilldale. That is when I decided I needed to become a gentleman of moderate means. With that being the case, I chose to visit the Lakes, one of the places I love more than any other. I did so under the guise of my adopted persona. It has always been my dream to be appreciated for who I am as a man, to be valued for my character and not my title, wealth, and connections. This was my primary motivation for the deception of not using my own name.
“You took up residence at Lakeshore House about six weeks after I arrived. I must tell you that my parents have a house here, which I deliberately chose not to use, so when I told you I had holidayed here many times, I told you the absolute truth. The day you arrived with the Gardiners, I was sitting on the veranda at my house, drinking in the peace and the magnificence of nature. I saw Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth standing on the veranda of this house, and I could hear what you were saying to one another. I could tell we valued the same things: the view, the wonders of nature, and the prospect of exploring your surroundings. Not one word did I hear about the nothings the ladies in London generally speakof. That is when Gardiner stepped out to call you back inside, and I knew I needed to speak to him, as he knows me quite well.
“If you are angry at your uncle, rather direct that ire at me because I begged him to keep my secret, and I explained why. I also made a solemn vow that if things ever became more serious with either of you, I would disclose the truth of who I am before making any sort of request with an eye to the future. I am fulfilling that promise today.” Hilldale looked directly at Miss Bennet as he said the last.
“Miss Bennet, am I correct that you have dealt with men, like Charles Bingley, who only see your outward good looks and do not bother to know the lady behind the face?”
“That is correct, especially in the case of Mr Bingley. All he could speak of was my beauty and that I was hisangel. Never once did he bother to discover my likes and dislikes or what my interests are,” Jane responded. “Since I have known you, I have never felt like you saw me as a pretty bauble to hang on your arm and place on your mantel. You have always treated me, and Lizzy too, as intelligent beings, not less so because of our sex.”
“No, I have never seen you in that way. I asked you that because I wanted to confirm what Darcy told me regarding the way Bingley saw you.” He turned to Miss Elizabeth. “You know that if my cousin is able to keep his hessian out of his mouth for long enough, he is a very good man, one of the best.”
“Yes, I have discovered that about him,” Elizabeth owned. She was happy that she had not allowed one of her assumptions to run away with her regarding Jane and the Viscount. As one of her desires was to be appreciated for who she was, Elizabeth could understand what had driven Lord Hilldale to want to just be a plain gentleman,to be known for himself.
“Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, I apologise for my obfuscation. Can you see your way clear to pardon me?” Hilldale spoke to both, but his eyes were locked onto Miss Bennet.
Jane could see the hope in Lord Hilldale’s eyes. Thanks to her hiding behind a mask for so many years, if she did not forgive him, her very strong attraction to him notwithstanding, it would make her both a fool and a hypocrite; she was neither. “As I understand why you felt you needed to do what you did, I forgive you without any reservations,” she said as her eyes remained locked onto the Viscount’s deep blue orbs.
“You have my pardon as well,” Elizabeth granted. Insotto voceshe added, “I am sure Jane’s forgiveness was the important one.”
Jane heard Lizzy’s words and blushed with pleasure.
Maddie and her husband were well pleased. They had suspected that Lizzy may be more difficult, but they had had no doubt that Jane would not hold the disguise against Lord Hilldale.
“It is good that I never saw Miss Elizabeth as anything but Miss Bennet’s sister,” Hilldale stated with a grin. “Had she been the one who had captured my attention, and I had acted on it, Cousin William Darcy would have called me out.”
Now it was Elizabeth’s turn to blush. She was waiting for a reply to her last letter to Gigi with bated breath. She had been awfully forward in asking advice for herfriend. She had not felt like there was a choice. There had been far too many misunderstandings between her and Mr Darcy, and she wanted to know if she had made a wrong inference. Elizabeth had not mentioned what she had written to her aunt, uncle, or even Jane. All she could hope was that Mr Darcy would give an answer, and she knew which reply she was hoping to receive.
“Miss Bennet, as you have forgiven my evasiveness with regards to my identity, would you grant me a private interview?” Hilldale requested.
“Yes, Lord Hilldale, I would be pleased to grant you such,” Jane replied.
Hilldale looked to Gardiner. “You have ten minutes in the study; the door will not be closed all the way, and a maid will be seated outside in the hallway,” Gardiner instructed.
Maddie rang for the housekeeper and asked that one of the maids be seated outside of the study. Soon enough it was done as ordered.
After they both stood, Hilldale offered Miss Bennet his arm. She placed a slender hand on one of his forearms. They entered the study, and Hilldale closed the door about two-thirds of the way. He waited until Miss Bennet was seated on the settee. Then he sat opposite her in an armchair.
“Miss Bennet, I did not come to the Lake District with an eye to finding a potential wife, although I was open to that happening. All I wanted was peace and quiet and to be free of the wolfpacks hunting me in London and elsewhere. I needed to recover my spirit after the last dishonourable attempt to entrap me into marriage.
“Until very recently, I have never met a lady I could see in the role of wife, partner, helpmeet, and mother of my children.” Hilldale did not miss the deep blush on Miss Bennet’s beautiful face when he mentioned possible future children. “That is, until I met you and Miss Elizabeth, and you began to restore my belief that not all ladies are like those who have hunted me for more than ten years. Even without the fact that I know that my cousin is in love with Miss Elizabeth, I know that she and I would not suit. However, I am sure without any doubt thatyou and I do fit together.
“I will not speak of feelings I do not have at this moment. I am not yet in love with you, but each day my heart becomes more and more yours. It is a matter of days before I reach that state. As important, or perhaps more so, is that I respect you. With that said, Miss Jane Bennet, will you grant me a courtship?”
“Before I reply, I have some questions,” Jane began.
“Ask anything you want, and if I have the knowledge, and I am able, I will give you complete answers,” Hilldale agreed.
“Your parents are an earl and countess, and you will one day, I pray many decades from now, be an earl; is that not so?” Jane enquired. She saw the viscount nod that she had the right of it. “Although I care not about titles, I am the daughter of an insignificant country squire whose mother is the daughter of a country solicitor. My closest family members are in trade. The Gardiners, you know, while my other uncle, Mr Phillips, is a country solicitor. I would never agree to give them up for anything. Is that an impediment to our courtship?”
“No, none of it is. My parents will accept my choice as long as it is freely made and, that the lady is at least gently bred. I have the deepest respect for your Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, and I am sure Mr and Mrs Phillips are estimable as well,” Hilldale responded firmly.
“Although there have been improvements of late, my mother does not always behave with decorum, as she was not raised as a gentlewoman.” Jane took a deep breath; there was one more thing she must tell, something which could potentially end her courtship before it began. “There is a situation I must tell you about, something which could potentially cause you to withdraw. If it does, I understand and you may go on with your honour intact.”
“This sounds serious. Please relate what you feel youmust,” Hilldale stated.
“You have heard me speak of three of my four sisters. The youngest’s name is Lydia, and she was one of the girls to fall prey to Mr Wickham…” Jane told the whole of the sordid tale. She could not bear to look at him when she was done as she did not want to see the scorn on his face. Her head was down; her eyes pointed to the floor. She felt fingers below her chin, applying gentle pressure to lift her head.
