The maid showed her into the drawing room. Elizabeth thanked her and placed the basket on one of the side tables. Feeling too energetic to sit still, she walked about the room, looking through the well-stocked bookshelves. Mr Darcy appeared to have provided his sister with all manner of books with which to amuse and instruct herself during the long winter months. With a private chuckle, Elizabeth hoped that her young friend would not have time to read quite so many books. Now that her path had been smoothed in Meryton, she could expect some social calls to interrupt her reading.
She picked up a book that had a lace bookmark tucked in its middle and began to scan its contents where the reader had left off. The first sentences were highly engaging, and Elizabeth turned back to the first page to begin in earnest. She quickly lost herself in the story, standing by the light of the window and unconscious of everything around her.
Elizabeth was startled from her concentration some time later when the door opened with a loud creak. Mr Darcy stood there, looking first as startled as she was herself, then rather annoyed.
“Miss Bennet,” he said with a swift bow. “What do you do here?”
Elizabeth pushed down her feelings of awkwardness. She had intended a joyful meeting with her friend, not a confrontation with her unpleasant brother, but that did not mean she had done anything wrong by accepting the invitation to wait. “Forgive me, Mr Darcy. I came to call on Miss Darcy and the maid showed me in, saying I could wait for her return.” She put the book down on a side tables at random, for she could not remember now which one she had taken it from. “I did not mean to stay so long. I’m afraid I availed myself of a book and could not put it down.”
With a determined effort to treat him as she would any of her neighbours, Elizabeth gave Mr Darcy a friendly smile. Unaccountably nervous as she felt, she ought to clear the air with him, for certainly there could not be a better opportunity. Elizabeth walked around the couches and settee that made up the cosy sitting area. “I wanted to say something to you, Mr Darcy, if you will hear it?”
Mr Darcy looked surprised, but no longer annoyed. “Of course.”
Elizabeth hesitated a moment. Though she disliked the awkwardness of confrontation, she would not allow some foolish misunderstanding to ruin her friendship with Georgiana. Even if it cost her an awkward conversation with Mr Darcy, it would be better to have matters out once and for all.
“Mr Darcy, I have sensed over the course of our acquaintance that I have done something to offend you, but I am at a loss to discover what. I should very much like to fix the error, for I see much to admire in you. Even from the first occasion of my meeting Miss Darcy, she praised you in terms so warm I could not help but look forward to meeting you with uncommon interest. Now that I have seen your love and care for her, not to mention your dry wit and good sense, I find none of the praise was exaggerated. I cannot help but be disappointed to be on bad terms with someone so deserving of my respect. Will you not tell me what I have done to discredit myself in your eyes?”
∞∞∞
Darcy stared at Elizabeth for a long moment, too taken aback to speak. At last, he identified the source of his confusion. He had thought Elizabeth might offer him pretty compliments on his person or his estate, or perhaps Georgiana’s accomplishments. He had not expected any praise so very much to his own taste.
How often had he struggled with the many difficult decisions to be made in raising Georgiana? How often had he wished he might know better what he ought to do for her? Elizabeth’s words had hit their mark. He had not realised how much he had missed his father’s guidance and encouragement. Added to this, the praise of his mind and spirit could not help but touch him deeply.
And all this was coupled to directness of the type most appealing to him, and requiring great courage on her part. It could not have been easy to make herself so vulnerable.
Darcy hardly knew how he ought to answer her. As he was about to attempt a response, Mrs Younge’s warnings came flying back to the forefront of his mind.She is a clever little actress…
An icy chill went down his spine. She had taken a significant social risk in speaking openly of his coldness — a risk that would be well-justified if all her plans depended on doing away with that very coldness. She had offered him praise, warm and highly satisfying — praise that could not have been more exactly to his taste if she had planned out every word of it. Perhaps she had done exactly that, sitting down to tea with Mrs Bennet and scheming out each word she would use to make good on her friendship with Georgiana and entrap him…
How could he have imagined it all genuine even for a moment, when Mrs Younge had so carefully warned him against Elizabeth Bennet’s schemes?
Darcy straightened. “I will be frank with you, Miss Bennet. I am not in the habit of being cajoled and corralled.” She visibly startled, looking confused. He plunged onward. If she would go even so far, the record must be set straight before he left for London. “I know your mother wishes us to create an alliance between our families. Considering the entail on your estate, it is more than understandable. But I will not allow myself to be manipulated. I do not wish to be trapped into marriage for my money, as I am sure you would not wish to be plucked up only for your beauty and sparkling wit.”
His heart skipped a beat as the words left his mouth. Darcy had not intended to say so much. Even in rebuking her, he could not seem to omit mentioning her loveliness and intelligence. But by the storm clouds gathering on her brow, he was sure she had missed that part entirely. “Let me be clear, I will not be easily controlled because you have befriendedmy sister — whether that friendship was genuine or merely a scheme to win over my favour by getting close to Georgiana.”
Darcy hardly knew what he expected as a response. Could any young woman be brazen enough to deny it to his face? At first, Elizabeth only looked confused. Then she frowned, squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath before beginning to speak.
“Mr Darcy—”
How she might have answered him would remain forever a mystery, for at that moment, they heard the front door open. Even at a distance, it was easy to identify Mrs Younge’s crisp, elegant tones and the lively answers of Georgiana.
It seemed only an instant before Georgiana was entering the room. Darcy dropped his eyes upon seeing his sister’s face light up on perceiving her friend. If there were only some way to protect her heart — but he was certain there was none. None, at least, that would not put her at risk of still greater heartbreak to come, when she at last discovered the friendship was false.
“How delightful to see you, Miss Bennet!” Georgiana exclaimed. In her open-hearted way, she ran to Elizabeth and took her hands. “It is very good of you to come and see us. I was just telling Mrs Younge as we came in that I wanted to stop by your house, for it seems an age since we last spoke, though really, it is no time at all!”
Darcy stepped forward, catching Georgiana’s hand and drawing her away.
“Georgiana, I do not think it is wise for you to see Miss Bennet anymore. Nor the rest of the Bennet family, for that matter. I have learned something most concerning over the last few days of my stay.”
Georgiana pulled her arm away from him, looking more distressed than he had seen her in a long time. “Brother, what are you saying? How could you be so rude to Miss Bennet? She is my friend!”
“No, Georgiana. Forgive me for being so blunt, Miss Bennet, but I have been told that you only befriended my sister so you could get close to me. I even overheard your mother saying how fortunate it was that you came to her rescue at the assembly when no one else would speak to her. It leads me to believe that you only planned to use her to secure an advantageous marriage.”
Mrs Younge stepped forward as if to shield her charge from Elizabeth. “It is true. I overheard the same sentiments several times, when the Bennet sisters did not think we were listening. And it has been corroborated by several members of the community since. You only wish to trap Mr Darcy into an unwanted marriage.” She raised her chin. “Shame on you!”
Elizabeth actually took a step back, as though shocked by hearing the accusation. Darcy looked away. He must think of Georgiana, only of Georgiana, and comfort her. If he were hurt, if he had hoped for better from so charming and intelligent a woman, that was nothing compared to the need to protect Georgiana.
Georgiana turned to Elizabeth, her eyes questioning. “Is it true? You only helped me to get to Fitz?”
