The door opened before he had even cleared the porch’s landing. “Mr Darcy! How good of you to come calling after your long journey. Do come in! Come in!” Mrs Bennet greeted him warmly and ushered him into the parlour, where a lavish tea was being set. “We have been expecting you. I told the cook to spare no expense when you came. And here you are!”
Darcy hardly knew whether to smile or frown. There was that same lack of propriety — did not Mrs Bennet know she ought to have her housekeeper open the door and usher him in? — and yet such a pleasing friendliness and warmth that he could not entirely condemn it. Mr Bennet took a moment to shake his hand and welcome him back from his journey. Afterward, he excused himself and hurried away to cloister himself in his study, leaving Darcy to visit with the women over tea.
“Does not my Lizzy look well, Mr Darcy? I daresay the betrothal has brought out the colour in her cheeks,” Mrs Bennet said. She put her arm around Elizabeth’s waist. Elizabeth stood at the front of the room to greet him, staged there, no doubt, by her mother, while the rest of the Bennet sisters occupied the back of the room. Mr Darcy could not say he was disappointed, for Elizabeth was the picture of loveliness and grace. She was dressed in a soft blue that brought out the darkness of her eyes and hair. For a moment, he was almost unable to breathe.
“She looks very well indeed, Mrs Bennet. My betrothed is a credit to you, I am sure. How do you do, Miss Elizabeth?”
“Quite well, thank you,” she answered. A knowing look passed between them, and for a moment, all was silent.
The rest of the sisters offered their greetings a moment later, breaking the spell, and they were all seated around the hearth. Mrs Bennet hardly waited until everyone was settled before jumping into conversation. “It has been very dull around here since you went away, Mr Darcy. We have all been on pins and needles waiting for your return. Tell us, have you received the special license?”
Darcy looked up in surprise and caught Elizabeth’s gaze. She gave him an apologetic smile, then set her teacup aside. “Mama, perhaps you might let poor Mr Darcy catch his breath before questioning him,” she suggested gently.
But Mrs Bennet would have none of it. “Oh, do not be ridiculous, my dear! Of course, Mr Darcy does not object to my inquiring about such an important point! I shall have you know I am vastly proud that I shall have a daughter married by special license. One does not experience such a distinction every day!”
Darcy had to think fast. Of course, Mrs Bennet thought he had gone to London to procure a special license. And much as he hated deception, it would be advantageous that she might continue to think so.
“Everything will be in order when it is required, I assure you, madam,” Darcy replied. His answer seemed to satisfy her, and she was soon off on another subject.
Elizabeth lowered her eyes to her hands, clasped tightly in her lap. She seemed relieved that he had not set her mother straight. Now, more than ever, he was eager to find out what she had learned of her mother’s involvement in the plot to bring them together. Throughout the rest of the tea, Darcy wondered if he really would need to procure a special license from the church. If they could not clear their names, a speedy marriage might be wise. There was one relief — at least it need not be conducted as though there had been an indiscretion too great to wait for the banns to be read.
“I hope the journey was not too uncomfortable for you, Mr Darcy?” Elizabeth asked. She had a strange look in her eyes. Could it have been caused by something she discovered while he was gone, something she feared to tell him? Darcy looked deeply into her eyes and wondered again why he had bought her the necklace.
Unbidden, his eyes travelled down her face to her throat, lingering on the spot where the beautiful jewellery piece should rest, if he ever had the chance to give it to her. His throat suddenly went dry. He knew he should not want such a thing, but he so longed to see it grace her elegant throat.
“Mr Darcy?” Elizabeth asked.
He looked up sharply and was glad to see that they were not the subject of everyone’s attention. Her sisters and mother had moved on to discussing the particulars of the wedding breakfast to be held after he and Elizabeth had said their vows.
“It was not as great an inconvenience as you might suppose. I am used to making the journey to London from Pemberley, which is a far longer distance.” Darcy lowered his voice. “But I thank you for your concern.”
Elizabeth’s cheeks flamed to life with a pretty shade of pink. He longed to speak with her in private, not only to hear what she had found in her investigation, but for the pleasure of her company.
That desire, at least, might easily be satisfied at the cost of a little patience. When tea was over, he suggested a walk outside. Elizabeth seemed to follow his thoughts without effort. She retrieved a shawl and led him out to the little wilderness beside the house. A little uneasily, Darcy noticed it was the same place where they had had their previous falling out. He hoped this encounter would be nothing like the last.
She waited for a few moments, both of them walking in silence until they were confident they were clear of any listening ears. “I am glad to see you returned safely, Mr Darcy,” Elizabeth began. “Though I am afraid you may see your trip as a wasted endeavour, when you hear what I have to tell.”
Darcy’s heart clenched with fearful anticipation. “I assume you had the opportunity to speak to your mother on the subject?” he prompted. He clasped his hands behind his back, but as they came to a small stream, he offered her his arm and helped her over the little rivulet. When they were safely on the other side, strolling through the grass, he did not let her go.
He was pleased that she seemed content to keep her hand in the crook of his arm. “I did. I questioned her about having any involvement in the plot to coerce you into speaking for my hand, but my mother denies it completely. And after pressing her on the subject, I believe her.” Elizabeth halted on the little worn path through the browning grass and looked up at him. “My mother may be many things, Mr Darcy, but she is not a liar. In the end, we are right back where we started. I am sorry you wasted a trip to London to be so disappointed.”
Darcy breathed a sigh of relief. “Far from it. I am not disappointed, Miss Elizabeth. In truth, I am glad to hear that your mother had nothing to do with the matter.”
He looked out over the fields, feeling the release of tension sweep through him. The wind howled around them, whipping the branches of the nearby trees into a frenzy. He looked over at Elizabeth, who did not seem bothered in the slightest by the elements. She was very fond of walking, after all, and no doubt had gone for a brisk walk in weather much worse than this. The wind had disarrayed her coiffure, giving her a somewhat wild, untamed air. It was wholly attractive to him, which was a surprise. Elizabeth was nothing like the woman he had always imagined he would end up married to, and yet everything he never knew he needed.
“I must confess that I am surprised at your reaction, Mr Darcy.”
“Oh? In what way?” he asked.
“I had not expected you to be so easily satisfied,” Elizabeth admitted. “You seem to have accepted this conclusion merely on my saying I believe it to be so. I rather thought you would require more proof that what I say is true.”
He looked over at her in surprise. She seemed so small at that moment, so vulnerable. And yet she had resolved to settle the subject thoroughly. It occurred to him that in other circumstances, he might well have demanded to take part in the conversation himself, to try to catch out Mrs Bennet in his own hearing. Certainly he would not have accepted such a conclusion from Caroline Bingley — not if marriage to him was on the line. But if Elizabeth gave him her word, that was enough for him. Darcy could not imagine her acting dishonestly, whatever the stakes.
“I trust in your character, Miss Elizabeth. If you say that your mother is innocent, then that is good enough for me,” he replied.
Elizabeth smiled at him, and he thought how very lovely she was. He wished she had been by his side at his aunt and uncle’s soiree. It would have made the evening wholly different, would have brought the dance to life.
She licked her lips as if trying to work out something to say. Did she realise how she drove him to distraction anytime she did that? “I thank you for your confidence, Mr Darcy. In both my character and my judgement. But that still leaves us back where we left off. Who would have the most to gain from seeing us married? I cannot understand it.”
