“Well, she is his fiancée in all but name, so I hardly see any cause for fussing about it.”
Mrs. Gardiner stared aghast at her sister-in-law. “I should think it a great problem indeed—”
But no arguments Mrs. Gardiner could make would persuade Mrs. Bennet against her current course, and so it was that Mrs. Gardiner went to the Christmas party that evening at Lucas Lodge with a heavy heart.
Lady Lucas and her servants had taken to the Christmas-decorating spirit as a bird takes to the sky, and the home of the Lucases had been festooned with colorful ribbons and greenery. There was an especial emphasis on holly, laurel, and ivy. The occasional kissing bough or sprig of mistletoe could be found by any with a watchful eye, contributing to the gaiety of the atmosphere. Among the guests were the Netherfield party, withwhom the Gardiners were eager to acquaint themselves due to the Bennets’ colorful descriptions.
The Hursts and Miss Bingley were said to be proud and to consider themselves above their company, but Mr. Bingley could be naught but praised by all the Bennets save the master of Longbourn, who often avoided giving praise on principle. As for Mr. Darcy, the comments toward him were not particularly pleasant, but Mrs. Gardiner had decided to withhold any judgment on his character simply because she hated to hold any ill will toward someone who hailed from Derbyshire.
Looking around at the decorations of Lucas Lodge, Mrs. Gardiner smiled in appreciation and then took a sip of her punch, debating with herself as to whether she should also begin decking the halls of her London home with festive greenery earlier than was fashionable the next year.
Unfortunately, Elizabeth, who stood nearby alongside Charlotte Lucas, was not nearly so sanguine about the Christmas party.
“The man simply will not cease following me around!” complained Elizabeth. She had been given a brief reprieve from the man’s presence only because he wished to investigate the refreshments being offered.
“He thinks we are engaged,” continued Elizabeth, “and he refuses to listen to my insistence otherwise. He pretends he can only hear every other word I am saying, so that he might twist anything I tell him to his advantage.”
“I would be willing to attempt to distract him,” offered Miss Lucas. She gave Elizabeth a small smile. “Should he care to speak with me, I could serve as a willing enough audience.”
“Mark my words, but your attempts to appeal to him shall come to naught!” said Elizabeth. “The man is a menace who can do nothing other than what he wants. And what he wants right now is to make my life as miserable as possible.”
Mrs. Gardiner shook her head in a mixture of sympathy and amusement. “Lizzy, I dare say you attribute too much purpose to his actions.”
“And I dare say I attribute too little,” countered the young woman, with perhaps more passion than sense. “He is wholly focused on me, for whatever reason, and there is nothing to be done about it.”
Despite his best attempts to turn his attention elsewhere, Mr. Darcy found his own eyes focused on Miss Elizabeth Bennet far more often than was strictly proper. After his recent altercation with her, he felt it best to maintain some distance between them, yet he frequently found himself drifting toward her, as if drawn to her despite his will.
Miss Elizabeth’s fiery spirit was on display that evening as she thrust her hands into the air, and Darcy thought he had heard more than one mention of Mr. Collins’s name when she failed to keep the volume of her voice low. He had heard from Bingley that Miss Elizabeth had refused the parson’s suit. Why, then, did she seem to have his name on her tongue so often?
As Darcy considered the issue, Mr. Collins moved forward to accost Miss Elizabeth.
“My dear Miss Elizabeth,” the man could be heard saying.
Darcy heard a loud sigh from nearby and turned to locate its source.
“I beg pardon,” said Mrs. Gardiner, appearing embarrassed that he heard her exhalation. “I fear I should have been a little more conscious of my surroundings.”
“No harm has been done, Mrs. Gardiner,” said Darcy with a polite smile and a slight dip of his head.
Though they had been previously introduced, the woman seemed pleased by his use of her name, and Darcy wonderedwhether his reputation in the neighborhood might be worse than he had thought.
“I am actually from Lambton,” offered Mrs. Gardiner suddenly. “As such, I am familiar with the grandeur of your estate. It has been some years since I have been to Pemberley, but I dare say I have not yet seen a fairer part of England.”
The responsive smile on Mr. Darcy’s face was genuine. He loved his home, and he could sense that Mrs. Gardiner’s compliment was sincere and not merely meant to flatter. “I thank you. I would trade it for no other estate in England, for it is very dear to me.”
After the establishment of this connection, the two then began to speak warmly of common acquaintances, and as Darcy grew more comfortable, he began to speak with her more freely. Then at last, with feigned casualness, he asked Mrs. Gardiner about Mr. Collins.
Mrs. Gardiner looked over at the clergyman, who was in the midst of some sort of long-winded speech directed at Miss Elizabeth. “I suppose there is little to be said of a positive nature, though it pains me to own it. I hope you will forgive my bluntness, but I find myself rather comfortable in talking to you. I suppose it shall not cause any harm for me to speak freely this once and advise you that Lizzy is rather miserable about him.”
Darcy started at her words—there was something about how she had spoken them that put him on edge—but then he quickly composed himself. Keeping his voice calm and level, he prompted: “Indeed?”
Mrs. Gardiner looked at him for a moment, and he wondered whether he had given away more than he ought. But she did not comment on what she had witnessed and merely told him, “As you can imagine, she is less than enthused about the notion of being the wife of such a man.”
Her mouth opened to say something more, but the approach of her husband distracted her from whatever she intended to tell him next, and the next few minutes were lost to pleasantries as Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Darcy spoke to one another.
After separating from the Gardiners, Darcy moved to an unoccupied section of the room. He felt troubled indeed by what he had heard. What could Mrs. Gardiner mean by what she had said other than that the parson had proposed once more and forced Miss Elizabeth to accept him?
What a travesty such an engagement was! Could it indeed be true? Could Mrs. Gardiner have been mistaken? How could such a well-spoken and intelligent young woman as Elizabeth Bennet ever stoop to accept such a pompous oaf as her husband?
