Gardiner had been so silent, while the ladies slept, Darcy assumed he was sleeping as well. But Gardiner finally whispered, “Perhaps you two should close your eyes for a bit, lest you set the carriage on fire.”
Elizabeth immediately broke eye contact. She blushed, shot a reproving glance at her uncle, and then closed her eyes. Darcy could not help himself; he adored watching Elizabeth’s blushes spread from her cheeks downward, and in this instance he also saw an elevated pulse in her slender neck. How could he possibly look away?
It turned out that there was a way; Gardiner nudged him, and when Darcy turned his eyes towards the older man, he saw the same mirthful twinkle he so often saw in Elizabeth’s eyes.
Finally Darcy relented and closed his eyes. But he did not sleep. He thought about Elizabeth, and he wondered, if her pulse quickened just as they gazed at one another, how passionate might she be in a particular category of longed-for activities?
Lymeston’s famous gardens provided another opportunity, not only to watch Elizabeth enjoying life, but also to notice how much her spirited delight affected others. She walked more briskly than most people, although he could keep up; she spun around on two different occasions, when the surrounding vistas called for such a 360-degree view; and she even cavorted a bit. Darcy was not certain he had ever before seen an adult cavort, nor if that was the proper word for Elizabeth’s playful dance-like moves when she was particularly excited about a prospect.
He smiled and laughed more in one afternoon in Elizabeth’s presence, he thought, than in months of pre-Elizabeth life.
But a twist of fate spoiled Darcy’s enjoyment quite decidedly. The group had turned back towards the spot where the carriage awaited them. The Gardiners led the way, Elizabeth was walking with Georgiana, their arms linked, and Darcy followed a few steps behind the ladies. At one point, Georgiana deviated from the route to show Elizabeth a rare camellia plant. Thus, Darcy and the young ladies were quite far from the Gardiners when they rounded the edge of a box hedge and suddenly found themselves face-to-face with the duke!
The Duke of Lymebourne was someone Darcy knew fairly well, since they were two of the most consequential landowners in all of Derbyshire. However, to know the duke fairly well was to despise him. At least that was Darcy’s feeling. The duke indulged in lecherous ballroom behaviour towards gentlewomen, fathered many children with servants, kept three mistresses at a time, and spent so much money on his own clothing and on his many women, he was rumoured to be quickly depleting what should have been fabulous wealth. Darcy had noidea if the rumours about the man’s finances were exaggerated—they could possibly be understated!—but he had seen his horrible behaviours towards women on more than one occasion; that was far and away enough to earn Darcy’s disapproval.
Because Lymeston’s gardens were so celebrated, Darcy had toured guests there around two dozen times, and he had never seen the duke on the grounds before. It was terrible luck to have an encounter the one time he had Georgiana and Elizabeth at his side. Darcy saw that the duke’s attention immediately zeroed in on Elizabeth.
“Your Grace,” Darcy said, nodding. He kept his voice formal and distinctly chilly.
“Darcy! I have not seen you in an age! And how is it that you have two of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in your company?” The duke had circled towards Darcy, keeping his eyes on the ladies, and he muttered in a low voice, “I know that you, of all men, would have no idea what to do with a beautiful woman!”
Darcy’s jaw tightened with anger, and he blushed when he saw Elizabeth’s reaction and realised she had heard the duke’s insult.
He was considering responding with polite yet sarcastic words, but the duke swept on to ask for an introduction.
Darcy briefly closed his eyes but then complied. “Your Grace, allow me to introduce my sister, Miss Darcy, and our dear friend, Miss Bennet.”
Each lady curtseyed as her name was given, and the duke, smiling in a particularly lascivious way, gave brief bows in response.
“Miss Bennet, I do not believe I have had the pleasure of meeting you or your father before. Are you visiting from another county?”
Darcy wished to intercede when the duke stepped too close to Elizabeth to ask his innocuous question. What was worse than his proximity was the way he ogled her figure. But Darcy did not move, because Elizabeth did. Maintaining her hold of Georgiana’s arm, she nimbly stepped away from the duke, towards Darcy, and she linked her other arm in his. She said to the duke, “I am visiting from the south. My uncle and aunt have brought me to visit Mr and Miss Darcy and to see Pemberley for the first time. What Mr Darcy neglected to tell you is that he is my intended, and we will marry soon. Since you know him, you must already know that I am the very happiest woman in the world.”
Feeling stunned, Darcy experienced a jolt of elation that rocked his psyche but then, immediately, a stab of sorrow that she did not mean it. It was a lie used in an attempt to escape the duke’s flirtations.
He felt as if his body was locked up, with the contrary emotions interrupting necessary systems, such as his ability to breathe. But he forced himself to attend to the present moment. He wished to whisk the ladies far away from the duke, so he used his hand to cover hers as he made the excuse that they had been separated from the rest of the party, and he hastened the ladies away towards the Gardiners and his carriage.
They did not say a word as they hurried to and climbed into the carriage, after the Gardiners. Darcy briefly spoke to his driver. The carriage took off more quickly than usual, and the Gardiners looked at Darcy as if they waited for an explanation for his haste.
Darcy pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering what he should say of the duke’s character, not to mention Elizabeth’s declaration that they were betrothed!
“Apologies to all for this precipitous leave-taking. Please let me know if you have any needs that must be met before we continue to Pemberley. We will stop at Shirethorpe if necessary.”
Everyone confirmed their readiness to continue since they had all refreshed themselves before their walk at the village pub that was located within Lymeston’s estate grounds.
Darcy then began to explain, “I know not the impression each of you has about the Duke of Lymebourne; his mansion and gardens are so famous, many people who live far away assume he is a man of taste and beneficence. However, people from Derbyshire know him to be an unprincipled person not worthy, even, of the labelhuman, let alonegentleman, least of all his title of duke. And…” Darcy paused, not certain how to phrase it… “his lack of principles are especially evident in his treatment of women.”
Biting his lip nervously, Darcy shot a glance towards Elizabeth, and then said, “Gardiner, I regret to say that the duke displayed admiration for your niece, and he asked for an introduction. I used the titleMiss Bennet, not indicating her Christian name nor her family’s estate or even county. He directly asked Miss Elizabeth where she was from, and she cleverly managed to answer in a general way that gave him no additional details other than the vague ‘from the south.’ I hope that the matter is at an end, but he has at least twice before relentlessly pursued young gentlewomen.”
Elizabeth gasped, and Darcy felt devastated that his sightseeing tour might lead to worry or, much worse, harm.
She said, “Uncle, Aunt, I wish to tell you what I said.” She turned to face each of her relations in turn, and their faces mirrored her concern. “Without knowledge of his past, I thought the duke’s behaviour showed him to be a libertine. I had been walking ahead of Mr Darcy, holding onto Georgiana’s arm, but the duke intimidated me, and I stepped back to where Mr Darcywas standing, grabbed onto his arm with my free hand, and claimed he was my intended.”
Everyone was quiet. The sound of the carriage wheels turning kept up the rhythm of the journey, even as the people inside the carriage seemed out of rhythm entirely.
Mrs Gardiner said, “Dear, if the duke should gossip…. I am certain that you understand that Mr Darcy is considered a very great man, and a most eligible bachelor, and it seems very possible that the duke will spread the word of what he will likely consider a surprising betrothal.”
Elizabeth looked down and said, “I know, Aunt. I panicked.”
