Mr Hartham neither confirmed nor denied it.
“But why, then, did you make an offer of marriage to me?”
He inhaled deeply, the sea breeze ruffling his hair. “Elderly aunts and grandmothers are particularly concerned about this sort of…life. They wish for nothing more but to imbue respectability on their not-so-respectable bachelor nephews and thus will often act to try and disguise the problem. Such as dangle a fortune or estate in front of him but place a condition of matrimony upon it.”
“Lady Preston,” Elizabeth concluded. “She wishes to see you wed?”
He nodded. “That much is not new. We are all of us being forever pushed towards matrimony, are we not?” He cast her a quick, guilty glance. “What I did not know until very recently, was that my inheritance was dependent upon it. Truly, I am not sure that itwasa stipulation before this summer. I believe my aunt’s mind was made up about half an hour after meeting you and deciding no one else would fit the bill. So, yes, Mrs Hartham would provide me a home and fill my coffers, even if I had no romantic inklings towards her.”
“And Mr Darcy knew that? I did not think he knew you so well.”
Mr Hartham looked as though he was about to say something but stopped himself. “Mr Darcy seems to think he knowsyouquite well, and he is loath to see you unhappy. And in truth, in my selfishness, I had not allowed myself to think of how it might be for you. I suppose I thought us good enough friends to make it a tolerable arrangement—a pleasing one, even. That the money, the estate, and my companionship would be enough for you. Mr Darcy disabused me of that nonsense straight away.”
Elizabeth offered him a faint smile. “As you know, Mr Darcy is painfully aware that I would not marry for wealth or position.”
“Mr Darcy wants you to be cherished,” said MrHartham with a small smile. “His exact words were that you deserve to be worshipped. I daresay he would like to do the worshipping.”
Worshipped.The word sent Elizabeth’s heart soaring even as she doubted it. “Once, he might have wished that, but I am not certain?—”
“I amquitecertain,” he said firmly. “He told me in no uncertain terms that he doubted he would ever recover from your rejection and that had he the opportunity, he would adore you for all of your days.” He leant closer to her abruptly, raising a hand to brush her hair aside in a gesture that was at once intimate and yet strangely detached. He grunted. “He was right about this scar, too. He said you always try to hide it with your hair. I never noticed it before.”
“And he did?”
“I do not think there is much he has not noticed about you, Miss Bennet. Which is hardly surprising, given the amount of time he spends staring at you.”
It was too much to endure, the happiness, the delight that suffused Elizabeth. She shivered and did not think it was the cold night air, not when she was veritably resonating with hope. Even the remembrance that Mr Darcy was presently out trying to save her wayward sister from ruination could not dampen the smile on her lips, or the thrumming of her heart.
“And by the expression on your face, I believe I might conjecture that having Mr Darcy at your feet is a notion not entirely displeasing to you? And that, perhaps, all may end well after all? I daresay the guilt for my precipitate offer is relieved.”
Mr Hartham dusted his hands together briskly. Elizabeth could easily perceive that he was embarrassed, just as she could tell from his wince that heregretted his offhanded remark. She was about to tell him ‘yes’ when he said in a gentler voice, “But just in case, I apologise. I have been dishonest and selfish. Mr Darcy is right, youdodeserve better. My only excuse can be that you are the first woman I have ever even considered that I could spend a lifetime with, and I wished to secure you before anyone else could. Dare I hope that we might remainfriendsfor the rest of our lives, if we cannot be husband and wife?”
“I hope we shall.” Elizabeth reached out and touched his arm. “But what will you do?”
“Oh, something will come up,” he said blithely. “You would be surprised at how many men among my acquaintance find themselves bound for matrimony, in one sense or another. For some ladies, the notion of a wealthy husband who will not trouble them overmuch is rather desirable.”
He took her hand and bent over to offer a kiss on her knuckles then said he could see his carriage waiting below and would see her back to Mrs Millhouse’s residence.
27
“Why is he here?” Darcy demanded as he entered the carriage. Saye’s dog Florizel was perched on the forwards-facing seat; Saye claimed he suffered carriage sickness if he was made to ride facing backwards.
“He wants to help,” Saye replied, fussily adjusting his dog’s collar. “Poodle Byng never goes anywhere without his dogs.”
“We do not need the extra complication of your animal running about,” Darcy protested as Fitzwilliam thudded into the seat next to him.
“I will have you know it was a dog that saved the life of William, Prince of Orange in an assassination attempt,” Saye retorted.
Darcy rolled his eyes. “Just be sure he does not draw attention to us. I do not want anyone to take particular notice of me or observe my doings.”
“Nor mine,” Fitzwilliam said. “We cannot have anyone think that any of this pertains to Georgiana.”
“Then it seems it is to Florizel and me to play therescuers.” Saye gave Florizel’s collar a little adjustment. “Challenge accepted.”
“Pray do nothing. Your methods tend too much towards the outrageous,” Darcy replied.
“We ought to keep ourselves as much concealed as we can and pray they come away easily,” Fitzwilliam said. “No undue notice ought to be given to us or to our conversations.”
Darcy nodded, then turned his face to the window. A tumult of emotion ran through him: fear for his sister, worry for the reputation of both girls, delight that Elizabeth had turned to him, dismay that Hartham had once again arrived to take his place. The last, he knew he must put out of his mind for now. Georgiana and Miss Lydia were to take the chief seat in his concerns, though how he was to stop thinking of Elizabeth, he knew not, since he had not managed it for the last twelve months.
