To divert their attention, Darcy went back to the matter at hand. “Well, then, Richard. I know you will have been thorough in your investigation, so I will take your word for it.” He looked at Georgiana. “Do you still want to invite Miss Bennet to stay with you for a while?”
“Yes!” she whispered. “Yes!”
“Good. Then let us sit at the escritoire and write her a letter, shall we? And I shall do what you requested weeks ago. I shall offer Miss Bennet my apology.”
Chapter 8
Around three weeks after Elizabeth had returned to Longbourn, an express letter arrived from Town while the Bennets were at the breakfast table. Everyone stared at Mr. Bennet expectantly as he took the letter from Mrs. Hill.
“Who is it from?” demanded Mrs. Bennet in alarm. “What could it mean? Why have you received an express? I hope it is not bad news!”
“If you will give me time to read the letter, I might be able to answer some of your questions,” said Mr. Bennet, turning the letter over and breaking the seal.
As everyone watched, Mr. Bennet started reading. It must have been a very long letter, because several minutes passed, and he still had not finished. At first, Elizabeth wondered whyhe was so slow, but she soon suspected that he was deliberately keeping Mrs. Bennet in suspense, amused by her discomfort and fidgeting, and she almost gave the game away by laughing at her mother’s struggle to reign in her impatience.
However, a few minutes later, all her mirth disappeared when Mr. Bennet turned to her.
“The letter is from Mr. Darcy, Lizzy.”
She stared at him in shock. What did this signify? Did Mr. Darcy intend to prosecute her, after all?
“You look as if you have seen a ghost, Lizzy. Or an ogre,” said Mr. Bennet, chuckling. “I can assure you, the letter contains excellent news. You will be pleased when you hear it. I will read the letter to you all.”
Mr. Bennet went on to read the letter. Elizabeth listened in disbelief. Mr. Darcy wanted her to come to London to be a companion to Miss Darcy for three months? Did he really think she would forget her resentment so easily?
“Here is the conclusion, Lizzy.”
I would like to offer my humblest apologies for having misjudged Miss Bennet during our last encounter. I hope my invitation will be sufficient recompense for any discomfort I have caused. I judged too quickly, and for that I am sorry. If you will convey my sentiments to Miss Bennet, I hope to see Miss Bennet in London at her convenience. I would be happy to send a carriage to fetch her from Longbourn.
So now he was prepared to send a carriage, was he? What about when she had to cross the field in her slippers?
“Well, well,” said Mr. Bennet, looking up, “so Mr. Darcy is not such an evil villain after all! And it seems you must have impressed him more than you thought, Lizzy.”
Elizabeth frowned. Surely Papa was not deceived by the letter! It was clear that it was born out of self-interest. Miss Darcy musthave fallen into a fit of despondency and her brother wanted someone else to manage it while he went away.
“Does he really think I am going to leave my home and family and be at his beck and call just because he said he was sorry? What arrogance! The answer is no, of course, Papa. Please write and tell him so.”
She got up, shaking her head at the preposterous idea.
“Not so fast, Lizzy,” said Mrs. Bennet. “Sit down, child. We will talk about this.”
Elizabeth sat down reluctantly. Nothing would change her mind, but she was obliged to hear what her mother had to say.
“Mr. Darcy has apologized very properly. And as Mr. Bennet said, he must be taken with you or why would he invite you for a stay of three whole months?” Mrs. Bennet’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me, Lizzy, did you say he is in possession of a fortune?”
“A very large fortune,” remarked Elizabeth hotly, seeing where this was going, “but he is the most disagreeable man I have ever met. He is the last man on earth I would want to marry. There will be no wedding bells, Mama.”
“How could you say that?” Mrs. Bennet put her hand to her heart. “You do not know what I suffer! Why do I have such selfish daughters who only think of themselves? Instead of trying to win his affection to help your sisters, you drove him away. I suppose you were too forward in expressing your opinion, and he gave you a set-down. I have always told you to curb that tongue of yours. You think you are so clever, and of course Mr. Bennet encourages you in that belief.”
She glared at Mr. Bennet, who had put down the letter and was looking amused.
“I can assure you, Mama, I did not deliberately set out to drive Mr. Darcy away. He and his friends called me a stray, as if I were a dog Miss Darcy picked up at the wayside. I did nothing to provoke him, I can assure you.”
“What is wrong with being called a stray, I would like to know?” replied her mother. “I have been called worse. But I did not kick up such a fuss.”
Mrs. Bennet took out her handkerchief and blew into it loudly. Elizabeth hoped that was the end of the tirade, but far from it. A moment later, Mrs. Bennet tucked the handkerchief into her sleeve and turned back to Lizzy with a renewed sense of outrage.
“How many men in possession of a fortune are any of you likely to meet? When an opportunity like this comes our way, we must grab it with both hands. If you are too stupid to wed him, Lizzy, at least think of your sisters. He might take a liking to Jane, or to Lydia.”
