“All’s well that ends well,” she said. “I did enjoy the dinner. How could I not, when I was in such good company?”
He sent her a searching look, and a flush rose to her cheeks. She had not intended to include him in the statement.
She quickly led the conversation in another direction.
“You spoke of traveling to see your aunt,” she remarked. “When do you intend to leave?”
His expression grew more wary. “Tomorrow, or possibly the day after. I have not yet made up my mind.” He came to his feet. “I must take my leave now.”
“Are you not going to wait for Miss Darcy and Mrs. Annesley?”
“I will call on them later.”
He strode through the door, leaving her staring after him in confusion, trying to puzzle out whether something she said had provoked him. It was all very strange. Why had he come to breakfast, knowing as he did that Miss Darcy and Mrs. Annesley were rarely awake at this time? Why had he left so suddenly? Perhaps he intended to probe her about the dinner, and did not like it when she changed the conversation. Fortunately, she did not speculate for long. A few minutes later, a footman entered with a letter on a salver.
It was from Jane. She broke the seal immediately, stung by guilt. She had neglected her family.
Dear Lizzy,
I have been expecting a letter from you every day. I did not write before because I was not sure if you were still angry with me for pushing you to leave. I have been thinking about what you said, and I feel very sorry that I persuaded you to go. I would not want you to be miserable on our behalf. Please tell me how you are faring, and whether Mr. Darcy has proven as much of a villain as you told us. Mama is certainly convinced of it…
Elizabeth read the rest of the letter quickly, laughing at Jane’s description of her mother’s fury that Mr. Darcy had not stayed for dinner.
When she was finished, she went quickly upstairs to her bedchamber and sat at the escritoire to pen a letter and assure her family that she was feeling well.
Dear Jane,
I am sorry I have not written. It has taken a while for me to accept that this is my life for the next three months, but now I am starting to settle in, I can write back and honestly say all is well.
How could it not be? I live in the lap of luxury. I have my own maid, and I start the morning with a cup of chocolate in bed…
As for Mr. Darcy, I do not know what to make of him.
She wrote quickly, describing some of the details of her life, and telling her about the dinner the night before, then sent a footman to catch Mr. Darcy so he would frank the letter. She wanted to make certain it went out before Mr. Darcy left for Rosings.
Oddly enough, Jane’s questions had removed Elizabeth’s remorse about not writing to her family. She could not have written to reassure them before. Until yesterday, she had been expecting something dreadful to happen and drive her back to Longbourn.
That worry had now disappeared. She no longer thought of Mr. Darcy as a villain. She was beginning to see a very different person from the one she had expected.
For the first time, she imagined what it must have meant for Mr. Darcy – a young man just two years older than she was now – to be placed in charge of a young girl. It would have been far easier for him to pass the responsibility to his aunt or some other female relative. Many gentlemen would have chosen the simpler path by doing so. Even if – as Elizabeth had learned from Miss Darcy – the late Mr. Darcy had made Mr. Darcy joint guardian with Colonel Fitzwilliam, he could still have fulfilled his obligations by having her settled with a female relation.
Elizabeth did not consider Mr. Darcy heartless anymore, nor did she consider him neglectful of his sister. Quite the opposite. It was obvious now that Miss Darcy had voiced those accusations in a moment of despair. They were a reflection of Miss Darcy’s state at the time rather than a genuine indictment of her brother. She had seen the affection between the siblings. No one could doubt that his sister’s happiness was crucial to Mr. Darcy. If anything, he indulged her more than he should and was perhapstoo protective of her. His kindness to his sister was his one redeeming quality.
No sooner had she reached that conclusion, than she considered his willingness to ride all the way to Rosings to confront his aunt about her treatment of a wounded soldier. However disinclined she was to acknowledge it, Mr. Darcy did have one or two good qualities. Last night, she had glimpsed another side of him.
Perhaps there was more to the master of Pemberley than met the eye after all.
Not long after Elizabeth sent out her letter, Miss Darcy and Mrs. Annesley came down.
“Shall we go to Bond Street again today?” said Miss Darcy. “What do we still need to get?”
Elizabeth groaned. Now that there were fewer things to take care of at Miss Darcy’s house, she wanted to do something else other than shopping and indulging in confections.
“I would rather not,” she said. “I would like to see some of the sights. I have been here more than two weeks, and I have experienced little of what London has to offer.”
Miss Darcy put her hand to mouth in dismay. “Oh! I was not thinking! I have been making you work all this time on the house, when I promised you we would do things that were fun!”
“We all deserve a little break, do we not, Mrs. Annesley?” added Elizabeth, seeing Mrs. Annesley was looking fatigued. “I hope your knees have not been suffering from all these shopping expeditions.”
