Chapter 36
“Go to your father; he wants you in the library,” her mother instructed her not ten minutes after Mr Darcy’s departure the next day.
Her father was walking about the room, looking grave and anxious. “Lizzy,” said he, “I cannot like the attention that Mr Darcy is paying you.”
Elizabeth blushed, “what can you mean Papa?” she asked.
“Mr. Darcy, who never looks at any woman but to see a blemish, and who probably never looked atyouin his life! Is now paying court to you,” her father said. And on seeing her discomfort continued. “You are not going to bemissish, I hope, and pretend to be blind to his attentions?”
“No,” Elizabeth replied. “I have noted his interest.”
“What can you mean in encouraging him. Have not you always hated him?”
“We were not always the best of friends. But he has improved on acquaintance. My knowing him better, has allowed me to better understand his disposition.” Her face was now quite red. It was not a blush of embarrassment merely her discomfort in the topic of the conversation.
Her father now looked quite concerned. “Sit down here with me Lizzy,” he instructed taking his place on the settee in the corner of the library. Elizabeth sat by her father. He patted her shoulder.
“I am sorry to cause you such distress my dear. I had not realised that your feelings were so engaged. But I must warn you, you cannot trust Mr Darcy’s recent attachment to you. You are a bright girl, and you must be aware that Mr Darcy showed no interest until you were the daughter of an Earl. Mayhap he is unaware of your dowry, but he must know that it has increased substantially from when you were merely Miss Elizabeth rather than Lady Elizabeth.
This time Elizabeth did blush. She chose not to reveal what her feelings towards Mr Darcy might be. In truth she hardly knew herself. But in fairness to Mr Darcy, she could not allow her father to see him as a fortune hunter. When the situation was quite the opposite.
“I would not say no interest,” she said. Her father’s eyebrows rose at this statement.
“Pray enlighten me my dear,” he asked.
“You are aware that I saw Mr Darcy while I visited Charlotte in Kent?” she said, and her father nodded.
“Well, in truth I saw quite a lot of him during my time there. Not just at dinners in Lady Catherine’s house or his visits to the parsonage. Lady Catherine, on hearing me play, had instructed that I go to Rosings every day during my time in the county, and practice on her pianoforte, there not being one available at the parsonage. Mr Darcy insisted on walking me back to the parsonage each day after my practice. The first time, I thought he was merely being polite. So I took pains to assure him it was unnecessary. I was disconcerted then, when it should occur a second time. Yet it did, when he awaited me the third time. I had to accept that he was voluntarily seeking my company. At the time, I put it down entirely to the lack of other diversions.”
“Indeed,” her father said, agreeing that this was most likely the case.
But Elizabeth looked at him quite seriously and continued. “It was not until two days prior to my departure that I realised I was mistaken.”
Her father’s eyebrows rose at this, but he did not speak.
“On our way back to the parsonage. He halted not within sight of either Rosings or the parsonage and looked at me.”
Her father was now on tenterhooks. This was not like telling Jane the story. This was her father. She therefore cut the retelling short and merely finished by saying that he had proposed to her.
“Before?” her father said, his eyes now wide with shock.
“Before I knew anything of the change in the circumstances,” she said.
Her father looked thoughtful. “He has strong connections in the ton,” he said. “It could be that he heard some rumour.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “He expressed very clearly what he thought of my connections. And quite honestly disparaged both my connections and my lack of dowry of any consequence. While still expressing a most convincing longing to make me his wife.” Elizabeth was now blushing furiously.
“Well, well,” said her father, now looking quite pleased. “That puts a whole new disposition on the thing,” he said. “And what of you Lizzy?” he asked. “You never told me of the proposal. And I received no call from the gentleman. I hope you are not intending to tell me that you have been in secret engagement or courtship.” Elizabeth shook her head, much to her father’s relief.
“I turned him down,” she said and sighed. “I turned him down in words designed to ensure he knew the depth of my dislike of him.”
“You say that you like him better but that is not enough,” he cautioned. “You are old enough to know thatlove inmarriage is not a fairy story but is tinged with vexation and sometimes annoyance. But for all that, whilst happiness is not a guarantee a marriage should at the very least begin with love.”
“I do not know,” Elizabeth replied.
“Take care, my dear Lizzy,” he said. “If not for your sake, then for his. For I think you are in very great danger of making him as much in love with you as ever.”
