“I do, Mr Darcy, thank you.” Miss Bennet blushed when she answered.
‘That is a good sign, maybe?’ the Colonel thought to himself. ‘Although, will she want a poor second son, even if he is the son of an Earl?’ he worried before he had even actually said more than a salutation to her.
“Rich, it is good to see you,” Lady Tiffany beamed. After the men sat, each near his preferred Bennet sister, Darcy looked at Miss Elizabeth and asked how he could be of service. Elizabeth explained that her father had asked for school recommendations, relating what he said about separate schools for Kitty and Lydia, and why.
“Both Georgie and Tiffany went to Greenlake School for Young Ladies here in Town. As I am sure they will tell you, it is a good school that did not tolerate bullying or degradation of any of the girls, regardless of whether they were the daughter of a peer or of a tradesman. If I may, I will write to the headmistress on your behalf and ask her if she knows of a school like the one Mr Bennet would like to send Miss Lydia to,” Darcy said after ruminating about it for a short while.
“Thank you, Mr Darcy, that would be perfect. I will let Father know that you will see him when they arrive in Town.” Elizabeth nodded, her smile calm, her blush fading and deepening in turns. He was most relieved to see that it deepened when they made direct eye contact.
“I will do just as you suggest. Did we hear you say that your family will be arriving at Bennet House within a sennight? It will be good for both Georgie and Tiffany to have girls close to them in age on the square,” he enthused. ‘And for myself it will be very good to have you so close to me, my Elizabeth.’Darcy paused as he considered his thoughts. When had she become ‘his Elizabeth?’ He knew he still had much to do to win her good opinion, let alone her heart. She had been very forthcoming about her desire to marry only if her heart were truly engaged, and Darcy wished it no other way. He ruminated silently to himself, hoping against hope that such a thing would be possible for him to achieve.
“That is very generous of you, Mr Darcy, I am sure that we would be very appreciative. I will inform my father so he might write to the headmistress at Greenlake to apply for a place for Kitty.” Lizzy surprised herself with the thoughts she was having regarding the man before her. What a difference there was in him. The way her heart was racing informed her that there was something...more there, but she was determined to see this change prove a constant one before entertaining the idea of Mr Darcy being more than simply a friend.
The Bennet ladies told of the conversation and decisions as it related to Bingley’s sisters from the tea with Lady Matlock. It was agreed by all that the Bingleys and the Hursts would decide their future, or lack thereof, by their own behaviour. Anyone who knew them was sure that the older two would not be able to reign in the younger, which would lead to their ultimate downfall.
“Please do not hesitate to bring Mrs Collins with you when you come again, if her mourning will allow her to have tea with friends,” Georgie said with the approval of her brother as the Bennets stood to take their leave.
“Miss Elizabeth, before you go, if I may I would like to make a request of you.” Seeing the challenge written on her countenance he rose to it. “No, notTHATquestion!” He grinned, making all in the room laugh together including himself.
‘I am very impressed; he has learnt to laugh at himself,’ Lizzy thought. “Then, Mr Darcy, I am most interested in hearing your request,” she teased in return, following him when he walked to the corner furthest from the rest of the occupants of the drawing room, though they were easily seen for propriety’s sake.
“Miss Elizabeth, I was very grateful for your agreement to our starting over. I would like your permission to call on you from time to time so we may get to know each other better. I am not requesting a courtship…yet, simply the opportunity for us to spend some time together so you may know me better and I you.” Darcy was holding his breath as he waited for the response of the lady that held his heart in her hand. Would she relax the grip and agree, or refuse and crush his heart into millions of grains of sand?
“I admit I do like what I see of the ‘new’ Mr Darcy thus far. Yes, Mr Darcy, I would like to get to know you better. To that end, you may call on me from time to time. I must also say that I am enjoying getting to know your sister. If I did not already know what a lying snake that dastard Wickham was, as soon as I met your sister I would have known. He called her proud and disagreeable, when she is in fact the opposite. If it meets with your approval, we decided to address each other informally today.” Elizabeth waited for his approval, knowing in her heart she already had it.
“I could not be happier. I always believed that Georgie would love you and I have been proved right so far.” He offered her a small smile that spoke volumes of how much that meant to him.
“No need to be smug,” she teased. It warmed his heart that she teased him. He took that as a very good sign.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
After dinner, Mr Gardiner invited Mrs Collins to his study. Lizzy had told him that she had asked to speak to him. They sat down and after he poured drinks for both of them, he asked her how he could help her.
“I assume you know that before my husband passed, he signed the documents to break the entail and was paid twenty thousand pounds by the Bennets,” Charlotte offered and Gardiner allowed that it was so. “As I am the sole beneficiary of the will, I am now in possession of the draft that my late husband was presented with after the entail was broken. Before I left Hunsford, Lord Matlock advised me to invest the funds with you so that I would have a steady and comfortable income. I do not know if you will accept a sum as small as I possess, but if you will, I would love to invest with your company.”
“I do not take investments under one hundred thousand pounds anymore,” he admitted and Charlotte felt more disappointment than she expected. “However, given your connection to my favourite nieces and ourselves I will happily accept your funds and invest them on your behalf. Would you like the dividends each quarter to live on? Your funds should generate between two and four thousand pounds per annum.” He smiled as her eyes widened in surprise and relief.
“A million times thank you, Mr Gardiner! My intention is to live on five hundred pounds a year; that way you may reinvest any dividends over and above that amount. I hope to build a good amount of capital that will allow me to assist my brothers and sister in the future, if needed.” Charlotte felt a great weight lift off her shoulders. She now had a secure future and she would not be a burden on anyone, least of all her family who could ill afford any extra expenses.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
In the days since receiving the invitation to the most sought-after event of the season, Miss Bingley’s siblings had successfully distracted her from calling on Darcy House twice. They had gone out shopping, and although Caroline had been oblivious to the cold, even frosty, reception that they received from any members of theTon, her brother and sister were not. Even with the evidence staring them in the face, they still did not try and take their younger sister in hand.
One afternoon, Bingley and Hurst stormed back into the townhouse. Louisa had never seen her husband so furious. When she asked what was vexing him, he informed her that his own and her brother’s memberships to both White’s and Boodle’s had been revoked, as they suspected Darcy had withdrawn his sponsorship. They were far from the truth of the matter; the edict was from the owners of the establishments!
“What is going on, Mrs Hurst?” he demanded, reminding her with the use of that name that her first loyalty was to him. “Why are all of our acquaintances suddenly closing their doors to us?” He stated that the most he could get for an answer from people he believed accepted and knew him, was a monosyllabic answer. Louisa knew what the reason was, but she dissembled.
“I am sure I do not know why you were treated thus, Harold,” she offered in placation, as she once again put her sister above her husband. She settled him with some brandy, and then found her brother drowning his sorrow in another bottle of brandy.
“I was sure that Darce would forgive me; that everything would go back to normal. Perhaps I should not have suggested that he marry Caroline,” Bingley winced. As much as Louisa wanted to appease her sister, even she knew that Mr Darcy would never offer for her. She had witnessed his speech before departing their house and unless one was completely delusional, there was no missing his intense dislike of their sister.
“Brother…you did not, did you?” Louisa asked fearfully.
“I did,” he admitted with his head hanging low. “All I wanted was some peace and quiet, and as Darcy is what Caroline desires, I hoped that if he offered for her our lives would be serene again. I suppose, I do not know what I was thinking. If looks could kill, I would certainly be dead from the look Darcy gave me when I made the suggestion.”
“Charles, not too many days ago you asked me if I thought that you relied on others to make decisions for you, if you were irresolute and always looked for the path of least resistance. I hoped that at least one of us was going to take a stand and that you had finally decided to take charge of your life and your family.” As tears of sadness rolled down her cheeks, Mrs Hurst continued to tell him truths none of them wanted to face. “Rather than do that, Charles, you again looked for the easy way out. That has led to the ending of a friendship that you value above all others.”
“I was hoping he would…” Bingley hedged.
