~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Darcy sat in the library thinking about his obsession, Miss Elizabeth Bennet. He was at a loss as to what to do about her. She was everything he had ever imagined he would want in a wife. Intelligent, witty, compassionate, and it did not hurt that she was the handsomest woman of his acquaintance.
The trouble was she was so far below him in consequence and seemed to have no connections of note or much of a dowry. The most significant problem was her family.
Darcy had not met the father as his family always seemed to be out without him. It was no great leap for Darcy to assume Mr. Bennet was as indolent as they come and did not trouble himself to check his wife and daughters. The only one Darcy exempted from his disdain for the family was Miss Elizabeth.
The mother and other four sisters behaved terribly. The middle sister was the best of the other four. The few times he had seen her, she was either spouting moralistic texts she did not understand fromFordyce’s Sermons,or she was banging away on a pianoforte with her pedantic style of play.
The oldest, while a classical beauty, was predatory and mercenary, no matter how well she hid those traits from most. Darcy understood wearing a mask; it was, after all, his own defence in society.
Since the first huntress had set her sights on him, even before his father passed away, Darcy had developed what he called hismask. He quickly developed a scowl if anyone not already known to him approached him.
It kept most away, except for the most determined fortune hunters, of which Miss Bingley was a prime example. He detested the fawning and grasping of the debutantes and their parents, who saw him as naught but a source of wealth and connections.
After his father died, Darcy and Giana mourned for a full year secluding themselves at Pemberley. The only major disruption to their peace had been when his late mother’s sister, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, dragged his poor sickly Cousin Anne to Pemberley to execute the non-existent betrothal.
Fortunately, Uncle Reggie had sent his sister packing with a flea in her ear. He was the executor of Robert Darcy’s will and the latter had made sure there was no question as to his wishes and the lie of Lady Catherine’s claim.
On his return to society a year later, the huntresses and their parents redoubled their efforts to capture Darcy now he had inherited. However, all he did was develop an even more fearsome version of his mask. A few, such as the aforementioned Miss Bingley, were undeterred, but most were.
As he thought about the visage he sometimes presented to the world, he considered the reasons for his and Miss Bennet’s use of such a stratagem. He did it to keep unwanted attention from himself, whereas she did it to hide a grasping, selfish, and mercenary nature.
When he thought about the two youngest Bennet sisters, he felt nothing but disgust at their forward, brash, and flirtatious behaviour. Neither should be out of the schoolroom, never mind out in society.
When he looked at the Bennets as a whole, even if he discounted the connections and the lack of dowry, Darcy did not see a way he could move forward with the only woman who had ever excited his interest without degradation to the Darcy name.
Thus, he decided to delay making his apologies to Miss Elizabeth. He would rather she think poorly of him than develop expectations he would be unable to meet. If it had been only himself, he might have pursued her, but he had to think about Giana’s future as well as his own. He could not be selfish in this.
Lastly, there was his family’s expectations. He did not take Lady Catherine’s nonsense into account, but he was cognisant of the expectations of his Uncle Reggie and Aunt Elaine, the Earl and Countess of Matlock, who wanted him to make a good match. One of the last things his beloved father had told him was to marry well. Surely marrying well-meant choosing someone with fortune and connections?
Before Miss Elizabeth, he had found it difficult to become interested in any of the vapid debutantes in Town; now it would be impossible. If he could not find another to love, mayhap he would leave Pemberley to Giana’s son, or daughter if she did not have a son.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
With Jane’s fever broken, Elizabeth allowed herself some time to read. She made her way to the library—sparse though it was, with more spaces than books on its shelves—and found an outdated book on estate management. It would do to pass the time.
She had been reading for about ten minutes when Mr. Darcy walked in. He did not notice her as he looked at the few available tomes. Eventually he found a book of Shakespeare’s sonnets.
It was only when he sat that he noticed Miss Elizabeth with her feet curled up under her. She made such a pretty picture! If he could act on his desires, he would have scooped her up in his arms, but he needed to stick to his resolve, so he said not a word.
‘What a rude, arrogant, and hateful man. Not a word of greeting! He sits there ignoring me as if I am not sitting here opposite him. As much as I do not desire to converse with the man, at least he could be polite enough to greet me.’ Elizabeth ranted to herself, ignoring the fact she was as capable of greeting him as he was her.
After about a half hour of both reading in silence, Elizabeth stood and swept out of the library with a look of pure disdain directed at Mr. Darcy. The manner of her leaving froze Darcy.
‘Mayhap ignoring her was not the best way to behave,’ Darcy remonstrated with himself. ‘That was not very gentleman like of me.’ He was in no doubt that she was furious with him given the way he chose to distance himself, as he had seen her fine eyes flashing with anger as she looked at him like he was excrement stuck to the bottom of one of her walking boots.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Even had Jane not seen her sister’s countenance, she would have known she was discomposed as Elizabeth almost slammed the door. “What has upset you so, Lizzy?” Jane asked.
“That awful, rude Mr. Darcy…” Elizabeth told Jane what had happened, or rather had not happened, in the library.
Jane kept her face from cracking a smile as she was pleased there was more disagreement between the man who thought he admired Lizzy and her sister. “I am so sorry, Lizzy. Would you rest easier if you returned to Longbourn so you will not have to suffer Mr. Darcy’s company?” Jane asked with contrived concern. She secretly hoped Elizabeth would not return to Longbourn in order to make certain the feelings Mr. Darcy had for her younger sister were completely extinguished.
Elizabeth thought her sister was being selfless. “No, Jane, I am here for you. I will ignore that hateful man as much as I am able,” Elizabeth vowed. “You are looking so much better. Mr. Jones will be here to see you in the morning, if he approves, you will be able to leave your bedchamber for some time and join everyone below stairs.”
“That will be most welcome,” Jane replied. ‘It will allow Mr. Darcy to see I am the one for him, and if he does not see it, I will know how to act. Mrs. Darcy, how well that sounds! What jewels, pin money, and carriages I will have and Mama will be so proud of me.’ Jane told herself.
