“Obviously,” Elizabeth replied, feeling chills at the simple mention of his name.
“Tell Mr Darcy we thank him for his advice,” Mr Collins said. “And assure him my cousin will not go to Rosings and put Miss de Bourgh in any danger.”
“Mr Darcy is well, I hope?” Charlotte asked. “We have not seen either of you lately.”
“He is. I insisted on him joining me, but he claimed his presence might be too much and might upset Miss Bennet. I really failed to understand his reason.”
“Both you and Mr Darcy are always welcome in our home,” Charlotte replied, while Elizabeth remained silent. She felt unsettled knowing that Mr Darcy had spoken of her and was concerned about her health. She was also grateful that he had not simply appeared at her door, unannounced, which would have caused her even more distress.
The colonel left, and the family had dinner.
“How kind of Mr Darcy to be so worried for Miss de Bourgh,” Mr Collins said. “His affection for her is certainly growing, and Lady Catherine is expecting a marriage proposal any day now.”
“Are you sure, my dear?” Charlotte asked.
“They certainly do not behave like a couple who are courting,” Maria declared. “I have never seen either of them say a single word to the other.”
“My dear Maria, you must know that people of high society do not behave like the rest of us. They do not show their feelings so easily, especially around strangers. Besides, Lady Catherine has told me that their engagement is of a particular sort. They have been destined for each other since they were in their cradles. It was the particular wish of his mother and hers.”
“It sounds very complicated,” Maria replied. “I wonder why they have not married all these years.”
Mr Collins looked appalled.
“My dear sister, let us learn never to judge either Lady Catherine or anyone in her family. They know what to do better than us.”
With that, dinner ended, and Elizabeth excused herself, blaming the same headache.
A new subject of reflection kept sleep away for most of the night. She kept thinking of that particular engagement and could not but agree with Maria. If Mr Darcy had not proposed before the age of eight-and-twenty, the chances of it happening were scarce. Unless perhaps Mr Darcy preferred to be single for a little longer before binding himself into a marriage. His voice when he had spoken about unequal affection in marriage indicated to Elizabeth that the subject was not completely unknown to him. As much as she tried not to allow her mind to wonder about him, she failed, as her thoughts refused to turn in another direction.
Chapter 5
The following morning, Elizabeth woke up at dawn with a headache that would not pass no matter what she did. Despite the early time, she took her coat and went for a walk — which she had longed to do over the last few days.
She took a completely different path from her previous ones to avoid any unpleasant meetings, but luck was not on her side; as soon as she took a right turn down a path under some trees, she saw Mr Darcy, and he looked as though he was waiting for someone.
He walked towards her, and there was no chance for her to avoid the encounter.
“Miss Bennet.” He bowed politely.
“Mr Darcy. I did not expect to see you here, sir.”
“I confess I hoped to see you. In fact, I have walked these paths for the last three days to that end.”
“Oh…” The honest confession caught her unprepared.
“Are you feeling better today?”
“Not entirely.”
“I am sorry to hear that…”
“There is no need, sir. It is only an annoying headache that has bothered me lately.”
“I can imagine…”
“Have you seen the Gilroy children recently? I hope they are in good health?”
“Yes, yesterday. The children are well. Mrs Gilroy, I was told, has some backache. I asked the physician from Hunsford to visit her.”
