“Yes, sir.”
It was some moments before Mr. Bennet found his voice again, for this was clearly beyond anything he had expected. That Miss Elizabeth had not informed her family of his disastrous proposal was not a surprise, for Darcy had not wished to inform anyone of it himself. Had he not needed to persuade Mr. Bennet, Darcy could not imagine he would have spoken of it, even to the lady’s father.
“Thatisshocking, Mr. Darcy. I had no notion you were at all interested in my daughter.”
“Apparently, neither did she,” chortled Fitzwilliam, unhelpfully, in Darcy’s opinion.
Mr. Bennet understood the significance of his comment at once. “Then you arenotsecretly engaged.”
“We are not,” replied Darcy.
“Good. You are not the sort of man I might have suspected of such things, and I cannot imagine Lizzy would keep it from me if you were. I am gratified to be proven correct.”
With that out of the way, Mr. Bennet appeared to understand all the humor in the situation. “Then Lizzy must have refused your suit.”
“Without hesitation, as I understand,” offered Fitzwilliam.
“If you do not mind,” said Darcy testily, “I would prefer not to discuss it.”
“Yet here you are again.” Mr. Bennet regarded Darcy as if seeing him for the first time. “Few men would put themselves in a woman’s company when refused, and given my daughter’s character, I cannot imagine you emerged from the experience unscathed.”
“You are correct,” said Darcy, holding the hurt away, unwilling to allow it to take hold of him. “But much of our rancor on that occasion was built upon misunderstanding. As you have said, yourself, you have sired an excellent daughter. I would be a most fortunate man if I could present myself to better advantage and earn her regard.”
His statement settled between them. “With that statement, you have proven you are far more than we might have thought, Mr. Darcy. I cannot speak to the state of Elizabeth’s feelings on the subject, but I declare you may be worthy of her.”
Darcy inclined his head, grateful for the other man’s support.
“Then there is nothing else to do but call Elizabeth in and discuss the subject with her. I know she exchanged words with Wickham before she departed; she may have information we do not possess.”
“By all means, sir,” said Darcy.
With a nod, Mr. Bennet pulled the bell cord, and when the servant appeared, instructed her to summon Miss Elizabeth to his bookroom. In anticipation of her coming, Darcy did not much take part in the ensuing discussion, which consisted more of speculation than the exchange of facts. All Darcy’s thoughts centered on Miss Elizabeth, on the bliss of being in her company again, regardless of the situation.
Had Elizabeth not already had ample evidence of Mr. Wickham’s falsehoods and worthless character, meeting Georgiana Darcy would have put all his assertions in doubt. Elizabeth would remember the exact words Mr. Wickham had used, how he had spoken of her affectionate nature as a child, which had given way to pride as an adolescent girl, “much like her brother.” While Elizabeth had espoused no great opinion of Mr. Darcy, understanding his sister’s character as consisting of an excess of shyness had been the work of only a moment. Once she made that observation, it was easy to feel for the girl in the company of strangers and resolve to make her comfortable, regardless of the truth or falsehood of Miss Bingley’s assertions.
It was unfortunate, but putting that determination into practice proved most difficult, for drawing the girl out was no mean task. Miss Darcywishedto make new friends, but did not know how, and possessed even less courage to make the attempt should she discover the means. All Elizabeth’s coaxing had little effect, for while the girl paid them all every compliment of her attention, when it came time for her to speak, she fidgeted with the fabric of her dress or found her shoes more fascinating than the subject at hand.
“Your visit quite surprised us, Miss Darcy,” tried Elizabeth after all her other comments had received only monosyllabic answers. This one drew nothing more, for the girl nodded and said something Elizabeth could not have made out had the girl whispered it in her ear. “I had certainly never expected Mr. Darcy to pass through Meryton, for it is not even on the Great North Road.”
This time the girl’s response was a little louder, such that Elizabeth thought she heard her say: “We were not passing through.”
That suggested there was some purpose in their visit, and Elizabeth had not doubted it, given the gentlemen’s present position speaking with Mr. Bennet. With that encouraging answer, Elizabeth tried again.
“Have you stopped in Hertfordshire before?”
The girl shook her head and mumbled something about Bedfordshire, leading Elizabeth to suspect the Darcys usually broke their travel somewhere in that shire.
“Your brother has told me something of your home,” said Elizabeth. “As has my aunt, who lived for some time in Derbyshire, and still calls it the best of all counties.”
“That is true, Lizzy!” exclaimed Kitty. “Do you mean to stay in Hertfordshire for long?”
Annoyed with her sister’s untimely interruption—Miss Darcy had stirred a little at the question regarding her home—Elizabeth tried to warn Kitty away. The girl, however, was intent upon Miss Darcy, clearly interested in making a friend. It was entirely unfortunate that her outburst had the effect of freezing Miss Darcy’s tongue, such that the power of response failed her.
That was when Elizabeth decided there was little reason to provoke a response from the girl and settled for carrying the conversation herself between her sisters. For a time, they spoke of the oncoming summer, the weather they had enjoyed, their recent doings, and other such subjects prevalent among those newly acquainted. Kitty, it appeared, was eager to interject her observations, though she spoke of naught but bonnets, her appreciation for Georgiana’s dress, and her recent adventures with the officers until their departure. Elizabeth attempted to catch her sister’s eye to warn her against a discussion of those men for fear she would mention Mr. Wickham, but Kitty would not be deterred.
Throughout all this discussion, Miss Darcy listened intently, though she said little. The girl hardly even glanced at any of them, though her nods, the occasional slight smile, and even a giggle or two spoke to her concentration on the conversation. Then Elizabeth made an observation that proved most providential, for it finally cracked the girl’s reserve if only a little.
“I understand you play, Miss Darcy, for a mutual acquaintance, Miss Bingley, informed us of your skill.” When Miss Darcy looked up, meeting Elizabeth’s eyes for only the second or third time, and the first time she had held her gaze, Elizabeth added: “Your brother also spoke of your skill on more than one occasion, though most of those comments he directed at your aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”
