Page 58 of Conundrums & Coincidences

Gaining her feet, she felt a bout of light-headedness while moving towards the door. She had taken only a roll and a cup of tea in town and had eaten nothing since. “Consider this, Papa. Unless you gain a son-in-law willing to take on your surname, this line of Bennets ends with you.” Hand upon the latch, she spoke without turning to face him. “And do try to remember that King Midas failed to find pleasure in all he had wrought.”

“Do you know what I think, Lizzy?” Jane pulled the boar-bristle brush through her sister’s hair as they sat upon her bed. “I think Papa is jealous of your Mr Darcy.”

“Perhaps.” Elizabeth winced as Jane tugged at a tangle. “Such a kind and honourable gentleman is likely to arouse jealousy in lesser men, and my Mr Darcy is immensely enviable.”

“You did not always think of him in such terms.”

“True.” Elizabeth gazed into the teardrop-shaped flame of the bedside candle and could not resist a tease. “In his friend’s presence, do you suppose Mr Bingley ever feels inferior?”

The tug grew positively vicious. “Such errant nonsense! Mr Bingley may be fickle, but I cannot imagine him capable of discontentment or resentfulness. His amiable and cheerful disposition is entirely different from Mr Darcy’s.”

Elizabeth turned so quickly that the brush flew from her sister’s hand and skidded across the floor. Laughing and apologising, she leapt from the bed and fetched it. “Seriously now, do you suppose jealousy is the only reason Papa continues to be so contrary?”

“My father has his faults, but I believe that initially he was trying to be protective of the person he loves most in the world. You. Now he is being obstinate. You get your stubbornness from him.” Jane turned down the coverlet and climbed in. “You have my support and that of Mama and all my sisters. Well, most of them.”

“I presume you mean Lydia. She had a matrimonial project in mind when she went to Brighton—to be the first of us married—and Mr Darcy ruined her scheme. Besides, she thinks he is too staid for me. Her next project is to persuade Papa to take us all to Brighton, where she intends to, and I quote, ‘find husbands for all my sisters’.” Elizabeth crawled beneath the covers and extinguished the candle.

“Jane,” she whispered after a minute or two, “are you asleep?”

“If I answer yes, would you believe me?”

“No.” Elizabeth yawned. “Has Mary said anything to you about my situation?”

Bed linens rustled. “She struggles between ‘honour thy father and thy mother’ and ‘forget thine own people and thy father’s house’. But, Lizzy, surely the psalmist did not mean a prospective bride should erase all memory of her family.” Jane sounded close to tears. “I could not bear it if you severed ties with us.”

“Never! Besides, you and Mr Bingley will purchase an estate in Derbyshire, and the four of us will live happily away from our father’s house.”

Much later than was customary, for she had slept poorly on Monday night, Elizabeth went downstairs. Upon reaching the bottom, she was met by her father.

“Good morning, Lizzy. I was just going to look for you. Come into my library, please.”

His entire demeanour seemed altered, and she was intrigued but wary.

Once they were comfortably settled—he at his desk and she in an armchair across from him—Mr Bennet said that over the past hour and a half he had been worked upon by his wife and eldest daughter. “Then Sir William paid a call. Apparently, the whole neighbourhood knows our business because Lydia spoke of it to Maria. At any rate, I have had some sense talked into me, have been made to see the error of my ways, and have been persuaded. So, if you will allow it, I very much would like to remain a part of your life.” He steepled his fingers, and behind his spectacles, his eyes twinkled. “I wish to know these future grandchildren of whom you spoke.”

Feeling a measure of relief, Elizabeth remained cautious. “Then…do you consent to my marrying Mr Darcy?” She sat forwards, all hopefulness.

“Yes, and you have my blessing.” Mr Bennet removed his spectacles and scrubbed a palm across his eyes. “Having been a young man once, and a bit of a scoundrel, I simply wanted better for you. I believed your young man was not good enough, but I should have trusted your judgment.”

“Based upon on my first impression of Mr Wickham and of Mr Darcy himself, I know my judgment is not infallible.” She beamed at her father, grateful to have proof that his affection was not lost to her. She, however, had lost a degree of respect for him. “Thank you for wanting the best for me, Papa.”

“Yes, well, who could be better for my dearest daughter than a gentleman who is madly in love with her? He has, you see, some sense and good taste after all. And he is a man with his own fortune and no need of yours.” Mr Bennet shook his head. “I acted despicably, accusing Mr Darcy of avarice when all along the greedy one was me. The thought of all that wealth went to my head, I suppose. The inheritance is yours, of course, not mine.”

He stood and kissed the top of her head. “My dear Lizzy, just as you defeated your opponents during the tournament, you, your young man, and others have prevailed over me. I concede. Mr Darcy is the better man. Who else would have given up a chance to claim fifty thousand pounds and a country house just so that you might have a better chance of doing so?”

Elizabeth gasped. “I beg your pardon? He did what?”

28

HIS GOOD INTENTIONS

Eleven more miles. The wheels could not turn swiftly enough for Darcy’s liking on that Tuesday. At least he was in pleasant company, although it had been a narrow escape.

More flummery, not the sweet dish kind but rather the meaningless flattery sort, had been offered to him; but, try as she might, Miss Bingley had managed to neither curry his favour nor inveigle herself into Darcy’s carriage. By design, the rear-facing spot beside him was already occupied by Hadley, who had been fetched from the Inns of Court. The forward-facing seats were taken by Georgiana and Mrs Annesley. Barely discernible through the raised dust of the road, the equipage following behind held the Bingleys and Hursts. Both conveyances were Netherfield bound.

Keeping Miss Bingley out of his carriage had been a trivial thing compared to Darcy’s design of grander proportions. The previous day, during his sister’s visit to his town house, he had explained the scheme to her and secured her cooperation. Later, Bingley’s assistance would be enlisted. As for Hadley, he had been made aware of the plan; and even though he had not been there on the night in question, he was most eager to see Darcy succeed. Bingley’s sisters would baulk at such a course of action, and Hurst would be of no use in any case; but things would shift along well enough with or without their cooperation.

His main objective was to please no one but Elizabeth. Of course, the fact had crossed Darcy’s mind that such a scheme, as seen through the eyes of her family, friends, and neighbours, might shed a better light on him. Already he had spent countless hours setting his plan in motion, and Darcy was eager for its execution on Thursday.