Page 62 of Affectations of Candour

Someone lit the bonfire, which was the cue for the village fiddler and piper to strike up a lively tune. From the kitchen, plates heaped with crab, steamed mussels, fried plaice, and raw oysters were passed round. Tables held an assortment of local cheese, meat, bread, pies, and such. A cluster of children waited in front of Molly, the chambermaid, for what would probably be their first taste of chocolate.

People not eating or drinking began to dance. Lanterns with candles burnt brightly on every second stone step and at intervals along the beach.

As he walked about, Darcy encountered Miss Baker chatting with Mrs Bennet. “…and she was much distracted by jealousy and not at all by love. I shudder to imagine what a spoilsport Miss Wright would have been were she here this evening.”

“Begging your pardon, ladies. Mrs Bennet, might you know where I could find your second eldest?”

“Lizzy? What do you want with her, Mr Darcy? If you want to dance, you had much better ask Lydia, for the musicians are playing a reel, and she is the liveliest of all my girls.” The tune ended, but the fiddler began another. “Lydia is so popular. There she is, standing up with young Mr Hughes now. He is to be the master of Greenlea one day, you know. What a fine match he would be for her, and I would have my Lydia residing close to Longbourn.”

Miss Baker pointed in the fire’s direction. “Miss Bennet is over there, Mr Darcy, dancing the Strathspey with someone. Oh, ’tis that charming cousin of yours.”

He bowed to the women, then strode off towards the dancers. The Bingleys were with them, and the two couples seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. While glaring at his cousin, Darcy accepted a plate of raw oysters and steamed mussels and tucked into them until someone smelling of rosewater stepped up beside him.

“I do not know how anyone can eat raw oysters, sir.” Miss Hughes shuddered. “What if you swallow a pearl?”

He told her that oysters were an acquired taste and that such a pearl would be a small and dull one. Putting his plate upon a table, he felt obliged to ask her to stand up with him.

“I appreciate the offer, but I do not feel that I should dance just yet, although my brother is currently doing so. Come September, you may ask me again.” She remained silent for a few moments, tapping her foot to the music. “It was terribly kind of you to arrange for Jasper to travel here and remain at Cliff House for a fortnight. And I must thank you for something else. Miss Bennet mentioned that you considered arranging a trip to Bath for a party of us. That was big-hearted of you, sir. However, an acquaintance of my aunt and uncle already expressed a desire to take us to Bath next month.”

“Yes, Miss Bennet mentioned as much to me.” They silently watched the dancers awhile. “Mr Clark certainly seems to be a young gentleman worth knowing.” Miss Hughes smiled, and, for the first time, Darcy noticed the delightful little dimple on the girl’s cheek. “The world is your oyster, Miss Hughes, and I wish you nothing but good fortune and happiness.”

Shouting and laughing, the postmaster’s children joined the fun, and Darcy had to raise his voice to be heard. “As for a dance in September, I must go to my estate in Derbyshire for the harvest, and I do not know when I might be back in Wyman’s Cove again, if ever. Strandsmere will soon be put on the market, but it is doubtful that I shall find a buyer.”

The music stopped, and to Darcy’s delight, Elizabeth came to him. The colonel, however, had slunk off into the night. “Miss Bennet, I trust you are enjoying yourself this evening.”

“Immensely, sir. And you?”

“I would enjoy it more if I could spend all my time with you.” He glanced to his left, but Miss Hughes was walking away with her brother and Miss Lydia. The musicians began another tune. “Three times in Hertfordshire I asked you to stand up with me. Twice at Netherfield, where you declined once and accepted once. The other time was at Lucas Lodge when it was Sir William’s idea, but you refused me. Please, dance with me now.”

She did, and when it was over, Darcy saw that Miss Hughes had returned and was eyeing, with disgust, a lone oyster upon her plate. “I cannot do it, sir.” She passed the plate to him. “And I have just made an observation that I must share. The two of you, looking so joyful, remind me of my parents when they danced together. When you are settled in conjugal felicity, I hope you will always be as happy as you are now.” Her dimple made another appearance at Mr Clark’s approach.

Darcy let the oyster slide down his throat while the bonfire crackled, and sparkling red bursts rose into the sky. Surreptitiously he took from his pocket a few mint leaves and chewed them. “Will you walk with me, Elizabeth?”

As they left the fire behind, he fetched a lantern, then entwined her arm with his.

“You were never far from my thoughts, and most of all my regrets, since I left Hertfordshire. In retrospect, I should have asked you to marry me while we were at Netherfield. I presume you would not have accepted me then, but we could have talked. And debated.” He gently squeezed her bare fingers. “And I, on my best behaviour, would have done everything in my power to persuade you to change your mind. We could have been married for almost nine months by now. Nine wasted months. Time enough to be expecting a child.” He looked around. No one was watching, so he raised her hand to his lips for a quick kiss. “Am I making you blush, dear heart?”

“You will never know. ’Tis too dark. Are you not going to light that strange lantern?”

“Not just yet. To continue, I watched you earlier, encircled by adoring cottagers’ children. When I was the age of those boys and girls, my parents provided me with anything my heart desired, so I suppose that was their way of showing affection.” He indicated a driftwood log higher up on the pebbly foreshore. “Shall we sit, for just a moment?”

“I was hoping we might have time to see the waterfall.”

“Heavens, no. The tide is moving landwards, and we must soon leave the beach.” Darcy placed the lantern on the ground and an immaculate handkerchief atop the log for her to sit upon, then he joined her there. “My parents also gave me station and wealth, of course. But there were times when all I wanted was to know, to be told, that I was loved, for my mother to kiss my cheek or forehead, for my father to say he was proud of me and give me a hug.”

Moving to a crouch in front of him, Elizabeth kissed his forehead, then his cheek. “They loved you. How could they not? And when we are married, I shall tell you that I love you every day for the rest of my life. I am proud of the man you are, and I shall be exceedingly proud to be your wife.” She settled beside him.

He held her hand. “I thought all I wanted was to be loved, but that was terribly childish of me. I have come to realise that what I really want is to love somebody. Two months ago, the most compassionate and merciful person that I have ever had the privilege to know came back into my life—a woman who helps those around her who are hurting or ill. A woman who gives people a second chance, even those who treated her with disdain.” Darcy kissed Elizabeth’s fingers. “You are too good.”

“You, sir, are everything thoughtful and good, but must we debate which one of us is too good? Too much of anything can be harmful, at least that is Heiress Tottle’s philosophy. Remember?”

“Oh yes, I have given my cat’s doctrine considerable thought, particularly regarding our, your and my, compatibility. We certainly share the same principles, and although we have different temperaments, I believe we might nicely challenge and complement one another in ways that can only strengthen our union. For example, I can be punctilious, while you are more…”

He must have thought for a moment too long, so Elizabeth prompted, “Careless? Slap-dash?”

“No. I was going to say easy-going. In any event, we shall simply strive to strike that sweet balance Heiress Tottle advocates.”

Darcy laced their fingers together. “I have never spent two months more agreeably than those which have just flown by. The best days of my life were spent here with you…the Wright family and their contrivances notwithstanding. I shall regret having to sell Strandsmere Park, for it holds my fondest memories.”