Page 150 of The Mistress of All & Torn

“Surely, you are joking,” Mary said.

“I most certainly am not, and I shall readily prove it to you both,” her ladyship responded with a broad grin on her face. She then took each girl’s arm and walked nimbly back to the house.

They were about to enter when the sound of a carriage, horses, and voices stopped them. It seemed several people were coming along the main road, but they did not stop in front of the house. Instead, they progressed along the fence, through the trees, to the back gate. Shortly after, a phaeton and four horses appeared in sight.

“Lizzy, it is us!” Jane waved from the phaeton. Beside her sat Anne de Bourgh, while Bingley, the colonel, and the Darcys hurried to dismount from their horses.

Elizabeth, Mary, and Lady Kendal welcomed the new arrivals, pleased to see them but also surprised. Lizzy mused had their guests arrived only minutes later, they would have found the ladies of the house in their bathing clothes!

Chapter 13

In the midst of the din of greetings and introductions, Elizabeth’s eyes were reluctantly drawn towards Darcy. Tall and silent, his steady gaze rested upon Elizabeth, warming her more than the heat of the day.

“Forgive us for this impromptu visit,” Jane said, embracing Lady Kendal, then her two sisters. “We do not want to intrude, so we shall not stay long. But Anne and Georgiana came to see me, then we stopped at my parents’ house, and we decided to come and greet you too. Only briefly.”

“It is no intrusion, my dear. We are happy to see you all. Please come in,” Lady Kendal said.

They all entered the parlour and each took a comfortable seat. Anne and Georgiana sat together on a sofa. Again, Darcy chose a distant chair, behind his cousin and sister, while the colonel sat close to Elizabeth. Sitting near Lady Kendal, Mary was slightly uncomfortable with the presence of people she did not know.

“Where is Philip? Is he resting?” Bingley asked, holding his wife’s hand tenderly.

“Sea bathing,” Lady Kendal said. “It will be a little while before he joins us. But if you are in no hurry and can wait, he would be pleased to see you, I am sure.”

“Perhaps on another day,” the colonel said. “We have some engagements later today. At least Darcy and I do. We only wished to see Miss Bennet. And you all, of course.”

Darcy’s silence and aloofness distressed Elizabeth instead of calming her. He said nothing, but she felt his gaze on her, and his mere presence stirred her senses. By contrast, the colonel’s amiable manners and his flirtatious conversation steadied Elizabeth and put her at ease. With the colonel, she never felt anxious or nervous. His presence always gave her comfort, while Darcy’s nearness had troubled her from the beginning of their acquaintance.

“Miss Bennet, we had the pleasure of meeting your family today,” the colonel said.

“Indeed, they are so warm and welcoming,” Georgiana agreed.

“It must have been a joy to grow up with so many sisters,” Anne added.

“I am sure they were delighted to make your acquaintance, too,” Elizabeth said. “You both look lovely. I assume you like Brighton,” she addressed Darcy’s sister and cousin.

“You look beautiful too,” Anne said. “You are slightly tanned, but it is very becoming on you.”

Elizabeth blushed. “I am tanned, and I imagine I shall become even more so, as I enjoy taking long walks on the beach. Imagine! We have only been here three days. I fear I shall look appalling by the end of the summer. I must remember to protect my face from the sun. I must, but I doubt I shall,” she said in jest.

“That cannot be,” the colonel contradicted her. “Tanned or not, you always look charming.”

“How very kind of you to say so. Of course, I am perfectly aware you use the same skilful compliments with the other ladies you know,” Elizabeth teased him.

“Mr Collins used to do the same,” Anne interjected. Elizabeth looked at her in surprise; she had never heard Anne ridiculing anyone so directly. Then both began to laugh, while the colonel looked somewhat disconcerted.

“Well, I shall hardly recover after being informed that I share some similarities with Mr Collins,” he said, much to the others’ amusement.

“Oh, you are completely different from Mr Collins,” Mary said in such complete earnest, and the laughter increased.

With much seriousness, the colonel moved towards Mary and brought her hand to his lips with formal politeness.

“Thank you for defending my character, Miss Mary. It seems no other does.”

Mary’s face turned red while she stared at the colonel, so dumbfounded she could find nothing to say in return.

“So, I have heard of a Mr Collins and a Mr Wickham recently. Should I ask more about either of them?” Lady Kendal enquired.

Elizabeth stole a glance at Darcy, and briefly met his eyes, noticing his perturbation. She then looked at Georgiana, who had paled at Mr Wickham’s name. Elizabeth smiled at the young girl, then replied to her ladyship.