Page 74

Book 3 Chapter 5

Darcy approached the entrance the Longbourn. He was extremely uncomfortable at what awaited him, yet he knew it was his own fault. Behaving as he had at the Assembly but in London rather than Meryton could have led to social ruin, it was more would have led to ruin rather than could. All his worries about marrying well so as not to damage the prospects of Georgiana? Gone in a flash. He would eventually have found someone to marry him but he could have consigned his sister to life as a spinster. He was a fool, and if it took a grovelling apology to Miss Mary Bennet, and the rest of the Bennets generally, then so be it. He swung down from his horse as two servants converged upon him. A groom came to take the reins of Leonis while the butler waited at the front door.

With a nod of thanks to the groom Darcy approached the main entrance of Pemberley.

“Good morning sir.”

“Good morning. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy to see Mr. Bennet if he is available.”

“Ah, Mr. Darcy. Please come this way. I will check that the Master is available for guests.”

The butler’s reaction was a clear indication that the local servant network was functioning smoothly. He had obviously already heard about the altercation of the previous evening.

“This way sir.”

Darcy took a deep breath and entered the study of the Bennet patriarch, his given name as yet unknown.

“I am Thomas Bennet, welcome.”

Darcy appreciated the simplicity.

“Fitzwilliam Darcy, at your service sir.”

“Please take a seat, may I offer you coffee?”

“Thank you but no. I.”

Darcy had no idea where he was going with the start of that sentence. Well he did, he was going to say that he needed to make his apologies and the coffee was just going to end up going cold and being wasted. He closed his eyes for a moment.

“Perhaps in a few minutes I could have a cup of coffee. But first I must explain my reason for this unannounced visit.”

“The events at Lucas Lodge yesterday evening?”

“Indeed sir.”

“Perhaps you can favour me with an explanation from your perspective. I got several versions last night, but while I might have received the truth, I suspect I did not receive the whole truth.”

Darcy had figured there was no point in trying to shade any of his behaviour, he gave a cold and factual recitation of his behaviour at the Assembly Room, and then again at Lucas Lodge. Bennet’s face darkened at his words to Miss Mary but returned to a neutral mien by the end.

“You have been honest with me sir, brutally honest. And you have not tried to excuse your behaviour. For that I thank you.”

Bennet paused for a moment and looked at Darcy.

“I will be equally candid. My daughter Mary did not share or repeat your comment with anyone here at Longbourn. What she clearly did was write to her sister about the matter. Elizabeth’s arrival on Thursday was completely unexpected, and her reasons for returning have been unconvincing, until now. And as your comment was known only to Mary and Elizabeth, it provides the missing context for the events of last night.”

His face darkened again.

“Why did you utter these vile words against a young woman who you had been introduced to only two hours earlier, and to whom you had never spoken?”

The question which had no acceptable answer.

“Misplaced pride, arrogance, stupidity, a moment of madness? There is an argument to be made for each and every one of these. However, there is no acceptable answer. It has been a trying summer for me, but that in no way excuses my behaviour with Miss Mary. My treatment at the hand of Miss Bennet, while humiliating at the time and the sting still lingers, was a necessary jolt to my system. I wish that it had not been necessary, but it was. I am here now to apologise to Miss Mary and to the Bennet family in general.”

The Thomas Bennet of two years ago would have been diverted by the whole escapade. But his oldest unmarried daughter had shown a wilful side to her nature and would have no compunction informing Sir David of the matter. Frankly, he did not need the bother. As a result, he treated the matter with the appropriate gravity.

“I will call Mary here so that you can speak to her.”

Darcy sighed.