Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman (19 page)

As the women abandoned their chairs and began to move toward the drawing room, Darcy took Jane's hand and bestowed a warm kiss upon it. He then bowed to Elizabeth, who gave him a dazzling smile. But before he could speak to her, Caroline Bingley interceded. Having been thwarted at dinner, she was not to be deterred now. She moved between them and exclaimed, “Mr. Darcy, that was so lovely. It was very thoughtful of you to speak. Your kindness to my brother is exemplary. It was also nice of you to mention our dear Jane. But enough of this! We will leave you to enjoy yourselves.”

Another opportunity to speak to Elizabeth did not arise, but as he watched her carriage drive away at the end of the evening, his heart was full. He knew that whether sleep came easily or not, his dreams would be pleasant.

Boundary Lines

The day after the Bennets dined at Netherfield, Darcy woke early and went to the stables. As his horse was saddled, he asked the groomsman for directions to Oakham Mount. He was not sure if Elizabeth would have understood his intentions in asking about her favorite walks, but he planned to wait there in case she did. He was buoyed by their easy interaction at dinner the night before and hoped to continue in that vein.

As he waited for her, he reviewed their troubled history and tried to make out her present state of regard for him. He knew that she no longer held him in contempt and had, in fact, forgiven him his prior mistakes. He also thought that as their relationship had slowly progressed, she had noticed the changes he had attempted in response to her reproof. As a result, he felt that she now thought of him as a friend and did not find his company a burden. During dinner, he had felt, at times, that she had enjoyed herself and that she looked at him with some affection, but he was not sure if that was her overriding opinion of him, or if she were just displaying the warm regard of friendship that she might bestow on any companion. He knew he should be grateful for her friendship; a few weeks ago he would have thought it unimaginable. But no matter how much he appreciated the progress they had made, it was not enough, and he longed to have her for his own. He just needed to remind himself that the path to that goal needed to be tread with caution and patience. As he waited for her, and she failed to appear, he attempted to keep that thought in the forefront of his mind. Despite the beauty of the sunrise, he returned in a sullen mood. As he reentered Netherfield, he was immediately accosted by Caroline Bingley, who had apparently just risen.

“Mr. Darcy, I see you are returning from a ride about the grounds. How industrious. As always, your timing is impeccable. You can join me for breakfast. You must be famished from the exercise.”

“Actually, Miss Bingley, I ate before I left and am quite content. May I inquire, though, is your brother about? I wanted to speak to him about his visit today to Longbourn.”

“I saw him talking with his steward just now. But there is no rush, sir. His solicitor is visiting this morning, so he will not be scurrying off to Longbourn today. I am sure you would agree that his constant visits there are rather unsightly. While his engagement is now public knowledge, there is still no reason to act the lovesick puppy over it. There are appearances to consider.”

Trying to mask his disappointment that his second plan to see Elizabeth was also unworkable, Darcy simply replied, “Oh, I see.”

“Yes, I, for one, am quite relieved that we will all be together for a change, without the burden of entertaining the entire neighborhood in the process. I am certainly exhausted from the spectacle of last night's socializing, if you can call it that. I am determined that today we will have a more genteel environment. It will just be our party, with perhaps the addition of Charles's solicitor. I am planning a special menu for us.” Batting her eyelash, she added, “Do you have any preferences, sir, that I could satisfy?”

Thinking quickly, he replied, “Actually, Miss Bingley, I see that your brother and I have the same idea. I desperately need to catch up on my estate business as well. I plan to lock myself in the library and give myself over to it completely. As a result, I am sorry to say that I will be unable to lunch with you. Please accept my apologies.”

“But, Mr. Darcy, you cannot work all day. I will not hear of it. You will make yourself sick.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I will be fine. But if you insist, I will not work the whole of the day. Before sunset, I will take another ride to clear my head.”

Flattered that he had taken her advice, she nonetheless added, “But, sir, in the meantime, you must eat.”

“If I require anything, with your leave, I will order a tray brought to me.”

“Why, of course. I will instruct Chef myself to await your orders. But could you not join us for just a small visit?”

“I am afraid that if I do not attend to the mountain of correspondence awaiting me, I will eventually have to cut my visit short.”

Torn between the hope of immediate gratification and long-term success, Miss Bingley finally relented. “I will instruct the staff to be at your disposal. But would you not be more comfortable in the parlor?”

“Thank you, no. If Charles is meeting with his steward and then his solicitor, I would be in his way. If I may use the library, it would be more than sufficient.”

With sickly sweet solicitude, she replied, “By all means, it is yours.”

***

Elizabeth awoke from her dreams a little startled over their content. Mr. Darcy had figured prominently in all of them, and their vivid nature made her blush. Her mind immediately traveled back to the events of the previous evening. She had to admit he had been a most charming dinner partner, and she had enjoyed his company exceedingly. While she had clearly enjoyed herself, she wondered how he had perceived the evening. As she began to dwell on the various things he had said and the manner in which he had said them, she chastised herself for her foolishness. She then vowed to put such thoughts aside and concentrate on dressing. For once her mother's meddling had turned to her advantage. As a result, she would more than likely see him again today, and when she did, she could judge for herself.

On the previous night's carriage ride home from Netherfield, her mother had waxed on about the courtesies that the Bingleys had shown them at dinner. She insisted that she needed to return the favor by hosting the Netherfield party at Longbourn as soon as possible, to show her own good breeding. She settled upon the idea that she would extend the invitation to Mr. Bingley herself when he visited in the morning. When Jane let her mother know that the gentleman's business concerns would keep him at Netherfield for the whole of the day, she determined that Jane would have to call on Miss Bingley to personally extend the invitation. Despite Jane's pleas, her mother would not relent.

“Jane, it is not as if I am sending you there alone. Lizzy or Mary can go with you. I am sure neither of them have plans of their own. If you do not see Mr. Bingley, then you can invite him through Miss Bingley. You will simply have tea and come home. If you see him, all the better.”

“But, Mama,” Jane begged, “we will surely see him on the following morning. Can we not wait and invite him then?”

“No, it will be too late; I want them to dine with us the day after tomorrow. No, you and one of your sisters can take the carriage tomorrow as early as it is appropriate.”

With a panicked look on her face, Mary said, “But, Mama, I am far too busy with my studies to ignore them again tomorrow. I have already wasted the whole of last night.”

Exasperated, Mrs. Bennet spat, “Fine, Mary, stay at home. It is unimportant which of you goes. Lizzy can do it. But, Lizzy, do not go walking all over the countryside beforehand. I don't want you looking like some wild creature. You would be wise to take a lesson from Miss Bingley. Her appearance is always impeccable.” Elizabeth nodded her assent. While she had planned to walk to Oakham Mount in the morning, she had to admit that her mother's idea to accompany Jane was not without merit.

When Jane and Elizabeth were announced, Caroline Bingley could barely control her temper. The day was definitely not turning out as she had planned. After venting her frustration to her sister, Louisa, she prepared to greet her visitors with cold civility. She would entertain them for as little time as possible and then ship them off before Charles learned of their presence and prolonged her agony. After pleasantries were exchanged and tea served, Jane once again thanked them for the kindness that they had shown them the previous evening and extended the dinner invitation that her mother had requested.

Elizabeth tried to hold her tongue as she watched Caroline formulate an answer. Her superior attitude was truly difficult to accept. That Caroline had the audacity to treat Jane with contempt, when she should be grateful that Jane did not hold a grudge toward her for all of her previous scheming, made her smugness unforgivable. For Jane's sake, however, Elizabeth attempted to stay quiet.

Looking bored, Caroline replied, “Thank you for the compliment. I will have to check our social calendar to see if we can fit it in. But I do not mean to keep you; I will just send a note.”

To everyone's surprise, Jane did not answer but simply continued to smile broadly. After a moment, Elizabeth realized that Jane was looking past Caroline to the door where Mr. Bingley had just entered. After standing there for a moment, smiling at Jane, he recollected himself. “Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, what a pleasant surprise. I hope you are both well?” After receiving a satisfactory answer, he turned to his sister and said, “Caroline, I did not mean to interrupt. To whom are you sending a note? Is someone ill?”

With a level voice, Caroline replied, “Oh, no, Charles, not at all. It is nothing to concern yourself with. We were just trying to organize some social engagements.”

“Well, Caroline, you know I love social engagements. What do you have planned?”

Trying to keep up her mask of indifference, she casually replied, “The Bennets have invited us all to dinner tomorrow night, but I was just saying that they should not go to the trouble just for us.”

Smiling demurely, Jane volunteered, “It is no bother at all, and my mother is most anxious to return the favor.”

Clapping his hands in delight, Mr. Bingley responded, “Well, then, it is settled. We would not want to disappoint her. We have no prior engagements that I know of, unless, of course, Caroline, there is something of which you have not informed me.”

Creasing her brow in thought, Caroline took her time and then responded, “No, now that I think about it, we are free tomorrow evening. Jane, please, thank your mother for me for her kindness. We would be happy to attend.”

Nodding to Caroline, Jane replied, “She will be so pleased.”

Mr. Bingley then added, with a jovial air, “And speaking of invitations, could I convince you to dine with us? My work with my solicitor has gone far more quickly than I would have anticipated. I should be finished in one half hour.”

Interrupting, Caroline said, “Oh, Charles, you cannot monopolize all of dear Jane's time. I am sure she and Eliza have other social commitments.”

“Caroline, I am sure that is true, but I was hoping to take advantage of Miss Bennet's generous nature and have her make a special exception for us.” After he exchanged a demure smile with the object of his affections, he added, “Not only would that be a delightful manner in which to spend the afternoon, it might prove practical as well. There are some issues my solicitor thinks I should familiarize Jane with, and it might be easier to do it today while they are fresh in my mind.”

Smiling first at Elizabeth to get her consent, Jane shyly replied, “If you think that is best, we would be happy to stay.”

“That is wonderful. I will just wrap up some details and join you as soon as possible. Caroline, perhaps you could show them the private chambers again. I want Jane to redecorate them, and it might help her organize her thoughts. My solicitor needs to return to town today, so he will be unable to join us, but I am sure Darcy will want to attend.”

Attempting to respond in a disinterested air, Caroline said, “Charles, I saw him as he was taking a ride this morning, and he said he would be unavailable all day.”

Looking to Jane and then Elizabeth, Mr. Bingley added, “Oh, I am sure that he will regret having missed your visit.”

Elizabeth and Jane endured Caroline's tour as well as could be expected. Elizabeth was secretly disappointed that Mr. Darcy was unavailable. She was nonetheless glad for the opportunity to help Jane. Despite Caroline's interference, Jane was able to come to some decisions about the master suites, and the tour actually proved quite productive. The meal also turned out to be a pleasant affair. The Hursts excused themselves, wanting to eat in their room. That left Caroline in the minority, and Mr. Bingley's infectious good mood proved too powerful for Caroline's barbed comments and stiff demeanor. After lunch, Mr. Bingley suggested a walk in the garden. Caroline saw that her hostess duties were at an end and excused herself from their company, saying that she needed to review some menus with the chef.

The three companions then set out to tour the flower gardens and paths surrounding the house. They had not traveled far before Elizabeth felt that she was somewhat in the way. Mr. Bingley had said he wanted to discuss some matters with Jane that surely concerned their upcoming marriage, and her presence would impede that discussion. Moreover, Elizabeth got the distinct impression that Mr. Bingley wanted a few stolen moments alone with Jane for other reasons.

As they turned to leave the garden, Elizabeth stopped and said, “This is a particularly lovely spot. I think, if the two of you do not mind, I would like to sit here and rest. It is a beautiful view.”

“Oh, Miss Elizabeth, I hope I have not overtaxed you. If you like, we could all rest here.”

“No, I would not hear of it. It is too lovely a day to miss. Maybe I will borrow a volume from your library and bring it here to read for a time.”

Hoping for such an opening, Mr. Bingley replied excitedly, “Oh, yes, by all means, be my guest. Feel free to borrow anything that interests you.” He then pointed to the side of the house and added, “You can access the library from those glass doors.”

Smiling at them both, she replied, “Then it is settled. I will get a book and either read it here, or if it gets too cold, sit just inside the library with the doors open to the garden. That way if you need me, I will be available.”

Pleased with what an agreeable chaperone she was, Mr. Bingley insisted that she call him if she required anything. Elizabeth entered the library through the garden door. The difference between the bright sunlight she had just left and the darker room she entered made it difficult for her to adjust her eyes as she absentmindedly looked about the shelves. At the far end of the room, the gentleman at the desk had no such problem with his vision, although he did wonder for a few seconds if his eyes were playing tricks on him. He immediately realized that she had not seen him, and remained still, simply watching her. She slowly traveled down the stack of books, unconsciously dancing her fingers across the back of a leather sofa as she walked. As she came to its end, she turned to the desk. Her eyes opened wide in shock. “Mr. Darcy!”