Pride, Prejudice & Secrets (19 page)

“Excuse me, sir, but I see you are, quite naturally, having difficulty with the rapid changes thrust upon you. Might I suggest that you defer any decisions for a day or two and take the opportunity speak with your daughter? She may have some opinions which might answer your many questions.”

Darcy saw George look at him in irritation, starting to say something, and he moved his foot quickly, rapping the side of George’s shoe, and his cousin shut his mouth suddenly. In the meantime, the irritated expression on Mr. Bennet’s face smoothed out into a look of relief. He sat up straighter at the thought of deferring further thought on this matter and even managed a slight smile.

“Excellent suggestion, Mr. Darcy. I will indeed speak with Jane…”

“And,” Darcy interjected quickly, “while I know your decision will be based on what will make your daughter happy rather than the specifics of George’s financial situation, I might add that George did not include the prize money coming his way as a result of his last voyage, in which he shared in the capture of a French frigate and five merchantmen. George’s brother Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam estimates George’s share at around a hundred thousand pounds.”

Again, George started to say something, but another rap from Darcy’s foot closed his mouth.

“Well…ahem, I suppose…that is impressive, Captain. Quite impressive. Ah…yes, suppose you return tomorrow and talk further.”

“A wise decision, sir” Darcy stood immediately and drew George to his feet. “Shall I send Miss Bennet in when we leave?”

“Yes, yes, that will do excellently, sir. Send her to me at once.”

Darcy was pleased to see that Mr. Bennet’s irritated expression had given way to the bemused expression he wore when examining George’s
modest
fortune, and he was well pleased with his extemporaneous interruptions.

After he and George left and were part way down the hall, George stopped and said in a whisper, “Why did you stop me, Darcy? I wanted to tell him how much I liked and respected his daughter, but you cut me off.”

“You haven’t met the man before, but he is a mixture of odd parts of acute insight mixed with country provincialism and a certain amount of sloth. He was about to usher you out without giving a decision, and then you might well find he was never in when you called. Can you convince Miss Bennet to go with you to Gretna Green?”

“It would not come to that, Darcy…” George said, but Darcy shook his head.

“Please trust me on this. I saw how Miss Bennet spoke to you. If there is not attraction there, I would be shocked to my core. It was really quite clear.”

“But the prize money from this last voyage — you know that is not fixed. The Prize Court will not hand down any decision for months and might not even rule if some unforeseen event, such as an end to the war, came to pass. And you exaggerated my achievements. I will only share in the frigate we took and three of the merchantmen. The
Crocodile
took the other two over the horizon, so they will not be included. That is why I left them out of my finances.”

“No matter,” Darcy said in hushed tones, waving his hand negligently. “I needed a diversion, and I got one. Now Mr. Bennet has to think on whether he wants to forbid his daughter from seeing a man with an income four times his own. I guarantee Mrs. Bennet would never let him hear the end of it if he was so rash, and that does not even take into account that you are the son of an earl. Trust me, George; I changed the rules of the game, and everything will work out just as you desire — assuming Miss Jane Bennet reacts as expected. Now, shall we send her to her father? You can either wait on her or take my coach back to Netherfield. I know Elizabeth wants to get away from the house, and I thought I would take her walking. I think helping her mother plan a wedding is proving more wearing than anticipated.”

“Very well,” George said. “You seem to actually understand this kind of thing, which I do not. Yes, by all means, let us inform Miss Bennet, and then I shall leave you to your walk. I shall wait until she finishes and perhaps suggest a stroll through the garden here.”

“Have faith, George. Everything will be fine.”

George knew his best course was to trust his cousin’s judgement, but he was still unhappy as Darcy informed Miss Bennet of her father’s wishes, leaving him to converse with Mrs. Bennet, who seemed to be eyeing him in the manner of a cat with a cornered canary.

Unfortunately for Darcy’s plans, Jane did not go to her father alone, for Elizabeth got up with her. He had hoped to leave the house immediately, but she indicated with a nod of her head that she wished to accompany her sister. So he settled back in his chair and stiffened his resolution to endure the excesses of Mrs. Bennet along with George while Elizabeth was engaged.

Mr. Bennet was standing at the window of his library when the door opened, and he turned as Jane and Elizabeth entered.

“I wished to speak with Jane privately, Lizzy,” he said, a touch of disapproval in his voice. But Elizabeth had changed from the girl who left to visit Charlotte. That girl had clearly been his daughter, not yet of age, and still under his protection as well as his command. Now she was a young lady on the verge of marrying and leaving his home to manage the home of another man.

“I thought I should also come, Papa, considering the subject.” She sat in her favourite chair and assumed her usual position with her legs tucked under her. Jane was more constrained, and she demurely took the other chair and waited, looking at him patiently with her feet on the floor, head erect, and her hands in her lap. She did not fidget or appear uncomfortable; she just appeared her usual, composed self.

Mr. Bennet looked at Elizabeth for a few moments, then shrugged and sat down.

“Then you know why this Captain Fitzwilliam came to call, Lizzy?” he asked, and she nodded.

“At first, I thought he was just coming to call on Jane, and that was a little surprising, in and of itself, considering they only met a single time. But then he wanted Mr. Darcy to introduce him to you, and I was bewildered. It is hard to believe he would be so precipitate as to already ask for her hand, but that must be true. What other reason would he have for wishing to speak with you at this time?”

“It was not quite that precipitate.” Mr. Bennet shook his head slowly. “He came to ask permission to court her. Now, since you appear not as ignorant as I was before today, pray tell what you know before I hear from Jane.”

“I do not know much for certain, Papa; it really might be better to ask Jane.”

“But you have invited yourself into the conversation, so I want to know your observations first.”

“Very well,” she said thoughtfully. “When we dined at William’s house on Wednesday, he drew my attention to the conversation between Captain Fitzwilliam and Jane, who were seated together at the table. The conversation was very animated on both sides, and William confided that his cousin is not especially gregarious. He said he had not seen such interest before on Captain Fitzwilliam’s part, and I ventured the same opinion for Jane. I cautioned patience since time would tell…but I had no idea events might move this rapidly.”

“I see,” Mr. Bennet said and then looked over to Jane. “What do you have to add, Jane? The fellow seems particularly — ”

He broke off suddenly, astonished to see Jane’s eyes determinedly on her lap and her cheeks bright red.

“What is so affecting you, child?” he asked in concern. “Did you expect this fellow’s arrival today? Or do you find his visit objectionable?”

“No, sir, I do not find his interest disagreeable though I had no firm expectations. I hardly dared to hope, and I certainly never expected anything so swift.” Then, though her cheeks were still flushed, Jane looked up and met her father’s eyes. “I will say that I quite enjoyed my time with Captain Fitzwilliam in the short time we had, Papa. He…he is like no gentleman I have known. He asked me questions that normally would have been just simple and polite conversation about my life here at Longbourn, about my family. But they did not seem simple and polite to me. I found myself wanting to…to keep him interested. I wanted to talk with him…and I wanted him to keep talking to me. For longer than we had that one night.”

Mr. Bennet sat back in his chair, completely stunned. He looked over at Elizabeth, who only shrugged her shoulders in mystification. After some moments of thought, he decided there was nothing else to do except to ask the question he dreaded.

“I am, as you might guess, caught completely off guard by what you just said, Jane, so it seems I must be direct. Would you be amenable to my giving the man permission to court you?”

Jane’s violet eyes met his again, and she said immediately, her voice soft but clear, “Not only would I not oppose it, sir, but if Captain Fitzwilliam desires to court me…I would like him to do so.”

Mr. Bennet was stunned beyond measure at this. He did not believe he had ever heard her utter an opinion of such complete and enthusiastic approval in her whole life, and such an expression left him few options.

“Very well, Jane. Thank you. You have given me much to think on, but I need time to consider everything. You may go.”

Both girls rose to leave, but before closing the door, Elizabeth looked back to see her father already at the window, his back to her. It was clear he did indeed have much to ponder.

As soon as they were in the hall, Elizabeth took Jane’s arm and pulled her toward the stairway. Jane did not resist and only smiled slightly as her sister led her up to their room and closed the door.

“Now, Jane,” Elizabeth said sternly. “I must know your real thoughts. You have only just met and spoken with this man a single time; what could lead you to an interest in him?”

Elizabeth was almost as bewildered as her father. While she had said to Darcy that “time will tell,” it had really been a temporizing statement. She had not taken seriously the single conversation between her sister and Captain Fitzwilliam; her opinion remained that Jane was suited to Bingley and he to her, and she had hopes that her marriage to Darcy might lead Bingley to break free of the dominion of his sisters. But Jane had just thrown all her suppositions on their ear.

“As I told Papa, Lizzy,” Jane said quietly, her voice serious and her face composed, “he is unlike any man I have ever met.”

“But, and I repeat, you have just met him! What do you really know about him?”

“He is polite enough, after a fashion,” Jane said thoughtfully, “but he is quite unlike the usual gentlemen of our acquaintance such as Mr. Bingley or even your Mr. Darcy. He freely admits his social graces are unpractised, having been at sea in company almost entirely with naval officers and seamen for two decades.”

“I will agree with his lack of social graces!” Elizabeth said with animation. “Imagine, seeking a courtship with a young lady after only just meeting her!”

“But he is decisive, is he not?” Jane’s lips curved in a reflective smile. “He said he knows little of dancing or of the usual modes of conversation in mixed company. But he…he has something that attracts me. I cannot explain it, but there it is.”

“He is like a Viking,” Elizabeth said firmly. “A warrior, perhaps, but not at all gentlemanlike!”

If Elizabeth thought this comparison might dissuade her sister, she was doomed to disappointment. Jane only smiled. “Possibly you are right, dear sister, but I still find him most attractive.”

“He is not very gentleman like!” Elizabeth repeated, unable to understand the lack of impact her arguments made on her sister. “You do not know what to expect of him. He may be a beast! He might treat you abominably!”

“Did you not once think the same of Mr. Darcy?” Jane asked, and Elizabeth could not find a convincing answer to that question.

After several moments, still mystified, she said, “So you would actually encourage his suit?”

“Yes, I would,” Jane answered firmly, and Elizabeth looked hard at her unwontedly decisive sister.

“Captain Fitzwilliam is the younger son of an earl like his brother Colonel Fitzwilliam.” Elizabeth finally decided to move to more prosaic concerns. “I once thought the Colonel might have an interest in me, but I soon learned that, as a younger son, he needed to marry a woman with at least some money. It is likely his brother’s situation is similar.”

“I know only a little about his financial situation,” Jane said complacently, “but Uncle Gardiner seemed to think the captain had done rather well at sea. I do not think he is penniless, Lizzy.”

While Elizabeth searched for further arguments, Jane said, “I know you find this surprising, dear sister, but I must tell you that I find him more attractive than Mr. Bingley. Captain Fitzwilliam has something… He makes me think thoughts I never before considered.”

“He is so blatantly male!” Elizabeth exclaimed, shocked at hearing Jane speak of her attraction to this man.

“Perhaps that is what I desire,” Jane said softly. “I do know I have not stopped thinking of him since we met.”

“But you said nothing!” Elizabeth said, her eyes wide in surprise. “Neither in London nor after we returned! That is why I was so surprised at you assertions, both to Papa and to me.”

“I said all too much about Mr. Bingley, and we know how badly that concluded. I have thought of Mr. Bingley many times since last November, but since the night of Darcy’s dinner, I have ceased to think of him.”

Jane was silent for a few moments. “Captain Fitzwilliam has already demonstrated more willingness to make a decision and act on it than Mr. Bingley did in an entire season. He may not be as amiable as Mr. Bingley, but amiability is really just pleasant talk, is it not? Captain Fitzwilliam may not talk as much…”

“He certainly seems to talk to you!” her sister broke in, and Elizabeth’s concerns now appeared mollified since she smiled as she said it.

“…but he
is
decisive. After all I suffered when my cherished hopes were dashed — without a single word of explanation or regret, remember — I am finding decisiveness much more impressive than pleasantries.”

After a few moments, Elizabeth nodded understanding. “Since I seem to have found a rather decisive man myself, I understand your feelings. I do apologize if anything I said was in any way offensive, but I was caught completely by surprise this morning.”

“Do not be silly, Lizzy. I knew that all the time.”

Confident at last in her sister’s heart, Elizabeth embraced her warmly, and they both returned downstairs.

However, Elizabeth did not return immediately to the parlour. She allowed Jane to go ahead and turned aside at her father’s library, knocked gently, and entered to find her father still staring out the window.

“Yes?” He turned around to face her. “I assume you spoke with your sister.”

“I did.” She stood before his desk to keep the conversion brief. “And, because of what she told me, I changed my mind and am in favour of this courtship.”

“Changed your mind?” asked her father, his brows furrowed. “In what way?”

“I have been cherishing certain hopes that Mr. Bingley might someday return to Netherfield and renew his attentions to Jane,” she said with a shrug. “But William has come to Netherfield alone, and I now think Mr. Bingley will never come. But Captain Fitzwilliam
has
come, and Jane wishes him to court her. It is that simple, Papa.”

“I do not know, Lizzy,” her father said slowly. “I just do not know what I think.”

“A large part of your discomposure must be the surprise of a new suitor calling before you have got me safely married,” she said, smiling. “But I also imagine much of your worry arises because Captain Fitzwilliam is not at all like the more familiar sort of gentlemen. He is not like you or Sir William or Mr. Goulding. He is not even like Mr. Darcy, who is also different but in a different way, if you know what I mean.”

“What you say may well be true, Daughter. While Mr. Darcy was indeed a surprise, I was not completely perplexed. When I spoke with him, I understood many things, even though his fortune is so much greater than my own. But this Captain Fitzwilliam… He might be a Russian for all I have in common with him…”

He shook his head in confusion, and Elizabeth said, “There are other things to consider in addition to the fact he and Jane are quite attracted to each other. Captain Fitzwilliam may seem almost ungentlemanly in that he is an overwhelmingly aggressive male, but remember that he is an earl’s son, appears to possess an adequate fortune…”

“You have no idea, Lizzy!” her father said energetically, taking a document from his desk and waving it at her.

“…and has considerable connections through his family. If his manners need improvement, Jane can accomplish that. I recommend you allow his suit, which is not as irretrievable a step as granting him her hand in marriage. Though prepare yourself; I do not believe that moment will be long delayed.”

Her father nodded, still not completely comfortable, but as she left him, she was satisfied she had done her best. Her father valued her opinion even if he did not always take her advice. And if he showed any signs of wavering, she might discretely remind him that Jane was of age and could not be forbidden from marrying. And there was always Scotland…

As soon as Elizabeth entered the parlour, she saw her worries for Darcy being mortified by her family were needless since he, his cousin, and Jane were engaged in easy conversation. The parlour was otherwise empty since her mother and younger sisters had seemingly vanished.

Both gentlemen rose as she entered, and she immediately sat beside Darcy. “Where has everyone gone?”

Darcy smiled broadly but said nothing, and Jane looked somewhat sheepish. “I told Mama why Captain Fitzwilliam called. She immediately departed for her room.”

“I believe she mentioned ‘going distracted’ and needing her salts,” Darcy said cheerfully.

“Then Lydia, Kitty, and even Mary left to walk to Meryton,” Jane said, now registering disapproval. “I assume they intend to relay the news to everyone they meet.”

“It was rather remarkable the way the population in the room evaporated in less than a minute,” Darcy said admiringly. “Since then, George and I have been entertaining your sister.”

“But Jane, why did you tell Mama, when Papa asked Captain Fitzwilliam to return tomorrow?” Elizabeth asked anxiously, but Jane only smiled and glanced shyly at Captain Fitzwilliam.

“Because it does not signify, Lizzy,” she said calmly. “Papa did not ask us to keep the reason quiet. As soon as I sat down, Mama asked me, and I told her.”