Georgiana, who had organized the night’s entertainment, signaled for Avery and Potter, two of the footmen, who were accomplished fiddlers, to come in. The chairs and tables were quickly moved to the side, and the footmen began with a lively Scottish air. For the remainder of the evening, Lizzy was able to forget that the following day was to be her last at Pemberley.
Chapter 31
The previous evening, Georgiana had suggested that the last day of their guests’ visit should be spent exploring one of the many caves in the Peak and mentioned Thor’s Cave, which was considered to be one of the most spectacular caves in all of England.
“Georgie, that is not possible,” her brother said. “With the short days and the vagaries of the weather, it cannot be done,” which his sister already knew.
“Maybe we should go Shepherd’s Cave? That is within easy distance of the house.”
Earlier in the day, while her brother had been otherwise engaged, Georgiana had conspired with Richard, and behind closed doors, the pair had plotted how best to get the two together and had settled on Shepherd’s Cave.
Since meeting Lizzy, Georgiana regretted her role in promoting Miss Montford to her brother. When she first had visited with Letitia, she found that she was not a particularly good conversationalist but believed that would change once a friendship was established. On her second visit, Letitia had played a sonata by Beethoven so exquisitely that she had been moved to tears. At that time, she decided that this sweet, accomplished lady would be kind to her brother, which was of utmost importance to her because she did not want someone like Augusta Selridge or Caroline Bingley for Will. It was only after experiencing Lizzy’s wit, intelligence, vivacity, and wonderful curiosity did Georgiana realize she had been championing the wrong lady.
“As you know, Richard, it is very tight in the cave, and as they make their way to the rear, they will be close enough to embrace.” With her vivid imagination, she could picture her brother taking Lizzy in his arms, and while so entwined, the colonel and she would slip away, leaving the two to speak of their love for one another. Richard agreed that it was their best opportunity to have them in such close proximity, but warned his young cousin that her brother was capable of many things, but making an open display of affection in front of others was not one of them.
Before Darcy would agree to such an excursion, he felt it necessary to explain to his guests that the only way to reach the cave was on horseback followed by a quarter-mile walk.
“Shepherd’s Cave is nothing to compare to Thor’s Cave, but we on the eastern side of the Peak have a few interesting caves of our own. Archaeologists from Cambridge have studied it and concluded that the cave has been in use for thousands of years, as there are a number of primitive drawings on the walls from prehistoric times. As interesting as they are, it is the stalagmites and stalactites caused by deposits of calcium-rich water dripping from the ceiling on to the floor of the cave that are truly fascinating.”
“Mr. Darcy, you need not convince us of the worthiness of your choice, as Mr. Gardiner and I will not be going,” Mrs. Gardiner responded. “Because it was mentioned in The Compleat Angler, my husband has already made plans for a fishing excursion near the Milldale bridge with Cubbins, and I promised Mr. Ferguson that I would spend my last day with him in the Chinese garden.”
After learning that the Gardiners would not be going, everyone looked to Lizzy.
“I have never been to a cave of any kind. So this is of interest to me, and I would enjoy seeing it. My only request is that I be allowed to ride Sugar. We are old friends now.”
Darcy silently thanked his sister for suggesting the excursion, and once again he had to admire her maneuvering, as he knew full well that the desired end had been Shepherd’s Cave all along. But that was something he would keep to himself, as he was pleased with her results.
Aunt Gardiner was not blind to what was going on around her but had said nothing because she could not imagine that Mr. Darcy of Pemberley would show such an interest in Elizabeth. Having grown up within a few miles of Pemberley, she was well aware of the prominence of the family, their extensive holdings, and wealth. Mr. Darcy also moved in a world so different from Lizzy’s that it would be an extraordinary event if he were to honor her with an offer of marriage. But after last night, when Lizzy could not hold back her tears because of her feelings for the gentleman, and when Mr. Darcy utterly failed to hide his love for her, she felt that she must speak.
“Did the dancing go on for much longer after Uncle Gardiner and I retired?” Aunt Gardiner asked, and while Lizzy finished her toilette, her aunt noticed the puffiness around her eyes and had no doubt that her niece had been crying.
“For about another hour. I do not know where I got the energy to continue, but Colonel Fitzwilliam is so entertaining that I did not want the night to end.”
“And Mr. Darcy?”
“Aunt, I know why you have come,” Lizzy said, “and I want to tell you that I am fine. In the past, I have shed some tears over Mr. Darcy, but last night I cried myself to sleep, and when I awoke very early this morning I said ‘enough.’ Nothing was ever going to come of this flirtation anyway, so I am ready to move on and put all thoughts of him from my mind. Jane writes that I have received a letter from Mr. Peterson, who is a very respectable man and one who owns a large farm near Watford. I was reluctant to encourage him because he had lost his wife a little more than a year ago, and his children are so young. But if he thinks he is ready to begin anew, I will receive him.”
“Please forgive me for being so forward, my dear, but what you and Mr. Darcy have between you is hardly a flirtation. The man is besotted, and I saw this despite his efforts to disguise it.”
“I am sorry to hear it because Mr. Darcy is to become engaged to a lady from London named Miss Montford.”
“Then why is he here and not in town?”
“I cannot explain his behavior, and it puzzles me exceedingly. If the matter of their courtship is still not settled, he should have remained in town and seen to it, and if the matter is settled, then he should not have come at all, knowing that I was here as the guest of his sister. But there are different rules for the Mr. Darcys of the world. In his sphere, he may come and go as he pleases, while I must sit and wait and say nothing.”
“Lizzy, I understand there are different rules for people of rank and always have been, but I cannot reconcile the Mr. Darcy I have come to know with the callous man you are describing. I think Miss Montford and he may have come to an agreement not to proceed with a courtship, which would explain why he is here and not in London. I know nothing of the Montfords, but I suspect the problem might lie with her parents. They may want to press forward because an alliance between their families would be quite a feather in the Montfords’ cap.”
“I am sorry, Aunt, if you think I have been too harsh because Mr. Darcy is guilty of nothing. He never made any promises to me of any kind. Our relationship, if you can call it that, has consisted entirely of a handful of conversations and even fewer dances, and he most certainly may come to his own home whenever he chooses. I just wish he had waited a few more days, so that I would not have been here.”
“But, Elizabeth, I think the reason he came now is because he cannot stay away from you. When he arrived, he declared that he had come for the shooting alone, but he will not shoot today as he is going with you to Shepherd’s Cave.”
“But it does not matter if he chooses to come or not,” Lizzy said, shaking her head as if to dislodge any thought of Mr. Darcy. “Today is my last day in Derbyshire, so I intend to enjoy the company of Miss Darcy, who is very agreeable, and Colonel Fitzwilliam, who is charming, and Mr. Darcy as well.” Lizzy walked to the window, and while gazing at the vast gardens and the woods beyond, she said, “Being at Pemberley is like going to sleep in my own bed and awaking in a beautiful and exotic foreign land. It makes for a pleasant dream, but reality comes with the first light.”