“No, you have not. One letter and two secret meetings is hardly a courtship. And speaking of letters, you must promise me that when you write in the future that all your letters will be like the second one, and none like the first.”
“That is unfair, Elizabeth,” he said in high dudgeon. “I was in a crowded room with Mrs. Forster, the colonel, and his aides, and with Gregg waiting for me to finish the letter, and I felt as if everyone in the room was watching me.”
“I understand, but was it necessary to sign the letter, ‘Yours, F. Darcy’?” Seeing that he had hurt her, he said, “You are right. I should have signed it, ‘Yours, Fitzwilliam Darcy.’”
Lizzy laughed. “You are lucky you wrote that second letter before I saw you again, or you would have received the cold shoulder from me.”
“I will take your shoulders however I can get them,” and he moved to kiss her, but she held up her hands and gently pushed him away.
“As I was saying, as part of our courtship, you must visit me at Longbourn and call on my parents, and when you cannot, you must write me letters. Now that I have had a letter from you, I know you are capable of it.”
“But I am out of stationery,” he said with a smile, which Lizzy did not return. “Was not my letter self-explanatory with no need for elaboration?”
“Self-explanatory. No need for elaboration. Such words of love, Mr. Darcy. I think I shall faint. You put me in mind of Benedick’s failed attempts to write poetry for Beatrice.”
“But the play ends with Beatrice and Benedick marrying, so all’s well that ends well.”
“Clever response, Mr. Darcy, but you have the wrong play.”
Chapter 52
When Lizzy returned to the drawing room, she quickly made her way through the crowd to stand next to Jane and Mr. Bingley. With a knowing smile, Charles took his leave, and Lizzy found herself blushing at the idea of someone knowing that she had met Mr. Darcy in secret.
“Was I missed?” Lizzy asked, scanning the crowd.
“Not at all. Lord Fitzwilliam claimed everyone’s attention by asking Charlotte to dance and suggesting that Mr. Collins ask Mrs. Konig to do the same. Have you ever known of an instance where a governess, even a traveling one, danced with her master’s guests? I cannot wait to hear what Mrs. Draper and Lady Lucas have to say about all this.
“I was able to speak with Mrs. Konig,” Jane continued. “Her English is not the best, and she cannot pronounce th. But the effect is absolutely delightful, and she is charming everyone. Despite her relationship with the flamboyant lord, she is very reserved. But enough about Madame. Do you have news to share?”
And Lizzy whispered to her sister that Mr. Darcy had proposed, and looking around to see if anyone was listening, she told Jane that she was insisting on a courtship. “We do not know each well enough, and I do not want him to have any regrets. I shall tell you more later; Charlotte is coming.”
“Charlotte, you appear winded,” Lizzy said after having watched her dance a jig with Lord Fitzwilliam.
“I am. His Lordship is a vigorous dancer.”
“Are you enjoying your day, Charlotte?” Jane asked. Like Lizzy, she was concerned that the uninvited guests were stealing the show.
“I truly am, so please stop worrying. In another hour, it will all be over as we are running out of food and punch. I know that you both have had reservations about this marriage, so I wish to reassure you. When everyone’s attention was focused on His Lordship, Mr. Collins came over, and after taking my hand, he said that he only wanted three things in life. The first was to be a good husband, the second was to be a good pastor, and the third was to be a good neighbor to Lady Catherine and her daughter—in that order. It touched my heart in such a way that I am no longer worried about other things.”
“Oh, Charlotte, that was so sweet.”
“Yes, Jane, it was. Despite his peculiar behavior and his propensity to talk too much, he is a good man, and I am fortunate to have him. And what about you, Lizzy? Are we soon to have another wedding? Oh, please do not look at me like that. Granted, you are better at concealing your feelings than the gentleman, but it is obvious to a friend of so many years that you are in love. When are we to wish you joy?”
“Not until after Jane’s wedding. The gentleman must first speak to Papa, and we must have a courtship. His life is so different from mine. I cannot imagine having a duke as neighbor. His sister was named after Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. I try not to think about it because, if I do, I shall get cold feet.”
“You must forget about all those other things and enjoy your courtship,” Charlotte told her friend. “He is much changed since he first came into Hertfordshire, and you are the reason.”
While Darcy waited in the study for sufficient time to pass following Elizabeth’s departure, he decided that she was right. There were good reasons why young ladies were not left alone with their suitors. If she even suspected the content of his dreams, she would not have sat next to him on the sofa.
Darcy was pouring himself a brandy when the door creaked open, and Antony, Lord Fitzwilliam, the hero of the day, stepped in.
“There you are, Darcy. I see you have helped yourself to the brandy. If you would pour me half of what you have, I would appreciate it,” and he sank into the leather sofa recently vacated by Elizabeth and started to rub his toes through his shoes. “Did you know that as you get older, your feet flatten out, and you can no longer fit in your old shoes? As a result, my feet are killing me, but I dare not take them off as I will not get them back on. I look ridiculous enough without walking around unshod.”
“Those shoes must be ten years old if they are a day,” Darcy said, laughing.
“They are older than that. They are from my days as a bachelor. I have kept almost everything from the time before I was dragged off in chains to serve my sentence with Eleanor.”
“Madame Konig is charming,” Darcy quickly said. He wanted to distract Antony from his wife, a subject that often brought him low. “I did not have a chance to talk to her myself; the line was too long. But from what I overheard, I would imagine that she is very pleasant company.”
“She is more than pleasant. She is kind, and my girls adore her. And if you have any worries as to where she will be sleeping while at Netherfield, Antonia will be with the girls in a room on the second floor, while I will lay my head on a pillow in a room on the first floor. No romantic interludes are planned.”
“I didn’t think there would be. You are always at your best when you are with your children.”
“Thank you for that and for your kind words about Antonia. She always puts a smile on my face. How can you not love someone who says zis, zat, and zee other zing? It is adorable. And speaking of adorable, if I may judge from the smile on Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s face, you have some good news to share.”
“I do. We are unofficially engaged, but…” and Darcy stood up and started to pace. “Antony, this is a whole new experience for me. The only women with whom I may claim a relationship were both widows and five years older than I was. I met Christina Caxton in France when I was twenty years old, and I was the one who knew nothing. But that is not the case with Elizabeth. I think I may have frightened her by my advances. It is not that I mean to overpower her, but it is bloody difficult to go backward. I am a man of the world, and I cannot pretend to not want things that I do want. I have to tell you that I am on the point of exploding, and holding her hand while dancing does not satisfy.”
“Move up the wedding date,” Antony said, stating the obvious. “You have the wherewithal and connections to buy a special license, so you may marry her the same day Bingley marries Miss Bennet.”
“Elizabeth wants a courtship.”
“Oh, that is too bad. Because if your courtship of Miss Montford is any indicator of your talent in that area, Elizabeth will be disappointed.”