“Lizzy, my dear, your regard for him is obvious to me, but do keep in mind, you have refused him twice, which would give anyone some cause for doubt.”
“Not twice, only once, and that was long before Lambton!”
“And how would you portray your decision at Lambton? When we discovered you and strongly advocated to both of you that steps be taken to protect your honor, he was completely willing to enter into an engagement, and you categorically refused! Did you think that would have no effect on him?”
Elizabeth paled, deeply dismayed at her aunt’s view of the affair. “I was not ready, but I never meant that as a refusal… I never intended to hurt him in any way!” Tears rose to her eyes at the thought.
Mrs. Gardiner looked at her long and seriously. “My dear Lizzy, there are moments when I think that you and Mr. Darcy have a positive talent for misconstruing each other. I will speak openly to you: first, Mr. Darcy does indeed bear a significant burden of distress owing to his fear he will never win your affections, and second, if you think his dislike of Wickham is more powerful than his affection for you, then you are quite in the wrong. I do not wish to violate a confidence, but I will say that he has made it quite clear to me that he is willing to tolerate Mr. Wickham if need be for your sake.”
Elizabeth, quite sobered by her aunt’s statements, soon pleaded a return of her headache which required a retreat to her room, where she spent a great deal of time and tore up several sheets of paper before constructing a letter to suit her particular purposes.
Two days later, the post brought to Pemberley two letters, one to Mr. Darcy from Mr. Gardiner, the other to Miss Darcy from Miss Bennet. Darcy laid the first aside, and, caressing the second in his hand for some moments, decided it was time to practice some of his vaunted self-control, and rang for a footman to take it to Miss Georgiana. With a sigh, he broke the seal on Mr. Gardiner’s letter.
Dear Mr. Darcy,
I have several thoughts which may apply to the situation regarding your tenant, but first, my wife bids me to send you her greetings, and to tell you that we are presently enjoying a short visit from my sister Bennet and her daughters. I am most particularly to tell you that while Miss Jane Bennet looks every bit the joyous bride, her sister Elizabeth appears to be somewhat out of spirits, the which, Mrs. Gardiner, having had extended discourse with her, tells me seems to be regarding the absence of a certain gentleman from Derbyshire. I cannot personally attest to any of this, since the young lady in question did not appear for dinner this evening, pleading a headache.
Now, regarding your tenant, it appears to me that you are faced with one of three choices…
Darcy stared at this surprising missive for several minutes. Bless Mrs. Gardiner! he thought. He felt overtaken by a desire to saddle the nearest horse and head posthaste to London, but he cautioned himself sternly that he must not make assumptions; he knew of the Gardiners’ intentions for Elizabeth and him, and perhaps Mrs. Gardiner had taken an overoptimistic view of something Elizabeth had said.
Remember, man, you will see her for yourself in only a few weeks, he admonished himself. Patience!
His thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knocking on the door. Georgiana entered tentatively in response to his call. “Fitzwilliam? May I speak to you for a moment?” she asked.
He attempted to calm himself. “Of course. What can I do for you?”
She looked at him oddly. “Is anything the matter?” she asked.
Of course! She had just received a letter from Elizabeth, and he was showing absolutely no interest in it. No wonder she was confused.
“No, nothing at all, Georgiana. What does Miss Bennet have to say today?”
Somewhat tentatively, she held out a folded sheet of paper. “She asked me to give you this.”
He all but snatched it out of her hand. Georgiana smiled to see him returned to normal on the subject of Miss Bennet. “I will just go back to my letter, then?” she suggested timidly.
“Very tactful, dear,” he responded with a laugh as she exited.
He was pleased to see that his hands barely trembled as he opened the letter.
Dear Mr. Darcy,
I hope you will forgive the impropriety of my addressing this to you directly; it is a liberty I take out of concern for your sister on her upcoming visit to Longbourn. Sir, I regret having to raise an unpleasant matter, but, as you are perhaps aware, my youngest sister recently married and moved to the far north. While it is certain that neither she nor her husband will be in attendance in Hertfordshire during the time of Miss Darcy’s visit, it is likewise certain that her name will be raised repeatedly by members of my family, and I certainly would not wish Miss Darcy to be taken by surprise by mention of Mrs. Wickham. I defer to your greater authority as to whether it is best for you to discuss this with her in advance, or if it is something best addressed only when she arrives, in which case I will of course be prepared to handle the question in whatever way you see fit. Please consider yourself at liberty to share any information regarding my sister’s situation that you deem appropriate.
Blast Wickham! Would he never stop haunting him? This was hardly what he hoped to hear from Elizabeth. He continued:
On a happier subject, I can safely say that Mr. Bingley and my sister are so deliriously happy as to be occasionally somewhat painful to those of us whose sources of such pleasure may be at a more distant remove. I remind myself that time will heal all these ills, but patience has never been one of my stronger virtues. Perhaps I should endeavor to follow your excellent example and make a study of the strengths and limitations of self-control, instead. Perchance you would be willing to offer me a review of the subject after your arrival at Netherfield?
Affectionately yours, EB
If Mr. Gardiner’s letter had surprised him, Elizabeth’s left him in a state of astonishment. He forced himself to peruse it several times, and even after he finally convinced himself he was reading it correctly, his amazement was such that he could not bring himself immediately to believe she had truly meant the words she had written. Whether his shock was greatest from Elizabeth’s admission of missing him, her provocative flirtation, or the completely compromising adieu was impossible to determine.
As his astonishment began to fade, it was replaced by a sensation of heartfelt delight such as he had never felt before. Elizabeth wanted to see him! In his mind, he could picture her looking at him with that expression of warm welcome which she had worn so often for him in his dreams, but never in reality.
He read the letter once more, then folded it and placed it in his pocket next to a certain handkerchief. Decisively, he strode off in search of his valet, whom he informed of the immediate need to prepare for a brief trip. That accomplished, he searched out Georgiana in the music room, and informed her that business called him away for a few days.
Georgiana looked concerned for a moment, then gave a bright smile. “Please do say hello to your business for me when you see her,” she said with an innocent look.
He gave her a look of mock sternness, but was in far too high spirits to argue the point with her.
As Bingley rode up to the paddock for his daily visit, Kitty, from her post in the window seat, announced, “There is a gentleman with him, mamma. Who can it be?”
“Some acquaintance or other, my dear, I suppose; I am sure I do not know.”