A Matchmaking Mother Read online

  Chapter XIII

  Mr. Darcy proved himself as good as his word. So much so that Elizabeth wondered why he had not shown himself to such advantage from the very beginning. The Mr. Darcy Elizabeth came to know during those days was perhaps not charming, as it was not a part of his character to charm a woman with the force of his personality, soft, yet deep voice, or even a flirtatious manner. But he was a lot more appealing than Elizabeth had ever given him credit for possessing when she had despised him in Hertfordshire.

  As the days passed, they were not always together— Lady Catherine’s behavior on seeing them so much as exchange a few words in passing rendered such continuous intercourse inadvisable. Elizabeth found, however, that the gentleman was much more open on the occasions he could be, more willing to sit and speak, and consequently, seemed much less judgmental than he had before.

  Their conversations consisted of various subjects, for Elizabeth found no lack of suitable material for them to discuss. When Mr. Darcy gave his opinions, he gave them in a tone which suggested confidence but lacked arrogance. Furthermore, when she spoke, he was willing to listen, agree when her opinion aligned with his own, and argue his point with intelligence, but offered no condescension when they did not agree. This was not common to all men with whom Elizabeth had experience, as some were not hesitant to show they did not consider the opinion of a woman worth much. Not Mr. Darcy—when he thought she made a worthy point, he was quick to point it out, and her opinions, he allowed her, even when he disagreed.

  What this new openness on the part of the gentleman might presage, Elizabeth could not say, for as ever, he was unreadable—often to a maddening degree. It may be nothing more than his realization he had misbehaved and was now attempting to correct his error.

  Such thoughts, however, were put in doubt by the recollection of Elizabeth’s discussions with Lady Anne and the lady’s assertion of Elizabeth’s compatibility with her son. Though Elizabeth would not have given the notion any credence only a few weeks earlier, now she began to wonder. Was Mr. Darcy considering his mother’s assertions and paying attention to her with the aim of determining for himself if he wished to make an offer? The very idea of it almost set Elizabeth to laughing, but further thought told her she could not dismiss the notion entirely.

  There was something in his manner which Elizabeth could not interpret, something which suggested feelings to which she was not privy. Mr. Darcy was not like Mr. Bingley, whose feelings were open to anyone who cared to look. The gentleman’s admiration for Jane was open, shining from his words, his countenance, from everything he did while in—or out of—her company. Mr. Darcy, by contrast, did not show admiration openly. But when he looked at her, his intensity, which she had taken for disapproval, suggested a similar, if muted, admiration of his own.

  In the end, Elizabeth decided there was little she could do but accept him for whatever he was and deal with the consequences later. Having always agreed with Jane that nothing but love would induce her into marriage, Elizabeth knew she could not accept a proposal from this man if he chose to offer for her. But as time wore on, she wondered if her opinion was not changing.

  After a week of this, Elizabeth became privy to a conversation between Mr. Darcy and his mother, one which she did not mean to overhear. The library in the house, she had discovered, was next to Mr. Darcy’s study, a configuration mirrored by his study in Pemberley, he had informed her. It was useful, for if he needed to consult with a book in his library, it was ready at hand, which did not require him to keep a large selection of books in the room itself. That morning, Elizabeth had come to the library, looking for something to read, when she heard words floating out through the adjoining door, which had not been closed completely.

  “Yes, Mother,” Mr. Darcy was saying. “I apologized to Miss Elizabeth, and I believe you can see the result.”

  “It seemed to me that was so,” replied Lady Anne. “I have seen how you often seek her out, though I will commend you for your forbearance when in Catherine’s company.”

  “It would not do to send her screaming back to Hertfordshire,” replied Mr. Darcy, his tone rather dry.

  Lady Anne’s tinkling laughter spilled through the cracked door. “Surely you do not think Elizabeth so weak as to flee from the dragon.”

  “No, she is not. But it seems to me better to avoid it regardless.”

  “That it is.”

  A pause ensued, in which Elizabeth could well imagine Lady Anne considering her words. An awful feeling welled up in Elizabeth’s breast, as she wondered what the lady might do to promote her as a bride for her son.

  “I am happy you are on better terms, William. The lady is highly favored, in my estimation, as I am certain you well know.”

  “Is this where you now promote her to me as a suitable bride?” asked Mr. Darcy, the humor in his voice clear to where Elizabeth stood.

  “No, William, I will not push you.” Elizabeth could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. “Not only have I given Elizabeth my word I will not interfere, but I know of your contrary nature. You are apt to do the opposite of what I say, simply to prove you can.”

  “I do not think I am quite so obstinate, Mother.”

  It was at this point Elizabeth decided discretion was the better part of valor and retreated to the far side of the room, and from thence out the door. When she had reached the hall outside the library, she swiftly made her way toward the stairs in order to return to her room. There was nothing she wished less than for Mr. Darcy and his mother to learn she had overheard their conversation.

  One consequence of Mr. Darcy’s burgeoning friendship with Elizabeth was the deterioration of Miss Bingley’s behavior. It seemed to Elizabeth that the woman’s objections to her brother’s courtship with Jane were growing weaker by the day. In time, she had all but ceased paying any heed to that situation, and for that Elizabeth had to give the woman credit. This capitulation, however, made things more difficult for Elizabeth, for Miss Bingley began to focus everything on Mr. Darcy.

  “I can see what you mean about Miss Bingley,” said Jane one evening.

  That day had been particularly difficult for Elizabeth, as Miss Bingley had all but invited herself on an outing to Bond Street. While the woman was not so lost to propriety that she would disparage Elizabeth to all and sundry, that did not mean she did not insult with little demeaning comments designed to prick Elizabeth’s confidence, nor did she cease to state her distaste for Elizabeth to Mr. Darcy.

  “What, in particular?” asked Elizabeth, though she knew very well to what Jane referred

  “Do not tease me, Lizzy,” said Jane, understanding Elizabeth’s ways as well as she did herself. “I know you sometimes think me naïve for looking for the best in others, but that does not mean I am blind. While I will own my appreciation that Miss Bingley has ceased her objections to me, I can see her continued attempts to attract Mr. Darcy’s attention.”

  “Miss Bingley, it seems, has always wished to be mistress of Pemberley,” replied Elizabeth with a sigh.

  “And she sees you as a threat,” replied Jane. “Even more so than Anne.”

  Elizabeth flashed Jane a wry grin. “Everyone but Lady Catherine can see a cooling of whatever existed between Anne and Mr. Darcy—I cannot think Miss Bingley has not seen it herself.”

  “But you must own his attentions to you have risen to fill the void.”

  “I cannot dispute that,” replied Elizabeth, “but I still do not know what they signify.”

  Jane fixed Elizabeth with a look she might have expected to see from her mother. “Do you not?”

  “Come now, Jane,” replied Elizabeth, “I am accounted the observant one, and I cannot see anything in Mr. Darcy’s manners which suggest admiration. His actions imply he admires me, but that is not enough to convince me when nothing in his demeanor confirms it.”

  It seemed Elizabeth had made a point Jane could not dispute, for she was silent for a moment, considering it. “I will grant you th
at Mr. Darcy’s manners are not in any way similar to Mr. Bingley’s.” Jane paused, her cheeks pinking, as they often did when the gentleman was mentioned. “But there is something in him which I cannot find anything but pleasing, for his attentiveness to you is beyond what I might deem polite.”

  “I suppose you are correct,” replied Elizabeth with a slow nod of her head. “But I will not consider him a suitor until such time as he makes his intentions known.”

  Once again Jane leveled a long look at Elizabeth. “Do you wish for his attentions?”

  “At present, I hardly know,” replied Elizabeth. “The gentleman has shown himself better than I might have imagined since we came to London, and even better in the past week. Is that enough to disarm my prior opinion of him? I cannot say.”

  “I would not have expected any other answer,” said Jane, rising from the bed on which she sat. She bent over and kissed Elizabeth on the head and added: “But I urge you to keep an open mind to the possibility of the gentleman’s admiration, Lizzy. Though I know you did not begin well with him, it is on my mind that Mr. Darcy is a more estimable gentleman than any of us gave him credit.” Then Jane excused herself.

  The conversation stayed with Elizabeth and, in part, provided the foundation for her behavior in the coming days. Even with Mr. Darcy’s improved manners and her own ruminations on the subject, Elizabeth had never considered the possibility of his admiration likely. Jane’s words, however, opened her eyes to the possibility, and even the likely interpretation of the situation. Elizabeth resolved to allow matters to develop and not to close her mind to anything.

  The situation with Miss Bingley, however, continued to be vexing for Elizabeth, and unless she missed her guess, to Mr. Darcy as well. Lady Anne did not hide her disapproval for the woman’s overt attempts to garner her son’s attention, and Georgiana, it appeared, was no less annoyed. That they stayed silent was a relief to Elizabeth, for she did not doubt that Miss Bingley’s private vitriol would grow in intensity and nastiness if she saw her chances slipping away. It was fortunate, therefore, the matter had come to a head only a few days earlier.

  As spring was now in full flower, Elizabeth found herself drawn once more to the out of doors; the Darcy family lived close to Hyde Park, after all, and while it was not the wild paths of her father’s estate, it more than sufficed during her sojourn in London. In this the family indulged her, one of whom almost always accompanied her on her walks, dispensing with the need for a footman to escort her. Of late, her companion was almost always Mr. Darcy.

  “Perhaps we should walk together in Hyde Park,” said Mr. Bingley on that day. The gentleman and his sister had arrived during visiting hours, Mr. Bingley to continue in his efforts to woo Jane, while the lady had her own wooing in mind.

  “Oh, yes,” said Miss Bingley, looking to Mr. Darcy with a clear hope he would invite her to walk. “It is such a lovely place, so excellently situated. The present hour is too early, of course, for anyone of any consequence will stroll the park at a later hour.”

  “That is a concern only if one wishes to be seen,” said Elizabeth, tamping down on her amusement. “When I walk, I do so for the love of nature and for the exercise, not for some nebulous enjoyment of knowing someone will take note of me.”

  “Which is why you do not fit into this society,” said Miss Bingley with an unpleasant sneer. “Country manners do not account for the need to socialize with one’s equals in a higher setting. Then again, it is obvious to any making your acquaintance that you are not of their level, so I can see why you might wish to walk early and avoid the disgrace of being ignored.”

  Elizabeth, though she supposed she should be offended, was instead inclined to laughter, though she refrained with effort. As Miss Bingley knew Lady Anne did not appreciate her disparaging her guests, her comments were usually vaguer in nature, the more cutting ones delivered to Elizabeth’s ears alone. For her to have been so open in her criticism showed her growing desperation.

  “I do not care a jot for others’ opinions,” replied Elizabeth.

  “As you should not,” said Mr. Bingley, directing a glare at his sister.

  “In my opinion,” said Mr. Darcy, “this business of seeing and being seen by all and sundry shows nothing more than a narcissistic sort of pride and arrogance.”

  Those words silenced Miss Bingley far more effectively than anything Elizabeth or Mr. Bingley might have said. It did not stop Miss Bingley’s fiery glare in Elizabeth’s direction, but at least the woman did not attempt to denigrate her further.

  In the end, the younger members of the company decided to walk out, including Jane and Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, Georgiana, Miss Bingley, and Elizabeth. Lady Anne, though she peered at Miss Bingley with growing distaste—Miss Bingley affected ignorance—wished them a pleasant walk and announced her intention to speak with her housekeeper. A few moments later, the company had dressed in their outerwear and had left Darcy house to walk toward the park.

  The initial composition of the party was exactly what Elizabeth might have expected. As there were two gentlemen and four ladies, each of the men escorted two women as they walked down the street toward the distant greenery. Jane was with Mr. Bingley, of course, and equally unsurprising, Miss Bingley had latched onto Mr. Darcy’s arm with the strength of a hawk capturing its prey. Georgiana frowned at Miss Bingley and seemed to be working her way to some caustic comment. Elizabeth, eager to maintain the peace, smiled at her and accepted Mr. Bingley’s other arm, allowing Georgiana to accept her brother’s escort. Elizabeth did not miss the expression of cruel triumph with which Miss Bingley regarded her, but she also did not misunderstand Mr. Darcy’s clear annoyance.

  When they arrived in the park, they stayed that way for some time, though Elizabeth released Mr. Bingley’s arm to enjoy the meandering path on her own. It was a lovely day, the sun warming them as they walked, accompanied by birds chirping and the murmur of the stream in the distance. It was almost as good as walking the paths of her father’s estate.

  After a time of this, however, Elizabeth noted Georgiana attracting Miss Bingley’s attention to her, and raised her hand to her lips to stifle a laugh at the girl’s blatant attempts to distract the woman away from her brother. Miss Bingley, seeming pleased and flattered, allowed Georgiana to lead her away, after which Mr. Darcy was not slow in approaching Elizabeth. Jane and Mr. Bingley had already walked on ahead.

  “It seems to me you are in your natural state, Miss Elizabeth,” said Mr. Darcy, his voice betraying some hint of emotion to Elizabeth, who was in the act of raising her face to the heat of the sun, her eyes closed in pleasure.

  “Do you think me some wood nymph, Mr. Darcy?” asked Elizabeth, turning to smile at him.

  “No, Miss Elizabeth,” replied he. “Though it is clear you are at home in the woods and fields, with every hint of the allure those mythical women possess, I do not consider you anything less than human.”

  This was the first thing Mr. Darcy had ever said which seemed to reveal his admiration, and Elizabeth regarded him for a moment. “I am at home in the woods and fields,” said Elizabeth at length. “As you are aware, I can rightly claim to be an excellent walker, for it is one of my favorite pastimes.”

  “Though I am almost afraid to ask, does Hyde Park suffice?”

  Elizabeth laughed and waved a finger at him. “You accuse me of thinking ill of this wonderful bit of nature amid all this humanity? What utter contempt you must hold for me!”

  “Never that, Miss Elizabeth.”

  “Then I shall inform you,” said Elizabeth, still grinning, “that Hyde Park is wonderful, but it is not my home. At Longbourn I can walk for many miles in fields and woods, across streams and by ponds, and experience nothing but the wonder of nature. Hyde Park, though marvelous, is not the equal of the country.”

  “I am much fonder of the country myself,” said Mr. Darcy. “Perhaps . . .”

  The gentleman paused, seemed to consider the matter for a moment, and Elizabeth w
as certain there was an air of embarrassment about him.

  “In the future,” said he at length, “it is possible my mother might invite you to Pemberley. If she does, I dare say you will find much to appreciate, for there are enough paths on the estate to satisfy even your prodigious thirst for nature.”

  “Will you tell me about it?” asked Elizabeth, curious to learn what she could about his home.

  They continued to walk, Mr. Darcy sharing his recollections Pemberley, his love for it shining through every word, every distant gaze, as if he was seeing it in his mind’s eye. As he spoke, Elizabeth began to understand Mr. Darcy a little better, gaining a higher insight into his character. He was tied to his estate with bond greater than her father possessed for Longbourn, and knowing he was a conscientious master, Elizabeth gained a greater respect for this quiet gentleman.

  Such circumstances could not last, unfortunately, as it was not long before Miss Bingley became aware of Elizabeth’s present position walking by Mr. Darcy’s side. As this was a condition which she could not allow to persist—and Miss Bingley’s glare at Georgiana suggested she understood how the girl had distracted her—she hurried to join them. Though Elizabeth might have been content to allow the woman to have her way and laugh at her ridiculous behavior, it was the application of her designs which brought the ire of them all down on her.

  “Mr. Darcy,” exclaimed the woman, her voice nearly a screech, “shall you not walk with me toward the Serpentine?”

  As she said this, Miss Bingley hurried forward and inserted herself between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. While Elizabeth had not been holding the gentleman’s arm, she had been walking close, and as Miss Bingley was taller than Elizabeth, she stumbled when the larger woman’s frame impacted with her own.

  “Have a care, Miss Bingley,” said Mr. Darcy, stepping around her, while avoiding her talons reaching for his arm, as he attempted to steady Elizabeth.