Chapter 36

Elizabeth stood nervously in the middle of the drawing room as Mr. Darcy was announced. It was late afternoon and she had all but given up on him coming to visit her when the small but stately carriage pulled up on Gracechurch Street.

"Mr. Darcy," Elizabeth called out cautiously, as she curtseyed. "I did not expect to see you at this late hour, sir."

Darcy bowed at his turn and then moved out of the way as Sanders came in with an armful of packages. "Yes, I apologize for my unexpected arrival. I wanted to come sooner but I had some errands to run before I could get here. Ahem," he coughed to try and rid himself of his strange voice made higher by his nervousness. His relations had spent hours coaching and encouraging him on his intended relationship with Elizabeth and he drew on their confidence. He looked around the room as he spoke more calmly, "I thought the rest of your family would be here. Are you alone, Miss Bennet?"

"Yes, I mean no. I hurried down so I could greet you but my Aunt and Sister are upstairs tending to my cousins and should join us directly. And I thought I heard Uncle come in earlier…" she broke off lamely as she searched Mr. Darcy for clues about his mood. She saw right away that he no longer wore his façade of cool calmness. His tensely coiled energy was still present but it seemed lighter and more anticipatory, like a weight had been lifted and a decision made. His face seemed younger as well, displaying feelings of excitement, hope, and even a little happiness.

She didn't have much time to contemplate it before her uncle stepped into the room. "Who do we have here, Lizzy?"

"Uncle, this is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire. He is a friend of Jane's fiancé, Mr. Bingley, and we spent some time together last autumn. Mr. Darcy, my uncle, Mr. Edward Gardiner. He is my mother's brother."

"I can see the resemblance to Mrs. Bennet: a pleasure to meet you sir. I apologize for my late call," said Darcy respectfully as a part of his reserve returned to his demeanor.

Just then, Mary and her aunt walked in. "Oh dear," cried Elizabeth, "I believe we have one more introduction to make. Of course you remember my sister Mary. Mr. Darcy, this is my aunt, Mrs. Mariam Gardiner. Aunt, Mr. Darcy of Pemberley."

"Mr. Darcy! What an honor to finally make your acquaintance," enthused Mrs. Gardiner. "I know you would not remember me but I have seen you before though we had never been introduced. My father operated the small bookstore in Lampton and I passed my childhood there."

"You are Mr. Mecham's daughter? I'm afraid I was not very talkative as a youth but old Mr. Mecham was very kind to me. He always set aside new volumes he thought I'd enjoy, for when I came into the store. By the time I felt comfortable enough to utter more than a few words to him, you had already gone off to London to stay with your Aunt's, I believe. He was quite proud of you and I was distressed to hear about his passing these two years past."

"Thank you for the condolences, Mr. Darcy. My father was a good man and much missed. And it was my Aunt's whose residence I moved to when I first arrived here. I cannot believe you remembered that detail," Mariam proclaimed with a smile. "Please have a seat. We do not need to stand on ceremony. In fact, I was just about to speak with my housekeeper. Would you like to stay for dinner, Mr. Darcy?"

"I do not want to be a bother," he started.

"It is no trouble at all. We are used to Mr. Gardiner bringing unexpected guests for dinner and there is no reason we cannot do the same for our beloved nieces. Is that not right dear?"

"Of course," Mr. Gardiner agreed good-naturedly. "Please join us."

"I would be delighted. Thank you. It is fortuitous that I did not come empty-handed then since I will be staying for dinner," Darcy said as he moved toward the packages. "That is one of reasons for my untimely arrival. I was strongly advised by my Aunt Eleanor, whom I am told you have already met, that I should not barge unexpectedly into a family's home without bearing gifts to compensate for the inconveniences I may cause as this is not the usual calling hour."

"That was not necessary, Mr. Darcy" started Elizabeth. She never before would have believed he could be so open and easy with strangers, especially those of the lower class, and she marveled at it.

"Oh, but it is. I had it straight from the 'Countess of Etiquette,' herself. Most of this I brought with me from Pemberley so they are nothing costly." He brought over the first box and presented it to Mr. Gardiner. "This is a pineapple that was grown in my hothouse. Not only is it one of my favorite fruits, I learned that in the American South it is a symbol for hospitality, which I had hoped you would graciously extend to me. Also in there are a couple jugs of apple beer that we produce on our home farm. I hope you like it."

Then to Mrs. Gardiner he first presented an envelope containing an invitation from the Countess to tea for the next day. "I hope you can attend. My sister, Georgiana, is very anxious to make your acquaintance. In fact, I do not believe I would be welcomed back home unless you agree to meet her."

Mrs. Gardiner was thoroughly charmed by the handsome, friendly man and hurried to accept for her and her nieces. Then they all awed at the various toys and games for the children. When she made to protest, Darcy cut in, "this is not from me but from my cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam. He told me that your children were very generous in lending their toys to Miss Elizabeth so that his recovering soldiers could benefit and he wanted to show his appreciation for their goodness."

He then hurriedly presented Mary with a thick sheaf of parchment containing music from various composers including Mozart. And to Elizabeth, he gave her the latest compilation of poems from Lord Byron.

After he handed out all his presents, he stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do next. All at once, a chorus of thank yous came from the recipients. Mary, especially, seemed overwhelmed that he remembered her love of learning new music. Elizabeth was touched that he had put such thought into and gone through so much trouble for the gifts. She put the book aside and impulsively grabbed both his hands with her own.

"Mr. Darcy, this is the second time you came bearing gifts after an unexpected reunion between the two of us," she said warmly as she squeezed his hands. Then wanting to lighten the mood, she raised his arms and feigned looking under and around him. "There is not a spare servant or clothing items still to present, is there?" she asked archly.

Darcy couldn't help chuckling at her jest before he cleared his throat and answered with all solemnity, "No, Miss Bennet, I believe I came with items more appropriate for the occasion."

"Well, at least I can express my appreciation for your thoughtfulness in a more befitting and timely manner this time," she said cheekily. "Thank you, Mr. Darcy, I will treasure my book."

They slowly released their hands as the others seconded their expressions of gratitude. Darcy accepted their thanks with humility then turned to Mr. Gardiner and asked, "I know that this is a bit untoward but I was wondering if I could have a few minutes alone with Miss Bennet before we adjourn to the dining room. I have some pressing items I need to discuss with her concerning last night's ball. If it would make you a little more comfortable, maybe Miss Mary could remain to act as chaperone."

"Of course," answered Mrs. Gardiner. "Mr. Gardiner has yet to see the children and I need to make sure their meals and ours are well situated. Please excuse us."

After he and Elizabeth were seated at one corner of the room and Mary was at the other end discreetly studying her new music, Elizabeth started the conversation.

"Mr. Darcy, this visit has been a very pleasant surprise for me so far. Last night, I had the distinct impression that you were made unhappy by my presence."

"Yes, Miss Bennet, about that... As you know, I do not handle surprises or new situations very well and coming across you at the ball was a complete shock. You see, I was all set to return to Meryton when I received a letter indicating that you were in London so I came here instead but I had no idea you would be at my Uncle's. I greatly anticipated our reunion but not at a ball and not with you dancing with that blackguard Devon. I know I have no claim on you, Miss Bennet but I felt afraid... I didn't know your thoughts… Well, everything seemed to be out of my control… and I behaved badly. You did not deserve my reaction and I want to extend my heartfelt apology."

Elizabeth was moved by his honesty and the fact that this proud, private man would debase himself for her. "I will accept your apology sir, if you will accept mine. You were right. I was little prepared to face such people as those present last night. I did not know who the notables were, what to watch out for and avoid, the histories and rivalries amongst individuals like you and Lord Devon. I probably caused further friction between the two of you. I am sorry for that."

"Never mind him, Miss Elizabeth. It is you who is my main concern. I know we are friends but I wanted to ask you if you could have feelings beyond… if you saw yourself becoming…if you be willing to have a closer… What I mean is, is there a chance that you can grow to regard me as something more, a lot more, than a mere friend?" Darcy sputtered out as he looked intently at her.

Elizabeth was overwhelmed with her emotions, as well as, the hope and anticipation she saw in his eyes, and she could only nod her head.

Darcy was elated. To him, she had agreed to be his and he couldn't be happier. He wanted to kiss her with all the joy and desire he felt but a glance at the other side of the room told him that this was not the right time. Instead, he cleared his throat and started another subject.

"Elizabeth, I also failed to thank you for saving me from the potential aftermath of my stepmother's machinations. I was about to physically throw Lady Rebecca off my back and if you were not present to ward off my reaction, who knows what would have transpired if I thought I had harmed an innocent girl and not the scheming one she truly was. I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am for your quick thinking and timely handling of the situation. Thank you, Miss Elizabeth," he said earnestly while gazing into her eyes.

They shared a quick smile of acknowledgement and acceptance of his gratitude before Elizabeth lowered her head and said, "but it was not without consequences. Lady Margaret thinks that Mrs. Darcy now has her sights on me and is intent on spreading malicious lies about us."

"I agree and that is why we should marry quickly," Darcy said almost casually. "Once I give you my name and protection, she will have no power over us. Her lies will have no credence after our engagement is announced in the papers and you are seen in public with me and my family. Let me write to your father. There still may be time for us to have the banns read and marry in the same ceremony as your sister. I should…"

"No," interrupted Elizabeth, so quietly that Darcy almost missed it.

"What? Time is of the essence, Elizabeth. We need to…"

"No," she reiterated more firmly.

"Elizabeth!" Darcy stopped and started again. "I do not understand. You said you forgave me and had feelings for me. I thought we were well again."

"We are but," she said as she held up a finger to him, "one, you did not even ask me a question and two, if I somehow missed it, my answer is no. As I told the Dowager, I will not marry you just so I can save my reputation from potential rumors. I will just return home and…"

"Wait, you do not want to marry me?" he asked in confusion and hurt. Did I misunderstand all that had transpired over the last few minutes? Darcy thought to himself.

"No, I do not want to make you marry me. I told you before that I would marry only for the deepest love and respect. I will not force us to unite in marriage because of some act of gentlemanly valor on your part or in gratitude for a past service." Elizabeth knew that his proposal was what she wanted most in her heart. After all, these past few months she put herself through a rigid schedule of improvement to be more worthy of his offer. In her mind, Mr. Darcy did not feel she was up to par in Hertfordshire since he left so easily. Now, without a chance to see any of her progress, he was proposing marriage and to her it proved that he was just doing the honorable thing to protect her from harm.

Darcy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was such a fool. He needed to stop dancing around his feelings and get to the heart of the matter. "Forgive me Elizabeth. This is my first marriage proposal and I have bungled it."

He rose and walked toward the door. Elizabeth was devastated to see him stand and stride away. She wanted to call him back but he stopped on his own only to return to her side. When their eyes met, he dropped down on one knee and reached for her hand. "Miss Bennet, earlier I stated that I was on my way to Meryton before I was redirected here. I left Pemberley so I could finally tell you how much I ardently admire and love you. Indeed, I think I fell for you the very first time I laid eyes on you. After all our time together, leaving you last November was the hardest thing I had ever done but I was frightened by my intense emotions and I did not believe I was up to taking such a risk to my heart. It was only during my time at Pemberley that I felt strong enough to reveal my true feelings and allow you the choice of determining my future happiness. I returned to win your love and to beg you to accept my hand in marriage.

"Elizabeth Bennet, your spirit, your beauty, your courage, your wit, your laughter, your hobbies and so much more are the things without which I can no longer live. You would make me the happiest of men if you would agree to stand by my side and allow me the right to be evermore at yours. Please Elizabeth, marry me. My life is in your hands," he implored as he gently turned her right hand and opening up her palm, placed a kiss at the center.

Tears were streaming down her face as he spoke to her and as he looked up from his kiss, she whispered yes. He whooped with joy as he rose again taking her with him and twirled in circles as he squeezed her to him. It was only on his third rotation that he noticed Mary and her relatives staring at them in open-mouthed astonishment.

Darcy slowly lowered Elizabeth to the ground and tried to look chastened but he couldn't contain his jubilant smile.

"Mr. Darcy, I believe dinner will have to be delayed a little longer as you and I need to have a talk," said Mr. Gardiner dryly.

"Yes sir," Darcy agreed.

Lrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlr

Wickham sauntered down the heavily trafficked avenue as he smugly patted the five-pound note in his breast pocket. Visits to his journalist 'friend' at the London Times were always profitable but because this last tidbit was so juicy, he had negotiated a few extra pounds for his information. He was ensured that this newest 'rumor' would go out in tomorrow's paper and he had to approach Lord Devon before then.

He had it on good authority that the young earl could be found with his cronies in his favorite gambling hall on Tuesday nights and Wickham planned to be there. Thankfully, the door operator knew Wickham from his 'flush' days and admittance shouldn't be a problem. With some luck, not only would he grow his five-pounder into something more substantial at the card tables but he would be awarded the hundred-pounds that Lord Devon had for years claimed he would be reward to those who came forth with information concerning the name and location of Darcy's past or present mistresses.

It was well known that Devon wanted to somehow revenge himself on Darcy using his past lovers. Wickham knew that the unfeeling Master of Pemberley didn't care an iota about his mistresses outside the bedroom. If Lord Devon thought otherwise, well, it was none of his business what the earl did with the information as long as Wickham was paid.

It was a good idea on Sophia's part that he sell his 'story' to both the gossip column and the Earl. He knew enough to realize that she was using him to do all the dirty work in her quest to make Darcy miserable but he was also keeping all the money so it was a fair trade-off.

Lrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlr

Dominick Black, the ninth Earl of Devon sat nursing his drink, contemplating what he'd just learned. He was a hundred pounds lighter than he was an hour ago but he would've spent that and more at the tables that night. What was more valuable was the information he'd just learned. He went back over the conversation with the oily Wickham in his head.

"You'll telling me that Darcy had an affair with a gentleman's daughter in some small town and when he ended it, she followed him to London?" he had asked, incredulously.

"No, I can't say that for a fact," backpedaled Wickham. "Look, this woman and Darcy stayed under the same roof for almost a week at their mutual friend's home. I have a friend in the militia who's stationed there for the winter and he wrote that at a private ball, Darcy danced twice with her, including a very steamy waltz. Then not a few days later, this lieutenant was performing morning reconnaissance drills in the countryside and he saw Darcy and the girl riding on horseback together. They were on one horse with his arms securely around her. She was looking very disheveled and he was missing a few articles of clothing.

"That friend wrote that he couldn't tell anyone but me about what he saw because he didn't want to spread rumors about such a nice young lady, but since I was his friend and an 'indifferent third party,' he felt safe relaying it to me. The idiot didn't realize that he provided me with an independently documented source to back up what I had immediately sensed when I saw the two of them together and later separately. See, I brought the letters with me. He also wrote that Darcy left abruptly without taking leave of anyone in the countryside but the girl's family and that little chit had multiple men visiting her before she decided to quit the neighborhood for London."

"There's a chance that Darcy was just courting or was even engaged to the girl," Devon had countered.

Wickham had laughed off his comment. "No way. That cold-hearted dandy may like to get his thrills like the rest of us but when it comes to marriage, he's as proud and status-minded as they come, as well as a ruthless man of fortune. She is one of five daughters of a country squire; Darcy wouldn't aligned himself with that inconsequential family without at least a decent dowry to compensate him."

Devon could only agree and in the end he had paid Wickham. The information was too tantalizing to pass up. He did warn the back-biter that he'd demand a lot more than money in recompense if the information turned out to be false before he sent him on his way.

Miss Elizabeth Bennet from Hertfordshire. He had just met the vixen and now he understood his instant obsession to the girl. Her whole being screamed sexual promise despite the innocent vibe she tried to project. She acted unavailable but she must not have given up on Darcy and knew that he would show up at his own Uncle's ball. She must be in possession of a very cunning mind and superb acting abilities to play all those socialites for fools last evening. Even Darcy had acted like he didn't know her when Devon was trying to take her off to a corner to sample her wares. The bastard just didn't want to share a bit of muslin once again when he had no qualms about taking from Devon.

He did notice that they danced together. Neither one looked happy but there could have been a lover's quarrel. More likely, Darcy was angry that she'd shown up at his family's event. Devon would be infuriated if one of his whores showed up at a social function where his relatives were present.

Devon wasn't sure what to do with this information: blackmail? extortion? public humiliation? Surely, Darcy wouldn't want his Uncle and Aunt, the Earl and Countess of Matlock, to realize that they had welcomed a fallen woman into their home. Oh, the possibilities of causing the 'respected and upstanding' Darcy discomfort and embarrassment were endless and to Devon, supremely satisfying.

One thing Devon knew for certain was that he had to have his own stab at the delectable 'Miss' Bennet. Virgins held little appeal for him as he abhorred the sight and smell of blood but he still liked them fresh and slightly defiant. Luckily, he found a workable solution that allowed him to fulfill his penchants. Recalling the tantalizing image of Darcy's little morsel, he had wanted her even before knowing anything about her but now…well, she was simply irresistible.