Chapter two is here! YAY!
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Chapter Two
Mr Darcy's Point of View
Netherfield Park was quiet. The morning sun was shining through the large window of the office that my dear friend, Charles Bingley, had allowed me to use to finish off some business correspondence. It had turned out to be the best place to hide from Caroline Bingley, Charles' youngest sister; the young woman seemed to hold a strong belief that I enjoyed her constant company, finding a place where I could be undisturbed was an excellent thing.
I had been a Netherfield Park with Charles and his sister for a little more than a month. Charles had arrived at my home with a smile on his face, waving documents around, declaring he had found the perfect place to call home. He had requested that I travel with him and after spending some time at the property, help him decide if his intuition was correct.
The invitation had been flattering, and at first, I had believed that my responsibilities at Pemberly would keep me from coming with him. However, fortune was in my favour and I was able to bring my work with me. The only thing I had been concerned about was my younger sister, Georgiana. Before I had left with Charles, she had been recovering from a bout of sickness. Leaving her while she was still recovering filled me with guilt, but a rather firm push or two from Georgiana assured me that she was fine; her constant letters also kept me from worrying.
The time spent at Netherfield had been somewhat unpleasant, for me. Charles had managed to make many acquaintances with families already situated in Hertfordshire, but I found myself disagreeing with his assessment of many of them. Then again, my social skills had never been my best attribute; even as a child I had been shy, my father had believed it would be something I would grow out of, and my mother had tried to encourage me. Unfortunately, my awkward social graces meant my ability to come across as friendly upon first meeting was little to none. It didn't affect the running of Pemberley as I was confident about all areas regarding it, but causal social interactions were troublesome.
I signed the end of my last correspondence for the day and placed down my quill as a gently knock cut through my peace and quiet. "Enter," I said.
The door opened and in stepped Charles. "My apologies if I am interrupting."
I offered him a smile. "Charles, you are never interrupting."
"I am glad," he said.
"What can I do for you?" I asked. I stood from my chair and collected my letters.
Charles closed the door and stepped further into the room; the look on his face filled me with concern. He furrowed brow only appeared when the information or request he would share with me was something he knew I would be uncomfortable with. "I wanted to tell you that I have sent out an invitation to invites the Bennet family to dine with us at the end of the week."
Dread filled my stomach. The Bennet family was the one family I had wished Charles had never met. They were beyond ridiculous, and the idea that Charles wanted to associate with them brought me considerable concern on what their actions would do to his reputation.
"Now, I know that your last meeting with them did not go as smoothly as it could have, but I am hoping that this dinner will help improve relations." Charles clapped his hands together and smiled at me. The smile didn't reach his eyes and I could see the nerves bubbling inside him.
The first meeting with the Bennet's certainly was an interesting one. Two weeks after they had arrived at Netherfield Park, Charles had received an invitation to a town ball that would be happening that night. It was last minute, but Charles had insisted that we all go and meet everyone. Charles had tried to assure both myself and his sister that it would be an enjoyable evening. It was anything but.
The ball was held in the town hall that was small and crowded; there was very little room to move without knocking into another guest. I had felt awkward and uncomfortable the second we arrived. Charles had been introduced to the Bennet's shortly after we arrived. Mrs Bennet was loud and upfront, she was not shy about flaunting her four daughters before Charles and I. Mr Bennet was a quiet man who besides a firm nod after being introduced, returning to standing against a wall drinking. I had felt sorry for the poor man, he was no doubt hiding from his wife. The four Bennet daughters were all remarkably different. The eldest and most agreeable of them all was Jane Bennet. A blonde beauty who caught Charles' eye the minute they had entered the hall. Charles had spent the remainder of the night inquiring about her and dancing with her. Jane had three younger sisters, but their names I did not remember. They had all been different in personality, two were quite loud while the other was reserved like her father.
This dinner was all about Jane. Charles had made his intentions clear after arriving home that evening, and this was Charles' first step in wooing Miss Bennet. I had no issue with him chasing the young woman, my concerns were towards her unusual family. However, my fears were not as important as my friend's heart. So rather than throw my dislike for the Bennet's at his feet, I conceded and bowed my head.
"I know how anxious you are to become better acquainted with Miss Bennet and as your friend, while I do not find her family agreeable, who am I to stand in your way," I said.
Charles beamed and moved across the room to me. His hands grasped my shoulders, and he said, "Thank you, my friend. Now if only you could convince my sister to think in the same manner."
I sighed and said, "I'm afraid your sister is a lost cause. She is, without a doubt, never going to approve."
Charles clenched his jaw and nodded. "That is what I am afraid of. But nonetheless, thank you." Charles left the office, and I smiled at the noticeable skip in his step. I had never seen him so excited about the prospect of meeting a young woman again, maybe he had truly experienced love at first sight.
Having completed my work for the day, I decided to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather that the first few days of summer had supplied. I dressed in my most comfortable riding slacks and tacked one of the few horses that Charles had stabled. The horse Charles had allowed me to use was called Captain, he was jet black, incredibly friendly, and an obsession with apples.
I mounted Captain, and we headed out to a small lake that I had discovered sat on the edge of the property. The lake lay in the middle of a large open field and one side was covered by a large willow tree that's leaves had stretched out over the water. Plenty of wildflowers and ferns had sprouted up and surrounded the pool of water, and the natural generation of this piece of land made for a beautiful setting. I had considered recommending the spot to Charles if he ever wished to take Miss Bennet somewhere romantic.
It took no more than ten minutes to reach the spot. I allowed Captain to graze in the tall grass and sat among the roots of the willow tree. I pulled out a book by my favourite poet William Blake. The most recent collection of his poems had been bound together and given to me by my sister for my last birthday; it had been a welcome surprise.
One poem that kept me rather glued to the collection was a poem called 'A Poison Tree'. The poem itself talked about dealing with an overwhelming sense of anger that if the speaker was with a friend, then they would be able to work through it, however, if that anger is directed towards an enemy the outcome would not be so pleasant.
At the time my sister had gifted me the book, I had found myself relating to the poem and finding that to read it allowed me to clearly navigate through a rather stressful time.
Sitting beneath the tree, I opened to 'A Poison Tree' and let the poem's words sink in.
I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe;
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I water'd it in fears,
Night & morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night.
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe behild it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.
And into my garden stole,
When the night had veild the pole;
In the morning glad I see;
My doe outstretched beneath the tree.
There had been a few moments in my life that I could say that I had allowed my anger to overwhelm everything else. The death of my mother and my father had both hurt deeply, both of them dying well before their time and leaving me to care for my much younger sister had been terrifying for me. Having one particular person who I had called brother betray me at the same time had only made it worse. To honour my parents, I had managed to keep myself together. But no one was perfect and my anger had gotten the best of me on occasion.
A drop of water landing on my cheek alerted me to the grey clouds that had floated in and covered the sky. It did not take long before the grey clouds turned dark, blocking the sun from the sky, and turning the glimmering field into a muddy nightmare as rain poured down.
As quickly as I could, I mounted Captain and turned him towards the house but found the heavy downpour challenging to see through. I decided that finding shelter would be a better option than to push through the sudden summer storm.
I found a bridge not too far from the lake that was covered but a wooden roof. While water still seemed to leak through the hastily built covering, it provided enough shelter to keep Captain and me from getting wetter any further; not that my clothes could absorb any more water if they tried.
I tied Captain's reins to the side railing of the bridge, so that if he spooked he would not run, and gently stroked his neck. The rain didn't seem to be letting up, but I couldn't help but smile at the first of what would be many summer storms. As a child, summer storms had been a favourite past time. Running around on the neatly trimmed lawns of Pemberley, his mother chasing after him with her beaming smile and his father scolding them from the porch before giving in and joining them in the downpour. The small and joyous event frequently led to a cold that would keep me in bed for a few days following the said storm, but it had always been worth it.
A twinkling laugh caught my attention from the other side of the bridge. I turned away from Captain to see a young woman, thoroughly soaked, pulling a hat from her head and allowing her long brown hair to fall out of its bun. She laughed as she dropped the hat to the ground and began to ring the water from her hair.
The woman appeared to be oblivious to my presence, and I spent a moment observing her as she seemed to have enjoyed running through the rain. Her eyes were gleaming with joy, and her musical laugh echoed around me.
I forced myself to stop staring at her and decided to introduce myself. I cleared my throat and clasped my hands together behind my back.
The woman gasped and spun around. Her eyes full, still filled with humour but now also surprise. "Oh, hello." A giggle slipped from her mouth. "I did not see you."
Her laughter was magic; I could not hold back the smile it forced upon my face. "My apologise, Miss. I did not mean to startle you."
She smiled and said, "People say that often. I must be completely self-absorbed as so many people seem to startle me with their presence."
Her admission was interesting. While I believed that every woman had some sort of level of self-obsession, the women I knew would never admit it out loud. "Or maybe their presence is simply not important enough for you to waste your precious time on them." My reply came off more snobbish than I had intended.
The young woman, however, giggled again and said, "I do not believe myself more important than any other person. Everyone is worth my time." She bent down to pick up her discarded hat and walked closer to me. "Were you caught in the storm?" she asked.
I nodded. "Indeed. I was enjoy the pleasant sunshine and was completely encaptured in my book when this storm surprised me. Rather than battle against the unkind rain, I decided that shelter would be the best course of action."
"I had every intention to walk back home, sun or rain, however, I did not realise how far from home I had walked." The young woman looked down at her dress and sighed. "My aunt shall not be pleased about the layer of mud I have accumulated on my dress. Oh well, just another reason to avoid returning any sooner."
The young woman intrigued me. Her joyful manner, brilliant laugh and smile, and her enjoyment of the rain appealed to me more than any other woman had. Glancing at the two inches of mud that had coated the bottom of her dress, I thought about how normally such an appearance would usually show lack of decorum and propriety, but seeing how unperturbed she was felt refreshing.
"Do you find yourself caught in the rain often, sir?" she asked me.
I smiled and considered sharing my childhood fondness for the downpour of rain. I nodded my head. "Not as often as I did as a child. On many occasions, I would enjoy summer storms, just like this one, and play on the lawns surrounding my home much to my father's dismay and the colds that I would develop afterwards."
Her smile brightened and she bit down on her lip. The action sent a shiver through my body, and I cleared my throat and shook my head to not allow myself to get distracted. The young woman was a stunning young woman, rivalling many of the young ladies I had been acquainted with over the years. Her bright eyes and pink cheeks were a pleasant sight to behold.
"Sir, if you intend to stare at me in such a manner, I believe that it would be more appropriate to introduce yourself," she said.
The embarrassment of being caught staring at her in such a way sent off a fuzzy feeling in my stomach and my face flushed. A reaction a woman had never caused before, it was unnerving. "I apologise, again, Miss. My name is Fitzwilliam Darcy." I bowed.
She returned the bow with a quick curtsey and said, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr Darcy. My name is Elizabeth Gardiner."
The name sounded familiar but I was unsure where from. I had not met Gardiner's at the town ball since our arrival in Hertfordshire; it made me curious as to where she was staying and if I would be seeing her again.
"Have you recently moved to Hertfordshire, Mr Darcy?" she asked.
I shook my head. "No, I am visiting with a close friend of mine. He has moved into Netherfield Park and invited me to stay with him for a few months. We have only been here a little over a month."
"Would your friend be Mr Bingley?" she questioned.
I nodded. "Yes, are you both acquainted?"
"No," she said. "I have not had the pleasure. My cousins, however, do speak fondly of him."
"Your cousins? Are you visiting them here?" If she was a visitor, that would explain why he had never seen her. Then again, he had not made an effort to get to know many of the locals after the ball.
Miss Gardiner nodded. "Yes. I live in London with my parents. Every summer I make the trip down to spend a few months with my cousins before returning home. I arrived only yesterday."
"London is quite different from Hertfordshire, is it not?" London was a place I enjoyed visiting, both for pleasure and business, but green fields and sitting beneath the larges trees at Pemberley was no something that could be enjoyed on the cobblestone paths that lined London's streets.
"That it is." Miss Gardiner stepped up to the barrier of the bridge and looked out at the rain. The downpour had slowed and had become a drizzle now. "However, London does not possess the beauty of the countryside after a rainstorm."
The sun peaked through the grey clouds and reflected off the few drops falling. The beams of light shimmered across the green pastures and turned the surrounding landscapes into a fantastical realm. It was indeed a sight to behold, almost as much as Miss Gardiner herself. "I could not agree more," I said.
Miss Gardiner smiled. "I think this pause in the rain is my cue to continue home. It was a pleasure, once again, to meet you Mr Darcy."
I returned her smile. "The pleasure was mine, Miss Gardiner. I do hope our next meeting is not so unusual."
Miss Gardiner's eye twinkled and she said, "The unusual occurrences make it more interesting. Good day, Mr Darcy."
I watched Miss Gardiner as she placed her hat back on her head and walk away. She seemed to almost skip along the path and it made the happiness bubble in my chest as she stopped a few meters up the road, turned around and smiled at me. Meeting her was a completely unexpected yet welcome surprise and I found myself excited to see her again.