Chapter 10 Comfort of Home
Her father hinted the next day that it was time to head home but the Colonel would hear none of it. He and Mr Darcy was heading south in three days. It was much safer to travel in groups should any brigades lay in waiting along the route.
Mr Darcy did not gainsay him which Elizabeth took as a confirmation of his growing interest in her sister. They were much alike and well suited, both of a somewhat taciturn and reserved nature. They would have a marriage of few words but strong sentiments, she predicted.
What Jane felt about the owner of Pemberley was difficult to tell though, even for Elizabeth. Jane felt deeply but hid it well behind her serene expression.
She could not wait to get home, home to the tranquillity that was sure to descend as soon as she passed the threshold of her beloved Longbourn. Familiar and safe albeit far from quiet. She had not realised how much she missed her home until now. The restless unease she felt must be due to her long absence. Perhaps travelling the continent was not such a good dream to aspire to after all when one could be comfortably ensconced in one's own home...
XxX
He should not have delayed their journey. Mr Bennet wanted to go home but he felt the need to go over the harvest one more time with his steward.
It had not been strictly necessary, Mr MacGregor was an excellent steward who needed little by supervision. In fact, it was his steward's stellar vision that had made him implement the new crop rotation system that had proven so efficient in the last four years. The fields had increased the yield, surpassing his expectations. It needed no improvement at the moment.
He should not mull over crop rotation when his uncle stood furiously before him, with good reason...
"...that Georgiana has married the steward's son but why you would put it in the news sheets is incomprehensible..."
Darcy righted himself and breathed slowly through his nose. A calm head was crucial.
"I did not..." he did not manage to complete his denial of putting an announcement in the pares before his uncle interrupted him.
"Who is that?"
His uncle was pointing a finger at the wide-eyed Miss Elizabeth who happened to be in the library when his uncle stormed in. His butler came panting behind him. He really needed a replacement. Mr Perkins was old and too slow to keep up with his indignant uncle.
"A friend of Georgiana that she conveniently forgot to bring back to England when she and her husband left Gretna Green."
"You allowed my niece marry at Gretna Green?"
"I allowed nothing, the deed was done when I caught up with them."
"Those anvil marriages are hard to prove. With few and persuadable witnesses, the sordid affair might have been hushed up and entirely forgotten. At this moment, I am the laughing stock at the House of Lords. I will not stand for it!"
His uncle was bellowing, not wise but he guessed the news was all over Pemberley already. If it was the talk of town as well, it would be too late anyhow.
"This sordid affair might still be salvageable, I would like to prove to the nincompoops in the House that there was nothing to the rumours. Where is she now?"
"I do not know but I would wager in London. Wickham prefers the hustle and bustle of town to country living. He claims to have taken orders, it is easier to get a living in London's eastern part than anyplace else."
Miss Elizabeth was trying to sneak out behind his uncle, obviously uncomfortable with the topic of discussion. She did not make it through, his lordship swiftly turned on her.
"What is your name? Where do you come from? Who are your parents?"
"I am Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire."
"Bennet in Hertfordshire? Never heard of the chap."
"No, I suspected not. My father is not fond of town, he goes but rarely."
Lord Matlock starred at Miss Elizabeth when horror suffused his expression and he turned towards himself, pointing a long finger.
"Has she compromised you?"
"No!"
"But you travelled together?"
"Yes, Miss Elizabeth in the carriage with a maid, I rode outside."
"Good thinking, nephew. I never took you for a simpleton but why is she still here?"
"She took ill."
"Very convenient, I bet it was when she laid her eyes on your magnificent estate."
Lord Matlock glared at Elizabeth.
"You should not have taken her here. She could have stayed at the Rose and Crown at her own expense. She may still claim compromise, staying at a bachelor's household unchaperoned."
"Mrs Reynolds staid with her day and night until her family got here. Mr Bennet and Miss Bennet arrived within a few days."
"You believe her family will protect you?"
"I have had no indication otherwise."
Miss Elizabeth took a step forward to gain his Lordships attention.
"Pray, excuse my forwardness but you have nothing to fear from me, my Lord. We will leave tomorrow unless there will be another delay, Mr Darcy?"
"No, I cannot imagine there will be, Miss Bennet."
"You should not escort her home, Darcy. Expectations have been created by less."
"We are travelling in two separate carriages, uncle. Your son is with me, Mr Bennet has his own carriage. We are joining a caravan for the safety of numbers, nothing more."
"I will join you back to London, Darcy. We have to fight this. Deuced inconvenient I left London for Pemberley when I have to turn back so soon but it cannot be helped... Are you sure Georgiana is in London?"
"No, it is merely a guess but the notice in the paper suggest that I am right. Besides, Wickham has some friends in London who might know where he is. It is my only lead so I will start there."
Miss Elizabeth had slipped out of the library while his uncle spoke. His cousin soon joined them and a plan was formed for when they arrived in London.
XxX
The Bennets kept to themselves, even if they did take their meals at the same inns as Mr Darcy and his family. He chose a private parlour where it was attainable while the Bennets dined in the common room. No invitations to join them were forthcoming, not that it was expected.
Unfortunately, the private parlour was occupied in Colsterworth. They had reached the Great Northern Road and the inns were much busier than the turnpike roads of the north.
Lord Matlock blustered and complained but it was little the innkeeper might do but to patiently beg the Lord to wait until the room became vacant. It was currently occupied by a duke, breaking his fast.
He was not able to keep his voice down in the common room either.
"He must be used to shouting over the din in the House of Lords," Mr Bennet remarked dryly. His deep voice, raspy but only discernible to his daughters. Elizabeth smirked but Jane threw him a disapproving look.
"Was it Edward's Street Mrs Young had an establishment? A boarding house of some sort?"
The sound travelled to the Bennets table.
"Can we wait to discuss this until we have more privacy, uncle?"
Lord Matlock lowered his voice after his nephew's admonishment but Elizabeth had something new to think about. Mrs Young could not possibly own a boarding house. If she did, she would not need to take a position as Miss Darcy's companion and she certainly did not need the salary to support her son. She could simply use the income from her property...
XxX
Home, at last, Elizabeth curled up in her favourite seat in all of Longbourn, the window seat in her room. The moon shone high and large, lighting up the garden with its silver treads. Elizabeth hugged her knees and rested her head upon them. Waiting for the tranquillity of Longbourn at peaceful sleep but it alluded her. The inner serenity she craved had abandoned her entirely it seemed. Replaced by a churning stomach and a restless mind.
She had parted ways with Mr Darcy and his entourage right after Luton. She had wondered if he was going to Netherfield as was his initial plan but he had continued on to London.
Mr Bingley was rumoured to have arrived at Netherfield, hopefully, to attend the assembly on the morrow or rather today.
Her mother had mentioned little else since they arrived back home from the north. Apparently, he meant to marry one of her sisters...
She needed to purge this unsettling feeling of disappointment. She was nothing to him...
The problem was that he no longer was nothing to her. Probably never had been...
Too much time for introspection, lying sick in her bed at Pemberley had lifted the clouds from her eyes. An unwelcome realisation had dawned upon her.
Firstly, she had admitted to esteem him. He was serious but dutiful and just. He carried the responsibilities of a large estate and a young sister with fervent dedication. The testament from his most trusted servant was a stellar recommendation of any man...
He had earned her respect by not be driven by his own emotions to guide his actions. Otherwise, he would have left her in Gretna Green to fend for herself. He must have an underlying decency to countenance such abhorrence which must work against his every feeling.
He dealt with problems calmly and efficiently. It was refreshing after being brought up with fluttering nerves and indifferent mockery. She could admire his staid persona when the results were equanimity. She had seen how he clamped down his emotions to deal with his irate uncle and broken carriages. Solving the issues to the best of everyone's interest.
It could no longer be concealed that she was in love with Mr Darcy. Had been infatuated since their first encounter when he so thoroughly dismissed her. Their second encounter had by no means gone any better but had proved that vanity was her greatest flaw. Getting to know the man behind the reserved masked he wore in public, even when interacting with his own relations. The mask was subtle but discernible when you paid attention. He was as skilled as Jane to hide his true emotions.
Elizabeth wondered what had made him donned the masque initially. Perfecting the disguise for the world to see.
With Jane, it was the constant embarrassment from her mother and later, her youngest sister as well. Mrs Bennet would scold if she perceived a slight like a wince, shrug or god forbid an eye-rolling which was why Elizabeth frequently found herself in her mother's disfavour. Unfortunately, it did not curb her behaviour but rather spurred her on. Making a spectacle in front of all and sundry.
Elizabeth winced but not by the cold. Perhaps, it was best Mr Darcy never came to Hertfordshire...
If his abominable impression of herself was not enough to deter him from coming, the Bennets would surely send him fleeing to Derbyshire.
The truth was that the man she had sworn to despise for all eternity was perhaps the man that suited her best. His understanding and temper were excellent, he only lacked a bit of liveliness she would have been happy to provide. His knowledge of the world would have benefitted herself. Though unlike in disposition, they complimented each other, creating one whole with two people.
She began to comprehend that a man who rightly despises her by her own merit was the one residing firmly in her heart. The wretched heart that should be commanded to give up its ludicrous yearnings.
She had to stop this. It was highly improbable she would ever see him again, even after such cordiality they had exhibited at Pemberley. She found additional anguish throwing a retrospective glance at their contradictive relationship, both acting with perfect civility towards each other at last. He was a master of hiding his emotions, it probably extended to disdain and loathing...
XxX
He hated leaving London but Richard was right. Georgiana believed him to be at Netherfield with Mr Bingley. She might try to seek him out there if the marriage had soured, an outcome he fully expected. If she came to Darcy House, the servants were instructed to send her to Matlock House.
A man who dealt in clandestine matters had been hired. A surveillance was set up on Edward's Street where Mrs Young's establishment was situated. The direct inquiry had not been fruitful. Mrs Young was not in attendance and none of the guests were named Wickham. In fact, there was not even a couple living there.
It was nothing compared to the bad news Bingley had delivered upon his arrival. An assembly with dancing was held at the White Lion Inn, he was supposed to attend the same evening.
He had hardly slept in three weeks, how was he supposed to act with decorum when he was barely able to keep his eyes open?
In addition, he had to watch himself against Bingley's persistent and increasingly audacious sister. Miss Bingley had set her cap on him years ago and tried to ingrate herself into his good graces by speaking meanly of others. He may even have joined her scorn had not a little bird told him off for his bad manners. She was no one of consequence but her accusation had stuck in his mind. He had behaved badly, ungentlemanly even, at Mr Livingstone's dinner party.
Mr Darcy sighed, righted his cravat and joined Mr Bingley and Mr Hurst in the foyer for the impending assembly.
His mood soured additionally after waiting for a half-hour for the sisters to descend the staircase. Miss Bingley had a ridiculously height of ostrich plum feathers attached to her turban, requiring her maid to travel with them as the headpiece would not fit inside the carriage whilst still on her head. The ostentatious hat must be removed during travel and assembled at the White Lion Inn. Adding an extra ten minutes of delay once they were at the assembly and an even more cramped carriage ride.
His head was aching even before he had set foot inside the throng of sweaty bodies. The dancing had commenced without them but the din and the music died down as Bingley's party arrived.
A short, corpulent man with a nasal voice welcomed them to the assembly. Obviously the master of ceremony, a Sir William, he had managed to observe before he tried to purge the man's incessant chatter from his ears.
The whispers had already begun. Ten thousand a year, an estate in Derbyshire, the son of an earl, his sister recently married the steward's son. It was in the papers, it must be true. Wonder why he holds himself so high and mighty, he's no better than us. He looks positively dour...
Sir William performed dutifully the introductions to Meryton's upper society.
A matron was introduced as Mrs Bennet, he had expected to encounter Bennets. With five unmarried daughters, she would not let an opportunity such as an assembly pass her by but he had not expected to be coaxed into dancing with the one he would mind the most.
He made swift excuses and walked the outskirts of the room in hope of escaping his own head. He found a corner to observe and danced his two duty dances with Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley. Those could not be avoided.
Mr Bingley sidled up to him with a ridiculous grin on his face. What now?
"Darcy! I cannot have you standing about in this stupid manner. I must have you dance... Let me introduce you to my partner's sister she is very pretty and sitting over there without a partner."
Mr Darcy turned in the direction of Bingley's gaze and locked eyes with a familiar set of emerald greens.
"Miss Elizabeth has recently been very ill, Bingley. She is probably sitting down to recover, I would not tempt her to overtax herself by asking for a set."
"You know Miss Elizabeth?"
"Yes, I had the pleasure of an introduction earlier this summer. You have met her as well, she is Mr Gardiner's niece. She attended Livingstone's dinner party where we both were present. In fact, I have met your dance partner as well, Miss Bennet and their father, Mr Bennet. He does not seem to be in attendance or I would have paid him my respects."
Mr Bingley seemed speechless, judging by his slightly gaping mouth. Elizabeth, who had boldly met Mr Darcy's eyes in a mute challenge, averted her gaze first. Lowering it to her hands in her lap. She folded them to stop herself from fiddling with her skirts.
She had thought he would level an insult towards her, deep enough to be recognised with the éclat of a proverb. Yet again, she had been proven wrong in her estimates of Mr Darcy. He was a conundrum she could not figure out, no matter how hard she tried to sketch his character. It was better to give the endeavour up entirely.
"Lizzy, what is the matter?"
Jane had sidled up to her unnoticed. She had an eerie ability to glide soundlessly across the floor and immediately read her mind like a fortune teller.
Elizabeth smiled to herself, picturing Jane dressed in vibrant colours and heavyset jewellery at a fair.
"Nothing! I am, perhaps, a little fatigued after my recent illness. My endurance has suffered somewhat in its wake."
"I should have thought of it... Shall I call for the carriage? I will happily escort you home."
"Think nothing of the sort, Jane. I am perfectly comfortable here in Mary's company. You go and enjoy your partner's moony eyes. If I am not mistaken, Mr Bingley has asked you for a second set..."
Jane still looked uncertain but Elizabeth smiled reassuringly. She was not going to deprive her sister of a pleasurable evening because her own contained such misery. What else were they supposed to discuss into the early morning... Her distress was nothing if she could revel in Jane's success.
She looked to Mary who had her eyes glued to the pages of the book. Her lips moved slightly as she devoured the pages, lost to the world beyond.
She sighed and looked towards the dancefloor. One would have to be content with observing when nothing else was to be had.
She spotted Charlotte across the room with her father and mother.
Elizabeth left Mary to her book and joined the Lucas trio. Many more neighbours came to greet her. She had been away for a long time and the habitants of Meryton were curious about what she had experienced. Much would have to be concealed, of course, but she found enough to regal her friends with, stories of bathing machines, peaks and fine dining. Many of her neighbours had never left Meryton at all...
Jane beckoned her over to the Netherfield party subtly, Elizabeth could pretend not to observe but that would be cruel.
She probably wanted to introduce her sister to the superior sisters who had glided through the assembly with their noses in the air, dancing with none outside their party. Elizabeth stifled a wince at her own thoughts. Had she not made similar assumption against Mr Darcy? Her judging days were over if the result was to be lent any bearing...
Jane performed the introductions to allow the sisters to engage in what felt like an interrogation.
"I have heard you visited Pemberley for an extended stay this summer?" the young unmarried one inquired.
"I would not call it extended, between two or three weeks."
"It is a lovely estate, there is nothing like it in all of England. Pray, are you a long time friend of Mr Darcy?"
"What I have seen of the estate was indeed breath-taking, I have never seen a house where nature has done more to enhance the beauty." Elizabeth chose deliberately not to answer the second question. Perhaps not the wisest action as Miss Bingley was now scowling at her but quickly turned towards Jane at the exclusion of Elizabeth.
In truth, Elizabeth had little to tell about Pemberley, having been mostly confined to her room and a bench in the rose garden. The only other rooms she had seen was the hallways, dining room, music room and library. The latter she could have gushed about but she doubted Miss Bingley would be interested. She did not come across as the bookish type.
XxX
Despite the late-night revelry at the assembly hall, Elizabeth slept poorly and awoke at the crack of dawn. A morning constitutional was needed, the one and a half mile to the summit of Meryton's tallest hill did not feel insurmountable if she did not push herself but strolled leisurely.
Her stamina seemed to revive in the crisp but refreshing morning air. She reached the boulder on the top of Oakham Mount effortlessly and gazed out over the slanting hills. She could see smoke from the chimneys at Longbourn and Netherfield from her advantage point. So close yet so far away...
It was time... Time to pull herself out of this self-pitying state that served no one, at least of all, herself. She was not built for misery of any kind. It was time to forgive herself from being taken in by villains, the show of poor judgement and mistaken character. Although the master of Pemberley would never... It did not matter, it could have no bearing upon her life so separate from the wilds of Derbyshire and the beautiful grounds of his ancestral home.
She better avoid him, it was easily done when one had the inclination. She would let this infatuation she had developed, run its course and everything would get back to normal. Soon, he would travel on. These great men never stayed long at one place, she hoped...
The sun warmed her cheeks, she closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards to catch the rays, taking large fortifying breaths.
A familiar thunder approached, the steady rhythm of hoofs pounding the path below. She had to open her eyes to look at the intruder lest he was coming in her direction. He was... On a black stallion, she recognised.
Sucking in a quick breath she turned to flee, most unladylike down the steepest but shortest route to Longbourn. With any luck, she could get away before he had noticed her. If not, he would have new fodder for his loathing. The wild and uncouth behaviour of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, running unladylike down a slope.
XxX
He guided his steed towards the only hill with some height in this neighbourhood of lazy terrain with flat, wide-spreading fields and thickets. He wanted an overview of the Netherfield estate to gauge what needed to be done and what problems Mr Bingley might expect in the future.
A movement to his right drew his attention. A flash of green with white lacing. It was clearly Miss Elizabeth Bennet running like she was chased by wolves down the other side of the hill. Her hair became undone and whipped her back like a jockey's riding-whip on the racetrack. She skipped and jumped downwards at a speed that could end in nothing but a fall and quite possibly a broken neck. He wanted to call out to her but realized it might spook her and result in the fall he was anxiously waiting for.
He had to admit she was agile... She seemed surefooted and did not falter once until the thicket below engulfed her being entirely.
He stood quietly listening for a little while longer, there might be a scream when she hit the bottom or lost her footing.
The morning was eerily silent. His initial thoughts of the wild and untamed Miss Elizabeth had just been confirmed, yet he could not help feeling a tad envious of the freedom and liberty she possessed. Acting with no thoughts towards how she was perceived nor the repercussion of a rigid, unforgiving society. He would never act that way himself, had not since before he left for Eton... Those childhood days of no worries and no responsibilities. He wished he had known then that it was his last sojourn with freedom and boundless joy.
Not that growing up at Pemberley had been without its perils. His parents loved each other but they were very dissimilar. Their quarrels were epic and shook the foundation of Pemberley.
He was cognizant that he did not want that for himself. He needed peace and tranquillity, not fights and distemper. Neither did he want the bottomless sorrow and despair his father had plunged into after his mother's riding accident.
Impatiently she had set out, a month after the birth of Georgiana, never to come back. They found her near a stile with a broken neck after hours of searching. She had attempted a jump that had somehow had gone awry, they would never know exactly what had happened to cause the fall. The horse had been found not far from his mother. It had a broken front leg which might explain the dire outcome.
His father never quite recovered from the loss. He was not a vivacious man to begin with but it was nothing like the sombreness that engulfed him after his mother's passing. Although he was never negligent towards his responsibilities. He took an active part in his children's lives, particularly their education was his priority.
He had preferred the company of the steward's son though. Vivacious but reckless like their mother had been. Mr Darcy was too much like his father. Staid and thoughtful, he was not adapt in lightning his mood like Wickham had done. It became more and more obvious that his father favoured Wickham and he himself had become more staid with the realisation and rarely sought out his father and his young friend. He had even heard him say to Wickham that he was the better man. Asking him to look after Fitzwilliam when he was gone. Like Mr Wickham had some inner strength, he himself did not possess. It was ridiculous... Wickham had no education in estate management, his days outside the Cambridge University was filled with pleasurable pursuits, not ledgers, numbers and drainage trouble. He was a smooth talker for the disputes between quarrelsome tenants but there rarely was any trouble of that sort at Pemberley.
His resentment towards Wickham had grown and he kept himself as much out of their way that was attainable without being rude.
It had come as a surprise to him that his father had not provided more for Wickham in his will. He would not have blinked had his portion been fifty thousand pounds but it had been a thousand and the living at Kympton when it became available. Suitable for a godson but nothing more.
Swiftsilver stomped his hooves impatiently beneath him. The stallions breathing had evened out, he was eager to resume their wild gallop across the fields. Was he standing here, envious of a positively feral country chit? Ridiculous! Perhaps he owned to a little of Miss Elizabeth's wildness, he just had more appropriate means to release them. He kicked Swiftsilver's flanks and the horse responded immediately, sending him flying over the fields with the wind in his hair.