Jest Chapter 5, a pride and prejudice fanfic

~~~J~~~

Early the following morning, Darcy nervously approached the parsonage. As he was about to enter the garden gate, the front door of the house opened and Miss Elizabeth and Mrs Collins exited.

'Good morning, Mr Darcy. How good of you to accompany us on our walk.' Mrs Collins greeted the gentleman.

'Good morning, Mrs Collins, Miss Bennet. It is a privilege that you have chosen me as your escort.' Darcy bowed and offered his arms to the ladies.

The set off, and soon Mrs Collins explained her presence. 'Mr Collins is very keen to ensure that all the proprieties are observed. Since our maid is occupied with household duties, and I enjoy a good walk, I thought I would accompany Eliza.'

Darcy understood the unspoken message, that Mr Collins would not allow his cousin to be accompanied by Mr Darcy, fearing the displeasure of Lady Catherine. 'I am pleased that you were inclined to join our excursion, Mrs Collins.'

'Think nothing of it, Mr Darcy.'

Shortly they reached a fork in the path, and Mr Collins nodded towards the left. 'This path leads to a delightful clearing, where a bench has been placed to allow enjoyment of the view. I would like to take advantage of this happy situation.'

Apart from her initial greeting, Elizabeth had been remarkably quiet. The previous evening, she had expected to remain awake half the night pondering the conundrum which was Mr Darcy. Instead, the exhaustion engendered by the fraught discussion had sent her to sleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.

Since waking at dawn, she had worried at the ideas that Charlotte had presented to her. Elizabeth had come to accept that for some unfathomable reason Mr Darcy might truly be in love with her. While that was all well and good, she refused to countenance the idea that it should affect her.

After all, she had promised herself that she would only marry for the deepest of love, and from the first day of their acquaintance, she had been determined to hate the man. Since then, she had seen no reason to change her mind. Elizabeth had thought all along that Mr Darcy was arrogant and completely self-assured, and his character had no redeeming features… until she had the brief glimpse of uncertainty and vulnerability when he had asked for a second chance.

Now her mind was too full of amorphous questions for her to know how to start a conversation with the gentleman. She was vaguely aware, and grateful, that Charlotte engaged Mr Darcy in innocuous conversation, until they stopped at the clearing.

Mrs Collins briskly arranged the party. 'I shall sit on this bench and enjoy the sunshine. If you walk over there, I shall be able to see you, but you will have privacy to discuss your issues.' She looked at both of her companions. 'I would also suggest that for the nonce you ignore propriety and speak honestly, otherwise you will never resolve anything.'

Darcy, who, by Charlotte's manner was suddenly reminded of Richard's mother, smiled and bowed. 'As you wish, my lady.'

Elizabeth gave her friend a desperate look, but allowed Darcy to lead her to the other side of the clearing.

'Miss Bennet, I thank you for the opportunity to explain myself, and must offer yet another apology. Last night, Colonel Fitzwilliam discovered me trying to understand the events of the evening. When I related in detail what had happened, he took me to task for being insulting in my addresses to you.'

'At least one man in your family has a certain sensitivity to the feelings of others.'

Darcy sighed. 'Please Miss Bennet, if I might explain?'

'I wish you would.'

'My intention was not to insult you or your family. I prided myself on the clarity of my thoughts, and expected you to be impressed by the depth of my feelings for you, to have overcome all the obstacles I could see in our future.'

Elizabeth could not help herself, a small giggle escaped her lips. 'You thought that I would be impressed by you enumerating the faults of myself and my family?'

'It seemed logical to me, and since I have been impressed by your intelligence, I thought that you would comprehend and admire the clarity of my thoughts.' He sighed. 'My cousin disabused me of my obviously faulty notions.'

Darcy shrugged helplessly. 'Do you remember the other night at Rosings, when I said that I could not grasp the tone of people's conversation? I obviously also cannot distinguish between flirtation and censure, if delivered in a playful manner. I thought that when we were both located at Netherfield, that you were flirting with me during our debates. Subtly of course, and in a most ladylike manner, but flirting nonetheless.'

'Mr Darcy, at Netherfield I thought that you meant to vex me with your constant arguments, and denigrating my lack of ladylike education.'

'As I said, I perceived our interactions very differently. I enjoyed the challenge of our debates, and the fact that you did not adjust your opinions to coincide with mine.'

Elizabeth was amazed at the confession. She had thought to irritate the man, instead she had attracted his attention.

'May I ask, when you told me of your favourite walks at Rosings, what was the purpose? Were you inviting me to join you, or were you warning me to stay away?'

'The latter, I am afraid.'

'Again, I misunderstood. I thought that you were inclined towards me and were hoping for my addresses.' Darcy looked crestfallen. 'Richard had noticed your antipathy towards me, but I could not see it. It has always been thus. I am hopeless at discerning a person's attitude, unless they are blatantly obvious.'

'Such as Miss Bingley?'

'As you say. But speaking of the Bingleys. Richard said that he was trying to improve your opinion of me when he told you about my efforts to separate Bingley from your sister. I am afraid that due to your sister's reserve, I could not discern any particular affection she might have had towards my friend. I warned him that Miss Bennet might be forced to accept his suit despite a lack of feeling on her part. Bingley meant well by not returning to Netherfield. He cared too much for your sister to see her forced into a marriage which she did not desire.'

Elizabeth sighed as she suddenly saw the situation from a different point of view. She remembered warning Charlotte against marrying Mr Collins, since she knew that her friend did not care for the man.

'Perhaps Mr Bingley meant well. But the fact remains, he let himself be influenced by his sisters and friend. I would not wish my dearest sister shackled to a man who does not know his own mind.'

'Maybe if I explained to Bingley…'

'No, Mr Darcy. By all means confess your error in judgement, but if you do, also make it clear that my sister deserves better.'

'Very well, I will be guided by you.'

'Thank you, Mr Darcy. I love my sister very much and want to see her happy.'

'You love all your family, do you not?'

'I do.'

'My cousin also made me realise that there is no great difference between you family and mine. I accept my family and their foibles and had never thought to question them. You were entirely correct when you compared your mother to Lady Catherine. At least your mother has better reasons for wanting to see her daughters well married. Having had a chance to think about it, I believe that Mrs Bennet's nerves might improve significantly, if the future of her daughters and herself were assured. Whereas my aunt will always be…'

'Opinionated, perhaps?'

'If we follow Mrs Collins' advice and be honest, I should have to say irritating, obnoxious, and overbearing.' Darcy smiled in response to Elizabeth's quickly suppressed grin.

'I believe that I will stick with opinionated and forceful. It is just as true, but has fewer negative connotations.'

'I appreciate your forbearance.' Darcy hesitated a moment. 'I would like to raise the topic of sisters if I may?'

When Elizabeth nodded agreement, Darcy explained. 'As you know, I was concerned about the lack of propriety of your youngest sisters. Richard pointed out to me that they are the same age as my sister, and while they might flirt, neither of them has agreed to an elopement… the way Georgiana did.'

'Elopement?' gasped Elizabeth.

'Indeed. Last summer she visited Ramsgate with her companion, who turned out to be in league with one George Wickham.' At Elizabeth's horrified stare, he nodded. 'The same charming George Wickham. Between them they convinced my sister that she was in love with the scoundrel, and she agreed to elope with him. Fortuitously, I arrive two days before they were planning to leave for Gretna Green, and I was able to stop them. When Wickham discovered that I could withhold Georgiana's dowry until her majority, he became abusive and broke my sister's heart.'

'Your poor sister. Is she recovered now?'

'She is getting better, but she is now even shyer than she was previously. But my point was, that despite her superior education, Georgiana was prepared to behave in a way, which your sisters would not. In other words, I was completely mistaken about your family, and I am most heartily ashamed of myself.'

'You forgot to mention Mary,' Elizabeth teased. Now that Mr Darcy had explained his reasoning and his change of heart, her spirits were rising again.

'There is nothing wrong with Miss Mary that a good music teacher could not improve.'

'Spoken like a man who knows music.'

'It is my sister's passion after all.'

Elizabeth smiled absently as she considered all that she had been told. Now that Mr Darcy explained his thoughts on the matter, both before and now, she could see that he had had some valid objections. After all, her family embarrassed her on numerous occasions.

But that still left a question unanswered. 'A man with your pride and arrogance, you could have any woman you chose. Or at least you thought you could, and yet…'

'After I considered all those objections, I still proposed to you. What does that tell you?'

'That you are crazy.'

'Crazy for you, indeed.'

'Are you crazy enough to think you can change my mind?'

'I would like the opportunity to try…'

'I suppose that I have nothing to lose…'

~~~J~~~