Chapter 25: The Surprise Visitor
Tuesday, 28 July 1812
Rosings Park
"Lady Catherine. Mrs. Darcy. Miss Bennet. A Mr. Thomas Bennet has arrived."
The words hung in the air.
As Elizabeth and Anne had shared their anticipation of Georgiana a moment before, they now shared their shock.
"You said your father did not travel!" Anne whispered accusingly at Elizabeth. "He would not seek you here!"
"I have never known of him to travel beyond London! I had no reason to believe his habits would change!" she returned, now fearing her father's discovery.
Lady Catherine stood, imperiously addressing the footman. "Mr. Bennet may not call. He has sent no announcement of his visit. He is to be sent away," she ordered, brushing her hand through the air.
"No!" Anne called before the beleaguered footman could carry out the first order. Anne's face showed the reckoning as it happened in her mind. Anne turned first to her mother. "Go to your chambers," she ordered. "I will meet you there once he is settled, but know that he will be staying with us." Lowering her voice to keep others from hearing her words, she added, "It raises too many questions if he is turned away."
As Lady Catherine begrudgingly removed herself, she refused to greet the gentleman. Anne turned to the footman and ordered, "First allow Mr. Bennet to refresh himself before bringing him to me. We will be in the parlor." Turning to the other footman, she instructed, "I need a room prepared for him in the guest wing." (2) Dismissing the footman and other servants, Anne turned to Elizabeth. Regaining her equanimity, she quietly told her as they quickly made their way to the parlor, "There is nothing we need to do. Our days are already conducted without question. Darcy can spend his time out on the estate with Georgiana while your father is here. He is already planning to move back to his rooms and use the stairs. Your father will be in the guest wing on the other side of the house."
Nodding to herself, Elizabeth could see Anne working out her plan as she spoke. "Yes. I shall leave you to entertain and proctor your father while he is here. The rest of us will give you privacy, ostensibly to conduct your business." Frowning, she realized, "except at dinner. I shall suggest Darcy forgo the separation of the sexes after dinner. Will your father insist upon it?"
"I think it not likely. He is more prone to retire to the library after dinner, but then"—Elizabeth shrugged incredulously—"I thought it impossible he would travel here."
The women could hear the footman's steps coming down the hall, along with a second set of steps. Quickly composing themselves, the ladies prepared to greet Elizabeth's father.
When the gentleman walked in, Elizabeth leapt from her chair then moved toward her father crying, "Papa! We were watching for Georgiana! I never dreamed you would come!"
Mr. Bennet frowned. "Did you not receive my letter?"
Elizabeth drew back in surprise. "No."
While she was wondering how such an important missive could have been misdirected, her father answered. "Ah, well. It may have helped if I had written it," he tsked. "You are looking well, my little Lizzy. It must be living in such a grand house."
Laughing nervously at her father's absurdity—he would expect her laughter—she hid her annoyance at such laziness that prevented him from sending a note to warn her of his travel plans. "Thank you, Papa. It is a pleasant situation with many lovely walking paths, some of which led to Charlotte when she was here. As a perk, my pianoforte skills are improving greatly."
Chuckling, the gentleman put his hand on her shoulder and looked sincerely in her eyes. "I have missed you, Lizzy."
She now smiled endearingly upon her father. He may not have done his duty to provide for her future, but he was still her beloved father. Although it put her in an awkward position, he did overcome more than twenty years of objections to travel to see her. Now that she was securing her family, she decided it served no purpose to hold a grudge against the gentleman who had built her foundation. "I have missed you, Papa," she told him as she leaned into him.
Hearing Anne clear her throat. Elizabeth moved to make introductions. "Anne, I would like to introduce you to my father, Mr. Thomas Bennet. Papa, Miss de… Mrs. Darcy."
Mr. Bennet greeted his daughter's benefactress with all propriety.
"Welcome to my home, Mr. Bennet. I would assume you have come to discuss your estate with your daughter, the right you reserved when you gave your permission for her to stay with me?" Anne asked mechanically, with no hint of emotion.
Looking curiously at the woman speaking so formally to him, Mr. Bennet affirmed estate business was, in fact, the reason for his visit.
Anne nodded. "How long do you plan to remain at Rosings?"
"Thursday should be all the time I can stand. Expect my departure early on Friday."
Again Anne nodded. "I am having a room prepared for you in the guest wing. Once complete, a footman will show you there. Dinner is served at eight o'clock. We assemble in the sitting room at a quarter 'til." Turning to her friend, she continued, "Elizabeth, I recommend you take your father to the library. It will allow you privacy for both resuming family confidences and discussing estate affairs. Mr. Bennet, Elizabeth will lead you. Again, welcome to Rosings Park," she said, coolly dismissing them.
As they made their way down the hall, her father's voice grew agitated with concern, "Lizzy, how can you remain so sanguine when your friend is so imperious."
Laughing lightly, she assured him Anne did not usually act in such a way. "She has never met you before and was much surprised with your visit. She is not one who does well with surprises."
"So she is like her husband?" Mr. Bennet chuckled tightly. "Is that not what our Bingley fellow said about him?"
"I can hardly answer your question as to if they are alike. I see her husband so rarely. Even at dinner, he sits at the other end of the table from me, so we do not speak." Technically, it was true. She rarely saw Mr. Darcy except at dinner or in Anne's wing. Inside of her wing, Anne had denounced her marriage so he was not considered her husband while in that part of the house.
The Bennets entered the library, taking comfortable chairs across from one another.
"So, Papa. Never in my life have you traveled so far. What miracle has inspired your visit?"
"You have not yet been told?" he asked. At Lizzy's head shake, he looked at her with a cross between pride and sorrow. "You are now to be the proud master of Longbourn when I die. Or mistress, I should say. I have brought some papers you will need to sign to make it official." (3)
Her eyes alight, Elizabeth clasped her hands to her chest in delight. "Truly, Papa?"
As the sorrow faded from her father's smile, leaving only his pride, Mr. Darcy walked in. Not yet having been made aware of the surprise guest's arrival, he saw only Elizabeth sitting in the room and in such a state of elation that his only wish was to share whatever it was with her. "Elizabeth—" he began before he heard a disgruntled throat clear and saw the gentleman, initially hidden from sight, rise from his chair.
"Mr. Darcy, sir," Mr. Bennet intruded curtly, causing Mr. Darcy to immediately halt and turn toward the gentleman. "Though my daughter is staying to entertain your wife, she is not some lower servant. There is no reason for you to call her by her Christian name." Watching Mr. Darcy's face transform from one of haughtiness to one of distaste, Mr. Bennet would not allow his daughter to be so insulted without a direct redress. Twisting his mouth into a wry smile, Mr. Bennet sarcastically bit out, "For such a great gentleman as yourself, I should think you would know how to properly address those in your household."
Elizabeth had never seen such looks as each gentleman threw at the other. She could feel the anger coming from them both, but Mr. Darcy's was also combined with disgust.
"Mr. Bennet, sir," Mr. Darcy spit back. "I assure you, I know not only how to address those in my household, but how to address my duties to them." With that, he turned abruptly and left the room.
Elizabeth was stunned. While she had frequently seen her father deliver set-downs, she had never seen him so close to a confrontation. And Mr. Darcy? How dare the gentleman who was so proud of his self-control say such things to her father!
Turning to his daughter, her father looked at her in earnest, fury still burning in his eyes. "Lizzy, if this is how you are being treated, I beg of you, let me know. Nothing is worth such degradation. I will send Mary or—ha, even better—Lydia, to keep that cold woman company and suffer the derision of her Mr. Darcy. It may give her a much needed humbling. I shall not have you treated so poorly."
Tears pooling in her eyes, she ensured her father that she suffered no ill treatment in the house. "I know not why either of them is acting in such a manner. It is not the behavior I am accustomed to."
Her father began to address her further when the footman entered to inform Mr. Bennet that his room was ready and waited to provide an escort. Mr. Bennet looked at the footman before turning to Lizzy. "Allow me to escort you to your room first. I do not like to see you so discomposed." Offering his daughter his arm, he led her out of the library and toward her chambers.
When her father saw her chambers were on the highest floor, he scoffed at her hosts but decided to only say, "It is one way for them to shorten your walks, making you walk so far just to leave the house." When his daughter grinned, he asked, "But, Lizzy, why do they keep you so isolated?"
Carefully picking her words, Elizabeth warily responded, "It is Anne's wing, where she prefers to stay. She feels it gives her privacy."
Mr. Bennet agreed, it did grant her that, but he still felt it an odd location for the mistress of the house to reside.
As they arrived at the door of the wing, her father began to escort his daughter along the hallway when Elizabeth told him she must go the rest of the way on her own. Her rooms were at the end of the passage, but with Anne's rooms at the front, she feared any impropriety if Anne were to exit without expecting his presence. (In truth, she feared Mr. Darcy might be in her room.) Frowning, Mr. Bennet allowed his daughter to go to prepare for tea as the footman escorted him to his room.
Sighing as she entered her room, Elizabeth immediately went to wash her face, hoping to keep the tears away. Instead, finding the moist washcloth the perfect place to release her pent-up emotions, she allowed her tears free rein into the cooling rag while trying to regain control of her chafed sensibilities. She suddenly felt a large hand on her shoulder that pulled her into an embrace and silently held her.
When she felt her composure was regained, she pulled away. When she went to rinse her cloth and once again wash her face, Mr. Darcy spoke. "Are you well?"
She looked at him sideways. "No, Mr. Darcy." Inhaling deeply and closing her eyes, she now turned to face him. "Why would you speak to my father so?"
"I was astonished to see him, only to have him insult me without so much as a greeting!" he defended himself. He began to speak with some contrition, though he still maintained his position. "I realize I should not have allowed him to affect me. I beg your forgiveness."
"Please, sir, do not argue with my father. He will be leaving Friday morning. It is not so long," she sighed in exasperation.
Mr. Darcy bowed to her in agreement. He then pulled her back into his arms, asking, "Do you forgive me?" as he rested his cheek upon her crown.
"Yes."
Tentatively, Mr. Darcy asked why her father had come. He had trusted her word that her father did not travel.
"What is there for me to say?" she cried in exasperation. "He decided to travel. The common recovery is complete, and now there are signatures necessary. He wished to bring the documents to me in person."
This information seemed to satisfy him. "Good. You are now secure"—his voice developing a bitterness—"no matter how indolent the gentleman is."
She pushed herself away from him. "He is my father. He, like my mother, may not be perfect but are the only ones I have. Do not speak of him so disparagingly!" Raising a brow in further irritation, she added, "Besides, if you despise him, you must despise me. He has been my tutor these many years, and I am much more his child than my mother's."
Sighing in both frustration and capitulation, Mr. Darcy stroked her cheek as she glared defiantly at him. Quietly he stated, "Elizabeth, dearest, I despise the situation he left you in. That you had no choice but submit to being a part of this or face destitution." He slowly moved closer, carefully watching her brows furrow at his words. "That he would so neglect those in his care, I admit, angers me. But you? You, I could never despise." He again wrapped his arms around her, this time lowering to prove his point with a soft and gentle kiss.
She did not believe him but felt no reason to deny herself his kiss. She had no more energy for confrontations, but he—or at least the outside version of him—openly despised her every day.
When he separated his mouth from hers, he moved them to the bed to rest a half hour before they must prepare themselves for tea. If Mr. Darcy had other ideas besides rest, he kept them to himself, as Elizabeth quickly fell asleep, curled tightly in his arms.
~~~oo0oo~~~
When Georgiana's carriage arrived, just as tea was to begin, a refreshed Elizabeth and her father joined the party to greet her. Georgiana, having spent so many pleasant times at Longbourn before Jane's wedding, cheerfully greeted Mr. Bennet who good naturedly returned her good wishes. That Mr. Darcy stood protectively behind his sister was not lost on either Elizabeth or Mr. Bennet. Thankfully, though Mr. Bennet obviously disliked Mr. Darcy, he did not carry his animosity to Miss Darcy.
Elizabeth, glancing quickly at Anne, tried to excuse herself and her father from tea with the others. "We have much business to go over and such a short time to complete it. Papa and I shall have our tea in the study."
The sorrowful look Georgiana gave them both was heart-rending. Elizabeth felt like a lout when her young friend regained her countenance and smiled politely.
"I am disappointed you will not be joining us." Georgiana turned toward her new friend. "Elizabeth, I have been greatly looking forward to spending time with you during my stay." Turning to her father, she greeted him warmly. "Mr. Bennet, I did not know that you were expected, but I find it a lovely surprise." Looking hesitantly at her friend, she added her compliments to the Bennets. "I look back with fondness on every moment I spent at Longbourn. I do hope your family is well." Pausing a moment, then seeing the welcoming smile on Mr. Bennet's countenance, she added, "I look forward to hearing of Miss Mary, Miss Kitty, and Miss Lydia, as well as Mrs. Bennet who was so kind to me."
Looking at Elizabeth, Mr. Bennet suggested, "We have all day tomorrow and Thursday to go over the business of Longbourn. I find I should not mind spending teatime in the pleasant company of Miss Darcy before we begin."
Elizabeth donned an affected smile, again glancing at Anne. Unable to account for her father's unusual behavior, Elizabeth accompanied her father into the room for tea.
Much to Elizabeth's relief, Mr. Bennet kindly provided Miss Darcy information on all the ladies in his household, laughing with her at their antics, and assuring her of their sincerest greetings and good wishes before retiring to the study with his daughter. Mr. Darcy sat near his sister saying little during the whole exchange. Lady Catherine tried to contribute her own inane comments, though Anne managed to direct her dangerous need to be part of the conversation.
When the Bennets were safely enclosed in the study, Elizabeth expressed her surprise to her father that he would want to spend time with the other residents and guests at Rosings Park.
"Ah, my child, I may not be the best of fathers, but I am still a father. When someone speaks well of my children and my family, I can do nothing but listen with pleasure as they sing their praises." Sighing in resignation, he added, "It is something so rarely done with those currently residing at Longbourn, I could not resist. I do miss having Jane and you to add some respectability to our home."
Surprised, Elizabeth was not sure how to respond, so she changed the subject. "How is Longbourn?" Thus began a conversation about the latest tenant issues and challenges facing the estate.
~~~oo0oo~~~
Dinner was a much calmer affair. Anne warmed in her addresses to Mr. Bennet. Elizabeth told her of her father's concerns about the icy behavior he had witnessed while they dressed. Georgiana's warmth helped enliven the conversations. Her stories of Longbourn encouraged Anne to ask Mr. Bennet more about the things Elizabeth had shared about her home. Anne asked his opinions on, and versions of, Elizabeth's stories. When Mr. Bennet's sarcastic wit flowed, Anne smiled in most of the right places, improving the gentleman's sketch of her.
After dinner, neither gentleman wished to be alone with the other, thus forewent the separation of the sexes. Elizabeth demonstrated her improvement on the pianoforte, after which Anne and Lady Catherine began to expound on the improvements to their estate since Elizabeth's arrival while Georgiana played beautiful music for them all.
When Mr. Bennet retired, escorted by his daughter, he felt much better about her usage. He was also highly amused by the great ladies, particularly Lady Catherine. He now understood why Mrs. Bennet and Lady Lucas had such enjoyment in her company.
~~~oo0oo~~~
That evening, at the servant's table, the surprise visitor and the speculation of what his call might mean dominated their conversation.
"No one's ever invited themselves to the house. I'm surprised Lady Catherine let him stay."
"She wasn't happy about it. Did you see her face? She tried to send him away."
"The young mistress let him stay. As Miss Bennet's father, there ain't a reason for him not to, but Miss Bennet was surprised. She said he never travels much," the footman who announced Mr. Bennet shared with the rest.
"Maybe he misses his daughter. What if he wants to take her home? She's done good for Mrs. Darcy. The woman gets around much better after all the walking her friend makes her do."
"He can't do no such thing! Mrs. Darcy needs her to keep her healthy 'til she has that baby we keep pray'n for."
"The master and mistresses need to be nicer to her then," the footman said. "Her papa's concerned for how they were when he showed up, act'n all forbid'ng to him."
Deciding that once the master and mistresses started warming up to the gentleman, he would find his daughter happily situated at Rosings and would no longer threaten to remove her. The servants continued their prayers for the upstairs residents and vowed to help in their own small ways to ensure Mr. Bennet knew Miss Bennet was much admired through the estate.
~~~oo0oo~~~
After everyone retired for the evening and Georgiana was occupied with a bath, Anne met with Darcy and Elizabeth in Elizabeth's dressing room. "Elizabeth, what do you think? How did your father feel when he retired? Was he more content?"
"Yes. He appreciated your conversation at dinner as he enjoys teasing me about my childhood silliness. He likes Georgiana. Her kindness went far in having him warm toward you. After tea, though I was surprised to hear him admit it, he admitted he is very much like my mother in that he enjoys hearing others appreciate his children."
"Good. You need to spend all your waking time with him. He is here but two days. We must leave him content in your standing."
Turning to Darcy, she instructed, "You must avoid him. He strongly dislikes you." Darcy huffed, indicating the feeling was mutual. "Take Georgiana for rides. Stay away from the house, or if you must be inside, work from my father's study or your rooms downstairs. I will be with Georgiana when you are otherwise engaged." Anne rose with a dictatorial scowl reminiscent of Darcy's own. "When you encounter the gentleman, as you will at dinner, you will treat him with all politeness. If you cannot, then treat him as an indifferent acquaintance. He must leave here satisfied Elizabeth is being treated well."
Though he wanted to remind Anne that they were providing for Elizabeth better than her father ever did, he choose to hold his tongue and simply nodded his agreement.
That evening, Darcy and Elizabeth spoke little about her father's visit, preferring exertions to bring them to sleep.
~~~oo0oo~~~
Wednesday, 29 July 1812
The dyspepsia Elizabeth had suffered earlier returned the following morning. Nerves, she thought. This must be what Mama suffers with her nerves.
She lay extremely still breathing slow deep breaths in hopes the feeling would go away. If she moved, she knew the contents of her stomach would expel.
Then Mr. Darcy turned over.
Putting her hand over her mouth, she leapt for the water closet, barely making it before her stomach violently emptied. Shuddering, she suffered a few more bouts before she could wash her face and return to bed.
Mr. Darcy watched her return, frowning as he stroked her hair. "You are sick again. You need to stay in and rest."
"No, it will not do. What would my father think?" She laughed somewhat bitterly. "I have always mocked my mother's complaints of her nerves, but now I believe they may deserve some consideration. Between my father's surprise visit and being caught in the middle of this animosity between the two of you, what else could it be?"
Running his fingers along her cheek, Mr. Darcy frowned. "I never meant to put you in such a situation. I never wish to make you suffer." Looking at her most sincerely, he vowed. "For your sake alone, I will hold no more animosity toward your father."
"Thank you," she sighed. "It means much to me." Smiling, she quipped lightly, "It must be nerves making my stomach ill. Now that you've taken that burden from me, I am starting to feel much better."
Once recovered, she dressed for the day and went to meet her father.
~~~oo0oo~~~
"They are lovely gardens, Papa. I walk them every day the weather permits. Anne usually joins me for part of my walk. When Charlotte was here, we would visit them with her. She and Anne developed a friendship as well," Elizabeth told her father as she showed him her favorite path.
"The servants seem to think you are doing well by their young mistress, that you are improving her health." Begrudgingly, he told her two of the servants had thanked him this morning for letting his daughter stay. "I admit it surprised me. A place like this would usually have servants who are neither seen nor heard."
Not sure why the servants had been so forward with her father, as they usually behaved as her father expected, Elizabeth could only shrug before again asking, "Papa, why did you come? I am overjoyed to see you, but it surprised me. Surely a solicitor could have brought the papers and saved you the trouble."
Looking at his favorite daughter with a satisfied grin, he answered. "For once in my life, I find it was no trouble. Well, the carriage ride was miserable, but, Lizzy, you have made up for my neglect these past years with no trouble to myself. I could not well send such important papers with someone unknown to either of us. I owe you this much effort at least."
He took Lizzy's hands. "You must know, I feel your loss in my home. With Jane married and you compelled to stay here, Longbourn seems quite like Bedlam with all the silliness. I assure you, it is nothing less than I deserve." Looking at her forlornly, he apologized deeply for placing her in such a situation before quipping in his usual sarcastic manner, "It is fortunate the eccentricities of the wealthy allow them to give you so much in return for your stay."
Though Elizabeth consoled her father and assured him of her love, she could not help but to silently resent his insensitivity. He would never know the true terms upon which Longbourn was earned, thus never understand the full consequences of his apathy toward those in his care.
If her father noticed the lack of amusement in her response, he did not comment.
~~~oo0oo~~~
After their walk, Elizabeth accompanied her father to retrieve the legal papers which had brought him to Kent. Once in his possession, they brought the package to the study to begin their work. Elizabeth excused herself to refresh herself before starting while her father sorted the documents according to the types of business they covered.
On a side table, Mr. Bennet was piling the documents related to the common recovery, upon which Elizabeth's signature would grant her inheritance of Longbourn, when Mr. Darcy strode inattentively into the study. Coming to an abrupt halt upon noticing Mr. Bennet, a surprised Mr. Darcy turned to the gentleman and offered a bow as a proper greeting. Mr. Bennet insolently stood and return the bow before returning to his seat, glaring at the gentleman, and refusing to say a word throughout their exchange.
Mr. Darcy moved to leave, pausing a moment before he went through the door. He turned to Mr. Bennet, maintaining an impassive mien. "Mr. Bennet. I apologize for my remarks to you yesterday. They were beneath me, and there is no excuse."
Stunned at the great gentleman condescended to apologize, Mr. Bennet accepted but did not think to apologize for his own ungentlemanly behavior. Mr. Darcy bowed again as he left the room.
Finally realizing propriety dictated he offer his own apology, Mr. Bennet went to the door to remedy his mistake. He saw Elizabeth returning to the study as Mr. Darcy passed her in the hallway. Seeing the gentleman lean in to rub his elbow against Elizabeth, he saw her look of irritation at the gentleman's gesture. Unfortunately for Mr. Darcy, a large mirror in the hallway gave his reflection to Mr. Bennet. Mr. Bennet watched with suspicion the smirk upon the gentleman's face as he walked away.
What was the man thinking, assaulting his daughter so? Mr. Bennet wondered. Was he seeking revenge on Elizabeth that her father had not apologized to him? Could he be so petty? And why would he take such pleasure in doing it? The last thought disturbed him greatly, forcing him again to consider bringing Elizabeth home with him for her own well-being.
When his daughter walked in the study door, she saw her father was visibly upset. "Papa! What happened?" she asked as she moved toward him anxiously.
"I saw what he did to you, pushing you in the hallway. What can he mean by that? Does he always treat you in such a manner?" he demanded.
Elizabeth relaxed. "Oh. I have no answer for what he meant by it, but, as I have told you, I rarely see him except at dinner, so I have very few encounters with the gentleman." With Outside Mr. Darcy anyway, she told herself.
"Your mother mentioned him doing something much like this, him not yielding to you when he allowed the other women to pass." Her father frowned while considering it. "Then he calls you by your Christian name as if you are some servant or closely aligned in some way. I understand he believes us beneath him, but I cannot approve of how that gentleman is treating you." Lifting his hand to her shoulder, he looked at her in concern. "Lizzy. I have noticed your spirits seem low. You are not so lively as I am accustomed to. If these people are treating you poorly, you may always come home even if Longbourn must return to Mr. Collins. Jane has Mr. Bingley now, so your mother's future is secure."
"Papa, I am well!" she assured him, noting she needed to be more cheerful in his company the next day. "It is much quieter here that at home, so I tend toward a calmer disposition."
Her father did not look reassured but drew a deep breath in acquiescence. "Know that you are always wanted at home." Reflecting for a few minutes, Mr. Bennet commented with some satisfaction, "As your mother says, he will likely leave once his wife is with child. I will be relieved to hear he is no longer here to disturb you."
"Truly. Papa, he is no bother for me," she said lightly. "Now, let us take care of Longbourn."
~~~oo0oo~~~
The day had gone well after they finished going through all the papers. Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth retired to the library where they had tea and spent the rest of the morning discussing the antics of Mrs. Bennet, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia, as well as others about Meryton. Mr. Bennet mentioned the invitation Lydia received a few weeks earlier to go to Brighton with Mrs. Forster. As Mrs. Bennet had already lost two daughters, she was not yet ready to lose a third, particularly her beloved Giddy-Liddy, so, to Elizabeth's great relief, it came to nothing beyond Lydia's loud protestations of mistreatment.
Mr. Collins arrived to join the Rosings Park party for dinner. Much to Mr. Bennet's amusement, Mr. Collins' dinner conversation were overbearing expressions of his joy at Longbourn remaining with the Bennets, and his great fortune to now possess his own property, one that was currently leased to supplement his income while living at Hunsford.
After dinner, the guests enjoyed music while Anne and Lady Catherine wove more narratives to Mr. Bennet about how much life at Rosings Park had improved with Elizabeth's arrival.
~~~oo0oo~~~
That night, Darcy told Elizabeth of his encounter with her father in the study. "I had just seen the two of you out walking in the park. I went to retrieve a document I had left in the study before you returned, and was stunned to find him there. Although he did not return the gesture, I did apologize to him for my inappropriate outburst yesterday."
Elizabeth kissed him on the forehead, telling him "I am proud of you" as if he were a child.
He knew she was being facetious, but grinned at her mothering him. "So now, do I come to you when I am injured? Will you kiss the hurt away?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "It depends on where your injuries are."
"What? Are you so stingy with your treatments? " Darcy said with mock affrontedness. "I would never deny you any remedy I could offer."
Arching her brow, she asked, "Truly? What about here?" as she pointed to a spot on her foot. Darcy grinned, then kissed it, which led to their playing the "here" game to see where each could get the other to kiss. Both were pleased with the results.
~~~oo0oo~~~
(1) I've read the wealthy of that time like to have a set of matching tall and good-looking footmen. Having identical twins serving in the position was the ideal.
(2) Raising one's hackles was first recorded in 1881, but the term "hackles" for the birds plumage is from the 1400s. I couldn't easily find when dog hackles were referred to as such, but it looks like it's as old as bird hackles. Anyone who has been around dogs knows what they look like when they sense danger. It may not have been an official idiom, but it's an apt description people were likely to use to describe an unexplained sense of danger as seeing dog's hackles rise is a good time for humans to be on their guard as well.
(3) I'm making the signing of the papers up. As established earlier, I know basically nothing about Regency law or property transfer beyond what Google has found for me.
Language note: giddy, meaning "frivolous, empty-headed", is from Old English and has been in writing since at least the 1300s.