A/N
So in this chapter, I faced a problem that I often encountered while writing The Gift- I got so carried away that I could not finish what I planned for this chapter in the targeted number of words.. that means an additional chapter.. In that context am requesting your feedback.. Please do let me know if Mrs Webster's back story in the chapter feels overly long or wordy or boring. I am really keen to find out if there is a need to prune this chapter…
As always, thank you dear readers for the engagement with my story, for all the reviews, follows and the favorites. Your kind appreciation and suggestions, keep me going and I wait for them impatiently !
To Reader ChrisM0519: Thank you for letting me know that white thoroughbreds are rare, have used it in the story :)
To reader Lisa – Thank you once again for spending time on my story with a discerning eye, I really appreciate your kind help
A Chance EncounterCopyright © 2021 by S. Neha
All rights reserved.
Chapter 9Elizabeth had quite a long and revealing chat with Mrs Webster by the time Mr Darcy came back after his discussions with John. She had understood it right; the kind lady had truly been wanting to unburden herself. The fortitude and strength with which she had faced the most sad and trying of circumstances in her life made Elizabeth respect and admire her all the more. Elizabeth also believed that some of the things that she had learnt needed to be shared with Mr Darcy if, as it appeared, he was planning to help their hostess. Since Mrs Webster had not sworn her to secrecy, she did not think she would be betraying any secrets when she did so.
Mrs Webster first noticed Darcy entering the parlour and addressed him, "Ah, you are back Mr Fitzwilliam. I hope you were able to settle everything to your satisfaction?"
"Yes, ma'am. I must say you have got a treasure in John." Darcy smiled.
"I totally agree with you there, sir."
"Beth! Dawcy! Come. Dolly and me going for pic-ick," a merry voice called out from the doorway. After waving her doll at them, Millie pulled at Martha's arm eagerly. The smiling maid willingly allowed herself to be dragged forward.
"Shall we, my dear?" Darcy asked Elizabeth, who nodded as she readily got up from her seat.
"Why does the child keep calling you Dorsey?" Mrs Webster asked.
There was a sudden, awkward silence at the uncomfortable question, and for a long moment, Darcy stared at her mutely. Then he replied in a constrained voice, "Umm… I really do not…"
"I think Millie is confusing you with Stephen Dorsey, Alex darling. Don't you remember him, the vicar's second son? He is as tall as you and has the same dark, wavy hair." Elizabeth interrupted him calmly. Darcy stared at her blankly for a moment, then blinked. "I can't say that I had really noticed Stephen's… ah.. wavy hair, my dear. However, now that you mention it, that seems to be the most plausible explanation for Millie's confusion." He murmured in response. Despite her best efforts, Elizabeth found herself flushing at the smile in his eyes.
Mrs Webster nodded sagely. "Hmm… Of course, a child of three can easily be expected to mix up two very similar looking people."
Breathing a sigh of relief at safely navigating a dangerous situation, Darcy motioned to Elizabeth to move to the door as he excused themselves to Mrs Webster.
~~~§~~~
"That was quite a close thing! Thank you for coming to my rescue so precipitately back there." Darcy said in a relieved voice, once they were out of hearing of anyone inside the house.
"How could I not? When you looked so like a landed fish! I would not have been able to square it with my conscience had I not lifted a finger to put the poor fish back into the water." Elizabeth chuckled.
Darcy smiled ruefully at her at teasing words, but before he could respond, Elizabeth continued. "Besides, the day we came here, we agreed to a course of action. Now it is up to both of us to see things through. Today, Mrs Webster rightly said that you could not dissemble to save your life. What puzzles me, however, is how swiftly you came up with that story and the fictitious name on the day of the accident." She glanced at him askance.
"Oh, but that story was an outcome of quite a lot of deliberation. All the way from The Red Lion to this place, I was mulling on what I should tell our hostess about us. As far as the name is concerned, it really did not require much thought because there is nothing fictitious about it."
When Elizabeth turned her head and looked at him questioningly, he smiled and bowed slightly. "Fitzwilliam Alexander Darcy at your service, madam."
"Ah, so, you share a name with Colonel Fitzwilliam."
"Yes, my mother wanted my name to reflect a connect with her family name."
"Hmm.." Elizabeth nodded. After a while, she added thoughtfully, "I prefer Alex. It suits you. Rather, it suits the man I met two days ago." Then almost as if she had lost control over her tongue, she found herself murmuring. "I feel as if I encountered Fitzwilliam Darcy in Meryton and Rosings, and I have to say that I like Alex much… much more."
Although Elizabeth's eyes were warm with approbation, still Darcy flushed at the reminder of his arrogant behaviour in the past. Then to his relief came the realization that his desire to improve her opinion of him seemed to be on the verge of fulfilment, and he cheered inwardly. "I like that name myself. Although it is many years since anyone called me by it."
When Elizabeth raised her brow enquiringly, he explained, "All my friends and relatives call me either Fitzwilliam or Darcy. It was only my grandmother, who used to call me Alex. She passed away when I was still at Eton, and no one has addressed me as Alex since then.
Except… you," he added with a smile.
"Miss Darcy also addresses you as Fitzwilliam?" Elizabeth asked curiously.
"Well, depending on her mood, I can be brother, Fitzwilliam, or… Fitz."
"Hmm… speaking of Miss Darcy - I think she would be ecstatic when she learns about your agreement with Mrs Webster regarding her Snowdrop."
"Oh, yes, she would be delighted," Darcy replied with an eager smile. Then his smile faltered a little as he continued, "At least, I hope so. She really needs something to raise her spirits."
Elizabeth was surprised at the sudden change in Mr Darcy's countenance. The fleeting, bleak look that had shadowed his face disturbed her. She opened her mouth to enquire the reason but decided against it on second thoughts. He had been quite cheerful when they started their walk, and she had no desire to cause him further anguish - to satisfy her curiosity. So, she only said, "I am sure it will be so."
Darcy nodded his thanks and made a deliberate attempt to push away his dark thoughts. Further conversation was then suspended as they came upon the site of the picnic. Elizabeth gasped and stared admiringly at the beautiful place.
Martha had placed a rug under a tree. Millie's dolly sat proudly on it, guarding the food basket kept alongside. The child herself was busy playing ball with Tom nearby. She saw them arriving and beckoned them happily, "Dawcy, Beth!"
Elizabeth waved to the child, then murmured to Darcy. "I believe we need to be very careful of what we speak around the little one, beginning with how we address each other… Alex. I do not think my ingenuity or Mrs Webster's credulity will survive it if I have to claim next that I also resemble a Miss Bennet - neighbour to Mr Dorsey, the vicar!"
Darcy chuckled and replied, "I could not agree more, Elizabeth. Now, I can only marvel that I allowed myself to be so careless around a precocious child who so loves to talk!"
"You and me both, sir. The only way we can assuage our conscience a little is by blaming the fact that it is quite a long time since we entertained a child of that age." Elizabeth said wryly.
Before Darcy could respond to that, Martha approached them. "I hope you enjoy the picnic, madam, sir. If you need anything, please do send Tom to me." Then she left them with a smile and a curtesy. Elizabeth and Darcy sat down and, for a while, quietly absorbed the magic of their restful surroundings.
After some time, Darcy called her, "Elizabeth?"
"Yes?"
"I think you were quite right about there being something special in the air of this place. Umm.. can we check what all is there in that very tempting basket?"
Elizabeth grinned and reached for the basket, "Of course, sir. Let us call the children too. I am sure they would be no less eager than you to explore the contents of this basket."
As expected, Tom and Millie came rushing forward on being called. Unfortunately, Millie fell down in her hurry to reach them. Darcy picked up the crying child hastily. "Where does it hurt, poppet?" The child raised her right hand in response. "Ah, then let me kiss it better for you." He said, suiting his actions to word. Elizabeth's brow rose in surprise at the speed with which the little girl's tears stopped flowing. Any remnants of her hurt were further routed at the sight of the delicious fruit cake that Elizabeth took out from the basket.
~~~§~~~
Once they had partaken the sumptuous meal and the children had gone back to their play, Elizabeth decided to apprise Darcy of what she had learnt from Mrs Webster.
"Alex?"
Darcy, who was smilingly observing the antics of the two children, turned to look at her. "Hmm?"
"I noticed your interest in the doings of Mr Cyril Webster in the morning. While you were gone, I had quite an illuminating conversation with Mrs Webster, and I believe that you might find some of it helpful for your purpose."
As Darcy sat watching her, he came to a sudden realization that together they made a very good team. Without any overt communication from him, she had understood what he suspected and was now trying to help him accordingly. The awareness caused a strange, warm feeling in his heart, and for some time, he stayed silent- wanting to savour the feeling.
It disconcerted Elizabeth to find him staring at her so intently, and she asked doubtfully, "Alex… Mr Darcy? Is anything the matter?"
"No… no. Everything is just fine, Elizabeth. Tell me what you discovered, please."
"You will understand my misgivings if I give you the complete story. But before that I have to say that Mrs Webster is a very brave woman. Earlier, I was enamoured of her gentleness, but now after hearing her story, I have come to respect her strength."
Darcy sat back more comfortably as he realized that the telling would take some time and nodded for her to go on.
"Mr and Mrs Webster had two sons. The elder one stayed here and assisted his father with the farm. Unfortunately, he and his wife perished in a carriage accident almost a decade ago. Their orphaned son was then raised by the doting grandparents.
"Our Cyril?" Darcy asked.
"Ah, no. This grandson is called Jonathon Webster. Cyril is the son of Mrs Webster's second son, who is a vicar somewhere in Oxfordshire."
"Hmm… So, where is this Jonathon Webster now?"
"No one knows, unfortunately."
"Excuse me?"
"Jonathon joined the army nearly three years ago. When Mrs Webster last heard from him, his unit was fighting the French in Spain. At the beginning of this year, Mrs Webster got a letter from the army informing her that Jonathon was reported missing after his unit was involved in a skirmish with the French in the last week of November 1811. When the field was being searched for the injured and the survivors, then it was discovered that Jonathon was neither among the injured nor the dead. Since the altercation had taken place near a ridge below which a river was flowing, it was suspected that perhaps Jonathon fell into the river while fighting. At the time of the letter being sent, Jonathan had been missing for nearly two weeks. While it was not stated in so many words, but it was apparent to Mrs Webster that she was being told not to hope for a miracle." Elizabeth paused to draw a deep breath, then added almost in a whisper. "That good lady, however, says that had something really happened to her grandson, she would have 'known it in her bones'. So, she firmly believes that Jonathan is alive and will come back to her when the time comes."
There was a poignant silence after the statement, finally broken by Darcy. "Pegasus belongs to Jonathan, doesn't it? And that is why she is loath to part with him." It was more a statement than a question, and Elizabeth smiled her appreciation of his quick understanding. "Yes, it was bought for him by old Mr Webster. Although he bought it from a friend at a considerably reduced price, still it was quite a lot of money for the Webster's. The old man bought it with the hope that Jonathan's interest in all things equestrian might trump his fascination for the army. Unfortunately, things did not unfold as he desired. A year after Pegasus joined the Webster's household, Jonathan left it to join the army."
"Oh, one can easily understand Mr Webster's compulsions. With his son and daughter already gone, he would have been desperate to keep the boy safe from any harm." Darcy said with an empathetic smile. "However, more often than not, life charts its own course," he added ruefully.
"True…" Elizabeth sighed, then continued, "Mrs Webster told me that once Jonathan went, her husband changed considerably. When their grandson was with them, Mr Webster had the reassurance that if he passed on, the boy would take care of his grandmother and the farm. Now with that assurance gone, he started worrying for his wife. So much so that he even changed his will. The farmhouse was Jonathan's inheritance, but to ensure that Mrs Webster will always have a roof over her head, Mr Webster has now left it to Mrs Webster. He left a small annuity for John with a promise from the faithful man Friday to continue to serve Mrs Webster as long as he could. He even took a loan from the local squire to carry out some much-needed repair work on the farmhouse. While he could oversee the repair work himself, unfortunately, he passed on last year before he could completely repay the loan."
"Ah, the loan that was mentioned in the morning," Darcy murmured. and Elizabeth nodded in response.
"But where are Cyril, his father, and other family members in all this?" Darcy asked curiously.
"Yes… well…. With four children, the youngest of whom is still in the nursery, Reverend James Webster has his hands full with his flock and his family. Though a kind man, and a good son, he neither has the pecuniary resources nor the required time to help in this situation." Elizabeth replied with a shrug.
"What about Cyril Webster?"
"Cyril is the eldest of his siblings. He stays in London and is a clerk at the warehouse of a wealthy tradesman, a Mr Sandiford."
"Sandiford… I seem to have heard that name somewhere."
"That is what even I felt. Then I remembered that Uncle Gardiner talks about him sometimes because of his stupendous success in the shipping business."
"Oh. Perhaps that is why I also heard his name. A year or so ago, I was looking for some investment opportunities in that area." Darcy nodded, then continued, "Umm.. Elizabeth, you suggested that I might find the story helpful with regards to Cyril's involvement in the mystery, but…"
"Yes, I was just coming to the relevant part. Frankly, from what Mrs Webster told me, there is nothing truly conclusive that points a finger towards Cyril. However, I have this strange feeling that he is somehow involved in all this. You might call it a woman's intuition," Elizabeth said with a wry look at him.
"Oh, I have a very healthy respect for a woman's intuition. My aunt Helen haves them quite regularly, and she is right more times than she is not." Darcy grinned at her.
Elizabeth smiled in return and said, "Then let me tell you the rest. Cyril and Jonathan are of the same age, and a young Cyril often spent his holidays here at the farmhouse. The visits, however, reduced in frequency as the boys grew older and nearly stopped once they joined college. When Cyril came to attend the funeral of his grandfather last year, he was visiting Bassingtonstoke after a gap of nearly four years. However, since then, he has been a regular visitor. Mrs Webster believes that it is so because he realized that she needed support in these difficult times. It may very well be so. However, the manner in which he had this sudden epiphany after four years, and only after Mr Webster passed away… it all makes me somewhat… sceptical of his intentions. The feeling got heightened after discovering that he is the only one who has ever talked about selling Pegasus.
Oh, I agree that Mrs Webster does need the money, and that Cyril mentioned quite a handsome price for the horse after his inquiries last year… but.." Elizabeth's voice trailed off doubtfully.
"Do you know what was the price he mentioned?" Darcy asked with interest. Elizabeth nodded and stated the amount. Darcy's brow rose in surprise. "Pegasus is quite a rare horse- a white thoroughbred. He can fetch virtually double the amount you mentioned."
As Elizabeth's eyes widened at the disclosure, Darcy cautioned her with a shrug. "Again, we cannot be sure who quoted such a throwaway price, the buyer himself or Cyril. However, I happen to agree with you that we do need to look into the doings of Mr Cyril Webster more carefully. Finally, it may all turn out to be a hum, but an investigation is definitely warranted. Maybe, I will pay a visit to Mr Sandiford's warehouse once we get back to London. I have already asked John if anyone in the village had shown an interest in Pegasus, and he answered in the negative. I will also go to The Red Lion later today and inquire from Jones if he knows anything but even I am now of the opinion that the key to the mystery is in London."
It gratified Elizabeth that Mr Darcy was according due consideration to her ideas, and there was no hint of the condescension that she had feared when she mentioned her womanly intuition. He was also readily sharing his own thoughts on the subject. Apart from her father and uncle Gardiner, she had met very few men who were willing to treat the opinions of a mere woman at par with their own. Mr Darcy had just joined that very select category. It troubled her once again that she had misjudged the man so badly.
She came out of her reverie to hear Mr Darcy ask her, "… and Mrs Webster has not heard anything further from the army about Jonathan?"
"No, nothing… However, she is confident that she will get the news as soon as there is any because a friend of Jonathan is responsible for the dispatches in the head office."
"Hmm… Richard might suggest something, but I am not sure when he will be back from his assignment. We will know more only when we reach London."
Elizabeth nodded and sat back with a smile. She felt strangely light and reassured, now that she had shared her suspicions with Mr Darcy. Somehow she felt sure that he would do everything in his power to make things all right.
Darcy sat observing the beautiful smile playing on her face and felt a sudden desire to beg her to accord him one more chance. To request a courtship for her to get to know him better… but then he tamped it down firmly. 'It is too soon. She has only just begun to change her opinion of me. And how could I forget that she is under my protection at present -dependent on me for her safe passage back home. It would not be gentlemanly to put any pressure on her under the circumstances, and what if she wants to refuse but cannot, due to misplaced gratitude?' His jaw clenched at the insupportable thought. 'No, it would be best to first safely accompany her to relative and then throw myself at her mercy.' All of a sudden, he felt impatient to travel back to London. There was a lot that needed to be done before he could request another chance from Elizabeth.
~~~§~~~