Chapter Eight

Those in the room rose to greet the unanticipated visitor.

Darcy, the first to regain his wits, reached out his hand to clasp his cousin's and said, "Richard, what a surprise to see you here. I did not know you had been able to secure leave from your duties?"

"I wrote Bingley last week, did he not tell you?"

"My brother is a dreadful correspondent, Colonel Fitzwilliam. He did not pass on the message." Through gritted teeth, Miss Bingley added, "And how long will we have the pleasure of your company sir?"

"Just a few days, Miss Bingley." If he was not on a most important mission he would not even suffer the woman's company for that long.

When it became clear that Miss Bingley was not going to meet her requirements as hostess and introduce the newest arrival to Miss Elizabeth, for she definitely did not know they were related and possibly acquainted, Darcy took the office upon himself. "Cousin, may I introduce you to Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn?"

"I am –" Richard stalled when he observed a subtle shake to Miss Elizabeth's head which went, thankfully, unnoticed by the other occupants of the room, "sure it shall be no hardship on my part to accept such an introduction."

Once the formalities had been completed Richard pulled up a chair and the group retook their seats. Miss Bingley did not ring for a fresh pot of tea and had concocted an excuse to remove both herself and her sister from the room after a few moments. As much as she wished to occupy Mr Darcy's time, his cousin the Colonel was not a man she could tolerate being in company with for any length of time. It always felt to Caroline as though the gentleman was making sport of her. After she was married to Mr Darcy, he would not be welcomed frequently to stay in their town house or at Pemberley.

Had Miss Bingley been aware of the silent exchange occurring between Colonel Fitzwilliam and Miss Elizabeth she may just have hovered outside the drawing room door in an attempt to have her desire for gossip fulfilled. As it was, only Darcy noticed and he grew increasingly disgruntled by the realisation that the pair were known to one another.

In the moments before his cousin had entered the room, Darcy had recalled who the eldest Bennet sisters were and how their parents had known each other. He had believed, for that brief time, that a relationship could not have existed between the Bennet's and Fitzwilliam's. Mr Bennet had been genuine in his surprise and remorse and the news of his parent's deaths. If the two families had dealings with each other, surely Mr Bennet would have learned of those details before now. Additionally, Richard had ample time to forewarn him of a possible meeting with old acquaintances before he left for Hertfordshire, so why had his cousin remained silent unless he was not aware of their being nearby?

Now, however, as he observed them trade facial expressions he realised he had been kept in the dark by his cousin. His most trusted confidant had not trusted him.

"You know the Miss Bennet's" It was not said as a question, but as a statement. Still, Richard nodded.

Elizabeth released a deep breath, she could not tell whether she was relieved or irked that the esteemed Mr Darcy had finally figured out her connection to his own relations.

"I am curious as to your attendance here at Netherfield, Miss Lizzy. I would not have thought a friendship between yourself and the lady of the house a likely one." Richard enquired.

Lizzy could only smile before Mr Darcy commandeered the conversation once more. "Does Mr Bennet know that you know the Miss Bennet's?" Richard's only response was to shake his head in the negative.

"Will you provide a more detailed response for why I was not alerted to this dynamic before entering the region?"

"I beg of you, please do not take your lack of notification ahead of your coming into our neighbourhood out on your cousin. He was honouring a promise made to my sister and I." Elizabeth responded in Richard's defence, "I shall admit I was surprised to realise that my cousin had not broken the secret to unburden himself upon his closest confidants, but I am thankful to have a dependable man such as he amongst my friends."

"And did you, Miss Elizabeth, know of our shared connection and my coming into the area?"

"Your arrival at the assembly, sir, was a surprise to both myself and my sister. Following our introductions to you, yes we were aware that we share a connection through the Fitzwilliam family." Elizabeth blushed. She did not understand why she was trying to pacify such a disagreeable man.

"It would have been courteous of you to acknowledge such to me, do you not think?"

Elizabeth was put out by Mr Darcy's obvious disapproval of any connection she may have to his cousin. Was he so offended by the prospect of having to acknowledge such an association with himself? For she was as equally unenthusiastic to claim the connection as him. 'Oh that prideful, arrogant man!'

It was then Richard's turn to answer in Lizzie's defence, "From what I know of your behaviour at that assembly, Darcy, you deserved no such consideration." Elizabeth felt her face redden further as her cousin eluded to the letter she had sent to Richard's sister, her other cousin, Helena.

After a moment, Elizabeth regained sufficient control of herself. She knew she had to ask Mr Darcy to keep her confidence too. "Mr Darcy, if my father was to learn of my being in contact with any of my mother's relatives beyond my Aunt Madeline he would put a stop to our London visits and correspondence. To safeguard the relationship, Jane and I requested that it be kept secret until I come of age, a little under eighteen months from now."

Darcy's resolve to remain angry with his cousin crumbled under the weight of Miss Elizabeth's pleading gaze. He was quickly coming to recognise his weakness around her; she could get him to agree to anything if she just looked him in the eye when she asked.

Feeling all of a sudden tongue-tied, Darcy managed to nod and stammer through a response, "I understand. I shall hold your secret safe."

With the unexpected arrival of his cousin, Darcy had barely had time to process his recent remembrance of past events involving the Miss Bennet's. Later, in the quiet of his chambers as he dressed for dinner, he found himself so absorbed with self-recrimination that his already dark mood darkened further.

That he could have neglected his memories of his youth so much that he did not immediately recognise his mother's dear friend's face in Miss Elizabeth was shameful.

That he must now remember how he failed those little girls that day over and over again was akin to torture.

That he should have judged Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth for their connection to Mrs Bennet when they were in fact granddaughters and nieces of an Earldom was even worse. Good Heavens!

He eventually reassured himself that now he remembered the truth he would not reply to or entertain any more of Miss Bingley's snide remarks about the Bennet sisters, therefore assuring at least an amicable acquaintanceship should they make their entrance into London society in the future.

When the party gathered for dinner, the brooding gentleman had still yet to determine a course of action regarding the accident. He could tell from Miss Elizabeth's words earlier in the day that she longed for more information, but could not decide if it was his place to share the details. Until such a time as he could settle upon a plan he resolved that avoidance would be to his benefit, and through the various courses of the meal rarely spoke above three words to anybody. As a result, Miss Bingley's continuous questions directed at the gentleman went barely answered by the intended individual. Her subsequent dissatisfaction was then aimed at everyone at the dining table with the exception of the offending party, for it would not do to affront the object of one's machinations.

For Lizzie's part, she tried her best to forge some discourse between herself and her dining companion Mr Hurst, though that attempt was in vain and faltered almost immediately. She also spoke briefly to Mr Bingley who was thrilled by the news that Jane's temperature had lowered since the morning and they hoped she would have a much more restful night now that the fever had broken. She did not dare to speak freely to Richard so as to avoid raising suspicion.

It was thoroughly surprising to Elizabeth when, after expressing her usual desire to return to Jane at the end of the meal, Mr Darcy offered to escort her to her sister's room, for he wished to retrieve a book from his own. The surprised extended to her companions also for it was by far the most words any of them had heard Mr Darcy utter all evening.

Of them all, Miss Bingley was the first to recover, "Mr Darcy, there is no need to you to fetch such an item yourself," she said as she waved a hand at a footman, "Jones here will go if you tell him the title."

Darcy eyed the man approaching them who he knew to be called Jacobs, though he did not wish to embarrass the young lad or Miss Bingley by correcting her, and shook his head in the negative, "No need to take him from his duties, I am perfectly able to go myself." And with that he wrapped a still befuddled Miss Elizabeth's hand around his arm and walked them both in the direction of the staircase.

Lizzy could now add high-handed to her list of complaints against the horrid man, who, at that moment, was all but dragging her away from the others without giving her the opportunity to protest. When they reached the bottom of the staircase and were out of view of those they had left behind, Elizabeth forcefully retracted her hand from Mr Darcy's arm and stood her ground with a stare that made him visibly flinch.

"Mr Darcy, I am perfectly capable of finding my sister's bed chamber. I have managed quite successfully these past days to avoid getting lost. If this is about earlier, you have my gratitude but I wish to discuss it with you no further. You are now free to return to your friends, I am in no need of your services, sir."

Darcy had watched in awe as her eyes turned to fire, fed not only by the flickering candlelight but by her rising ire too. His tongue failed him once more and as she began to turn and climb the stairs he reached out a hand to stay her ascent. She paused on the first step, twisting back to face him. Still the words would not come to him. He had never wanted to reach out and kiss a woman so much as he did in that instant.

Lizzy waited for him to speak and as she did saw what she believed to be frustration cross his brow. 'What could he possibly have to be frustrated over? He is the one delaying me after all.' After what must have been half a minute with no words from him, Lizzy bid him a good night and continued up the stairs alone.

The tongue-tied gentleman cursed himself as he watched the clearly infuriated, yet still elegant, Miss Elizabeth climb the stairs. Darcy, once out of the lady's close proximity, regained his mastery over language. He was fluent in four languages, though all failed him when faced with the bewitchingly determined second Miss Bennet. It did not help that his decision to speak with her was made on a whim and therefore he had no prepared address.

If he was to continue with this recent resolution to share his knowledge with the Bennet's he would have to attempt to do so when she was not in such high spirits, for it would not do for him to lose his mind around her again in such a way; the heat he saw in her eyes would already be fuel for his fantasies, he did not need to make things worse for himself.

When Lizzy reached the corridor where the guest bed chambers were located she entered her own room first and leaned her back against the door. It was unwise to allow Jane to see her in such a state of high agitation, she would ask questions Lizzie was unsure how to answer. Such as, 'I thought you did not like Mr Darcy, Lizzie. Why do you let his actions bother you so?'

'I do not know Jane, and that also bothers me!' she replied in her head to her imaginary companion and began to pace the room. She had to release some energy and it was too late for a walk, pacing would have to do.

'He is probably not all bad, if Mr Bingley and the Fitzwilliam's are so very fond of him.'

"Oh, your comments do not help me J–"

"Lizzie?" Jane's voice weakly called from the next room, "Is that you?"

Elizabeth walked to the connecting door and entered her sister's room. She found Jane sitting up in bed with a half-eaten dinner tray on the covers next to her.

"My dear sister, how do you fair this evening?" Elizabeth asked as she walked around to the chair besides the bed.

"I am tired but feel much more myself that I have in days. Though I believe," she continued, waving a hand towards the discarded tray, "that the cook here thinks that I have been ill and without an appetite for a month rather than a couple of days!"

"I do not believe that you should be blaming the cook. Mr Bingley was asking me for all of your favourite foods this morning. I did not anticipate him requesting all of my suggestions at once however."

"That is awfully sweet of him, do you not think?" Jane asked with a smile. Before Lizzy could respond she asked, "Has the maid come up with you? I need some assistance changing my night clothes."

"No, only me." Lizzy replied.

"Oh," Jane was confused, "I thought I heard you speaking with someone just now."

"I was speaking, only with myself." Elizabeth said no more on the subject as she attempted to hide her embarrassment. Jane decided not to push her. She knew nobody as well as she knew Lizzie and could tell her dear sister would not respond well to prodding.

After Mr and Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley had all retired for bed, Bingley, Darcy and Richard took themselves off to the study for a drink. Richard had viewed Elizabeth's calm acceptance of Darcy knowing the truth as permission to extend the list of people who knew the secret to include Bingley. After all, she had said she was surprised at him not having told them before.

Only once a vow had been extracted from Bingley that the knowledge go no further, once he had sworn that he would mind himself around servants, his sister and the Bennet family (and once they had told him a false tale just to pull his leg a little), did Richard inform Bingley of Jane and Elizabeth's connection to his family.

"I already knew Miss Jane Bennet to be all that is lovely. Even with her illness, she is sweetness and beauty personified. I am pleased for her sake that she has more family than is widely known, though you have been awfully sly in keeping such a gem hidden." Bingley could not control the dreamy look that appeared on his face as he thought of his latest angel.

Richard was not surprised that his Janie had caught Bingley's attention, in fact he had anticipated such an event. It did not prevent his worrying over his cousin's tender heart though. Jane was reserved and cautious with her affections, rarely showing how she truly felt to the world around her. This was her greatest similarity and difference with the women of the ton. Where both showed emotions that did not necessarily reflect the true state of their feelings, the ladies of the ton would over exaggerate, whilst Jane would down play her thoughts and feelings until they were barely detectable.

"Be cautious in your praise Bingley," stated Darcy, "Mrs Bennet will be quite vexed with you admiring the eldest Miss Bennet over her sister Mary."

The look of horror that passed over Bingley's faced caused Richard to choke on his brandy. Recovering himself, Bingley asked, "She cannot be serious in her attempts to promote one daughter over the other can she?"

"I should think she would not be, if indeed she considered the two eldest to be her daughters." Darcy said, "You have seen the way she pushes Miss Mary in a way she does not her sisters. Be cautious my friend, that is a nest of hornets just waiting to sting."

A/N:

For those of you who have struggled with the family history/dynamic I have created, here is a brief recap which hopefully clears it up a bit.

I know some of the links are a bit tenuous but it's fiction and it's my story so it can be tenuous if I want it to be. I am sorry that I have probably made it more complicated than it needed to be though.

Jane and Lizzie are the daughters of Mr Bennet and his first wife, Amelia. She was born Amelia Walker. Her father was a younger son of an Earl so they let her marry a country gentleman rather than someone more of their station because it was a love match.

Amelia had a sister, Madeline (who is my story's Mrs Gardiner, she was cut from the family when she married into trade).

Amelia and Madeline have a brother (the Earl of Alfreton, we will meet him later) and a cousin, Rebecca Walker who is married to Darcy's Uncle (Earl of Matlock). Rebecca is Colonel Fitzwilliam's mother.

So the Bennet sisters and Richard are 2nd cousins (because their mothers were 1st cousins and they share great grandparents through the Walker side of the family). Probably something similar to how Mr Collin's is connected to the Bennet family.

Darcy is not a blood relation to the Bennet's, Lady Anne was just part of a friendship group with Rebecca, Amelia and Madeline.

Mr Bennet is an exaggerated version of his lazy cannon personality. It was easier for him to shut out his dead wife's family than suffer his grief.

We've not discussed dowry yet, but those of you speculating, yes there will be something for our girls but all will be revealed when the time is right.