"Mr. Darcy, I have changed my mind. I cannot impose upon this family unannounced. I am unknown to them." The Darcy carriage made its way to Gracechurch Street with William and Mr. Bingley.
"I am unknown to them as well. I am neither invited nor expected. However, from what I have heard of the Gardiners, they will be most gracious when they find us on their doorstep."
"You have some purpose for your visit, at least. How do you explain my presence? Our own acquaintance is of only a few hours. For that matter, why would you even care to have me meet this young lady?" Mr. Bingley was suddenly suspicious. "If she is all that is kind and good, why would you not pursue her yourself?"
"As it happens, my interests lie elsewhere - with her younger sister, in fact." William's words seemed only to upset Mr. Bingley rather than reassure him.
"I just saw this play! Are you denied your Bianca until her older sister is wed? I am no Petruchio. I cannot even tame my own shrew of a sister! No, I am not the man for this challenge, Mr. Darcy."
William paused for a moment as he struggled not to laugh. He had never heard an unkind word about the eldest Miss Bennet, so he was amused by Mr. Bingley's reaction. But William could not blame Mr. Bingley given the scant information he had about the situation and the lady.
"And to the best of my knowledge, Jane Bennet is no Kate. She is merely her mother's favorite, and that very persistent mother wishes to promote a match between Miss Bennet and me. I favor Elizabeth Bennet and will not be dissuaded from her merely to appease her mother."
"Quite the picture you paint, Mr. Darcy. Is your errand in service to the mother's scheme? I am unsure if I would wish to entangle myself with such a family."
"Mr. Bingley, my instinct tells me that both ladies would be worth such an entanglement." William brought his dance with Elizabeth to mind. It had stirred an emotion in him that he did not want to calm. He was moving ever closer to asking for a courtship. He hoped to finish up his business with Mr. Bingley quickly and return to Netherfield Park.
"You have not even met Miss Bennet. How do you even know she is blonde? Or if she is even attractive?" Mr. Bingley asked. "Being blonde does not necessarily make one attractive."
"Elizabeth Bennet a very handsome woman. While it seems impossible to me, Jane Bennet is purported to be her superior in terms of appearance. She has been described as the most beautiful woman in the county and the epitome of the fashionable young lady. And she is also much lauded for her serene nature. I have heard quite a bit about her, as you can imagine."
"Oh, well, perhaps I should not be so hasty." Bingley was somewhat mollified. "Since we are already here, I suppose it can hurt nothing to meet her."
"Exactly my thought. This is our destination, now," William said as the carriage slowed in front of a stylish townhouse.
At the door, he asked for Mr. or Mrs. Gardiner and presented his card. They were quickly ushered into a cozy sitting room where they were greeted by two ladies. William heard Mr. Bingley gasp quietly as they were introduced to Jane Bennet. She was a very beautiful woman indeed, but William felt she lacked the vitality that Elizabeth possessed. He could not imagine Jane dancing on the footpaths of Longbourn or studying astronomy. He knew he was being unfair but despite her beauty she seemed a mere shadow of her sister.
"Mr. Darcy, I am afraid my husband is unavailable at the moment, but you are welcome to wait. My apologies for the informality of meeting you in our family sitting room. My niece and I were enjoying a brief moment of respite as all the children are napping, and this room allows us some distance so we do not risk disturbing them."
"There are no apologies necessary, at least not from you. I hope you will accept mine for intruding upon your home without invitation."
"Us, I mean, I hope you will accept our apology." Mr. Bingley's apologies were directed to Jane alone.
"You are most welcome. May I presume you bring news from Longbourn?" Elizabeth had written her aunt about Longbourn's amiable new neighbor and spoke very highly of the young man. And just that morning, Mrs. Gardiner had received three letters from her sister dated over the last few weeks asking for Jane to return home. She had also received one from her brother asking that she not do so, informing her of Mrs. Bennet's motives.
"Yes, Mrs. Bennet was concerned that her letters had gone astray so she asked me to deliver her latest missives, as business brought me to London. I have some from the rest of the family as well." Darcy took two letters from the top of the stack as he appeared to absently shuffle through the rest. "Ah, these are for Miss Bennet. Miss Elizabeth asked me to personally see they reached you. Mr. Bingley perhaps you would be so good as to hand these to Miss Bennet."
"Of course, Darcy, of course." William could excuse Mr. Bingley's familiarity as he seemed enthralled by Miss Bennet. "I hope these letters bring you good tidings, Miss Bennet. Have you away from home long?"
As Mr. Bingley and Jane fell into conversation, Mrs. Gardiner took the other letters from William. "Mr. Darcy, please have a seat. We have met before, on many occasions, but it was years ago."
"Please forgive me, it seems my memory fails me." William studied her, trying to recall their previous meetings.
"Oh, I would be surprised if you did remember me. You were very young. My family lived in Lambton. We attend Pemberley's harvest festival every year. I am a bit older, of course, but my brothers Alexander and Oliver often joined the children's games with you."
"Alexander and Oliver? Alexander and Oliver Whitson! You are…Martha."
"Well done, Mr. Darcy. Your apologies were premature, it seems."
"Martha Whitson," William said in amazement. "I have many fond memories that involve your brothers. Your father, too. Captain Whitson always fascinated me, a naval officer who fought against the colonists, that was the pinnacle of excitement for a young boy. He was patient with me and never failed to answer my questions. I could listen to his stories for hours."
"And he is always happy to tell them," Mrs. Gardiner laughed.
"Is your family still in Derbyshire?"
"My father longed for the sea air, so my parents moved to Hampshire, near Portsmouth, seven years ago. They lived there early in the marriage, so it was a bit of a homecoming. Both of my brothers joined the Royal Navy as well, and now Alexander's wife and daughter live with my mother and father."
"Please send my regards to them."
"I will. May I ask that you offer my regards to your mother and sister. I hope they have been well." Once William assured her they were, she asked after the Bennets. "And how was my family when you last met with them?"
"My knowledge is limited but they seem very much as they ever were. I believe Miss Elizabeth was going to be helping her friend Miss Lucas in the stillroom this week and she was looking forward to reading the novel Miss Bennet recently sent her."
"How nice. And what are the plans of my other nieces, Mr. Darcy?" Mrs. Gardiner asked with a knowing smile. William blushed when he realized she had not asked specifically about Elizabeth.
"I am sure my sister will be joining the younger girls in their activities as they have become friends. And Miss Mary will probably be…helping Miss Elizabeth." The inflection of his voice made the statement into a question and Mrs. Gardiner's smile grew. "I must confess I really have no idea. I am usually in the company of Miss Elizabeth. I seldom spare a thought to the others." Mrs. Gardiner laughed at his honesty.
"I am sorry. I should not amuse myself at your expense, but you did make it rather easy. Lizzy is a good friend to Charlotte, and I know she values their time together. It is good that Lizzy is not always at Longbourn. I had hoped Lizzy would come help me with the new babe, but my sister insisted it be Jane. It seems she has changed her mind."
William did not know what to say so he simply watched Mr. Bingley and Jane. She appeared to take great pleasure in his company.
"I am not trying to embroil you in any family drama, Mr. Darcy. I know you have had your fair share. Please just tell me, is Lizzy well?" Mrs. Gardiner asked quietly. The tone of Elizabeth's last few letters was excitement tinged with melancholy.
"She is, despite her mother's determination to bring Miss Bennet to my attention." He spoke quietly, still watching his new friend charm Jane Bennet. "But as I have learned, success requires more than determination. I am afraid Mrs. Bennet will be disappointed that our ideas of success differ greatly, and her determination is nothing compared to mine."
~~PoR~~
"She is an angel, Darcy. I cannot conceive of an angel more beautiful. And she is so kind and agreeable." Mr. Bingley rhapsodized about Miss Bennet until William stopped him.
"I am pleased you found her so, but we do have other things to discuss."
"Are you rethinking your attachment to Miss Elizabeth Bennet now that you have met Miss Bennet? I cannot blame you, I mean no disrespect to Miss Elizabeth, but you should not have involved me if you thought such a thing might occur." Mr. Bingley was becoming agitated, and his ideas flowed forth rapidly.
"My attachment, as you call it, to Miss Elizabeth remains constant. It has not changed in a few hours' time. Meeting Miss Bennet has altered nothing. However, we do have some business to consider before tomorrow. I hope to return to Netherfield Park immediately after our meeting. I do not wish to prolong my stay in London longer than necessary."
"Surely, we can talk about that this evening." Mr. Bingley countered. Mrs. Gardiner had invited the two gentlemen to dinner that evening so they would have the opportunity to meet Mr. Gardiner.
William realized he would make no gains with Mr. Bingley in the fresh throes of infatuation. In truth, William was rethinking his introduction of Mr. Bingley to Elizabeth's family. He wondered how Elizabeth would feel about him bringing this stranger to her sister's notice. Any heartbreak Jane Bennet experienced would be on his head. He had not thought it through well enough. It was an act born out of frustration and hope. He just sat back in his seat and listened and longed to be in the company of Elizabeth once again.