Chapter 3

A week later, the memory of the young lady in the park had not faded. Darcy was getting ready to go to a ball held by one of Lady Matlock's friends. His cousin's wife had badgered him into coming; although "badger" was not an appropriate term, since she was such a kind woman. She had insisted, rather, that he get out of his townhouse and mingle with some new people. Not that she would suggest he marry again; she knew he had no desire to, and his family would not push him into it. He had done his duty; he had his heir. He did not want to marry again.

He made sure to tuck Melody into bed for the night. He made a habit of doing so every night, even though the nurse was there to do it. He wanted to give his daughter the kind of childhood that he had never had. He wanted to give her a father who loved her.

With a sigh, he got into the carriage and rode over to Lord Sedley's residence. Lord Sedley was a viscount whom he had known at university, many years ago. According to Lady Matlock, Lady Sedley was presenting her brother's fiancée, and this ball was in honour of their engagement. He had no interest in the young people; but he was trying to find interest in something. Had life really become meaningless to him, aside from raising his daughter?

He entered the ballroom, expecting to pass a weary night. He greeted Lord and Lady Sedley and the viscountess said, "Mr. Darcy, how lovely to see you. May I introduce you to my brother?" He turned to look at the man next to her. "This is Mr. Nicholas Cranfield, and his fiancée, Miss Jane Bennet. Nicolas, Jane, this is Mr. Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire."

Darcy started to behold the Jane that he had seen at the park. He gathered himself at once and bowed to her, shaking Cranfield's hand. "An honour," he murmured, wondering if Jane's sister were here also. He had not been able to forget Lizzy in the week that had passed. She had said they did not live in London; were they staying with a relative?

As soon as he left the receiving line, he looked around the ballroom. There she was, standing beside a man and woman who were clearly relations. He could not go up to her without an introduction, but his spirits instantly lifted. She had not seen him; but why would she have any interest in him anyway? He was old enough to be her father.

The dancing began, and Miss Bennet and Mr. Cranfield led the first dance next to Lord and Lady Sedley. Darcy stood at the edge of the ballroom as he saw Lizzy dancing with a young sprig who clearly had all her attention, the way she was smiling and talking with him. He waited until the first dance was over, then approached Lady Sedley.

"Hello, Mr. Darcy," she said. "Is there anyone I can introduce you to?"

"Actually, yes. This young lady here," he said, nodding toward Lizzy, "I believe is Miss Bennet's sister?"

"She is indeed. She is with her aunt and uncle. I should be glad to introduce you."

He followed her across the ballroom to where the young sprig had just handed her back to her relations. Her eyes widened when she saw him approach, and then she smiled. His heart skipped a beat. That was odd. That had never happened to him before. Was he having heart palpitations?

"Miss Elizabeth," said Lady Sedley, "this gentleman has requested the honour of an introduction. May I present Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, of Pemberley in Derbyshire?"

He bowed and Miss Elizabeth curtseyed. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir," she said with a twinkle in her eye. He knew she was thinking that they had already met, although informally, and was teasing him about it. He found himself smiling back at her.

"Miss Elizabeth," he said. "May I have the honour of this dance?" The words were out of his mouth before he realized he was going to say them. But then he was glad he had spoken when she agreed and he led her out to the floor. He struggled to think what to say, but before he could speak, Miss Elizabeth did.

"Well, Mr. Darcy, have you and Miss Melody fed any more ducks this week?" Half of her mouth curved up in a smile, and he noticed that she had a dimple in her cheek. He was charmed.

"Alas, no," he said with a chuckle. "But we have gone riding several times. My daughter has a pony that we brought with us from Pemberley."

"That sounds delightful," said Miss Elizabeth. "Pemberley is your estate?"

"Yes," he said. "It has been in the family for many generations. We have been there all last year. It has been a long time since we were in London."

"Do you and your wife prefer the country, then?"

"I am not married, Miss Elizabeth. I am a widower."

Elizabeth's smile fell. "Oh, I am so sorry, sir. I – I had no idea."

"Of course you would not know. Do not be sorry." He was not sorry either. He did not miss Anne. He had loved her as he would love a cousin, but they had really had nothing in common. She had been a duty, and he had been only a duty to her too, he was sure.

"Is Miss Melody your only child?"

"Yes."

"I was always thankful I had a sister. I am afraid it would be very lonely to be an only child," she said perceptively.

"Melody rarely has other children to play with. I think she has spoken of Miss Beth and Miss Lizzy more times than I can count since that day at the lake. I do not think she has ever had an adult play with her like that before."

Elizabeth laughed. "She is welcome to come play any time. I enjoyed her company."

Somehow Darcy knew this was not simply a throw-away comment. His daughter really would be welcome to come play with them anytime.

"You said you are from Hertfordshire, Miss Elizabeth?"

"I did?"

"You did. That first day, at the lake."

"Oh. I suppose I did. My father's estate is Longbourn. My mother died when I was born, so it has always just been Jane, my father, and me."

"So no brothers?"

"No."

"Your sister must be your father's heir, then?"

"She is indeed. We are delighted that she and Mr. Cranfield found each other. So many fortune-hunters were after my sister, you see."

Darcy could understand that. When Melody grew old enough to marry, he would have to guard against the same thing. She was heiress not only to Pemberley, but to Rosings Park as well.

"I myself love the country," she continued when he said nothing. "Jane and I come to London occasionally and stay with my aunt and uncle, my mother's brother. My father does not care for town."

She moved through the dance steps lightly, and Darcy delighted in watching her lissom body turn and sway. Then he schooled his thoughts. It was not honourable or appropriate to think such things of such a young lady. She was young enough to be his daughter!

When the dance was over, he led her back over to her relations. "Mr. Darcy, may I introduce my aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner?"

"Of course. A pleasure to meet you," he said.

"You are Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, I believe Lady Sedley said?" asked Mrs. Gardiner.

"Yes."

"I myself grew up in Lambton," she said. "Derbyshire is a delightful county. I do not believe I have ever come across one more beautiful."

"I have to agree with you there, madam." He paused, about to leave, and then spoke again. "May I have the honour of introducing my daughter to your acquaintance? I believe she already knows your children. We met in the park last week and fed the ducks."

"I heard something of a Miss Melody, but did not know who she was," exclaimed Mrs. Gardiner. "We would be delighted."

She gave their address as being on Gracechurch Street near Cheapside. Ten years ago, he would have disdained such a location, but now it made no difference to him. What was position, after all, in the scheme of life? His parents had been strict in their adherence to station, but it had not made them happy.

He bowed and turned to depart. Even though he left the ball soon after, his heart was light for the rest of the night.

The next evening Darcy repaired to Bingley's townhouse for supper. He hated to miss eating with Melody, but he had made sure to spend the afternoon with her instead. They had gone riding again – one of Melody's favourite activities – and then had tea together.

When Darcy arrived, he was greeting by Bingley and his wife. Mrs. Bingley was a sweet but vapid woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. Darcy had always thought Bingley could have chosen better for himself, despite the woman's being an heiress; but Bingley seemed happy enough and he supposed that was all that mattered. The couple had three children. The oldest, Charlie, was away at school, and they had two younger ones in the nursery.

To his displeasure, he saw that Charles' sister Caroline was also there. Normally this would not bother him, but Charles had told him that her husband, Mr. Parkinson, a minor landowner, had died last year and that she had just finished her mourning. Darcy hoped she would not set her cap at him again.

Darcy inquired after Mrs. Hurst, and Bingley told him that she and Mr. Hurst were at their estate in Wiltshire. To his misfortune, Darcy saw Mrs. Parkinson's face light up at the sight of him. "Mr. Darcy! What a pleasure it is to see you again. It has been too long, has it not, Charles, Melanie?"

She had not aged well, Darcy noted abstractedly. The frown lines around her mouth and on her brow had turned into wrinkles, and there was a hardness to the planes of her face that had never been there before. Strands of grey ran through her red hair. His mind flitted unconsciously to Miss Elizabeth, and the youthful freshness of her face. God, he was getting old.

He responded politely to Mrs. Parkinson, and Mrs. Bingley led them into the dining room. There were only four of them so the seating was rather informal. "How is Miss Darcy?" Bingley inquired.

"Oh, yes, dear Miss Darcy," Mrs. Parkinson gushed. "The little dear must be growing up! How old is she now, Mr. Darcy? Six? Seven?"

"She is nine," he replied.

"Nine! Such an age! She must need a mother figure very badly," she said. "Mr. Parkinson and I were never blessed, sadly, but I do love children so very much. I have longed to be a mother." She sent him a meaningful look but he chose to ignore it.

"Miss Darcy and I get along very well just the two of us, Mrs. Parkinson," he replied.

"Well, yes, I am sure you are a wonderful father," said Bingley, not having noticed his sister's pointed hints.

"Still, I suppose Pemberley must be lonely without a mistress there. How sad that poor Mrs. Darcy died so young!" Caroline continued, not appearing sad at all. "It must be in need of a woman's touch."

Darcy did not reply, so Caroline plowed on. "You know, I was the perfect mistress of Mr. Parkinson's home in Northumberland for many years. The poor man. It is sad to lose a spouse, is it not, Mr. Darcy? And yet it is possible to find love again." She batted her lashes at him, which rather than appear enticing, only looked ridiculous in a woman her age.

"Yes, well, tell us how things have been going at Pemberley," said Charles, who had clearly caught on to what his sister was doing.

Overall, Darcy was glad of the time he got to speak with Charles that evening, although Mrs. Parkinson tried his patience. He rather thought he would design to meet Bingley at his club next time.

The next morning at breakfast, Darcy broached the topic of visiting Gracechurch Street with his daughter.

"How would you like to see Miss Lizzy and Miss Beth again, Melody?"

Her face lit up. "Really, Papa? We can see them again?"

"Yes. I saw Miss Elizabeth two nights ago with her aunt and uncle and they invited you to come play at their house."

"Oh, I would love to, Papa! Will you come with me?" she asked in concern.

"Certainly. We will always be together, sweetheart."

"May I bring Patches?"

"No. We have discussed this before, Melody. Patches must stay in the house or in the stables. She could run away or get lost otherwise. And there are people who have allergies to cats."

Melody pouted briefly, but then set to her breakfast with a vengeance.

"Slow down, dear," said Darcy with a smile. "We cannot go until it is visiting hours in any case."

"When is that?" she asked.

"Two hours at least."

"That is all right, Papa. I can be patient," she said, with adorable resolve.

"I believe you have some lessons to complete in the meantime," he said. "I want to see the results of your writing and arithmetic before we leave."

She pouted but eventually agreed when she saw the resolve on his face.

He sent a missive round to the Gardiners and got a return note stating they would be happy to receive him and Melody that day. Much as he tried not to admit it to himself, he wanted to see Miss Elizabeth again. He did not know why she enchanted him so, but he felt lighter when he was in her presence.

Melody completed her lessons as required, and then they got into the carriage to drive to the Gardiners'. The house was on a clean, busy street. He helped Melody out of the carriage and they knocked on the door. A butler answered, and Darcy presented his card. The butler bade them come in, and they entered a house that was well-appointed and elegant.

Mrs. Gardiner came forward and welcomed them warmly. "Mr. Darcy, it is a pleasure to see you again. And this must be Miss Darcy?"

"Yes, this is my daughter, Melody," Darcy replied. He could hear Miss Elizabeth's voice in the distance, but not the words she was speaking. Melody obviously heard it too. "It is Miss Lizzy!" she said.

Mrs. Gardiner smiled. "Yes. Come, I will lead you to the others, Miss Darcy. They are in the sitting room." She held out her hand and Melody took hold of it.

In the next room, Miss Elizabeth was sitting on one of the lower stairs with the four Gardiner children surrounding her. She ceased speaking and looked up when they entered.

"Mr. Darcy! Miss Darcy! How lovely to see you! You are just in time for the story. I have just started."

"A story?" cried Melody excitedly.

"Yes. The children love to hear stories, you know. This one is about Mr. Badger and the mystery of the honeycomb."

Darcy sat down on a chaise as Melody ran to insinuate herself between two of the other children to listen.

Darcy spent a pleasant twenty minutes listening to the imaginative story that Miss Elizabeth conjured up. He enjoyed just as much watching her pretty animated face and hearing her make different voices for each new character. Melody was clearly filled with glee, and when the story ended, all the children begged for another.

"I'm afraid not," said Mrs. Gardiner. "We still had planned to go to the park, if you recall."

The children seemed placated by this news, and Melody looked up at her father. "Papa, may we go to the park with them?"

"Of course, my dear," he said. "Is the park close enough to walk?" he asked Mrs. Gardiner.

"Yes, it is just down the street."

"Then we should be happy to join you."

Miss Jane Bennet appeared from somewhere – Darcy had been so enthralled with Miss Elizabeth that he had not noticed her until then – and all eight of them began to march down the road to the park.

Melody latched onto her friend Beth, and Darcy found himself walking next to Miss Elizabeth, to his delight.

"I am glad to see you and Miss Darcy again, Mr. Darcy," she said. "My uncle will be sorry to have missed you, but he is at his warehouse at this time of day."

"It is no trouble," he said. "Perhaps we shall see him during our next visit."

Miss Elizabeth looked momentarily surprised, as if she had not expected them to visit again. Darcy was surprised again. But being around Miss Elizabeth seemed to imbue him with some lightness of heart, which he did not think he had ever experienced before. It was as if a new sap and vigour were flowing through his veins.

"Tell me, Miss Elizabeth, did you invent that story yourself? It did not come from a book?"

"No, I like to tell my own stories. It is an amusement for me to see how creative I can be with the tales."

"That is much better than I do, then. I only read Melody stories from books that I buy."

"At least you do that much. Not many fathers would."

"Did your father?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," she said. "He has always been a very good father. He hired a governess for Jane and me and masters to help us learn, but he was always my greatest teacher."

"What kind of things did he teach you?" Darcy asked curiously.

"Oh, all sorts of things – literature, Latin and Greek, the sciences, agriculture…"

"Those are quite unusual topics for a young lady," said Darcy in surprise.

Elizabeth grinned. "I think my father always saw me as the son he never had. And he has taught Jane estate management, too, seeing that she will inherit Longbourn."

"Surely estate management would be her husband's province?" Darcy was surprised again, although he realized that Miss Elizabeth was right. He would have to teach Melody estate management himself, since she was to inherit two great estates.

"Normally it would be," replied Elizabeth. "But my father wants to make sure she is not defrauded, that she can run the estate well by herself if her husband cannot, or will not."

"That is very wise," replied Darcy.

"Of course, now that Jane is to marry Mr. Cranfield, that is not a concern. He has a fine estate of his own in Staffordshire. Longbourn shall go to their second son, or their oldest daughter."

"And do you wish to marry, Miss Elizabeth?" Darcy could not tell why he asked. It was out of his mouth before he could ponder it.

"Yes, of course," she replied. "I should love to have children of my own. But Jane and I both decided, many years ago, that we would only marry for love. So I am waiting for the right man to come along. If he never does, I shall be an old maiden aunt to my sister's children."

Her voice was light, but he thought she sounded rather bleak at the latter possibility. "I am sure you will find a worthy gentleman," he said, feeling rather jealous of whoever that man might be.

Just then they reached the park, and the children called for Elizabeth to play with them. Darcy spent the next hour pleasantly, watching Miss Elizabeth run and jump and laugh with the children, and his own daughter enjoying it equally. What a treasure such a woman was, he thought. Any man would be lucky to have her in his life. It was too bad he was past the age of happily-ever-afters.