The ladies had a tiring but successful day of shopping. For Mrs. Bennet and Elizabeth, it was an excursion like many they had gone on before, though Elizabeth had never had so much purchased on her behalf. For Tessa and Mrs. Hurst, there was added weight coupled with sheer delight. In selecting furnishings and décor, they were anchoring Elizabeth within their family, within their homes. They had always enjoyed shopping together as a pair, of course, but Elizabeth was always in their thoughts. Now, it was no longer an exercise in wishful thinking, purchasing a pretty trinket here and there, imagining it was just the thing their Zibby would like.
For Louisa, it was a pleasant surprise. She had never experienced anything like it. She did not have many friends and she had alienated the Hurst family. She only had Caroline and any shopping trip with Caroline was all about, well, Caroline, whose pleasures and comfort were always the priority. Louisa had grown accustomed to shopping at her sister's whims and those whims were more about seeing and being seen than about acquiring dresses or accessories or whatever else she might wish to spend her allowance on. What she did acquire was all in pursuit of Mr. Darcy, following the trends regardless of how ridiculous they made her appear.
Louisa could honestly say she had never enjoyed a day of shopping more. Caroline had continually offered her opinions on Louisa's choices. Pursed lips and a shake of Caroline's head was enough for Louisa to override her own taste and wishes, but that was no longer something she need contend with. That day, she had found herself mostly with Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Gardiner as they allowed Mrs. Hurst, Tessa, and Elizabeth to further cultivate their new relationship. Louisa found herself surprisingly sanguine about this, no jealousy or disappointment. This made her feel more optimistic that she could shake free of Caroline's influence. Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Gardiner were genuinely kind and helpful, asking about what she favored. She was looking forward to dress shopping on the morrow.
After they all returned home and retired to their rooms to rest before dinner, Louisa could not stop her excited chatter. David listened in wonder. His wife had never been so lively, at least not for a long while. It gladdened his heart to see her so, he could not help but take her in a spontaneous embrace. As they stood smiling foolishly at one another, there was a knock on their sitting room door.
He reluctantly released her and opened the door to find Tess before him. He stepped back to allow her to enter. "I thought you and Henry had gone home to change."
"You know I hate the practice of changing so many times a day. Henry and I are quite presentable enough to dine with you tonight. Besides, I wished to speak with you."
"Would you like me to leave?" Louisa asked. She was determined to show her husband's family she was changing and could be sensitive to their needs during this time.
"Oh, no. You must stay. I think you may be able to provide a clearer, or at least different, perspective of what I seek to know. Men can be so hopeless when it comes to these things." Louisa was pleased to stay and was now curious about Tessa's statement.
"I expect this is about Darcy, then. I had expected you long before now," David said as they seated themselves, settling in for an intimate conversation.
"Yes, yes, you are very clever. You told me later. It is later. What are Mr. Darcy's intentions toward Lizzy?"
"Only Darcy can tell you that," David replied innocently, falling into his old pattern of teasing his sister by making her work for the information she sought.
Tessa rolled her eyes in exasperation. "He looks at Lizzy a great deal. He seems fascinated, yet Lizzy says she has no suitors."
"All of what you say is true." Tessa made a motion for him to keep going when he paused. When he was not more forthcoming, she looked at Louisa for assistance.
"Oh. Oh, yes." Realizing what Tessa was getting at, Louisa's instinct was to rush to share what gossip she knew on the topic. She stopped herself as she did not think such behavior would reflect well on her, yet Tessa looked at her expectantly. "Mr. Darcy was so intrigued by Elizabeth, in an unguarded moment he even admitted to his admiration for her 'fine eyes'. Caroline was furious as she feels she is destined to be the mistress of Pemberley. She saw Elizabeth as competition so you can imagine how she reacted."
Her husband took over the telling. "Perhaps we should start at the beginning. At the first assembly we attended in Meryton, Bingley was trying to get him to dance but Darcy was in a black mood and did not respond well. In yet another unguarded moment, Darcy made a very ungallant remark about Lizzy which she overheard. I believe it was something about her looks being tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt him nor did he wish to give consequence to a young lady slighted by other men."
Tessa groaned and dropped her head heavily into her hand. "Your friend Darcy, is he addled in the head?"
Hurst chuckled, "He is but not in the way you mean. He admonished himself almost as soon as the words left his mouth and apologized immediately to Lizzy."
"And then they danced," Louisa said brightly. "They looked quite well together."
"If they danced, Lizzy must have forgiven him. It is nice to know she is not one to hold a grudge. What happened next?" Tessa asked.
"Nothing really, or at least nothing out of the ordinary. Darcy made a valiant effort and tried to be more friendly when in company. He and Lizzy did seem to enjoy a number of vigorous debates. I cannot vouch for their subjects as my glass was my priority only those few short weeks ago." David's voice and expression had turned serious. He had not imbibed more than a single glass on any given occasion since Lizzy's discovery.
Louisa put her hand on his, where it rested on his leg. When he grasped it tenderly she continued the tale. "Mr. Darcy did stare at her quite often but then her gaze rested on him quite often as well. I believe they are both cognizant of their relative positions in society and tried to balance their expectations accordingly. But his interest in her is undeniable." She was startled to find the siblings staring at her. "What? It may take a while, but I do have my moments."
Returning to the conversation, his graveness lifted, David offered some additional observations. "Darcy has become much more open. It is not just with Charles, as was his habit. We would not have known of his initial misstep with Elizabeth had he not made sport of it himself. I do believe his balancing act is doomed to happy failure."
Louisa was thinking back on their early days in Meryton. "It does explain Caroline's ire. I was amazed she felt so strongly about Elizabeth even before her identity became known. Mr. Darcy has turned many a woman's head, but he has never been interested, regardless their wealth or status. But this time, he was the one who had his head turned. That was more than Caroline ever accomplished. Oh, she dismissed Mr. Darcy's attention to Elizabeth as him being a gentleman, making up for his earlier slight. She was convinced he truly did find her only tolerable but was saving face after being overhead. Caroline never could acknowledge that Mr. Darcy's only ever danced with her because of Charles and that they were simply of the same party."
"Other than a few glances, has Lizzy shown any outward interest?"
"She has been more discreet, but she seems to take genuine pleasure in his company. They are comfortable with one another, I would say. And I happened upon her sketchbook while she was staying at Netherfield. There were numerous drawings of Darcy. It seems our Lizzy is very fond of his noble profile."
"Oh David, you will not tease her about this will you?" Tessa pleaded with her brother.
"Of course not. Though, I must say I cannot think of a finer man for our little sister. Perhaps we can help them along."
"That would not do. Lizzy has so much on her mind. I will simply trust that you know your friend and hope that if he is sincere, he will act in a gentlemanly manner. Otherwise, we shall leave her be in this regard. You know that I am not inclined to matchmaking."
"But my dear sister, with my newfound sobriety I find I have a surfeit of time and more than enough inclination for the both of us."