November 1816
In late November, Darcy received a letter from Margareth inquiring about the response from Mr. Carter and Mr. Jenkins. Darcy had also spoken to Mr. Jenkins but was not interested in marrying Mrs. Smith for reasons similar to 's.
Without giving her many details, Darcy asked Mrs. Reynolds to write a letter to Margareth as he did not want his name to be linked to hers. If Mrs. Reynolds suspected anything about the strange request and letter, she was a discreet woman and said nothing.
15th November 1816
Dear Mr. Smith,
Unfortunately, I could not come to an agreement with the gentlemen. If I find a solution to your problem, I will let you know.
I wish you all the best.
December 1816 – January 1817
In December, Georgiana invited him to her house for Christmas and New Year. She was worried about him, since the last time she saw him, he was more taciturn than usual. She wanted him to be happy, and since she was happy in her marriage, she thought that Darcy should get married.
Of all the ladies she knew, only two seemed suitable for her brother, Miss Martin and Miss Midelton. Miss Martin was the daughter of the parson of her husband's estate; she was twenty-six years old, sensible, and had been engaged to a colonel who died in the war. On the other hand, Miss Midelton was the daughter of a landowner, she was twenty-one years old, very pretty and nice.
Darcy arrived two days before Christmas with several gifts. Since Anne was still very young, Darcy preferred that she stay at Pemberley.
On Christmas Eve, Georgiana hosted a dinner party, inviting Miss Martin and Miss Midelton, and arranging the cards so that her brother sat between them.
Unfortunately, after half an hour, Georgiana realized her mistake... The two girls wanted to get Darcy's attention, but she got the impression that he was not interested...
Dinner passed without incident, and after the separation of the sexes, Miss Midelton played the piano. From a technical point of view, she undoubtedly played very well, but the music she was playing transported him years back to Rosings, and in particular to Elizabeth Bennet...
The rest of the week passed in a similar fashion; Although he talked with both young ladies, neither of them interested him. Miss Midelton was very young, and Miss Martin was sensible, but they had few interests in common.
The first week of January, he left for London. Due to bad weather, the journey took more days than usual, and as a consequence, he was half an hour late for Lady Matlock's annual ball. This particular year was in honor of his son, Sir Richard.
"Nephew, you are late. I thought you were not coming." Lady Matlock told him, relieved to see him enter.
"I had some setbacks due to bad weather. But I am already here."
"Come, there are some ladies I want you to meet, and there are others you already know..."
His aunt introduced him to some young ladies and even suggested that he dance with an earl's daughter, Lady Sophia, who was interested in him.
At the end of the ball, Darcy returned home convinced that if one day he married again, it would not be with a lady from the Ton.
PPP
The following week Darcy went to Hatchard's to buy some books on new farming techniques. He was in his carriage looking absently out of the window when he saw Elizabeth Bennet walking arm in arm with a middle-aged lady. She looked just as beautiful as before, but at the same time, she looked different. On instinct, he hit the roof of the carriage to make his driver stop, and when it stopped, he quickly climbed down, but could not find her…
For two days in a row, he dreamed of her again; the dreams were beautiful, and he had no desire to wake up to reality. He decided to do something against his character, he was going to find out where she lived; he needed to see her...
PPP
After the failed proposal and subsequent reply to her letter, Margareth Smith considered going to Pemberley to see Darcy but ultimately decided against it as the costs of the trip and overnight inns were too high for her small budget.
She was still working with the dressmaker and had not returned to Madame Dupree's establishment. The only person with whom she was still intimate was the doctor, and only when she called him about her daughter's breathing problems. As a habit, which the doctor suggested to her, she never had intimacy without using protection to avoid illness and pregnancy.
When she read in the newspaper that Darcy was in London, she decided to visit him. She only had £40, and she was sure Darcy would be very generous to her if they were lovers... and she was sure he would be even more generous if she had a child with him…
