Like the Gentleman He Was Chapter 10, a pride and prejudice fanfic

A/N

Chapter 10 of LTGHW. Hope you enjoy.

To all those who spent their precious time share their feedback about my story, your comments make my day... Thank you very much 😊

Readers from UK - In those days it took nearly 4 days (may be a little less for a single man) to reach from Hertfordshire to Derbyshire, can anyone of you let me know in which all places Darcy might have stayed for the intervening nights while going north?

And to reader Evegas – I started my day with a smile because of your comment, so am very much hoping that you consider the wait worth it!

Cheers

Like the Gentleman He Was

Chapter 10

The warehouse had a block of rooms – an annexe – attached to it for the display and sale of select merchandise that Mr Gardiner was in the business of importing from the Far East. When Richard and Lady Matlock entered that building, they discovered a large room filled with curios, antiquities, and beautiful objet d'art. A door from this area led to a second chamber that ostensibly stored imported fabrics. The voices from the inner room indicated that customers were being entertained there. Since Richard had already met Johnny Cooper outside, he was aware that Georgiana, Mrs Annesley, and the Bennets had already gone inside the annexe.

As soon as the salesman in charge became aware of the Fitwilliams' presence, he approached them. When Richard expressed an interest in perusing the curios, he left them to their own devices with a polite request to approach him in case of any queries. Lady Matlock immediately made her way to a shelf displaying some jewel-encrusted ornamental boxes. It was not because she was interested in any of the lovely boxes, but because the shelf on which they were placed was closest to the door leading to the inner chamber.

Richard strolled down to her and the shelf more leisurely. As he approached his mother, he saw her throwing caution to the winds and begun to peep inside the inner room to get a much awaited glimpse of their quarry.

"Mother, wait!" he hissed urgently and reached out a hand to catch hold of her arm. "Bingley and his sisters are present with Georgiana and the others. One of them can easily recognise you," he added sotto voce. He drew her to his side and pointed to the wall behind the door, hitherto not in Lady Matlock's line of sight. A full-length mirror was hanging on the wall, perhaps to help the customers to decide how well a particular fabric suited them.

In the mirror they could see Miss Bingley and Georgiana standing next to a dark haired young woman with a light, pleasing figure. The young woman was perusing some fabrics spread on the counter before her. Bingley and a young lady with guinea gold curls were standing a little way behind the other three. Mrs Louisa Hurst was standing along with them. Another matronly lady could be seen at the far end of the room – Mrs Annesley – Richard recognised. He felt a little disappointed that the young woman with golden hair was standing with her back to them. After Georgiana's raptures he was as keen to see Bingley's latest angel as he was to see the woman Darcy had fallen for.

For some time, Lady Matlock gazed at Darcy's betrothed in silence. The young woman was wearing a bright yellow gown with a green sash, and it became her very well. However, Georgiana had been right in that while Miss Elizabeth was a pretty enough young woman, there was nothing exceptionally striking about her. Then all of a sudden she laughed at something the saleswoman said to her from behind the counter. The transformation that the smile brought to the young lady's countenance surprised Susan Fitzwilliam, and she gasped lightly. The warmth, and the joie de vivre on Miss Elizabeth's face suddenly lent it a beauty that was almost breath taking and Darcy's aunt finally began to understand why her nephew had confessed himself to be enamoured of this young woman.

"Well…" Colonel Fitzwilliam said feelingly.

"Hmm… " His mother replied.

Before any further conversation could be added to this very profound exchange, the very interesting conversation taking place in the inner room distracted the mother son duo.

"I am unable to decide between these two. They are both so beautiful and fine," Miss Elizabeth said pointing to two bolts of silk, one in wine red and the other in forest green. Before anyone could even contemplate sharing their helpful suggestions with Elizabeth, Miss Bingley chimed in – all snide snobbery.

"Although fabrics from such warehouses are not something Madame Blanchet would approve, I can understand your fascination, Eliza, they are quite fine…" Miss Bingley paused, gave Elizabeth a condescending smile and added, "… especially for someone from a quaint place like Meryton."

Richard saw his cousin's eye widen in shock at the rudeness.

"Do you think Madame Blanchet hides a loom in her basement and weaves her own fabrics, Caro?" Bingley asked sardonically.

Miss Bingley flushed an angry red at the unexpected mockery in her brother's voice. "Of course not, I…" she began but Bingley interrupted her,

"Then where do you suppose the lady sources her fabrics from?" Bingley raised a brow.

"A… are you talking about Simone Blanchet? She has a running account at our warehouse." Miss Bingley appeared rather nonplussed as the saleswoman proudly revealed the information, and Lady Matlock whispered to her son, "I hope you will pardon me for the dreadful turn of phrase, Richard, but, I have never seen Mr Bingley… er… unsheathe his claws like this."

Richard chuckled under his breath. "Neither have I, Mother. I think his newest angel – Miss Bennet – is doing him some good," he said as he turned his attention back to the happenings in the other room.

Miss Bingley had regained her equilibrium by then and opened her mouth to say only The God knew what when Georgiana suddenly entered the conversation. "Although both green and red would go equally admirably with your colouring, Elizabeth, I think brother would have chosen the green one for you, for he told me that green makes your eyes appear more beautiful… that is.."

"That, I believe, would be a prudent choice, Eliza. Not everyone can carry shades of red with elan," Miss Bingley said with a sweet smile and then glanced meaningfully at her own russet coloured gown.

"Hmm… what do you think Miss Elizabeth should now do?" Richard asked his mother.

"I am conflicted, son. On one hand I want her to put that Bingley woman in her place, and on the other I want her to choose the green one… for Darcy," Lady Matlock said with a rueful look at her son.

"I will take the green one," Elizabeth told the saleswoman, then shared a smile with Georgiana.

Miss Bingley should have been triumphant at Elizabeth's capitulation, but as she stood watching Georgiana Darcy smile adoringly at her soon to be sister, she felt quite dissatisfied. To her it was highly unfair that not only had the wily Eliza somehow made Mr Darcy offer for her, but she now appeared to have added Georgiana Darcy to her ever growing list of admirers. The same Miss Darcy who had given her, Caroline Bingley, timid smiles at best was now smiling at Elizabeth Bennet as if the sun rose in her. Jealousy raised its ugly head, making Miss Bingley lash out angrily at her nemesis.

"Your sudden betrothal was such a surprise, Eliza. One moment our carriage overtook Mr Darcy at the gates of Netherfield as we left that place for good, and the next thing we knew he was standing before us and claiming that he was about to marry… you! Really! You could have knocked me down with a feather…"

Caroline paused and gave an angry titter before continuing. "It was so very sudden and… unexpected that even someone as oblivious as poor Louisa could not help saying that if one did not know Mr Darcy better, one would be forced to think that his hand had somehow been forced… by some kind of trickery or arts and allurements…"

As Jane and Georgiana gasped in shock, both Louisa Hurst and Bingley burst out warningly, "Caro!"

"Really, Caro!"

"Well then, is it not convenient that you know Mr Darcy so well, my dear Miss Bingley? After all, who would know it better than you that no amount of flattery, trickery, or arts and allurement could force the hands of someone as upstanding as my betrothed?" Elizabeth countered with a sweet smile and felt a vicious sort of satisfaction when she saw Miss Bingley's face turn livid with anger. For a few moments she appeared quite incapable of speech.

"Well! That was a body blow!" A grinning Colonel muttered, then hurriedly turned to his mother as he heard a strangled noise from her and saw her trembling with her hands on her face. "Mother?" he asked uncertainly as he put an arm around her, only to have her raise laughing eyes to his concerned ones.

At the same time in the inner chamber, Elizabeth heard Georgiana Darcy let out a muffled noise and found her staring at the opposite wall with an odd expression. She followed her gaze and saw a large mirror in which she could see the image of a soldier standing with his arms around a woman in a dark gown. Both their heads were bent, and the lady appeared to be trembling. 'Has that lady taken ill?' she wondered when she suddenly heard the sound of something falling on the ground, followed by a dismayed, "Oh, no!"

Elizabeth turned her head once more to find Georgiana picking up her reticule from the ground and Mr Bingley remonstrating with his sister.

"… and told us why and how he got betrothed, Caroline. I do not believe he will be best pleased if he came to know that you did not take his words seriously."

"I was only jesting, Charles! Of course, we believed Mr Darcy." Miss Bingley replied through gritted teeth then turned to her sister. "Come Louisa, let us go. I hope you remember we have an appointment with Madame Blanchet for our new ballgowns."

Louisa Hurst's eyes widened in surprise, but only for a moment. "Oh, I nearly forgot about it Lady Deverill's ball ! Let us go," she agreed quickly.

"Lady Deverill? Umm… do you mean Darcy's godmother?" Mr Bingley smiled and looked meaningfully at Caroline.

"Yes, Charles, we are taking about the ball Mr Darcy's godmother is throwing two days hence." Elizabeth observed the pained smile on Miss Bingley's face and was suddenly reminded of Mr Darcy's words about her ambitions as a champion social climber.

'Mr Bingley is following his friend's suggestions to a T,' she thought in some amusement as she responded to Miss Bingley's short nod of farewell with an equally short one of her own. The two sisters then took their leave.

Elizabeth stood watching their retreating backs when she recollected the soldier and the distressed lady. She immediately turned to peer at the mirror once again, only to find that two had disappeared. 'He must have taken her home,' she thought to herself.

~§§§~

As soon as they heard Miss Bingley's intention to leave the premises, Lady Matlock and Colonel Fitzwilliam hurriedly took themselves to the far corner of the chamber and stood with their backs to both the doors to the room. Therefore, they heard rather than saw the sisters making their way out of the building.

"I do not know what has gotten into Charles, Louisa! Did you hear how he threatened me with Mr Darcy's godmother?"

"Well…"

"Charles supposedly admires Jane Bennet; then why should he suddenly start emulating her impertinent and rude sister is something totally beyond my comprehension!" Miss Bingley added querulously.

"Well, you know he has been angry ever since…" The voices faded as the sisters stepped out of the room.

The colonel and Lady Matlock followed behind after hurriedly purchasing two of the decorative boxes.

~§§§~

For a while there was silence in the carriage as it slowly travelled back towards Matlock House, then Colonel Fitzwilliam turned to his mother, and asked, "So, Mother, how are you feeling now that you have seen Darcy's Miss Elizabeth with your own eyes?"

"Relieved!" Was the monosyllabic response which Lady Matlock qualified soon enough. "And happy. She will do, Richard, the lovely Miss Elizabeth will do very well for Darcy! She not only is an intelligent young woman, but she also has enough pluck to navigate the pitfalls of the ton!" She added quietly after a moment, "But most importantly she is loyal and appears to genuinely care for Georgiana and Darcy!" Lady Matlock let out a satisfied sigh and sat back with her eyes closed.

"Hmm… Darcy is a lucky dog!" Colonel Fitzwilliam nodded, then chuckled aloud.

"What?" His mother asked, although her eyes remained shut.

"Oh, I just loved how Miss Elizabeth gave as good as she got from Miss Bingley, all the time maintaining civility, in complete contrast to Miss Bingley's nastiness."

"Ah, yes! She seems brilliant in the art of gentle cut and thrust that achieves its purpose without too much blood shed," Lady Matlock agreed with a satisfied smirk. "At one time it was hard for me to decide what was more red, Miss Bingley's face or her pretentious turban!" she added, almost as an afterthought.

The colonel was still chuckling when he thought he heard his mother murmur, "Anne would have been proud of her."

~§§§~

As Elizabeth lay in her bed that night, she thought about the events of the day and sighed in satisfaction. Although Miss Bingley had tried her best to put a damper on the day, everything had progressed smoothly once she and her sister left. Truth be told, Elizabeth was rather glad that Miss Bingley had provided her brother with an opportunity to demonstrate that he had enough gumption to handle his sister's tantrums effectively. She had tried not to think too much on the matter, but she had been worried for Jane ever since Mr Bingley came back to Netherfield with Mr Darcy. Her conversations with her betrothed had given her the impression that not only was Mr Bingley fickle minded but was also too much under his sisters' thumb. It was therefore heartening to see him being steadfast towards Jane and display a delightful determination to check his sisters or at least the one who was in the wrong.

'I am so happy for Jane,' she mumbled as she turned on her side; then looked guiltily at her sister sleeping beside her. Fortunately, Jane continued to sleep peacefully, and Elizabeth let out a relieved sigh as she pulled the coverlet to her chin.

Another incident had occurred this day that had revealed Miss Darcy's generous heart to Elizabeth and made her feel extremely sanguine about her own future – with Miss Darcy and also her brother!

A smile came to her lips as she recollected the incident. Once they had finished with their purchases, Georgiana and she had gone to collect Mrs Annesley from the other end of the room where she was perusing some fabrics. When they neared the lady, Elizabeth had been faintly disturbed by the wistful expression on Mrs Annesley's face as she trailed her hand over a bolt of lavender silk. The expression vanished as soon as Mrs Annesley saw them approaching, and Elizabeth had wondered if she had imagined it.

She would have forgotten all about the incident had she not gone back to look for Georgiana after their party stepped out of the annexe only to discover the young girl was not with them.

"… send it to Darcy House on Grosvenor street." Elizabeth entered the room to find Georgiana instructing the saleswoman. She raised a questioning brow at her companion once they turned to make their way out of the building.

"Oh, I have been wracking my brains what to gift Mrs Annesley for Christmas. I… I just thought this colour would suit her admirably." Georgiana tried to reply as nonchalantly as possible. It was only the faint colour on her cheeks that gave her away. The fabric was not cheap, but then it was also something the Darcys could easily afford. No… it was the kindness, the… thoughtfulness of the gesture which touched Elizabeth's heart. Georgiana was very young, not even sixteen, but her actions demonstrated the hallmark of a well brought up, kind young woman. And Elizabeth knew, who it was who had had the responsibility of singlehandedly bringing up his sister since half a decade. The realization made her want to smile and she had not been able to resist giving Georgiana a quick hug. The two of them had then made their way out of the building hand in hand.

Elizabeth sighed contentedly and turned on her side once again as she wondered where Mr Darcy was at the moment. He had left four days ago; it was very likely that he was already in Pemberly partaking of a well well-earned rest. Thinking of him brought to mind Georgiana's statement about his preference to see her in the colour green and a smile came to her lips.

"I really hope that you like the dress when I wear it, my dear sir, for you do not know what a sacrifice I made for you today. I could not let Miss Bingley know what she could do with her supercilious advice… only because of you!" Elizabeth found herself yawing as she whispered and grinned at the realisation.

"I do not know about you, Mr Darcy, but I really have earned my rest, so I bid you a very good night and pleasant dreams…" she added before drifting off to sleep with the smile still gracing her lips. Perhaps she might have felt a little less tranquil had she realised that in the past few days, her days began and ended with the thoughts of Mr Darcy.

~§§§~

Like The Gentleman He Was