Here it is another Friday so Chapter 12 is up! See you next Friday :)
Chapter 12: A Walk with Mr. Darcy
After spending the morning working on proofing her photos, Elizabeth decided it was time to join the others for lunch in the garden. The food was delicious, but the company apart from Jane and Charles was less than desirable. Mr. Darcy didn't offer much to the conversation, except for the occasional smug remark. It was apparent he preferred London to Netherfield. Caroline seemed to have an opinion on everything and believed that everyone wanted to hear them. Louisa and her husband complained about the heat, the humidity, and the lack of shops nearby. Elizabeth gave up on trying to contribute to the conversation. Every time she did, Caroline interrupted her. It was clear she was determined to keep Mr. Darcy's attention all to herself.
"I think we should go for a swim, don't you Louisa?" Caroline asked as she stood up and removed her wrap. She wore a very revealing tiny yellow bikini that left little to the imagination. She walked over and dipped her hand into the pool. "The water is not too warm. It will be very refreshing," she said looking over at Darcy. She was doing everything she could to get his attention.
"It is stifling hot out here," Louisa said. "Caroline's right we should all go for a swim."
"I'm up for it. How about it Jane, shall we try out the pool?" Charles asked her.
"That does sound like a great idea. I will just run upstairs and change," Jane told him then turned to Elizabeth. "Will you join us?"
"If no one minds I think I would like to go for a walk around the grounds and get some photos. I saw some lovely spots yesterday on our ride that I want to get pictures of," Elizabeth said.
Charles laughed, "Jane told me that you and your camera are rarely ever separated from each other, and now I see what she means."
"Guilty as charged," Elizabeth laughed.
"Oh Lizzy, I don't want you to go alone," Jane told her. "I will come with you."
"Then I will come along too," Charles volunteered. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with Jane. "I don't mind going for a walk, we can always come back and go for a swim later.
"You can't be serious, going for a walk in this heat is an absurd idea," Caroline said sarcastically. "Darcy, talk some sense into them."
Darcy stood up and said. "Charles, you and Jane can stay here and go for your swim. I will go along with Elizabeth and show her the property. I know the grounds as well as you do and I don't feel much like swimming."
"Alright Darcy, as long as you don't mind," Charles told him.
"Darcy, you can't seriously be thinking of walking around in this heat?" Caroline protested. She was agitated that he was leaving and wouldn't be there to admire her in her swim suit.
"I am capable of going for a walk on my own," Elizabeth told them trying not to sound as annoyed as she was feeling.
"I have some business calls to make. So, while you're getting your pictures, I can get some business taken care of. I hope you don't mind if I tag along, but it does allow me an excuse to do some work without being rude to the others," Darcy said to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I don't mind," she said. She couldn't think of any other excuse for not wanting him to come that wouldn't sound rude.
Darcy turned to Caroline, "Thank you for your concern for our well-being, but I have complete confidence that we both can handle the afternoon heat. Enjoy your swim."
Before Caroline could protest further, Darcy and Elizabeth headed toward the gardens. Elizabeth was irritated, she didn't want to go for a walk alone with Mr. Darcy. She especially didn't like being treated as if she were a small child who was in danger of getting lost or suffering from heat stroke. She took in a deep cleansing breath to get her temper under control. She reminded herself that she was here for Jane and for her sake she would be civil. But this wasn't how she wanted to spend her afternoon.
As they walked on Elizabeth searched for something to talk with him about, but nothing came to mind. She wondered what he could be thinking about. She decided it was probably some business deal. Apparently, he was used to being in control. Even the way he handled himself with Charles and Caroline was proof of that. She thought about how decisively he informed Charles he would accompany her on this walk. His determination left no room for further discussion. She had to admit there was something she found rather attractive about the way he shut Caroline's protests down.
She tried again to think of something to talk with him about. But before she could say anything, he pulled his phone from his pocket and made several calls while they walked along. She tried not to listen in, but it was hard to ignore him. She found it difficult to concentrate on her photos. After he finished his last call and slipped his phone into his pocket, she turned to him and said. "Mr. Darcy, you don't have to come along with me. I'm a grown up and can handle going for a walk on my own."
He was beginning to feel irritated too. "You know you don't have to keep calling me Mr. Darcy all the time," he shot back at her. "I do have a first name, and we have been acquainted with each other for a while now, don't you think we could move on to a less formal way of addressing one another?"
"You're just trying to change the subject," she accused him. She wasn't going to let him off the hook that easy. "You can return to the house; I'm fine on my own. Jane is over protective of me. She worries for no reason."
"I know that you are fine going by yourself, but I think Jane would have felt uncomfortable with you out here alone in the heat. She seemed concerned with making sure that you are enjoying yourself. I realized that the purpose of this weekend's visit is to allow Jane time to get to know Charles's sisters, am I correct?" Darcy asked her.
Elizabeth knew where he was headed with his question, "Yes, it was part of the reason for this get-together."
"Then doesn't it seem to make the most sense that I come along with you? At least this way her fears are laid to rest allowing her to enjoy herself and spend the afternoon with Charles and his sisters," Darcy told her. "It hardly matters if Jane is overprotective or not in this case, don't you agree?"
As much as she hated to admit it, he was probably right. She walked on and didn't say anything more. She wondered about his relationship with Caroline. She obviously had feelings for him, but as far as she could tell Darcy was just as aloof with her as he was with everyone else. Without thinking she blurted out, "What exactly is your relationship with Caroline Bingley anyway?"
Darcy stopped and laughed. He was taken aback by the forwardness of her question. "That's a rather personal question, isn't it?"
Elizabeth's cheeks blushed bright red. "I don't know why I said that just now. Please just forget what I just said," she was more than embarrassed at having spoken her thoughts out loud.
"No, really, it's fine," he assured her. "I don't mind answering your question. Caroline is my friend's sister, and as such we are often thrown together in social events and gatherings, but I have no romantic feelings for her. And she has none for me that I'm aware of."
"Oh," was all Elizabeth said. She thought he must be oblivious because Caroline was practically throwing herself at him. "How long have you and Charles been friends?"
"For several years. We met at school, Charles was a year behind me," Darcy told her. "We belonged to the same fraternity. He's one of my best friends."
Elizabeth stopped and motioned for him to be quiet, as she carefully and quietly crept up on a flock of baby ducks and their mother. She snapped several photos before the mother grew uncomfortable and hurried her little ones off into a nearby pond. "Those will be great pictures," she said out loud.
"Do you prefer to take nature pictures over photos of people?" he asked her.
"No, I like to do both," she said. "Although there are times when it can be a great deal easier to take photos of nature than it is to deal with some people."
"I can imagine," he said. They walked further down the path, with neither one of them saying anything.
Elizabeth looked over at a small trail that led off the main path into some thick trees. "Shall we go off and see where it ends up?" she asked hoping he was willing to be adventurous.
Darcy looked down at his shoes and trousers, "I'm not sure I'm dressed for hiking in the woods."
She was disappointed. "Another time perhaps," she said as she continued down the main pathway. It was too bad that she had to stay with Mr. Darcy. If she were on her own, she would have taken the path, and discovered where it ended.
Darcy could see she was disappointed, "You seem to be a very adventurous person. I notice you rode a motorcycle when you first came to the house to see Georgiana."
"I like the feeling of freedom it offers me," she told him.
"They can be dangerous, though, can't they?" he asked her.
"They can be, but then so can a car if it's not driven properly," she said.
"Still there are more advantages to owning a proper vehicle," he said. "I would imagine a motorcycle is not a very practical mode of transportation for much of the year, is it?"
Elizabeth thought his question sounded a bit condescending. "I will admit it's not the best way to get around in foul weather. In late fall and through winter I need other means of transportation."
"It does seem a kind of odd choice for someone like you," he told her.
Elizabeth was puzzled by his statement. "Why so?"
"Well usually women who ride on motorcycles are a different sort of girl, aren't they?" he asked.
Elizabeth raised her brow. "And what sort of girl might that be?"
"Oh, I don't know. I guess I imagine those kinds of girls to be a bit wilder, or..." all at once he realized this conversation was going south very quickly. He tried to think of a way to change topics before he inadvertently insulted her.
It was too late Elizabeth was annoyed, she took a deep breath and tried to control her temper. "I will admit that not as many women ride as do men, but that doesn't mean that those of us who do so and enjoy doing so, should be labeled or stereotyped because of past perceptions," she told him. She heard enough of those kinds of remarks from her mother she didn't wish to be lectured by him as well.
Darcy let the conversation end there. He could see he touched a nerve and he had no desire to argue with her. They walked in silence for a while until Elizabeth stopped at the top of the hill that overlooked Netherfield and smiled, "Have you ever seen a more happily situated home?"
Darcy followed her gaze down the slope of the grassy hill and then across the fields of grass and trees until his eyes rested upon Netherfield. "Perhaps one," he said softly almost to himself.
"I'm sorry I didn't hear you just then." she said.
"Charles is very lucky to have found himself such a beautiful place." he agreed.
"Netherfield has a long history. In its day, it was the home of many wealthy families," she told him. "At one time Lord Edward Addington lived here. He bought the land and had the estate built for his one true love, an Irish girl name Cathleen Callaghan. She was a beautiful girl with long auburn hair and bright green eyes. She came from a poor family with no dowry to speak of, but Lord Edward didn't care. He desired to marry for love instead of connections. Much of his family disavowed him after his marriage to a common Irish lass, but he was happy. He made this place a home for her and their children. They had seven in all, four boys, and three beautiful girls. Netherfield stayed in the family for many generations to come. But after World War II the family fell on challenging times. The house had to be put up for auction to pay past taxes. Even though the family story came to a sad end, the history and love story of Lord Edward and Lady Cathleen has been told and retold around here over the years," she said.
"You know your history," he commented. "You should tell Charles that story. I think he would like to know the story of this place."
"I will do that," she said. "I believe the estate was bought the last time by a couple of investment partners that renovated it and planned to sell but just haven't found the right buyers yet," she said changing the subject.
"Yes that's right, two brothers own it. It's their business to buy older homes, redo them and make a substantial profit off them. I did some reading on this place when Charles mentioned he was thinking of leasing it. I was telling him that you can see whoever did the work on the place took great care in restoring much of the character and charm of the home to its original state." he said.
Elizabeth took several more photos before they moved on down the path and back up toward the house.
He decided not to mention Pemberley; he didn't want to seem as if he were bragging in front of her. Darcy found himself wishing he had something to say. He was surprised at how much he was enjoying himself with her. He usually found the company of most women to be uncomfortable for him. He wasn't one for socializing unless business was involved. He didn't date much either. He found his work schedule and difficulty with strangers made it hard to meet anyone. He had to admit things were different with Elizabeth. He found himself wanting to talk to her. He forced himself not to give into the temptation of withdrawing from the conversation, "Do you like living here in the country?"
"Yes, I do like living in the country very much. It's not for everyone, but it suits me. What about you, Mr. Darcy?" she asked ignoring his earlier plea to stop using the title Mr. every time they spoke. "Do you like the country or the city best?"
"I think both the city and country have their advantages," he told her. "I will admit I prefer being in the city right now. My business affairs require a great deal of my time, and it's just easier. However, I haven't spent much time in this part of the country to make any kind of judgment about it. I suppose in all honesty my heart will always see home as Pemberley in Derbyshire."
"Charles seems to be enjoying himself here," she said.
"Yes, it's a perfect place for a vacation home or holiday spot, but he needs to be in the city most of the time," Darcy remarked. "I'm not sure if buying Netherfield really is a wise decision or not."
Elizabeth was surprised by the remark, "Maybe Charles will be able to manage his business affairs from Meryton."
"I don't think so," he laughed. "Meryton hardly has the same opportunities to offer him as London."
Elizabeth found herself taking offense at what he said, although she wasn't sure why. "Yes, but in the end, it is his decision to live and work where he chooses. Besides London is an easy commute, I do it all the time."
"I'm sure it is an easy commute. As you said, it's his decision, and Charles knows that to run his business affairs properly he needs to be in the city where the deals and meetings are happening," he told her firmly. "Besides I don't see Charles living in the country full-time. He likes the social life, parties, and being with his friends. Those are all things the city has to offer."
"We have parties here too," she reminded him. "Believe it or not Mr. Darcy, Meryton does have a social scene. It may not be what you are accustomed to in London but…"
"That's precisely the point I was making," he cut her off. "Meryton doesn't have the same social life to offer Bingley that London does."
Elizabeth found herself getting angry. "Well he seems perfectly happy being here now with Jane," she snapped at him.
"Just because he's dating your sister now doesn't mean he should abandon all his responsibilities and spend all his time here," he told her bluntly.
"Well if their relationship should change and he asks her to marry him then I think they would make Netherfield their home," she challenged him. As soon as she said the words she wished she could take them back. She realized she probably sounded like her mother.
"Well if, and that's a huge 'if' he should decide to ask her to marry him, then I'm sure Netherfield would make an excellent home for them to come and visit family. But Charles is not about to move permanently out here to this insignificant small town," Darcy said. "You don't even have proper Wi-Fi coverage."
Elizabeth spun around to face him; her eyes flashed with anger. "You don't approve of my sister dating your friend," she accused him.
"Don't be absurd. I barely know your sister. I just think it is ridiculous for you or any of your family to assume that Charles is about to propose when they have only been dating for a few months," Darcy told her.
Elizabeth knew he was speaking of her mother. "Charles and Jane have already been dating for three months, 'Mr. Darcy' so if they should decide to marry I for one will be very happy for them," she said purposefully emphasizing the use of his surname.
"Of course you would be. If Charles did marry Jane, she would benefit very nicely," he told her sarcastically. "And then so might your other sisters..."
"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.
"I think you were very aware, as was everyone else at the party the other night of your mother's intentions to marry off her daughters to wealthy men..." he began to say.
Elizabeth was just about to tell him exactly what she thought of him when his cell phone rang and interrupted them. She watched as he reached into his pocket and answered, "Hello Richard."
"You're not busy, are you Darcy?" Richard asked him.
Darcy looked at Elizabeth and shook his head, "No, I'm not busy, what's up?" he said into the phone as he turned away from her. He was done arguing with her about such a pointless topic anyway.
"I wanted to call you and let you know that we had the first meeting with the sellers and things went pretty well," he told him. "Later we will be meeting with the press to make the final announcements, did you have any comments you wanted me to make?"
"Yes, express how happy we are to be working with the Wellington Corporation and that we believe this merger will be beneficial to both of our companies," Darcy said.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned to head back to the house. She was so angry that she could hardly think straight. She really didn't like this man at all. Darcy had a way of getting under her skin and making her so angry. As she walked along her thoughts turned to Charles and Jane. It was clear that Charles was in love with her sister and wanted to marry her. It didn't matter that they were only dating for three months, in today's dating scene that was a long time. She looked back over her shoulder to see that he was still talking on the phone. Her thoughts turned back to Jane and Charles, what if they did marry? She thought to herself; they just may end up living most of the time in London. As much as she would miss Jane, she knew she may have to face the very real possibility that they wouldn't always live near one another. She let out a heavy sigh, perhaps that's why Mr. Darcy's words bothered her so much. The thought of not having her dearest sister there at home with her all the time made her just a little sad. As she walked back through the garden and toward the pool, Elizabeth smiled when she saw Jane and Charles enjoying each other's company. She watched them together; she hoped for Jane's sake things did work out.
"Lizzy, did you get some good photos?" Jane called over to her.
"I did, yes," she told her as she walked over and joined them. "Charles, you have a very lovely home. I could spend hours exploring the area."
"Thank you. I'm finding I like it more and more each day," he said as he smiled at Jane. He looked around and noticed that Darcy wasn't with her. "Where is Darcy?"
"He had a phone call. I didn't want to wait. So I came on ahead," Elizabeth told him. "I'm going up to my room and download the pictures I took to my laptop. See you later."
"Alright then we will see you for dinner," Jane told her knowing she would be busy with her work for the better part of the afternoon.
By the time, Darcy finished the call Elizabeth was gone from sight. He walked back toward the house. In all his life he never met such a frustrating and opinionated woman before. The truth was that most women were so eager to gain his favor they always agreed with him on everything. He found that even Caroline went out of her way to praise him or compliment him on the most inconsequential things. Elizabeth was different. She seemed to go to great lengths to put him in his place and didn't care what he thought of her. He couldn't help himself; the truth was he was becoming more and more attracted to her.
He thought of what Elizabeth said about Charles living in Meryton, of course, it was out of the question. In fact, the notion of him marrying into the Bennet family at all was, or at least should be out of the question. Charles married to Jane made very little sense. He was from a wealthy, well-established family. They couldn't possibly have anything in common. Her family behaved ridiculously; they were ill-mannered and crass. If Charles did marry Jane, he would inevitably lose all his friends. No one in their circle of society would ever tolerate Mrs. Bennet's rude and intrusive behavior. Just having his name linked to the Bennet family would bring about embarrassment. Darcy didn't like the idea of interfering in his friend's personal life, but he was quickly coming to the realization that he may have to. He took one last look in the direction Elizabeth went, and he shook his head. She was truly the most opinionated, frustrating, irritating woman he had ever met. "With the loveliest soft brown eyes, I have ever seen," he mumbled to himself.