A/N
If it so Happened - Ch 1
A small series of one shot came into my mind as I was struggling to finish the next chapter of Like the Gentleman he was. Rather than losing them, I decided to go ahead and write the first of them.
Do share what you feel about my first attempt at a one shot... (I had hoped to finish it in around 4k words but as usual have overshot almost 100% 😊 )
Those of you who are following LTGHW and have wondered what happened to the story... I am working on it and will hopefully post the next chapter in a couple of days.
Cheers
N
If It So HappenedMr Bingley lends a hand!26th April 1812, Gracechurch Street, London
Elizabeth stared in astonishment at the man she had not thought to see ever again in her life enter her aunt's parlour and begin a round of most awkward greetings. Just for a moment her gaze went behind him to see if… 'Oh, Lizzy, Mr Darcy would never willingly come to a place where he has even a small chance of meeting the harridan who threw his proposal back at him with such cruelty.…'
She sat back with a sigh of something like regret. Oh, she did not regret rejecting the proposal – it got the treatment it deserved. No… what she regretted was the vitriol with which she had rejected it. Especially now that she knew that if Mr Darcy was at fault then her own conduct had not been above reproach.
She came out of her reverie to find Mr Bingley staring painfully at her sister and stammering, "O… only last evening I… I came to know that you have been in London since January when Darcy apprised me of the fact."
'Mr Darcy! Why did he inform Mr Bingley about Jane's presence in London? Did he finally accept how wrong he was about Jane?'
"I… he… also told me about your visit to my home earlier this year. I… am not sure if you would believe me, but I have to tell you… that I did not know…. Caroline and Louisa are not in London at present and therefore… I am unable to discover how…" Mr Bingley had to stop and swallow to continue. "something so important to slip their minds…"
"Miss Bingley said you were too bu.… Oh…" Jane broke off in confusion. "When you did not return my call, I… I thought you had decided not to keep up the acquaintance," she said finally.
"Never!" The single word had a wealth of emotion behind that left the listeners with a pretty good idea about Mr Bingley's feelings.
"Oh…"
"Miss Bennet… I…"
Jane and Mr Bingley both began together then stopped. He looked around at Mrs Gardiner and Elizabeth and coloured as brightly as the eldest Bennet sister.
Realising that the young couple wanted to clear the air between them but were feeling restricted by other's presence, Mrs Gardiner decided to take the matter in her hands.
"Jane, dear, I am calling for tea. While Martha brings it in, why do you not show Mr Bingley our garden," she said, pointing to the French Windows opening in a small but neatly manicured garden."
Elizabeth saw the painful hope in her sisters eyes and prayed that Mr Bingley had overcome his doubts and reservations. She did not believe her dear Jane would be able to bear it if Mr Bingley played her false once again.
"Mind, the tea will be hear in ten minutes!" Mrs Gardiner warned the couple rapidly disappearing through the open French windows.
After quarter of an hour, the maid had brought in the tea and refreshments, but Mr Bingley and Jane had still not come inside. Mrs Gardiner was on the verge of asking Elizabeth to go and fetch the errant couple, when fortunately, they walked inside the parlour. Elizabeth was much relieved to see the happiness in Mr Bingley's face reflected in her sister's.
While partaking in tea and the delicious fruit cakes, Mr Bingley dragged his attention away from Jane and turned Mrs Gardiner. "I have been fortunate that Miss Bennet has very kindly decided to forgive me for my grave mistakes, Madam, and has agreed to give me another chance to prove my sincere regard for her."
"Oh! You mean…" Mrs Gardiner's eyes widened in confusion. Had Mr Bingley proposed marriage to Jane without seeking the permission of her father or her uncle, who stood loco parentis in absence of Mr Bennet.
"I mean she has agreed to my request to court her if her father is agreeable to the idea." Mr Bingley smiled at Jane before addressing Mrs Gardiner once again. "But this time I do not want to repeat the mistakes of my past. I will clarify my intentions and seek Mr Bennet's permission as soon as I reach Netherfield. In the meantime, I would like to speak with Mr Gardiner, apprise him of my intentions and obtain his permission to pay my court to J… Miss Bennet. I believe I can find him at the warehouse if I go there now?"
Mrs Gardiner was amused by Mr Bingley's eagerness to get everything settled; it was almost as if he was sacred that Jane might change her mind if he did not make haste.
"Yes, Mr Bingley, Mr Gardiner is at his warehouse at the moment, but he was planning to visit a client in the afternoon."
"Oh… then I shall leave immediately so as not to miss him." Mr Bingley got up in a hurry. He turned to Jane and asked, "Miss Bennet, may I call upon you tomorrow?"
"You may," Jane replied with a smile.
"Provided her uncle is agreeable to your intentions," Mrs Gardiner could not help adding.
Yes, of course. I… I will take your leave now," Mr Bingley replied, his happy smile disappearing immediately.
Although Mrs Gardiner felt a twinge of guilt as Mr Bingley's expression fell, she suppressed it ruthlessly. She had seen her gentle niece suffer for more than three months, as far as Madeline Gardiner was concerned, the young man in front of her could more than bear thirty minutes of insecurity in return.
That Same Evening, Fitzwilliam Darcy's Study.
Bingley took an appreciate sip of the very fine brandy Darcy had offered him and sighed contently. Darcy studied his friend for a moment, then said with a faint smile. "It would appear Miss Bennet has been large hearted enough to forgive you."
"Oh, yes, just like the angel she is," Bingley responded with a dreamy smile.
"Well, I… I am glad that my ill-judged interference did not do any lasting damage," Darcy said in a constricted voice.
"At least you wanted what was best for me, Darcy. Unfortunately, you acted under a misapprehension that Jane was indifferent to me. And as soon as you came to know to the contrary, you took steps to apprise me of the fact."
Bingley shook his head morosely. "You confessed that you could not let me suffer when you knew my love was not unrequited. Contrast this with how Caro and Louisa have behaved. Can you believe it? My own sisters lied to me, hid facts that could have ended my misery, just because they do not approve of Jane!"
Darcy ignored Bingley's bitter words regarding his sisters. Anyhow what could he have said when Bingley was entirely correct in his assertions. "You are too kind, Bingley, to forgive me with such generosity… and I am genuinely pleased that things went so well for you today."
All of a sudden, Bingley pulled a face. "Oh, not everything went as smoothly, my friend. There was a time when I was very much afraid that Miss Bennet's uncle would send me away with flea in my ear. He was understandably unhappy with me for what he believed was my inconstancy. I cannot say that I really blame him," he said with a pensive look. "Fortunately for me, Mr Gardiner came around in the end."
"How did… ah… other members of Miss Bennet's family react to your arrival?" Darcy asked quietly… almost too quietly, and the unnatural stillness in his frame as he stared out of the study window surprised even Bingley, who was not usually the most observant of fellows.
"Umm… Mrs Gardiner was all that was polite, but she also did not fail to register her disapproval of my conduct."
"And…"
"What do you mean? And what…" Bingley asked in confusion even as he continued to keenly observe his friend. 'Is it my imagination or has Darcy lost weight?'
"I believe Miss Elizabeth had plans to travel to London around this time. So, I… I thought you would have seen her. And since she was the one who informed me of my mistake regarding Miss Bennet, I naturally assumed that she would have something to say about your visit," Darcy's voice trailed off as he concentrated on removing a non-existent piece of lint from the sleeve of his coat.
'It must be the first time in our acquaintance that Darcy is unwilling to meet my eyes. How… how strange! Even while confessing his mistake yesterday, he had the courage to look me in the eye and apologise!'
"Ah… yes… of course… Miss Elizabeth was indeed present in Mrs Gardiner's parlour, but I exchanged mere pleasantries with her. She did not say much, and I was too busy in trying to get Jane… Miss Bennet to forgive me for what she could consider nothing else but desertion from my side."
Bingley studied the nonchalant expression on his friend's face and had a sudden conviction that the indifference was deliberately feigned. For some reason, Darcy desperately sought to discover Miss Elizabeth's reaction to his visit to Gracechurch Street. 'But, why?' he pondered in confusion. Suddenly, he remembered a snippet of conversation from his interview with Darcy yesterday the significance of which he had apparently missed at the time due to his shock at learning the truth about Jane's feelings and his sisters' perfidy.
"I came to tell you the truth as soon as I realised that I cannot let my fear of losing our friendship stand in the way of your happiness. At least you should not suffer the pain of unrequited love!"
Bingley had been so utterly delirious at the thought that Miss Bennet might return his love that he had totally missed the importance of the words – 'at least you' and the pain in Darcy's voice when he uttered those words. He shook his head at his obliviousness. For the sake of argument, he could argue that it was a general statement, but if he considered the words in the context of Darcy's present odd behaviour, and his acute interest in Miss Elizabeth's reaction, then things appeared quite different. Another thing that he had not paid attention to yesterday was the extremely personal nature of talk that Darcy and Miss Elizabeth seemed to have shared in Rosings. 'Darcy is very circumspect with his behaviour around unrelated young ladies. He would never discuss such intimate details with any young lady unless he…. Just to be sure, Bingley decided to check his hypothesis.
"I am going tomorrow to Gracechurch Street to officially begin my courting of Jane. Why do you not come along with me?" he asked Darcy. "That way you can meet both the Miss Bennets and find out Miss Elizabeth's reaction for yourself." There was no mistaking the sudden panic that flared in Darcy's eyes that he immediately hid by shuttering his eyelashes. As fantastic as it appeared, Darcy was scared of meeting the Bennets… more specifically Miss Elizabeth! Because she had… what?... rejected Darcy's proposal? Bingley wondered in no little amazement. He came out of his reverie to hear his friend speaking to him.
"Some other time, Bingley. You have yet to start courting Miss Bennet after a painful separation, for which she would naturally hold me responsible."
"It was a mistake on your part and she agrees," Bingley protested.
"My initial advice was indeed the result of a misapprehension, but my decision to hide her presence here in London from you earlier in the year was…" Darcy released a resigned sigh and added bitterly, "… nothing but officious interference… due to my arrogant belief that I knew what was better for you! No, Bingley… I would not want to queer your pitch one more time…. Just… just secure her hand first, and I will be happy to be attend your wedding!"
Bingley observed the resolute look on his friend's face that was all too familiar and gave a mental shrug. 'There is no further benefit in arguing with Darcy when he sports that look. He would not be accompanying me to Gracechurch Street even if his reasons not to do so are different from what he claims.'
"Very well, I will keep you abreast of the happenings. I sent a missive to Mrs Nicholls to get Netherfield ready for my arrival. The Bennets will soon be travelling to Longbourn and whenever that happens I would be accompanying them." Bingley glanced at Darcy and tried to ask as nonchalantly as possible, "Would you like to come along with me? It would be a much better visit than previously…. No Caroline to pester you… erm… us."
Darcy's lips curved upwards for a brief moment. "I am sorry, Bingley, but I cannot leave London presently. I spent more time than I had planned at Rosings and my man of business has informed me that there are a number of issues that need my urgent attention. Once I have attended to business, I will definitely write to you."
"Hmm…" Bingley looked at his friend for a long moment. He had been correct, Darcy had indeed lost weight, and although his mien was usually serious, it was rarely this bleak. It was quite strange to wrap his head around the fact that any young woman could have rejected Darcy's overtures or that his staid, ever cautious friend was pining for that same young woman. 'If only I could do something for Darcy the way he had chosen to bring Jane and I together.' Bingley sighed at the difficult and sensitive nature of the task. He knew he could not broach the subject with Darcy, who had chosen not to confide in him. And he could not even think of interfering until he knew what were Miss Elizabeth's thought on the matter and what had transpired between her and Darcy.
Realising that his friend most probably was wishing him a thousand miles away, he got up and took his leave of Darcy with a promise to call on him soon.
That Same Night, A Bedchamber in the Gardiner's House.
Jane glanced at her sister as she brushed her hair before retiring for the night. Although there was an open book in her lap, Elizabeth was ignoring it to gaze absentmindedly at the wall in front of their bed. It was clear her thoughts were far away from the characters in the book and if Jane had nor missed her guess she knew exactly where they were. They were most likely dwelling on the highly confusing master of Pemberley. To Jane it was nothing short of astonishing what had happened to her sister at Hunsford. It was regrettable that Mr Darcy should have proposed to Lizzy in such an unfortunate manner and therefore be rejected so categorically. It was all the more surprising then that he should confess his mistake to Mr Bingley to bring about a reconciliation between herself and his friend.
"Well… now you will have to concede, Lizzy, that I was right."
Elizabeth who came out of her ruminations to look over at her enquiringly. "What about, my dear?"
"About Mr Darcy," Jane said and immediately saw Elizabeth's expression become guarded.
"What about Mr Darcy?"
"Well… I did say that any friend of Mr Bingley could not be as black hearted as Mr Wickham's story portrayed him."
"As to that, we now know that Mr Wickham is not to be trusted, but Mr Bingley confessed that Mr Darcy did lead him astray."
"It was because he was under a misapprehension about my feelings, and as soon as he came to know the truth, he confessed it to Mr Bingley. He did not have to… especially after you rejected him."
Elizabeth opened her mouth to argue, then closed it resignedly. Jane had given words to what had been troubling her ever since Mr Bingley had come to visit them. 'Why had Mr Darcy confessed all to Mr Bingley?' she thought for the umpteenth time without an answer or at least an answer that she was willing to accept.
"I believe it shows that he is not one to hold a grudge."
Although Jane did not add 'unlike you', Elizabeth had the lowering feeling that she meant it and she could not really blame her. Ever since Mr Bingley had left, she had been thinking over the events of that day in Hunsford. She had come to the unwelcome realisation that if Mr Darcy had been extremely offensive, she had hardly come out of the encounter unscathed. She had made her share of mistakes and not just on that particular day. She had been all too eager to believe a scoundrel's story and had not shied away from putting the blame on an innocent man.
Jane was right, he had been positively magnanimous in making amends after her wild accusations. Suddenly, she wished that she could reciprocate. She wished there was some way she could beg his pardon for her unfair claim and express her gratitude for what he had done for Jane. But she knew she would not be getting the opportunity anytime soon. No man who had been so cruelly rejected by a woman would have any interest in keeping up the acquaintance with her.
She sighed, feeling a very genuine sliver of regret. "If only he had not been so… very offensive about our family when made his offer," she murmured, almost to herself but Jane heard her.
"Yes… that is what has puzzled me exceedingly. Mr Darcy had been out in the world for so long and he does not know that some unpalatable truths need not be spoken, especially about someone whose good opinion you are desirous of securing!"
When Elizabeth gave her a startled look, Jane asked, "What? He obviously should not have spoken so… but do you really believe he was unjustified in having those feelings? They are not his flesh and blood after all. I saw how embarrassed you were on the night of the Netherfield ball. One time I was worried you would finish your refreshments from under the dining table." Elizabeth gave a nervous giggle. "I seriously considered the possibility," she said facetiously.
"Hmm…. It was an especially mortifying evening, but can you disagree that there are times when we are in company and the only way to bear Lydia's actions and Mama's words is by pretending to be deaf and blind?"
Elizabeth found herself almost bereft of speech as she stared in amazement at her indubitably kind sister speaking the acerbic words with such a bitter undertone to them. 'And I always thought Jane
"But, how much ever your feelings are justified, you do not go around saying things that you know would hurt the one you love. I now know that Miss Bingley deliberately lied to me about Mr Bingley being aware of my presence in London, but I did not contradict him when he said that he would know the truth of her actions once he is able to speak to her. He will know soon enough."
"Yes… of course." Elizabeth murmured, even as her thoughts frittered in all directions! She no longer knew what to think anymore.
Just before falling asleep, she muttered, "Mr Darcy has been kind and I wish I could thank for his generosity… but I do not even know if I will ever see him again…"
When Bingley went to Gracechurch street the next day, he found the three ladies engaged in embroidering. Miss Bennet kept aside her piece as soon as she heard his name being announced by the footman, while Mrs Gardiner and Miss Elizabeth kept working on theirs after a general exchange of pleasantries.
Bingley's main concern was to spend time with Jane and make her receptive to the idea of accepting his proposal of marriage at the earliest. However, he forced himself to engage both Mrs Gardiner and Miss Elizabeth in conversation – Jane's aunt in an attempt to correct the bad impression he had inadvertently created on both the Gardiners, and Miss Elizabeth because he wanted to discover if there was some way he could help Darcy.
While talking to Mrs Gardiner the conversation veered to the place of her birth and the good lady informed that she had spent her girlhood in Lambton.
The name piqued Bingley's interest "Lambton… I seem to have heard the name somewhere…. Ah, yes, the village near Pemberley, Darcy's home, is also known as Lambton," he said after a while of cudgelling his brain.
"It is the very same Lambton. Mr Bingley." Mrs Gardiner replied with a nostalgic smile.
"What an amazing coincidence! Do you happen to know Darcy, then?"
"Well, I know of him, but I have never met him. Although I did meet Lady Anne a few times when I was a young girl."
"Oh, how splendid! I will inform Darcy about your connection to Lambton and the fact that you met his mother. I am sure he will be thrilled to know that."
Mrs Gardiner smiled faintly. "To be honest, Mr Bingley, I thought he might have accompanied you today to pay a call on my nieces, since he already has an acquaintance with them from when he spent his time at Netherfield."
Elizabeth let out a muffled exclamation at that and Bingley glanced at her quickly, only to find her sucking at her finger that she seemed to have jabbed with the needle.
It definitely could be a coincidence that Miss Elizabeth jabbed herself exactly when her aunt was speaking about Darcy, but Bingley believed differently. 'There obviously is some problem between those two,' he thought with a regretful shake of his head. To discover if Miss Elizabeth was totally set against his friend, he decided to let the cat among the pigeons.
"Well… yes… and to tell you the truth, I did ask him to come along with me. But he declined as… uh… he was worried that Miss Bennet might become upset with his presence. He obviously believes that it was his advice that was responsible for the…."
Jane interrupted his stammering explanation with a protest. "Oh… no… please tell him from me that I definitely do not hold a grudge against him. He made a mistake and corrected it as soon as he came to know of it. I firmly believe that there the matter should end." She smiled at Bingley and added, "Also, I would be very happy to receive him or any other friend of yours, Mr Bingley."
Bingley gave her an adoring look, but before he could respond to her kind words, Elizabeth decided to have her say. She might never get a chance to meet Mr Darcy and convey her gratitude but through Mr Bingley, she could try to let him know the change in her feelings.
"Jane is absolutely correct, Mr Bingley. Not everyone can own up to their mistakes, let alone try to make amends for them. Mr Darcy, however, had the goodness of heart to do both." Fearing that she had been too fervent in her praise of Mr Darcy, she tried to temper her words with a jest. "So, yes, as Jane has already conveyed, we would be happy to receive him and you can assure him from us that he may come with out any fear, none of us would be waiting to bash his head with a conveniently placed poker!"
Bingley chuckled dutifully at the jest and said, "I am sure he will be very relieved to know that."
Despite Elizabeth's efforts Bingley had been quick to notice that she did not appear to hold any resentment against his friend. On the contrary, she had been rather fulsome in her praise of Darcy. He did not know what was the reason for the disagreement between Darcy and Miss Elizabeth, but he did know that Darcy appeared to be pining for her while wrongly believing that she and her sister must dislike him. 'It would not do to bring Darcy here, but what if he and Miss Elizabeth 'accidently' meet somewhere? Would they talk things through and resolve matters? I will only know when it happens. But… where can they meet.'
Suddenly an idea occurred to him. "Miss Bennet, I was planning to go to Hatchard's tomorrow in order to procure some books for Netherfield's library. Would you and Miss Elizabeth care to accompany me?"
"Oh, Lizzy would be thrilled beyond measure, but first let me check with my aunt."
Mrs Gardiner was more than happy to give her permission and it was decided that Bingley would first come to Gracechurch street and then the three of them would proceed to the famous bookshop in Piccadilly.
That evening Bingley once again went to Darcy House. Once he had been offered a drink and some gossip about common acquaintances been shared, Bingley said as casually as possible. "Oh, by the by, Darcy, today I have been able to find out what Miss Elizabeth thinks."
With a sense of déjà vu, Bingley watched his friend go completely still once again. It took a long moment for him to be able to ask satirically, "Thinks about what, Bingley?"
"Well… my reappearance in Miss Bennet's life and the person who made it possible."
"So, are you going to enlighten me?"
"Ah, yes, she was very happy to welcome me so I have inferred that she is happy to see me back in their lives." Bingley smiled happily and added, "And when Miss Bennet clarified that she holds no resentment against you and would be very happy to receive you…"
"Bingley, please tell me, you did not speak to them about my reservations to visit them," Darcy interrupted in a horrified voice.
"Well, Mrs Gardiner sort of forced my hand when she expressed surprise that you had not accompanied me today." Bingley said defensively, then had the honesty to confess, "Uh… I could have said that you were busy with the business, but it so happens that I was myself keen to know Jane's reaction to your presence. I would not have known what to do, if the love of my life had taken an aversion to the one man I consider as my true friend and mentor."
Darcy was extremely touched by Bingley's obvious affection. "Your exuberance suggests that such a calamity has not taken place," he said dryly to cover up for the thickness of his voice. Bingley however was not fooled by this show of stoicism and grinned at his friend. "Ah, yes. Jane very categorically stated that she not only does not bear you any grudge but would be very happy to receive you when ever you deign to visit them."
"I am happy to know that." Darcy acknowledged with a faint smile.
"You would then be happier to know that Miss Elizabeth also added her assurances, after first praising you to the skies! She believes not many people are honest enough to identify their errors and fewer still have the courage to correct them." Bingley was a little unnerved by the intensity in his friend's eyes. He cleared his throat and to lighten the atmosphere jested weakly. "Miss Elizabeth has further tasked me to allay any fears that you might harbour of being attacked when and if you visit them!"
Darcy's smile widened a little. "I can not tell you how much that reassures me, my friend," he replied lightly.
"Well, now that I have faithfully discharged my duty, I will take your leave."
At the door of Darcy's study, Bingley turned to address his friend once again. "You will laugh when you know where we are going tomorrow."
In response Darcy only raised his brow. "To Hatchard's."
"You and Hatchard!" Darcy's brows shot up. "Well, I have finally decided to stock Netherfield's library."
"Well, good for you, Bingley. I hope Miss Bennet is equally enthusiastic about the expedition."
"Well, she is quite willing to sacrifice her pleasure for her sister's"
"Oh!" Darcy's face turned thoughtful as he digested this information. Seeing that look, Bingley grinned to himself, turned and left.
The next day Bingley and the Bennet sisters went to Hatchards and he was very hopeful that the information he had let fall in Darcy's ears would bear fruit.
"Please go on ahead, I will just have a word with Mr Hatchard and join you immediately."
"Has my friend Darcy been to your shop, Mr Hatchard? We had tentatively agreed to meet here today," Bingley asked the owner after the exchange of pleasantries.
"Oh, you missed him only by a few minutes. But there is no need to fret, he will be back in a short while. He had some errand to discharge in a nearby shop and did not want to lug this packet of books with him." Mr Hatchard patted a large packet placed on one side of his counter. "I did offer to get the books sent to his carriage or even to Darcy House, but for some reason he insisted on coming back for it personally."
"I am sure he did," Bingley murmured sotto voce, then added more loudly, "Well it is a relief to know I have not missed him." With these parting words he went to join the ladies and while exchanging sweet nothings with Jane, promptly forgot that this expedition was for him to buy books on farming and animal husbandry. After a while Jane had to be reminded to make his purchases!
He perused a few books in the relevant section and stared helplessly at the plethora of choices available even on such a dry subject matter. "I do wish Darcy was here to tell me which are the best books on the subject for novices like me," he muttered after a few minutes of indecision.
"If you had asked for the moon just now, I believe you would have got it," Jane said with an amused smile. A puzzled Bingley followed her gaze and discovered that his friend had just stepped inside the shop.
"Oh!" Bingley did a fair imitation of a man who has received a pleasant surprise.
"Hey, Darcy!" he called out and was amused to see his friend mimic him beautifully and pretend surprise oh his own.
"Ah… Bingley, Miss Bennet!" Darcy came forward and executed a punctilious bow. "It is a pleasant surprise to see you here," he said, then suddenly remembering that his apologies, if at all been conveyed, had been communicated indirectly, he looked a little uncertainly at Jane. "I… I hope you will forgive me for the pain I caused you by my mistaken beliefs and interference, I…" He swallowed uncomfortably and Jane kind heartedly came to his rescue.
"Say, no more Mr Darcy. As far as I am concerned, all is forgiven and forgotten. Ch… Mr Bingley informed me how swiftly you made amends once you came to know of your error. Truth be told, I would like to express my gratitude for that act of…"
"Oh… please…" Darcy started to protest in embarrassment but stopped when he heard the voice that has been haunting his dreams for months.
"Jane, do you think Mary would…" Elizabeth came to an abrupt halt when she perceived Mr Darcy on emerging from behind a display cabinet in the far corner.
"Mr Darcy!"
"Miss Elizabeth." Darcy bowed, then asked in a strained voice. "I… I hope you are well?"
"Yes… yes I am very well, and you, sir?"
Once Darcy had responded in kind, a long awkward silence followed. Darcy stared at Elizabeth's countenance hungrily and realised with a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach that he had made a mistake in coming here to meet her. She appeared visibly uncomfortable in his presence. Either Bingley had misunderstood her words or she had pretended to forgive him just to please Bingley. In either case, it was better to remove his offending presence from her vicinity. It was fortunate that he had chosen to run into her 'unexpectedly'. At least now he could take his leave without much embarrassment to either of them.
He could not know that if Elizabeth appeared agitated it was because she was desperately hoping to speak to him privately, both to offer an apology and to convey her gratitude. But as the silence in the group stretched, she feared that she would not be getting a chance to do so.
"Well, then… I will take your…" A disheartened Darcy began to make his farewell.
In her desperation Elizabeth decided to come right out and request to have a private word with him, when Jane, her dear Jane, came to her rescue.
"Oh, Mr Darcy, can I request a favour from you, sir?" Jane asked Darcy with a sweet smile.
If Darcy was surprised at the unexpected request, he did not let it show on his countenance. "Yes, of course, Miss Bennet."
"It is like this, sir. Today, Mr Bingley had sought permission from my uncle to take me for a ride in his whiskey along the rotten row, later in the day. However, my uncle refused since he was not comfortable sending us out sans a chaperon without Papa's express permission. Elizabeth can chaperon us, if… err.. if you would be willing to… to…" Jane almost lost her nerve. She had never been so bold as to request a gentleman for a ride… even if it was for her sister. She would not have dreamt of doing so toady as well… had Lizzy not appeared so woebegone!
Darcy chivalrously came to her aid. "I would be very happy to be of service, Miss Bennet, provided Miss Elizabeth has no objection to the plan." Darcy looked questioningly at Elizabeth and was left a little stunned when that young woman replied with a beaming, smile, "I would be delighted."
It was decided that they all would go back to Gracechurch Street for Mr Bingley to collect his whiskey. From there both couples would then proceed for a drive to rotten row.
As they were leaving the book shop, Darcy asked the owner, "Mr Hatchard, can I request you to send my books to Darcy House?"
"Certainly, sir." Came the polite response. Since he was hurrying to hold the door open for Elizabeth, Darcy missed the strange look the owner bestowed on him, but Bingley, who was following more slowly, did, and grinned to himself.
"Would you care to tell me what this was all about?" Bingley asked Jane very softly as he waited to hand Jane inside the Gardiner's carriage.
"Oh, I most certainly would, Mr Bingley," Jane smiled at her beau and added sweetly, "Just as soon as you tell me how you managed to get Mr Darcy to Hatchard's today."
Her smile widened as Mr Bingley's mouth dropped open in surprise.
Elizabeth looked around with interest from her seat in Mr Darcy's high perch phaeton, as the man expertly navigated the heavy traffic in the Cheapside neighbourhood. Truth be told, she had been surprised to see Mr Darcy drive such a… magnificent and flamboyant equipage. He usually was so… so restrained - well dressed - but restrained in his appearance and shunned all kind of unwanted attention. Therefore, she found it difficult to believe that he would use such eye catching vehicle to tool himself around. 'Men and their strange foibles,' she thought with a sudden spurt of amusement.
"You are very quiet, Miss Bennet. Are you… afraid?" Darcy glanced sideways at her and queried.
"To be utterly honest with you, Mr Darcy, when I first beheld your magnificent vehicle, its great height did make me feel a pang. But… now that I have been sitting here with you for some time, I can safely say that the calmness and the mastery of ribbons that you exude more than helps to allay the jitters this handsome equipage might engender in any faint hearted passengers of my sex that you might decide to carry."
"Well… that is a good thing to know, Miss Elizabeth, although Georgie is the only other female passenger I have taken up in my phaeton. Unfortunately for me, she prefers to do her own driving. So, whenever my sister rides along with me, more often than not it is I who suffer from the jitters!"
Marvelling once more at what a very indulgent and kind brother he was, Elizabeth laughed out aloud at the absurd imagery his words created. His answering chuckle made her glance at him. And her heart gave a sudden leap when she saw how attractive the crinkles that appeared near his eyes made him look when he smiled.
'Is it not time that I own up that I have found him extremely attractive from the very moment I laid eyes on him? And that was why the comment about my tolerable appearance hurt so much.' She sighed at her propensity to keep bringing up the old resentments.
Darcy heard the sigh and glanced at her. On observing her pensive expression, he remembered that he had still not apologised to her for the utterly insulting manner in which he had asked for her hand. 'Now is as good a time as any.'
"Miss Elizabeth?
"Yes, Mr Darcy?"
"I have been wanting to apologise to you for my part in separating your sister and Bingley…"
Elizabeth had not come driving with him to hear him make further apologies and therefore, she interrupted him hurriedly interrupted him. "Sir, you already explained your actions in the letter you wrote and…"
"Oh, that letter was written in such bitterness of spirit and by then I not learned to condemn my actions in separating Bingley and Miss Bennet."
"Then what changed?" Elizabeth asked softly.
"One day, soon after I came back from Rosings, I found Georgie very down in spirits. Knowing how difficult she is finding it to come out of the trauma Wickham had inflicted on her, I found myself cursing him for the umpteenth time since the events at Ramsgate. And it was then it suddenly struck me how distressed you must be for your sister and how justified you would be if you cursed me for causing her so much pain."
"You have since made amends for your error of judgement, Mr Darcy, and I no longer bear you any ill will. On the contrary, I want to express my gratitude to you for being large hearted enough bring Jane and Mr Bingley together despite my vicious insults."
"I deserved no less for being a prize idiot and coming up with the most insulting proposal in the history of mankind!"
Elizabeth stared into the contrite, almost defeated look in his eyes and suddenly had this uncontrollable urge to see his eyes crinkle with laughter once again.
"As to that, sir, I have as yet not come to any conclusions."
Darcy blinked at her in confusion. "I am sorry, Miss Elizabeth, but I do not have the pleasure of understanding you."
"Well, what I mean is that I have as yet not decided if yours is the most insulting proposal or if that honour belongs to the only other proposal I have received in my life."
Darcy's mouth dropped open in surprise. After a moment of stunned silence, he asked slowly, "I… Miss Elizabeth… are… are you telling me that someone was fool enough to propose to you in a manner more insulting than mine?"
"Hmm… that is what I am telling you, although, as I said, I have yet to come to a conclusion."
By now they have reached their destination and Darcy had brought the phaeton to halt, near to Bingley's whiskey, facing the river. Darcy looked around a little wildly then protested in disbelief, "You are funning."
"No, I am in complete earnest, Mr Darcy."
Despite his mortification, Darcy found himself curious enough to ask, "Umm… would you mind telling me… who it was… that…"
"Mr Collins."
"Mr Collins! Oh, Lord…" Darcy let out an odd sound that was half laugh and half groan and just for a moment hid his face in his hands. He looked up at her after a while, and Elizabeth was pleased to see a sheepish smile lurking in his eyes.
"I had thought I was trying to work on my arrogance, to look at my fellow beings with a more tolerant eye… but good God! Miss Elizabeth, every proper feeling revolts! It is not to be borne that I could have lowered myself to behave worse even than Collins!" Darcy shuddered and added, "You now have my full permission to call me arrogant, if you so desire!"
Elizabeth looked at his comically horrified expression and could not help letting out a tinkling laugh. "Well, if it is any consolation to you, sir, then after a statement to statement comparison I would say that your proposal was marginally better!"
Darcy looked into her laughing eyes and found to his utter surprise that she had the special ability to make him see humour even in such a mortifying situation. He found his lips turning up into a reluctant smile. "I am most gratified to hear that!" he retorted wryly.
Elizabeth saw his smile and the attractive crinkles appear around his eyes and released a pleased sigh of satisfaction.
After a while, he called softly, "Miss Elizabeth?"
"Yes?"
"Do… do you think you can ever forgive me?" He did not need to elaborate; his heart and his longing were clearly there in his eyes for her to see.
"Oh… certainly, Mr Darcy. In fact, I have already done so, especially when I see how you have excused my vitriol with such magnanimity of heart."
He appeared as if he wanted to argue on the matter, but Elizabeth pre-empted him. "That fateful day, neither of us covered ourselves in glory and I truly hope that the incident best be forgotten. I have a philosophy – think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure. What do you say to that, sir?"
Darcy gave her a faint smile, "Oh, seems to be an excellent philosophy. Although, I am not sure if I would find it quite so easy to practice it all the time, but in this particular instance I will try it with all my heart."
Elizabeth looked into his warm and hopeful eyes for a long breathless moment, and came to a couple of realisations. First, she finally accepted how foolish she had been to think that he used to stare at her to find fault, and second she realised, with no little amount of shock, that he had shown a greater generosity of heart that she could have expected from anyone in his situation and had indeed forgiven her.
Feeling suddenly shy of his intense gaze and the confusing, disturbing emotions coursing through herself, she looked away from him – only for her gaze to find Mr Bingley and Jane in the nearby carriage, sharing an intimate smile.
She nodded her face in their direction and said, "How happy they both look. I… I cannot thank you enough for giving my Jane her happiness back to her."
Darcy glanced in the direction of Bingley's carriage and sighed regretfully. "Well, I was the one who took it away in the first place, so it is only fair that I did take remedial action."
"Oh… I…" Elizabeth began, finally willing to concede that she had not been entirely fair in putting all the blame of Jane's anguish on his shoulders. Mr Bingley himself had accepted his own culpability. Before she could make her confession, however, Darcy interrupted her.
"When I decided to confess the truth to Bingley, it was only because of you. I could not bear the thought that you would go around in this world, hating me for what I done to your sister."
He paused to draw a breath, even as Elizabeth gave a soundless gasp at the raw emotion in his voice. After a brief pause, he continued, "But when I saw Bingley that day…"
Darcy found that despite the unusually frank talk they had had, he did not have the courage to speak about his unrequited love. "… and saw the pure joy in his face, I knew that even if you never forgave me, I would forever have the satisfaction of knowing that I had the courage to do right by him and Miss Bennet."
"And… I thank you for that." Elizabeth murmured, with a soft glance at him. And as she looked into his beautiful, dark eyes, she knew for a certainty that she did not want this to be their last meeting. In fact, to her utter astonishment, she found that if by some lovely quirk of fate, he decided to renew his addresses to her, she would gladly welcome them. 'Talk about contrary women!' she thought in amazement, even as she pondered what she could do to ensure her happiness and also, what she hoped, was his.
By some miracle of fate, her vitriol and baseless allegations had not managed to make him hate her, and even more fortuitously, their candid discussion had brought an amity between them that she had not thought possible before today. But… was this goodwill enough for a man who had been so forcefully repulsed to risk his heart all over again. She was not sure but… she wanted to be. Suddenly she remembered Charlotte's words from long back – '… very few of us have heart enough to be really in love with out encouragement.' – and although her situation was a somewhat different, she knew what she needed to do.
With determination she turned to Mr Darcy and found him gazing out at the river. She almost lost her nerve as she observed the slightly austere look on his face. It was one thing to concede that one needed to throw away propriety and decorum and quite another to actually do so. But all her life, her courage had thankfully risen whenever she started feeling intimidated and this time was no exception.
"Mr Darcy?"
He turned to glance at her enquiringly. "Hmm?"
"You have been very kind to Jane and me, and I find that I would very much like to repay your kindness."
Darcy started to demur with the politeness usually expected in such cases, but there was something in her expression that suddenly made his heart race and he desisted. "And… how do you propose to do that, Miss Elizabeth?" he asked instead.
"Umm… well… I was foolish enough not only to believe Mr Wickham's wicked lies but was also petty enough to malign you in the neighbourhood, based on his lies. It… it is, therefore, incumbent on me to put things to right in Meryton. I want to let everyone know how wrong I was about you."
"Oh?"
"Yes, and as soon as I return to Longbourn I will take steps to do so, but…"
"But?"
"But my words would only be believed if you are there in the neighbourhood to let the good folks of Meryton see for themselves the proof of what to them would be my fantastic and my volte face. So…" She nearly asked him if he would care to accompany Mr Bingley when travelled to Netherfield… but the knowledge of how bold and wanton she had been finally hit her, and colouring brightly she clamped her lips shut. Unknown to her, her eloquent eyes continued to do the talking.
As a stunned Darcy stared in her beautiful face, he found it hard to believe his luck. The kind and generous woman that Elizabeth was, she was offering him a second chance at happiness, when all he deserved was her contempt at his abject stupidity! Well, he had been stupid nut not a complete idiot to stare a gift horse in the face… No… not at all. He was going to grab this chance with both hands! To show her that he had taken her strictures to heart and to… to court her as she deserved. So that she would not be in doubt of his feelings, ever.
He cleared his throat to dislodge the lump that had somehow managed to find its way there. "Well, I have found it difficult to sleep ever since I came here from Rosings… because…" He really could not tell her that it was his pain, humiliation and regrets that had kept him awake.
"Because?" "Elizabeth asked curiously.
"It was the knowledge that the people of Meryton thought so meanly of me that kept me awake at night," he replied with a doleful look.
Elizabeth suppressed a giggle with difficulty. "Oh… of course. I should have known." She finally managed when she had her amusement under control.
"However, now that you have so generously offered me the perfect opportunity to end my misery, I can do nothing but take you up at your suggestion. Bingley had already invited me to Netherfield a few days ago. Unfortunately, I did not know of your famous scheme at the time and refused him… but I am sure that if I try hard enough, I can get him to renew his invitation."
"So, we have a deal, Mr Darcy?"
"Yes. Let us seal it… just to be sure."
"How do we do that?" she asked in a whisper.
"With a kiss," he said, and just for a moment, glanced at her lips in what he assumed was a surreptitious manner. Then with a rueful smile, he caught hold of her hand and raised it to his lips to bestow the gentlest of kisses.
Jane observed that kiss from the side of her eyes and whispered. "Things seem to be proceeding rather well."
"Well how could they not, my darling Jane, when you and I decided to lend them a helping hand?" Bingley asked proudly, then satisfied himself by planting a chaste kiss on the back of his beloved's hand.
~§§§~
If It So Happened
Copyright © 2023 by S. Neha
All rights reserved.