All Hallow's Eve (72 page)

Baron Leisenheimer looked a little sheepish, obviously wondering if he was intruding on the Darcys’ visit. Elizabeth said with a mischievous sparkle in her eye, “The Darcys’ coach has had some trouble on the road near here, Baron, and they
happened
upon me in the woods. Papa will be so pleased to have so many good friends today at Longbourn, as am I.”

Baron Leisenheimer laughed, “I can tell by the look in your eye that you were up to no good today, little Lizzy.” He turned to the Darcys and said, “I often ‘happen upon her in the woods’ myself during my walks. Did she have you swear a blood oath of silence as well?”

Both Darcys laughed and nodded. Elizabeth answered, “I am surprised at you, Baron! You of all people should know that blood oaths are supposed to be kept secret, sir! I should think that you will
all
keep each other’s oaths a secret as well as your own.” She looked at the three gentlemen severely. They all nodded. “Good! I see you are all very wise in not antagonizing the Dreaded Pirate Lizzy.” When she turned her back to them to continue along the path, the three gentlemen exchanged amused smiles.

After a few moments, Elizabeth said, “Mr. Darcy attended school with my father, Baron. I have met them several times in London, but the Darcys have never met my mother or my sisters.” She gave the Baron a pointed look.

“Oh…” the Baron said quietly, and then turned to William. “Young Darcy, if I may… what is your age?”

A little surprised, William judged by the look on Elizabeth’s face that he should answer. “I am eighteen, sir, and just about to begin Cambridge.”

“Ah ha.” He looked warily at Elizabeth and mumbled, “
This
should be an interesting afternoon.”

“I tried to warn them about Mama…” Elizabeth said quietly.

Baron Leisenheimer laughed loudly. “Then you are a good friend, little Lizzy. It is always best for the prey to know that they are about to be hunted if they are to succeed in escaping unscathed!” He turned to the Darcys again and said, “Beware, sirs! None of Mrs. Bennet’s daughters are yet out, but she can already out-hawk any of the London society mothers!
I
would not wish to be an eligible young man within her sights until all five daughters are married!”

William’s eyes opened wide, and he looked at his father, whose eyes were sparkling with mirth. “Well, then, it will give William a little practice. It seems, son, if you can escape from our visit at Longbourn without being ‘caught,’ you will be well prepared for the
ton
.”

The only one not laughing was William.

~%~

After the initial surprise of their arrival was subdued and welcomes made, the scene at Longbourn was very much the way Elizabeth and Baron Leisenheimer had predicted. Mrs. Bennet made quite a fuss over Jane, who had an almost constant blush on her cheeks throughout tea, and made certain that Jane and William were seated next to each other with the intention of furthering conversation between the two. Elizabeth immediately sat next to Jane hoping she could help draw some of her mother’s attention, albeit the attention was negative, as usual. The Baron sat on the other side of William.

Mr. Darcy sat with Mr. Bennet across the room watching the rest of the group, both amused by Mrs. Bennet’s
manoeuvre
. How Mrs. Bennet could think that two such shy individuals would get along well was beyond the understanding of both gentlemen.

The Darcys were surprised that the two youngest girls were permitted to attend tea with guests because they were not able to sit still for more than a few seconds together, spoke too loudly to each other, and giggled throughout. When William heard their ages, he was shocked. He had expected that they were much younger than nine and ten since Elizabeth had been about that age when he first met her, and Georgiana was about that age now. Both Elizabeth and Georgiana had behaved much better than these two.

Elizabeth tried to turn the conversation away from Jane and Mr. Darcy’s fortune several times.

“Baron Leisenheimer, would you mind telling Mr. Darcy about the departure between English titles and Prussian nobility and titles? I find the differences very interesting.” She smiled a slightly mischievous smile.

“Certainly,” he said with a glint in his eye, knowing what question would come next and that his story would take a while, putting a crimp in Mrs. Bennet’s obvious plan. “Most English think that because I am titled, I was a firstborn son, but in Prussia
all
sons inherit the title from their father. Very much like English families, being a fifth son I did
not,
however, inherit the wealth of my family and thus, had to take a profession.”

“I am very interested in how you came to decide to move from Prussia to Hertfordshire, sir,” William interjected, but then thought twice about the propriety of that question and blushed. Elizabeth smiled at him because it was similar to the question she was about to ask next. Having him ask in her stead worked out much better since Mrs. Bennet would not be able to interrupt unless she wished to appear rude to the Darcys—something even she would not do in front of a prospective wealthy suitor for Jane.

Baron Leisenheimer answered, “My father
 
wished me to go into the army, but I could not see myself in that profession at all. I would have been a poor soldier! After university I went on a tour of Europe. In Paris, I met a British family who had a very beautiful daughter.” The Baron wiggled his eyebrows a bit, and Elizabeth laughed. “Lilias and I fell in love and wished to marry. I had declared my intentions and wished to become engaged to make certain her father did not arrange a marriage for her with someone else while I made my fortune. Her family was not opposed to love-matches, but though she had a nice dowry, her father agreed we should not marry until I had a regular
 
income.”

His countenance turned a bit darker. “I returned to Prussia to inform my family of my intentions as well and to receive their blessings, but my family objected to my marrying a lady from England, especially since they had already arranged a marriage with a titled
Heiress
whom I had never before laid eyes upon. They tricked me into meeting her, and may I kindly say we were far from well suited for each other, but still my family insisted we marry. Furious with them, I left Prussia and followed Lilias to England.

Baron Leisenheimer shook his head as if to clear it of unpleasant memories, and then continued, “Soon after, I invested the very meager funds I had inherited from a maternal great-aunt in Mr. Gardiner’s father’s import business. I also brought in some contacts with a few friends in Prussia who would supply us with items from my homeland. I found I had a talent for trade and opened a very successful shop selling the imports we had brought into the country through Mr. Gardiner’s business. Lilias and I married when I had earned enough to support us. As I said earlier, I enjoy the country, and though we visited my wife’s family estate at times, I insisted on bringing up my daughters away from the foul air of the city. It took a few years to find something that would suit my particular tastes.

“I met Mr. Bennet in London when he became interested in a certain item in my shop and wished to speak to the owner, me, about it. We got along well and quickly formed a friendship. It was I who had originally introduced Mr. Bennet to Mr. Gardiner, and by extension, the very lovely Miss Gardiner—now Mrs. Bennet.” He nodded to Mrs. Bennet, and she giggled loudly along with her youngest two daughters. “It was through Mr. Bennet that I heard that Purvis Lodge was for sale and came to inspect it. Other than the house and grounds itself, the easy distance to London was one of the deciding factors on our settling here, as well as knowing we would have such good
neighbour
s. A few years ago, the son of one of my Prussian friends wished to buy my business, and I happily accepted his offer as I was ready to retire to the country for good.”

During tea, the Darcy’s driver informed them that the wheel was not repairable, and a new one must be either constructed or sent for from London. Mr. Darcy decided they would stay the night at the inn in the village, continuing to London on horseback in the morning. Mrs. Bennet insisted upon the Darcys staying at Longbourn for the night instead of at the inn, and a cart was sent to collect their trunks. An express letter was sent to Georgiana Darcy’s nanny before the Darcys removed to their chambers to change from their travelling clothes.

William was soon ready and decided to take a walk in the garden to avoid Mrs. Bennet, bringing along his sketch book. Espying a pretty little wilderness off to one side, he walked in that direction, sighing loudly with relief when he turned and found he was out of sight of the house. He startled a little when he heard the sound of Elizabeth’s laughter, and turned to see her sitting on a bench with a book. He approached and bowed.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Darcy. I am proud that you have survived the first battle, but the war is not yet over!” she laughed.

He wondered what she had been doing since he had seen her last that had made her dress so dirty, but was too much of a gentleman to ask. “Not without help! I thank you for your interference. I do not wish to insult you, Miss Elizabeth; I have nothing against your sister as she does seem to be a sweet girl – it is just that…”

“It is just that you have decided that you do not wish to be married at present?” she said, repeating something she had said about herself when they first met at the bookstore. Elizabeth wondered if he would recognize it.

“Yes, exactly!” he said, glad not to have insulted his friend. He hesitated a moment, his attention caught by the light dancing in her dark eyes, then said, “I remember you had told me about your mother’s preoccupation with ‘catching husbands’ for her daughters when first I met you at your uncle’s bookstore in London. I must say, at the time I thought you were exaggerating, but now I understand that conversation a bit better,
and
the one you had with Baron Leisenheimer before reaching Longbourn earlier today!”

Both laughed, and Elizabeth patted the bench next to her. “Will you sit with me for a little while, Mr. Darcy? I would rather stay out of the house as long as possible.”

“Yes, thank you.” He sat and then looked at the book she held in her hand. “What tome are you reading?”

“Oh,
Philebus
by Plato. Have you read it?”

William chuckled. “I cannot imagine any of the gentlemen my age, other than myself of course, reading Plato unless
forced
to for a school assignment, and here you are a girl of thirteen years reading it in Latin! You amaze me, Miss Elizabeth!”

“I hope in a good way, Mr. Darcy.”

“Yes, very much so. You are a very interesting person to have as a friend.”

“Thank you, sir. What is it that you are carrying? Is it your sketch pad? May I see it, please?” William turned crimson as she flipped through the pages smiling at what she saw, “You are very good!” Stopping at a certain page, she asked, “Is this what Georgiana looks like now?”

“Yes, or at least as close to her image as my meager talents will allow. Do you remember that I sketched you once?” She smiled and nodded. “Will you allow me to sketch you again today? I enjoy making likenesses of the same people over time. I have several of my father and sister and my cousin Richard.” As he flipped through the pages to one of Richard, he decided against telling her that he had also made watercolo
u
rs of those he held dear, including her, which had kept him company at Eton, and that he was planning to bring them along to Cambridge as well. He would do the same with the one he drew today. Finding the correct page, he said, “This was Richard a few years ago. He is in the army now, and when I do have the opportunity to see him, he is not used to sitting still, so I have no recent picture.” Both William and Elizabeth smiled.

“I can understand that sentiment. Unless I am reading, I do not usually sit still for any length of time either.”

“Well then, I will have to sketch you while you read. Perhaps you will read aloud?”

“I would be happy to. Would you like to hear it in Latin or English?”

“I suppose since you have a Latin book, I must hear it in Latin.”

“Oh no, I can translate it as I read and deliver it in English, if you would prefer.”

“Certainly, I would like to witness that if you do not mind.” His eyes sparkled with amusement while thinking,
“You do equally well with playing pirate and climbing trees, to steering the conversation in a drawing room, to translating Latin into English within the course of a few hours! Yes, indeed, you are the most interesting person I have ever met, my amazing friend!”

After a while, Elizabeth noticed the position of the sun. “Mr. Darcy? It is getting late, and I will need to change before dinner. I hope you do not mind if we stop for now. So far during your visit we have been fortunate enough to avoid it, but if Mama sees the present condition of my dress, you
will
have a demonstration of her nerves before long!”

“I do not mind at all, Miss Elizabeth,” he said as she closed the book and stood up. “I have the basic shape of your face and features, and I can do the remainder from memory if I have to, though I would prefer to sketch a little more with the subject before me later after dinner. You would not have to be in the same position then.”