Goodly Creatures: A Pride and Prejudice Deviation (6 page)

Darcy was amused by her exuberance and candour, and he was unable to help himself. He smiled at her, and his dimples were evident to all.

Elizabeth now thought he was as handsome as his cousin. She blushed again and looked down at her feet for a few seconds, but then brashly decided to continue the discussion to see if she could persuade him to show her those playful indentations in his cheeks again. “I hope to see more of Shakespeare performed in the future, but my most fervent dream is to see Moliere’s
Le Misanthrope
performed at the Comédie Française in Paris. However, with the situation between France and England, I doubt I will get my wish anytime soon.”

Darcy fulfilled her hopes as he smiled again and said, “What does one so young know about misanthropy and hypocrisy?”

Her infectious grin made another appearance. “My father is a great studier of the human character, and enjoys mocking other’s failings. I have enjoyed his barbs over the years, and was struck when I first read
Le Misanthrope
with the similarity between his and Moliere’s humour. The irony is that my father is a bit of a misanthrope, and now and then I have even seen some of the trait in myself. That is what I like about the theatre. It helps us all to become more aware while indulging in an entertaining evening with friends—and not to slight my mother’s legacy—it gives us an excuse to wear our finest clothes.”

It had been such a long time since Darcy had engaged in such stimulating and refreshing conversation. He felt the need to challenge this young woman and see her intellect in action. In an almost conspiratorial voice he asked, “Do you feel comfortable with Moliere’s satirizing the hypocrisies of the French aristocracy, considering the results of the French revolution?”

Without hesitation, Elizabeth responded in kind. She moved quite close to Darcy and spoke directly to him as the others conversed around them, “In truth, he poked fun at both the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. You are unfair to blame him for the Jacobins.” She glanced surreptitiously toward the Viscount as she said with a giggle, “I have no family members who are part of the aristocracy, so I am free to be much more egalitarian in my outlook, and hopefully still keep my head about me.” When she observed that Mr Darcy seemed pleased with her humour, she continued. “Besides, the corruptness of the society created critics, even within the
Ancien Régime;
or how do we explain Laclos or the duc d’Orléans?”

Darcy’s mouth dropped in amazement, “You have read
Les Liaisons Dangereuses?
How old are you?”

Elizabeth’s eyes danced mischievously as she whispered, “I just turned fifteen, and please be discreet. I would not like my aunt and uncle overhearing that I read one of the forbidden books my father keeps on the top shelf of his library. Besides the threat to my morals from the risqué contents, I almost broke my neck climbing. How delightful that would have been for the gossips in my village. Can you not hear them chattering on about the young woman who died in pursuit of improper and lascivious reading material?”

Darcy threw back his head and laughed at this young woman’s delightful impertinence.

Edmund and Anne looked at each other, and neither could believe that the dour Darcy had not only treated a stranger to two of his rare dimpled smiles, but then proceeded to laugh out loud.

The time had come for the two parties to return to their boxes.

Elizabeth Bennet was flushed with excitement as they made their way back to their seats. Pride filled her as she considered how easily she had conversed with such important personages. While watching Lord Wolfbridge and Mr Darcy walk away, a sigh had escaped her throat. Both men were so very elegant. Upon hearing the sound, her aunt had directed a teasing smile her way. Lizzy had momentarily been mortified that she had acted so silly, but then thought better of her spontaneous reaction and grinned at her aunt in return. Once she was again in the box, she leaned forward and propped her face on her hand and stared dreamily at the stage. The Viscount and Mr Darcy were two of the most handsome men she had ever met. Perhaps, her Ferdinand could look like them. She definitely could fall in love with someone tall… and oh, those broad shoulders… compared to her, they were so very overpowering… they were… A shiver shot through her. Suddenly, she hoped everyone’s attention was focussed on the stage; because she was certain she had turned bright red at the thought of their bodies. Oh my, she should not be thinking about this; it was highly improper. To calm herself, Elizabeth concentrated instead on Lord Wolfbridge’s laughing eyes and brilliant teeth and Mr Darcy’s dimples. These great men made her feel special and different than she ever had before. Some of the emotions that had been unleashed were pleasant, but she was unsure what to make of other of the feelings that had erupted within her.

Lord Wolfbridge smiled lasciviously. What an innocent. She admitted she had been nowhere beyond Hertfordshire. He liked her impertinence and could enjoy matching wits with this one. He wondered whether she was knowledgeable enough to pick up on any innuendos he might throw into the conversation. If she did, he would be allowed to see her blush; but he needed to be careful in order not to frighten her away. Who was this Laclos fellow she and Darcy were laughing about? He would have to find out. He was not totally fluent in French, but was fairly certain the title translated to
Dangerous Liaisons.
That sounded like something he would enjoy. And he probably should brush up on his knowledge of Shakespeare in order to lure her into a feeling of his sincerity. Ah, there she was leaning out of the box again. What delightful sport she could offer.

Fitzwilliam Darcy was confused and concerned about what had just happened. He had never been so drawn to a total stranger. Her eyes were beautiful—green with flecks of gold, and they seemed to reflect an inner light. He had an impression of glorious hair competing with the shimmering candlelight. A quote from Shakespeare pushed aside his anxiety. “O! She doth teach the torches to burn bright.” Why was he fixated on her? She was just a little girl—a very intelligent, literate and witty one, but a child none-the-less. Suddenly, he remembered her lopsided grin when she admitted she had climbed to the top shelf of her father’s library to retrieve
Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
Though a disturbing admission, it was part of her charm. She was so refreshing… with no disguise of any sort. However, it was altogether wrong that she stirred some forgotten longing in him. He was married and much older. Besides, it was entirely too forward for a young woman to speak of such a topic with a stranger… not to mention a man. He sighed as he looked in her direction and saw she was, once again, mesmerized by the stage. The prudent thing to do was to forget her immediately after tonight. But, what harm would it do to indulge himself here in watching her reactions for the duration of the performance? Maybe vicariously he could gain just a bit of her unspoiled joy. He silently laughed once again at her impertinent words. She did not seem to know herself well as she was the exact opposite of a misanthrope in his estimation.

Anne Darcy was intrigued by this young woman who had enthralled both her husband and her cousin. She seemed so at ease in conversation for one so young. Maybe they could become friends. The only females she related to with any intimacy were her mother, her aunt and Georgiana. Her companion when she was growing up, Mrs Jenkinson, had been a very quiet sort of woman, and not lively like Miss Elizabeth. Perhaps if she pursued an acquaintance, some of this young woman’s ease in social situations would rub off on Anne. Miss Elizabeth seemed to have almost no connections except for Sir Gareth and Lady Hughes; but Anne would still like to understand how to gain some of her assurance and élan. As Mrs Darcy, she garnered respect among the highest circles, but always there was an anxious feeling that everyone knew that hers was a marriage of convenience… and even worse they could observe Fitzwilliam’s indifference. Tonight he had been moved to kiss her hand in public. If she projected a more assured image, perhaps she could quash such gossip and gain esteem in her own right.

3 GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Within days of meeting at the theatre, Lady Hughes, Mrs Gardiner and Elizabeth had been invited to Darcy House. Lady Hughes picked up her friends at Gracechurch Street and they arrived at Grosvenor Square a short time later.

The house was an imposing structure. Elizabeth was in awe the minute they walked into the entrance hall. It was larger than the drawing room at Longbourn and had a beautiful hexagonal table in the centre with the most unusual arrangement of flowers. Lizzy had never seen such flowers…they looked tropical, exotic and more than a bit unreal to her.

Once the entrance hall table ceased to be her main focus, Lizzy noted a grand staircase with two guilt framed paintings on the first landing. At that juncture the staircase split ascending both sides to the floor above. Elizabeth would have loved to view what she could tell were landscapes more closely.

Above her head was the most beautiful chandelier she had ever seen. She was sure it held at least a hundred candles, and thought it must be amazing to behold the light reflecting off the lead crystal tear drops. Her impression, despite the grandeur, was of an understated elegance highlighting the few extraordinary elements of the room.

The footman took the women’s outerwear, and the three were shown into what Mrs Darcy called a solarium. Three of its walls were made almost entirely of glass, and the pale winter sun was harnessed to sparkling brilliance. The front of the room had furniture arranged around a hearth as in a drawing room while the rear was filled with all sorts of trees and flowers. The fragrance wafting from the plants was intoxicating and inspired envy in Elizabeth for this most spectacular space.

With her eyes even larger than normal, she gushed her praises of the house to her hostess. “Mrs Darcy, I have never seen anything like this room. How lucky you are.” Elizabeth gestured all around. “With this as a retreat, you would never have to suffer the doldrums of winter.”

“Yes, Mr Darcy’s mother, my aunt, had this built, and a similar one at Pemberley when he was just a boy. They are very special places to him, and I quite like them as well. The house I grew up in seemed perpetually dark to me. It was a very grand house with beautiful grounds, but it did not have any place like this where you could make the most of even the tiniest vestige of sun. We had a conservatory for growing plants, but it was not integrated into the house.”