His Good Opinion: A Mr. Darcy Novel (22 page)

"Perfectly so--I thank you."

Darcy shook his head slightly.
You will never win over an intelligent lady like Elizabeth if you answer in single sentences.

Elizabeth adjusted the folds of her gown and then looked up at him. "I think I have understood that Mr. Bingley has not much idea of ever returning to Netherfield?"

Darcy shifted, but the alarming creak his chair gave forced him to hold himself completely still. "I have never heard him say so; but it is probable that he may spend very little of his time there in the future. He has many friends, and he is at a time of life when friends and engagements are constantly interesting."

She frowned and shook her head, and he wondered what she found to disapprove of. "If he means to be but little at Netherfield, it would be better for the neighborhood that he should give up the place entirely, for then we might possibly get a settled family there." Here she paused and smiled a little self-consciously. "But perhaps Mr. Bingley did not take the house so much for the convenience of the neighborhood as for his own, and we must expect him to keep or quit it on the same principle."

This assurance at least Darcy could offer, and he hoped to regain her favor by it. "I should not be surprised if he were to give it up, as soon as any eligible purchase offers."

He waited to see if she had anything else to add, and when she did not continue, he knew the onus of conversation rested on his shoulders.
How does one go about asking a lady if she would be interested in accepting one's suit?
His usual direct manner of speech seemed woefully inadequate here.

He pondered all the subjects he could reasonably broach and finally settled on one that might lead them in the direction he wished to go. "This seems a very comfortable house. Lady Catherine, I believe, did a great deal to it when Mr. Collins first came to Hunsford."

She tried to hide a smile, but he caught it and was intrigued. "I believe she did--and I am sure she could not have bestowed her kindness on a more grateful object."

Ah, so she has as little patience with the man's ingratiating manner as I do.
Darcy returned her smile. Then, by way of further directing the exchange toward the topic he wished to discuss, he said, "Mr. Collins seems very fortunate in his choice of a wife."

"Yes, indeed; his friends may well rejoice in his having met with one of the few sensible women who would have accepted him, or have made him happy if they had." Elizabeth's lovely eyes lit with amusement. "My friend has an excellent understanding--though I am not certain that I consider her marrying Mr. Collins as the wisest thing she ever did. She seems perfectly happy, however, and in a prudential light, it is certainly a good match for her."

A very good match for her,
he observed,
but not one Elizabeth would have chosen for herself. Just what would you consider a good match, Elizabeth?

That was far too bold a question for Darcy to ask, so he settled for commenting on the marriage. "It must be very agreeable to her to be settled within such an easy distance of her own family and friends."

Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head quickly. "An easy distance, do you call it? It is nearly fifty miles."

He frowned a little. If she considered fifty miles long distance, what would the miles between Hertfordshire and Derbyshire seem? "And what is fifty miles of good road? Little more than half a day's journey. Yes, I call it a
very
easy distance."

"I should never have considered the distance as one of the
advantages
of the match. I should never have said Mrs. Collins was settled
near
her family."

Her answer upset him a little, until he realized that in it, he had found a way to divulge his attentions. "It is proof of your own attachment to Hertfordshire. Anything beyond the very neighborhood of Longbourn, I will suppose, would appear far." He smiled, in hopes she would see the question his words held:
Would you be willing to leave your friends and neighbors for Derbyshire?

She pursed her lips, and he held his breath as he waited for her to understand his intent. The frown cleared a moment later, and her cheeks pinkened with a soft blush. That alone sent Darcy's heart racing, and her next words took his breath away.

"I do not mean to say that a woman may not be settled too near her family. The far and the near must be relative, and depend on many varying circumstances. Where there is fortune to make the expense of traveling unimportant, distance becomes no evil. But that is not the case
here
. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have a comfortable income, but not such a one as will allow of frequent journeys--and I am persuaded that my friend would not call herself
near
her family under less than
half
the present distance."

He drew closer to her; nothing could keep him away now. "
You
cannot have a right to such a very strong local attachment.
You
cannot always have been at Longbourn."

Until he saw the expression of surprise on her face, he did not realize how close he had gotten to her. Embarrassment overrode his desire to be as near her as possible, and he withdrew to the distance propriety demanded. He sought frantically for a topic that would ease the tension he could now feel, and finally settled on, "Are you pleased with Kent?"

It was a logical segue from the conversation on traveling, and he congratulated himself for that.

"Oh! Yes. I had never before been to the Downs. Is it always this lovely in spring?"

This at least was a comfortable topic for Darcy, and they managed a few minutes of light conversation before Mrs. Collins and Maria arrived home from the village. "Mr. Darcy!" Mrs. Collins said. "I did not expect you to call today, sir. I do apologize for being away."

"Pray, do not trouble yourself, ma'am. I had not planned it myself, but found myself in the neighborhood. Now, however, I must return to my aunt." He rose from his chair and bowed, and took his leave.

"I do not mean to say a woman may not be settled too near her family..."

The memory of Elizabeth's words added a spring to Darcy's step that not even tea with his aunt could remove. When she maneuvered him into the place beside Anne, he smiled and remembered how lovely Elizabeth had looked that morning; when she inquired about his plans to return to Pemberley, he imagined what it would be like to take Elizabeth there for the first time.

At that thought, his smile dimmed a little. He could not ask her to Pemberley without a formal engagement between them; he could not leave Kent yet.

"What is it, Darcy? What are you thinking of?"

"Would it trouble you, Aunt, if we stayed at Rosings a while longer? I know we came with the intention of staying only two weeks, but would you be very much annoyed if we stayed through till Saturday, rather than leaving on Monday as we had intended?"

On the other side of Lady Catherine, Richard froze, his teacup halfway to his lips. Darcy knew he would have much to answer for.
But once I make an offer for Elizabeth, all will become clear.

Darcy focused his attention on his aunt, whose smile of feline delight raised a faint alarm. It was never a good thing when Lady Catherine looked so pleased with herself. "Of course you may stay, Darcy," she said. "Anne would not hear of you leaving when you wish to stay, would you, Anne?"

Darcy did not hear his cousin's dutiful agreement, so complete was his frustration. Richard smirked at him; both men knew he was caught. Convinced as she now was that he intended to finally pay his addresses to Anne, it would not be easy to escape Lady Catherine's clutches.
But I will manage somehow
, he promised himself.

They had no company that evening, and Darcy doubted the Hunsford party would be invited to join him again. Intent on forcing a proposal from Darcy before he left, Lady Catherine would not wish to divert any of his attention from Anne.

Darcy rose early the next morning, and instead of joining Richard for breakfast, he dressed and walked outside. The sun had just barely begun to burn off the predawn mist when he reached the grove's edge, and he pulled his coat closer against the morning chill. He rounded the bend that led to the copse, and his heart stopped. Elizabeth stood by the water, bathed in pale golden sunlight. In the distance he heard the call of a lark, and he knew he would always picture her like this, his herald of the morn.

He took another step toward her, and she turned around. "Mr. Darcy! I did not know you were such an early riser, sir."

They met on the path, and Darcy turned back with her in the direction of the house. "You will discover that early morning is the only time one is truly free when at Rosings." She had trusted him with her impressions of her cousin and his marriage; he could offer this veiled insight into his aunt.

"I see. Lady Catherine does like to arrange players to her own wishes, does she not?"

Darcy looked over at her, a wide smile on his face. "Indeed she does. When next you are in Kent, your stay will give you ample opportunity to become intimately acquainted with her ladyship's ability to manipulate the lives of those around her."

Her cheeks tinged with a faint pink that he felt sure was not merely a reflection of the sunrise. Darcy mentally reviewed his words and realized he had as good as said he expected her to stay at Rosings when next he was in Kent. His own color rose to match hers, but he held her gaze.
Let her see my intent,
he thought.
It will not be long before I openly declare myself.

They reached the open part of the park all too soon, and Darcy watched Elizabeth continue on down to the Parsonage. His presence there and absence from Rosings would raise questions on both ends which he did not wish to answer.

Richard met him in the main hall before the breakfast room. "I see you have been out already," he said, indicating Darcy damp boots. "What draws you from bed so early?"

Darcy waited to answer until they were seated with their coffee. "I wished for some time to myself. It seems these hours are the only ones Lady Catherine has not filled with endless activities of taking tea or calling on the local gentry."

Richard pointed at him with his knife. "You have only yourself to blame for that. Whatever gave you the idea of extending our stay?"

Darcy took a sip of coffee and considered his answer. Confident though he was of Elizabeth's acceptance, he did not wish to give his rival any more information than necessary. "I am considering some changes to the home farm at Pemberley and I wish to discuss them with Edgeley," he said, naming a prominent gentleman farmer in the neighborhood.

"And this will take an additional five days?" Richard pressed.

Darcy shrugged. "As we will by that time have stayed one day longer, what does it matter if we stay out the week complete?"

Richard laughed. "Oh, it makes no difference to me, Cousin--after all, I am not the one being courted with all the subtlety of a battle-ax."

Darcy grimaced. "I admit, I did not take that into consideration before I spoke. However, once I made the suggestion, she would not allow me to shorten our stay."

"Oh no; in fact, I believe she will entice you to stay till Sunday to have the banns read."

"Hold your tongue, Richard!" Darcy glanced over his shoulder, almost afraid he would see Lady Catherine standing there, triumphant smile in place. "If our aunt heard such things, you know it would be almost impossible to extricate myself."

Richard for once looked truly penitent. "I am sorry, William. I spoke without thinking. How do you plan to spend your day?"

"I believe I shall oblige our aunt today, so she will not fuss when I call on Edgeley tomorrow. And you?"

"Oh, I plan to call on the Parsonage this afternoon," Richard said casually. "As you know, I have scarcely met with a lady as uniformly charming as Miss Elizabeth."

Darcy gritted his teeth. "She is pretty, yes."

"Pretty?" Richard snorted. "Lord, William, have you lost your sight? She is entirely lovely and quite clever as well. When she gave you that set down regarding your behavior at the dance--'because I would not take the trouble of practicing'--I could scarcely keep my countenance."

The remembered rebuke stung more at its repetition than it had when she had first uttered it, but Darcy maintained control over his temper. "So you say," he replied blandly. "Well, if you will excuse me, Richard, I will need to change before attending to our aunt."

He left the room before Richard could respond, still vexed with his cousin's clear recollection of Elizabeth's words. It was not long, however, before the more recent memory of their morning meeting overcame his mortification, and he wore a smile when he answered Lady Catherine's summons to join her in the salon.

True to form, Lady Catherine continued, by means of various impertinent questions, to keep him with her for the whole of the afternoon. Darcy resolved to call on Edgeley the next day, and it was not until he recalled that Richard had visited the Parsonage that he felt any true consternation with the arrangement.