His Uncle's Favorite (5 page)

“No… No… In fact, I have rarely seen Miss Bingley or Mrs. Hurst. I visited my estate after we returned from Hertfordshire; I had some urgent business…”

“Oh, I see. It is fortunate you left Hertfordshire in time to attend to your urgent business,” Elizabeth concluded with a smile while Darcy remained silent, his eyes searching the fire with great interest.

Once they entered the drawing room, most separated into two groups: the silent and the talkative. Jane remained a little apart on a settee, her eyes travelling shyly from Mr. Darcy to his sister and then to Elizabeth.

Though heavyhearted from Jane’s distress, Elizabeth remained equally intrigued and amused by the situation, wondering about the strange coincidence and Mrs. Gardiner’s duplicity. Surely, her aunt was aware that Lord Matlock was a close relative of the Darcys. How could she not say a word, even when Elizabeth complained about Mr. Darcy’s character and faults? Such a mischievous scheme was unlike Mrs. Gardiner. And certainly, Lady Selina was not oblivious to the situation. What was the purpose of those arrangements? Was it only a plan to allow Jane to meet Mr. Bingley again as Mrs. Gardiner suggested the day before? And why would the daughter of an earl agree to engage in such matchmaking?

“So, Miss Elizabeth, what is your opinion of my sons? Which of them is more to your liking?” the earl loudly whispered to be heard by the entire room.

“Papa!” cried Lady Selina.

Elizabeth blushed as she tried to answer discretely. “Surely, your lordship cannot expect me to answer such a question. Besides, even if I were tempted to answer—which I am not—I would not dare express an opinion about someone I have barely met.”

“Fair enough” The earl laughed. “We shall postpone this conversation until after dinner.”

Elizabeth easily noticed that neither Mr. Darcy nor the viscount appreciated the unseemly exchange. Once again, she felt Mr. Darcy’s disapproving stare. He might be upset by the situation, but she cared little for his opinion. She daringly smiled at him and then turned towards her other companions, ignoring the gentleman’s insistent gaze.

Miss Darcy spoke not a single word once she took the seat near her brother, but she watched Elizabeth and Jane with obvious curiosity. This was proof to Elizabeth that her suspicions were correct: Miss Darcy was as proud and disagreeable as her brother—just as Mr. Wickham declared her to be—and she clearly had an interest in Mr. Bingley. Otherwise, why look at Jane with such interest?

Deciding the Darcy siblings would not ruin her disposition, Elizabeth entered into a pleasant conversation with Colonel Fitzwilliam, whose company she enjoyed exceedingly. The colonel, attentive and polite, insisted that Jane move closer to them and take a seat near her sister. Blushing, Miss Bennet joined the animated group, and it was not long before a smile finally came to Jane’s face, and her loveliness overcame her distress. Elizabeth could not be more grateful to the colonel.

Shortly thereafter, Lord Matlock invited the gentlemen to accompany him to the library before dinner.

Lady Selina approached her cousin and whispered something to her. Miss Darcy seemed to hesitate a few moments, looked with alarm at her brother, and then finally joined her cousin near the settee where the other ladies were sitting. A tentative conversation thus began.

“Miss Elizabeth, I am pleased finally to make your acquaintance.” Elizabeth heard Miss Darcy’s low voice.

“Finally, Miss Darcy?” She smiled and tried not to sound impertinent. “Have you heard of me before this evening? How is that possible?”

The girl sketched a tentative smile. “Yes, my brother used to write me from Hertfordshire quite often—”

“Mr. Darcy mentioned me in his letters to you? Oh dear, I dare not imagine the terrible things he must have said.” She laughed, looked at her aunt meaningfully, and then turned back to Miss Darcy. The girl was pale.

“Miss Elizabeth, have I offended you in some way? I am so sorry… I do not… I mean… Why do you presume that my brother—”

Miss Darcy’s shy, trembling voice and wide, blue eyes left Elizabeth with no words. Hesitantly, Elizabeth touched the girl’s hand and forced a smile.

Lady Selina spoke gently. “Georgiana dearest, do not distress yourself. I am sure Miss Elizabeth is speaking in jest. If Darcy mentioned Miss Elizabeth in his letters to you, I am sure he spoke well of her.”

Elizabeth barely repressed a laugh. “Indeed there is no need for distress, Miss Darcy. You did not offend me at all. I am only surprised that Mr. Darcy took the time to write about me, considering he and I are not friends. He has always been my severest critic, and I can safely declare that his opinion of me cannot be high, so you must understand my concern about what he might have told you.”

She continued laughing, hoping they would join in her amusement. However, Miss Darcy interrupted her again, quite determined.

“That cannot be true… My brother mentioned to me that he missed my playing the piano but was fortunate to enjoy your performance a few times…and he expressed his approval of your interest in books. I fear I do not read as much as I should, and he…”

Elizabeth stared at Miss Darcy, unable to trust this revelation.
Mr. Darcy expressed his approval of me? There must be some sort of mistake!
She was tempted to declare her doubts once more, but Miss Darcy seemed so honest and trusting in her own words that Elizabeth dared not upset her again. She smiled and whispered a polite, “Thank you.”

“Well, this is a surprise,” said Lady Selina. “Not only does Darcy seem to be an acquaintance of the Miss Bennets, but you appear to know Miss Elizabeth very well.”

“Oh, not very well, unfortunately,” Miss Darcy replied, suddenly more inclined to talk. “But my brother wrote me almost every day from Hertfordshire…and I also heard accounts from Mr. Bingley…”

Jane instantly grew pale, and Elizabeth was intent on knowing more.

“Mr. Bingley is a friend of yours, I understand. Miss Bingley told me as much.”

Miss Darcy hesitated a moment, and Elizabeth was certain she understood the reason.

“Mr. Bingley is a close friend of my brother. He is a very amiable gentleman; it is such a pleasure to listen to his stories.”

“Do you see Mr. Bingley often?” Elizabeth continued, and Mrs. Gardiner was ready to intervene; however, Miss Darcy’s answer came easily, along with a slight smile.

“No…I only saw him twice after he arrived in town. The first time was almost a month ago, and he seemed very eager to return to Hertfordshire. For the entire dinner, he shared recollections of his friends from there. He seemed very fond indeed of Netherfield Park,” she concluded, and Elizabeth was once more at a loss for words.

She turned to her sister, only to see Jane’s eyes moist with tears. Miss Bennet suddenly rose from her seat and hurried to pour herself a cup of tea. Her hands trembled so that she could not hold the cup properly, and Elizabeth went to help her.

“That was kind of Mr. Bingley,” Lady Selina declared. “I hope he returns soon to his estate.”

“I am not certain of his future plans,” the girl continued, oblivious to Jane’s distress. “The second time I met him, he seemed quite preoccupied, and we spoke very little. I imagine he had some business that interfered with his plans.”

“Well, we can only hope his business will be resolved soon in the best possible way,” Lady Selina concluded, and with that, Mrs. Gardiner changed the topic.

A short glance from her aunt confirmed to Elizabeth that the subject of Mr. Bingley was closed for the evening, and she did not dare disobey. Besides, she needed no further details; their short conversation held shocking revelations.

Miss Darcy had no romantic interest in Mr. Bingley—anyone could see that—and she even tried, shyly and not very skilfully, to become friendly with both of them. Even more, her words gave rise to hope and proved once more the lack of honesty in Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. As for those ladies’ much declared intimate friendship with Miss Darcy, Elizabeth was certain it could not be further from the truth.

I wonder how Mr. Wickham could have been so wrong in his estimation of Miss Darcy’s character… She surely does not seem anything like her brother—quite the contrary.

“Miss Darcy, I am glad we had the chance to talk,” Elizabeth said, and a smile spread over the girl’s face.

“As am I, Miss Elizabeth.”

“You know, my dear Georgiana, Mrs. Gardiner grew up in Lambton.” Lady Selina brought a new subject into the conversation, which changed Miss Darcy’s spirit in a moment.

“Truly? In Lambton? I was not aware of that! Have we met before, perhaps? And have you been in Derbyshire lately?” she asked, allowing little time for answers between questions.

“That is indeed surprising, Mrs. Gardiner.” “Did your father possess an estate in the neighbourhood?”

Elizabeth looked at him for a moment, wondering how long he had been there. A smile twisted her lips as she tried to imagine his expression at hearing Mrs. Gardiner’s revelation about her family. She feared his usual behaviour might distress her aunt, but would he dare be disrespectful to a guest in his uncle’s home?

Mrs. Gardiner answered with perfect composure and a warm smile.

“No, sir. My father had a small shop in Lambton.”

“Oh, I see…”

As Elizabeth anticipated, Mr. Darcy was surprised, and he remained disconcerted for a moment. She expected him to return to his usual aloofness and leave their company, but he looked at the ladies and finally replied:

“Lambton is a charming little town.”

“Yes, it is. And Derbyshire is the most wonderful place in the world.”

“I shall not argue with you, Mrs. Gardiner; I should be pleased to speak with you more about Derbyshire at any time,” Mr. Darcy concluded. Then with a proper bow to the ladies and a warm smile to his sister, he joined the other gentlemen.

Elizabeth stared at her aunt with a puzzled expression, trying to remember whether she had ever heard Mr Darcy speak with such warm politeness. Her aunt smiled.

***

Darcy remained in the hall, close enough to hear the ladies’ voices chatting amiably. He had yet to recover from the shock of seeing Elizabeth in his uncle’s house, and he was yet unable to breathe, talk, or behave properly.

This could not be; he had left Netherfield a month before, trying to put her out of his memory and ease his conscience for his participation in Bingley’s departure.

Yes, he had been certain that his judgement of Miss Bennet’s feelings for Bingley had been correct. Yes, he was certain that it was better for Bingley to escape from marriage to a beautiful lady who did not share his affection. Besides, he was not sure that Bingley’s feelings for Miss Bennet were real or would last more than a month; he had seen him in love many times before.

But he could not deny his own interest in removing from Netherfield, and that was the reason for his lack of sleep during the last month. He was also in danger of being trapped. Her smiles, sparkling eyes, teasing and witty replies, dark hair playing along her nape—all made his days and nights at Netherfield a torture, and there was little improvement once he left. But he had been certain that, with time and distance, his strength and self-control would conquer the feelings he battled.

And now she was there, and she likely would be around for some time as his uncle made it clear that he found the Bennet ladies pleasant company.

Darcy felt the urge for a glass of brandy as he remembered the conversation with his uncle the previous day. The earl allowed him to make a fool of himself when he related his disapproval of the Bennet family. He had not felt so dreadful in a long time. He was tempted to take Georgiana and return home that instant. But did he have the right to ruin everyone’s evening by behaving in such a savage manner? And what explanation could he find for an impromptu leaving? Besides, Georgiana seemed to be enjoying herself. She seemed to feel at ease with the Miss Bennets, which was surprising—or was it? Was it surprising that anyone, even a person as shy as his sister, felt at ease with Elizabeth and Jane Bennet? His uncle had met them the day before and liked them instantly, and the earl generally liked few people on such a short acquaintance. On the other hand, it was not a surprise that the colonel was charmed by both of them as he himself declared. But he was not to be taken seriously; he was even worse than Bingley when it came to beautiful, young ladies. Darcy was more cautious in judging people; he did not approve of either sister at first meeting.
Miss Bennet used to smile too much. And Miss Elizabeth was not handsome enough to tempt me to dance with her.

Suddenly, his thoughts sounded ridiculous. Surely, those were not the reasons he disapproved of them in the beginning! There must have been other things to form his poor opinion of them, and the most important was their family’s behaviour and situation, which could not be forgotten or dismissed. But Miss Bennet does not seem to smile any longer—not at all! And Miss Elizabeth… He could not think of any lady more handsome—or more tempting.

“Darcy, what on earth are you doing here? Let us return to the ladies; dinner is ready.” The earl’s voice startled him, and he could not reply before his gleeful uncle continued.

“And I absolutely need your opinion: Which of my sons should marry Miss Elizabeth Bennet, do you think? We could not reach an agreement, and you seem to be an expert on difficult problems of the heart. I shall put her near you during dinner so you can observe her behaviour towards both of them and inform me whether you sense any partiality to one or the other. Oh—and do not worry about her family’s faults; I dare say her charms are adequate compensation.”