Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman (20 page)

Smiling at her in a relaxed manner, he asked, “Miss Bennet, to what do I owe this honor?”

“Sir, I… I did not know you were at home… here… I thought you were away.”

Clearly enjoying that he had unnerved her for a change, he continued to stare at her unabashedly. “No, as you can see, I am right here. Unintentional or not, I am most grateful for the visit.”

“I… I…” Blushing, Elizabeth resolved to calm herself and speak intelligently. She took a deep breath and said, “Mr. Bingley offered to lend me a book. I did not realize you or, for that matter, anyone else, occupied the library. Miss Bingley mentioned that you were gone for the day, and I just assumed that no one else was in this part of the house.”

“Yes, I see. I told Miss Bingley that I had duties to attend to for the bulk of the day, but I never meant to infer that I would be from the house.”

Looking down, she quietly replied, “I must have misunderstood.”

Hoping to put her at ease, he attempted to change the subject. “Are you visiting with your sister? Have you once again deviated from Miss Bingley's tour?”

She gave a light laugh and said, “Yes and no. Jane came to extend an invitation to dine tomorrow at Longbourn, and I accompanied her here. Mr. Bingley pressed her to stay, and they have now taken a walk. I felt my constant presence was a little stifling for them and thought that I would get a book to better occupy my time.”

With a smile playing upon his lips, he said, “That was very thoughtful of you.”

Unsure of what she should say or do, she replied, “Thank you. But, Mr. Darcy, you mentioned that you had duties to attend to, and I am clearly keeping you from them.”

“No, not at all. I would welcome a diversion.” He then added in a more subdued tone, “I would be most pleased if you would join me.”

She shyly replied, “Just for a moment then.”

“Well, at least until you find a book.”

“Yes.”

After a slight pause, he asked, “Did you have any specific volume in mind?”

“No, not really. Being more familiar with Mr. Bingley's library, perhaps you could suggest something?”

“I'd be honored. But let me think for a moment. I do not want to disappoint.”

As he looked at the shelf behind the desk, Elizabeth looked at the piles of papers stacked upon it and asked, “May I enquire what it is I am keeping you from?”

Turning, he smiled as he replied, “Certainly, although I am afraid it is quite dull.”

“Whatever it is, there appears to be a great deal of it.”

“Yes, unfortunately, there is. I am attempting, rather poorly, to attend to my correspondence from Pemberley.”

“Is this the usual volume, or have you been neglecting it for several months?”

Laughing, he replied, “You would think it had accumulated over a great deal of time, but it is actually a week's worth of papers and letters that need my attention. I think it looks a little more daunting because it is not arranged in a coherent manner.”

“I am surprised to hear that. You strike me as very fastidious.”

“I am not sure if that is a compliment, but I will take it as one. You are right, I am usually quite organized but not through any talent of my own. I have a most valued steward, Mr. Edmund Lynch, who is exceedingly skilled at organizing my papers—and me in the process.”

“I find it hard to believe that you do not possess some skill in that area. But in any case, I take it your steward is back at Pemberley and therefore unable to help.”

“So to speak, but I would be doing him a disservice if I did not explain further. He is quite adept at organizing my life from a great distance. His physical absence is not the problem. Usually, he sorts through my papers, and when I am away from my estate, he sends them to me in a thoroughly organized fashion. Over time, we have developed a finely tuned system. For the past eight days, though, he has been unavailable, so I have had my correspondence sent directly to me unsorted, and I miss his help exceedingly.”

“Is he ill?”

“Not at all. It is actually a joyous occasion. Mrs. Lynch gave birth to a son two days ago. As her date approached, he became so nervous that I thought it best that he stay home with her for the duration of her confinement. I met him in London last week to dispose of some of the more pressing matters and then sent him home to his wife. Despite my good intentions, I am afraid Mrs. Lynch may never speak to me again. In his high state of anxiety, I am sure he was more of a burden than a help. Nevertheless, since the child's arrival, I have received word that they are all healthy and happy. Mr. Lynch will come back to work in a fortnight.”

“And in the meantime, you are fending for yourself? I would have thought that there would be someone else who could help you?”

“Mr. Bingley has offered the services of his steward, but he was engaged with Mr. Bingley and his solicitor today, so I did not want to bother them with my concerns. I might have waited until he was free, but this morning, the timing seemed most opportune for me to begin. I have since regretted my decision, but my stubbornness has stopped me from quitting.”

“Have you been working on your papers from Pemberley all morning then?”

Eyeing her intently, he said, “No, early this morning I went for a ride to see the local scenery. Did you get a chance to walk out?”

Awkwardly, she replied, “Actually, no. I had to call here. So I was prevented from doing so.”

“Yes, of course… In any regard, when I returned, I went through my letters from my townhouse in London, but that was a much smaller contingent of documents. I have just finished with them. I was now going to face the papers from Pemberley.” Smiling at her, he added, “But inasmuch as Mr. Bingley has company, I will see to them another day.”

Concerned, she asked, “But will it not make the task even more difficult if you put it off?”

“It might, but I am willing to take that risk.”

“But does not some of the correspondence require your immediate attention?”

Looking at her intently, he said, “Miss Bennet, you are making me feel quite guilty. Yes, you are right. Some of it might require my immediate attention, and it might be best if I stayed here to work, but I am actually finding it quite difficult to do so.”

She stared back at him for what seemed an eternity, as she understood the full meaning of his words. Apparently, he wanted to be in her company as much as she wanted to remain in his, but she knew selecting a book would not serve as an excuse to tarry in the library for very long, and she genuinely did not want to disrupt his work. She had recently vowed to try to get to know him better; maybe this was a golden opportunity. With a decisive air, she moved a chair closer to the desk, sat down, and replied, “Ah, yes, Mr. Darcy, I see it clearly. You intend to blame my sister and me for your own lack of industry. I will not have it on my conscience. I will help you organize the papers. You can then read them, decide what needs immediate attention, and leave the rest for when Mr. Lynch returns or seek the help of Mr. Bingley's steward tomorrow.”

Looking incredulously at her, he asked, “Miss Bennet, are you suggesting that you act as my steward?”

Smiling at him impishly, she retorted, “I am simply offering my help. I have some free time while Jane is occupied. I was only going to start a new book; it can wait. I know that some of the papers might be quite complex, but I should be able to help you with some of the more repetitive tasks.”

Frowning, he replied, “It is not that the work is too difficult. It is just that it is most… irregular.”

Suddenly feeling far too presumptuous, she rose and said in a formal voice, “You are quite right, sir. I have overstepped my place. Your private letters are not my concern. Please forgive me. I will leave you to your work.”

As she turned to go, he stepped to the side of the desk and remarked with some urgency, “Please, Miss Bennet, you misunderstand me. There is nothing in my correspondence that I would feel uncomfortable letting you see. I just did not think you would want to spend your time in such a pursuit. I am no expert, but I never imagined that a lady would want to undertake such a task.”

Sensing that she had started something that it would be unfair to blame him for, she attempted to regulate her embarrassment and replied in an even tone, “You are right; it is not an activity a lady would typically engage in. But we have agreed to dispense with some of the more cumbersome social conventions. I have helped my father with his correspondence before, and I think I could follow your instructions and be of some limited use. But if you think it is unworkable, I quite understand.”

Glad to see her at ease again, he smiled in relief. His primary goal was to stay in her company, and if she was willing to spend time with him in such a manner, then the endeavor had great merit. “Miss Bennet, your offer is quite kind. I could use your help. Thank you.”

As they both sat back down, she looked at him expectantly. He, however, seemed content simply to stare at her. She cleared her throat and said, “What do you suggest, sir?”

“Oh, yes, well… Mr. Lynch usually opens all of the correspondence and sorts them into three piles initially. Perhaps you could do that. My personal letters have been sent to me as they are received, so you need not worry about them.” Pointing to the desk, he said, “The mix of letters on the desk concern estate business, social invitations, tenant matters, charitable requests, patronage requests, and other types of solicitations. Once they are sorted, I attend them in order of priority.”

“That seems manageable. Three piles, in order of their date: social invitations, estate business, including tenant matters, and requests.”

Smiling at her, he enthusiastically said, “Yes, exactly. In the meantime, I will pull these maps out of the pile to review; they concern a dispute over a property boundary between tenants. Unfortunately, the situation has degenerated to a point where I need to step in.”

She smiled at him and began her work. The task proved quite interesting. As she opened each letter, she became more amazed at the volume of correspondence and the breadth of subject matter covered. She began to understand the extent of his responsibilities. It struck her that he was a very young man to carry such a heavy weight. As she worked, she could not help but sneak furtive glances at him, while he gazed with great concentration at the maps. With his brow furrowed, he unexpectedly looked up and caught her looking at him. He raised his eyebrows to inquire what she required, but she shyly looked back to the papers in front of her. It was then his turn to study her as she read the correspondence in her hand. He wondered at how they had come to this point in their relationship. He knew that she did not realize how her closeness affected him. More than that, her interest in his affairs was a balm to him. When he had first begun to fall in love with her, he had imagined her as his lover; as time progressed, he began to see her as the mistress of his estate, and when he asked her to marry him, the mother of his children. But since then, he had thought of her more as a partner, someone who could share his bed and his life, someone to share his sorrows, his concerns, his joys, and, in the process, end his loneliness. Sitting across from him, he could not help but imagine that she had already accepted the arrangement, and he reveled in it.

As she worked silently, she was amazed at how comfortable she was in his presence. After a long, companionable silence, she sighed and announced, “I have only a few letters that I need to ask you about. Otherwise, I believe the bulk of the papers have been sorted. You said you would look at the three categories of documents in order of importance. I assume you will look at the social correspondence first as there are several invitations where a reply is almost overdue.”

Studying her with his brow once again furrowed, he said, “Actually, I usually look at the invitations and social correspondence last. I rarely find anything of interest in that pile. I usually review the estate business first and then turn to the requests. I then quickly review the invitations and mark any I will accept. My steward can otherwise decline the rest on my behalf when he returns.” As he saw the height of the pile, he frowned and added, “I would ignore them completely if I was not mindful of the fact that my sister will one day be out in society. I would not want my behavior to injure her reception.”

“With that in mind, sir, I would point out that there are several requests for your attendance at various events that contain postscripts from people I assume are friends. Will you not give insult if you ignore them?”

“I am sure that very few of them are from close friends, as I tend to maintain regular correspondences with them. Their names would be recognizable to my housekeeper and their letters would be forwarded with my personal papers. I find that members of the
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often write personal notes on invitations when the extent of our acquaintance is, in fact, quite limited. I do not believe my absence from any of the events will create a hardship.”

Nodding her acquiescence, she then added, “There is one letter that I was unsure how to classify. It is an invitation to a wedding, but I believe it is from someone connected to your estate.” Given their history, she was not sure that she wanted to bring up the subject, but it was the one piece of correspondence that had piqued her curiosity. “There is a very odd notation on it too. Apparently, the groom thought you would wed before him.”

She handed him the invitation, which was written out in a simple but tasteful fashion on plain paper. He chuckled at the contents as he read. “Yes, this is an invitation from the cooper on my estate. He is my age, and we grew up together, until his duties as his father's apprentice eventually occupied his time. When we were boys, we could not imagine ever wanting to wed. We vowed to remain single for as long as possible so we could spend all our time fishing. Whoever stayed single longest was to provide the other with fresh fish. His is referring to that pledge in the note. He would like me to attend, but apparently, I need not bring any fish as there will be sufficient food at the wedding breakfast.”