Mr. Darcy's Proposal (7 page)

“Lizzy, be serious. You must decide what
you
want regardless of the affect on the family. We will all manage somehow if you choose not to marry him.” Jane leaned toward Elizabeth as she continued, “At the same time, I have always said Mr. Darcy has many good qualities. He has also been incredibly kind and generous to you. Charles—I mean Mr. Bingley—regards him as his closest friend. That has to count for something.”

Elizabeth gave her sister a questioning look.

“I know. I know,” said Jane holding up her hands. “You are disappointed in Mr. Bingley, as am I, but I truly believe he is an honorable man. What happened between us does not change that.”

“Jane, you are far too generous with regard to Mr. Bingley.”

“Perhaps I am,” she said.

“I think it would be best not to mention Mr. Darcy’s proposal to Mama. I could not bear to hear her response. She would most certainly try to exert pressure on me to accept, and I think you are right—I have to make this decision on my own.”

“We will not speak of it until you have decided,” Jane assured her.

Eight

After a night of fitful sleep, Elizabeth awoke early and decided to venture out for a walk before the rest of the household was up. She still had no answer for Mr. Darcy, but fresh air often helped her think. Wandering along one of her favorite paths, she began to reexamine all of her previous beliefs about marriage. She recalled her skepticism when Charlotte had said she believed that her chance of happiness with Mr. Collins was at least as fair as most people could hope for upon entering into a marriage. After observing her friend on her recent visit, she could see that while marrying Mr. Collins had been more a matter of expediency than love or even respect, Charlotte did not seem unhappy. She enjoyed running her own home and managed to limit her time with her unpleasant husband very adroitly. Soon, it appeared, he would inherit Longbourn, and Charlotte’s fortunes would improve even more.

Elizabeth now faced a similar decision. Could she marry a man she did not love, a man whose behavior was often offensive and at the very least a mystery to her? He had been quite solicitous toward her recently and had even shown a sense of humor, but his manner was still prideful and intolerant as often as not. Did she have a chance of happiness if she accepted him or was that too much to hope for?

She thought about his wealth and status and wondered why he would want to marry someone whose circumstances he clearly perceived to be so far beneath his own. Although she had never seen Mr. Darcy’s home in Derbyshire, she understood it was large and quite beautiful. Being mistress of such a great estate would have its compensations, but would it be enough to make up for the loneliness she would undoubtedly suffer?

The walk did seem to be helping clear her mind. Then just as she reached the top of a small hill, she saw Mr. Darcy striding toward her.

“Good morning, Miss Elizabeth,” he said with a tip of his hat.

“Mr. Darcy,” she said. Elizabeth tried to carefully arrange her face so as not to display her feelings of disappointment at his appearance.

“Has there been any change in your father’s condition?” he inquired.

“No, he is much the same.”

“I am sorry to hear that. May I walk with you a while?”

“Whatever you wish, sir.” What else could she say? Guessing he had come out early specifically with hopes of encountering her, she imagined he must be anxious for an answer. She still needed more time and hoped he would not press her. As at Rosings, Darcy did not seem to feel the need to talk as they walked along. Elizabeth used the quiet to turn her choices over in her mind again. Perhaps there were some advantages to a man who did not try to fill every silence with useless talk.

“It is a very fine day for walking out, is it not?”

Elizabeth was a bit amused by his attempt at small talk. “Indeed, it is. I spent much of the evening at my father’s bedside so it is very pleasant to be out of doors and in nature. As you know, walking is one of my greatest joys.”

“Yes, you are a great walker.”

Elizabeth gave a sideways glance at his profile and discovered he was smiling.

“I would like to ask your permission to introduce my sister to you this afternoon. She is a very shy girl, and I think she would benefit from making your acquaintance. As I told you, at her age she could use a woman’s influence in her life.”

Elizabeth was more than a little irritated that he was already assuming there would be a relationship between herself and his sister. Was he so confident of her accepting him? His presumptuousness did not make Elizabeth happy in the least. Keeping her feelings in check, she bit her lip. She decided the best course was to show an interest in Miss Darcy by inquiring politely about her.

“Tell me about your sister, her interests and pursuits. I have heard Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst talk about her but that is all I know.”

“Georgiana is just sixteen and, as I said, very shy. I would say that music is her greatest love. She has been taking lessons on the pianoforte from a very fine teacher in London. Practicing keeps her occupied many hours each day. Although she generally does not find it easy to meet new people, she is very anxious to make your acquaintance.”

Here Darcy hesitated for a moment, but then went on, “There is something I must tell you about Georgiana that is quite important in understanding her. It is one of the reasons I am hoping the two of you will become friends. I know I can rely on you to keep this in confidence.”

“Of course you may,” said Elizabeth. When she glanced at his face, she saw the pain he was trying to cover and wondered what could have affected him so deeply.

“Last summer, Georgiana and Mrs. Younge, who was her companion at the time, went to Ramsgate for a visit. While my sister was there, she encountered a man who had grown up near Pemberley and was often in the company of my family. This man is a rake and a scoundrel, but I had kept the true nature of his character from her over the years. With the aid of Mrs. Younge, whose character was not what I had thought, this man ingratiated himself to Georgiana. He used everything he knew about her from her childhood to charm her. Thinking she was in love, she consented to an elopement.”

Elizabeth tried to keep the shock from showing on her face.

“When she was a child, he had always gone out of his way to appear the perfect gentleman in her presence so that when he flattered her, she could not see the insincerity of his proposal. She was only fifteen, and I suppose her youth offers some excuse for her imprudence. When I joined them unexpectedly a day or two before the intended elopement, Georgiana felt guilty at the idea of upsetting me, and so she told me of their plans.”

Elizabeth observed that Darcy was clenching and unclenching his hands as he related the story. Her first thought was how he must have agonized over this incident and probably blamed himself.

“Fortunately, I was able to avoid any public exposure of the incident. As soon as he was aware that I knew of their plans, he left the area. Mrs. Younge was, of course, immediately removed from her post.”

“But why would he do such an abominable thing?” Elizabeth asked incredulously.

“His chief reason for the elopement was unquestionably my sister’s fortune of 30,000 pounds. These events have affected Georgiana in many ways, not the least of which has been to make her even more shy and mistrusting of people.”

“Mr. Darcy, that was a narrow escape,” said Elizabeth. “I am thankful you were able to keep her safe. You must have been very relieved that in the end she was sensible enough to confide in you so that you could prevent her from coming to harm. I can only imagine the anguish of losing a sister to such a man.”

“Yes, we were very fortunate indeed. You must understand how important Georgiana is to me. With both my parents gone, she is all the more dear.”

“So this incident has left her withdrawn and even more uncertain of herself.”

“Both she and I already have a tendency to be uncomfortable with people we do not know well,” he offered.

“You do remember what I told you that evening when I was playing the pianoforte at Rosings?”

Darcy furrowed his brow, and then one corner of his mouth turned up just a bit.

“When there is something you do not do well, you should practice,” she reminded him. “If you do not take the time to talk to people, then you will never become more proficient.”

“Of course, you are right. Although it is difficult, I have tried to take your words to heart,” he said. “Now, I hope you will be able to impart similar wisdom to my sister.”

“But you do not need me to speak with her. You could tell her yourself.”

“Somehow I do not think it would carry the same weight coming from me,” he told her.

“You flatter me too much, Mr. Darcy,” she said, suddenly irritated that she was allowing herself to be drawn in. She stopped and pretended to examine a small patch of wildflowers at the side of the path.

“She is very curious about you.”

“Curious about me?” she asked as she leaned over and picked a small purple flower.

“I have never spoken so highly of any young lady before, so naturally Georgiana wants to find out all about you for herself.”

“Are you trying to intimidate me, sir?” she teased as she stood to face him.

“I have it on the best authority that you are not easily intimidated,” he replied raising an eyebrow.

Elizabeth laughed to herself. She was beginning to enjoy their verbal sparring even more than before, which was both pleasing and disconcerting. Entering a small wooded section of the path, the sun, which had been very bright, became filtered, throwing everything into shadow. They walked in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again.

“I have something I must ask you, but it is of a most personal nature. I am not certain just how to speak of it to you without causing offense.”

“As you know, I do not easily talk about myself, but I will try to answer whatever you request.”

“It concerns some information about you and a certain gentleman,” she said. Watching Darcy’s face, she saw his jaw tighten.

“I believe you must be referring to our mutual acquaintance, Mr. Wickham,” he said with some sarcasm in his voice. “I can only imagine the falsehoods he has presented to you as truth. No, if he has done anything to mislead you about our dealings, I welcome the opportunity to clear myself of his accusations.”

“As you suspect, it is about Mr. Wickham. He has told me and others in the neighborhood that you are responsible for depriving him of the living your father promised him. As a result, he was forced to join the militia to make his way in the world. I believe you must explain yourself—if any acceptable explanation can be given.” Although Elizabeth could see how her words had hurt him, her need for the truth outweighed any guilt she might have felt for causing him pain.

“This is not something I like to speak of, but I want to tell you what really happened. The story goes all the way back to my childhood,” he began. Darcy related that George Wickham was the son of a very good and respectable man who had managed all the Pemberley estates for many years. Because Darcy’s father had thought so highly of his steward, he made provisions to give the man’s son a gentleman’s education. In his will, Darcy’s father had granted Wickham a legacy of 1,000 pounds, which Darcy paid to him immediately. Darcy’s father had also recommended that he further assist Mr. Wickham by giving him a valuable family living should he follow through with his plans to take orders.

Elizabeth saw great sadness on Darcy’s face and knew this could not be easy for him to speak of. Darcy explained that within half a year Wickham had written to indicate he had decided against taking orders and was planning to study law instead. In spite of Darcy’s reservations that this would come to nothing, he gave Wickham three thousand pounds for this purpose. In exchange, he required that Wickham resign all future claims to the church living near Pemberley.

As he spoke, Darcy clenched and unclenched his fists. “I knew Mr. Wickham’s nature far better than my father, and I admit to being relieved he had decided against the church. I have never known anyone so ill-suited to take orders. From boyhood, Wickham was very careful around my father, but he was more open with me. He hated me because he knew I saw him for what he really was. After the arrangements were made and the money delivered to him, I believed I had fulfilled my father’s wishes and was finished with him. Unfortunately, I had not heard the last of Mr. Wickham.”

Elizabeth listened intently still uncertain what to believe. He went on to explain that Wickham did not pursue the law but had quickly squandered all the money. After making inquiries, Darcy discovered Wickham had engaged in gambling and frivolous living until he was penniless again and in debt.

“At that point, he came to me saying he had changed his mind about the church and asked to have the living at Kympton or additional money.” Darcy grimaced with the pain of recalling these events. “When I refused, he became unreasonably angry and hurled every kind of abuse at me such that I thought we might come to blows. Finally, I had to have several of my footmen escort him from my home. Then like a spoiled child who could not have his way, he vowed revenge and began to tell outrageous tales behind my back.”