Falling for Mr. Darcy (16 page)

“And, suddenly, the simple moves of a dance set seemed to warm me terribly. Indeed, Papa, I cannot stop myself from blushing! I daresay his touch simply — ”

“That will do, child.” Mr. Bennet, for the sake of his unsteady composure, rushed to discontinue her descriptions. He patted her shoulder gently, clenched his teeth, and tried to sound unaffected. “It is natural for . . . uh . . . a lady to find a gentleman’s features pleasing.” He cleared his throat and pulled at his neck cloth. “But do not mistake, dear, the feelings of attraction for love.” He knew all too well the consequences of such an error.

Elizabeth colored and kept her eyes downcast. However, as she was accustomed to speaking her mind and heart with her father, she boldly continued. “If it was merely an attraction, and I confess I find him very pleasing to look at . . . ” Elizabeth paused briefly as an image of Mr. Darcy’s roguish smile and dark eyes flashed before her mind, causing her to blush and her father to cringe slightly. Her voice softened and she looked towards the window with a faraway gaze. “But it is not just that. When I am with him, I find that his mind and his character are everything pleasing to me. His company is more enjoyable than any other’s. I esteem him and value his good opinion. Our conversations are stimulating, and I believe we have many similarities.”

Mr. Bennet smiled in response to the soft smile he now witnessed on her face. His heart broke a tiny bit at the idea that, indeed, he was losing his daughter’s heart to another man. He told himself it was what he wanted for her. His marriage had not been fulfilling, and he did not relish the thought of the same plight for any of his daughters, especially his Lizzy. Although he suspected the identity of the gentleman she was referring to, he was not quite sure.

“Lizzy, what can you tell me about this ‘gentleman’ of yours. Shall we call him Mr. Gent?”

His attempt to lighten the atmosphere caused Elizabeth to laugh even as she said, “He is not
my
gentleman. But if you prefer it, Mr. Gent can be his name.”

“Well, then, tell me about Mr. Gent.”

Chuckling, she said, “He is a kind man, Papa. I think he is often misunderstood. I misunderstood him myself in the beginning. From what I have learned, I think he is rather shy, but I do not think he lacks confidence. He is well read; indeed, we like many of the same books. He has a sister whom he loves very dearly. She is his only family.” Elizabeth stopped to admire again the devotion Mr. Darcy had shown when he spoke of Georgiana the previous evening.

“And does this Mr. Gent enjoy his work with Mr. Dennis in town?” Mr. Bennet waited for Elizabeth’s reaction to his teasing insinuation that her gentleman was the butcher’s apprentice.

Covering her mouth as a peel of laughter burst out, she cried, “No indeed, Papa!” She knew then that his teasing indicated that he had likely deduced the real identity of Mr. Gent, or else he would not have made such an absurd comment. As their laughter quieted, she blushed slightly.

“Do you think Mr. Gent is a good man, Papa?” she asked, quietly.

“I hardly know, Poppet. I have not had many opportunities to enjoy the pleasure of his company to ascertain that.” Mr. Bennet paused before asking the question to which he dreaded receiving an answer. “Lizzy, do you believe Mr. Gent returns your affections?”

Elizabeth thought about his question for a few moments. It was clear to her that Mr. Darcy was not indifferent, but whether or not he held feelings more tender was not certain. Since her fall, he seemed much more inclined to concern himself with getting to know her. He had been less distant and forbearing. She could not deny that they had their brief moments of teasing and flirtation. She remembered, with a skip in the beat of her heart, the clear statement he had made about his wishes for their last dance. However, it had only been since her accident that he had been solicitous of her company. At Netherfield, he had only occasionally spoken to her and more than once appeared indifferent to her presence in the room.

“I cannot say for certain, Papa. He does not appear disinterested, and, indeed, at times he is very attentive. I do believe he enjoys conversing with me, but there are times I can tell that my presence near him is discomfiting.”

Mr. Bennet was beginning to suspect that Mr. Gent did return feelings for his daughter, and the thought brought mixed feelings. He decided that he would need to brave society a bit more and observe the gentleman. He needed to get a better understanding of the man.

Elizabeth continued, “We have never really voiced our preference for each other. Perhaps if Mr. Gent felt similarly towards me, he would have said something.” The thought weighed on her heart as she realized that, although they had many pleasing interactions, Mr. Darcy never indicated any preference towards her other than that statement before their last dance. It was not Elizabeth’s nature to open her heart to anyone but her father, and indeed, it would have been improper for her to do so with Mr. Darcy before he indicated something himself. She had given him encouragement with her smiles and teasing conversation and so concluded that his heart must not be touched.

She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes briefly. Her heart spoke that she should still hope, but the reasoning of her mind did not listen.

Mr. Bennet watched the actions of his daughter and, putting his own feelings aside, spoke tenderly to her. “Well, Lizzy, a man like Mr. Gent may not yet know his heart well enough to express his feelings. Do not let this trouble you. We gentlemen usually never know our heart until a lady comes to introduce it to us.”

Elizabeth opened her eyes and smiled thoughtfully at her father. He had given her reason to hope.

Voices made their way through the house, indicating the rest of her family was beginning to stir. Reaching for her father’s hand, she said, “Thank you, Papa. I believe our peace is about to be disturbed. Do you have much business today?”

“Not much, dear. I plan to go now on a ride about the property. There is a tenant I need to speak with and a fence I need to inspect, that is all.”

“Would you care to come with me on a walk, perhaps this afternoon?”

“I look forward to it, dear.”

“I, too, sir. I think I will go see Jane now. We did not get a chance to speak last night, and I suspect she will have much to talk about.” With a wink and a kiss on his cheek, she left the room.

He watched her exit and remained for a moment looking at the closed door.
Where did the years go?
With a heavy heart and a small sigh, he rose and prepared to leave for his ride.

* * *

Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy tipped their hats to each other as they parted ways on the road outside of the gates of Netherfield. Mr. Darcy was out for his morning ride and Mr. Bingley was headed to Longbourn.

Mr. Bingley’s horse could feel his rider’s nervousness. He flicked his head side-to-side, flinging his mane and blowing out a huff of steam from his nostrils in protest of his master’s distraction. In response to his horse’s protests, Mr. Bingley patted his head and gave in to a faster pace. He was headed to Longbourn to speak to Jane and request permission to court her. He could not understand why his heart was beating so soundly at the thought. He knew that, if he was honest with himself, he really wanted to ask her a different question — one that would bind her to him for the rest of their lives. Although he felt she was partial to him — indeed, he believed she loved him as he loved her — he decided instead to ask to court her. His intentions were honorable, but he did not want to move too quickly. If he knew for certain that she would be amenable to the idea, he would have proposed last night. Thinking of his lovely Jane made him smile and caused his heart to skip a beat.
Oh, my sweet Jane. You are an angel!

Mr. Bingley spent the rest of the ride to Longbourn imagining how Jane would look when he arrived. Would she wear that pretty yellow dress she wore last Sunday that he liked so much? He tried to formulate plans for getting an opportunity to speak with her privately.
Perhaps a walk in the gardens?

* * *

After discussing a needed repair with a tenant, Mr. Bennet mounted his horse and began his ride back home. About a quarter mile from the house, there was a small rise in the land that provided an excellent vantage point of the surrounding area. It was where he often stopped his horse and gazed at his home, just visible in the distance. Upon reaching the summit, he came upon another rider sitting motionless, with his eyes fixed on Longbourn.

He was surprised to see that the other rider did not acknowledge his approach and was amused when the gentleman turned only as Mr. Bennet’s horse moved beside his.

Startled from his reverie, Mr. Darcy shifted slightly at the sudden appearance of Mr. Bennet next to him. He was instantly embarrassed at his distraction and at being caught woolgathering, especially by the father of the woman about whom he was thinking.

“Mr. Bennet, sir. I did not hear your approach.”

“Mr. Darcy, good day. No, I believe you were quite otherwise occupied. This rise is a particular favorite of mine as it provides a vast view of the area. Tell me, what particular prospect has caught your interest?” Mr. Bennet could not help the provocation.

Mr. Darcy hid his embarrassment well as he turned to his companion. “Nothing in particular, sir. It is as you say: the area provides a vast view and I stopped to admire it all.” He hoped his feigned indifference was convincing. He had been out riding that morning to try to clear his thoughts — and also to avoid Miss Bingley — when he discovered the small hill. To his delight, he recognized that from there he could see Longbourn. He was simply unable for a time to turn from the view, wondering what Elizabeth might be doing and what she was thinking. He had been picturing her impertinent smile, bright eyes and pink lips when his thoughts were interrupted by her father. He cringed inside at the luck of it and attempted to clear his thoughts with a deep breath as he turned to Mr. Bennet.

“Mr. Bennet, sir, are you out for a ride this morning?” He did not know the man very well and decided, since he needed to speak with him about Wickham, he had better begin with some neutral topic.

“I am, sir. I had some business to conduct on the south end of my estate. I came this way to inspect a fence nearby. Would you accompany me, sir? I understand you have an estate of your own, and I would value your opinion.” As much as he wished he had no need, Mr. Bennet knew he should try to get to know the gentleman on his right because, if it was as he suspected, the man was in possession of one of his dearest treasures: his Lizzy’s heart.

“It would be my pleasure. My estate, Pemberley, is in Derbyshire.” He attempted to mimic the levity in Mr. Bennet’s voice as he turned his horse to follow him.

Thus began a pleasant discussion of land management, drainage and crop rotation. Though stilted at first, Mr. Bennet’s natural, unaffected personality and Mr. Darcy’s enjoyment of estate management soon made conversation easy.

Mr. Darcy was surprised to find in Mr. Bennet a man of great thought and less indolence than he had come to understand. He had heard that Mr. Bennet was not a competent property manager, and while the estate had once brought in six thousand a year, it was generally believed that it now produced only two thousand. He could not suppose that the thorough, knowledgeable man he was speaking with could be anything less than an excellent manager of his estate.
Then why the rumors of his diminished wealth?

At the same time, Mr. Bennet was finding in Mr. Darcy an impressively intelligent gentleman who took the affairs of his estate seriously, unlike many of his generation who left much of their business to stewards as they lived lives of leisure. It impressed him that Mr. Darcy was so knowledgeable at such a young age. As they discussed various details pertaining to typical estate matters, he found Mr. Darcy’s forward thinking impressed him greatly. His suggestion for the problem with the fence they had inspected was not only clever but it would cut the costs of the repair significantly without lowering the quality of the workmanship.

After finishing their inspection, Mr. Darcy turned to his companion. “Mr. Bennet, it is fortunate that you came upon me today. There is something I had intended to discuss with you.”

Mr. Bennet snapped his teeth together and tried to appear indifferent to the words that had once again set his mind thinking about losing Elizabeth. He hoped that was not what Mr. Darcy wanted to discuss because, although he had come to respect the gentleman greatly in the short half hour they had spent together, he was not yet ready to hear the words that would take his Lizzy away. He simply nodded for Mr. Darcy to continue, fearing his composure might give way if he spoke.

“Mr. Bennet, it has come to my attention that your youngest daughters have made the acquaintance of a certain member of the regiment in Meryton with whom I am also acquainted.”

The relief that flooded through Mr. Bennet at that moment almost made him laugh out loud, and he spoke with a slight chuckle in his voice. “Indeed, sir. I am sure they have made many acquaintances amongst the officers. Of whom do you speak?”

“Of a Mr. Wickham, sir.” Mr. Darcy’s voice was grave, and the sound of it depressed Mr. Bennet’s lively demeanor.

With furrowed brows, he replied, “I have heard them speak of him; however, I have not had the opportunity to meet the man. You say you know the gentleman?”