Pirates and Prejudice (24 page)

“May I introduce
my sister to you? Mr. Bennet, Mr. Adams, and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, this is
Miss Georgiana Darcy.”

She curtseyed
and nodded shyly, but her smile was pronounced. “It is a pleasure to make your
acquaintance,” she said, walking over to a small couch. Turning to Elizabeth,
she said, “Come, please, have a seat by me. I have asked that tea and cakes be
brought in.”

Elizabeth
studied her as she walked over. The young girl was obviously shy and had not an
ounce of pride in her. She absently shook her head as she chided herself for
even considering that Wickham’s estimation of her would have had the slightest
bit of truth in it. Their eyes met and Elizabeth smiled.

As Elizabeth sat
down, Miss Darcy leaned over and whispered, “I so much enjoy the conversation
of a lady and do not often have the opportunity.”

“I will gladly
oblige you.” Elizabeth felt as though Miss Darcy was terribly shy, rather than
proud, so she was determined to set her at ease.

“I understand
that you play the pianoforte,” Miss Darcy said.

Elizabeth shook
her head. “I do not pride myself on my abilities. I play only tolerably. But I
understand that you are most proficient. I have heard much praise for your
talent.”

The young girl
looked down and blushed. “I do so enjoy it, but my favourite times to play are
when I am alone or for my brother.” She glanced at him with eyes filled with
admiration and then turned back to Elizabeth. “I am often asked to perform
before others, and I hope someday I will overcome my fears.”

Elizabeth smiled
warmly. “I am confident you shall!”

Miss Darcy
seemed uncertain what to speak about next.

Elizabeth leaned
in towards her. “I understand that your brother told you all about our
seafaring adventure.”

Miss Darcy’s eyes
lit up. “Oh, yes! It must have been so terrifying while at the same time
exciting!”

Elizabeth shook
her head. “I cannot say I felt those things at the same time, but I definitely
felt both.”

“I can hardly keep
my countenance when I think of my brother as a pirate.” She chuckled softly.
“It seems so unlike him.”

Elizabeth
laughed and looked over at him. “I agree! It was so unlike him, that even
though my father and I were acquainted with him, we did not realize for some
time that it was him.”

Darcy seemed to
notice the laughter and glanced over. His eyes met Elizabeth’s, and she quickly
turned back to Miss Darcy, feeling a rush of emotion brought on by the
intensity of his gaze. She hoped the young girl would not notice.

The two talked
on a variety of subjects, and at length the tea and cakes were brought in.
Georgiana excused herself and went to inspect the savouries.

Elizabeth found
her gaze settling on Mr. Darcy as he spoke to her father and David. He was sitting
back in a chair, leaning casually on one arm, one leg crossed over the other.
His voice resonated with eloquence. She smiled as she thought of how he had
disguised not only his looks, but also his voice, affecting an accent and even
a different tone. He had a very calm and reassuring voice, and he spoke with
great insight and intelligence. His hair had been neatly trimmed, and his face
shaven smooth. He was handsome. She had always thought so, but her dislike had
not allowed her to appreciate it. Now, when it was in all probability too late,
she did.

She began to
wonder just how smooth a man’s face could be. His looked so smooth. She
suddenly wished she could walk over and stroke his face with her fingers.

Her eyes widened
at the direction of her thoughts. She looked about her, trying to rein in the
emotions that prompted such a desire. She doubted that they would evaporate any
time soon. Fortunately Miss Darcy walked back over with a servant carrying a
silver tray.

“Miss Bennet,
would you care for a piece of lemon cake, apple tart, or some plum pudding?”

“An apple tart,
please. It is my favourite.”

Miss Darcy’s
eyes widened. “Oh? It is my brother’s favourite, as well.” She smiled as she
directed the servant to serve her.

The two ladies
found themselves drawn into the men’s conversation. Elizabeth had to refrain
from shaking her head in astonishment as she saw such a different side of Mr.
Darcy. He exhibited gracious hospitality, far different from his behaviour in
Hertfordshire. She recollected him saying to her in Kent that he found it
difficult to speak to those with whom he was not acquainted. He certainly
seemed comfortable and at ease speaking with her father and cousin.

When they had
finished tea, Mr. Bennet stood up. “Well, Mr. Darcy, we would not wish to
overstay our welcome. We really ought to take our leave.”

Mr. Darcy pulled
out his watch and looked at it with a frown. “I had hoped another acquaintance
of yours would have been here by now. He wished to see you and said he would
try to be here by three o’clock.”

“Who is that?”
Elizabeth asked.

Mr. Darcy turned
to her, his dark eyes reflecting something she could not decipher. “Mr.
Bingley,” he said softly. He studied her as if to gauge her reaction.

“Oh,” she said.
“I am sorry we will miss him.” She wondered whether he was now attempting to
right the wrong he had committed when he separated Mr. Bingley and her sister.

“Whom did you
miss?” Mr. Bingley stepped into the room, a smile lighting up his face. “I am
sorry I am late, Darcy.”

He walked in and
shook hands with Mr. Bennet, was introduced to David, and came up to Elizabeth.

“It is good to
see you again. It has been too long,” Bingley said with a smile, as he seemed
to search her face.

She returned his
smile. “It
has
been too long.” She stole a glance at Darcy, who was
watching the exchange. “We had hoped that you would return to Netherfield.”

“You had?”

Elizabeth nodded
and stole another glance at Darcy. “Yes, we
all
did.”

There was a bit
more conversation, but at length Mr. Bennet announced that they really must
leave. They expressed their thanks to Mr. Darcy for the reward, to Mr. and Miss
Darcy for their hospitality, and expressed their fervent desire to see Mr.
Bingley back at Netherfield.

They all walked
towards the front door, and then Mr. Darcy stopped. “Oh, I forgot something.
Miss Bennet, I have something for you back in the parlour.” He looked up at the
others, saying, “I shall return her to you in a moment.”

Walking
alongside Mr. Darcy again gave rise to emotions that ranged from a quickening
pulse and tingling sensation to a real fire burning within.

When they walked
into the parlour, Darcy picked something up from a chair on the far side of the
room. When she saw the light green colour, she knew it was her bonnet.

He brought it to
her and placed it in her hands, their fingers touching, causing an even greater
rise in her feelings. She kept her eyes down, eyeing his fingers which
lingered. She knew he likely could see her rosy cheeks and did not know what to
do about it. She felt her hands begin to shake as he pulled away. She wished to
thank him, but knew that her voice would tremble with emotion if she did.

“I wanted to
make sure this was returned to you.”

Elizabeth
tightened her grip on her bonnet as she attempted to mask her turmoil. She felt
as though her heart would burst if she did not express how drastically her
feelings towards him had changed. She looked up, and her eyes locked with his.

“Mr. Darcy,” she
said softly, “I want you to know…”

The clanking of
dishes startled her, and she turned to see two servants removing their tea and
cakes. “So sorry,” one said as she dipped a curtsey. “We thought everyone had
left.”

Elizabeth took
in a deep breath. “Yes, yes. I was just leaving.” She looked up at Mr. Darcy
and tried to smile. “Thank you, again, for all you have done.”

Elizabeth turned
and walked out of the room and the short distance to the door, where she joined
the others. She knew not whether they could see the effects of the warmth in
her cheeks, the trembling of her hands, or the clamorous pulsing of her heart.
She could only hope she would not be required to speak, for she could not trust
herself to have one coherent thought or express it without her voice unduly
quaking.

Chapter 24

Mr. Bennet suffered an attack of a stomach ailment
that left him quite unwell the morning the party had planned to leave for
Longbourn, and they were compelled to delay their journey. He was indisposed to
any sort of interaction, eating, and especially travelling. It was all
Elizabeth could do to get him to eat and drink just a little to keep his
strength from waning.

When not caring
for her father, Elizabeth enjoyed spending time with her aunt. She had several
opportunities to stroll through the parks and streets of London with her and David.
Lydia accompanied them on only one occasion. Since walking without a particular
destination was not a favourite pastime – and she would only be satisfied by a
destination that included at least four shops – she usually remained at the
Gardiners. Because of her behaviour in Brighton, they felt it incumbent to
ensure she was under her uncle’s close scrutiny at all times.

After four days,
Mr. Bennet finally felt well enough to leave his room, join the family at
meals, and visit. He still felt weak but was certain he would be ready to leave
on the morrow.

An early morning
start allowed them to make the journey at a leisurely pace, in deference to Mr.
Bennet, who still felt the effects of his illness. By afternoon, everyone was
eagerly anticipating arriving home.

As they passed
through the small town of Meryton, just a few miles from Longbourn, Elizabeth
let out a sigh and addressed David. “This is Meryton, an easy walking distance
from our home.” Elizabeth pointed out stores and other places of business in
the small town as they passed.

“It is a
charming town, Elizabeth. I know I will enjoy my stay here.”

Lydia gave her
head a shake as she looked out the window. “But it shall be so dreary! The
militia is gone, and there shall be nothing to do!”

“Lydia!” Elizabeth
scolded. “You should be looking forward to seeing Mother and your sisters
again!” She clenched her jaw and took in a breath between her teeth. “I believe
that even if the whole army were in Meryton, you would not be allowed out after
what you have done!” She looked to her father for corroboration

Mr. Bennet
wearily waved a hand through the air. “She is correct, young lady. Until you
learn to apply yourself in a useful employment for at least one hour a day, you
shall attend no balls, no parties, and no soldier shall come within five miles
of Longbourn!” His leaned his head back and closed his normally animated eyes,
which were now dull and slightly sunken. He pressed his fingertips to the
bridge of his nose and rubbed them in a circular motion.

Elizabeth
believed that his illness had been exacerbated by his deep anxiety over what
Lydia had done. She wondered whether he would ever fully recover from the
disgrace that came very close to overshadowing their family.

“You won’t tell
Mama, will you? She does not need to know. It was not that bad, and it will
only upset her, thinking I could have been killed.”

Elizabeth leaned
forward in the seat and looked pointedly at her sister. “Lydia, getting killed
was not the only thing that could have happened! You could have been sentenced
to serve time in prison.”

Lydia huffed,
folding her arms across her chest. “I think you are making too much of this!”

Elizabeth stole
a glance at David, who was staring out the window, and then to her father, who
was either sleeping or pretending to be asleep. “I do think Mother must be
told, as well as our sisters.”

“Well, Kitty
will think it awfully brave of me. She will be jealous that I had some
excitement while she had to stay at home with nothing to do!”

Elizabeth pursed
her lips together to refrain from blurting out what she truly wished to say.
Fortunately, David intervened.

“Miss Lydia, we
all make mistakes in life, but when we do, it is best to learn from them and
not idly dismiss them. Granted, the gravity of this could have been must worse,
but unless you comprehend that, you have learned naught.”

He ended with a
smile, and Elizabeth thought she saw a glimmer of understanding in Lydia’s
eyes. It was good he was here to gently admonish his young cousin without being
overly consumed with the exasperation she and her father felt.

As the carriage
pulled up in front of Longbourn, Jane and Kitty rushed out, followed by Mary.
The weary travellers stepped down from the carriage and Mr. Bennet began
introducing David to his three other daughters. Once introductions were done,
Elizabeth turned to Jane, embracing her.

“Oh, Jane! It is
so good to be home!” She pulled away and looked at her, noticing something
different in her countenance. “You seem especially radiant! What is it?”

Jane bit her lip
and her eyes welled with tears. “It is… it is Mr. Bingley. He has returned!”

Elizabeth’s joy
matched her sister’s. “I am so pleased to hear that! Did he tell you we saw
him?”

Jane nodded
blissfully, her eyes revealing the depth of her joy.

After giving
Kitty and Mary a kiss on the top of their heads, Mr. Bennet walked up to
Jane.  He smiled warmly and whispered, “It is good to see you, my dear.”
He then leaned down and kissed her, as well.

Lydia said
something to Kitty, and the two squealed and ran to the house. Elizabeth let
out a long sigh. “I am so glad to be finally home. How I have missed my
favourite sister!” She squeezed her sister’s hand and noticed David walking
over. “We have so much to talk about, but we shall talk later.

David came up
and took Jane’s hand. “Miss Jane Bennet, I feel as though I already know you. I
have heard so much about you from your sister.”

Jane smiled. “It
is always a pleasure to meet family.”

As Jane and
David talked, Elizabeth walked over to Mary and greeted her. “How have you
been, Mary?” she asked.

Mary bit her
lip. “It has been quiet, which satisfied me quite well, but poor Kitty has felt
the loss of Lydia and the militia.”

“And Mama?”

Mary chuckled.
“At first, she fretted every day about you and Papa, but she soon found other
things to occupy herself and her thoughts.”

Elizabeth raised
her brows as she considered that most likely when they were in the most dire
situation, her mother had no concerns about them at all!

As the family
gathered for tea and cakes in the dining room, everyone wanted to know about
the trip, how Mr. Bennet’s sister was faring, and what St. Mary’s was like.
Since they had agreed to divulge to the family only the barest details about
their journey home, they each had to think carefully before answering. Mr.
Bennet had even decided he was not going to mention the reward. He would, at
some point, surprise everyone with the news that each of his daughters now had
a suitable dowry.

Lydia shared
with tempered enthusiasm about her time with the Forsters in Brighton. There
was no need to communicate the news of her scandalous behaviour in front of the
whole family when they were so excited everyone was home. Mr. Bennet decided he
would speak to Mrs. Bennet alone in the morning. He was certain Lydia herself
would spread the news to the others.

When everyone
finally retired for the evening, Elizabeth found herself sitting on Jane’s bed,
eager to share some of the unspoken details of their time away.

“Mr. Darcy was
very gallant in coming to my rescue when the pirates had taken us captive. Of
course, I had no idea that it was him until later.”

Jane shook her
head in amazement. “So you were again thrown into his presence. I imagine you
were quite troubled when you found out it was him.”

Elizabeth softly
chuckled. “Troubled in ways you cannot imagine.” She grasped her sister’s
hands. “But tell me about Mr. Bingley!”

Jane was more
than willing to share her good news.

“We received
news that Mr. Bingley had ordered Netherfield to be opened and ready for his
arrival. I had been fairly certain my feelings for him had long faded and that
I would not allow his return to raise my hopes, but…”

Elizabeth took
her hand. “But you found that your feelings were just as strong as they had
been when he was here before.”

Jane slowly
nodded her head and smiled. “Mrs. Long was very neighbourly and informed us the
day he arrived. I almost felt sick from wondering whether he would ever pay a
call.” She looked down at their joined hands. “And Mother complained all day
that if only Father were here, he could visit him.”

“Little did she
know that we had seen him.”

“Yes, when he
came, he told us he saw you and Father.” Jane’s cheeks coloured in a faint
blush. “And he has come to call each day since.”

Elizabeth leaned
in and hugged her sister. “I had no doubt he would!”

Jane shook her
head and she pinched her brows together. “He told us something about Mr. Darcy
and a pirate and a disguise, but I could not quite understand it. Finally, from
what you told us tonight, I was able to piece things together. I still cannot
fathom it all.”

“Neither can I.”

“But Lizzy, I
must tell you. Not all is right with Mr. Bingley.”

Lizzy’s heart
began to pound. “What do you mean, Jane?”

Jane began to smooth
the coverlet on the bed. “He said that he and Mr. Darcy had a terrible
argument, and he does not know if he can ever forgive him!”

Elizabeth’s
brows pinched together in a frown. “Did he say what the argument was about?”

Jane took in a
deep sigh. “He said that last year, his wish was not to be gone from
Netherfield for long. He wanted to come back and further our acquaintance, but
both Mr. Darcy and his sister convinced him that I did not return his
affection.”

“I always
believed he truly cared for you,” Elizabeth said.

“Mr. Darcy
confessed to him that he had been in error in his presumption, asked for
Bingley’s pardon, and for that, Mr. Bingley forgave him.”

Elizabeth tilted
her head. “But there was something else?”

Jane nodded.
“Mr. Darcy apparently knew I had been in town in the spring, and was even aware
that I paid a call to Mr. Bingley’s sisters and they returned the visit. But
they all kept it from him. It was that deception that Mr. Bingley finds
difficult to forgive.”

Elizabeth could
barely manage a smile, knowing that until the two men made peace with one
another, it was unlikely she would see Mr. Darcy. “What about his sisters?”

Jane shook her
head. “He is very angry with them, as well. They have not joined him at
Netherfield. He is here alone.”

“Ahh, so that
gives you that much more time to spend with him.”

“Yes, but he
always comes here, as there would not be a chaperone for us at Netherfield.”

“No, I imagine
not.” Elizabeth’s smile turned into a chuckle. “You have a good man, Jane. He
is not readily provoked by certain members of our family.”

“He is good,”
Jane said with a sigh. “But now that
you
are here…”

“So
that
is the real reason you are so happy to see me!” She leaned in and said with a
laugh, “I am no longer your closest confidante, but your chaperone!”

“Oh, Lizzy, you
know that is not true. I have missed you terribly!”

“I know. And how
I missed you, dearest Jane.”

Jane looked down
at their joined hands. Pulling a hand loose, she began gently stroking
Elizabeth’s hand. “And David?” She lifted her eyes to her sister. “I would
imagine he shall make the tedious chore of being our chaperone a trifle more
bearable?”

“David?”

Jane laughed.
“This is perfect! You can be our chaperone while we are chaperoning you and
David.” She leaned in, and her eyes widened. “Tell me, Lizzy, what do you think
of him? He seems very amiable.”

Elizabeth pursed
her lips together and looked away. “He is all that is good and amiable and
kind.”

Jane tilted her
head at Elizabeth, the way she always did when she felt her sister was not
telling her all. “But?”

Elizabeth
pressed her fingertips together and brought them up to her chin, as if in
prayer. “I believe…” she began slowly, “that if I had met him a year ago, I
would have found myself hopelessly in love.” She took in a deep breath and
swallowed. “But I have… I have fallen in love with another.” The melancholy in
Elizabeth’s eyes did not equal the smile on her face.

“Lizzy!” Jane
said, placing her hands against her cheeks. “You have not fallen in love with
Mr. Darcy, have you?”

Elizabeth nodded
and slowly shook her head. “He is a good man… a most surprising, unpredictable,
generous, and gallant one.” She took Jane’s hands again. “I have been such a
fool!”

“But certainly
there is the chance that he still loves you, after all you went through
recently.”

She let out a
slow breath. “Yes, there were times, looking back, when I thought he might
still care. But…” Elizabeth shook her head and wiped a tear that trailed down
her face. “He cannot want anything more to do with our family after what Lydia
did.”