Page 42 of Most Truly the Gentleman

When they had gained a bit of distance from the cottage, Darcy remarked, “You were unhappy when Mrs Wallace would not admit you to her home.”

“Only because I know that meant Mr Wallace was within, nursing a sore head or possibly still inebriated from last night,” she replied in a clipped tone. He witnessed a simmering fury in the flash of her fine eyes, though she strove to conceal it.

“I see. And I imagine their family would require less aid from yours if he did not spend his coin on ale.”

“You imagine correctly.” She sighed. “Such cases are common, I know. I have no doubt you have encountered similar in your own neighbourhood.”

“On my own estate, in fact,” he agreed. “There is sadly little that may be done, so long as the land is being worked adequately. And it is worse when it is not, for one then has little choice but to refuse to renew the tenancy, which only puts the man’s dependants in a much worse position.”

“That is true. I should hate to see Mrs Wallace and her children turned from the estate, though it is no less than Mr Wallace deserves. I know very well that all I can do to alter their situation is appear with a basket from time to time, but that does not prevent me from fruitlessly wishing that I might discover some means of preventing him from indulging in drink.”

“One cannot cure all the ills of the world, however one might long to,” he agreed. “We can only do our best with the resources we have. I am certain Mrs Wallace takes comfort in the knowledge that you and your sisters are nearby and ready to assist.”

“I hope you are correct.”

Seeking a more congenial subject, he said, “I enjoyed meeting the Gardiners after church yesterday.” The tradesman and his wife had come as a bit of a shock, for Darcy had anticipated that the brother would echo his sister’s vulgarity, if not exceed it, but Mr and Mrs Gardiner had proved to be well-mannered. Had he not possessed foreknowledge of the man’s business, he should have thought the couple well-to-do gentry.

This subject instantly raised a smile from Miss Elizabeth. “They are among my favourite people in the world, and very dear to me. To Jane and myself, Mrs Gardiner has been the best and most constant example of what a lady ought to be; I have often wished she had been able to spend as much time with my younger sisters, but once she had children of her own, it was not possible.”

Darcy thought, but was sensible enough not to voice, that this went some way towards explaining the disparity in behaviour he had noted between the eldest two Bennets and the younger three. “I look forward to knowing them better,” he said instead, and it was true, little as he might have believed it possible only days ago.

They parted at a stile over which the ladies must climb to return to Longbourn. Mounted once more, the gentlemen turned their horses in the direction of Netherfield but kept them at a walk, both now in a contemplative mood. “Fine ladies, those,” Fitzwilliam commented. “Miss Mary surprised me, I must admit. I thought her the usual sort of prim and preachy girl, but she acts upon her professed beliefs, which I can only respect.”

“Indeed.” Darcy turned his head and watched as Miss Elizabeth followed her sister over the stile and disappeared from view behind the tall hedges. All his doubts and confusion had melted away in the last half an hour. He had been drawn to her liveliness and laughter, and naturally to her beauty as well, but now that he had glimpsed her heart, which could rage for the trials of a tenant woman, he knew he was lost. She would be the most excellent wife and mistress of his estate, and no doubt equally as fine a mother, if he could persuade her to accept the position. Her foolish relations could be tolerated, perhaps more readily than his own, and his wealth would not suffer unduly from a bride without a large portion. The treasure that was Elizabeth Bennet could not be valued in coin.

“How great a furore do you think would arise,” he asked his cousin with a blooming smile of delight at the rightness of his resolve, “if I were to marry Miss Elizabeth Bennet?”

Fitzwilliam’s expression of stupefied surprise made Darcy laugh. “I think,” his cousin said after a moment, “that it would not be very great outside the family, and that if my own plans come to fruition, you would not bear the tempest alone. I am shocked you would seriously consider her, however.”

“I have thought of little else this past fortnight,” Darcy admitted. “But I am now convinced that there is no lady who would suit me or Pemberley better. The disadvantages attached to her situation are not so very great and may be managed.”

“I should say the mother and youngest sister are the greatest of those. They will both expect to be invited to London.”

“They will be disappointed, then. I cannot imagine Miss Elizabeth would wish to have them mortify her in society any more than I would. If I must receive them at Pemberley on occasion, I believe I can bear it.”

“Miss Kitty seems somewhat more restrained of late,” his cousin observed. “With continued exposure to better company, she may prove rather delightful in time. In your position, I should leave the management of the Bennets to Miss Elizabeth—as you say, she will not wish to allow them to make a spectacle, either. This, of course, presumes you can win her. I sense your handsome face and sprawling lands will not be quite enough to convince her.”

Darcy knew that most eligible ladies would accept him should he deign to ask, and it had not truly occurred to him until that moment to question whether Miss Elizabeth would. As soon as the question entered his mind, he understood that he did not wish for her to accept him merely because he was an excellent match; he wanted her to admire and cherish him as much as he did her. He wanted that caring heart of hers to hold him above all others.

“Then I must woo her,” he replied firmly.

Fitzwilliam grinned. “I cannot express how much I anticipate witnessing that.”

27

THE FESTIVE SEASON

Miss Bingley excelled at planning a party. Elizabeth had acknowledged as much on the occasion of the ball, and she had put Netherfield’s best face forward once more on the eve of Christmas, despite having only a few days to prepare. The lintels and banisters were festooned with ribbons and greenery, and the air was redolent of mulled wine and cider.

Entering the drawing room with her younger sisters and the Gardiners, while her mother commandeered Mr Bingley’s attention by soliciting compliments for Jane, Elizabeth had just spotted Charlotte speaking with the colonel when Mr Darcy approached and bowed before them. “Miss Mary,” he said once the civilities had been observed, “it occurred to me, after Fitzwilliam and I parted from you and your sister yesterday, that you and I ought to have a conversation about your future husband’s parish. I have information on several of the families there which I believe will be of interest to you.”

Mary ducked her head at this unexpected attention. “I should be glad to hear anything you have to say regarding how I may best assist Mr Collins in tending to his duties. I thank you.”

“That is handsome of you, sir,” added Mrs Gardiner. “I see that Lady Anne Darcy’s devotion to charitable works made its mark upon her son.”

“Did you know my mother?” he enquired in astonishment.

“A little,” the lady admitted. “I passed much of my youth in Lambton. My own mother and I made our home there with my uncle, Mr Lorimer, who had the living at St Benedict’s, after the death of my father removed us from his estate in favour of his brother. Your mother and my uncle worked together for the good of the poor in the parish, and so I encountered her at the parsonage on several occasions.”