He nodded.
At least it was some sort of reaction.
“Well, I have since heard from Georgiana’s very lips that her smiles were prompted by his spending a great deal of time writing excessively about a lady, because he had never written of any lady unknown to her before.”
“And…?”
She almost huffed out a breath when her husband did not seem to understand the significance of a gentleman’s writing to his sister about a lady, but she managed to control herself. After all, a countess did not huff.
“At today’s meeting… oh, my dear, you should have seen Darcy’s expression when he first saw her through the window, not to mention the way he reacted when she entered the room—and every time she spoke! I have never seen him behave in such a manner.” She shook her head. “Can you imagine Darcy gazing upon a woman with puppy-eyes whenever she was not looking in his direction?”
He rubbed his chin. “I admit I cannot picture it.”
“So… you must speak with him, Arthur.”
He chuckled. “Why would I do such a thing? Every man has a right to choose his own wife.”
“But her uncle is in trade…”
Her husband furrowed his brow. “I thought you said this young lady’s father owns an estate in Hertfordshire?”
“Well, yes, he does. However, I spent the remainder of the afternoon making calls about Town, to see what information I could discover about the family. I found nothing—absolutely nothing at all! Can you imagine such a thing?”
“If we are to banish from our acquaintance anyone who does not frequent Town, your cousin Roger will have to be shunned at once.” His eyes lit up before adding, “Along with my sister Catherine, who should be at the very top of that list. You know how she always takes considerable pride in occupying the lead in all matters.”
Adelaide raised one eyebrow at him, and this time, she did huff. One could only take so much. “Of course not, Arthur.”
He sighed, accompanied by an exaggerated look of disappointment that almost made her laugh.
“Then tell me,” her husband said, “was this young lady’s behaviour offensive in any way?” He frowned for real now. “Please do not tell me she was rude to you, my dear?”
“Not at all.”
“Then there is nothing to it. Darcy is his own man and has proved repeatedly he has a good head on his shoulders. Pemberley has flourished under his management, and he has almost always made excellent choices for where to invest. He is a gentleman in every sense of the word. I fully trust him to make his own decisions.” He leaned back against his chair. “If Miss Elizabeth Bennet is a gentleman’s daughter, then in my mind they are equals. There is no reason for me to try to talk him out of it.”
“Even though her uncle is in trade?” Lady Adelaide reminded him.
His eyes twinkled as he said, “Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner’s manners are more genteel than some of our acquaintances from the ‘best’ families. In fact, I would rather spend time with Edward Gardiner than many of the gentlemen I know, regardless of his being a tradesman.” He smiled. “If this girl is Darcy’s choice, I have no problem with it.”
“But your father…”
“I know what he made you promise, Addie—I was there. As long as Darcy does not marry one of the maids under his employ, you have done an excellent job in that respect.”
She blinked. She had always assumed her husband believed the same as his father had. Could it be that all these years, she had been mistaken?
Feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders, Adelaide breathed out a sigh of relief. “Well, then. If you have no objections to the match, Arthur, neither shall I.”
In fact, perhaps she could help Darcy and Miss Elizabeth along.
“I know I am the most brilliant master of charm…” His eyes twinkled. “…but you gave in to my persuasion a bit too easily just then. I suspect you genuinely like Miss Elizabeth.”
She looked off into the distance for a moment, then back to him. “Something about her reminds me of myself when I was that age.”
Her heart melted under his affectionate gaze.
He leaned across the space between their chairs and pressed his lips gently to her forehead. “If this is the case, my love, I certainly cannot blame Darcy for his interest in her.”
Chapter 5
~Two days later – Darcy House
The clacking of hooves on the road prompted Darcy to jump out of his seat and move towards the window. Peering through the sheer curtain, he recognized a neighbour’s carriage.
Disappointment flooded through him.
Good Lord, he was becoming a love-sick fool.
Love-sick? The thought surprised him. He tried to laugh at it, but it seemed false. Hmmmm…
But no; he was not in love with Elizabeth Bennet!
It was true that trying to determine whether Bingley’s heartache could be eased might set Darcy back a few steps in his recovery from this infatuation. However, it was of little matter. He would surely conquer it in the end. Although his efforts at purging her from his mind had been a completely futile endeavour thus far, it was also true that only a handful of days had passed since he danced with her at the ball at Netherfield. He imagined it took more time than that.
Still, it shocked him when he recalled that he had danced with her voluntarily. Oh, who was he trying to deceive—himself? He had been eager to dance with Elizabeth, an occurrence that had never taken place in his lifetime before then. In fact, looking back, there had been a deep-seated fear in his chest as he voiced his request, for Elizabeth had refused his invitation to dance twice before, though neither had been at a ball.
Who would have guessed that the lady who caught his eye had already been involved with his mother’s—and his—favourite charitable institution?
If he had been more observant at Netherfield, perhaps he would have recognized the design she had been embroidering, for he knew it well. Alas, any time he had looked in her direction, his attention had always been lured away by the gentle arch of her neck as she worked, the way his heart took flight when her lovely eyes shifted to meet his gaze, and the trace of her intoxicating scent that floated in the air.
A new clattering of wheels distracted him from these ruminations. Without thinking, he stepped to his right so he could see further down the street.
A delivery cart this time.
He must put an end to this nonsensical behaviour!
Determination coursed through his veins. He straightened his spine and forced his feet to carry him away from the window.
His plan was simple: After determining whether Miss Bennet genuinely cared for Bingley, he would separate himself from the Bennets completely. He and Georgiana would head north two days after the fundraising ball, so they could spend Christmas at Pemberley. That would distance him from Elizabeth, and he would work towards forgetting her. Once at home, he would busy himself with running the estate. It would require an absence from Elizabeth’s presence of only a full week for him to expunge the lady from his mind completely. At most, a month; possibly two.
Darcy took a deep breath and released it slowly.
He had kept a tight rein on his emotions his entire life. With so much experience, he should have no problem accomplishing it again.
And if his investigation proved Miss Jane Bennet did genuinely care for Bingley?