Before leaving London, he would contact his friend and inform him Miss Bennet was staying at the Gardiners’ home. Of course, that meant Darcy would see Elizabeth now and again over the course of his lifetime, but it would all work out. He would not return to London until he had completely rid himself of this senseless obsession.
However, if Darcy decided that Miss Bennet did not hold any true affection towards Bingley, Darcy’s own future life would be much easier. He would never mention his meeting Miss Bennet to Bingley at all. As a result, Darcy would never see Elizabeth again.
Darcy inhaled sharply as his chest filled with an ache which had become familiar to him over the past few days, ever since leaving Netherfield. He had even asked his doctor to examine him, but he was declared to be in good health. It was an oddity, for certain, but Darcy concluded something in the Hertfordshire waters must have affected him. It might take a little while to wear off. Once he was at Pemberley, he would be well again.
The sounds of horses and wheels on the street drifted up to him once again just as the clock on the mantelpiece began to ring out the hour. He forced himself to stay where he was, far from the window.
It was probably his aunt. She was always precisely on time.
However, he really should go to the parlour to greet Aunt Adelaide and offer support to his timid sister, who, in all probability, was uneasy in her anticipation of expecting the Misses Bennet. Really, it had been selfish of him not to think of offering moral support and encouragement to Georgiana sooner, especially since her companion was still away, visiting family.
Additionally, if he expected his plan to work, he should be there to judge Jane Bennet’s appearance when she arrived.
Darcy paused with his hand on the door latch, inhaled a bracing breath, straightened his shoulders, then opened the door and headed towards the stairs.
He would not pay any particular attention to Elizabeth. He would not.
Chapter 6
Lady Adelaide took a sip of tea, then turned back to her sewing. “We have sent some men to the country to gather greenery for the decorations, but I am unsure whether Georgiana and I can finish them in time.”
Elizabeth almost laughed aloud, for she had never heard a more obvious hint in her life. “We are willing to do anything necessary to lend a hand, my lady.”
“Lizzy and I usually assist our sisters in making ornamentations for Longbourn.” Jane agreed. “We enjoy the activity.”
“Jane means that we, along with our sister Mary, assemble the trimmings, whilst our sisters Kitty and Lydia plan how best to re-dress their bonnets for the holidays using the ribbons we purchased for use on the wreaths.”
Miss Darcy, in a chair across from Elizabeth and next to Lady Adelaide, suddenly looked up from her work, her forehead furrowed.
“You see, fashion is our youngest sisters’ priority.” Elizabeth winked at Miss Darcy. “Through the years, Jane, Mary, and I have learned to purchase plenty of extra ribbon for their use.”
Miss Darcy grinned.
From behind her, Elizabeth heard a teacup being placed into a saucer.
Looking over her shoulder, she found Mr. Darcy had not vacated the room as she had assumed he had done. Instead, he was sitting near the window, behind the sofa Jane and Elizabeth shared. In his hands—my goodness! Was he really finishing the edge of a handkerchief?
Noticing where her gaze had settled, he coloured. “I… uh… when I was a boy, I requested my mother teach me to sew… to assist and expedite the creation of the children’s gifts.”
Whilst Elizabeth had never known a gentleman who sewed, she did know a few other males who had learned, though most were boys destined to join the navy. The orphanage was a worthy cause, and she could not blame the younger Mr. Darcy for wishing to spend time with his mother as she performed her charitable activities. In fact, knowing he had not just sat nearby watching his mother work improved her opinion of him, although his lurking behind them now made her uncomfortable.
Trying to make both him and herself feel more at ease, Elizabeth smiled at him. “There is plenty of light in this part of the room.”
He blinked several times in a row, then nodded. After waving away the footman who had rushed to assist him, Mr. Darcy rose and moved his belongings, settling into the chair next to his sister. Immediately, he returned to his sewing with renewed vigour.
Silence fell over their little group, allowing Elizabeth’s mind to wander.
Mr. Darcy was acting strangely today—perhaps the reason was his reluctance to reveal he was to be a part of the sewing project? And yet, if he had wished to hide his knowledge of needlework, why had he remained in this room with the ladies? Yes, all the supplies were here, but she was certain that if he wished to work in private, he could have arranged for enough materials to be brought to him in another chamber before they had arrived. She and Jane would never have been the wiser.
An image of the way he appeared upon their arrival appeared in her mind. Mr. Darcy seemed unable to tear his gaze away from Jane. The longer the gentleman stared at her sister, the paler he had become—eventually becoming almost as colorless as Jane herself. Afterward, he had barely said a word to anyone.
Why had he become so distressed over Jane’s appearance?
She almost gasped when a possible explanation hit her squarely in the chest.
Elizabeth was almost certain Mr. Darcy had conspired with the Bingley sisters to separate their brother from her sister… but after his behaviour this morning, she had to wonder whether the reason he had interfered was because he himself had feelings for Jane.
If Elizabeth had continued to believe all Mr. Wickham had said of Mr. Darcy, it would be easy to accept that an attraction for Jane might fuel his wish to separate her from Mr. Bingley. However, she was now suspicious of everything Mr. Wickham had told her.
As if to prove this to herself once more, her gaze fell upon Miss Darcy. That young lady must have sensed her attention and looked up. Miss Darcy smiled brightly. Elizabeth returned the gesture and returned to her work.
Elizabeth had already decided she liked Miss Darcy very much. She was truly nothing like what Mr. Wickham had described.
Jane was partial to her, too, which was practically unfathomable, considering what had been said about her in Miss Bingley’s letter. Most ladies would hold a grudge in a situation such as this, but Jane was too good to hold Miss Darcy responsible for her own heart’s shattered condition.
Her gaze skimmed over Mr. Darcy once again, who was still busy working. She had always assumed the reason women did so well in accomplishing this sort of activity was due to their thin fingers, but she allowed herself a moment to admire the refinement of his stitching, even though his hands were so large and strong.
Forcing her attention to return to the handkerchief she held, she finished the final edge, then lifted a new square of fabric from the box on the table.
It had always been easy to dislike Mr. Darcy, but after the way he reacted to Jane this morning, it was vital she re-evaluate her opinion of his character, for her sister’s sake. If Mr. Darcy were genuinely interested in Jane, he might eventually make her an offer, and if his income really did exceed ten thousand a year—which she did not doubt now that she had seen his townhouse—their mother would never rest until Jane accepted him.
The time they would spend together preparing for the Saint Nicolas Day celebration would be the perfect opportunity to re-examine Mr. Darcy’s temperament and integrity.
Yes, it was decided. She would watch him closely and spend as much time conversing with him as possible. Then, if she found her previous opinion of him had been accurate, she was sure she could convince her father to deny his permission for Jane to marry him.