''I thought this was the escape," teased Mr. Kelly. The expression he wore - softly smiling lips beneath earnest, studying eyes - stirred Charlotte's memory. Her head tilted, puzzling over it.
He smiled. "You always understood me so well, even when I was a boy. I was a cruel taskmaster to the only child who showed me any pity."
Charlotte knew he was quizzing her. "Though my memory of the time is imperfect, I can assure you there was as much pity as there was cruelty, namely none."
"I agree. Let us replace 'cruel taskmaster' with 'bully'."
"You may have used… coercion," supplied Charlotte with satisfaction, "but you also wielded kindness and encouragement. I have never again felt that I accomplished so much as I did in that sitting room."
"I have no doubt you have far exceeded our triumphs in the interim three decades,” he answered.
"Of course," Charlotte agreed, attempting to adopt his style of lightness. It would never do to become a pitiable creature or an object of scorn. "If it is not too late to rescind my refusal, if refuse I did, I believe it would be well for me to wear that greatcoat over this cloak. It is borrowed, you see, and I would not like to ruin it."
The return to the house brought with it a comfortable silence, broken only to warn of a puddle or sharp wind. Upon crossing the threshold, Charlotte was immediately swept away to be fussed over and ministered to by her friends and maids until all were assured of her health and well-being.
"Your forbearance has ever been an inspiration to me," Lizzy acknowledged after the last of concerned household were gently but firmly sent away, "but, I must say, I have quite enjoyed my reprieve from their attentions upon myself." Her dark eyes sparkled mischievously.
Charlotte lowered herself to the armchair across from Lizzy's, but she sat formally erect, a troubled look settling upon her features.
Lizzy knew the task of leaning forward to grasp her friend's hand to be beyond her capabilities, and she sighed, not for the first time that day. Her mind only fleetingly touched upon the thought before pressing on to more immediate concerns.
"Do you feel unwell, Charlotte?" she asked. "Shall I send for the doctor after all? He is a very capable gentleman and not at all prosy or awkward. We need not tell the others."
Charlotte smiled briefly. "My pallor often disturbs those who do not know me well, but perhaps you have forgotten it. I am in the best of health, I assure you."
"In truth," Lizzy said leadingly, "I had thought I detected a certain kind of glow beneath your pallor when I found you in the foyer with Mr. Kelly."
"Lizzy," Charlotte began in earnest, for once appearing the same Charlotte who had been close to Elizabeth before their marriages, "our meeting was not clandestine. I could not have known Mr. Kelly was in the library by the window when I passed by, and he could not have known that I had found shelter in the gazebo. He meant only to help."
"Dear Charlotte! No one who knows either of you could suppose anything improper."
"But I believe Mr. Kelly has already suffered an embarrassment of some kind, likely something to do with his wife. I could not bear to injure him further," said Charlotte.
Lizzy took a moment to contemplate her response. She knew Charlotte to be a wise, thoughtful sort of person – one whose opinion was worth consideration – and she did not want to answer hastily and mislead her friend.
"For now," she said seriously, "our only other guest is Kate. If she attempts to tease you, which I doubt very much she would, but if she does, deal with her honestly, as is your way. Should Molly bring up the incident, reiterate what she already knows - that you intended to walk alone, were caught in a storm, and found shelter until help arrived. Mention your good luck that Mr. Kelly happened to see your direction. If she hears any talk in the servants' hall, you may be sure of her quick defense."
Lizzy pursed her lips, deepening her conjecture. "It is likely that the storm will make the roads unfriendly and temporarily delay our other guests, which may give any talk the opportunity to die off. There is always the possibility that one of the other guests may afford more interesting gossip than your stormy encounter."
"Very good," said Charlotte, visibly relaxing her posture.
Happy to have provided sound direction with good result, Lizzy’s eyes again began to twinkle.
"Besides," she began, making an effort to heave herself to her feet, "how could anyone who had seen you and Mr. Kelly together before this afternoon ever imagine a romance?"
Much to Molly's dismay, Charlotte refused to be put to bed but was rather determined to be dressed in good time for dinner. Lizzy's parting comment had put into her mind a new resolve - to prove that she and Mr. Kelly were the merest of acquaintances. Her unsettling encounters with him were now proving to be provident, for it was true; no one who had seen them together would ever imagine any kind of romance between them. It was absurd in the extreme. Charlotte knew herself to be plain and devoid of any attractive assets that may tempt a man to look beyond her physical appearance. She did not flirt, she was not wealthy, and she had just enough intelligence to strike fear into the breast of a sensible man.
"Absurd," she mumbled to herself but recovered quickly. "No, no, Molly! You have done exceptionally well! In fact, I have received compliments on your way of doing my hair. My unfortunate comment was on something else altogether."
Having placated the tearful maid, Charlotte turned her mind in a more helpful direction by recalling her strengths. She had once been told that she had poise and dignity, and the description had served as a life raft on innumerable occasions. She also had her faith in a Creator God and Father who loved her dearly just as she was. She had friends, a precious few, like Lizzy, who deemed their friendship worth the effort of overcoming great odds. Reflections such as these had bolstered Charlotte through many trying times, and she was able to face dinner with her usual calm, pleasant manner.
Chapter 4
How did I come to be sitting here? Charlotte wondered for the -th time. She could only spare a moment of speculation, but she allowed her mind to wander over the course of the past few days.
She had been an inmate of Pemberley for just over a week now, yet it seemed much longer for all that had transpired. She did not need to look around the room to know just where any particular person might be placed. Mr. Preston would certainly be at the hearth, staring studiously into the fire while the chess moves were being announced. Mr. Astley would be attending to his fair lady, Mrs. Astley, while secretly scribbling the moves into a small booklet he kept hidden in his breast pocket. Lord Darincourt alternated positions between the players and the sideboard, and Mr. Kelly sat to the side of the table, solemnly watching the clock and calling out the movements. In the first hour of play, Mr. Darcy preferred the place nearest his wife, though he did make his rounds to ensure the comfort of their guests. Once Mrs. Darcy retired for the evening, he sometimes attempted to study the game for his own improvement but was more likely to sit off to the side, keeping his own counsel.
Mr. Kelly's call jerked Charlotte's mind back into focus. Her eyes skipped speculatively across the board. The room stilled and quieted when she arched a brow.
"Bishop to h-6," Mr. Kelly called within moments. The tenor of his voice was as monotonous as ever, but his glance was sharp. Charlotte felt that he did not approve her hasty movement, but she knew he could not fail to see it after a minute or two of consideration.