“Mr. Darcy, please join us for some refreshments,” Caroline offered. “There is something about an autumn day in London that makes one want to drink coffee.”
But before he agreed to join them, he wanted to know where Charles was and when he would be expected.
“Charles has decided to replace his entire wardrobe, and today he is visiting the boot maker. He has been gone two hours, so I do expect him momentarily.” Actually, Caroline had no idea when her brother would return, but she would detain Mr. Darcy as long as possible. She was convinced she held some attraction for the gentleman as she often caught him staring at her, as he was doing now.
Caroline was correct. Darcy was thinking about her. He found her to be an attractive, intelligent woman. With her ability to draw, paint, sing, play the pianoforte, and speak French fluently, she truly met the definition of an accomplished woman. However, she was also catty, but so were most of the women in London. Just last evening at a card party, he had overheard two women lavish praise on a third lady, only to tear her to pieces as soon as she had left the room. He simply did not understand it. With the exception of political debate, it was something that men did not do.
“Mr. Darcy, we have quite lost you. May I inquire as to what is occupying your thoughts?” Caroline was hoping that his thoughts were of her.
“I was thinking that if your brother does not come home in the next ten minutes, I shall have to leave.”
Caroline was not about to allow that to happen and said the first thing that came into her head.
“Did you know that Miss Jane Bennet is in town?”
“How could I possibly know that?” Darcy said with an edge in his voice. Although comfortable with his efforts to get Bingley to leave Hertfordshire, he certainly understood that Jane Bennet would have been disappointed. He would have preferred to think of her at home with her family.
“Apparently, she arrived in town three weeks ago. It seems that visiting Louisa and me was her first order of business. She sent us several notes, and her persistence was finally rewarded. I visited her yesterday at her uncle’s home in Cheapside.”
It was not a good visit. Caroline was disappointed to find that the Gardiners lived quite comfortably in a large house in Gracechurch Street, featuring Meissen porcelains, a Sevres tea service, and richly carved French furniture. She had not expected to find the Bennets had relations who were genteel and obviously well off.
“She probably thought of you as her friend,” Darcy responded.
Louisa gave her sister a look to warn her that she had gone where she should not have.
“Of course, she is our friend,” Caroline said quickly, trying to cover her gaffe. “It is just that I wished to spare her any embarrassment. Obviously, she cannot come here. It would not do for her and Charles to meet, and as soon as I had an opening in my schedule, I visited her. It was never our intention to hurt Miss Bennet, and Louisa and I were very grateful that you were with us on that day when we convinced our brother he should not see her again.”
“Miss Bingley, I do not need to be reminded that I was a party to that discussion. I think of it almost every day. I just do not derive as much satisfaction from it as you do.”
“Mr. Darcy,” Louisa interjected, “Miss Bennet traveled to London with her sister, Miss Elizabeth, and she happily shared with Caroline that both had attended a ball as well as the theatre and were enjoying being in town.” Louisa wanted to get the conversation away from the subject of tearing Charles away from the woman he loved, especially since she was having second thoughts about her own role in parting the two lovers. Despite Caroline’s many criticisms regarding Jane Bennet, Louisa liked her. “I think we can safely say Miss Bennet is well on her way to getting over any hurt feelings she may have had because of our brother.”
Caroline looked at her sister with alarm. Mr. Darcy had once made a remark about Eliza Bennet’s fine eyes, and she had noticed how he sought her out at the Netherfield ball. She did not want to discuss anything to do with that particular lady.
“Mrs. Hurst, are you saying that Miss Elizabeth Bennet is in London?”
“No, sir,” Louisa said, shaking her head. “She was in London. However, she has since gone to visit friends somewhere in Kent, and Miss Bennet alone remains in town.”
“Has she gone to visit Mrs. Collins? I believe they have a close friendship.”
“Yes, Mr. Darcy, that is the lady. I could not think of her name, but she is the one who married Lady Catherine’s vicar. So Miss Elizabeth is definitely not in town.”
Caroline was unhappy with Louisa for providing so much information about Eliza Bennet’s whereabouts. The Collinses were near neighbors to Lady Catherine, and it was possible that if Mr. Darcy chose to visit his aunt in Kent, he might encounter her in the nearby village or, very likely, in church.
Any thought of Bingley immediately went out of his head. Ever since leaving Hertfordshire, Darcy had tried not to think about Elizabeth. He did not want to remember her dark eyes or hair, her beautiful smile, and infectious laugh. And her wit! What had she said at Netherfield about the efficacy of poetry in driving love away? He would never again read a romantic poem without thinking about her comment. For a time, he had been angry with her for her defense of Wickham and for believing his lies, but the anger had dissipated only to be replaced by an emptiness he had never before experienced.
Caroline, seeing the effect Louisa’s news had had on Mr. Darcy, attempted to regain his attention. “I imagine Miss Elizabeth will thoroughly enjoy her stay at the parsonage. It is my understanding from Mr. Collins that the house is well situated and has a lovely garden. I am sure the attractions of the nearby village will be appealing to someone who is so content to live near Meryton.”
Caroline mistakenly believed she was being gracious, or at least as gracious as she could be when discussing someone whom she considered to be a rival. But Darcy saw it for what it was: a reminder that Miss Elizabeth was merely the daughter of a gentleman farmer, and as such, beneath his notice.
Darcy finally declared he could wait no longer, and after handing his card to Mrs. Hurst, he asked that Bingley call on him. Although he was unable to see his friend, the visit was successful in one regard. It was no longer a mystery as to what he found so unappealing about Caroline. She was an attractive woman on the outside, but her beauty only masked a deep well of unkindness and the satisfaction she derived from belittling others.
Chapter 3
On the ride from London to Hunsford Lodge, Lizzy reflected on all that had happened in the few months since Mr. Bingley had come to Netherfield Park, and in her musings, she also recalled the many conversations Jane and she had shared as young ladies on the cusp of adulthood. While snuggling in their bed, they talked of the men who would come into their lives and win their hearts. Ironically, it was Jane who was the more practical of the two. She wanted a man with a kind disposition, who was handsome and charming, and who would be able to provide for her and their children. Her greatest hope was that she would marry for love, but considering her lack of fortune, she realized it was all a matter of luck.
Lizzy, on the other hand, wanted a man of understanding who would engage her intellectually. Before they married, her husband would appreciate that she held opinions on matters great and small, and that there was a wider world she wanted to explore, even if she could only do so by reading magazines and newspapers and visiting the circulating library. And there were so many exciting things to read about and to discuss. England, most especially London, was at the center of the world, as was evidenced in the shops with their Chinese silks, American tobacco, Indian teas, and Madeira wines, and great political and military events were taking place on the Continent and in America.