Mr. Darcy returned to his study after Wickham had gone and opened the drawer where he had left Miss Bennet’s letter.
The lieutenant’s profession of love for his cousin did not ring true. It was too soon, he thought. There was no consideration he could give the man knowing his aunt’s thoughts on the matter and Richard’s confession of his feelings for Anne.
He shook his head and knew he might make the colonel’s offer more palatable to the imperious Catherine de Bourgh. Richard did have the promise of the steward’s position and funds from the Fitzwilliams in London. Certainly it was far more than Wickham might offer.
Thinking he might find some information about the lieutenant in the pages Miss Bennet had written to him upon leaving Netherfield, Mr. Darcy opened the letter and breathed deeply as the scent of lavender wafted from the missive.
The aroma, as light as it was after all this time, was so intoxicating that he felt his heart constrict with longing for her. He dropped the letter on his desk and sat heavily in his chair. Her laughter and witty retorts played in his head as he recalled happier times spent in her presence.
Picking up the scented paper, he allowed himself to greedily read every word she had written and heard it all in her voice as his eyes devoured the pages.
When he had finished, he slammed a fist down in frustration upon the top of his desk. He had every right to be angry with her about Georgiana, but her explanations and apologies exonerated her of that sin. And Mr. Bingley had married his sister. It was all in the past now.
It was the words about Wickham that pierced him to the core. He thought back on how that young man had told him a version of the same story, now completed in her letter.
The scene with Anne in the parlor earlier came into sharp relief. The lieutenant was not interested in his cousin for anything more than the connection she now held to the Bingleys, and by acquaintance, to the Bennets.
Mr. Darcy picked up the letter and read again, slowly, regretting the day he accused Miss Bennet of being proud and spoilt moments after proclaiming his love and admiration. How had he been so wrong about her? He had come to know a kinder, more agreeable side of the lady when she returned to Hertfordshire. But he had taken the word of a man he barely knew against her.
Consumed by guilt and regret, Mr. Darcy rose from his chair and folded her letter again and placed it in his coat pocket. Quitting his study, he strode with purpose to his front door and pulled on his greatcoat. Richard would know what he must do and help him correct the terrible mistake he had made.
Elizabeth watched as Jane kissed Alec Buchanan and became a countess. Her eldest sister had done what she could not, married a titled man.
Lydia clapped loudest and squealed as Jane and her new husband passed by them to wait at the back of the ballroom while their guests offered congratulations. They would lead everyone to a wedding breakfast in only moments.
Her mother had spared no expense and the ballroom was glittering with the light of hundreds of wax candles. The air was heavy with the scent of lilies and roses brought from the finest hothouses in Town.
Elizabeth found it most romantic and her thoughts turned to Mr. Darcy. How she wished he were there to dance with her and celebrate her sister’s wedding.
Her grandfather touched her arm and she jumped at the contact.
“Thinking of your young man, are you my dear?” The Earl of Matlock, George Henry Philip Gardiner, spoke so only she might hear his words.
“Uncle Edward told you. I suppose he had no other choice given my mother’s behavior and my refusal to marry the duke,” Elizabeth said as she smiled sadly up at her grandfather’s face.
He was a very handsome man, and fit as her father, for he rode every day even in cold and snow.
“Edward did speak to me about your Mr. Darcy. It seems he is cut from the same cloth as your father. I am eager to make his acquaintance. When will we depart for Hertfordshire?”
Elizabeth was astonished by his words. “You must not have heard how he declared his love and injured my pride in the same moment. I would never return to Hertfordshire save to visit my friend Charles Bingley.”
The earl’s laughter boomed throughout the ballroom and Elizabeth winced as several guests turned to look in their direction. She smiled at them and watched as they went on down the line to congratulate her sister.
“Grandfather, I dearly love you but I cannot face Mr. Darcy again. And there is Lydia’s wedding still in any event. I do wish I could excuse myself from watching my sister marry that toad, but Mother would never forgive me that slight even though Lydia has declared she does not want me there.”
Reclaiming good regulation, the earl placed his granddaughter’s hand upon his arm and escorted her to the ballroom terrace, squinting his eyes at the winter sun rising above them. “Oh yes, I meant to tell you that your accounts in Town are restored, and your dowry as well. Your mother will not cross me again where you are concerned, rest assured. And I have no desire to see Lydia married to that bounder either. We shall only attend the ball here in Town for them and then make our way to Hertfordshire together so that I might meet your young man.”
Elizabeth leaned against her grandfather’s shoulder and placed an arm around his back. “I am grateful for your love and protection, but Lydia would never forget or forgive me should you miss her vows since you attended Jane’s wedding.”
“Nonsense, she cares only for what she may gain in that marriage. Franny taught her to seek wealth and titles over character. I have given her a velvet pouch full of lovely gems and so she will not care that I am not there. And who will speak of it? Not a soul in our family for certain. I am only grateful you refused the duke for I might have challenged him to a duel. I still ought to do it for how he pawed you in your father’s own parlor!”
“I managed to push him away before he could do much more than put his awful fishy lips on my neck. I cannot imagine how Lydia will manage him, but perhaps she will be more than a match for his appetites,” Elizabeth laughed as she thought of it, but her cheeks reddened to think she had said as much to her grandfather.
“That’s my girl! I do love that about you, my Lizzy. But we must not say so in polite company. Now, I believe we ought to leave after Lydia’s ball; the next day as a matter of fact. Be ready my dear.”
Elizabeth wanted to refuse her grandfather’s wishes, but he had restored her finances and warned her mother away from censuring her again. If he wished to meet Mr. Darcy, so be it. That did not mean she would have to see the man again.
She shivered and turned to go back inside. “If you wish it, Grandfather, but I make no promises about forgiving him or considering any offer he may make upon seeing me again.”
The older man’s laughter boomed around her again and Elizabeth squeezed his hand tightly. She dearly loved the earl. With him by her side, she could face any challenge. Even Mr. Darcy.