Chapter 3

More than a week after he first dreamt of Elizabeth refusing him, Darcy still remained unsettled. The sensation was strange for a man who had held dominion over his estate for many years and was accustomed to making countless decisions. However, he was at a loss for what to do next in this situation. The dream about Elizabeth replayed itself each night, and he was uncertain if it was meant to plague him or to be prophetic.

The day before, Bingley had paid a call on him, ostensibly for advice on Netherfield, but he could tell his friend was also asking what to do about Miss Bennet.

"Darcy, I know you said that I was to come alone when I called on you again in town," that gentleman began as he entered the room. "I hope you know it was quite the challenge to get away without my sister. Somehow, I would not be surprised if she shows up on your doorstep. Still, I hope to speak to you this morning about a difficult matter."

Darcy stood and offered him a drink. "I thought you intended to return to Netherfield once your business in town was completed," he said.

"I did intend to return, even after my sisters closed the house, but they have spent much of the last few days telling me that Miss Bennet did not truly care for me, that she is a fortune hunter, and that her mother would force her to accept regardless of her own thoughts on the matter. Of course, they expect to hear news any day now that Mr. Collins and Miss Elizabeth are engaged, which they think will prove that fact."

Darcy gulped his drink at those words. "While I think little of Mrs. Bennet's machinations, I do not think the elder two girls would allow themselves to be forced into a match with a man they disliked. You and Miss Bennet spent a significant amount of time together, though you never called on her specifically. I think you raised expectations, but I cannot speak to what Miss Bennet might feel. Nor can I imagine Miss Elizabeth would allow herself to be forced into a marriage with a toad like Mr. Collins. She would have no trouble defying her mother."

Bingley laughed at that. "Yes, Miss Elizabeth had no qualms about expressing her opinion about anything. She took pleasure in arguing with you on several occasions. I think the young lady may have heard your refusal to dance with her at that first assembly, since she seemed to dislike you in particular."

Darcy attempted to conceal the grimace. He now had little doubt that Elizabeth had heard those words; if he ever saw her again, he would need to apologise to her. "Yes" was all he managed to say.

"She danced with you at my ball," his friend continued, blithely unaware of how disconcerted his friend was. "Of course, she had little choice if she wanted to continue to dance that evening. I have always thought that was rather unfair to ladies, not having the option to refuse a gentleman without repercussions. There may be a good reason for her to refuse a man, but she cannot."

Again, Darcy drew on his usual manner and masked his true thoughts. Bingley's words made it clearer that his dream was more prophetic than he might have hoped. "Has your sister not heard from anyone in Meryton since she left?"

"She claims she has not. I assume she took her leave of the neighbourhood, and I thought she liked Miss Bennet, but she has had nothing good to say about the whole of Hertfordshire since we departed."

"Your sister does not think much of the Bennet family and would do all she could to separate you from Miss Bennet." Here, Darcy paused as he considered what to say next. "Bingley, I have realised I may have done you a disservice in offering my advice upon leaving Hertfordshire. Although I believed my observations to have been sufficient, the truth is that I had no basis to tell you Miss Bennet was not in love with you. I was not the one who spoke with her, and I was not the one courting her—which you most certainly were doing. You gave the lady the expectation of at least a courtship, if not a proposal."

Bingley eyed the stoic gentleman. "That is quite a change of tune from a few days ago when you and my sisters attempted to convince me Miss Bennet did not care for me but would marry me only because her mother demanded it. What changed your mind?"

Darcy nodded, taking another sip of his drink. "How am I to judge what another woman feels for you? I myself am reticent, and few people know what I am thinking or feeling because I often hide behind a mask. What if Miss Bennet wears a similar mask? Surely, you, who have spent a considerable amount of time with her, should be able to read her more accurately. Do you not owe it to you and to her to find out what might be between you?"

Bingley stared at his friend for several moments. "What of her connections to trade and her lack of dowry?"

"Do these matters trouble you? Do you need her dowry? Greater societal connections?" Even as Darcy said these things, they seemed to strike directly at him. Were these not the reasons he told himself he could not ask for Miss Elizabeth's hand? If Bingley could ignore them, could he not do so as well?

He shook his head to clear these thoughts. "Despite what your sister may claim, marrying a gentleman's daughter is a step up for you. If you desire to return to Hertfordshire to determine for yourself what Miss Bennet feels for you, you would do well not to take your sisters, as they will undoubtedly get in your way. I suggest you consult your own impressions on the matter, as I am scarcely the right person to advise anyone in matters of the heart."

In Hertfordshire, Darcy had been certain Miss Bennet did not care for his friend, but the memory of Elizabeth's words from his dreams still rang through his mind, forcing him to question everything he thought true.

Bingley indicated he was still uncertain about his own feelings and decided to wait until after the holidays before he acted. Darcy shook his head at his friend's indecision. In the fortnight that he had been out of her presence, his thoughts of Elizabeth Bennet had only increased. If he had any hope of her accepting his hand, he might be willing to cast aside all objections to the match and pursue her to Hertfordshire. As it was, his dream made it obvious that she would not accept him even if he felt he could pursue her. However, he was still uncertain what the dream was meant to signify, especially as it repeated itself nightly.

The thought that the dream might be prophetic plagued him. With these thoughts racing through his mind, he wrote to his cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, about Wickham's new occupation and present location. He also had his man of business send a letter to Sir William Lucas to warn him about Wickham's propensity to run up debts in an area. Though he wished to say more about his other tendencies, he was afraid to say too much in a letter, not wanting to give Wickham the opportunity to cast aspersions on Georgiana's reputation.

Darcy returnedto Pemberley soon after this. He hoped his cousin could take steps to prevent Wickham from wreaking too much havoc in Meryton and that the warning to the shopkeepers was heeded. Additionally, he wanted to speak to his cousin before determining what to do about Miss Elizabeth.

Last he heard, Bingley intended to return to Netherfield in January, and he waited to receive word from his friend about how his courtship with Miss Bennet proceeded. If that objection was removed, and Wickham's character had been made known, then perhaps if he met with Miss Elizabeth again, she might think more kindly of him.

Georgiana seemed to recognise her brother's need for solitude, but he noted his sister's concern about his behaviour. "Georgiana, dearest," he began one afternoon as the two sat together in the music room, "I realise I have often appeared troubled of late. It is not because of anything you have done or not done, but simply matters I am sorting out for myself. I apologise if my reticence has upset you."

"I have been worried about you, Fitzwilliam, and I am glad that your trouble is not due to me. Mrs. Annesley has helped me understand what I did wrong this summer, and she has reassured me as well that you did not hate me," Georgiana said timidly. "But still, I wonder if there is anything I might do to help you, brother?"

"I have begun thinking that it is time I look for a wife. I met a woman this autumn who is in many ways ideal, but I have hesitated so far. Unfortunately, I did not make the best impression on her in the beginning, and I have much to do to remedy that. I do not know when or if I will encounter her again, so it is possible that nothing will come of it. Knowing her, however, has made me realise even more that I would never be happy if I were married to one of the insipid women of the ton. She is nothing like those women. However, if I married her, I worry that she cannot help you as you enter society since she had no experience with society."

Georgiana looked up at him with concern in her eyes. Then understanding seemed to dawn, and she brightened. "Are you speaking of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, brother? You mentioned her several times in your letters from Hertfordshire. I have never heard you praise a lady so, and was eager to hear more of her during your stay. I think I would like such a woman as you described for my sister."

Darcy blinked in surprise several times. "I did not realise I mentioned her so frequently."

"Yes, in nearly every letter. I wondered if you were not enamoured of her, though I have said nothing to anyone else in the family. Why did you not offer for her while you were staying near her home?"

For several moments, Darcy could not speak. When he did, he was hesitant. "I … I am afraid I gave her reason to think poorly of me. I disdained her family and friends. Truly, Georgiana, Miss Elizabeth is not like the rest of her family. She is lively and intelligent, quick-witted but always kind. At least, mostly kind, as she was not always so to me. But I deserved her ire on several occasions." He added the last swiftly as Georgiana's face had appeared angry when she heard the lady was not always kind to her brother.

"What could you have done to the lady to upset her so, Fitzwilliam? You are always the best of men, and everyone here at Pemberley admires you."

"I was not in the best of moods when I entered Hertfordshire, Georgiana. I insulted her before we truly met, and I am afraid I often appeared rather haughty. Like you, I find it difficult to converse with strangers, and I did not make myself agreeable. On several occasions, I believe Miss Elizabeth was attempting to reprimand me for my unkind and standoffish behaviours."

She seemed to think this over for several moments. "Do you indeed find it difficult to converse with strangers, Fitzwilliam? You speak to so many people about business and estate matters that I am surprised that you find it difficult."

Darcy flushed slightly. "Perhaps it is better to say that I find it difficult to speak to strangers who are female and of a marriageable age. I have been so often pursued by women in the ton that I preferred not to engage with any of them. Richard and Bingley are far better at speaking to women than I."

Smiling, Georgiana reached over to take his hand. "Well, then, brother, if you see your Miss Elizabeth Bennet again, you will have to strive to act more like Richard than like your typical sober self."

Darcy shook his head at this thought. "I am not certain that is the best solution, but I will do my best to win her, should I encounter her again. Would you like a sister, Georgie?"

"I would, very much, brother. So take care to be nice if you meet with Miss Elizabeth again."

Chuckling, Darcy promised he would.

At Longbourn,the holidays passed in a much livelier manner. Elizabeth was pleased to have her aunt and uncle come for a visit, along with their children, but that only added to the general exuberance that was typically found there.

Mrs. Bennet spent much of the first day of the Gardiners' visit complaining that her daughters were still unmarried, despite her efforts. She had little to blame Jane for, but she had much to say about Elizabeth refusing Mr. Collins's proposal. That Elizabeth would have been unhappy in such a marriage was of little concern.

"Oh, sister, if only Lizzy could have been made to see sense. Now, Charlotte Lucas will replace me as mistress of Longbourn when Mr. Bennet passes, and the girls and I will be cast into the hedgerows. No one else will have Lizzy since she refused him, and she will have to make her own way in the world. I will not support her since she would not do her duty and marry Mr. Collins," Mrs. Bennet cried.

"Calm yourself, Fanny. None of you will be cast into the hedgerows. The girls are still young enough to marry, and Thomas is healthy. Perhaps Jane could come to London with us after Christmas, and she can meet a few gentlemen there," Mrs. Gardiner suggested after enduring enough of her sister's complaints.

Mrs. Bennet seemed to be pleased with this idea and willingly agreed to the plan. However, she mentioned Mr. Bingley several more times and encouraged her eldest to seek the gentleman out while in town.

Though Mrs. Gardiner invited Elizabeth to join them in London, she declined, as she had much to do at Longbourn to help her father and the steward prepare for the spring planting. Elizabeth was to travel to Kent to visit the newly married Charlotte this spring, and she needed to remain home until that time.

When her friend approached her with the request, Elizabeth had been initially reluctant. There were several reasons. First and foremost was the fact that Mr. Collins was an obsequious fool who she had rejected only days before he offered for her friend. She anticipated an uncomfortable visit, but reluctantly agreed in the end.

The second reason for her reluctance was entirely due to her recurring dream. She no longer dreamed it nightly, but often enough that her mind ensured that she did not forget it.

She had heard Sir William received an anonymous warning about Mr. Wickham in particular and all militia members in general. A London solicitor had written recommending that credit for all the militia members be offered sparingly and had mentioned that his client had a number of receipts for money owed by Mr. Wickham in particular. Since then, it was learned that Wickham owed far more in Meryton than the rest of his peers, so he was now limited to purchasing what he could afford in coin, and those in town had become suspicious of him.

Unfortunately, that did not mean he was restricted to his quarters; he still freely socialised in their little community. Though Elizabeth paid him little attention, the younger girls, particularly Lydia, still found him attractive and interesting and continued to pursue his acquaintance.

Elizabeth spoke of her concerns to her father, who laughed them off. The Gardiners were slightly more concerned but agreed that the Bennet girls' lack of dowry likely meant they were in little danger. By the end of their visit, Wickham was courting Mary King, who had recently inherited ten thousand pounds from her grandfather to the disappointment of many women in Meryton. While Lydia complained loudly about this development, Elizabeth felt a deep sense of relief.

Soon, Jane departed for London, and Elizabeth spent the winter months working with the steward to prepare the tenants for the crop rotation they planned to start this year and waiting to travel into Kent.