Chapter 7

"B reakfast should be ready soon. Should we send a servant to call Lord Matlock?" Miss Bingley asked.

"I do not believe it is necessary," Darcy answered. "My uncle is rarely late."

"He must be tired after the long dinner. I certainly am," Mrs Hurst said.

"How fortunate that three of the Bennet girls stayed at home!" Miss Bingley continued. "I was afraid we would be invaded by the entire family. And that Mr Collins is so irritating! It was quite amusing how he kept insinuating himself near Eliza Bennet. How funny it would be to see her married to that man!"

"I doubt that will happen," Darcy interjected. "My uncle might be tired, but he enjoyed the dinner exceedingly."

"I believe the earl is very much influenced by his former friendship with Mr Bennet, and he gives the entire family too much credit. He refuses to see any of their faults, even the most obvious."

"Quite the opposite," Darcy answered. "My uncle has a clear and accurate view of Bennet's faults, as well as ours: mine, yours, Bingley's, and even his own. He is an objective judge of character."

"I agree," Bingley interjected. "I truly cannot understand why you always criticise the Bennets, Caroline. It has become most tiresome!"

"It cannot be more tiresome than your constant praise of them and the way you always linger around Jane Bennet like a puppy. You should control your actions, or else you will find yourself engaged to her before you know it."

"If I do become engaged to Jane Bennet, I shall certainly know it, Caroline."

"That is a poor jest, Charles. I hope you are only joking. Louisa and I would never allow you to enter into a marriage that would ruin your life!"

"I have two questions," Lord Matlock's voice interrupted them as he entered. "First, why would his marriage to Jane Bennet ruin his life? And second, why would you assume your judgment is better than your brother's?"

Darcy smiled as the sisters were silenced. His uncle never hesitated to express his opinion, even when it was hurtful to others.

"We are worried for our brother, as any sister should be," Mrs Hurst said.

"I assume Miss Bennet's sisters are worried too. Miss Bennet seems to be a young woman with nothing wanting. She only lacks connections, which I shall happily provide for her. With her beauty and sweet nature, she may expect to have many suitors."

Bingley looked disconcerted, while his sisters remained silent.

"I know my sisters wish the best for me, but I trust I am capable of making the right decisions for my future felicity," Bingley said.

"I trust you, young man," the earl replied.

After breakfast, Darcy followed his plan of talking to Wickham, as little use as it might be. He had attempted it the previous day, but wherever he looked, Wickham was not to be found. With the earl's insistence on accompanying him, things might become difficult. Provoking Wickham might induce him to say something about his elopement with Georgiana, and Darcy feared his uncle's response to such news.

"Darcy, I suggest we talk to the colonel and ask him to fetch Wickham," the earl said as they rode towards Meryton. "Why on earth would we waste time searching for that scoundrel?"

"I would rather not involve the colonel before I hear from Wickham. Perhaps he has changed and intends to make himself an honourable living. I would not wish to ruin that."

"And how would you discover that? Would you trust his word? I know how many times he has betrayed your confidence."

"That I cannot deny. Here is what I am thinking. Perhaps we should not go and look for him. I would rather send him a note and inform him we want to talk about his designs and plans in the regiment. I could mention that his acceptance of a private meeting would be a sign of benevolence and good intention, while a refusal would indicate the opposite. That would be another reasonable chance for him to prove his honour."

"I see the wisdom in your suggestion, Darcy," the earl said after some consideration. "Let us follow your plan and test Wickham's ambitions."

"So, what should we do now? Return to Netherfield?"

"I would rather go to Longbourn. I have had enough of Bingley's sisters' ridiculous arrogance. It is no wonder Mrs Hurst married that dull, lifeless man. Miss Bingley will find herself the same type of husband if she is fortunate enough. She is handsome and has a good dowry, but she is exceedingly rude. Especially towards Miss Elizabeth."

"Miss Elizabeth seems perfectly capable of defending herself."

"Of course she is. But that does not make Miss Bingley less annoying. So, what will you do, Darcy? Come with me or return to Netherfield?"

"I shall come with you if you do not mind. I mean — if you do not have some private matters to discuss with Mr Bennet."

"Nothing that you cannot witness. I only hope that fool Collins is not there. Oh — I must talk to Thomas about his cousin and his attempt to court Miss Elizabeth. I wish to make sure he would not allow such a horror."

Darcy said nothing but felt relieved. He had spent the entire night thinking of Elizabeth and of his intentions regarding her. His desires were clear; however, his decision required some more thought before it became final. Though final was not the right word. Even if he decided beyond any doubt, it was pointless if his decision did not match Elizabeth's wishes and desires.

"Do you think Miss Bingley has designs on you?" the earl asked, startling Darcy.

"It is not unlikely. I have noticed the same efforts to gain my attention as I have experienced on previous occasions. But I have never said or done anything to encourage such expectations."

"I am sure you have not. Her arrogance prevents her from being reasonable."

"I would regret having a disagreement with Bingley because of his sister."

"If Bingley decides to propose to Jane Bennet, he must put his sister in her place," Lord Matlock said. "He cannot allow her to offend his wife — or his sisters-in-law."

"I have a large share of the blame in Miss Bingley's rudeness. By mistake and without any precaution, I mentioned in her presence that I admired Miss Elizabeth Bennet. That must have added to her initial resentment."

"Did you? How interesting," the earl said, making Darcy regret his confession. "In fact, I am not sure what is more interesting — that you admire Miss Elizabeth or that you confessed it to Miss Bingley. You sometimes surprise me, Darcy!"

There was no time for more discussion, as Longbourn appeared in sight, and they stopped at the gate.

"I believe Miss Elizabeth is in the garden," Darcy said. "I cannot be sure, but I believe it is she." After the discussion with the earl, he felt a strange ease in talking about Elizabeth.

"Is she? You should go and greet her. I would go too, but I am a little chilly. I might have caught a cold."

"Ask Mrs Bennet for some herbal tea. I am sure she would be happy to indulge you," Darcy replied. "And I beg you, do not take advantage of my confession, and do not play the matchmaker. You may find it amusing, but I would not, and I am sure Miss Elizabeth would not either."

"Do not worry. I know you would never do something unless you were certain of your decision. And I would surely not wish you to pursue someone simply to amuse myself."

"I am glad we are in agreement, Uncle."

"We are. I trust you to decide wisely in regard to your future, especially in matters that will affect Georgiana too."

"I would never decide anything that might harm Georgiana, our family, or our name. I would never take such a risk," Darcy concluded as the driver opened the door, and they stepped down.

The earl entered the house, while Darcy went to see Elizabeth. He felt reluctant, with a knot in his stomach, even though he had been in her company many times before. He had even spent almost half an hour in the Netherfield library alone with her. They had both been reading, and he had been such a fool that he had barely addressed a few words to her. He had behaved either foolishly or rudely towards her so many times that it would be no wonder if her opinion of him was poor.

"Mr Darcy!"

"Miss Bennet. I am sorry to interrupt your solitary walk."

"You did not interrupt anything, sir. I needed some exercise, and my sisters are not fond of walking in the cold weather."

"Very few young ladies are."

"True. I assume you would not wish to see your sister walking alone in the cold."

"I would not, but that does not mean I disapprove of your courage to act differently from other young women."

"Mr Darcy, I cannot pretend to overlook how many times you have approved of me in the last two days. Should I suspect you to have some ulterior motive?" She was teasing him, smiling boldly.

"I am only being honest, Miss Bennet. What ulterior motive might I have?"

"Oh, I do not know. Perhaps pleasing your uncle by being kind to his friend's daughters."

"So you assume I cannot be kind without a purpose?" He was enjoying their little debate and especially being alone with her and the only recipient of her smiles and teasing.

"I know you can be whatever you wish to be, Mr Darcy, when and if you choose to be. However, you cannot deny that your manners have improved significantly since Lord Matlock arrived."

He hesitated a moment. "I shall not deny that my manners have changed. But not because of the reason you presume."

"Then may I ask how it is possible that you seem to approve of everything that you disapproved of about me until recently?"

"If my actions led you to believe that I disapproved of you, I apologise. It was not my intention, and neither is it true. As I already admitted, I do not possess those qualities that allow me to be comfortable with strangers or make me good company for others."

"But we have been acquainted for many weeks now. We can hardly be called strangers."

"Precisely."

"So, your changed manners are the result of feeling more comfortable with us?" Elizabeth enquired.

"With you and with my own feelings," he answered, noticing her confused look. "To avoid any further misunderstanding, I wish to apologise again for my impolite behaviour at the assembly. I was in a poor disposition due to some family matters, and a ball was the last place I wished to be. Dancing with anyone was out of the question."

"I understand that. Let us forget that incident."

"Thank you. You are very generous."

"And if you have changed your mind about dancing at the forthcoming ball, I would not mind forgoing the engagement for the first set. I understand it was a joke."

"Forgoing it? Not at all, unless you wish to. I certainly have not changed my mind."

"Then it seems we shall dance, after all," she concluded, smiling.

"I hope so. I dare say I am not such a terrible dancer as you may assume."

"I do not assume that, but I shall wait and see." Her smile was now wide and her cheeks crimson. "We should go into the house. It is freezing," she suggested.

They entered, and Darcy found himself regretting that the private encounter had ended.

The family were gathered in the drawing room, but as soon as Darcy appeared, the gentlemen moved into the library. Fortunately, Mr Collins was not at home; he had apparently accepted an invitation from Sir William and was expected to stay for dinner.

Darcy heard his uncle talking to Mr Bennet, but his attention remained on Elizabeth. He had enjoyed their conversation exceedingly and felt they had reached a new level of understanding that made them more comfortable with each other, though he was still uncertain of her feelings.

His feelings, however, had become perfectly clear. Being with her and talking to her gave him a sensation of pleasure and joy as he had rarely felt, and one he wished would last forever.

Another hour passed before Darcy and Lord Matlock returned to Netherfield. Darcy immediately wrote the note for Wickham and sent a servant to deliver it in person. Then they waited for the reply, which arrived before dinner.