A Sense of Obligation Page 6

  Darcy and Bennet were near enough to hear the quiet speech to Wickham, and Darcy was ready to speak when Mr. Bennet clapped a restraining hand on his shoulder.

  “Mr. Wickham, allow me to call my valet to assist you with your clothing before taking your leave.”

  Wickham looked surprised, but after looking at Darcy, seemed to accept his fate. “I thank you, Mr. Bennet, but that will not be necessary.” He bolted from the room, with his fellow officers trailing behind.

  *****

  Mr. Bennet turned to Elizabeth. “I would speak with you immediately.”

  She only nodded, and her father spun on his heel towards his library. Turning to Darcy, she quickly asked, “You told him the truth?”

  “Disguise of every sort is my abhorrence.”

  “Everything?”

  “He knows it all.” Elizabeth blushed, but Darcy squeezed her hand. “The fault was mine entirely. You have no cause for shame.”

  She smiled a little and glanced around the room. The officers were gone. Kitty and Lydia were in secret conference, tittering, no doubt, about the young men who had just left. Her mother and Jane were making conversation with Mr. Collins, but he seemed ready to burst across the room to speak with Mr. Darcy. Mary was reading in the corner, avoiding everyone.

  “You will be well?”

  Darcy chuckled. “I do not see any sharp teeth or claws amongst your family. I do think I will survive. Should they prove too unruly, I will attempt to offer up Mr. Collins as a sacrifice.”

  This jest earned him musical laughter from Elizabeth. She was astonished to think he could lift her spirits so easily. Shaking her head, she left for her father’s study.

  *****

  “Are you out of your senses to be accepting this man?”

  Elizabeth winced at her father’s angry tone but mused silently, No, it is my senses of which I am now acutely aware. My sense of sight, scent, hearing, feeling, taste are all uncommonly aroused by him. She blushed deeply. Taste? She attempted to tell herself that her mind only meant that she enjoyed dining in his company, not that she desired to taste his lips.

  “Elizabeth!” She jumped. She had been too preoccupied to hear her father’s words. After she had met his eyes, he continued, “Mr. Darcy says you accepted his proposal.”

  “Yes.”

  “While at Netherfield.”

  She blushed. “Yes.”

  “Because of Netherfield?”

  Blushing so red she thought she might faint from the heat on her face, she replied, “Yes.”

  Her father stared at her silently for several moments. A few times, he began to open his mouth, but when no sound was forthcoming, he would close it again.

  She knew not how she countenanced bringing such obvious displeasure to her father and could only attempt to alleviate his concerns. “It was an accident, and Mr. Darcy is doing precisely the honourable thing. He is not the proud and haughty man I thought he was. I feel...I know he is worthy of my esteem and admiration.”

  “You cannot possibly think he is a gentleman!”

  “But he is! I was only too proud to see it through my wounded vanity.”

  “Exactly! Your opinion improves as you are flattered.”

  “No, Papa. He respects me and treats my opinions equally. He is intelligent and can be perfectly amiable. Before leaving Netherfield, I heard several servants praising him. He is a generous master and landlord, very conscientious to the needs of others.”

  “You did not accept him due to obligation?”

  “Only...only a little.”

  “I confess I cannot begin to understand how such a thing is possible, and from you!”

  She grew pink-faced again but honestly replied, “I should have left the library directly, but I was astonished by how playful and amiable he was. He insisted we dance, which was intoxicating, and when we were finished I went to leave, and he knocked over a glass, breaking it. I was so foolish as to cut myself trying to clean it up. The...” She paused and decided to stretch the truth a bit. “The sight of my blood made me feel light-headed, and Mr. Darcy tenderly helped stop the bleeding and assisted me to my chamber door. I should have insisted I go from the library on my own, but he was so attentive that I could not refuse.”

  Her father startled for a moment and paused, seeming to take in all of Elizabeth’s words, a look of wonder passing his face. “Elizabeth, I desire to be perfectly clear here. He left you at your door?”

  “Of course!” Elizabeth supposed it was only natural for a father to be suspicious of a man who confessed to taking liberties with his daughter. Undoubtedly, her father would desire reassurance from her as well.

  “But then why do you feel obligated to him?”

  Elizabeth reddened further. How dearly she wished for this interview to be over! “I confess...” She took a deep breath and blew it out. “I confess that I enjoyed his attentions.”

  “Due to your vanity?”

  “Certainly not! I...I know the difference between shallow attention and genuine attachment. What I feel for Mr. Darcy is beyond what I have ever felt before; it is not gratitude for his attention or professed admiration.”

  “Admiration?”

  How like Darcy to keep his feelings private and only express the facts!

  Smiling a little, she answered, “Yes, the morning he proposed, he confessed to having admired me all along.” She chuckled and added, “Even as he spoke only of duty for the liberties he took. He caught me entirely unawares, and I declared his offer unnecessary. After church, he asked again, and having had time to properly consult my feelings, I accepted him.”

  A sly grin slipped across Mr. Bennet’s face. “You rejected him at first?”

  “I did!”

  “And you say he asked again after church?” Elizabeth saw her father was clearly piecing a puzzle together, but she could not fathom what it was.

  “Yes.”

  “And you do like him?”

  “I do!”

  “And you wish for this union?”

  “Yes, if anything, I feel even more certain with each day.”

  “I am glad I was mistaken, dear child. Do you know he has bought a special licence? I believe he wishes to marry very quickly. He must worry you will change your mind again!”

  Elizabeth grew alarmed that Darcy might be suffering from such a misapprehension. Her father understood instantly and said, “You may go to him, then, and reassure him.”

  “Thank you, Papa.” In an instant, she was gone.

  Chapter Five

  Bingley and his sisters arrived at Longbourn just after the militia officers were leaving. The one he vaguely recalled meeting earlier in the week appeared to have spilt tea all over himself. He chuckled as the man walked swiftly down the path as his comrades called out for him to slow.

  Upon being announced in the drawing room, Bingley’s sisters immediately sat near Darcy and began fawning over him. Darcy looked more piqued than usual, and Bingley could only surmise the meeting with Mr. Bennet did not go well. Miss Elizabeth was absent. He raised his eyebrows to Darcy, who nodded in the direction of the library. No other kind of inquiry was possible, so instead, Bingley settled next to his angelic Jane.

  He wished to merely gaze at her, but Mrs. Bennet would not allow him peace. “Such an honour you give us, Mr. Bingley, by arriving today.”

  She looked expectant, and Bingley finally recalled that he came to deliver his invitation to the ball. “Thank you for receiving us. My sisters and I are delighted to invite you and your family, including Mr. Collins,” he glanced at the man, “to a ball on Tuesday.”

  “Tuesday! Oh my!” exclaimed Mrs. Bennet.

  “Mama, will I have time to re-trim my green gown?” Miss Lydia asked.

  “You mean, my green gown!” Miss Catherine declared.

  “Girls! You have no compassion for my poor nerves. Or Mr. Bingley’s,” she exclaimed, her voice shriller than them all.

  Beside him, Jane stiffened slightly. “Would
you care for some tea, Mr. Bingley?” Jane turned to him and gave a warm smile.

  “Thank you.” He smiled back.

  She rang for tea, and he watched, longing for the day when their encounters could be more than mere smiles and civil conversation. Memories of asking for her hand and kissing her flooded his mind.

  “She is a very good girl,” Mrs. Bennet said, interrupting Bingley’s thoughts.

  “Indeed,” he replied.

  “She never was a spot of trouble, and she never will be. She has the sweetest disposition in the world and is so beautiful!”

  Bingley could hardly disagree, but Jane appeared mortified. He searched for something to say. “You are correct, madam. I have thought her angelic from the first moment I saw her.”

  “Oh! Mr. Bingley!” Mrs. Bennet seemed more pleased with the praise than Jane did, but Mrs. Bennet showed all emotions more freely than Jane.

  She took a deep breath, then addressed her cousin who peered at Darcy with a strange look. “Mr. Collins, do you mean to accept Mr. Bingley’s invitation?”

  The man in question fixed a smile on his face. “I certainly do. There can be no evil in a ball hosted by such a respectable young man. I hope to dance with each of my cousins, as well.”

  The younger girls looked quite alarmed, but Miss Mary easily dissembled, and Jane was as civil as ever.

  “I had wanted to solicit Miss Elizabeth’s hand for the first two dances—I mean no slight to you, Cousin Jane. I am certain you will soon understand the reason for my preference,” he said with raised eyebrows.

  Jane looked at Darcy, still drawn into a conversation with Bingley’s sisters and looking quite annoyed. She tapped Bingley’s foot. Not understanding what she was about, he looked at her in confusion.

  “I would hate to speak for Lizzy,” Jane said, “but I believe she has already reserved those sets for Mr. Darcy.”

  Mrs. Bennet looked displeased, and Jane seemed to plead silently that he not contradict her. “Oh yes. As we spoke of this ball before the ladies even left Netherfield, he asked for her hand—I mean for the first set with her—there.”

  Mr. Collins frowned for a moment, then looked all excitement. “I believe I have finally recalled how I know the name Darcy!”

  Before anyone could say otherwise, he stood and quickly walked to Darcy’s seat. Caroline and Louisa looked at him with disgust. “Mr. Darcy, are you not the nephew of Lady Catherine de Bourgh?”

  Darcy raised an eyebrow. “Yes.”

  “Indeed! Accept my apology for intruding upon your conversation with these lovely ladies. I have the privilege of having the rectory at Hunsford, which, you likely know, abuts her estate. She is the most amiable patroness I could ask for. Such wonderful condescension!”

  Bingley watched as Darcy looked at the man with unrestrained wonder.

  Mr. Collins continued. “I have heard much about you from her ladyship, and I hope, dear sir, when at last you are united to your fair cousin, you may pay a call upon us when next you are at Rosings.”

  “Us?” Darcy asked in confusion.

  Mr. Collins brought his fingers to his lips as he realised his mistake, then rapidly explained, “Oh, I am soon to be in such a state as yourself, but I ought not to speak of her while she is not present. Your friend tells me you were so impressed with her while she stayed at Netherfield to tend her ailing sister that you have solicited the first sets of next week’s ball with her. I trust you will wish to continue the acquaintance when we are all in Kent together.”

  Darcy’s jaw tightened in contempt, but the foolish parson did not perceive his danger and continued, “I thank you, too, for the notice you will be paying her. Such a compliment! I have indeed chosen wisely!”

  “Mr. Collins, am I to understand…”

  “Now pray excuse me, as I must write her ladyship at once about this wonderful news.”

  He quickly exited the room. His sisters, as well as Miss Catherine and Miss Lydia, all sat back and laughed at the scene. Mrs. Bennet beamed and declared him a most solicitous and proper young gentleman, and Jane twisted her hands on her handkerchief, the only sign of her distress.

  Miss Elizabeth appeared at just that moment, looking pale. She took in the room and nervously inquired, “Perhaps we might all go for a walk in the garden before dinner?”

  Bingley seized upon the idea. “Indeed! It is a splendid day!” He stood and offered one arm to Jane, then another to his sister. Caroline grimaced but began to take his arm.

  “My dear Miss Bingley! Are you unwell? Truly your face looks painfully contorted,” Mrs. Bennet observed.

  Like a trained actress, Caroline’s hands flew to her head. “Oh! A sudden headache.” Bingley restrained his anger at his sister’s antics.

  “You had much better stay here and rest, then,” Mrs. Bennet replied.

  Bingley frowned, but before he could speak, Louisa hastily explained, while walking to her sister’s side, “Oh, we would hate to inconvenience you. Let us call for the carriage, and Mr. Hurst and I will accompany my sister home.”

  Caroline remarked, “I am terribly sorry to spoil our dinner. I did so look forward to enjoying your table again, Mrs. Bennet.”

  Beaming like a pleased peacock, Mrs. Bennet replied, “Oh, you give me a great compliment! I invite you to come any night this week of your convenience, then. I know dear Jane would love to spend more time with her future sisters.”

  Caroline gave Louisa an incensed look and Bigley briefly regretted not previously sharing the news of his betrothal. He was relieved to see Mrs. Hurst took the news with some equanimity.

  Caroline broke the silence. “We thank you, Mrs. Bennet, but I am afraid my sister and I will be much engaged in the coming days preparing for the ball.”

  “Oh, yes, the ball! I am certain you will have the most beautiful lace and the most fashionable setting…”

  “Might you call for the carriage?” Louisa saved the room from more effusions of Mrs. Bennet.

  After several more minutes, the Hursts and Caroline stood ready to depart while the others put on their outerwear. Bingley breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps one day having their family together in one room would feel less like a circus. For now, he would walk with Jane in the garden, hoping for privacy.

  *****

  “Lizzy!” Mrs. Bennet called out. “Was not I clever the way I got rid of Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst?”

  “Mama!”

  “Now you know the younger girls will talk amongst themselves. You must go with Mr. Darcy to keep him from being in Bingley’s way. I am sorry, for I know you dislike the man so much, but there is nothing to be done about it. I had planned to send you with Mr. Collins, but he had a letter to write Lady Catherine after meeting Mr. Darcy.”

  Her words were not quiet enough, for Elizabeth heard a strangling sound and turned to see Mr. Darcy only a few feet from them. He clearly heard every word! Mrs. Bennet did not even have the good grace to blush and left the two in the hall.

  In a voice of forced civility, Darcy said, “Do you consider yourself an obedient daughter, Miss Bennet?”

  Elizabeth reached for Darcy’s extended arm and raised her chin in defiance. “No, my mother often bemoans my recalcitrant and headstrong ways.”

  Darcy’s lip turned up in amusement, and he directed her outside. “What makes you take my arm, then?”

  She gave him a sly look. “I desired privacy with my betrothed.”

  He rewarded her with a full smile, revealing his dimples and perfectly white teeth. She had to suppress a sigh. The contentment did not last long as Darcy placed his free hand over hers and squeezed it. Elizabeth was amazed at the continued effect his touch had on her.

  “You cannot know how much I enjoy hearing those words from your lips, Elizabeth.”

  Between his touch and calling her by her Christian name, her heart rate accelerated, and she blushed but tried to appear calm. His gaze travelled to her lips, and she shivered.

  “Here, let us walk in the sun
to warm you.”

  They walked on in companionable silence for several moments until Elizabeth felt the need to break it. “Mr. Darcy…”

  He stopped walking and faced her. His actions silenced her. “William, please.”

  She startled at first, then shyly murmured, “William.”

  She heard him take a sharp breath, and he stepped closer to her, taking her left hand— now entirely healed—in his. Darcy’s scent, something unnameable, mixed with soap and spices made her feel lightheaded.

  Darcy gazed into her eyes, and all other things blurred from her sight. His eyes dropped to her lips again, and she understood the longing she saw in them.

  “Elizabeth.” She almost moaned at her name spoken so lowly from him. They were very close now, and she gasped when he turned her hand over to stroke her palm.

  It was impossible to conceal her rapid breathing, and when she looked back into his eyes, she saw they were dark and his pupils very wide.

  A rabbit hopped by them, making enough noise to remind them of their position. When Elizabeth went to move again, she felt as though her legs were as liquid as pudding. She was very grateful when he led her to a nearby bench.

  He did not relinquish her hand from his. “Elizabeth.”

  “William.”

  They spoke simultaneously, and both stopped short, sharing an amused smile. “Please, continue,” Darcy told Elizabeth.

  “William, I am a very selfish creature, and for the sake of giving relief to my feelings, care not how much I may be wounding yours.”

  He looked at her in alarm, and she could see that she truly needed to say this. Squeezing his hand with her free one until he met her eyes again, although his gaze held uncertainty behind it, she waited.

  “We both have reason to think my opinions not entirely unalterable; they are not, I hope, quite so easily changed as to make you fearful that I might have been insincere in my acceptance. I consider myself entirely obligated to you.”