An Unexpected Legacy Read online

  Col. Fitzwilliam was dumbfounded. He had never heard Darcy speak in such a way, and had certainly never heard him give such praise to a young woman. And he was sure he knew of whom Darcy was speaking. “You are talking about Elizabeth Bennet, are you not? I saw that you had some partiality for her at Rosings, but I never guessed the depth of your feeling, and certainly would not have guessed that you would propose to her. I must say, I applaud your choice. She is an unusual lady. I must admit I had the thought that had she a little more wealth, I would like to pursue. But I am surprised. I thought she was of a more practical nature. It does not seem logical that she would refuse you, who could give her and her family future security.”

  Darcy went to his desk, sat in the chair behind it, and threw his hands up in the air. ”Oh, I really made a mess of the proposal. Feeling that she should know how much of a struggle it had been for me to consider her as a possibility, I started out by telling her how unsuitable all of my relatives would think she was. And then I told her how much impropriety I had observed in her family which would make them unwelcome in the circle in which I moved. By the time I actually asked for her hand, she was understandably very upset with me. She made a point of telling me how ungentlemanly she considered my proposal to be, and she was completely correct. Also the way I delivered it, it was clear to her, I believe, that I fully expected her to welcome my proposal. After all, why should she not. My station is so much above hers, all the advantage would be hers. That kind of attitude, I believe, is not one of which Miss Elizabeth approves.”

  Col. Fitzwilliam shook his head, and was about to answer, when the butler returned with a bottle of port. After a glass had been poured for each of them, Col. Fitzwilliam savored the taste of the port, and then said, “Darcy, only you would insult a woman and then propose to her. Given what I know of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, now I am not surprised she refused your offer. And what made you think she would welcome your offer? Had she given you some encouragement when you had known her at Netherfield Park or when you associated with her at Rosings?”

  “We had several lively discussions, which, when I think about them, were often differences of opinion. But there was not any animosity expressed, and I actually thought, in many cases, she was flirting with me. But as I look back on them, if I assume she was not interested in me, they were just lively arguments between two people having opposing views. But they were certainly enough to make me understand that she is a woman with the strength of character that I want in a wife.”

  Darcy stood again and started pacing again. “Oh, I also forgot to mention that the first time I saw her at the assembly in Meryton, I refused a suggestion from Bingley that I ask her to dance, saying she was tolerable but not enough to entice me to dance with her. Unfortunately she heard me say it and, needless to say, that did not give her a very good initial impression of me. You know how I am at those dances. I did not truly even look at her when I made the statement. I just wanted to stop Bingley hounding me to dance. Later that night I realized how incorrect my statement about her had been. Unfortunately, what she heard me say, along with my unwillingness to socialize with the local populace, convinced her I was both proud and arrogant and considered all those at the assembly beneath me. And as I look back on it from her point of view, it is an entirely reasonable assumption to make.”

  Col. Fitzwilliam laughed and shook his again. “For God’s sake, Darcy, did you do anything right in your relationship with her before you asked her to marry you?

  “Not much. We did have a few non-contentious, interesting discussions about books and plays and poems, during which we both discovered, I think, that we had many interests in common. In fact, there were enough of them that I became convinced there was a certain rapport between us. Certainly they made me believe she was a woman such as I have never known before and that she would be a wonderful woman with whom to build a life. Clearly she did not develop a similar belief about me.”

  They were both silent a while, contemplating what Darcy had said. Finally Col. Fitzwilliam asked Darcy, “So what are your plans to get in her good graces, assuming that is what you want to do. Or maybe you do not. Did you ask me here to strategize on how to pursue her or and how to forget her?”

  “I am afraid that forgetting her is not possible. I tried to forget her between Netherfield Park and Rosings, but the harder I tried to forget her, the more I remembered her. I could not believe my good fortune when I discovered she was at Hunsford while we were at Rosings. Seeing her again convinced me I could not live without her, at least not happily, and then on the spur of the moment, I decided to ignore all of the objections against her and asked her to marry me. One of the few times in my life I made a decision to do something without carefully thinking it through, and it really blew up in my face.”

  “Have you done anything since then to try to get back into her good graces?” asked Col. Fitzwilliam.

  “I was so incensed about some of the things she said, I again did something I might not have done had I thought more about it. I wrote her a letter in which I explained why I had helped separate Bingley from her sister Jane, informed her of all our background with Wickham, and once again stated my observations about her family, particularly her mother and younger sisters. Then I sought her out the morning after my proposal as she was on her morning walk, handed her the letter, asked her to please read it, and returned to Rosings. I have no idea whether she read the letter or if it had any effect on her opinion of me. “

  Col. Fitzwilliam leaned forward and gave an intense look to Darcy. “Did you say you informed her of your background with Wickham? How did Wickham get into this story?”

  “I am sorry; I guess I never told you that our friend George Wickham somehow found the money to purchase a commission in the militia that was stationed, at that time, in Meryton. In his usual manner, he managed to convince the good folks in the Meryton area that he was a wonderful fellow, a consummate gentleman. And of course, he had to tell them how cruelly he had been used by me. And because of the bad impression I had left with them at the assembly, all seemed more than willing to believe his lies, including Miss Elizabeth. My supposed poor treatment of him was one of the things Miss Elizabeth said had lowered her opinion of me.”

  “So when you say you told her of your background with Wickham, did this include telling her about his attempted elopement with Georgiana?”

  “Yes it did. In retrospect, maybe I should not have, but I am sure that Miss Elizabeth is one who will keep our confidence. She may tell her sister Jane, but I do not believe she will tell anybody else. Still, I probably should have left Georgiana’s name out of it.”

  Once again Darcy stopped pacing, and sat down beside Col. Fitzwilliam on the couch. “So you see, cousin, I have done a rash of foolish things unlike me in the past few months, and I have no good explanation for it except that my obsession with Miss Elizabeth has made me irrational.”

  Neither man said anything for a few moments and then Col. Fitzwilliam asked, “So what do you want to do about it? I gather, because you feel you cannot forget her, you want to continue to pursue a relationship with her, even leading to marriage. You know, of course, Lady Catherine will be highly upset with you, and I suspect my father and brother will be also. I will support you and I suspect my sister Alicia will support you, but I have no idea what my mother’s attitude will be. I know she is much more concerned about seeing you happily married than my father, but still, I think she expects you to choose a woman out of the ton, someone of our circle. Without the endorsement of at least my mother, it will be difficult for Miss Elizabeth to be accepted by the ton. I assume you considered all this and are willing to take your chances that all will be well with your marriage even if Miss Elizabeth is not well accepted?”

  “I have given it much thought, and I have decided, given how little I care about the ton, I would be happy living most of my life at Pemberley and socializing with my neighbors, who I am rather certain will accept Miss Elizabeth. And at first I
worried about Georgiana, but I am sure your father and mother will be more than happy to sponsor her in her coming out. Even if Miss Elizabeth and I are not accepted, with a £30,000 dowry, I am sure Georgianna will have plenty of suitors. I did want to ask your opinion on this, however, since both of us are her guardians.”

  “Very good, Darcy,” exclaimed Col. Fitzwilliam. “Miss Elizabeth has definitely had an effect on your outlook on life. I have always thought of you as a ‘I will do my duty at all costs’ type of person, worrying more about appearances than your own happiness. If I had your wealth and independence, and I loved a woman as much as you apparently love Miss Elizabeth, I would pursue her at all costs and damn the disapproval of ton. And as for Georgiana, I agree with you. Someone of her beauty and talent and wealth will, in the end, not be rejected by the ton because you would choose a wife out of their circle. By the way, speaking of your sister, I expected her to greet me too. Is she not here?

  “No, she is visiting her friend Charlotte Alford. The Alford’s sponsor a young musician w is quite a virtuoso on the piano, and he is giving a recital in the Alford ballroom this evening. The Alfords requested that I allow Georgiana to attend the recital with Charlotte and then stay overnight with her. Since I know how careful the Alfords are with their own daughter, I was sure they would exercise proper control over Georgiana, even though she is not out. It also allows me to give Mrs. Annesley a night off to visit her sister. ”

  “Have you said anything to Georgiana about Elizabeth Bennet and about your feelings for her?”

  “I mentioned Miss Elizabeth in some of the letters I wrote to her when I was in Netherfield Park. I mentioned Miss Elizabeth’s name enough that Georgiana suspected I looked upon her with some favor. She asked me about her when I returned from Netherfield, but by that time I was trying to convince myself to forget Miss Elizabeth, and I told Georgiana it was merely a passing friendship. I am not sure I convinced her, but she has not said anything to me or asked me anything about Miss Elizabeth since my initial discussions with her when I returned from Netherfield.”

  “You mentioned you helped separate Bingley from Miss Bennet, and I remember you telling me you had done Bingley a favor by preventing him from making an unfortunate match. I assume Miss Bennet was that unfortunate match.” When he saw Darcy, nod, he continued, “if Miss Elizabeth knew of your involvement in the separation, it may have been my fault, because on one of my walks at Rosings, I met Miss Elizabeth out walking and in the ensuing discussion I mentioned you had said that you had prevented Bingley from making an unfortunate match. I, of course, had no knowledge of Bingley’s connection to Miss Bennet, but I am sure Miss Elizabeth knew to whom it referred. Now that I think of it, it was after I told her about your help to Bingley, that she complained of a slight headache and asked to return to the parsonage, therefore, I assume she was very upset at you for your interference between Bingley and her sister. Why might I ask, did you believe Miss Bennet was an unfortunate match for Bingley when you are so enamored of her sister Miss Elizabeth?”

  “You would have to meet Miss Bennet, Richard. She is very beautiful, but somewhat placid young woman, and has clearly been trained to not reveal her feelings in public. I observed her closely when she was with Bingley, and although I could see she was pleased to be in his company, I could not discern she had any particularly high regard for him. And I had seen him fall in and out of love so many times; I did not want him to commit himself unless he was absolutely certain. Obvioulsly he was not absolutely certain, because his sisters, who were very against the match, with my support, had little difficulty in convincing him to return to London and give up his pursuit of Miss Bennet. I do feel badly I did not tell Bingley that Miss Bennet has been in town since shortly after Christmas, staying with her aunt and uncle. At least, as far as I know she is still in town. And I know she called on Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, and I do not think they ever told Bingley.”

  “My God, Darcy, it gets worse and worse. From my discussions with Miss Elizabeth I know how close she was to her sister. I can see why she would be very upset with you for your interference, and I must admit, I think it was a really bad decision on your part.”

  “You are not telling me anything I do not already know, Richard. The more I think about my actions, the worse they seem, and the more difficult I see my task in overcoming her disapproval. The more I think about it, the more hopeless it seems.”

  Darcy stood again and started pacing. “You know the funny thing about it is, immediately after I had made the proposal and she refused, I thought I was the injured party. I knew I was a good man. I am honest, loyal, smart, and rich. How could she say those things to me? And then, somewhere along the line, I started looking at it from her perspective. She is still young, not very experienced with men, and has no knowledge of me at all except for her impressions of me from our times together. I insulted her, I refused to interact with her friends, I criticized her family, and I took it upon myself to judge her sister’s feelings. I would probably hate me too. I hate to admit it, but maybe I really have no chance with her at all.”

  Col. Fitzwilliam stood, walked over to Darcy, put his hands on his shoulders, and shook him. “Okay, Darcy, enough of the self-loathing. You and I both know you are a good man and that you and Miss Elizabeth would be an excellent match. With her wit and love of life, she could draw you out of your shell and make you a much more social person. And you would challenge each other every day. So let us try to decide what you can do to get this lady to fall in love with you.”

  And so it was that the two gentlemen, for the next couple of hours, discussed Elizabeth, the challenges she presented, and what Darcy should do to get in her good graces. Bingley had been out of town since Darcy had returned to town, but the first thing they decided he should do was to talk to Bingley, admit that he had known Miss Bennet was in town and had not told him, and persuade him to call on Miss Bennet at her aunt and uncle’s if he still felt she was the woman for him. And, of course, to support Bingley, Darcy would have to be with Bingley when he made the call. Hopefully Elizabeth would be there and Darcy would get to see her again, and perhaps she would appreciate Darcy’s role in convincing Bingley to call upon Miss Bennet again. Darcy’s biggest hope was that his letter had had some effect and she would think more kindly of him.

  Chapter 4: Dinner at Denby House

  Elizabeth sat in her room, on her bed, rereading the letter Darcy had given her the morning after his proposal. She did not know why she read it over and over. By now she had it memorized. She thought about the times they had been in each other’s company in Longbourn and Netherfield Park. She remembered his insult to her that she was tolerable but not handsome enough to make him want to dance with her. She remembered her disappointment when he said it because, she had to admit, she had been fascinated with him. She had hoped he would ask her to dance and his rejection had made her immediately dislike him. It had not, however, erased her fascination with him. During the following weeks she had not been able to make out his character. The Bingleys had praised him as a good, kind, caring man, but Wickham had painted an entirely different picture of him, one that, because of her dislike, she had been willing to accept without properly questioning why Wickham, who hardly knew her, would confide in her all that Darcy had supposedly done to him. She was heartily ashamed of the way that she had accepted Wickham’s claims without question.

  She remembered how she had often found Darcy looking at her from across the room and had been sure that he had been seeing fault in her. They had some interesting conversations, but they often disagreed, and she had assumed her contentiousness had been a quality of her which he did not particularly like. It had therefore been a relief, when Darcy had left Netherfield Park, and she had thought she would probably never see him again. Then in April, while she was visiting her friend Charlotte at Hunsford Cottage in Kent, he had shown up at Rosings, and she realized she had secretly been happy to see him again, despite her supposed dislike of him. O
n his last night there he had made to her the totally unexpected proposal of marriage, which she had refused angrily because of his part in separating Bingley from Jane, his supposed mistreatment of Wickham, and his disparagement of her family. He had claimed to have been in love with her for months. How could she have not seen that he had affection for her? All those looks had apparently been ones of affection, and she had believed they were looks of disdain.

  She was now totally confused and conflicted about him. She realized he was a man who would not be intimidated by her wit and intelligence, who would challenge her, and who could withstand her challenges of him. He was intelligent, good-looking, loyal to his friends, and very wealthy. She was beginning to think they might be a very good match. She still felt was a little arrogant, authoritative, and lacking social graces, but she thought she could improve him in those areas over time. But she suspected her treatment of him had driven him away from her forever. And could she ever forget his role in separating her beloved Jane from Mr. Bingley and his disdain for her family?

  With a sigh, she set down the letter and wished Jane were there to talk to her about it. Jane had returned to Longbourn before she arrived in London, so she had not been able to tell her in person about all that it happened and she did not want to put it in the letter. She could hardly wait to see Jane again and talk about all this.

  But she was thankful she did have something to take her mind off of Darcy and what had happened to her the last few months. She did not know why, but she thought her visit to Lady Monttard on the morrow would somehow be a significant event in her life. She did not know what it was, but somehow she knew the meeting with Lord and Lady Monttard was meant to be and for some reason, the Monttards would become a significant part of her life. She was looking forward to it, because they were people to whom she had immediately felt close.