Page 38 of Searching for Elizabeth
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The next few days of their honeymoon were spent mostly at home, and mostly with the sort of private exploration and play most readily associated with the wordhoneymoon. William managed to spend a bit of time every day working on the most crucial estate and investment matters, and Lizzy teased him that he was unable to take a break from his work for even a day.
“Honestly, William,” she said, “I have heard all my life that rich men are idle, and I am not sure my father has ever done as much work onanyday as you have whilst honeymooning.”
William took a short break from reading a report about his small estate in Ireland, and he moved swiftly around his deskand crushed Lizzy in a fervent kiss. “I have so many answers to your impertinence, wife of mine, but let me start by saying that I am still playing catch-up from that time when you were missing, and I was searching for my dearest love.”
“Oh!” she said. “You…”
“At first, I could not even eat or sleep, let alone work. I spent my time doing the thing I do best, by which I mean riding and walking for hours and hours, seeking any sign of you, any trace of a cottage, of any sign of foul play.”
He chuckled. “The other things I did was to talk with and listen to strangers. Worse yet, I actually lied to them, telling a likely sounding excuse for why I was asking about Elizabeth Bennet. I dreaded the idea that I might spread rumors, but I thought that someone would have seen you or heard about you or….Oh, and I also set my valet the task of gathering gossip, and I spent an unpleasant chunk of time listening to every single bit of gossip he could report.” William kissed Lizzy again before murmuring against her lips, “I was really quite desperate.”
“You must have been desperate. Talking to strangers? Dissembling? Gossip? Good lord!”
“My further points,” Darcy said with a comically stern look, “my points about my diligence, as compared to rich men, on the one hand, and your father, on the other, are as follows: I am not necessarily a typical example of rich men in general, but many a gentleman who idles away his days ends up being considerably less rich, and my belief is that this will be more and more true astimegoes on. Money will not always be as tied to land as it has been; industry will be key, and those who are not making changes as the world transitions will find themselves the poorer for their lack of action. And the last phrase,lack of action, brings me to your father: he is not rich, but I believe it is fair tosay that he is too idle. He did not know where you were, and yet he did not search for you. There is no excuse for that degree of inaction.”
He searched her face, certain that she already knew about her father’s lack of effort to search for her, given the things she had said since her banishment. He had never spelled it out to her, until now, but her face indicated that, as he had guessed, she well knew it.
Lizzy said, “You will be a much better father, William. My relationship with my mother was always fraught, but I was devastated when she threw me out of the house, without a care for where I would go or what would become of me. But when my father, who I always thought loved me best of all, went along with her, my heart broke.”
“Oh, Lizzy, I am so very, very sorry that he broke your heart. I bleed for you, for all of it—your mother’s behavior as well as your father’s.”
“I am almost glad that my father broke my heart, Will.” Lizzie pondered a bit more and then nodded decisively. “Longbourn had always been so difficult, even when my father seemed to favor me, and if he had not broken my heart in two, I am not sure I would have recognized you for what you are. Now, I recognize the quantity and quality of your love; it is a much greater love, a less selfish and capricious love. I now recognize your unparalleled goodness. You have mended my broken heart and made it so much stronger.”
That settled it. William could not work a moment more; he swept her into his arms and carried her up to the master suite for an entirely different sort of activity.
Chapter 31: Darcy
—the next evening—
Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy dressed in their very best for an evening at the theater. Darcy’s very best was not so differentfromhis usual, although his coat was very dark blue rather than black, and his waistcoat was the same shade of blue with subtle black stripes. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was wearing a very elegant gown the likes of which she had never worn before. It was deep green, and she wore simple but beautiful emerald jewelry that sparkled like her brown/green/golden eyes.
The couple attracted an enormous amount of attention. Naturally, one of the reasons so many gazed at them for so long was because they were an uncommonly handsome couple. A more important reason was that Darcy had been, according to the mamas in theton, on the marriage mart for seven years, and it was an enormous shock to everyone when he married a gentlewoman who was not only below him in wealth and connections (according to rumors), but was also someone never before seen at routs or musicales or balls…or anywhere!
So, many a glance seemed to convey,who is this young woman who came from nowhere at all and snatched up one of our very best???
Darcy was uncomfortable being stared at, and almost certainly gossiped about, by so many. ButElizabethlaughed up into his eyes, and murmured endearments, and one time even dared to lean on him in a most suggestive way, when the crush of the crowd shielded the move from all. Thus she managed to distract him from his nerves, and he thanked her with dimple-flashing smiles and adoring gazes.
The Duke of Brookheart insisted on an introduction even though he was determined to look down his nose at Elizabeth; the Duchess literally sniffed in her direction.Elizabeth’s bright smile never wavered, however, and though her curtsey was suitably deep and her words of greeting were perfect, when she looked back up at Darcy, her eyes were dancing with the laughter she was stifling. Darcy went from wooden impassivity as he regarded the titled snobs to a besotted smile as he took in his bride’s response to said snobs.
Lord Westfield and his countess, on the other hand, seemed surprisingly friendly, complimenting Darcy on his charming wife and even hinting that the disapproval on display was jealousy. “I can see that this is a love match,” the Countess Westfield said in a low voice.
Elizabeth also responded with equanimity to several young women who endeavored to pretend an intimacy with Darcy. At one point, Miss Anne Hampton greeted Darcy eagerly, fluttered her eyelashes at him, cooed that she was so very happy to see him again, mentioned a house party that they so enjoyed, together, and even reached her hand to him, as if requesting a kiss on the hand.Elizabethwatched while his “mask” shuttered his eyes; he responded politely but minimally, he briefly touched Miss Hampton’s hand with his own, and then he openly took Elizabeth’s hand in his, clutching it and lifting it to his lips. As he proceeded to introduce the ladies,Elizabethsmiled kindly at Miss Hampton and said, “It is always so nice for me to meet a friend of Fitzwilliam’s.”
Miss Hampton’s eyes were riveted on Darcy kissing his wife’s hand, and she snatched her own hand back and blushed. She rallied a bit and said, “Yes, we arevery dearfriends. Verylongtime, dear friends.”
Miss Hampton finally moved far enough away for Darcy to say to Elizabeth, “I guess we are very dear friends because I danced with her one time three years ago and ignored her during the entirety of the house party she mentioned, two years ago.”
He shook his head, clearly bothered by the encounter, butElizabethmurmured, “She may truly have had hopes for you, darling. And why would she not? You are the best of men, and tolerably handsome as well.”
Elizabeth won a more relaxed husband and a huge grin for her efforts, and many onlookers gasped at the unfamiliar sight of Mr. Darcy smiling.
During one encounter, however, it was Elizabeth who lost her smile: she spotted Bingley dressed in a cobalt blue coat and tri-colored waistcoat, looking just as handsome as ever and smiling just as broadly as ever. He hurried over to Darcy andElizabethand greeted them with his usual amiable manner. And then he introduced them to the woman on his arm. Sarah Coddingsworth was tall, slender, blond, and graceful. She had a serene smile and a soft voice as she said, “How do you do?” with a graceful curtsey.
Elizabeth was everything polite and evenmoderatelywarm, but she did notmuchapprove of Bingley, and she did not quite manage to pretend todoso. Darcy squeezed her hand, comforting her as she had him. When they finally reached the privacy of their box, Darcy asked, “Are youwell?”
Elizabethsighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. “Yes, I suppose that I am. I was so sure I knew how Jane and Mr. Bingley felt about one another, and I am now sure I misreadboth of them. I feel I shall never be able to trust my judgment about people again.”
