Page 10 of Mr. Darcy and the Mysterious "Miss B"
They walked past a few houses when a voice came.
“Lydia!”
It was her. Elizabeth Bennet.
He turned and saw her rushing their way.
“Faith, Lydia. Aunt Phillips is all in a bother. What are you doing going off on your own? And you,” she rounded on him. “Mr Darcy, to be walking with a young woman in such a manner. Have you no regard for her reputation?”
What in the world was she suggesting?
He stood straight, his bristles up.
“I assure you, Miss Bennet, my intentions were proper. Your sister was quite distressed, and in public and I thought –”
“I see, you thought you would ensure she does not make a spectacle of herself. How very kind,” she said, the words more a hiss than anything else.
“Lizzy, no.” Lydia said. “My Darcy was most kind. He meant to –”
Elizabeth grabbed her sister by the arm.
“Whatever Mr Darcy meant, it is neither kind nor welcome. Come now, before Aunt Phillips calls the constable to help find you. Good day, sir,” she said and with that, she escorted her sister away, leaving Darcy with no option but to stand and stare after them, his nerves fluttering with her unkind insinuation.
To think he had meant to apologise to her.
It was preposterous. No, he had been right in his assessment both of this town and of its inhabitants.
The sooner they could depart for London, the better.
Chapter 4
Elizabeth
As soon as they were out of Mr Darcy’s sight, Lydia wrenched her arm free from Elizabeth’s grip.
“How could you speak to him that way?” she demanded, her voice rising with indignation. “He was nothing but kind to me, Lizzy. Nothing but kind!”
Elizabeth stopped, glaring at her foolish sister. “Lydia, you cannot walk away unaccompanied and then accept the escort of a gentleman. What will people think?”
“What will people think?” Lydia’s eyes flashed with anger. “What about what really happened? Don’t you care about that at all?”
“Of course I care, but—”
“No, you don’t!” Lydia’s voice cracked. “You saw me with Mr Darcy and immediately assumed the worst of both of us. You did not ask. You just saw an opportunity to be horrid to a man you have already decided to dislike.”
Elizabeth took a step back. This was not like her sister. Well. It was like the old Lydia. But the one who had spent the last six months devoid of levity, quiet and withdrawn? This was most unusual for her.
“That is not… I did not…”
“Yes, you did.” Lydia’s chin lifted defiantly. “Mr Darcy found me crying by the churchyard. I was sad about Papa, ifyou must know. About how awful and silly I was to him before he died, how I never begged his pardon for being so selfish and demanding. Mr Darcy offered me his handkerchief and sat with me. He told me about losing his own father and how he understood the guilt I felt. He has a sister my age, and he was worried about me being alone.”
Elizabeth’s stomach lurched with shame. “Lydia, I did not know—”
“Because you did not ask!” Lydia’s voice broke. “He walked me back to find Aunt Phillips because he said it was not proper for me to be unaccompanied. And what did you do? You accused him of taking advantage and insulted his character when he was doing exactly what any decent gentleman should do.”
“I thought he was criticising our family,” Elizabeth said weakly.
“Well, he was not. He was being kinder to me than anyone has been since Papa died.” Tears streamed down Lydia’s face again. “And now he probably thinks we are a wretched lot of miserable girls, thanks to you.”
