Page 16 of Fitzwilliam Darcy Undone
Miss Bingley, believing she had finally captured his undivided attention, begged him to explain his comment.
You should have stayed silent cousin.
Aren’t you dining with Colonel Foster?
I am, but it’s much more fun to watch you fumble around Miss Bennet. Now you’ve created a conundrum.
If you hadn’t mentioned how the candlelight illuminated Elizabeth’s figure, I’d have had better control of my thoughts.
He could still hear his cousin laughing even though Richard stopped their conversation. When Miss Bingley asked Elizabeth if she understood the meaning of Mr. Darcy’s comment, Lizzy replied by saying, “Not at all, but depend upon it, he means to be severe on us, and our surest way of disappointing him will be to ask nothing about it.”
The minx! She was so artfully clever. In a few words she’d lofted a soft tease toward him and had egged on Miss Bingley’s obsession. Given the horrified look on Miss Bingley’s face, he knew she had no idea that Elizabeth practically had her in leading strings and directed her at will. He caught Hurst’s crooked grin. He obviously understood what Elizabeth was about and approved. Miss Bingley, completely incapable of disappointing him as Lizzy suggested, asked him again to explain his comment. Knowing she would take it as a compliment toward her own person, he granted her reprieve. But, his sole purpose in the way he crafted his answer was to let Elizabeth know how much he admiredher, and not her walking companion.
“I have not the smallest objection to explaining them. You either choose this method of passing the evening because you are in each other’s confidence -not likely, given Elizabeth’s subtle scorn for the you and your sister- or because you are conscious that your figures appear to the greatest advantage in walking.And I do appreciate your figure, Miss Elizabeth in more ways than one.If the first, I should be completely in your way. And, if the second, I can admire you much better as I sit by the fire.”
While Miss Bingley had almost fainted over his comment, Lizzy stayed and teased him once more before excusing herself for the evening. When Darcy returned his attention back to his book at her exit, Miss Bingley called for music. The following day, after he and Charles had returned from another inspection of the estate, he’d inadvertently stumbled across Elizabeth in the library. In an effort to keep his hands, lips and tongue to himself, he sought the chair opposite her, opened his book and pretended to read. Almost an hour passed before she politely excused herself and vacated the room leaving him with his thoughts once more. It was only after she left that he realized his book was upside down.
She and her sister returned to Longbourn tomorrow after church and he was half hope, half agony over the aspect. Agony he would not see her every day, hope that his dealings with Wickham would finally be brought to a satisfying conclusion and he could begin to understand his obsession with Elizabeth.
~~oo0oo~~
“I hope, my dear, that you have ordered a good dinner today, because I have reason to expect an addition to our family party.”
Lizzy and Jane had returned home the day prior and were once again gathered with their family around the breakfast table. At her father’s comment, Mama immediately assumed it might be Charlotte Lucas, seeing as their daughters had finally come home to roost. When Papa said the caller would be a gentleman and a stranger, she’d jumped to yet another incorrect assumption of Mr. Bingley. Lizzy turned to face Papa; her brow furrowed. She knew it couldn’t be Mr. Bingley as he was not a stranger, but Mama was so focused on the young man becoming her son-in-law she couldn’t see past that obsession.
With a few gentle misdirection’s, Papa finally revealed their visitor was a distant cousin, whom he’d never met, and he’d be arriving that very day at precisely four o’clock. Unfortunately, he also revealed Mr. Collins was the person who would inherit Longbourn upon his death and could, if he so desired, turn them out of the house as soon as he pleased.
Lizzy thought Mama was about to faint for real this time, as she called for her salts and waved a lace handkerchief about her face.
Papa!
I am sorry, daughter. I shall read her the letter and try to set her mind at rest
For a moment Lizzy sat in shock. Never before had she communicated with someone solely with her mind. The sensation was... beautiful. All she could do was bask in this new found knowledge and barely heard the remaining contents of the letter. Fortunately, there was much discussion following breakfast and she was brought up to speed fairly quick by her mother and sisters.
Precisely at four o’clock a small conveyance rumbled onto the graveled drive of Longbourn bearing Mr. Collins and his solitary trunk. At first glance there was nothing untoward about the young man, the exception being that he had all the grace of a gangly youth still not used to his height. He tripped stepping out of the carriage, losing his hat in the ensuing chaos and stumbled directly into Mama, tearing the small flounce at the bottom of her skirt. With many apologies, accompanied by low bowing, Mr. Collins eventually made his way into the front parlor where she and Jane attempted to hush Lydia and Kitty, who had fallen into a laughing fit. Mary, bless her, sat composedly near the window in quiet contemplation.
Any good will she held for Mr. Collins soon disappeared as his eye roved over not only the walls and belongings of Longbourn, but also the eldest daughter. His attention became more marked and unwillingly bestowed until Mama, after dinner, quietly mentioned how fortunate they were that Jane was very soon to be engaged. Even Lizzy had to hide a smirk at how his face had fallen into a look of abject misery until Mama whispered something in his ear and he turned his hound dog gaze in her direction.
No, no, no, no
Surely Mama did not mean her to be the sole sacrifice upon the alter of Longbourn. Only this morning she’d held the man in high disdain. Now, she could not speak enough good things about the bumbling fool. Papa was no help as his humor ran high with the banalities which flowed from Mr. Collins’ mouth like the great Euphrates. Even she had been caught up in the ridiculous conversation, until she’d been thrown beneath the carriage by her mother. The very next day Lydia demanded they all go to Meryton as it was market day and she desired to see if Mr. Denny had returned from London. Any hope of walking to the village with only her sisters was crushed when Papa, tired of Mr. Collins intruding upon his leisure and tranquility, invited him to attend the ladies.
Declaring himself to be a better walker than a reader, Mr. Collins jumped at the chance to join his fair cousins, and more specifically, attach himself to Lizzy. He attempted to take her arm, but she clasped her hands behind her back and strode off with Jane. Undaunted, he stuck by her side until even Lydia noticed, who began to tease her mercilessly. Frustrated beyond measure, she couldn’t stop the following thought.
Not another word unless it is about something educational.
“Did you know that every year a tree grows it produces a small ring around its circumference?” Lydia spouted, quite out of the blue. She stopped, mouth agape and Kitty giggled.
Grateful her sister had ceased teasing, for the moment, Lizzy reflected on the power of her thoughts. Such a dangerous thing if not controlled. She’d have to tell Papa of this when they returned home. Lately her ‘powers’ seem magnified, as though some unseen force had tapped into her psyche causing an abundance of energy. Other than the company at Netherfield Park and the ____shire militia taking up residence near Meryton, there was nothing new in the surrounding area to strike the spark.
“That is so true, Cousin Lydia, and the trees around Rosings Park where Lady Catherine resides are magnificent. I would guess them to be a hundred years old, which means there would be a multitude of rings.”
“Yes, about a hundred, I would presume,” Mary offered in an odd dry tone.
Lizzy couldn’t be sure, but it almost sounded as though her younger sister also found Mr. Collins dull as dishwater. She looped her arm through Mary’s and squeezed as they continued on to Meryton. Jane joined them by taking her other arm, leaving Mr. Collins to walk alone behind. Lydia and Kitty, keeping an eagle eye for officers, were met with success when they spotted Mr. Denny and surged ahead. But the attention of every lady was soon caught by a young man, whom they’d never seen before. As they came closer, Lizzy was captured by his gentlemanlike appearance. Mr. Denny was quick to introduce them to his friend as Mr. Wickham who, he was happy to say, had accepted a commission in their corps.
In the eyes of Lydia and Kitty, Mr. Wickham rose in estimation at the thought of him being in decked out with a red coat. Even Lizzy felt a faint fluttering in her chest at the thought, because the more they spoke with Mr. Wickham, the more she came to appreciate his fine countenance and pleasing manners. He had all the best parts of beauty, for a man, and this was exactly as it should be, for a young man wanted only regimentals to make him completely charming. For once she was in agreement with her younger, silly sisters, although she did the best she could to rein in their excitement, having a modicum of success, but just barely as she was almost as distracted as them.
