The Gypsy Blessing (17 page)

While Jane’s admirer was attractive in his finely tailored blue coat, he was not nearly so handsome as his friend, who was looking at the Elizabeth in the picture in a way that made her heart flutter. She traced the line of his jaw with her finger and blushed.

“I look forward to seeing you again soon, Mr. Darcy.”

~%~

September 27, 1811

Upon her mother’s return from the village of Meryton, Elizabeth could see from the twinkle in her mother’s eyes that she was practically bursting with excitement. Even before all the family was seated, Mrs. Bennet exclaimed, “You will never guess what I have learned from my sister Phillips, my dears—Netherfield Park is let at last! To a Mr. Bingley... a single gentleman of four or five thousand a year, at least!” Mrs. Bennet clapped her hands. “He will do nicely for one of our girls, will he not, Mr. Bennet?”

“How do you know that he is not a rake or a numbskull, my dear?”

“Oh, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Phillips met him when he signed the lease. My brother reports that Mr. Bingley is a gentleman of the highest calibre.” Mrs. Bennet sat taller in her seat, nodding.

“Well then, if Phillips has spent all of an hour or two in Mr. Bingley’s presence, I am sure he must be aware of all there is to know about the young man.” Mr. Bennet caught Elizabeth’s eye and winked.

Mrs. Bennet ignored her husband’s statement. “Mr. Bingley is to take possession just after Michaelmas. Already the butcher has received an order to be delivered on Monday next. Jane! I am so relieved I had the presence of mind to have your new gown ready before the assembly ball on Wednesday.”

Mr. Bennet raised his eyebrows. “Has Mr. Bingley agreed to attend already, even before he enters the neighbourhood?”

“You speak nonsense, my dear. I do not know whether he is aware of the ball at all, but surely he will come and meet his new neighbours.”

“If you say so,” Mr. Bennet replied.

When Mrs. Bennet went on to itemize Mr. Bingley’s order from the butcher, Mr. Bennet removed to his study. After a while, Mrs. Bennet said, “I do not like to think that your father might be correct, girls, but I begin to wonder if Mr. Bingley will attend the ball. After all, it is scheduled only two days after his arrival at Netherfield.”

Elizabeth lowered her head to attend her embroidery in order to hide her smile.
Oh, I am sure he will attend, Mama, and he will bring friends, as well.

Chapter 11

October 1, 1811 ~ Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire

Shortly after his arrival in Hertfordshire, Darcy found his friend and host, Mr. Charles Bingley, with Bingley’s family in the parlour. Bingley soon announced that their party would be attending an assembly ball on the morrow.

“Really, Charles,” exclaimed Bingley’s eldest sister, Mrs. Louisa Hurst. “After being accustomed to the finest society in London, I am certain none amongst the present company would enjoy such an event. Must you be so willing to embrace the locals’ customs?”

“Yes, I must—as should you, Louisa, for my sake. Since arriving here, I have met several gentlemen, and I would like to get to know them better and meet their families. The mayor of Meryton himself, Sir William Lucas, gifted us tickets to the ball to make us feel welcomed to the area.”

Bingley’s other sister, Miss Caroline Bingley, asked, “Does Sir William have an unmarried daughter, perhaps?” She exchanged an amused glance with Mrs. Hurst.

“Two, in fact, although I think Miss Lucas is the only one out in society. Both are remarkably pleasant young ladies.”

“He brought his unmarried daughters with him to meet you?” Mrs. Hurst asked with a snicker. “How typical of unpolished society.”

“No, he did not. I met most of his family when I rode into the village today, just before your arrival, Darcy.”

Darcy asked, “You have already accepted the invitation?” At Bingley’s nod, Darcy continued, “Then I shall accompany you. There is no way of declining now without proffering insult.”

Miss Bingley smiled too sweetly. “Your show of support for a friend’s blunder is proof of your superior breeding, Mr. Darcy.”

Bingley raised his brows in surprise. “Blunder? These are my neighbours, Caroline—
our
neighbours, since you will act as hostess here. How could I disregard such a particular invitation?”

“By saying that we are too fatigued from our journey or that we are too busy setting up house, Charles.” Mrs. Hurst sniffed. “I am certain we would have been excused from this savage occasion.”

“Fatigued? Did we not, at your insistence, send an army of servants ahead to open the house and unpack our belongings? I daresay, even the most delicate lady would not require more than three days to recover from travelling a mere three hours in a well-sprung coach. I cannot agree—my neighbours would think us deceitful if I followed your recommendation.”

“You are correct, Bingley,” Darcy stated, knowing the ladies would stop abusing their brother with
his
proclamation of agreement.

Since entering the county of Hertfordshire, Darcy had experienced an odd mixture of hopeful anticipation and anxious apprehension at the chance that Elizabeth Bennet might live near his friend’s estate. Now that the required knowledge was only a question away, or so he hoped, his need to
know
became urgent. Should he expect his visit here to be spent in as much ease as could be afforded whilst staying in the same household as Bingley’s social-climbing, marriage-minded sister? Or, in addition, would the majority of his days be utterly consumed by an attempt to steel himself against the compelling wealth of Elizabeth’s charms? The nagging, unanswered question as to which he would prefer would no longer matter once he
knew
.

Darcy could sit still no longer. He stood and crossed the room to a side-table where refreshments had been laid out. Pouring himself a brandy, he kept his voice even as he asked, “Tell us about the neighbours you have met, Bingley, so we may know what to expect tomorrow evening.”

Bingley’s countenance brightened. “It is too bad you were not here earlier in the day so you could have met them yourself, Darcy. I must say they are all quite agreeable in their own ways and eager to make our acquaintance. As you know, we arrived yesterday morning, and the first of the visitors came as soon as the clock struck an appropriate hour today. Sir William, the gentleman I spoke of earlier, is a jolly sort and had much to say of his time spent at court at St. James—even offered to introduce me ‘round the next time we are both in Town, which I thought rather accommodating. He and Mr. Bennet came together, or at least they were shown in at the same time. Caroline, you were at the window as they came up the drive; did they arrive together?”

Bennet!
It could be a different family—an uncle, perhaps.
Darcy’s posture was always absolutely correct in company; therefore, the further stiffening of his spine was hardly noticeable.

Embarrassed at being caught snooping, Miss Bingley coloured slightly and nodded.

“I am especially looking forward to meeting the remainder of the Bennet family at the ball,” Bingley continued. “Sir William assured me that the five daughters of Mr. Bennet are quite beautiful—the ‘jewels of the county’ were his exact words—especially the eldest two. Since most people tend to think that their own offspring outshine all others, I daresay these Bennets must be extraordinarily handsome for Sir William to say such a thing about another family. Mr. Bennet himself was quite the gentleman and of good humour—I had the impression that he found amusement in much of what Sir William said. Mr. Bennet told me himself that he is magistrate of the area.”

Darcy sighed and feigned interest as Bingley went on to give details about his other visitors, but Darcy’s attention was no longer on the information his friend shared.
Five daughters... it is the same family.
Surely, Elizabeth will be in attendance tomorrow night.

~%~

October 2, 1811

Mrs. Bennet inspected her daughters’ appearances as the orchestra played the short tune that signaled the dancing would soon begin. Hesitating when she came to her second eldest, she said, “I had not noticed before, but you look remarkably well this evening, Lizzy. You have done your hair differently, I think.”

“Thank you, Mama. I attempted to imitate a style that Miss Darcy’s maid had achieved whilst I was staying with her at Ramsgate,” Elizabeth answered.

Her mother nodded. “It suits you well, dear. Do not waste it. I hear tell that the eldest son of Mrs. King will bring along a friend from London—a gentleman of two thousand a year. Perhaps you will put yourself forward for once?” Mrs. Bennet raised her eyebrows. “Take advantage of your dance with Mr. King and garner an introduction, for the sake of your sisters if not your own. You need not concern yourself with Mr. Bingley—I am certain Jane’s beauty will win Mr. Bingley’s heart instantly. Five thousand a year!”

Elizabeth smiled politely. When Mrs. Bennet moved on to speak to Lydia, Elizabeth turned to Jane and rolled her eyes.

“You did spend a great deal of time preparing for this evening,” Jane observed, cocking her head to the side.

Now that they were at the assembly rooms and with the assurance that the drawing of Jane and Mr. Bingley was safely tucked away at home, Elizabeth found she could not contain her excitement one moment longer about whom
she
would meet tonight. “Oh, Jane! I received a drawing that showed Mr. Dar—” She stopped abruptly when Mr. Gordon and Mr. King approached and bowed before them.

“Good evening, ladies,” Mr. Gordon stated as he held out his hand. “Miss Bennet, I believe this is our dance.”

With a look of apology directed at her sister, Jane took Mr. Gordon’s hand.

“Miss Elizabeth,” Mr. King offered his arm. Although upon seeing the latest drawing, her fleeting hopes for actually opening the ball with Darcy had long since passed, Elizabeth glanced towards the entrance as she allowed Mr. King to lead her to the dance floor.

~%~

Darcy felt quite foolish. He had no excuse—or at least none that he cared to share—for his harsh remark to Bingley’s silly sisters after Mrs. Hurst had admitted she and her sister had purposely delayed their departure to the assembly ball due to their wish to arrive
fashionably late
.

When they finally reached the ballroom, he was happy that all in attendance stopped to witness the newcomers’ arrival. If all had been in motion, it would have been much more difficult to search the crowd seeking a certain young lady.

His gaze swept the crowd until he met Elizabeth’s gaze. Even from across the room, he could see the light in her fine eyes sparkle with recognition. Her lips slowly spread into a brilliant smile that he chose to believe was in response to his presence. The relief that came over him took him by surprise—he had not realized that he had been suffocating with his longing to see her again, but now, the act of filling his lungs with air seemed to come more easily.

Is it possible that Elizabeth is even more handsome than when I last saw her, when I handed her into the carriage as she departed Darcy House?
He looked away at this thought and reminded himself,
I must not think along this line.
Friend! She is nothing more than a friend.
Like a moth to a flame, his gaze returned to Elizabeth.

The music began again, and Elizabeth turned her attention to her dance partner. Darcy tore his gaze from her when Bingley introduced him to Sir William Lucas, but he could not prevent his eyes from returning to Elizabeth’s form once he had paid his respects to the gentleman. She gracefully wended her way through the steps required of the dance.

Sir William led Bingley from one party to another, offering introductions. Darcy followed. These country gentlemen were, in a way, both different from and similar to those he met on a regular basis as magistrate in Derbyshire. By the inferior cut and quality of their coats and the lack of polish in their manner, he recognized the natives of Hertfordshire to be less wealthy than those of his home county, but the discussions he overheard as they talked amongst themselves were much the same as in any farming community.

While listening to several men speaking of a problem with irrigation, part of Darcy felt compelled to join in the conversation, but his natural reticence held him back. After running an estate the size of Pemberley,
he
probably knew more about planting and animals than all of these older men combined. Nevertheless, he would pass along his information in his own way, and without inconveniencing himself in the slightest, for Darcy knew that in teaching Bingley, he was teaching as many of them as would listen to the amiable gentleman. His friend would happily share all his newfound knowledge with his neighbours in time.

As the music ended, his attention returned to Elizabeth. Her partner left her at the side of an older lady, most likely her mother. The matron spoke a few words, and Darcy was surprised to see the woman publicly display annoyance with Elizabeth’s answer. Close enough to see Elizabeth’s colour deepen, somehow he knew she was about to glance his way. To save her some embarrassment at his witnessing the incident, he diverted his gaze to feign interest in Bingley’s conversation with Mr. Goulding. Darcy did not need to see her to detect that he was right; a moment later, he could
feel
Elizabeth’s eyes upon him.

Sir William and Bingley moved on to the next group of introductions, drawing closer to Elizabeth. The older lady’s words and the tone of her voice were clear enough now. Elizabeth was being dressed down by her mother for failing to gain an introduction to a gentleman!

Though the ladies of the
ton
were not nearly so bold or so obvious as this woman, he had overheard several conversations such as this in London—some even about himself.

Since he had seen no one from the first circle in attendance, he felt safe in thinking that he was probably the best
catch
here this evening and decided to rescue Elizabeth from this scolding. Bowing, he excused himself from his company and walked directly towards Elizabeth.

It was plain to see that Elizabeth was mortified as her mother spoke in an increasingly vigorous tone of voice.

“I told you to beg Mr. King for an introduction to his friend. Why can you not be like your sisters, Elizabeth, and do as I say? When your father is dead, Mr. Collins will turn us all out of Longbourn to starve in the hedgerows, and it will do you no good to change your ways
then
. You must not expect to depend upon me for support, my dear, for I will have little enough to live on myself. You shall have to do your share to catch a husband
now,
Lizzy, before it is too late!”

Jane’s eyes widened as she noticed Mr. Darcy walking towards them. “Mama—”

Mrs. Bennet would not be interrupted. “Why is it you cannot understand what you must do
?
This headstrong attitude of yours and your wild ways must end now or—”

Jane touched her mother’s arm. In an urgent tone, she whispered, “Mama!” The matron finally stopped speaking and turned in the direction that Jane was looking.

Darcy stopped before Elizabeth and bowed. The sisters curtsied, but Elizabeth did not raise her gaze from the floorboards.

Jane addressed him, “Mr. Darcy! How pleasant to find you in Hertfordshire, sir. May I introduce my mother, Mrs. Bennet. Mama, this is Mr. Darcy of Derbyshire.”

Darcy bowed his head at the same time he sensed Bingley come up beside him.

Mrs. Bennet curtsied. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Darcy. I have heard much about my daughters’ friend, Miss Darcy. Is she your sister, perhaps?”