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“I thought you did not believe in such a thing,” Elliot said.
“I believe in what I can witness,” Charlie replied. “And there is no denying that there is something between you and Darcy, one can feel it when in the same room as you, almost like something connecting between you.” He paused. “Lady Catherine witnessed it. She was not happy. It was why she sent Darcy away on that errand.”
“What was the errand?”
“An opportunity to try and convince him to mate with Anne,” Charlie said, and Elliot gasped.
“You are sure?”
“Lady Catherine has been trying to years to convince them they should be together. She does not realise that Darcy will mate with a male and Anne with a female given the chance, that is where their desires lie. Besides, they have a strong friendship which would not translate well into a love affair.”
Elliot nodded at that even as his mind was filled with the conversations he had shared with Wickham, the inconsistencies which were now so obvious, the way Bingley had spoken to him, how he had avoided the Netherfield ball, his pursuit of Miss King the moment she came into her fortune…
“I believe Darcy in this matter,” he finally said.
“And on Jack?”
“He is wrong in what he has done,” Elliot said slowly. “But he has done it for what he believes are the right reasons.”
“There is no apology in the letter though,” Charlie said. “His style is not penitent, but haughty. It is all pride and insolence.”
Elliot laughed though there was little humour in it. “Darcy is pride and insolence.”
“And yet you like him.”
Elliot took a deep breath and the pain in his chest seemed to ache even the more for it. “I do, Charlie. I have tried very hard not to, but it is impossible.”
“This part of the letter here…” Charlie said, and they read it through once more, and then again. They discussed each line, each word, so that before long the day started to darken, and tea was called for.
“So, what now, Elliot?” Charlie eventually asked. “What will you do now?”
“For now, I am considering how I have acted,” Elliot said slowly. “How out of character it has been for me, or if in character, then I need to consider whether there is work to be done on myself as well as work on others!”
“And Jack?”
He sighed again because seeing it all in words, written out like from the pages of a book, and Darcy’s thoughts and actions included, he began to consider everything in a new light. “I cannot deny the justice of Darcy’s descriptions of Jack either,” he said slowly. “His feeling though fervent were rarely displayed. You commented on it yourself.”
“I did,” Charlie agreed.
“And the comments on my family…”
“You do not need to consider those,” Charlie said quickly.
“But I do,” Elliot replied, and he felt such agonies at that consideration beyond any he had felt before. “Of course, I do, as they are all accurate, mortifying but accurate.” He paused. “Look at how my mama behaved when news of your engagement was announced.”
“She was certainly…spirited!”
“She is lacking in all propriety,” Elliot said. “They all are. Their actions, their words. They have no sense of the impact their behaviour has on myself and Jack. I have thought it many times and never voiced it!” He paused. “They are my family though?—”.
Charlie patted his hand. “And Darcy wanted to mate with you regardless.”
“Yes,” Elliot said. “He did.”
And he could not get that thought out of his mind, not that evening, not the night, and not in the days that followed before he was to leave Hunsford. Were Darcy’s feelings so fervent that he would ignore the behaviour of Elliot’s relatives? Shackle himself to them regardless? If that was the case, then that would mean he really did believe them to be fated mates…
Mr. Collins took Elliot aside before he left and spoke to him with a kindness that betrayed some information having been shared by his husband. Elliot did not mind.
“I know not, dear cousin,” he said, “whether Charlie has yet expressed his sense of your kindness in coming to us, but I am very certain you will not leave the house without receiving his thanks for it. The favour of your company has been much felt, I assure you. We know how little there is to tempt anyone to our humble abode. Our plain manner of living, our small rooms and few domestics, and the little we see of the world, must make Hunsford extremely dull to a young man like yourself, but I hope you will believe us grateful for the condescension, and that we have done everything in our power to prevent your spending your time unpleasantly.”
