Mary looked at his expression in an attempt to gauge just how disappointing his news would be. Based on what she saw, she braced herself for something very bad, indeed. “I will not be able to accompany you back to Hertfordshire as I had planned. A couple of disputes have arisen in the last day that require my direct attention. The issues are complex and could take weeks to untangle.”
Mary felt her heart break just a little at the thought of being separated from Gregory. Ever since that memorable drive, when their hearts had been laid bare to each other, when they had begun to plan their future together, she had seen him for multiple hours every day.
If he could not return with her, she was not certain she wished to go. “Perhaps, I should stay as well, then,” she said. “It has been a delightful week, and I would not mind extending my stay.”
Gregory gently pressed the hand that was resting in the crook of his elbow. “You know that will not work, Mary,” he said. “You have arrangements to make at Braydon Hall as well as shopping that needs to be done that cannot be done here.”
As he spoke, Mary felt tears spring to her eyes. Gregory stopped walking and turned her so they faced each other. “I will miss you, too, Mary,” he said as he wiped away one of the tears that trickled down her cheek.
Despite being out in the open where everyone could see, Mary desperately put her arms around Gregory and buried her head in his chest, letting her tears fall and allowing a few sobs to escape.
She felt his arms go around her in return, one of them around her shoulders and the other cradling her head. She smelled his scent as it surrounded her. She was home and safe in his arms, and she did not wish to leave the comfort of being there…but she knew she must.
Gathering in courage and strength, she pulled away from her fiancé, her beloved, and she looked up in his face. Concern and love were etched into his features, and she knew that this man returned her love in full force, that he would miss her as much as she would miss him.
Gregory brushed his thumb across her cheek in the gentlest of caresses. “You are always so strong, Mary, that I sometimes forget how very deep your feelings run. I can only say that I am the most blessed man in the kingdom to have won the love of such an amazing woman.”
He bent down and kissed her cheek. Then, he placed her hand back on his arm, and they continued their walk.
“I shall join you in Hertfordshire as soon as possible,” he said. “Mid- November at the latest, though I am hoping it will besooner. At least we were able to get the marriage contract settled before coming here, so that is one less thing that remains to be taken care of.”
Mary merely nodded, her heart too full to be able to comprehend more mundane matters in that moment.
The next day, Mary and Kitty boarded her carriage to return to Hertfordshire.
When Mary returned to Braydon Manor, most of the news of the neighborhood concerned their new neighbor and his guests. Apparently Mr. Bingley had invited not only his sisters and brother-in-law, but Mr. Darcy as well.
Mary knew who Mr. Darcy was, of course. During her two seasons in London, she had come across him at least a dozen times, though they had only conversed briefly a few times. What she was hearing about him, however, did not match what she knew of him from Mary’s good friend, Lady Matlock, who often bragged about how good a man her nephew had grown to be. Nor did it match her own observations. He had never been particularly lively, but he seemed friendly enough with those he was familiar with.
According to Elizabeth and several other people, Mr. Darcy was the proudest man alive, unwilling to even look at anyone in the neighborhood, much less talk to them. Mrs. Bennet had even gone on at length about how the man had sat near Mrs. Long for an entire half hour without even murmuring a greeting.
Unable to reconcile the two very different accounts she had heard of the man, she resolved to observe him the next time they were in company together.
It didn’t take long for such an opportunity to arise. Only a few days after Mary’s return from Eastbourne, Sir William Lucasheld an evening party at his home. It was not exactly a dinner party, more of a soiree with refreshments laid out and guests expected to entertain themselves by mingling.
The event gave Mary the opportunity to meet Mr. Bingley and his family. She found the young gentleman to be exactly what everyone claimed: cheerful, friendly, and easily pleased. He had nothing but good things to say about his new home and neighborhood, though his attention was clearly more on Jane than anyone or anything else.
Miss Bingley was a bit harder to make out. She clearly felt herself to be above such chaotic, poorly dressed company, but she was friendly enough toward Mary and even toward Jane. Mary suspected that the young lady was quite accomplished at presenting two different faces to the world depending on who she was interacting with.
Mary watched Mr. Darcy for well over half the evening, and the exercise yielded some interesting conclusions. He was exhibiting all the symptoms of pride that everyone had accused him of. For example, he only spoke to those of his party for the most part, though when someone was brave enough to greet him, he responded with civility.
Additionally, however, Mary could detect a bit of discomfort guiding his actions. She supposed it was to be expected. He was out of his natural habitat, and it made sense that he would be uncomfortable in such a situation. Mary was familiar enough with the elegant and highly ordered lifestyles of the very wealthy, and when she looked at her neighbors with that perspective in mind, she could see that there was quite a difference between them and those with whom Mr. Darcy associated.
The final thing she noticed almost made her laugh out loud. The entire neighborhood, and especially Elizabeth, was convinced that the man found Mary’s sister to be intolerable. Infact, the opposite was true. Mary noticed at least three separate instances of the man deliberately standing near Elizabeth simply so he could listen to her conversation with others. When he was not listening to her, his eyes were occasionally drawn to her in a way that was likely involuntary.
Mr. Darcy was attracted to Elizabeth.
Mary had been around enough gentlemen, especially entitled spoiled gentlemen like Mr. Darcy, to know that attraction did not always lead to love, and love did not always lead to marriage, so she did not automatically assume that the young man was seriously inclined towards Elizabeth despite his obvious admiration.
Mary also wasn’t entirely certain, even if Mr. Darcy made his attraction known to Elizabeth, that she would respond positively. Certainly, Mr. Darcy was handsome, and certainly he was wealthy, but Elizabeth had her own brand of pride, which had been wounded by Mr. Darcy’s insult.
Mary surmised that what was actually preventing Mr. Darcy from seeking the company of the woman he clearly admired was his own pride. He likely thought Elizabeth poor, at least in terms of dowry, for Mary had never made it known in Hertfordshire that she planned to contribute to her sisters’ dowries. If he had heard anything at all of the Bennets, he was likely aware of their poor connections, namely Mrs. Bennet’s sister who was the wife of a country solicitor and her brother who was a tradesman in London. This, too, would be a massive deterrent to a man such as Mr. Darcy.
The problem was that his actions were based on incomplete information. Though it was unknown, Elizabeth did have a reasonable dowry, entirely appropriate to her station in life. Additionally, though she had some poorer connections, she also had some very high connections, namely Mary, whosefinancial worth and friendships were far above anyone in the neighborhood, and Mary’s fiancé, the future Marquess of Glyndebourne.
Mary decided that her best course of action would be to clear up Mr. Darcy’s misunderstandings so that he could then proceed in whatever way he chose. There was no guarantee that he would seek out Elizabeth’s company, but at least he would no longer belabor under misapprehensions.
Once she had made this decision, she made her way toward the man. As she came into his line of sight, she could see that he was surprised to see her. Since she was short, she often passed unnoticed in a crowd, so he must not have been aware of her presence.
