He leaned in and whispered,“Your sister described the signs and instructed me to do that.”
He stood straight and offered his arm. “I can see this carriage has run away with us, and we both need to be moving tomake sense of it—you more than me. May I have the pleasure, Elizabeth?”
She smiled. “I hate to be rude but—”
“Do not hold back on our account,” Mrs Gardiner said.
“Bingley, if you would be so kind, I would ask you to stay the night,” Darcy said. “You may leave in the morning if you care to, but I would feel churlish sending you out so late. Mr and Mrs Gardiner, are you of a mind to accept the invitation?”
“Much as we would like to, I feel it would not be quite correct”, Mr Gardiner said.
“How so?”
Gardiner stepped closer and spoke softly enough for only Darcy, Elizabeth, and his wife to hear.
“You two have painted yourselves into a corner, and you need room to manoeuvre. You cannot have your intended staying in your home; if we retain our present lodgings, you retain all options.”
“Understandable. Should you prefer to return to the inn or go inside for refreshments?”
“I trust Mrs Reynolds to see to our needs. Go take your walk before Lizzy starts chewing her fingernails, which I can assure you is an experience you may wish to defer,” Mrs Gardiner replied.
Mr Gardiner added, “Should we send a footman? You know the stakes.”
“I have walked alone with Mr Darcy in the past, and I expect to do so in future, regardless of how we resolve his suggestion. I will be fine.”
“Very well. Off with you,” he said kindly, and raised his voice. “Mr and Miss Bingley, shall we see what Mrs Reynolds has prepared?”
Painting Corners
For the first half-hour of the walk, Elizabeth and Darcy did not discuss anything of particular note, unconcerned about the rest of the party.
Darcy spent the time telling her about the paths they crossed, where they led, their relative elevation, the length of the loop, what sights could be seen, and whether a hypothetical stubborn lady walking alone could safely see the house and find her way back if, completely hypothetically, she walked longer than planned and it grew dark or cold, or rained. Elizabeth found it all diverting and instructive.
They came to a steep slope of a few hundred yards, and he paused, silently offering the question. She accepted the challenge with a nod, and they carried on. After 10 minutes of hard climbing, they arrived at the top panting and sweating, but otherwise composed. He asked if she would be opposed to a small surprise.
She agreed, so he asked her to cover her eyes, as though not quite trusting himself to perform the office, and led her to a wooden bench and helped her sit.
“Open your eyes, Elizabeth.”
She did as bid and sighed happily. “That is the fairest prospect I have ever seen.”
“I thought you might appreciate it. The building on the left is the orangery. I think you would like it, especially when it is raining. It seems like a magical place from a fairy tale. The music room Mrs Reynolds showed you is the farthest window on the left on the second floor. The portrait gallery is on the far side of the house.”
“The music room was wonderful. May I blithely assume your mother is responsible for everything except the new pianoforte?”
Darcy chuckled. “You can recognise my mother’s handiwork?”
“Of course! As I suspect you know, Georgie gave me a mathematical puzzler about the decoration in London. Distinguishing your mother’s taste from your grandmother's is a task so simple Miss Bingley could manage it, given sufficient instruction.”
“Speaking of Miss Bingley, why did you prohibit the Newtons from telling us about the incident? You know perfectly well I would have done something about it.”
Elizabeth paused. It was time for a serious conversation that she was not at all certain she was ready for.
She took off her bonnet and set it carefully on the bench, and, more boldly, set his hat beside it.
“That is better. I wonder when fashion started dictating people should not see each other out of doors.”
“Probably about the same time they decided it was best to defer uncomfortable answers.”
