“Perhaps, living in the desert makes a man less interested in details. Well, to answer you, this problem torments me as well. Elizabeth is dependable and sincere, and it is not her way to play with the sentiments of others.”
“In fact, my dear, take a woman’s experience: we appreciate when men compete for our affection.”
“I am sure you are right, but behind her fondness for Andrew, there is something else. I am afraid that she considers Mr Darcy too attached to London society.”
“And that is a bad thing? He is not quite a member of the ton, though he is received in the better houses. How can that be bad?”
“I believe that, in the past, she developed a kind of disdain for London society. It was not entirely undeserved, I admit, though perhaps a little too acerbic. Sadly, Mr Darcy only contributed to that impression at the beginning of their acquaintance. She still relies on it and, in some measure, refuses to see the reality. The people you know and those Mr Darcy associates with are much the same as those one would find in Hertfordshire, Kent, or Derbyshire. Neither better nor worse. She must give them a chance—”
“And marry Mr Darcy?”
“Yes!”
“Then you have to speak to him,” the duchess declared.
“To him?” he asked rather surprised looking at her.
“Yes. I am beginning to understand that Elizabeth is a little too stubborn to change her views in so short a time. You must tell him everything and allow him to understand the cause of your niece’s behaviour and…”
“And, dearest?” he asked, certain that the duchess had more to say.
“And from now on, we should create opportunities for them to be alone. Remember how much time we had to ourselves at home?”
“Yes, you are right. They need some time together, without other people around them,” said Thomas with a smile.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Tomorrow night we are invited to dine with the Gardiners, and I intend to take Elizabeth with us whilst Mr Kendall accompanies Mrs Bennet and the young ladies.”
“And?”
“And Tom will see to it that they arrive a good half hour after us!”
“Will Mr Darcy be present at that dinner?”
“Yes, I must say that Mrs Gardiner is a useful conspirator.”
His tone was light. He had already decided that neutrality was impossible in the growing rivalry between the two gentlemen.
“You are taking Mr Darcy’s part by doing this.”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure that you are not influenced by our—”
She did not dare continue.
When they decided to marry, they also agreed not to speak of their separation again. The duchess had endured a terrible fate, and Thomas believed that she had paid heavily for her mistake, whilst he had enjoyed a glamorous life of adventure that compensated, in part, for his loss.
“No, dearest,” he replied after a long silence, “I dare to intervene in their relationship because I have disrupted Elizabeth’s life. In a happy way, certainly, but it remains a disruption. She had a future that was, in a manner, established, and suddenly everything changed. Without me, Mr Darcy would have proposed at the same time as Mr Bingley, and by now they would have had a double wedding.”
“Are you angry that I am taking Mr Darcy’s side?” he asked.
The situation was unusual, and one of the gentlemen involved was her grandson.
“No. You see, my difficult life dulled my feelings. Afraid and sad, I forgot how to love intensely, whilst your life, full and wonderful, taught you to experience your feelings fully. I am astonished by your intervention in Elizabeth’s life, alittle frightened perhaps, but from my quiet corner I admire everything you are doing.”
“Thank you, my love. As you suspect, I dearly love my niece for her intelligence and her way of seeing the world around her. Those very qualities, on this occasion, have not served her particularly well. She reflects too much when happiness stands before her. I have only succeeded in making a brave man fearful and a witty lady hesitant. And it is Elizabeth and Darcy’s love that has suffered most.
