Chapter 7
“Miss Bennet?”
He was standing only steps away from the sofa, and she tried to jump to her feet and almost lost her balance.
“Forgive me for disturbing you. Are you well?”
“Yes, yes, very much so… I believe I fell asleep. Has my uncle returned too?”
“Yes. He has gone to refresh himself and rest before dinner. I am sorry I woke you up. I did not know you were here.”
“Do not apologise, sir. It is we who invaded your house, and I who invaded your library.”
“If that is the case, there has never been a more pleasant invasion, I assure you,” he said. His voice was hoarse, and a little smile twisted his lips and warmed his gaze.
“Thank you…”
“I hope you know I am being honest, Miss Bennet. I hope you will feel comfortable during your stay, and I promise I shall not impose on you with my presence…nor shall I say things you do not wish to hear.”
“Mr. Darcy, please do not assume that your presence would be an imposition. Quite the contrary. And please know that you may tell me anything. I hope our past disagreements at least gave us the chance of better understanding each other.”
“I hope that too, Miss Bennet. Very much.”
They were both standing, facing each other.
“Would you like to take a seat for a moment? Or would you rather leave?” he enquired, and she hesitated between what she should do and what she wished to do.
“I shall stay for a little longer,” she finally dared to say. “I hope you and Uncle had a pleasant time together.”
“Very much so. Mr. Gardiner is an excellent companion, and he caught a lot of fish. We shall have them for dinner,” he said with a smile.
“I am glad to hear that.”
“From what he related to me, I regret not getting to know your father better. I am sure I would have enjoyed his company too.”
“Very likely. He loves books and despises balls and parties too,” she jested. “In fact, I must take this opportunity to apologise for all my horrible and unfair accusations. I do not expect you to ever forgive me, but at least please know I am sorry.”
“Why would you apologise for something that was entirely my fault, Miss Bennet? What did you say that I did not deserve? I have been indeed arrogant, disdainful, and insensitive. And my intervention which separated my friend from your sister was equally unfair and unnecessary.”
“I shall not deny that, but the reason behind it was care for your friend. And certainly you did not deserve to be blamed for Mr. Wickham’s failures in life.”
“How could you have known? Wickham deceived many other people, including myself and my cousins for a while. When I discovered the truth, I tried to tell my father, but he took Wickham’s side, even in a situation of such extreme importance. Wickham was the only reason my father and I ever quarrelled. It was quite a terrible fight.”
“How very sad… I can see you are still pained talking about it…”
“I was pained, indeed. And slightly disappointed in my father — a man I always loved and admired. Till the end, his affection for Wickham remained unmoved, but his faith was shattered. That is why he only left a recommendation that I might offer Wickham a living.”
“Considering your letter, you have been generous enough with Mr. Wickham.”
“I tried to support him, despite my opinion. I wished to believe that I was wrong and that my father had judged him more accurately. Unfortunately, Wickham proved me right. I can only imagine how much my father would have suffered from his betrayal.”
“He is the worst sort of man because he plays with people’s trust and causes them suffering. Your father had the excuse of his affection, which made him believe all the man’s deceptions. With me, not affection but vanity and prejudice were my weakness. I believed him because he flattered me, unlike…”
“Unlike me,” Mr. Darcy said. “Wickham always had the talent of speaking of feelings he did not possess and showing more goodness than he ever had.”
“Unlike you… The opposite to you,” Elizabeth whispered.
They were at a proper distance — she on the sofa, he on a chair — but Elizabeth suddenly felt nervous of his closeness. His intense, dark gaze warmed her body and troubled her breathing.
