Miss Elizabeth blushed very prettily, seeming to hesitate before adding, “I must confess that I felt no little curiosity about my cousin’s friend who bears that same name.”
“It is an odd circumstance, to be sure,” William said; this much was true, for he could not like the notion of lying outright to the beautiful creature he already wished to know better.
“I should sooner call it fortuitous,” she replied. She stared at him with a smile that slowly spread across her face as she took in the sight of him, and William actually felt himself blushing. He knew he was a fine-looking fellow – he had been told as much, as usually with the caveat that his reticent manners rather materialized his outward appeal. But he was determined not to disappoint the charming young lady at his side, and he rallied himself to press on in conversation.
“I hope you shall have every reason to call your stay in London that, and more besides. Are you often in town, Miss Elizabeth?”
“I told you Lady Catherine is an indulgent mother, but we have not enjoyed this particular indulgence in many years – not since before Jane and I were old enough to be considered out in society. Ah! But I have been warned against revealing my ignorance of such worldly matters.” Miss Elizabeth dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned a little closer, as if confiding a great secret. “Mamma fears our lack of experience in society may lead us to some folly; but my cousin Rebecca quite depends onthat.”
Lady Rebecca must have heard her name mentioned, for she turned round with a sharp look. “What are you talking of with Mr. Darcy, Lizzy?”
“Only of the many diversions I expect to delight me in London. Every sort of folly and fantastical adventure, to be sure.”
“You will meet with folly enough in every drawing room of every great house in Mayfair,” Lady Rebecca drawled. “The adventure must be of your own making, but I am quite at your service.”
“As am I,” William found himself saying. “I can well recall the tremendous sense of promise I felt when London was new tome; in such a state of mind, anything might be made to feel like an adventure.”
He feared he sounded entirely foolish, but Miss Elizabeth’s eyes lit with glee. “Yes, exactly! Every trip to the great museums and galleries of the city, exploring the bookshops of Bond Street and dancing all night at balls – what must be mundane to those fortunate enough to reside in London shall hold such wonderful novelty for Jane and me.”
“You sound as though you envy your cousins who reside here in town.”
Miss Elizabeth laughed and shook her head. “Oh, no – not at all. I should think it a great pity if London didnothold such a captivating sense of wonder and possibility. Of some delights, you know, a little goes a long way.”
“I could not agree more,” he said. It would not do to divulge the novelty of his own trips to town, amusing himself under the guise of Will Darcy, dining at expensive hotels, attending the theatre and the opera every night, and running up considerable bills at his tailor. But he comprehended her perfectly; London, in small doses, held just the right amount of allure for him to bear his time at Wildewood and all the responsibilities of managing his estate and looking after his ward.
Miss Elizabeth smiled brightly, giving a little bounce of enthusiasm. “Oh, do tell me you vastly prefer residing in the country. Surrey is near enough to Kent that it must be just as picturesque. I could idle away my days in the countryside forever, taking long walks and savoring every sound and smell and sight of the pastoral world around me.” She brought a hand to her lips and gave a breathy giggle. “Tell me at least that I do not sound entirely provincial.”
“If you do, then I am sure I shall, as well. I have been just as fortunate as you, Miss Elizabeth.” He said her name slowly and with the same fascination with which she had pronounced his own, and he felt his cheeks heat with mortification. And yet, he rather enjoyed how easy it was to speak with her, as if he might say anything and be met with approbation.
“I was also adopted in my youth; surely the dowager countess must have mentioned it.”
“She did,” Miss Elizabeth said with a look of curiosity. “I have never met anyone else who shares my unusual origins.”
“Nor I.” William frowned at his accidental falsehood; his ward had lost both her parents, and Lady Grey had not been pleased at the prospect of raising another woman’s child when she became Mrs. Cardew. Kitty Cardew had been raised chiefly by a series of governesses until William had taken possession of Wildewood after completing his studies.
But having a young, female ward was not the sort of thing one blurted out to charming young ladies over supper. William gave Miss Elizabeth a tight smile, and she furrowed her brow in concern. “I hope you have been as fortunate in your guardian, as well.”
“Sir Thomas Grey was an old bachelor when he took me in, but he was a kind and generous man who taught me a great deal in the brief time we had together. I have many fond memories of him. He married when I was five or six, and his wife was… well, I suppose I might call her a solitary creature. She had no children of her own, though she was fond of hounds and house cats. She spent a great deal of time reading, and she did impart that particular enjoyment upon me.”
Miss Elizabeth sat straighter, her eyes wide with excitement as she exclaimed of her own fondness for books of every sort. The subject occupied them for the rest of the meal,and William could hardly repine the pleasant discovery of their similar tastes for poetry, philosophy, and history. He was even content to receive several recommendations of recent novels, and being of the opinion that anything which could delight such an effervescent creature as Elizabeth Bennet must certainly have merit, he promised to look out for copies of a few titles. Perhaps they might even discuss the latest titles from Maria Edgeworth or Frances Burney. It would certainly gratify Kitty if he returned to Wildewood well versed in one of her favorite pleasures.
That his ward would welcome any female addition to their household was amongst his many favorable thoughts as he sought Miss Elizabeth out again after supper, when their party withdrew to the parlor. In particular, he was certain that she would like Miss Elizabeth, for they shared open, artless manners and ease in conversation, speaking with great animation and listening with equal enjoyment to what was new and interesting. Like his ward, Miss Elizabeth possessed a humorous and whimsical mind. She seemed ready to laugh at his attempts to be clever, and her own intelligence only heightened William’s admiration.
When they had exhausted their discourse on books and poetry, and then shared their similar hopes of amusement in London by taking in the art and culture of the metropolis, Miss Elizabeth began a rather impudent assessment of their companions. “People fascinate me more than anything,” she confided in a wry tone that dared him to think her frivolous.
William did not especially enjoy the company of his neighbors in Surrey, for they were mostly older and all rather dull, but Will Darcy reveled in the vast panorama of life in London, even when he felt himself unequal to matching the ease of his companions. He joined Miss Elizabeth in surveying their friends with irreverent scrutiny, and he could guess what would amuse her most.
“My friend seems quite besotted with your sister; I have never seen him look such a great fool.”
“I daresay he mayfeelhimself to be a great fool,” she agreed. “I suppose you are aware of his obstinacy in refusing to satisfy Lady Catherine’s demands.”
“I shall tease him mercilessly for it at the earliest opportunity.”
“I hope you do, sir; I should be happy to take up your cause myself, once I have taken the measure of my cousin. I have not seen him since I was thirteen or fourteen, but I recall that his constitution can bear considerable vexation in tolerably good cheer. How it must nettle him already that he has, through his own stubborn avoidance, deprived himself of the most wonderful person he is likely to ever encounter!”
Her praise of her sister was endearing to William, and she had much of it. She spoke warmly of Jane Bennet’s many perfections; Lady Catherine had given the sisters every advantage in growing quite accomplished, it seemed, though Miss Elizabeth assured him that her sister was far her superior in nearly every pursuit.
“Only in absolute candor have I exceeded her,” Miss Elizabeth said with a rueful laugh. “Mamma finds it quite shocking how freely I give my opinions; it is a relief that you do not seem at all scandalized, sir. If you are, you have at least made a valiant effort of concealing the fact.”
