“The young lady said she was anacquaintance,”the housekeeperadded as he started toward his chambers.
Darcy stopped dead in his tracks. “Did she say anything else, Mrs. Reynolds? I mean—about me?”
“She agreed she found you to be handsome,” she looked at the young master questionably. His contrary behavior to expectations made her unsure whether what she said was appropriate.“And she spent some time looking at your portrait in the gallery, returning to it several times. I thought that was unusual. Should I have not shared those areas with her party?”
Darcy’s smile unmistakably showed his happiness. “Mrs. Reynolds, the young lady shouldalwaysbe welcomed at Pemberley.” Then he turned and rushed off to his chambers.
“Henry, I am glad you are here,” he called to his valet.
“Mr. Darcy,” the man hesitated,“what do you desire, Sir?”
“I want fresh clothes, Henry.There are visitors on the grounds I want to greet properly. I must be quick. They are acquaintances from my time in Hertfordshire.”
The man set about helping his master off with his boots as warm water was brought in for Darcy’s bath. “The water is only warm, Sir—not hot.”
“It will do, Henry. Please hurry.”
“Yes, Sir,” Henry snapped into action, and in less than half an hour, Darcy exited one of Pemberley’s side doors and headed toward the parkland.Elizabeth!Somehow Darcy must show her, as if she did not already know, the power she had over him. He was affectionately attached to her and would never see a woman whom he thought her equal, but he must not rush things. However, he had but a limited time; she may not be in Lambton long. One of the gardener’s apprentices pointed the way the visitors took, and Darcy set out toward an abrupt rise. The apprentice apprised him of the whereabouts of the visitors; they entered the woods and ascended some of the higher ground and neared part of the stream. Darcy knew the gardener would lead them around the outskirts of the area; he would cut across the less traveled pathways to intercept them.
As he approached, he noted Elizabeth tried to compose herself; he saw the setting of her shoulders and the raising of her chin. There would be no more surprise for either of them for each had had a few moments of preparation since he left her on the lawn. His emotions felt the gamut of sensations; there was pleasure, pain, agitation, delight, and even a bit of misery. For her, it was obviously purely embarrassment—not disdain or contempt—just embarrassment at being found by him at his estate.
“Mr. Darcy,” she began, “Pemberley isdelightfulandcharming.”Suddenly, she stopped as quickly as she began.At first, this confused Darcy, but then he saw the “horror” flash upon her face; she feared he might think her motive might be to regain his favor with praise of his home.
It amazed him to think she did not know he would give anything to be pursued by her. He assigned importance to her opinion so he asked,“Then you approve?”
Elizabeth blushed.“What type of person would not approve of such a home? It is so well situated—I never saw such an estate.”
“Your opinion is valued, Miss Elizabeth,” he said earnestly. His voice betrayed his anxiousness and the intensity he felt; yet, he maintained an elevated politeness, which seemed to confuse her. “Miss Elizabeth,” he faltered, “please excuse my manners—would you do me the honor of introducing me to the rest of your party?”
He detected a hint of a smile as she moved past him. “Mr. Darcy, may I present my aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. My sister Jane stayed with them on her recent trip to London.”
Darcy, a bit astonished, had taken the couple for people of fashion. He understood her hint of a smile; these were the same people he criticized at Hunsford. Although the folly of his earlier opinion stunned him, he did not turn away as she obviously suspected he might do. Instead, to her surprise, he began to walk with them and to converse with her uncle. Admittedly, he did not expect Mr. Gardiner to be the man of intelligence, taste, and good manners he was, and he did not expect to notice “hints” of his own father in the man’s phrasing and gestures. He discovered he enjoyedthe short-lived conversation with Elizabeth’s uncle, and as they came up on the stream, Mr. Gardiner paused to observe the trout. “Mr. Gardiner, do you enjoy fishing?” he asked cordially.
“Indeed I do, Sir.”
“Then please feel free to fish the stream, or the lake, for that matter, at any time you choose. I will have my man furnish you with tackle; let me point out some of my favorite spots.” He led her uncle toward the stream and began to point out secluded alcoves for the sport. “I hope you will fish at Pemberley before you leave the area.” Darcy could feel Elizabeth’s gaze upon him; his actions a compliment to her earlier censure of his manners, he hoped she saw the changes. Curious about some water plant, Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner walked down to the brink of the river while Darcy spent his time with Mr. Gardiner, but as luck would have it, Mrs. Gardiner found Elizabeth’s arm inadequate support when they turned back toward their carriage.
Mrs. Gardiner turned to her husband for his arm, allowing Darcy the luxury of taking a position next to Elizabeth. They walked on in silence with the lady speaking first.“Mr. Darcy, again I must apologize for disturbing your privacy. Your housekeeper informed us that you would certainly not be here until tomorrow. Indeed, before we left Bakewell, we were informed you were in London and not in Derbyshire at all. I feel horrible at your having found us here; it seems so inappropriate; my aunt had her heart set on showing me Pemberley, and I had no way of denying her that pleasure without a complicated explanation.” Neither of them wanted to openly discuss their last conversation so they talked in circles without acknowledging the obvious.
“Miss Elizabeth,” he started, “please do not stress over my finding you here. I am pleased to see you again. As I said before, business with my steward precipitated my coming forward a few hours before the rest of my party.”At this point, he hesitated, but he knew some reference to their acquaintances could not be avoided forever. “Among those who travel from London with me are several of whom you are familiar—Mr. Bingley and his sisters.”
Elizabeth lowered her eyes but gave a slight nod of the head as an acknowledgment of what he said. Darcy worried about the images of Bingley’s name besetting her.There were scenes of their time in Hunsford such as the sharing of his mother’s favorite walk, which brought them both joy, but there were also moments of pain, which affected their ease with each other even now. Yet, Darcy felt the pain softening, and he hoped for friendship and reconciliation; anything beyond that was a distant dream. They walked on, both embarrassed by the realization of their folly.
After a pause, he continued, “There is also one other person in the party who more particularly wishes to be known to you.Will you allow me, or do I ask too much, to introduce my sister to your acquaintance during your stay at Lambton?”
Although her voice came out in not much more than a whisper, Elizabeth acceded to his request, “Mr. Darcy, I would be honored to meet Miss Darcy.” Whether she realized it or not, Elizabeth agreed to be in his company again; Darcy’s happiness could barely be contained.
Silence prevailed with each of them deep in thought. Elizabeth still did not appear to be comfortable, but the tension eased.There was so much he wanted to tell her, but he simply had to find a way to extend her stay in Derbyshire so the words could all be spoken. At the moment, it was enough that he would see her again, and, finally, Georgiana would meet Elizabeth. They soon outstripped the others, and when they reached the carriage, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner were nearly a quarter of a mile behind. “Would you care to step in the house, Miss Elizabeth, for some refreshments?” he offered, trying to prolong their time together.
“I am not tired, Mr. Darcy,” she started. “I hope it will not offend you if I ask we remain here and enjoy the view.”
“Not at all,” he responded, finally getting a long look in her eyes. They both wanted to talk about their relationship, but neither knew what the other was thinking; therefore, she, finally began a discourse of her travels, telling him about Matlock and Dove Dale and also of Oxford, Blenheim,Warwick, Kenelworth, and Birmingham.
Shortly, her aunt and uncle appeared. “Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner,” Darcy offered, “may I persuade you to join me in the house for some refreshments before returning to Lambton?”
“We thank you, Mr. Darcy,” her uncle began, “but my wife made arrangements for us to dine with friends in the area.”
“I was unaware of your knowing others in the area. How good it will be for you to renew acquaintances,” he said, hoping Elizabeth understood his double meaning. He chanced a quick glance and saw her suppressing a smile.
