“Mr. Darcy! What on heaven’s earth is going on here?”
“There has been a bit of a misunderstanding, I fear.”
“A bit? A bit! Say there, you – yes, you! Have you any idea who this man is?”
“Franklin, I wish you would not –“
But the valet would not be stopped. “This is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, master of an enormous estate in Derbyshire, and nephew to the Earl of Matlock! He has absented himself from his very important duties all these weeks because his friend, your Mr. Bingley, had the great temerity to break his leg! I tremble to think what Mr. Bingley will say when he sees how you treated his great friend, I truly tremble for you!”
“Franklin, it is not his fault,” Mr. Darcy said.
Mr. Graham turned to Mr. Darcy, eyes wide. “Is this all true, Mr. Darcy?”
“In essence, yes; but you cannot be blamed, Graham, given my clothing upon my arrival.”
Mr. Graham turned to Franklin, his face like a thundercloud, determined to give as good as he got. “You call yourself a valet? Have you any idea how your master looked when he arrived here?”
Franklin did not hesitate to fire back. “My mother was ill, and Mr. Darcy very kindly insisted that I tend to her! I certainly did not expect a badly-trained butler to be taken in by his clothing! Did you not see his carriage? Did you not mark his manner, his air of elegance, his – “
“That is enough, Franklin.” Mr. Darcy’s tone was kind, but firm. “Truly, no one is to blame, except myself. I could have corrected Graham’s misapprehension at any time, but chose not to do so. Graham, given the quantity of clothing that has doubtless arrived, perhaps a different, somewhat larger room…?”
Graham paled, recalling the inferior room that Mr. Darcy had been assigned. “At once, sir!”
***
A short time later, Mr. Darcy and his valet were shown to a very superior guest room, with ample space for the vast quantity of coats, trousers, shirts, cravats, and boots that had accompanied Franklin. Mr. Darcy had spoken at length with his valet, first assuring himself that Franklin’s mother was much better, and then explaining why he had let the neighbourhood believe him to be Mr. Bingley’s man of business.
For his part, Franklin could not be easy until he had put his employer into one of the fine suits of clothing he had brought with him.
“How did you manage to get here, Franklin? I beg you to tell me that you did not take the stage.”
“I did not, no, sir. Mrs. Reynolds assured me that it was perfectly reasonable for me to make use of one of the other carriages. I hope I did not overstep, Mr. Darcy, but I was quite anxious –“
“No, no, not at all, Franklin. I am glad to see you.” Mr. Darcy sighed a bit, wishing he had had more time being Bingley’s man of business before presenting himself as a living, breathing target for marriage-minded mothers and daughters.
***
“Papa, I fear that Mr. Darcy’s secret is to be a secret no longer,” Elizabeth told her father that afternoon.
“Why is that? Surely you have not let the cat out of the bag!”
“No, indeed, but apparently Mr. Darcy’s valet arrived and was in high dudgeon over the way his precious Mr. Darcy had been treated. He brought any number of trunks and now has Mr. Darcy outfitted as becomes his position.”
Mr. Bennet sighed. “This comes from the usual source at Netherfield?”
“Our kitchen maid who is a friend of Netherfield’s downstairs maid, yes.”
“This will disappoint Mr. Darcy, I fear. He was enjoying his anonymity.”
“Wait, there is more. Mr. Bingley is due to arrive in two days.”
“The neighbourhood will be in an uproar, I suspect.”
“The uproar has already begun. Listen, Papa.” Elizabeth put a finger to her lips, and the two fell silent. A babble of female voices reached their ears, with Lady Lucas exclaiming and Mrs. Bennet replying.
Mr. Bennet and his second daughter stared at one another and then began to laugh.
Chapter Seventeen
