Mrs Bennet started. “Oh yes, of course. Let me think… Madeline—my younger brother’s wife, you understand, Mr Darcy—did spend some years of her youth in Derbyshire. It was a town whose name begins with an L. Lipton? Langston?”
“It would not be Lambton, would it, madam?” Darcy asked.
She grinned at him, and it struck him that she was a handsome woman. As a girl, she must have been as beautiful as Miss Bennet, though he doubted she had ever been as reserved. Like her eldest daughter, she was fair haired with bright blue eyes; in Darcy’s opinion, dark-haired Miss Elizabeth was just as lovely, and he had never seen eyes that could capture one like hers did. Indeed, if he was not careful, he would become lost in them immediately, and that would be both inappropriate and embarrassing.
“That is it exactly!” Mrs Bennet cried. “Do you know it?”
“I am indeed familiar with Lambton. It is but five miles from my estate.”
For an interval, he told them about the neighbourhood around Pemberley and listened to Mrs Bennet talk about her brother, his family, and the business of some sort he owned in Cheapside; she was unable to give a clear description of it. Refreshments in the form of tea and lemon cake were served, and he complimented her on both.
“I would have expected nothing less after the excellent dinner I was so fortunate as to enjoy here last month. I do not believe I adequately thanked you for that evening.”
Miss Elizabeth regarded him, her brow arched and eyes dancing. He interpreted her look as saying that she understood he was trying to win over her mother, who had justly despised him, but she thought he was being too obvious about it. Yet, he had judged that Mrs Bennet would not see it that way; she would accept his compliment as her due and be delighted by his flattery.
She thanked him, saying, “Without doubt, we have the best cook in the neighbourhood. Mr Bingley might have brought a French cook from town, I suppose. I do not know, but you would. Has he?” Darcy confirmed that he had, and she continued. “Lady Lucas envies me my cook, and Mrs Best—that horrible woman—has tried to convince her to leave Longbourn and work at Lane Park! Can you believe the audacity to try to steal my cook from me?”
Darcy soon found himself stuck in a conversation about servants and the competition between houses in the neighbourhood to secure the services of the best ones. Nothing Miss Elizabeth could do would distract Mrs Bennet into a new topic, and he did his best to attend to her politely. Fortunately, after about ten minutes, Mr Bennet entered the room and rescued him by inviting him to his book-room.
Takingthe chair across from Mr Bennet, an old walnut table between them, Darcy sat as still as possible while the older gentleman examined him. Despite feeling that he should speak, he was not sure what to say. Instead, he surreptitiously studied the room while he waited for Mr Bennet to begin the conversation. There was plenty in it to interest him beyond the shelves full of books, such as souvenirs that looked like they had come from abroad. It was not nearly as large as the library at Pemberley, which was hardly a surprise, but by all appearances, Mr Bennet had an excellent collection. Given how much Darcy valued books, it made him like Mr Bennet even more. That, in turn, made him wish to improve the gentleman’s view of him.
“I have been attempting to decide whether I am surprised, possibly even affronted, that you are here,” Mr Bennet said.
“Sir?” he managed to say despite how his throat muscles tightened.
“Oh, I know you came to dinner not long after that…what shall we call it? Unfortunate incident at the assembly? Ionly agreed to you being part of the invitation under duress. In short, my wife and daughters—Lizzy chief amongst them—assured me we could not ask Mr Bingley and his family without including you. You know that I told my girls to have as little to do with you as possible, and Lizzy to avoid you entirely?”
Darcy nodded glumly; this was not going well at all.
“I wish to protect them from those who would injure them. I do not believe you would physically harm them, but words can be damaging.”
“I deeply regret my behaviour that night,” Darcy interjected.
Mr Bennet tilted his head to the side in a manner that reminded Darcy of Miss Elizabeth and peered at him for a long moment. “I think I might believe you. Thus, my surprise. When we spoke the morning after the assembly, I was convinced you would never be willing to accept you might have been wrong. Observing you of late, I begin to think perhaps you have. Certainly, how warmly you spoke of my family at Lucas Lodge gives that impression.”
Good Lord, Darcy thought. Could he be any more uncomfortable? Perhaps if he were sitting here seeking permission to marry one of the man’s daughters. Miss Elizabeth’s image came to mind, and he swatted it away; it had no place here, and really, he could hardly be thinking of her in such a manner, not after so short an acquaintance, especially when they had passed most of it at odds.
“I do not like to hear people disparage others unless they have genuine cause to,” Darcy said. “Perhaps thesituation would be different if the other person had cheated them or something such as that. I recognise the irony in my statement, given how I spoke of Miss Elizabeth. It was plain to me that Mrs Best expected me to agree with her, and I could not.” It had also been an opportunity for him to subtly apologise for his behaviour at the assembly to everyone present, and he had grabbed at it.
Mr Bennet offered him a slow nod and a glass of sherry. Darcy accepted, and, after taking a fortifying sip, said, “I had hoped to see you today, sir. I wrote to my cousin about meeting you, and he has replied.”
Darcy showed him the part of the letter in which Frederick Darcy had expressed his delight in hearing news of his old friend and his request that Darcy discover whether Mr Bennet would agree to receive a letter from him—in short, whether he would be willing to renew their correspondence. Therein followed a relatively pleasant interlude in which the two gentlemen spoke about Frederick Darcy and Mr Bennet’s memories of their friendship and time at Oxford. Darcy could not be completely at ease; he felt he had only earned a sliver of Mr Bennet’s trust, and it would vanish if he said a wrong word. Their interview ended with Mr Bennet claiming a hope that he and Frederick would not only write to each other but that they might meet in town or elsewhere.
When the older gentleman indicated they should return to the drawing room, Darcy was satisfied with how their time together had passed. Their conversation had been friendlier than any they had previously had. Itwas excellent progress, although he felt a lingering sense of disappointment. Mr Bennet had said nothing about Darcy being permitted to speak to Miss Elizabeth or forgiving him the terrible nature of their first meeting. Darcy would be satisfied if he agreed to overlook it, should forgiveness be too much at present.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Bennet was doing his best to live up to the promise he had made to himself to be a better father and husband. Fortunately, the endeavour was becoming easier with each passing day, no doubt helped along by seeing improvements in his ladies. This was especially true regarding Kitty, Lydia, and even more so Mrs Bennet. He could also point to encouraging signs in Mary, and, after Mr Darcy’s recent call, he thought it possible Elizabeth could be added to his list. He was much mistaken if his darling girl had not taken to heart his words about not clinging to her initial assumptions about people. When he and Mr Darcy had returned to the drawing room, Lizzy had not spoken to the gentleman, but she had looked at him frequently, and there had been no disapproval or dislike evident in her expression. If anything, Bennet would say he saw the opposite. And he further believed that Mr Darcy had often turned his gaze to Lizzy.
The implications of them stealing glimpses of eachother, of seeming to listen to hear what the other was saying, were not ones Bennet was entirely comfortable with. Indeed, if Mr Darcy did not have a connexion to someone he had once valued as a close friend, and if he had not seen that the young man was genuinely attempting to ameliorate his deportment, he would be tempted to warn him off.
It did not escape Bennet’s notice that both he and Mr Darcy had been forced to improve how they dealt with others. It was possible that made him feel a kinship to him.
I shall say nothing of it to Lizzy. She has seen that I am willing to treat him as a friendly acquaintance, and now I wish to observe how she acts towards him—and he towards her.
He had an opportunity to see the couple together soon after, when they met at a card party held by the Gouldings at Haye-Park.
Elizabeth was at a table with Mr Darcy. Declining to play cards himself, Bennet stood with several other guests who likewise did not wish to take part, and he watched Elizabeth for signs of distress. There were none; if anything, had he not known their history, he would have thought she was speaking to a friend. She smiled and laughed, did not avoid looking at him, and listened closely as he spoke. It was all exceedingly interesting; so much so that twice one of his companions had to repeat themselves because he had not been giving them his attention.
