Page 54 of Shields and Roses

"What does Bingley have to do with this?" Richard asked, genuinely confused by the comment.

Darcy explained a little sheepishly, "Bingley has been calling on Miss Mary since he met her at the same ball where I last saw Miss Elizabeth. Since he knows the subject of the Bennet family is a sore one for me, he has told me very little about his calls except for his growing attraction to the young woman. He is joining her and her London family for dinner at their home this evening," he added.

"Oh, this is rich!" his cousin chortled. "Yet another lost opportunity! Well, no more. There is time for a visit before standard dinner hours, and you really should meet the Gardiners anyway. We will get there fastest by horse, so go put on your riding boots."

"Right now?" Darcy asked, his surprise at the suggestion. It was hardly good manners to just drop in on the family, especially when he knew they were having a dinner party.

"When better?" Richard asked. "You do not want to give her a chance to disappear again. Have no fear. The Gardiners are excellent people. I have known them for years and consider them almost a part of my family. Courage, man. Faint heart never won fair lady, and all that."

Darcy made one more attempt to stall. "But…what will she think of me for arriving uninvited?"

With another chuckle, Richard said, "Seriously, Will, I think you should be far more worried about changing whatever it is she already thinks of you. She loves her family fiercely and you did not make a good showing by publicly insulting them or trying to drive a suitor away from her sister."

"Miss Bennet and Sir Barnaby are betrothed, by the way," Darcy said. "The wedding is in May."

"Well, good for Sir Barnaby. He is a lucky man, as are you. Had you succeeded in pushing him away from Jane, you would have no hope of ever gaining Miss Elizabeth's good opinion."

"Do you actually think I may have a chance with her?"

"Put on your riding boots, call for your horse, and we shall go find out," Richard said, standing and pointing to the door. "Now, Will, or we actually will rudely interrupt them at table."

~o~

As he rode beside his cousin on the way to Gracechurch Street, Darcy tried to make sense of his roiling emotions. He should be absolutely elated. He had finally found someone who not only knew Miss Elizabeth, but he also knew where she was. After all these months, very soon she would be standing in front of him again.

Her identity as a Bennet did not bother him much, although it certainly made things more complicated between them. That, of course, was primarily his own doing, and he would have to find a way to make amends. It also explained a great deal. She must have been both confused and angry that night at the assembly. He could understand simply retreating rather than making a scene had he been in her place. But would he have let the confusion go on for months? The more he thought about it, the more he was willing to admit that, in her place, he might have. After all, she had never claimed to be anyone else. The mistake regarding her name was all on him.

However, that did not explain why no one else had been willing to enlighten him, particularly Viscount Rand. Uncle Peter had to know. Even if he had not recognized the description, Darcy had mentioned the necklace that Richard thought was a sure indicator of her identity. That meant his uncle had deliberately misled him, and Darcy wanted to know why.

He felt slightly sick realizing the whole situation could have been cleared up months ago and without the need to attend all those social events. Had he known, he would have gone to the Damask home while the Bennet sisters were still there and apologized to them in person.

On thinking about it, though, Darcy had to admit he should have gone to make his apology to the Bennet sisters whether one of them was his Miss Elizabeth or not. He had failed in courtesy yet again. The apology he made through Mr. Damask had been a sad, paltry thing, barely worthy of the name. That might explain why Miss Elizabeth had been unwilling to speak with him the night of the Parkhurst ball.

Would she be willing to speak with him now?

He was so lost in thought that he did not notice when Richard stopped his horse in front of the house on Gracechurch Street. His cousin had to yell twice to get Darcy's attention. Shaken out of his thoughts, he stifled the impulse to just keep riding and instead turned back to join Richard.

They dismounted and Darcy held the horses while Richard took the short flight of steps to the door. The servant who answered appeared to know him, and a moment later a boy in servant's garb came outside to take the horses. Darcy joined Richard in the entryway as they waited for the maid to let the Gardiners know they were there.

While not as large as Darcy house, the entry was clean, neat and well-decorated. From a distance, they could hear voices engaged in conversation. Darcy thought he could pick out Bingley's voice among them.

It was only a few minutes before a door opened and a man stepped out into the hall. He came quickly towards them, offering a greeting as he did.

"Colonel Fitzwilliam! Welcome back to England! It is good to see you safe and well." He offered his hand.

Richard returned the handshake enthusiastically. "Gardiner! I am glad to be home. It is good to see you as well."

"Will you introduce me to your companion?" Edward said, looking at Darcy curiously.

"I know you have guests, so please forgive the intrusion. Will, may I present Mr. Edward Gardiner of Gardiner Imports? Mr. Gardiner, this is my cousin, Fitzwilliam Darcy."

The two men exchanged bows and the customary greetings.

"I will not pretend your cousin's name is unknown to me," Edward said, looking at the two men with what could best be described as suspicion. "May I ask what brings you here this evening?"

"We do not mean to stay long. My cousin was merely hoping to have a few words with Miss Elizabeth," Richard said, adding quickly, "I mean a few polite words, like an apology, for instance."

"Ah, so the incident of mistaken identity has finally been cleared up," Edward said, smiling.