Page 81 of Pride, Prejudice & Wicked Pleasure

"This fine account of him," whispered her aunt as they walked, "is not quite consistent with his behaviour to our poor friend."

"Perhaps we might be deceived."

"That is not very likely; our authority was too good."

On reaching the spacious lobby above they were shown into a very pretty sitting-room, lately fitted up with greater elegance and lightness than the apartments below; and were informed that it was but just done to give pleasure to Miss Darcy, who had taken a liking to the room when last at Pemberley.

"He is certainly a good brother," said Lizzy, as she walked towards one of the windows.

Mrs. Reynolds anticipated Miss Darcy's delight, when she should enter the room. "And this is always the way with him," she added. "Whatever can give his sister any pleasure is sure to be done in a moment. There is nothing he would not do for her."

The picture-gallery, and two or three of the principal bedrooms, were all that remained to be shown. In the former were many good paintings; but Lizzy knew nothing of the art; and from such as had been already visible below, she had willingly turned to look at some drawings of Miss Darcy's, in crayons, whose subjects were usually more interesting, and also more intelligible.

In the gallery there were many family portraits, but they could have little to fix the attention of a stranger. Lizzy walked in quest of the only face whose features would be known to her. At last it arrested her—and she beheld a striking resemblance to Mr. Darcy, with such a smile over the face as she remembered to have sometimes seen when he looked at her. She stood several minutes before the picture, in earnest contemplation, and returned to it again before they quitted the gallery. Mrs. Reynolds informed them that it had been taken in his father's lifetime.

There was certainly at this moment, in Lizzy's mind, a more gentle sensation towards the original than she had ever felt at the height of their acquaintance. The commendation bestowed on him by Mrs. Reynolds was of no trifling nature. What praise is more valuable than the praise of an intelligent servant? As a brother, a landlord, a master, she considered how many people's happiness were in his guardianship!—how much of pleasure or pain was it in his power to bestow!—how much of good or evil must be done by him! Every idea that had been brought forward by the housekeeper was favourable to his character, and as she stood before the canvas on which he was represented, and fixed his eyes upon herself, she thought of his regard with a deeper sentiment of gratitude than it had ever raised before; she remembered its warmth, and softened its impropriety of expression.

When all of the house that was open to general inspection had been seen, they returned downstairs, and, taking leave of the housekeeper, were consigned over to the gardener, who met them at the hall-door.

As they walked across the hall towards the river, Lizzy turned back to look again; her uncle and aunt stopped also, and while the former was conjecturing as to the date of the building, the owner of it himself suddenly came forward from the road, which led behind it to the stables.

They were within twenty yards of each other, and so abrupt was his appearance, that it was impossible to avoid his sight. Their eyes instantly met, and the cheeks of both were overspread with the deepest blush. He absolutely started, and for a moment seemed immovable from surprise; but shortly recovering himself, advanced towards the party,

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Darcy could not have suffered a greater blow had his steed, which he led by the reigns, kicked him square in the bollocks than was delivered by the sight of Miss Elizabeth. At first he questioned the appearance of Miss Elizabeth as an illusion wrought by his decision to relieve his horse and walk the final miles on foot. That she should be at Pemberley of all places was a coincidence too fortuitous to believe. It was as if his constant thoughts of her the past months had called her to his presence. His heart threatened to scramble from his chest.

She turned away as he approached, and for a moment he thought his letter to her had done nothing to dispel her ill opinion of him, but Abby had written him of her conversation with Miss Elizabeth and assured him his letter had had a profound impact upon its reader. He trusted Abby and had felt a great weight lifted from him, but nothing in her letter, despite his dissection of every sentence, had suggested that Miss Elizabeth’s animosity, though neutralized, had made the conversion to goodwill. The letter did conclude, however, with a gentle urging that if his feelings were unchanged, his prospect of satisfying his heart’s desire, could only be improved. He scarcely dared to consider such a possibility. Her rejection of him had pained him far greater than the dismissal of the Duchess, for though his feelings for the latter had the potency of youth and the blush of first love, the passion and authenticity of his feelings for Miss Elizabeth cut far deeper.

Darcy heard his gardener utter an expression of surprise but attended only to Miss Elizabeth. Her manners would not allow her to ignore him and she received his compliments, which he somehow managed to convey, if not in terms of perfect composure, at least of prefect civility.

She did not meet his gaze when he inquired after her family. Perhaps she had taken umbrage at the opinions he had expressed of her family. Perhaps she thought he resented her for the rebuff he had received at Hunsford Parsonage.

“Did you depart Longbourn some time ago? Rather, have you been in Derbyshire long? Or merely a few days?” he asked, unsettled but endeavouring the most gentle manner to assure her that he bore her no ill will.

His questions seemed to discomfit her more.

“Will your stay in Derybshire be of short duration? Or long?” he tried.

“Yes.”

A long and awkward pause ensued.

“You came upon fortunate weather.”

“Yes.”

They stood without saying a word. He could see she had no particular wish to be in his company. Recollecting himself, he took his leave. Once inside, his heart still hammered and he barely heard the warm welcome with which Mrs. Reynolds greeted him.

“Your chambers are ready for you, though you have startled us with your early arrival,” she was saying. “We did not expect the party till to-morrow.”

“Yes,” he responded absently, the majority of his mind still being outside.

“I hope nothing is amiss? But where are the others?”

“The young lady outside—with Joseph, I think—what brought her here?”

“You mean the visitors? They are touring the estate. Joseph was to show them the gardens.”