Page 46 of Regrets

Elizabeth said, “Mr. Collins’ letter mentioned something about a feud between you and his father.”

“Yes; some years ago, George Collins wrote to me. It was poorly written and did not make a good deal of sense, but the gist of it was that it had been everything unfair for his father, Joshua Bennet, to have been given essentially nothing upon the death of his father, Arthur. George Collins demanded money, and a good deal of it.”

“And you wrote back?” Mr. Darcy asked.

“I did, though perhaps that was not the best course of action, for it was followed by a series of letters that could only be considered abusive. Eventually, George Collins actually appeared here at Longbourn, again demanding money, and I had to have him removed from the estate.”

“That must have been very unpleasant, Mr. Bennet,” Mr. Darcy said, gently.

Mr. Bennet shrugged. “It was a long time ago. In any event, this is the feud that our Mr. Collins referenced. I had not even known that George Collins had died until I received Mr. Collins’ letter.” He sat up and straightened his shoulders. “So, tell me, Lizzy, should we do it?”

She sighed. “I suspect this will haunt my sleep for the remainder of my days, but it seems to me that you must save Longbourn. I think we will all regret it if you do not.”

He nodded. “That is my thinking as well. But who shall the third party be?”

“Uncle Gardiner?” Elizabeth suggested.

“Who is he?” Mr. Darcy asked.

“My mother’s brother; he is a successful merchant in London.”

Mr. Darcy hesitated, and then said, “Allow me to serve as the third party.”

“You! But why?” Elizabeth asked, astonished.

“I fear this will sound rather self-serving, so I must apologise in advance, but I am quite familiar with most of the solicitors in London. They know me and they know my uncle, the Earl of Matlock; they will not hesitate to support me.”

Elizabeth stared at him. “And the fact that we are depriving a man of his inheritance does not disturb you?”

“No, it does not,” he answered at once. “Miss Elizabeth, I was raised to understand that we are the guardians of the land, not the owners of it. The land is our livelihood, for all of us in England. I met your Mr. Collins at Rosings Park. He is not a fit guardian of the land, and it would be wrong to allow him to step into that role.”

The passion in his voice was unmistakable, and Elizabeth stared at him with something approaching admiration.

“That is very generous of you, Mr. Darcy,” Mr. Bennet said. “This process fills me with trepidation, but I fear we must proceed with it. I accept your offer with gratitude.” He rose and extended a hand; Mr. Darcy rose and took it. The handclasp lasted for a long minute, and the two gentlemen looked into each other’s eyes and nodded.

“Have courage,” Mr. Darcy said. “This is the right course of action. I shall write to my solicitor to take the necessary steps, and of course there will be papers requiring your signature, Mr. Bennet. Now I shall leave the two of you to discuss this in private.” He bowed and left the room.

Elizabeth immediately got up to follow him.

Her father’s voice stopped her. “Elizabeth,” he said, pleadingly. “We must speak.”

She stopped and stared at the door, waiting for him to say something more, but he did not. She took a deep breath and then left the room.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Mr. Darcy was quiet on the carriage ride back to Netherfield Park. He was surprised that he had volunteered to become involved in Bennet’s business; it was not his usual practice to become entangled in the concerns of strangers.

He was also surprised at how rapidly Miss Elizabeth had understood what was, after all, a very complex legal maneuver. Bennet had said that Elizabeth was the cleverest of his daughters, and Mr. Darcy now began to think that she might be the cleverest young lady he had ever met.

She was also very attractive. That much he had realised during their two dances. Her hair was thick and dark, and he imagined it took many pins to hold it up. He then imagined himself pulling out those pins and letting all that hair fall down her back…he imagined her smiling up at him, her pink mouth beginning to open in invitation, her eyes drifting shut, her breath coming fast…and he felt himself begin to breathe more quickly in response to these images. He quickly looked outside the carriage window to hide his unexpected response.

“Brother?”

“Yes, Georgiana?”

“Did you not hear me?”

“No; I was thinking about…something. What did you say?”