Page 33 of Gold and Good Sense

Her second emotion was a mixture of confusion and fury. Mr. Darcy had never struck her as overly proud, at least not towards her or her sisters, and he didn’t seem to be so cold and calculating that he could ruin the happiness of such a kind lady as Jane for no reason whatsoever.

Yet, it seemed clear that he had done just that.

Elizabeth could only conclude that Mr. Darcy must be much colder than she had given him credit for. In fact, he must be the most unfeeling man on Earth for him to be capable of ruining the happiness of such an angelic lady as Jane.

Such a conclusion confused Elizabeth a great deal. She had grown quite fond of him and had looked forward to his company whenever she went out. Now, however, the pleasure she had felt in his presence was completely overshadowed by fury on behalf of her beloved sister.

In fact, as she continued to ponder the situation, the feeling that he had betrayed her expectations, that he had not been the man she had come to know and like, fueled the fire of her fury, pushing it to even greater heights than it might have been had Mr. Bingley been influenced by a complete stranger.

As the certainty of Mr. Darcy’s culpability in Jane’s unhappiness gained weight within her mind, Elizabeth’s final emotion surfaced, that of relief. She was relieved that Mr. Darcy was not present at this dinner party, for she was not certain she would have been able to prevent herself from venting her anger on that insufferably cold man, which would have caused quite an uncomfortable scene.

Chapter 17

Elizabeth was still fuming with anger at Mr. Darcy when she awoke the following morning. She did her best not to let it show. It was difficult, however, for it was clear that Jane was unhappy.

Jane’s mood had been gradually souring over the last week or so. Elizabeth had assumed that it was due to not being able to see Mr. Bingley. This morning, Jane was more subdued than Elizabeth had ever seen her. It was obvious that the loss of Mr. Bingley’s attention was weighing heavily on her tender heart.

Towards the end of breakfast, Jane said, “I think I would prefer to study with Mary, Lydia, and Mrs. Jamison this morning instead of receiving callers. Would that be acceptable, Papa?”

“I see no reason to refuse,” said Papa. “What do you think Lady Esther?”

“Of course you may,” said Lady Esther. “There is no need to push yourself to be more sociable than you would like to be. All three of you girls have made an excellent impression on London society. All that remains now is for you to make an occasional appearance so that you aren’t forgotten.”

Jane audibly sighed, and some of the tension seemed to melt from her shoulders. “Thank you, Lady Esther. And thank you, Papa,” said Jane.

Elizabeth could understand how she was feeling. If she had been heartbroken as Jane clearly was, she would not wish to socialize much either.

Even seeing Jane’s relief did nothing to quell Elizabeth’s anger, however. Mr. Darcy was to blame for her sister’s unhappiness, and nothing could relieve him of the burden of such a horrendous crime.

After breakfast, all of Elizabeth’s sisters accompanied Mrs. Jamison to the library while Elizabeth and Lady Esther settled into the parlor. Elizabeth was not expecting any particular gentlemen callers, but she hoped that a few of their female friends would stop by.

She was rather surprised, therefore, when Mr. Darcy was announced at the earliest possible time. Not only that, but he was alone, without Mr. Bingley and without Miss Bingley.

As Elizabeth and Lady Esther stood to greet him, he bowed. Before Elizabeth could banish her resentment for this man enough to offer refreshments or even ask him to sit down, he said, “I wonder if I might have a private word with you, Miss Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth’s shock was great enough that she felt her jaw drop just a bit, though not enough to force her mouth open. Her surprised gaze turned to Lady Esther, hoping that the Lady would deny permission.

Her hopes were dashed. Without even glancing at Elizabeth, she said, “Of course you may. I shall go take care of some matters elsewhere, but I will return in fifteen minutes. Please ensure your business is completed by then.”

Feeling dumbstruck and awkward, Elizabeth watched Lady Esther leave the room. Only when she was completely gone did Elizabeth turn her gaze on the man who was still standing before her.

He seemed uncomfortable as his stance shifted from one foot to the other. Instead of sitting down, he began pacing, pausing occasionally to lean against the mantel, staring at her.

As he shifted about, Elizabeth’s anger at this man rose within her. She could feel it tinging her cheeks pink. She did not know what he wished to say, but she did know that she had no desire to hear it.

Unfortunately, her wishes were not allowed to come to fruition. She would either have to listen to this man who had stolen Jane’s happiness, or she would have to be so rude as to simply walk away from him and leave him stranded in the parlor. Angry as she was, she did not think herself capable of that level of rudeness.

Eventually, Elizabeth’s suspense was relieved when Mr. Darcy finally opened his mouth to speak.

“Miss Elizabeth, you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you,” he said. The sentiment shocked Elizabeth into silence, which he must have taken as consent to continue. “For weeks, you have taken up residence in both my heart and mind, despite the struggles I have endured to attempt to remove you.”

“Struggles?” The word, which was half question and half startled exclamation, slipped past Elizabeth’s lips without conscious thought.

Mr. Darcy looked at her as though she was daft to even question him. “Of course. Though your fortune is quite suitable, your family’s status is distinctly different from my own. Additionally, you have spent very little time among the ton. At first I questioned whether someone who was not raised to do so could truly navigate such a situation.

“Clearly, you have proven my doubts unfounded. You and your older sister, at least, have shown yourselves to have excellent manners in even the most trying circumstances.”

Elizabeth noticed he had not included Mary in the compliment, and her ire rose even further. This man who had the temerity to intentionally separate Jane from Mr. Bingley was deliberately and openly lambasting her entire family. The anger which swelled in her breast could find no outlet, however, for it was stoppered by the confusion which his simultaneous declarations of affection and admiration caused.