Page 50 of Gold and Good Sense

She had pointed out that it was best for the respectability of his daughters that he attend, even if all he did was hover along the sidelines, watching over them.

And that was precisely what he was doing in that very moment. He was watching Elizabeth dance with Mr. Darcy.

Thomas was quite surprised to see Mr. Darcy here at the assembly, especially since his uncle was nowhere to be found. Thomas would have assumed that the young man would avoid such chaos and noise. However, what surprised him even more was seeing the look he was giving Elizabeth and the look she returned to him.

There had been nothing like that between them in London. When could they possibly have become so close?

As he was pondering this very question, Esther approached. She had been socializing with the various ladies of the neighborhood, ladies she had come to know over the last few months but who were now welcoming her as the new mistress of Longbourn.

“Thomas, I have encountered the most startling rumors about Elizabeth,” she said. “I thought you would wish to know immediately.”

Thomas turned his gaze from his wife back to the dance floor. “Does it have to do with Mr. Darcy?” he asked.

Her gaze followed his, and she said, “Yes, it does.”

Thomas pulled in a breath of courage. When he had originally hired Mrs. Jamison and Esther, he had assumed his days of worrying about his daughters ruining their reputations were over. Perhaps he had been wrong to leave them all under the supervision of only Mrs. Jamison.

“What is this news?” he asked.

“Nearly everyone I’ve spoken to has seen Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy walking out together at some point in the last fortnight. When I put all the stories together, it seems they have met every single time Elizabeth has been out for a walk. Most don’t realize how often it has happened, but her lack of a chaperone has been well noted. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked when they could expect an announcement of an engagement.”

Thomas massaged his temples in an attempt to prevent a headache from coming on. Elizabeth was supposed to be one of the two daughters he had with real sense. Why would she do such a thing?

His critical thoughts almost immediately turned inward. He should have been more strict about having a footman or two accompany her, even when she insisted she required some amount of solitude. In the aftermath of Fanny’s death, he had not really considered much in the way of practicalities. He had recently been reminded of his initial resolution, but he assumed since all was well enough there was no need to change anything.

It was his old habits of laziness rearing their head again. For a moment, he despised himself.

He saw Esther watching him sympathetically. She did not blame him for this. She was merely sympathetic with his concern.

He shook off his self-flagellation and spoke. “If an engagement is that widely expected, there will be repercussions should it not happen soon,” he said. “I suppose I will need to have a conversation with young Darcy.”

“I do not think he will take much convincing,” said Esther. “After all, he proposed to Elizabeth before. There is no reason to think he would not do so again given enough assurance that she will not reject him again.”

“He…what?” Thomas said a little too loudly. “How do you come to know this when I do not?”

“I…I don’t recall,” said Esther in a soft contrite voice. “Perhaps I thought it was her private business and that I should not disturb you with it. After all, there was nothing you could do about it. So, I think I believed that, since you didn’t need to act on it, I didn’t need to bother with it.”

After a pause while Thomas gathered his thoughts to respond, Esther said softly, “I told you that you place too much faith in me, did I not?”

Thomas saw her contrition and her sorrow that she had caused him pain, and the sight was too much for him. He wanted to enfold her in his arms and comfort her, but that was not possible in such a crowded place. Instead, he simply took her hand.

“No one is perfect,” he said. “If I recall, at the time, I was placing much of the responsibility for my daughters on you and Mrs. Jamison. It makes sense that, if Elizabeth truly rejected him, there was no reason for me to know.”

“Thank you, Thomas,” she said.

“Now, let us return to the present,” said Thomas. “If you are certain he is willing to propose, do you think she will accept this time? Given the way she is looking at him, I should think so.”

“I genuinely don’t know,” said Esther. “I thought she was in love with him last spring, but she turned him down due to some misinformation. Assuming that mistake has been cleared, I think it might be very likely.”

“In that case, I think it is time I had a talk with the young man.”

~~~~~

When the first dance was over, Thomas searched for Mr. Darcy, who had disappeared into the crowd with Elizabeth. Eventually, the young man was found when the second dance began.

“Mr. Darcy, it is good to see you again,” said Thomas, “though I admit to some surprise at finding you here, of all places. I imagine it is quite uncomfortable to be surrounded by so many strangers.”

Something about this made Mr. Darcy’s mouth quirk as if it wished to smile. “Your daughter has been assisting me in becoming more acquainted with her neighbors over the last fortnight,” he said. “I hear that I am to offer you congratulations on your wedding.”