silence as Madame pinned away.
When aunt and niece got out of the hackney at Gracechurch Street, they saw a carriage parked outside the Gardiner townhouse, and Lizzy immediately recognized it as belonging to Mr. Darcy.
“Ah, Miss Darcy has returned to town,” Lizzy said, smiling. She had developed a deep attachment for Georgiana as she was all that a sister should be, but when she went into the parlor, there sat not Miss Darcy but her brother. After an exchange of pleasantries, Mr. Darcy told Mrs. Gardiner that his sister was upstairs with her eldest daughter, and when she learned that Margaret was teaching Miss Darcy how to trim a bonnet, she said that she would check on their progress.
Knowing of Mr. Darcy’s ardor, she sat on the sofa across from him.
“I thought you were to go directly to Herefordshire,” Lizzy stated, somewhat concerned. She wanted nothing to interfere with his task of finding Nell a husband.
“Well, I had to come through London anyway, and so I decided to break my journey for a day or two. Are you complaining?”
“Of course not, but you will go to Herefordshire, will you not?”
“Elizabeth, I thought you would be happy to see me. Instead, it seems that you will be pleased to see me on my way. I have not pressed on in my journey because I missed you. Three weeks was too long. What was I thinking when I made those plans?” And then he became suspicious of her reasons for wanting him out of London, but in Herefordshire. “Is this about Nell?” Of course it was, and Darcy shook his head in disapproval. “Your silence speaks volumes. Once again, I will tell you that I have no interest in the lady. You have nothing to worry about.”
“I believe you, and I do not want to talk about Nell. How did things go with your aunt Catherine?”
“Better than I would have thought.”
“Really!” Lizzy said pleased. “I feared that it would not go well at all. So she approves of our marriage?”
“I would not put it that way.”
“Are you saying that although she does not approve of our marriage, she will not stand in our way?” Lizzy asked in an unsure voice.
“She did not say that either.”
“Well, what did she say? Is your good news that she did not throw a vase at you or hit you with her cane?”
“A vase was not immediately at hand, and her infirmities prevent her from wielding a cane in such a way as to cause injury.”
“Oh, now I see that your purpose in going into Kent was to hone your skills as a wit.”
“I have been so easily found out,” he responded, but when Lizzy started to twiddle her thumbs while waiting for an explanation for his optimism, Darcy explained Anne’s supposition that since her mother did not have the last word, it was a sign of her acquiescence.
“You bring me thin gruel, sir,” Lizzy answered, unimpressed, “but it is a better conclusion than what your cousin anticipated when he called on me.”
“Richard is in town?”
“No, not the colonel, but his brother, Lord Fitzwilliam. He paid a visit earlier in the week.”
“Good God! You did not say anything, did you? Because telling him anything is the same as releasing it for publication.”
“Of course not. That is an insulting statement, Will. Your welfare is my first concern.”
“I am sorry,” he quickly added. Knowing that she would never do anything that would endanger him, Elizabeth had a right to be insulted. “It is just that he has a way of wrapping people, especially women, around his little finger, and I can see from your expression that you were taken in by his charms.”
“I must confess I was amused by his wit, but it is the same as when troupes of acrobats and jugglers come into the village. They are very entertaining, but you would not want them to linger too long.”
Lizzy shared with Mr. Darcy the details of His Lordship’s visit, including his flirting with Mrs. Gardiner. When he offered to apologize for his cousin’s behavior, Lizzy assured him that her aunt had enjoyed every minute of it and had shared it with Mr. Gardiner. But Lizzy did want to know if Lady Eleanor really was the Queen of Darkness and if Lord Fitzwilliam was truly broke.
“I am sure Antony told you that Lady Eleanor drowns kittens in her moat or is guilty of performing other such monstrous acts, but it is just another example of a failed arranged marriage. Although she is not the Queen of Darkness, Eleanor is definitely one of the most unpleasant people I know. As to your second question, the earl is not broke. He is one of the very few of England’s elite who wins more at the gaming tables than he loses. Unlike most other members of his club, he knows when to leave the tables.”
“Then why does he not pay his bills? Apparently, his townhouse is freezing because he owes the coalman for past deliveries.”
“Because he has a liquidity problem. Winning at cards and collecting the money are two different things, but when Antony finally does get the money, he will pay Mr. Blackmun, the coalman, first. Once he is paid, word spreads quickly that the earl has money and that they can expect Gregg, his manservant, to come ’round and pay his debts.”
“What a terrible way to live.”
“It is terrible, but it is the way business is done in town. I hope you did not invite him to the wedding.”
“I did,” Lizzy answered, and when she saw Mr. Darcy’s look of displeasure, she quickly added, “How could I not invite him when we were sitting in the same room discussing our wedding? But he is not coming, which raises another question. One of the reasons he will not be attending is because Lady Granyard will not be there. Surely, he is not having an affair with her.”
“Not now, he isn’t. But he did have an affair with her when she was Lady Boyle. But do you see what has happened?” he said in an exasperated voice. “Instead of us talking about our wedding, we are talking about Antony. This happens every time. The only people who can upstage him are the royals, and not all of them either. But no more about Antony. Did you read my letter?”
“Yes, I did,” Lizzy said, and her whole demeanor changed. “You know, I should burn it. You should not write such things. The part about our wedding night was really improper.” But Lizzy could not keep the smile out of her voice.
“In two weeks’ time, I promise not to write anything of the sort. Words will be replaced by deeds.”
Lizzy’s physical response was immediate, as was Darcy’s, and he spanned the distance between them in two steps. After lifting her out of the chair, he kissed her as if they had been parted for months instead of one week. But Lizzy removed her arms from around his neck, and after sliding them down his chest, she gently pushed him away.
“You have such power over me. I cannot hide anything from you,” she said, her voice unsteady.
“Do not speak to me of power. You have brought me to my knees.”
“In that case…” Lizzy pulled his mouth toward her, and because she was a head shorter than he was, he lifted her off her feet and kissed her until his arms ached.
“I cannot stay away from you, Elizabeth Bennet, and so I will make short work of my business in Herefordshire, and as soon as I have done so, I shall go to Netherfield and remain there until we are man and wife. Actually, I have no choice. Georgiana speaks of nothing but Kitty and Mary and you, of course. Whenever you are ready to return to Hertfordshire, she will leave London with you, but she will stay at Netherfield with me.”
“That is probably best. With all the preparations for the wedding breakfast, there will be too much going on at Longbourn.” Or so she thought.
Chapter 29
With exactly one week to go before the wedding, Lizzy and Georgiana arrived at Netherfield Park, but when they came to the gated entrance, their driver had to yield as a slow-moving wagon moved in front of him. When Georgiana recognized the driver as Abel Metcalf, Lizzy knew that her wedding reception was not going to be held at Longbourn, but here at Netherfield.
“You should have written to me, Jane,” Lizzy said as soon as she was in the house. “I had no idea that the
