Page 11

“My cousin does not always express himself so freely as others. He states that he does not possess the talent of conversing easily with those who are unconnected to him and that he cannot catch the tone of their conversation or appear interested in their concerns.”

“Well, sir, I suppose you know him best. What say you to his assertion?”

Colonel Fitzwilliam chuckled. “I often tease him that he simply does not give himself the trouble. In truth, he means no harm. Suffice it to say, my cousin is one of the best men I know. He is a loyal friend, a generous master, and a loving brother. There is nothing he would not do for those who are really his friends. He takes prodigious care of those whom he deems worthy of his devotion.”

“That is until he no longer considers the person worthy, I wager.”

“I take it that you are referring to the cessation of his friendship with George Wickham?”

“I suppose I am. Your cousin and I are quite at odds over the matter of Mr. Wickham. He seems to have taken up your aunt’s cause in warning me against the gentleman.”

“I believe Darcy only has you and your family’s best interest at heart in warning you against that gentleman. No doubt, he does not wish to see what happened to a particular young lady of his acquaintance befall anyone else.”

“What happened?” Elizabeth exclaimed with energy. In a more disinterested fashion, she continued, “If it is not asking too much, who was the young lady?”

In a somewhat uneasy manner, the colonel said, “I have said all I can. It is, after all, not my story to tell.”

“You will pardon me then if I do not put any degree of credence in an indictment as vague as this. It is not that I do not respect you, but I have known Mr. Wickham far longer than I have known you. I have seen nothing in his character that would allow me to abandon my good opinion of him simply because he somehow earned your cousin’s disapprobation—a feat that is easily attained if I know anything at all about Mr. Darcy.”

The colonel went on to speak in his cousin’s defense in such terms of generality as to be wholly unconvincing. He might as well have been whistling in the wind as far as Elizabeth was concerned.

What does it matter to me that Mr. Darcy thwarted Mr. Wickham’s attempt to elope with a young woman against the wishes of her family? She was a young woman of some means according to the colonel. Is that not what two young people who are violently in love do when supposed well-intended others are determined to stand in their way?

Should Mr. Darcy’s actions be judged any differently from Mr. King’s when he hastily removed his daughter, Miss Mary King, from Hertfordshire no doubt to thwart her budding courtship with Mr. Wickham.

Elizabeth had not held Mr. Wickham’s attempt to better himself by means of an advantageous alliance with a young heiress against him before. She certainly did not intend to do so now.

Seeing that her mind was made up on the subject, the colonel said no more. He was too much of a gentleman to admonish her for maintaining her convictions however much he may not have agreed with them. He told her as much. Changing the subject yet again, he and Elizabeth continued walking along and talking on indifferent matters until they reached the parsonage. Neither of the two had suffered in the eyes of the other, which was a very good thing as no doubt the time they would be spending in each other’s company was nowhere near an end.

CHAPTER 7

REMAINS UNANSWERED

Several weeks later, what with regularly being thrown into each other’s paths either at church or Rosings, Darcy’s attention towards Elizabeth had not waned. He did not always sit with her in the east library while she practiced, but he always made certain to be on hand to accompany her back to the parsonage. Indeed, walking alone with Elizabeth was easily his favorite part of the day. His desire to spend more time with her caused him to delay his departure from Kent as well and on more than one occasion.

Elizabeth was never quite so lively during their walks as when in the colonel’s company. Darcy attributed this to his own reticence. Surely she looked forward to their time together as much as he did. Whenever he would speak, she always responded in kind, which confirmed his thinking that she was merely following his lead.

On that particular day, Darcy sought to satisfy his curiosity on Elizabeth’s ideas of marriage. How a young woman as charming as Elizabeth could have reached the age of nearly one and twenty and not secured a marriage proposal was difficult for him to fathom.

“Mr. Collins appears to be very fortunate in his choice of wife.”

Elizabeth nodded. “My friend is one of the few sensible women, I believe, who would have accepted him. He is very fortunate in that regard. However, as sensible as Mrs. Collins is, I have not always considered her marrying Mr. Collins the wisest thing she ever did.”

“She seems perfectly happy.”

“I suppose you are correct. In a prudential light, it is a very good match for her. She takes a great deal of comfort in being mistress of her own home.”

“And what of your preferences for your own marital felicity, Miss Bennet?”

“In what respect, Mr. Darcy?”

“Pray what is it that satisfies your fondest wish as regards the prospect of marriage? Surely you mean to marry. Is that not what every young woman dreams of?”

“It is most important to me that I honor and respect my future husband. I am certain I could never truly be happy if either of those two things was missing. To settle for anything less would no doubt subject the gentleman and me to misery of the acutest kind.”

The manner in which her father regarded her mother over the years had taught her that at least one, if not both, of those essential elements was missing in her parents’ union. Such a marriage was not for her.

“You made no mention of love and affection. Do you not aspire to a love match, Miss Bennet?”