| Colonel Fitzwilliam Interferes - Chapter 4 |
| The changes did not begin immediately, and even when they did, they were not noticeable at first. It began with small things: he thought more carefully on how his words and actions may affect the feelings of others; he was more polite with people who were not of his class and who did not work for him; his address softened. It was not easy for Darcy to come to terms with Elizabeth's characterization of him, but the more he thought on their acquaintance, the more credit he had to give her. He had never even paused to consider what others had thought of him, and it had cost him the good opinion of the person whose approval he most desired. But that was the past. He knew now what needed to be done. He was determined to win her over, not for love, he knew it was too late for that, but at least for friendship; they were to be cousins after all. He shuddered at the thought of it. Cousins� it seemed so ridiculous, so wrong, so unnatural to call Elizabeth his cousin. Elizabeth Fitzwilliam was grating to his ears, while Elizabeth Darcy seemed to roll off his tongue. Still, he had long since lost any choice in the matter, and all he could do for her now was to make up for his past behavior. He decided to start by correcting his most damaging mistake: the separation of Bingley and Jane. A great sadness swept over him as he realized that he might lose his good friend because of his arrogant presumptions. Of course, he had done what he had thought best at the time, based on his observations of Jane's countenance, but he could not deny that Elizabeth was a more reliable source on Jane's feelings. His former arguments against her family's place in society also could no longer stand, for was her sister not about to connect herself to his own family? The deficits of the marriage no longer outweighed the benefits, and he would now be hurting his friend even more if he did not tell him the truth. He knocked on Bingley's door fully aware that his friend could toss him out onto the street within a few minutes. "Darcy! What a pleasant surprise! To what do I owe this pleasure?" "I have a very important matter to discuss with you Bingley. Can we speak in private?" "Of course, come with me." The gentlemen went to the library, but before Bingley could even offer him a drink, Darcy began his well-rehearsed apology. "Bingley, I have done you a great wrong. Before I confess all to you, however, I wish you to know that I acted only in what I thought were your best interests. I have since learned that I was terribly wrong, and I apologize." Bingley was now thoroughly confused, for he could not image anything in which Darcy may have ill advised him. His questioning look encouraged Darcy to continue. "When we left Hertfordshire, I told you that I thought Miss Bennet did not care for you." Bingley paled at the mention of her name. "I have since discovered that I was very wrong." "What? But� how? Where? You were wrong?" Bingley jumped up, eyes wide. "As you know, her sister Miss Elizabeth is soon to marry my cousin. It came to my attention that Miss Bennet has been� out of sorts since our departure, and she is in fact very much in love you." Bingley's eyes began to glow with a hope that had not been there in months. Darcy considered stopping there, but he knew that the whole truth needed to be revealed. "But there is more� Miss Bennet was in town for three months and your sisters and I concealed it from you. We thought you were not yet strong enough to see her and decided not to tell you. It was very wrong of me, Bingley, and I apologize with all my heart." "You mean she was in town all those months and you concealed it from me?" Bingley repeated in anger. "She must think I am a cad, to show her such attentions, then leave her without another word and never visit her when she was in town! How dare you! I am not a child!" "I know that, Bingley, and I wish to make amends. Miss Bennet is at this moment in town with her sister helping her prepare for the wedding." "She� she is in town? Now?" Darcy nodded. "I was planning to call on them today. Would you care to join me?" Bingley smiled widely, the anger gone, and embraced his friend. "Thank you for telling me Darcy! I shall prepare at once, and we can depart in a quarter of an hour!" This turned out to be a lie; Bingley was ready in under five minutes, and moments later they were on their way to Gracechurch Street. Darcy had to contain his laughter at the sight of Bingley fidgeting about like a schoolboy sitting through a tedious class. When the carriage finally stopped, Bingley jumped out with an "At last!" and bounded towards the door. As he was about to ring the bell, he froze. "Oh Darcy� what if she hates me after all this time of neglect? I do not deserve her!" he whined with a sudden attack of nervousness. Darcy placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Come Bingley, I am certain that she will be happy to see you. She is of a very forgiving nature." Bingley smiled dreamily. "Yes, she is an angel, isn't she?" He stood up straight and gave a resolute nod. "Very well. I shall ring the bell." He extended his hand to do just that when the door swung open and Jane herself quickly stepped out, practically falling into Bingley's arms. She had been looking back at Elizabeth at the time, and had not even noticed the gentlemen until she had collided with them. Bingley was helpless; Jane was in his arms, and he was in no hurry to let her go. She looked up at him with embarrassment, and when she realized who it was, her mortification was complete. Much to his disappointment, she stepped away from him. "Mr. Bingley! P-please excuse me, sir," she said with a shaky voice, and covering her mouth to stifle a sob, she ran back into the house. Elizabeth gave Bingley an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bingley, I'm afraid I called for Jane's attention just before she opened the door, and she did not see you there. We were just on our way out for a walk. How do you?" she said warmly, effectively hiding her shock at seeing him on her uncle's doorstep. She did not do as well when she turned her head and saw Mr. Darcy standing beside him. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Mr. Darcy, this is a surprise. Good day to you as well." He bowed crisply. "Good day Miss Bennet. I hope you are well. I was coming to call on you today and thought Bingley would like to renew his acquaintance with you and your sister as well," he replied, making it quite clear that Bingley's presence was his doing. She stared at him in surprise for a moment before turning her attention back to Bingley. "We are very pleased to see you Mr. Bingley. It has been so long since we last met. Won't you come in?" Bingley had been craning his neck to look behind Elizabeth into the house, so it took him a moment to realize what she was saying. "Hm? Oh, yes, thank you! But it is I who should be sorry, for I was in Ja� Miss Bennet's way," he stuttered. "It is lovely to see you again Miss Elizabeth. I hear that I am to congratulate you on your upcoming wedding." Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you sir. Please, come in." They followed her into the parlor, where a concerned Mrs. Gardiner was waiting. "Lizzy, what is wrong with Jane? She ran through here just a moment ago and�" she stopped when she realized that Elizabeth was not alone. "Oh� hello." "Aunt, this is Mr. Bingley, and you know Mr. Darcy of course." Mrs. Gardiner curtseyed, a look of understanding coming over her face. "Gentlemen, please sit down. I am going to speak to Jane, we shall return in a moment." Mrs. Gardiner sat down anxious to satisfy her curiosity about the famous Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth, meanwhile, went to Jane's room, where the poor girl was crying into her pillow. The shock of seeing Mr. Bingley again, combined with the embarrassing position she had found herself in (despite the pleasantness of being in his arms) had caused her to break down after so many months of quiet despair. "Jane, dear, won't you come speak to Mr. Bingley? He has come particularly to see you," Elizabeth said soothingly. "He apologizes for what happened at the door." "He has nothing to apologize for! I was the one who fell on him! Oh, what must he think of me?" "He thinks you are the loveliest woman in the world, Jane. Come, let us freshen you up and go speak to Mr. Bingley." Jane nodded and allowed Elizabeth to dab her face with a wet washcloth. "You are so fortunate Jane! When you cry your countenance is only more glowing and angelic. Mine just becomes red and swollen!" Elizabeth teased. After a few moments more to gather her composure, Jane indicated her readiness to rejoin the gentlemen. The instant she walked in the door, Bingley jumped to his feet and practically ran to her. "Miss Bennet, I am so sorry for my clumsiness at the door. I do hope you are not hurt," he said compassionately. "No sir, I thank you, but you are not to blame. I am the one who did not pay attention and fell upon you. Please forgive me." She still could not bring herself to look at his face, and her cheeks were a deep crimson. Bingley thought she had never looked more beautiful. Without realizing it, he took her hand and tenderly kissed it. "You are an angel, Miss Bennet; there is nothing to forgive." She looked up at him with teary eyes, her face completely betraying her emotions. Even Darcy could not deny that this woman was indeed very much in love. Bingley saw it too, and his heart leapt with a joy he had not felt in months. He smiled warmly at her, eliciting a smile in return. They merely gazed at each other for several moments, until Darcy cleared his throat to remind them that they weren't alone. "Shall we sit down, sir?" Jane asked quietly. Bingley nodded, and, never letting go of her hand, led her to a sofa where they sat side by side. Mrs. Gardiner left to see to the tea, leaving the young people to themselves for a few minutes. Darcy shook his head with amusement; the rest of the company would now be forgotten for the duration of their visit. He ventured a glance at Elizabeth and saw a becoming smile brightening her face as she looked at her sister and Bingley speaking quietly together. His heart caught in his throat in a desperate desire that she would one day smile on him this way. She seemed to realize that he was looking at her, and turned in his direction. The look on her face belied her confusion. "I believe Jane has you to thank for this visit, sir?" she whispered. Darcy nodded. "I do not like injustices, Miss Bennet, and there is nothing more unjust than to allow a friend to suffer, or to separate two people who are meant to be together." Elizabeth felt a peculiar warmth at his words, but could not comprehend its meaning. "I thank you sir," she replied, not quite knowing what to say. Darcy looked at her with an intensity that made her turn her eyes. "I also do not like to make mistakes, and when I do make them, I try to rectify them immediately. It came to my attention that I was wrong in my actions, so this morning I paid Bingley a visit and told him the truth." Elizabeth was astonished; he seemed to know that she was aware of his previous interference and was telling her that he had taken the information to heart. Not knowing what to say, she said nothing at all. Unnerved by her silence, Darcy spoke again as if desperate to get the words out. "I am not a bad man, Miss Bennet. I make mistakes, but I am not bad. I know my behavior towards you has been reproachable, but I hope to make amends." Elizabeth's eyes grew wide at this unexpected declaration. Did Richard tell him about our talk? "I'm afraid I don't follow you sir. Has� Has Richard spoken to you about this?" she asked warily. He grimaced slightly at her use of his cousin's Christian name; it was so� intimate. "I'm afraid I must confess to one more misdeed; the other evening I overhead some of your conversation with Fitzwilliam. I had not intended to hear it, but when I realized that you spoke of me, I had to hear it all. I am very sorry for invading your privacy, but believe me when I say that it was something I needed to hear. I had no idea that I was so ill-liked, and have strived to tend to the reproofs you so justly applied." Elizabeth was torn between anger at his eavesdropping and gratitude at his respect for her opinion and willingness to change his ways. Anger could not survive long, however, after seeing the look of utter contrition on his face. She smiled compassionately at him. "Mr. Darcy, I am sorry if my words offended you. I was frustrated that evening and let my mouth run wild. I thank you for being so generous with your forgiveness." "My forgiveness? It is I who should be on my knees begging your forgiveness El� Miss Bennet!" he whispered passionately. "I have been a selfish being all my life, but with time I hope to become worthy of your respect." She extended her hand with a smile. "Let us not argue for the greater part of the blame Mr. Darcy. I have made my share of mistakes as well, and would not wish for them to be held against me. Therefore, let us shake hands and be friends. We are to be family, after all." Those last few words caused a slight churning in the pit of her stomach, but she brushed it off as nervousness about her wedding. Darcy paled slightly, but took her hand with relief. Instead of shaking it, however, he raised it and ever so lightly brushed his lips against her soft skin. Elizabeth felt as if she had been hit by lightning; raging warmth coursed through her body, and her heart began to pound fiercely. She quickly withdrew her hand and stood. "Please excuse me, I am going to help my aunt with the tea," she sputtered, and quickly left the room. Darcy's heart was leaping with joy. The delights of kissing her hand were plentiful on their own, but her unmistakably favorable reaction had surpassed them a hundred-fold. She had felt it too, the incredible electricity between, he was sure of it. Perhaps it is not too late after all! he thought with new hope. Elizabeth reentered the room with a plate of cucumber sandwiches, unable to look him in the eye. He was about to speak to her again when the housekeeper entered. "Colonel Fitzwilliam to see you ma'am," she curtseyed, and stepped aside to reveal the man himself. Darcy's jaw tightened with jealousy as Elizabeth hurried to his side. "Richard, I am so glad you came," she whispered as he took her hands to kiss them. The difference between the feeling of his kiss and Darcy's made Elizabeth uncomfortable, but she determined not to think on it. "Hello my love. I hope you are well. Darcy! What brings you here?" he cried to his cousin jovially. Darcy swallowed his bitterness and managed to mutter something about calling with Bingley. Fitzwilliam looked over at Bingley and Jane, who had not even seemed to notice his arrival. "Ah, I see," he chuckled. "Hello Bingley, Miss Bennet!" he said with a wink to Elizabeth. The two lovers tore their eyes away from each other to see who had addressed them. "Hello Colonel Fitzwilliam, it is lovely to see you." "Fitzwilliam! How do you do? Er� have you been here long?" Bingley asked with embarrassment. "No, not at all� certainly no more than half an hour," he teased. "No, no, I have only just arrived. I was hoping to claim my lovely fianc�e for a walk in the park on this lovely day, as I have a few particular things to speak to her about. What do you say my dear?" Elizabeth glanced quickly at Darcy before replying that she would be delighted, and they took their leave. Bingley and Jane quickly returned to their private conference, but Darcy could only sit there and curse his cousin for being one step ahead of him yet again. Next section... |