Mr. Darcy's Noble Connections: A Pride & Prejudice Variation by Abigail Reynolds

  "Several of the gentlemen attending the house party. He may have told others without my knowledge. And if you are angry at me for telling you this, you have the means for revenge in your hands. If it is discovered that I told you this much, there will be no gentleman here or in London who will not give me the cut direct. Revealing a bet is a violation of the code of honor."

  Her laugh was a mirthless sound. "The code of honor - and this from gentlemen who are placing bets on whether my reputation can be ruined? Excuse me, Mr. Darcy; I find I suddenly have no taste for company."

  When Elizabeth began to lead Mr. Darcy away, Eleanor glanced at Geoffrey. "If we follow, everyone will think the four of us are together."

  His eyes lit up, and he lost no time in escorting her through the same archway, but where the others had turned right. Geoffrey pointed to the left, where they followed the outside wall of the abbey to the woods that backed on it. The path into the forest was one they both knew well, and as soon as the trees hid them from the abbey, they joined hands and laughed.

  "A few moments of freedom - more precious than gold!" Eleanor said as she stepped into his embrace. She rested her face against his shoulder as his arms tightened convulsively around her. "Oh, how I have missed you!"

  He pressed a kiss on her forehead. "My love, you have seen more of me in the last few days than ever before."

  "True, but it is still not enough! It is so odd to see you at Bentham with my family and friends, and my father actually speaking to you on occasion. I keep pinching myself to prove it is real."

  "You can thank Darcy for that. He is responsible for my presence. Your father is only tolerating me because he wants Darcy here."

  "Well, then, I will be forever grateful to him. It has been heaven to be with you without fear of discovery - though I would like it even more if I did not have to keep a constant eye on my brother to keep him away from Elizabeth!

  "I wonder why Darcy was so concerned for Miss Bennet's whereabouts," Geoffrey said idly. "It is not like him."

  "Perhaps he knows Charles too well."

  "Darcy always makes a point of paying as little attention as possible to women so as not to raise their expectations. He was in love with a woman once, one who was socially inferior to him. Perhaps that is why he is protective of Miss Bennet - she may remind him of the woman who rejected him."

  "And Elizabeth once refused the proposal of a wealthy landed gentleman, so there may be similarities."

  Geoffrey looked at her, arrested. "You do not suppose that..."

  She shook her head. "No, it cannot be. She said the gentleman she refused was very ill-tempered, and you have said that Mr. Darcy is very temperate and good-natured."

  He smiled. "A pity - it was such a good theory. Then again, if I were only to judge Darcy by his behavior last night and then today, I might agree that his temper was not well regulated. Or perhaps it is only my own wish to solve Darcy's romantic difficulties that makes me consider it."

  She looked up into his eyes. "Well, I imagine that if there is anything to it, we will know soon enough. After all, they are alone together in a dark place."

  "And we are alone together in the woods."

  In response, she pulled his face down to hers once more with unmistakable meaning.

  It had taken Elizabeth the better part of a quarter hour to convince the maid that she wished to pack her own trunk, and even then it was only by promising never to breathe a word of it to anyone.

  Not that she was likely to do anything of the sort since she would be happiest if she never spoke to anyone at Bentham Park again, but she needed something to keep her busy. Without work to distract her, she would go mad.

  She left out her brown muslin, the drabbest item in her wardrobe, to wear the following day. Dirt from the stagecoach would not show on it, and she had no wish to look attractive. That was what had brought her Lord Charles and Mr. Darcy.

  The sound of the door opening made her look up from folding one of her last dresses. It was Eleanor, of course, still dressed for the picnic. "What happened?"

  "It is traditional to knock," said Elizabeth sharply. This confrontation was inevitable, but she intended to stand her ground.

  Eleanor closed the lid of the trunk and sat on it. "I was afraid you would not answer. Your maid came down to the picnic to tell me you were preparing to leave. Were you planning to go without even telling me?"

  Elizabeth shook her head, her anger deflating. "No. I just did not wish to tell you in front of everyone." Not to mention that, at the time, she had still been angry with Eleanor for interfering when she had been with Lord Charles and for assuming that she. like a child, needed protecting. Even harder to forgive was the humiliating truth that Eleanor had been right, and she had needed to be protected. How could she have been starting to like Lord Charles?

  "I could kill him! What did he do to you?"

  "Mr. Darcy? Nothing." Nothing except make her realize what a fool she had been yet again. It was not his fault that she kept trusting the wrong men despite his warnings.

  "Of course not. Charles."

  "He did nothing but talk to me." Of course, he had also proved how very successfully he could manipulate her as well. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

  "You expect me to believe you are running away because Charles talked to you?"

  "No, I do not expect you to believe that."

  "Are you planning to give me any reason at all?"

  Fortunately, she had prepared for this. "After I left Mr. Darcy, I overheard two gentlemen talking about your brother's bet - two hundred guineas on whether he could seduce me by the end of the house party. Apparently it is common knowledge among the men."

  "What else?"

  Elizabeth rounded on her. "Is that not enough? That all the gentlemen here are amusing themselves over the question of whether your brother will succeed in ruining me?"

  "Lizzy," said Eleanor in a calming voice, "surely you already knew that my brother was hoping to seduce you."

  "Of course I did!"

  "And that everyone else knew it and was watching to see if he succeeded."

  She had not thought about it in those particular terms. "Yes, but not that they were making a sport of ruining my life, and laughing about it!"

  "They are not laughing at you but at Charles's games. At least one of them must think you will fend him off. Two hundred guineas, you say? You should be complimented. Charles is an accomplished seducer, and why would someone bet against a sure thing?"

  "That was probably Mr. Darcy," Elizabeth said scornfully, "since he already knows I am not impressed by wealth or titles."

  Eleanor raised an eyebrow. "I doubt it. If Mr. Darcy were the sort to bet on a woman's loss of virtue, Geoffrey would not consider him a close friend. Unless, perhaps, you have some knowledge of reprehensible actions on his part?"

  "No," Elizabeth said flatly. She had been wrong about those, too.

  "What would you expect the gentlemen to do?"

  "They could have tried to stop him from doing it, or at least from bandying my name about like some sort of...some sort of...." But here her imagination failed her.

  "Did you not tell me you were sick of everyone telling you to stay away from Charles? What was that, if not trying to stop him? Do you expect gentlemen who have just met you to offer to fight a duel over you? Certainly some of the men here are rakehells like Charles who care only for their own pleasure. They may be encouraging him and laughing about it, but that is what rakehells do. They have probably bandied about the name of every unprotected lady they have met. Certainly this is not the first time Charles has done something like this."

  Mr. Darcy had warned her to stay away from Lord Charles, and she had been angry with him for it. She had thought she knew better than he did. "Has he always been like this? You used to like him. I thought."

  "He changed when he grew up. He was the only one of my brothers who ever had time for me, and I loved him for that. But he was always Edward's shadow
, wanting to be just like him, and when Edward went into exile, Charles just...turned into what he is now. As if he had to prove that he could be as bad as all the other rakehells in the ton. I hate it."

  "I am glad not to be part of the ton, if tolerating this sort of behavior is the price of it." Exhausted, Elizabeth sat down on the side of the bed.

  Eleanor sat next to her and put an arm around her shoulder. "You cannot leave now. Can you see how that would look? Everyone would assume that Charles had succeeded and you fled in shame. If word reached your family or friends, you would be ruined, even though you are perfectly innocent. Do not let Charles do that to you, I beg of you!"

  "I cannot stay for more of this humiliation, knowing they are taking pleasure in the hope of ruining my life!"

  "You have not been humiliated. Charles and the other rakes are the ones who have done something wrong. You have to show them that he could not fool you. You must cut him in front of them, poke fun at him, laugh condescendingly at his attempts to charm you. Choose one of the other men to flirt with just to prove how little Charles means to you. Then they will all see that he has no power over you," Eleanor said cajolingly. "I have faith in you."

  Elizabeth covered her face with her hands. Eleanor was right; she did have to stay. Facing Lord Charles would not be a problem since she no longer felt anything but distaste for him. It would be hard not knowing who else was involved, but she could manage. No, the one she was afraid to face was Mr. Darcy. He had watched her make a fool of herself over Wickham, and now, instead of learning her lesson from that episode, she had believed herself capable of handling an even worse scoundrel, despite Mr. Darcy's specific warning. He must think her as silly and vain as her younger sisters, ready to believe any man who pretended to admire her - and he would be perfectly justified in that opinion.

  Chapter 6

  The evening proved anticlimactic. Elizabeth had prepared herself to ignore Lord Charles, which also meant keeping her temper in check, but he did not appear either at dinner or afterward when the gentlemen rejoined the ladies and tables were set up for whist. In some ways, Elizabeth was sorry for his absence since it just delayed the inevitable meeting and left her more time to worry over it.

  When the ladies withdrew, Lady Bentham made a point of sitting with Eleanor and Elizabeth. After inquiring regarding Elizabeth's enjoyment of the picnic, she said, "I saw you speaking with our neighbor Mr. Paxton. What do you think of him?" Elizabeth forced herself not to glance at Eleanor. "He seems a pleasant gentleman whom I would like to know better."

  Eleanor said demurely, "I hope you may have more opportunity for conversation with him, but it may be difficult since my dear brother seems quite enamored of your company."

  In a quiet voice, Lady Bentham said. "Has Lord Charles been troubling you. Miss Bennet?"

  "I could never call the company of such a gentleman troublesome, but I admit he is somewhat persistent." Taking her cue from Eleanor, Elizabeth pretended to be embarrassed by this admission.

  "I see," said Lady Bentham. "Perhaps I will have a word with him. Tomorrow is the fishing party, and all the gentlemen will be enticing trout rather than ladies. As for the following day, I think you would enjoy seeing the famed gardens at Rosedale Park, Miss Bennet. The owners welcome visitors as long as they come in small parties. Perhaps Mr. Paxton and Mr. Darcy might agree to escort you and Eleanor there."

  "That sounds delightful," said Elizabeth. "I am very fond of gardens."

  "Excellent! I will make the arrangements tomorrow."

  As her stepmother swept off to visit with her guests, Eleanor whispered, "Thank you."

  Darcy was fortunate to have the excuse of the megrim to explain away his somber countenance that evening. He could not pretend to anything close to his normal spirits, and Paxton would have questioned him had he not believed the cause to be his illness. The day had been like boxing with an opponent who overmatched him, suffering one body blow after another. Now Elizabeth was packing her trunks to leave Bentham Park, and he was the one who had driven her away. Would Lady Eleanor be able to stop her, or would that all-too-brief encounter in the darkness prove to be the last time he ever saw Elizabeth Bennet?

  Neither lady was present when he and Paxton stopped at the house on their way home, so he was left in suspense, unable to mourn her absence or even to understand what had distressed her so much.

  After all, he had been trying to help her. Nor were the ladies in evidence the following morning when the gentlemen presented themselves to join the fishing party. As if he wished to spend the day among all these men who only reminded him that he did not know what had happened to Elizabeth! He had been dreading spending the day in Carlisle's company, unable to speak his mind, but what occurred was even worse: Carlisle was not among the fishing party, and no one seemed to know his whereabouts. He could only hope to God he was not with Elizabeth. To top it all off, he could not even have a moment's peace since Lord Bentham had again chosen him as the recipient of his unending stories about his youthful adventures with Darcy's father.

  By the end of the day, he was at the limits of his tolerance, and he still had no idea what to say or do if he saw Lady Eleanor and, dear God, Elizabeth again. Those minutes together when he had been the recipient of her sweet gentleness had only made him crave more of her compassion. Had he already lost his chance?

  Under any other circumstances, he would have begged off visiting Bentham Park after the fishing expedition, but the hope of discovering whether Elizabeth had departed drew him there. Darcy told himself firmly it was only because he did not like remaining in suspense. Besides, it would please Paxton to have the opportunity to see Lady Eleanor.

  Inside the house, the ladies had arranged themselves decoratively around the saloon, but Darcy knew immediately that Elizabeth was not there. He could feel it in the air, and her absence made his stomach clench. So that was the end of it, after all these months.

  Lady Bentham stepped forward to greet them, asking after the fishing. After a little general discussion, she turned to Paxton. "Miss Bennet was telling me she has heard much praise of the gardens at Rosedale Park."

  It was all Darcy could do not to interrupt and ask her ladyship what she meant, but Paxton said smoothly, "They are quite impressive. It would be a pity for her to miss them when we are so nearby. Perhaps I should ask her - and Lady Eleanor, of course - if they would like to make an excursion there. I am sure Darcy would enjoy the gardens as well, would you not, Darcy?"

  Even with this direct a cue, Darcy almost stumbled over his words. "I would be delighted to escort Lady Eleanor and Miss Bennet there." At least he had managed to remember to mention Lady Eleanor first.

  "What a splendid notion!" Lady Bentham said, as if she had not all but ordered them to do precisely that.

  Paxton said, "I do not see Miss Bennet or Lady Eleanor here today."

  Of course! Darcy had not even thought to look for Lady Eleanor. Elizabeth would be with her friend.

  "My daughter has a touch of a headache and has remained upstairs. All the excitement yesterday may have been too much for her delicate constitution. I believe Miss Bennet is keeping her company."

  Delicate constitution? From all Darcy had heard from Paxton, Lady Eleanor was capable of climbing to the top of the tower at the ruins without any ill effects.

  "I am sorry to hear it," said Paxton. "I hope it is nothing serious."

  "I am certain she will be well by tomorrow. In fact, it appears that she is coming down after all."

  Lady Bentham was correct. Lady Eleanor stood in the doorway, Elizabeth slightly behind her. Darcy had known from Lady Bentham's words she had not departed, but he had not quite believed it until he saw her. His breath rushed out of him, carrying worry away with it. Then he noticed she was avoiding his gaze. He would have to find a way to make amends.

  Paxton made their excuses to Lady Bentham, expressing his intention to deliver the invitation to Miss Bennet immediately. It was not as simple as that, of course,
since everyone seemed to wish to speak to Lady Eleanor, and naturally Miss Elliot had to trail across Darcy's pathway until he had no choice but to speak to her.

  Finally the crowd around Lady Eleanor abated, allowing Darcy and Paxton the opportunity to approach the ladies. Elizabeth seemed to be looking at Paxton as she curtsied, but Darcy knew better. She was avoiding looking at him, and Paxton was her only other choice.

  Elizabeth offered her hand to Paxton, who bowed over it. "Miss Bennet, it has come to my attention that you have never seen the famous gardens at Rosedale Park. I wondered if you might do me the very great honor of agreeing to join me in an excursion there, accompanied, of course, by Lady Eleanor and Mr. Darcy." He gave her a quick wink.

  Lady Eleanor, her voice just above a whisper, said, "So you have been given your marching orders."

  Paxton turned his smile on her. "Even so, Lady Eleanor."

  "An excursion sounds like a lovely idea." Elizabeth gave Paxton the arch look Darcy knew so well. "Would you not agree, Lady Eleanor?"

  On her agreement, the party returned to its usual habit, with Paxton looking at Elizabeth but speaking to Lady Eleanor. Elizabeth still had not looked at Darcy. This could not continue; her displeasure wrapped around his chest and restricted his breathing.

  Darcy moved closer to her. "Miss Bennet, I wonder if I might seek your advice on a small matter."

  Her whole figure seemed to grow tense. "And what might that be, sir?"

  He took a deep breath. "I am considering having new calling cards printed."

  Finally she looked at him, though her expression implied he belonged in Bedlam. "New calling cards?" she asked dubiously.

  "Yes, but these, in addition to my name, would also say, I apologize, Miss Bennet, for distressing you with my ill-chosen words. That way I could simply hand you one on those frequent occasions when it seems to be required."

  Her lips pressed together, but the sparkle in her eyes suggested she might be repressing a smile. "And why would you seek my opinion on such a matter? It sounds as if your mind is made up."