Page 24 of To Love And To Cherish
After Dr. Edgerton departed, she walked down the hall toward the staircase when her father called to her from his study. She stepped inside.
“Papa, you called?”
“Close the door, Elizabeth.”
He looked grave, and she obeyed at once, then seated herself in her favorite chair. “What is it, Papa?”
“Lizzy, your mother has turned her eye upon you. She has observed how Dr. Edgerton looks at you, with affection.”
Elizabeth’s cheeks warmed. “Yes… I noticed it as well, only today, in fact,” she admitted.
“She has asked me to write to your cousin, Mr. William Collins. It is her intention to make a match for you with either Mr. Collins or Dr. Edgerton. I mean to write to Mr. Collins this evening and invite him to spend several weeks with us, if he can contrive it. He may accept or decline my invitation, but in either case, I shall show you his reply before I show it to your mother.”
He leaned forward, his expression earnest. “Lizzy, I wish you to understand, you may refuse either, or both, should it ever come to that. I will not compel you, or Jane, or any of my daughters, tomarry against your inclination. There will be no living with your mother if you decline, but so it shall be. You have my word.”
Elizabeth released the breath she had been holding and rose to embrace him. “Thank you, Papa.”
“Very well, my dear. Now go to your room before your mother comes in to interrogate us.”
Later, alone in the nursery chamber, Elizabeth rubbed her back, which ached from standing too long in one position. Bathed and ready for bed, she slipped beneath the covers with relief and was asleep within moments.
A life had been saved, and for that she was grateful. Yet she could not help but wonder, did Dr. Edgerton harbor feelings for her, and would they hinder their working together in the future? And what of Mr. Collins? Would he prove an acceptable suitor? They knew nothing of him. With her usual fortune, he would likely turn out a vagabond or a drunkard.
Chapter 13: Tolerable
The assembly room at Meryton was aglow with candlelight and color, with music floating through the air and laughter rising above the din. Elizabeth Bennet, though fond of a lively dance and cheerful company, had found herself seated for two sets, owing to the scarcity of gentlemen.
She had suffered a shock when her friend walked into the Meryton assembly room, older, more muscled, yet dressed with the same impeccable taste she remembered. Mr. Darcy. He had not yet seen her, but their meeting was inevitable.
Elizabeth was grateful for the reprieve she had been granted upon first seeing him. Her heart had tried to pound its way out of her chest, and she had felt short of breath and lightheaded, but she had recovered herself and remained seated, silently watching him.
As the minutes passed, his party moved further into the assembly room until Mr. Darcy now stood only a short distance away, elegant and reserved, his expression betraying no hint of enjoyment. His manner was one of practiced aloofness, a man not easily stirred by music or mirth. Mr. Bingley, flushed with the cheer of the evening and recently returned from a particularly lively dance with Jane, approached his friend with the easy familiarity of long acquaintance.
“Darcy,” he said, clapping him lightly on the shoulder, “you must join us. It pains me to see you so idle. There are more than enough young ladies willing to accept your hand.”
Darcy’s answer was quiet but firm, not intended for the wider company, though Elizabeth, seated not far behind them, caught every word.
“I will not. You know how I loathe dancing unless I am well acquainted with my partner. An event like this offers little appeal. Your sisters are engaged, and I see no other woman here with whom I’d willingly stand up.”
Bingley gave a good-natured laugh. “I could never be so particular, not for all the riches of the realm. Honestly, I have never encountered so many agreeable ladies in an assembly, and several are quite lovely.”
“You are already dancing with the only one whose beauty is worth remarking on,” Darcy replied, nodding subtly in Jane’s direction.
“She is angelic,” Bingley agreed with enthusiasm. “But just behind you sits one of her sisters, a most attractive young woman. Allow me to ask my partner to make the introduction.”
“Whom do you mean?” Darcy asked, turning slightly. His gaze settled on Elizabeth for the briefest moment, and their eyes locked. Then, with barely a flicker of recognition, he turned away and said coolly, “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to temptme; and I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You would do better to return to your partner than squander your time with me.”
Mr. Bingley, disconcerted, returned to Jane. Mr. Darcy walked away. And Elizabeth, though outwardly composed, felt the full weight of humiliation and injury settle on her chest.
She laughed lightly, and with more animation than she truly felt, recounted the scene to Charlotte Lucas, who joined in her mirth, though her eyes held some concern for her friend. Elizabeth could not deny the sting, for this was no common acquaintance. It was Fitzwilliam Darcy, her beloved friend of younger days, and he had slighted her before a crowd.
Later, Elizabeth saw him standing in solitary dignity near the refreshment table, surveying the room with practiced indifference. Resentment stirred. She rose with quiet grace and moved along the edge of the room until she stood before him. In a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “You used to be a better man, Mr. Darcy.”
His gaze, haughty and unreadable, flicked down to her. “Miss Bennet…”
“No,” she said softly but with unmistakable firmness, her eyes bright with anger. “You may not remember the kindness you once showed, or the heart you once possessed, but I do. You were not always so proud, nor so cold. I thought you better than this. Once, I treasured the kindness you extended to me. But now… I scarcely recognize the man you’ve become. I do not know how to reconcile the friend I once admired with the gentleman who could speak so cruelly.”
She fixed him with a piercing gaze.
