Page 63 of To Go Against Her Heart
“I do not intend to take over the instrument from you to showcase my talent, even though I could give you stiff competition in playing ill,” he said in a serious tone and continued, “I would like to turn pages for you if you are not against it.”
To this, Elizabeth laughed heartily. The picture of a stern-looking Darcy playing in front of everyone amused her beyond measure. She finally realized that, in recent times, he had been the reason she had laughed without any reservation.
“I will play now only because I wish to save you from the embarrassment of being the worst performer in the room, and yes, you can help me by turning pages,” she said and chose a song.
As she played, Elizabeth could not help but direct her eyes towards Darcy, and though he appeared absorbed in his task, the expression in his eyes revealed all that her heart had ever longed for. In his eyes, she could see an unwavering devotion despite everything she had done to discourage him.
At the conclusion of her performance, loud applause resounded from the room, leaving her surprised, and she finally looked at Darcy.
“It was a terrible performance indeed,” he said, keeping his face serious, his voice low enough for only her to hear. Elizabeth discovered a delight in his sarcasm, for it bore a familiar resemblance to her father’s lively humor.
Georgiana played next, and the evening passed pleasantly with music and laughter. The guests left in good spirits, and Darcy handed Jane and Elizabeth into the carriage. He did not say much to her and did not feel compelled to do so; from her manner, it was quite evident to him that she could no longer hide her feelings.
Once the guests left, Georgiana retired to her room as they were spending the night there, and Lady Matlock found a chance to speak with her nephew in privacy regarding Elizabeth.
“May I ask how long you have known the young lady, Fitzwilliam?”
“Six months, to be exact,” Darcy replied.
“I understand you spent much time in her company in Hertfordshire.”
“Not as much as I should have liked to. Pray tell me if you have anything in particular you might want to know about her?”
“If I wish to, I will ask her directly. Do you not think so?”
Darcy smiled.
“What I would like to understand is what is stopping you from courting her?” she asked, much to Darcy’s surprise, andcontinued, “If at all I know you, then I assume you still cannot determine her feelings in the matter, am I right?”
“You appear to be better acquainted with my circumstances than I myself am,” Darcy replied with a sigh.
“Fitzwilliam, I am not encouraging this match because I want you to settle down with a wife, for Georgiana to have a sister, and finally for you to have an heir. You must know that if I wished all that for you, I would have pressed you to marry one of the countless girls my friends and acquaintances recommended to me over the years. I always knew you would never marry for societal pressure. What I see in Miss Elizabeth is a woman so worthy of not only becoming the mistress of Pemberley and your wife, but someone who does not see you as a man who is just to be respected for his status and wealth. I find it so hard to believe, but she sat in this very room for more than an hour without once directing her conversation towards Pemberley, and nor did she flatter Georgiana to gain your affection. I have not seen anyone like her.”
“I assure you, the last thing she cares about in this world is my status and wealth, and to be very honest, she did not have a favorable impression of me in Hertfordshire, and it is no fault of hers.”
“That is quite astonishing; what did you ever do to make her dislike you? I should dearly like to know.”
Darcy did not want to hide how ill-mannered he had behaved with her at the assembly and wanted his aunt to know how Elizabeth dared to correct his flaws. He related everything that had happened between them after the assembly, without leaving out any details that would reflect poorly on him. Once Lady Matlock heard the story, her admiration for Elizabeth grew tenfold as she was certain no young lady would have stood up to Darcy in the way she did.
“I was very wrong, and to date, remain deeply ashamed of the harsh words I uttered about her; but beyond my own comment, she questioned me about how I behaved at the assembly with the rest of her acquaintances,” he confessed with shame.
“You are always so, even in town, and I have gotten so accustomed to it that I failed to point it out to you.”
“But she did not care about anything and made me realize how wrong I was by behaving in such a way.”
“She must have shocked you for sure,” Lady Matlock said with a laugh.
“Angered me initially, but in the course of time, my anger took the right turn. You are not wrong in your assumptions, and I dare say Georgiana suspects the same. I have developed a deep attachment towards her, and I hope to win her hand if she gives me a chance.”
“Pray tell me then, what is stopping you?”
“I cannot help but wonder whether I might destroy something so newly blossomed between us by advancing too hastily.”
“Fitzwilliam, I would offer you but one piece of counsel: women dislike uncertainty, and it is never wise to await events and hope they fall into place of their own accord. I can see that you are quite certain with your regard for her, but do not make Miss Elizabeth doubt the same,” she said and bid her nephew a good night.
Darcy concluded, at last, that he would heed his aunt’s advice and take the nextstep.
Chapter 24
