Page 41 of The Blackmail of Mr. Darcy
“I did not presume…I was not at all sure….”
“I am hoping that all of these faltering words mean that you favour my courtship?”
Suddenly the endearingly tongue-tied Elizabeth transformed to the woman he usually saw: a confident woman who delighted in irony and laughed at the ridiculous. She said, “I do indeed, Mr. Darcy. You may be assured of my favour towards any efforts you wish to make to praise me, to seek me out, and to offeranything you deign to offer. I am quite the enthusiast of all things Mr. Darcy, you see.”
He was so happy, he could not help himself; he reached for her and held her tenderly, looking down into her mirthful eyes and sweet smile. “I wish to kiss you,” he murmured. “But given the fact that Bingley and your sister are hurrying towards us with the appearance of the greatest shock, I had best leave that for another time. Should I seek approval of the courtship with your father, do you think?”
“Yes!” she said, laughing a little. “You had best hurry to do so, dear man, so that you escape the interrogation of my eldest sister and her suitor. Never fear, I can handle these two.”
He chuckled, reluctantly dropped his arms, and then turned and strode to the house.
When he re-entered the house, alone, Mrs. Bennet apparently assumed the worst. “Oh, dear, Mr. Darcy, what did Lizzy do now? Whatever it was?—”
“Mrs. Bennet, I would like to speak with Mr. Bennet on a matter of importance, if I may.”
“Oh!” Mrs. Bennet looked shocked, then excited, then uncertain.
He took a step towards the parlour door, wondering if he should apply to the capable-looking housekeeper, but Elizabeth’s mother shrieked, “Hill! Hill!” Mrs. Hill appeared and led him to a closed door. She knocked and then said, “Mr. Darcy to see you, sir.”
Darcy entered a small study that featured a single desk, three chairs, and many bookcases stuffed with a great many books. Mr. Bennet did not stand as Darcy entered and bowed, but rather remained seated at the desk, looking at Darcy with a quizzical expression.
He had never met Mr. Bennet before. The one time the gentleman had visited Netherfield was before Darcy had arrived;and Elizabeth’s father had never bothered to attend the card parties, assemblies, or other gatherings where Darcy had seen the many females of his family. But he had heard about Mr. Bennet from several sources.
Mr. Bennet was said to be intelligent, indolent, and sarcastic. The plethora of books in his study spoke to his intelligence, the fact that he did not stand was evidence of not only indolence but also a tendency towards rudeness, and Darcy was certain that the man’s sarcasm would soon be on display.
He felt nervous. The fact that—according to Richard—Darcy had long been considered one of the most coveted bachelors in all of England did not mean that a discussion with Elizabeth’s father would be easy.
“Thank you for seeing me, sir,” Darcy said.
Mr. Bennet frowned a bit and then indulged in the expected sarcasm. “Well, you have been delivered into my sanctuary without any efforts on my part, not even so much as an agreement to take the delivery. As for seeing you, my eyes apparently do not require my approval to do their job any more than my housekeeper needs my approval for bringing me uninvited guests.”
Darcy felt a jolt of humour and a stronger jolt of anger. Deciding that he would do better to respond with humour, he gave the man a small smile and said, “Indeed.” He took a seat, although he had not been invited to do so. He said, “I know very well how unwanted interruptions can be while one is in one’s sanctuary. And I see that you, like me, have outfitted your refuge with books.” He took a careful look at the volumes close enough to read their spines and widened his eyes as he recognised some highly coveted—and very pricey—volumes.
“Well, now that an unwanted interruption has occurred,” Mr. Bennet said, allowing a return smile to flit across his face, “perhaps you should get to the matter that precipitated it.”
“Mr. Bennet, I have asked Miss Elizabeth for a formal courtship for the eventual purpose of marriage, and she has agreed. Since she is out in society, I imagine that seeking your formal approval at this stage is not strictly necessary, but both Miss Elizabeth and I thought it would be best to alert you to my honourable intentions.”
Darcy interpreted Mr. Bennet’s expression as shock. “Why would a man such as yourself want to court my Lizzy?” Mr. Bennet asked. Scepticism coloured his words unpleasantly, and Darcy was bewildered by the implication that Elizabeth’s father did not see her worth.
“Sir, you must know that your daughter has intelligence and integrity that are unequalled. She is delightful to converse with, she is kind to people of every social standing, and she displays a courage I have never before witnessed in the fairer sex. All of that is in addition to her beauty, her singing talent, and her cheerful outlook on life.”
Mr. Bennet did not respond for a few moments. When he spoke, he teased, “If she is as wonderful as you say, perhaps I should hold out for a duke to come make his offer.”
Sighing at the man’s desire to continue to agitate, Darcy said, “Sir, I am well aware that I do not deserve your second daughter, but I am thrilled to my core that she seems to hold me in esteem, as I do her. I am determined to work hard to become more and more deserving of her, and one way I intend to do that is to work tirelessly to foster her happiness. I assume that we could wait a number of months and marry without your approval or blessing, but even when she achieves her majority, I am positive that she will still want your blessing.”
Darcy was relieved to see the man nod. “Of course. I am willing to give your suit my approval and, if Lizzy eventually consents to marry you, I will bless your union. Indeed, you arethe kind of man I shouldneverrefuse anything hedeignsto ask.”
Ignoring the man’s sarcastic tone, Darcy said, “Thank you, sir.”
“I assume that you will be presenting me with marriage articles before long?”
“Yes, sir. I plan to write to my solicitors today to update my will and draw up a settlement. I am certain that you already know that I can well afford to care for your daughter and any children we might be blessed with.”
Mr. Bennet used his eyebrows to shrug. “Yes, yes, I know. Ten thousand a year!”
“Pardon the correction, but that figure is a bit of an underestimation. I beg you will keep that between us, however. I am target enough as it is.” Darcy rose, bowed, said, “Thank you, again,” and he left, carefully closing the door behind himself.
It was only after he had left the study that Darcy thought how odd it was that Mr. Bennet had not asked about all the drama at Netherfield the day before. He wondered if it was possible that Miss Bennet and Elizabeth had not informed their family.
