Teaching Eliza, page 16
“Aye, ‘tis true,” Millie replied. “For ‘tis not well known, even amongst the servants here in the house, but Professor Darcy gave Annie Wilkins a whole month off her duties when she married last year, and as a wedding gift, let her and her new man take the cottage he has near Bedford for that time. And for the servants that has childer, he takes on a minder so they can work and not fret about their young’uns. A most unusual master, is he!” And on she spoke, until Lizzy’s hair looked as perfect as it ever might. It was uncommon for a servant to talk so freely with her superiors, even in Darcy’s very unconventional household, and Lizzy wondered if Mrs. Pearce had allowed the girl to do so in order to provide some pleasant distraction from what must be a rather intimidating morning ahead.
Whether or not the ploy was deliberate, it was successful, and when Lizzy descended the stairs some time later she was much happier and more at ease than she had been when she had gone up to dress. Darcy must have heard her tread on the stairs, for he stood waiting for her at the foot of the grand staircase. He bowed exceedingly politely and offered his arm to walk her into the drawing room. This room was rarely visited, being used only for the social necessities Darcy despised. Lizzy had been in it only once before. It was somewhat old-fashioned in its decor, although it must have been very elegant in its time. The ornamentation was a little too rococo, the decoration a little too Louis-XVI for Lizzy’s liking, but the good taste that had gone into its design was apparent. Lizzy gazed up at the cherubs floating on the ceiling in a masterpiece of trompe-l’oeil , above walls of feminine pastels and chairs with delicately carved and very thin legs, seemingly unable to take the weight of a normal sized person. As if answering her unasked question, Darcy stated as he threw himself onto one of those chairs, “It was my own mother’s favourite room.” She understood immediately. He had not touched the space, for it reminded him of his mother. The unexpected sentimentality of this gesture touched her deeply, and she looked at him with fresh eyes.
The room had been aired and the curtains opened to let bright sunlight stream inside. The rains from the day before had abated, and the cheerful light lifted Lizzy’s spirits. She hoped, desperately, that she would not be called upon to discuss the weather. Tentatively, she asked, “Professor Darcy, under what restrictions am I this morning?”
“Begging your pardon?” he sounded surprised at the question.
“What might I talk about, and what must I avoid?”
He shook his head sadly. “That was my mistake. One of my mistakes,” he corrected. “You are an intelligent woman with excellent understanding. I should never have tried to limit you. This is not a formal call; you are merely having a quiet morning with Richard’s mother. You may discuss whatsoever you desire. You will also discover, I believe, that once the artificial dictates of polite society are stripped away, Aunt Patricia is as much a bluestocking as are you. Ask her about her inquiries into steam engines.” He winked.
At that moment, the doorbell could be heard, and he excused himself to greet his aunt at the door. “Wait here, Eliza. We shan’t be long.” A few moments later, Darcy opened the door and led the countess into the room. “I shall go and find Mrs. Pearce to ask for tea. Back in a moment!” He dashed out, closing the door behind him.
“That was not very subtle, was it my dear?” the countess quipped as she lowered herself onto a fragile-looking sofa. “Now, now, do not fret. I can imagine every anguish you put yourself through last night, and likely a few that you did not, and you deserved to suffer through none of them. Eliza… May I call you Eliza? Good. Here is something you ought to know about me. I observe people carefully and make quick decisions about them. I am usually correct in my first assessments, and my first impression of you was to like you very much. So you have no need to fear that I shall see you cut or otherwise disparaged in society. I also wish to know you better. May I take the extreme liberty of asking to be your friend?”
Her handsome face was unstrained, her expression entirely sincere.
“Yes, I would be most honoured, Your Ladyship.” Lizzy dipped into a curtsey.
The countess shook her head good-naturedly. “The first rule is that you are not to call me ‘Your Ladyship’ or ‘Lady Malton’ or anything so stuffy whilst we are together in private. I insist on the recognition of rank in the appropriate circumstances, but we are to be friends. Can you manage Aunt Patricia? I would like that.”
Lizzy looked at the countess closely for the first time. Her eyes were a duplicate of the colonel’s in shape and expression, although a lighter colour. They held nothing but kindness, and Lizzy allowed herself to answer, “I would be honoured, Aunt Patricia.”
The countess smiled radiantly and settled into her seat. “Good! Now that we have resolved that, our friendship is sure to be a raving success. Please sit.” She gestured and waited until Lizzy was perched upon a spindly chair, then continued. “Tell me now, Eliza, more about the cloud formations you started discussing yesterday. It is not, perhaps, a topic most ladies would wish to talk about, but I am fascinated. I grew up in a country estate, for my father did not like Town, and I spent much time observing and trying to predict the weather. Freddy shares my interests. Please, tell me more!”
Tentatively at first, Lizzy began to speak of her studies into the research of John Dalton, and Aunt Patricia responded enthusiastically. By the time Darcy returned with Mrs. Pearce some time later, the two ladies were deep in a spirited discussion about cloud formation and the trade winds. “If I understand correctly,” Lizzy was saying as they entered, “the sun constantly heats the earth and the air successively from east to west. The air being heated then expands in different directions to restore an equilibrium of pressure. Because this expansion has a lateral and perpendicular motion, it has a concurrent effect on the barometer, as well as influencing wind strength and direction.”
“How fascinating!” Aunt Patricia supplied.
“How charming!” came a voice from behind Darcy and Mrs. Pearce, and Alfred, Viscount Eynshill, strode into the room. “Miss Bennet, a delight to see you again. Once more, I am enthralled by your knowledge and abilities. I must chastise my cousin yet again for hiding you from us for so very long. Really, Darcy, she is a treasure!”
“Freddy,” his mother greeted him, “You did not tell me you planned to come by.” Her tone was not approving.
“You would only have forbidden me, Mother,” he replied with a smile. “And how could I be denied another opportunity to converse with the enchanting Miss Bennet?” He executed an elaborate bow and threw another wicked smile in Lizzy’s direction. “I brought these for Miss Bennet.” From behind his back he withdrew a bouquet of flowers that perfectly matched the dress she had worn the previous day and presented them to her with a flourish. Lizzy accepted them gracefully and requested a vase be brought. A glance at Darcy’s stony face informed her that he was unimpressed.
Watching, as if from a distance, Lizzy took further stock of the viscount. Tall, as were the entire family, with the same light hair as the colonel, he was slightly more handsome and entirely charming. He moved with the ease and grace of long practice, and caught the eye with his elegant demeanour, and Lizzy suppressed a chuckle as he paused before the mirror above the mantelpiece to assess his striking appearance.
The viscount had his brother’s amiability and easy nature, but where Richard’s pleasant demeanour was overlaid atop the sober and responsible core that comes with the demands of military leadership, Alfred’s was pleasantry atop frivolity. It was clear that he loved his clothing, for he wore his finely tailored garb like a model for the clothes-makers’ magazines. As with the flowers, he had chosen a waistcoat that matched the yellow of the previous day’s frock, and he picked carelessly at the ample lace that extended from his cuffs. If he was a man, like Narcissus, who admired himself too much, he was redeemed because he liked others nearly as much, and sought to befriend where another man might seek to disparage.
Lizzy knew he was a man who could afford to indulge his whims. She knew he need never account for his actions, for his life’s work was merely to be the earl and eventually provide an heir. With those two requirements easily managed, he had the luxury to do and act as he pleased. If he did not waste away the family’s income, he would be considered a fine example of an English nobleman; if he did fritter it away, he would be thought no worse than most of his breed. It was a career well suited to his temperament.
Despite his foppishness, Lizzy could not help but like him. He was nothing like the serious, deep-thinking men she often found the best company, but his genuine friendliness and lack of condescension endeared him to her almost immediately. That he clearly liked her very much also did not impede her affinity to him. He lowered himself to sit beside her, careful not to disarrange his apparel, and when seated on the long sofa with its old-fashioned and elaborate upholstery, turned his body to face her and offered a friendly comment, then another, and another, until she began to answer in like fashion.
“My brother tells me you are from the country, Miss Bennet, and have not had much experience with society in Town. Yes, yes, Darcy, I know of your little scheme, so you can put that shocked expression back into its box. I forced Richard to tell me all, for I had no other way to decipher the whole situation. Miss Bennet, you are beyond impressive! To have come, green and untried, from a small village in Hertfordshire, to convince us all with your exceptional manners and beautiful speech, is astounding. I would take off my hat to you, but I left it with Mrs. Pearce at the front door. What a smart girl you are! Now, as I was asking…”
He asked about her experiences in the country and how they compared to those in Town; he asked after her aunt and uncle, and far from being shocked at her low connections, proclaimed, “Gardiner! Yes, of Gardiner Mercantile! Fine, upright man he is. He never overcharges, never steers you wrong. You must be proud of the connection! He, himself, guided me to this fine cravat!” He gestured to his embroidered neckcloth, which too matched the yellow of yesterday’s gown.
She told him of her four sisters, including flirtatious Lydia, silly Kitty, serious Mary—soon to be the wife of a clergyman in Kent—and Jane, recently wed to Darcy’s good friend Bingley. Alfred was amazed that Mary’s future husband was none other than his aunt’s rector at Hunsford. “Oh, dear Aunt Catherine,” he rolled his eyes. “She does like a puppy to pant and pine after her. Is he a puppy, Miss Bennet, always simpering after his master for affection and, if he is most lucky, a treat of some scrap from the table? Oh, do tell more.”
And as she spoke, he stared at her with a half-smile and an ever-growing look of besottedness on his aristocratic face. Aunt Patricia started looking concerned. Darcy became most agitated. By the time tea arrived, with Richard trailing after the cart, the professor was most distressed and was hiding it poorly. He paced up and down behind the sofa and wrung his hands, while interrupting the conversation as often as he could.
“Really, Darcy, do settle yourself,” his aunt admonished. “We are having a lovely chat, and you are prowling like a tiger in its cage. Now be a dear and pour the tea for us. Eliza is your guest and must not be made to play hostess, and Richard would spill every drop. There’s a good lad. Your mother would be proud.”
By the time Darcy convinced Richard to drag his brother back to his own home across the square, the viscount had invited Lizzy to walk with him the following afternoon before her lessons, and she had accepted his invitation. Darcy put up a series of objections, all of which Freddy dismissed. “Really, Fitz, you can’t be worried about Miss Bennet’s reputation. I am hardly the most sensible fellow in town, but neither am I acknowledged as a rake. The lady’s name will scarcely be damaged by being seen in the company of Viscount Eynshill in a public park on a sunny day. It would, rather, raise her in the estimation of the ton .” After some heated argument, Darcy had to agree; nevertheless, he looked quite happy when Freddy and Richard finally bid their farewells and left the room.
Lizzy watched this entire silent discourse with interest. She was in the middle of a most pleasant conversation with the countess, and was even sufficiently comfortable to laugh at Aunt Patricia’s description of some awful gown she had seen at the opera the previous week, and for a moment her attention was diverted to the strange interaction between the cousins. What on earth had that been about, she wondered, and only with difficulty returned her focus to the discussion about lace and ribbon.
“Come, Fitz, sit down and join us,” his aunt cried, seeing him at the doorway. “We are having a lovely gab. I have offered to guide Eliza for her first several social functions. Instead of your crusty morning lessons, she shall come to me, or I to her, and we shall continue as we are now, woman to woman, as we learn to negotiate the morass that is London society. No, dear, this is not a request. Lovely girl.” She patted Lizzy’s arm and turned a most pleased expression towards her. “You could not have chosen better.”
She left ambiguous the exact meaning of her comment.
TEN — THE NEXT STAGE
~
LADY MALTON NOW TOOK OVER the remainder of Lizzy’s education. Whether or not this decision was formal, or whether or not she even informed her nephew of the fact was irrelevant. It was a fait accompli , for what Lady Malton decided would happen, happened. Thus, when she informed Darcy that the afternoon lessons must be rearranged according to her schedule, and that the morning lessons were now all but complete, he capitulated without a word of protest.
The countess first ensured that Lizzy was comfortable in her presence. She insisted on being called Lady Malton whilst in public, but assured her young friend that “it is merely to keep up appearances with those I disdain. We shall both know, you and I, and it shall be our little joke.” For their first outing, the countess chose to take Lizzy shopping. They would be seen together, and she could introduce “her young friend newly arrived in London from her country estate,” whilst allowing Lizzy the opportunity to speak briefly with shopkeepers and be overheard by other ladies of the ton , but not needing to engage in serious conversation. Asking the price of a roll of ribbon was well within the young protégée’s area of comfort. An additional, if unexpected, benefit to these excursions was an even more expansive wardrobe for Elizabeth, now decorated fully with bonnets and gloves and hair ornaments and stockings, all purchased by Lady Malton, with a deaf ear to all protestation. All she would say is “Nonsense, my dear. It will look lovely with your eyes.”
Then came the outings for tea. A visit to Gunter’s became a marvellous opportunity to enjoy the sweets and say hello to a wave of elegant women who had to be seen talking to the countess, even for only a moment. A visit to Clarendon’s for a fine French meal was next. The ladies were accompanied by Darcy, Richard, Freddy, and even the earl himself, an occasion which only a few days before would have sent Lizzy into fits of terror, but which she now managed with some steadiness of spirit. The earl, Lord Malton, was less openly friendly than were his sons, but he was also the sort to brook no nonsense and his forthright and calm manner reassured his young guest immensely. His very presence amongst the party dining out was a sure sign of his approval, and Lizzy took some confidence in that fact. The countess had drilled her relentlessly on proper city manners whilst dining—these were not so different from what she had learned at Longbourn, varying only in some subtle details—and she felt equal to the task, smiling quietly at her ladyship’s constant reassuring nods.
This outing—deemed a great success by the countess—was followed by strolls through the parks, visits to the museums, and evenings at the theatre. At times, Darcy was permitted to join the ladies, and when he did so, he hovered protectively at Lizzy’s side, keeping her hand on his arm when possible, and glowering at any men who dared approach. Freddy, too, often begged to join the party, and the ensuing battle of glares between the two men would have been amusing to anyone not intimately caught up in their rivalry. Through all of this, Lizzy’s confidence and poise blossomed, and the countess announced after a time that she believed Miss Bennet more than up to any occasion.
Lizzy and her companions were sitting comfortably around the low table in Lady Malton’s private salon one afternoon after a chilly stroll through the park, when Darcy announced, “I believe, Eliza, it is time to set the next stage of our plan into effect.” He smiled at her and sent a quick sharp stare towards Freddy.
“Our engagement?” This was a surprise! The words reverberated through her head for a minute as she had almost forgotten the purpose of the entire scheme. “So soon, professor? Had we not discussed waiting a while longer? I thought we were to wait until Easter before making the announcement.”
Moving next to her on the sofa, he turned his warm gaze to her, “You have progressed so far, learned so much, that I see no need to wait further. I shall send the announcement to The Times in the morning…” He stopped himself, then turned to Lizzy and bowed his head. “No. I shall do no such thing until I have discussed it with you, Miss Bennet. This involves you as intimately as it involves me, and I have learned not to assume you will agree to my every whim. Do you wish to consider the change in plans before I take action? I will accede to your wish on this.”
“Who is this man” Richard joked from his seat by the fire, “who looks so much like my cousin, but who acts like a gentleman? Surely it can’t be Fitz!” He rocked back in the elaborately carved chair, only to be scolded by his mother.
At the same time, Freddy objected, “Are you sure about this, Darcy?” His brows came low over his eyes and he fussed at the lace-edged handkerchief he held in his hands, twisting it to this side and that. “Miss Bennet? I would hate to see you take this step unnecessarily. It seems that Miss Bennet is well accepted in Town already, without this connection…” There was an anguish in his eye that tore at Lizzy’s heart, and for a moment, she wished to comfort him. He had been attentive to her, doting even, and his flirtations were obvious and flattering, but he had done little to truly engage her heart. His interest in her seemed as much to bolster his own appearance as hers; he would send a messenger to the house to inquire on the colour of Miss Bennet’s frock for the day, and would then appear in a matching waistcoat, or he would parade her around the park with an eye to catching the attention of those he knew, who might wonder at this remarkable young woman on his arm. She was happy to humour these vices, for he was good company and most pleasant to converse with, and she liked him a great deal. That he liked her was evident as well, but she detected no genuine attachment of the heart.
