Teaching Eliza, page 6
Those had been Professor Darcy’s words, and they reverberated through Elizabeth’s head as readily as if she heard them spoken aloud. “Three months…”
“What do you say, Lizzy?”
“Three months! Last night, the professor boasted that he could transform a flower girl into a duchess in three months. I am hardly a flower girl, but I wonder…”
“Oh, Lizzy, it is perfect! I shall ask Charles to plead with him on your behalf! In fact, I shall do so this very day! I am feeling so much improved. Come, help me dress and let us go down for a short while right now, and perhaps I shall talk to Charles immediately! No, do not argue with me, Lizzy. It is for your own good. Now, which dress shall I wear?”
Jane’s sojourn downstairs was of short duration, but Mr. Bingley was quite delighted to see her sufficiently recovered to make the attempt, and he was most solicitous of her health and comfort, taking her arm in his for a very short walk in the rose garden, after which he personally arranged the screens by the fire to ensure that she was suitably, but not too, warm. Wishing once more to give the couple some privacy, Lizzy announced that she wished to find something new to read in the library. Bingley promised to summon her, should Jane feel ill, and bade her take her time over his collection.
Upon achieving that room, however, Lizzy discovered that she was not alone, but that Colonel Fitzwilliam and Professor Darcy were seated in the large chairs by the window, engaged in an intense conversation.
“Perhaps you ought to consider Bingley’s suggestion after all,” the colonel was saying as she entered and made herself known, thereby preventing the professor from replying. The colonel rose and greeted her cheerfully, purposefully ignoring Darcy’s scowl at the interruption to their conversation. “What a lovely surprise, Miss Eliza, to see you here. Are you well? And your sister? Excellent, excellent!” Without his eyepatch, which he had removed the previous evening to some remarks of surprise by Caroline, and with his bruises now almost completely faded, he looked the image of a jovial English nobleman, with his long features and fair colouring. “Please,” he continued, “may I assist you in your search for a book? I have learned Bingley’s library rather well in the time we have been here, and I may have some suggestions!”
Professor Darcy nodded his greeting and bowed slightly, but otherwise seemed somewhat bored by her presence.
Lizzy found a suitable volume and was about to depart when she looked again at the two men, and deciding that she might have no better opportunity to do so, resolved to speak to the professor immediately about Jane’s idea.
“Professor Darcy,” she began as she turned to face them directly. The colonel’s eyebrows rose slightly at her forward address; the professor gazed into the middle distance, his eyes hooded, his jaw lax. “I wish to engage you to teach me to improve my accent.”
Darcy gave a visible start and stopped still in his place with his eyes wide; even the colonel, normally so easy to adapt to any circumstances, stared at the young woman who made this statement.
“Teach you, you say? Why on earth would I wish to do that?” He had raised his chin and levelled a piercing gaze at her.
Elizabeth did not waver, nor did she back down. She had taken her first step and was determined in her efforts. “You did say that you are not above giving lessons. I have heard this from others, and I heard it from you, yourself, last night. I wish to take lessons. If you have condescended to teach upstarts from Kentish Town and men from merchant families like Mr. Bingley, you should have no objection to teaching a gentle-born woman such as myself.” She kept a steady gaze on him and did not allow him to drop his eyes.
“Why on earth, madam, should you wish for speech lessons? Do you hope to better yourself in society? You are already of the first family in the area; do you wish to alienate your friends by putting on airs?”
“I do not wish to alienate my friends. I wish to be able to move in society in Town.” There. She had said it.
“Miss Elizabeth,” the colonel asked politely, “what do you mean? Is your father hoping to send you to London?”
“No, not he. My aunt—or rather, my aunt’s sister—” She described her relationship to the newly raised baronet and his lady, and added, “Lady Grant has become a dear friend and with her husband’s position and new estates, wishes to help me in society. They have offered to provide me with a home for a season and with the funds to outfit myself, as well as a generous increase to my dowry, but I have become all too aware of late that my manners and speech mark me as being of the country, and very much below all the other ladies of the circles in which I am expected to move. And so, Professor, I wish you to teach me to speak and act as they do.”
Darcy tilted his head backwards slightly and impaled with her a hard stare. He rose to his feet and regarded her from his superior height, looking once more down his patrician nose. “And what,” he demanded, “am I to receive for my efforts? I know your family’s situation, Miss Eliza. You are hardly in a position to pay me the amount I usually receive for my efforts.”
To this, Elizabeth had no answer. She began to stumble through a reply when the colonel leapt up suddenly and pulled Darcy aside, then whispered at some length into his ear. This monologue was interrupted at intervals by expressions such as “No. Absolutely not,” and “You have got to be mad!” but at length these protestations lessened in ferocity and the forbidding head began to nod.
Slowly, Darcy walked back towards Elizabeth, a saturnine look in his dark eyes. “Miss Eliza,” said he, “I believe I may accept your request. However, in return I have one of my own. It concerns your payment.”
Lizzy was shocked. He could hardly mean….
“I wish you to be my bride.”
FOUR — THE ARRANGEMENT
~
NOW IT WAS ELIZABETH’S TURN to stand unmoving. She felt as if she had turned to stone. What on earth had that infuriating man suggested? He could hardly be serious, and yet there was no indication of mirth in his face. Instead, the face that returned her look was severe in countenance, with no glint of mirth in the eyes and a slight moue of distaste around the mouth. This, she determined, was something far from a joke. Further, this was no romantic proposal, stated so baldly, and with his cousin right next to him. Whatever could this be about? Elizabeth had no particular liking of the professor, and by all indications, he had even less of her; there must be some other meaning to his strange offer. His cool eyes must have taken in her shock, for his expression softened and he quickly began to explain his scheme.
“Please, sit.” He showed her to a comfortable chair. “As my cousin unnecessarily reminds me, I am all too frequently the object of many a young woman in Town who wishes to ensnare me in marriage. The true purpose in every one of these cases is for the woman to wed herself to my fortune. I am,” he stated as simply as he might comment upon the clouds in the sky, “a very wealthy man.
“I, myself, am never the object of their affections, for as you have seen, I am a misanthrope and a bore, and whilst my manners can be extremely proper, I excel in rudeness. In that, I can see, you agree with me. I have grown tired of fending off these women, and worse, their mothers, at every social event which I am forced to attend. I have also been alerted to the uncomfortable fact that my aunt intends to announce my engagement to her daughter before long. There is, however, a means of bringing an end to all these machinations and that is by becoming engaged to some suitable woman. Namely, you.”
Elizabeth blinked. This was not, then, an offer borne of some sudden deep passion or tender love, but of desperation and mercenary coldness. “But we do not like each other enough to be married,” she pointed out the simple fact.
“That is true,” Darcy countered. “However, we need not actually marry. A public engagement will suffice. At the end of the term we specify, you shall throw me over. This will raise your estimation in the eyes of the ton —for how grand you must be to be able to cast me and my wealth aside—and will hopefully lower mine!
“For my part,” he continued, ignoring her stuttering protestations, “I shall teach you, as you requested, to speak as a lady of the first circles, to act like one, to be one in every sense of the word. And on my arm, you shall be accepted fully as one. And when, at last, you accept your aunt’s offer of a season, you shall be much admired as the finest woman in London.”
This was too much for Elizabeth to take in at once. “But how would we proceed? Surely no one here would believe in our faux engagement. They all know me too well to believe that I would accept someone I have known for so little time.”
The professor thought for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly as he did so. Elizabeth observed him carefully, taking in the full lips balanced on a crooked finger, the line of concentration above his eyes, the way he sucked in his cheeks as he pondered. He was unpleasant, to be certain, but most fascinating to be around.
He sat up straight with a start. “I have it! We shall start immediately. You will become a regular visitor to Netherfield, at the express request of Caroline as her special guest, and under that guise we can begin your lessons. In time, we will convince your family and friends that we have found affection for each other, and eventually, we shall announce our engagement. Once you have moved to London, where you will stay with Sir Harrison and Lady Grant, or even with your own aunt and uncle, should you prefer that, we may continue in public. You will no longer require a season, per se, but we can offer the explanation of the necessity of being introduced to London’s society as my intended. You then may have your season the following year, should you desire it. By that time, you will have all the social connections you need to make a very good match.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms confidently across his chest.
“But do you believe I can learn all the manners and graces and patterns of speech in sufficient time for this?” Elizabeth still was unsure of her thoughts on the scheme.
“Six months, Eliza. Three if you have a good ear and a quick tongue.”
“I don’t think you can do it, Darcy,” the colonel interrupted, “but I’ll throw in a wager if you can. Pass her off as the daughter of a duchess at some celebrated ball in six months, and I shall endeavour to see a case of that contraband French cognac you so like make its way to your house. Further, I shall contribute to outfitting her in all the fashions of Town. My allowance from the pater must be put to good use. We shall send for Mrs. Pearce immediately, and take her to London for fittings and a meeting with your sister’s dressmaker.”
Darcy jumped to his feet and strode over to his cousin. “Let us shake on it, Richard. It is a deal!”
Elizabeth was stunned. The decision had been made, one that concerned her most completely and intimately, and she, it seemed, had little say in it.
“Gentlemen,” she protested once she finally was able to speak again, “you have forgotten to consult my wishes!”
“That is true, Darcy. Have you forgotten that Miss Elizabeth might have some feelings about your proposal?” The colonel’s concern was sincere.
“Oh no, I don’t think so. Not any feelings that we need bother about. Have you, Eliza?” His cheery smile and the quizzical tilt to his head spoke of his utter disregard.
“Well I never! I was mistaken to speak to you. Please forgive me for interrupting your privacy,” she stood and turned to leave, but Darcy caught her by the elbow. She flinched at the unexpected physical contact, but remained still.
“No, no, not so fast, Eliza. I have decided that this little endeavour will be of great value to us both. I shall achieve my aim of throwing off the husband-hunters of Town; you shall achieve yours of being able to move in society; and the colonel here will achieve his of procuring for me the cognac his fully intends to drink himself. Don’t be missish, Eliza,” his marvellous voice grew mesmerising and seductive. “Think of the future. You shall pass as a grand lady, as a duchess. You shall be so admired that even should your custom slip and you revert, momentarily, to your present manners and speech, it shall be seen as something new and wonderful from the highest strata, and everyone will fall over their feet to emulate you. You shall have the pick of the finest men in Town, and you shall marry very, very well. You will even have the opportunity to spend as much time as you wish in my library, perusing my vast collection, and reading at will. Think on it, Eliza! Think on it!”
He waved his hands suggestively as he spoke, and Lizzy was put in mind of the snake charmers she had seen once at an exhibition. But she was no slithering creature to be so manipulated!
“You have decided? You? What gives you the right to decide what will be of value to me ? Have you appointed yourself my lord and master already, when I wished merely to enter into a business arrangement? How dare you!” She would have stamped her foot in indignation, but refused to give him the satisfaction of observing such a typical gesture. Instead she straightened up her posture and intensified her glare.
The colonel was biting his lips and could not suppress a wide grin. “Oh, I am enjoying myself immensely!” he proclaimed to nobody. “You might wish to reconsider, Darcy. This one has fire that will meet yours in equal force. I might be a betting man at times, but I would not wish to wager a penny on which of the two of you would win a battle of wills.” He sat back in his chair and made himself comfortable, as if he were about to watch some entertainment.
Darcy, for his part, met Elizabeth’s indignation with a sally of his own. “How dare I? I dare by having the means, knowledge, and experience to give you what you want. What you asked for, in fact, only a few moments ago. Have you changed your mind already? Are you so unsteady in your convictions that a mere disagreement over price will send you fleeing? Or are you a woman made of sterner stuff—the sort of woman the ton would accept as my betrothed? I, for one, believe it is the latter.”
“And, sir, the only way I can prove my mettle is by surrendering to your terms? You sadly underestimate me! I shall be on my way, and shall never bother you again. If my season in Town were to throw me in the paths of others like yourself, I should be glad to have avoided that fate.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam lost his valiant attempt to contain his mirth. “Now, now, Miss Bennet,” he managed through a barely controlled chortle, “let us see if we can discuss this rationally.” He cleared his throat and spoke more seriously and very smoothly. “I shall not expect you to forgive my cousin his rudeness, for he behaves thus willingly and intentionally, and should not be expected to show himself in any other way. However, what he says is true. His skill is remarkable, second only to his conceit, and he can grant you your wish at no cost to you, other than your agreement to have your name linked with his for some months. After that, you will be free to act and move as you please.” As Lizzy’s eyes reflected the softening of her defiance, he added, “I have recently completed my commission and have no intentions to accept another for some months. I shall, if you desire, locate myself at my cousin’s’ house whilst you are at your lessons, as a chaperon of sorts and to help temper my cousin’s less gentlemanly outbursts. He must be master of your instruction, but I shall be your friend when he becomes an ogre. And,” he spoke in low and coaxing tones, “I should be pleased to continue our acquaintance.”
“Think of the theatre, Eliza,” Darcy’s beautiful voice purred, “think of the opera. You do enjoy theatre and music do you not? Ah, I thought as much. We shall get a box, and you may enjoy as much art as you desire. And the galleries? The museums? Yes, I knew you were a woman of taste and discretion. You are gentle born and have the makings of a fine lady, Eliza. We need only polish the outside to reflect the treasure within.”
Elizabeth could feel herself wavering and knew that she would crumble in the face of this dual assault on her resolution if she did not act immediately. The theatre, the concerts, the lectures, the galleries… these were all such inducements. And while she knew she would never be anything other than a friend to the colonel, she did enjoy his company greatly. “I must think on this, sir,” she said as soon as she felt her voice would be steady. “Your claims are beyond what I had expected, and your presumption insulting, but I admit that there are advantages in your scheme as well. I shall inform you as to my decision presently.” And she curtseyed and left the room in a hurry before either man could stop her.
~
“Well, Richard?” Darcy asked as soon as Elizabeth had closed the door behind her. “How long before she returns to accept our offer?” His smirk was cocky and his tone taunting.
“Fitz, she is a lady. If you wish to have any success in this venture, you must learn to behave yourself. You are accustomed to dealing with merchants and enterprising men of the lower classes who wish to better themselves, but who have been trained from birth to see one such as you as their superior. You have never been tutor to one of your own class. And Miss Elizabeth is of your rank. She is a gentlewoman, born and bred, never mind that she looks and sounds like a country girl of the middle class. She knows her station, and yours, and will not put up with the nonsense you throw at your other clients.”
“Nonsense? Richard, you wound me.” He threw a hand dramatically over his heart. “I only do what I am paid to do, which is to teach them most effectively. Seeing the results, none have questioned my methods.”
“Not the methods of teaching, Darcy, but your general manner. You are rude and obnoxious, and you are proud of it.”
“I shall not change my behaviour for one impertinent chit, Richard. I refuse to put on a facade of civility to appease her. You know how I abhor deception. Being anything other than my accustomed self would merely disguise my true character.”
“Do you even know how to treat a lady, Darcy?” The colonel was growing serious. “Can you behave as a man of good character around women?”
“There is no such thing as a man of good character around women, Richard.” Darcy threw himself into the chair beside the colonel’s and took up a cup of coffee that had long since cooled. “I find that I do not rub along well with ladies at all. The moment I let a woman make friends with me, she becomes jealous and suspicious, and starts measuring me for wedding clothes. And the moment I let myself make friends with a woman, I become selfish and tyrannical.”
