"They cannot lock you up if you leave without their knowledge." Elizabeth would have been hard pressed to say if she were more shocked by what Eleanor had told her or that she herself was effectively counseling elopement.
Eleanor shook her head. "I am not yet of age.
They would simply come after me and bring me back, and then it would be even worse."
Chapter 11
Elizabeth had seen no point in hurrying back to dinner where she would be saddled with Lord Charles' company and Eleanor would be exposed to more coldness from Mr. Paxton. Still after half an hour of comforting her friend in the orangerie. she thought it was time to return before their absence became too conspicuous. When she said as much to Eleanor, her friend announced that she had no intention of going back. She would go to bed instead, and plead a headache in the morning.
Although this seemed certain to draw disapproval from Lady Bentham, Elizabeth thought it unwise to mention it. Instead, she accompanied Eleanor up to her rooms and offered to stay with her, but her friend said she would prefer to try to sleep. This left Elizabeth with little choice but to turn her reluctant feet toward the dining room.
She was relieved to discover that the second remove was already ended and the servants were setting out the desserts. Although she did her best to enter inconspicuously, both Darcy and Lord Charles seemed to have been watching for her. Toward Darcy she gave a smile she intended to be reassuring, then adopted a cooler demeanor as she approached her seat.
Lord Charles said silkily, "May I hope you are feeling better, Miss Bennet?"
"I am, thank you. A little rest was all I needed. I appreciate your assistance."
"I was happy to be of service." He shot a significant glance toward Eleanor's empty chair.
Elizabeth rubbed her fingers together lightly as she debated how to answer. "I considered simply resting for the remainder of the evening, but I have been hearing for days about the amazing confections the cooks have planned for tonight, and I could not bear to miss them."
He nodded to show his understanding. "Do you have a taste for sweets, then?"
"I have become quite partial to ices during my stay here. I find them most refreshing." They were also a safe topic of conversation, as was the extensive array of decorative desserts and the model of Bentham Park done all in spun sugar and sweetmeats. It was enough to keep her conversation with Lord Charles untroubled until it was time for the ladies to withdraw.
Even after Elizabeth finally returned to the table, Darcy found the remainder of dinner dull, and the interval with the gentlemen after the ladies withdrew was just one more delay until he had the opportunity to speak to Elizabeth again. Since this was the last of his invitations to Bentham Park, he had to find a way to ask her for a private meeting. His body suffused with warmth at the thought. This time she would not refuse him. Even in the unlikely event that she asked for time to consider his offer, he thought her final verdict would be positive. After all these months, it would finally be settled, and Elizabeth would be his.
These reflections were far more satisfying than attending to the usual conversation that passed between the gentlemen over port, so he paid little attention to what was said and barely noticed when Lord Bentham left the dining room. His thoughts were too full of Elizabeth and the warm smiles she had bestowed upon him before dinner.
A footman interrupted his reveries to inform him that Lord Bentham requested his presence in his study. Shaking off his reveries, Darcy wondered what he wanted. Paxton had not received the same message, so it might be more questions about Edward. He rapidly revised that estimation when he discovered Lord Charles Carlisle was in the study as well.
Inwardly he groaned. Not more of this nonsense about him and Lady Eleanor! Carlisle had not said a word to him on the way back to the dining room. Darcy had hoped he had dismissed that ridiculous notion, but apparently he was not that fortunate.
"Darcy! Do come in." Lord Bentham gestured to a seat. At least he sounded friendly. "Would you care for some port? I have a particularly fine vintage here."
"Thank you." Darcy accepted a glass, less out of interest in the contents than because it would seem rude to refuse.
"Charles and I have just been discussing my daughter. I have not failed to notice that you have sought out Eleanor's company more than once since your arrival, nor that she has seemed particularly happy in your company, and unhappy in your recent absence."
How could he explain that he sought out not Eleanor, but instead the woman who was always by her side, and that Eleanor was not pleased to see him, but his own companion? "I enjoy Lady Eleanor's company as well, but I assure you it is nothing more than that. She has not shown me any sign of particular regard. I view her as a distant cousin, nothing more."
Lord Bentham leaned forward. "Darcy, I will be frank with you. You are no doubt aware I have an unofficial understanding with Deyncourt about her. It has not yet been formalized, as I thought it best to give Eleanor some time to accustom herself to the idea. I know him to be a decent man, but she does not wish to marry him, though she is unable to give any reason for her dislike. While I think she could be happy with the position he can offer her in the ton, you are family and not without advantages of your own. Most importantly, she seems to like you. It need hardly be mentioned that she would be an excellent match for you, and it would further cement the ties between our families. What do you say?" Taking a sip of port gave him a few seconds to think. "I am honored that you would consider me as a suitor for your daughter, but I must confess I am not at present marriage-minded."
Lord Bentham leaned back and exchanged a glance with his son. "Perhaps you ought to consider becoming marriage-minded. It did not pass unobserved when you and Eleanor disappeared together for a substantial length of time at the picnic."
Darcy set down his glass of port. "I do not know where you obtained that idea, but it is not true."
"I have reports from three different people, one of them my son, that you did exactly that." Lord Bentham's voice was distinctly cool.
Carlisle drawled, "You were alone with her when you came upon Miss Bennet and me in the cloister."
"I had been alone with Lady Eleanor for all of perhaps two minutes at that point, accompanying her as she was seeking Miss Bennet. If that is enough to compromise Lady Eleanor, perhaps I should consider whether you compromised Miss Bennet by being alone with her for a substantially longer time!"
Lord Bentham said. "Miss Bennet's reputation is of no importance to me. After all of you returned to the picnic, you left again, accompanied by both Miss Bennet and Eleanor. Miss Bennet returned alone a few minutes later. Neither you nor Eleanor returned for some time."
This was ridiculous. Bentham must have servants watching his daughter's every move. Had Parsons been completely invisible to them, unimportant because his fortune was from trade? In a clipped voice, he said, "I admit that I did retreat to a quiet place for a period of time. I cannot tell you where Lady Eleanor was, but she was not with me."
"There are too many coincidences here for me to credit one more." Lord Bentham's eyes bored into Darcy.
After five years as Master of Pemberley, Darcy was immune to pressure of this sort. The harder question was how to deal with this. Given Edward's situation, demanding satisfaction for the insult to his honor seemed a singularly poor idea, but he could walk out and refuse to return. Still if Bentham truly believed his daughter had been compromised, he was within his rights to be questioning Darcy, and it would not be wise to leave him in a position to make public accusations. He did not wish to betray either Paxton or Lady Eleanor, but he could also not allow his honor to be questioned.
"Since you appear disinclined to believe my word," he said frostily, "I would respectfully request that you send for your daughter, who will tell you that I was not with her during that time."
"I already spoke to her, and she says she was with you."
Darcy bit off a retort. Lady Eleanor was no doubt trying to protect he
rself, and likely did not realize what her father planned to do with the information. "Then Lady Eleanor is confused, because I was not with her at that time."
"You ask me to take your word over that of my daughter, my son and several witnesses?" Lord Bentham said. "Darcy, I do not wish to be at odds with you. I said nothing after the picnic because I judged you to be trustworthy, and I believed I could rely on you to do the proper thing if you somehow managed to engage her fancy. I rather liked the idea, in fact. Although Eleanor may not realize it, I do not like to see her unhappy, and I went to some lengths to find a husband for her who would not mistreat her. But if she found an eligible gentleman whom she preferred, I would not be displeased."
"I appreciate your honesty, sir. I can only repeat that I have the greatest of respect for Lady Eleanor, but I have done nothing to compromise her, and I am quite certain she has no interest in marrying me. If you ask her, she will tell you the same."
Carlisle said, "She did not deny it in the orangerie."
"She was distraught. If you wish to take her silence as consent, then she must also have consented to a duel between us."
Lord Bentham slapped his hand down on his desk, making the wineglasses jump. "What is this?" he roared.
"Nothing, Father," said Carlisle dismissively. "Darcy was making a jest."
Darcy raised an eyebrow. "I was not jesting, but I have no intention of engaging in a duel with your son." He might still decide to murder Carlisle with his bare hands, though.
"That is quite enough!" snapped Lord Bentham. "Darcy, I had hoped we could resolve this amicably. Let me be very frank with you. You were seen not only walking into the woods together, but also kissing her."
"That is ridiculous!" Darcy exclaimed. "I have never touched your daughter."
Carlisle drawled, "Tsk, tsk, Darcy. And you pretend to be so honorable."
"Who claims to have seen this?" snapped Darcy.
"Charles saw you leave together, and two of my servants followed her. Eleanor is an heiress; I do not leave her unprotected."
The servants no doubt reported that the tall, dark-haired gentleman kissed Lady Eleanor, and Lord Bentham did not even consider the fact that there were two tall, dark-haired gentlemen in the party. From the back, he and Paxton were similar in appearance, though no one would confuse them when their faces were visible. They both tended to choose coats in sober colors and with a conservative cut, and from the rear, no one could see the difference in their waistcoats.
He had no choices left. "You seem to forget that Mr. Paxton was also a member of our party. He can explain all of this."
Lord Bentham's lips curled into a sneer. "I am ashamed of you, Darcy. Trying to cast the blame on your friend, when you know full well that my daughter would never allow that creature to touch her. Enough is enough. If you did not want to marry, you should have thought of that before kissing her."
"My father is too kind to you, Darcy." Carlisle's voice was hard. "You have a sister as well, and I will defend my sister's reputation just as you would defend yours. You have besmirched my sister's reputation. If you are unwilling to marry her, then I will make certain every gentleman in London believes that I have ruined vow sister. You can challenge me if you like, but even if you kill me, the damage will be done."
Darcy could hear the clock on the mantle ticking. He needed to be cool and rational. Strangling Carlisle would not help the situation. Forcing down the impotent fury that filled him, he tried to consider his options. Lord Bentham had no reason to believe him over his daughter if Eleanor said he was with her, and given her desire to hide her connection to Paxton, he strongly suspected she had done so. Paxton's testimony would mean nothing to Lord Bentham, nor would Elizabeth's. There was no way out of this. "Carlisle, I did not think my opinion of you could sink any lower, but you have just proved me wrong. Very well. I was not with your daughter in the woods, and I did not kiss her, but you leave me no choice. I will offer her my hand." And he would pray she refused it.
The Marquess waved to a footman who bowed and disappeared. "I am pleased you are seeing sense. Darcy," he said genially. "You will be glad of it later, once you have time to think it through. You like her, and you could not possibly make a better match. Your father would be pleased both by the connection and to add her dowry to the Pemberley coffers. Frankly, I cannot understand why you did not jump at the opportunity."
If all he had cared about was Pemberley and his family, he might have. "Perhaps it is because you are forcing me to break my word to another lady," he said icily. "My father would not have wished me to do that."
"Ah, is that how the land lies? That makes more sense." Lord Bentham had the gall to sound sympathetic. "Well, I am sorry for you, but protecting my daughter must be my first priority."
A discreet knock heralded Lady Eleanor's arrival. She took a few steps into the room as the footman held the door open for her. "You sent for me, sir?" she asked in a subdued voice, then looked startled as she took in the presence of the other two gentlemen.
Lord Bentham said gently, "You have done nothing wrong, my dear. I simply have a question to put to you."
Lady Eleanor paled noticeably. "I will do my best to answer."
"This is quite simple. Darcy has expressed a desire to offer you his hand. He is not the match that Deyncourt is, but if you would be happier with Darcy, it is good enough for me. What do you say?" She turned a look of utter astonishment on him. "Is this true?"
Unable to trust his voice, Darcy nodded his assent. All she had to do was to refuse, and this nightmare would be over.
"But you know..." She did not need to finish the sentence.
"Yes. I know." His voice was clipped.
She looked down, her lashes fluttering as she blinked rapidly. He supposed this must be as much of a shock to her as it was to him. If only she had not told her father that he had been with her in the woods! But it still would have made no difference. Lord Bentham would have believed his servants.
The Marquess held out his hand to her. "It is up to you, my dear," he said gently. "If you prefer too many Darcy, so be it. If you would rather wed Lord Deyncourt, we will forget this ever happened."
A trickle of icy fear ran down Darcy's back. If it were just a question of whether she wished to marry him or not, she would almost certainly refuse. But being offered it as the only alternative to a match she disliked was a different matter. He balled his hands into tight fists as he watched her chewing her lower lip in indecision. If she only asked for time to think about it, he could explain everything to her. He could live with anything, as long as she did not agree.
Finally she looked up and turned to her father. "Yes." she said, her voice perfectly steady. "I would prefer to marry Mr. Darcy."
As the ladies settled in the drawing room, Elizabeth found it strange to be in a group without Eleanor. She took an empty chair beside Lady Mary who asked after her health in a very kind way. Having practically forgotten she had feigned illness to leave the table, Elizabeth hesitated a moment before answering that the heat in the dining room proved too much for her, but a little fresh air had restored her completely.
Miss Holmes, the daughter of a neighboring family who had been invited to dine with them, said, "I was worried when first you took ill, and then Lady Eleanor. I am glad it was not something in the food."
"I do not believe Lady Bentham would allow anyone to become ill after dining at Bentham Park," Elizabeth said with mock solemnity, causing Miss Holmes to smother a giggle.
Lady Mary said, with more of a wicked sense of humor than Elizabeth had expected from her, "I was more concerned that Miss Elliot might have an apoplexy when the two most eligible gentlemen in the room left to care for you."
Elizabeth laughed. "I can imagine. She wants their attention and I do not, so naturally the men flock to me, logical creatures that they are! I would happily spend time with you instead, but as it is, I have hardly managed more than three words to Miss Holmes until now."
Miss
Holmes flushed. "I hope you do not think I was avoiding you. Lord Charles is usually by your side, and I do avoid him."
"I can certainly understand that!" Elizabeth said with a laugh. "I only wish I could avoid him as well. I would be much happier for it."
"It is not like that," said Miss Holmes earnestly. "I am fond of him, but for the sake of my reputation I cannot be seen with him, even in public. We were friends in our younger days, and later he would flirt with me, though always within the bounds of friendship. But when he fell in with bad company a few years ago, people saw our closeness in a different way. Simply having our names linked has harmed my reputation, so I have no choice but to ignore him now."
"I am sorry," Elizabeth said, and meant it. Apparently the warnings that Lord Charles's interest alone could harm her reputation were true. "It is unfair that you should be blamed for his rakish behavior."
A sad smile lit Miss Holmes's face. "Pray do not say anything to him. He does not know, and I do not want him to feel guilty."
"I will not say anything, but I do not believe Lord Charles is in the habit of feeling guilty about anything!"
"Oh, but he does! He plays the part of the rake, but underneath it, he is a good man. He was very different before he went to live in London, and I do not think he could have changed in his essentials." Elizabeth almost stared at her. This was praise most opposite to her ideas. That Lord Charles was not a moral man had been her firmest opinion, and his behavior to her had supported that conclusion. But there had been times when she thought she had caught a glimpse of another person beneath his facade, so perhaps there was something to what Miss Holmes was saying. Still, good young men had grown up to be dangerous before, and Lord Charles clearly had no morals where she was concerned.
Sensing her confusion, Lady Mary said, "I am quite grateful to you, Miss Bennet, for keeping Lord Charles occupied. Lady Bentham seems to have decided that I would make a fine wife for him. Since I have no desire to occupy that position, it would be awkward if he actually took a liking to me."