Page 10 of The Fee Entail

“I was entirely satisfied a minute ago, and in five minutes’ time, I will be once again. I once said there were no two people in the room with less to say to each other, and I do not see that anything has changed, aside from your unaccountably dogged persistence.”

I carefully examined her countenance again and saw nothing but stony silence and more annoyance. The fact that she was not even willing to pretend to civility was not auspicious.

When I paused, she turned to go. “I have things to do, so I trust you can find your way back to Rosings.”

Once again, unable to think of anything intelligent, I asked, “What will you be doing, Mrs Elizabeth, if you do not mind my asking?”

“I do mind, as it is not your concern; but I imagine telling you will do no harm. I am married to the worst parson in England, but I am an excellent parson’s wife. I have parishioners to visit. I ignore those who disdain being visited by a woman, but there are widows and pensioners who treasure company. My curate delivers sermons, but he does not have time to visit everyone, since he does not have a living. Today I am visiting the widow Hastings and bringing some preserves to Sergeant MacDonald, who has… taught me some useful things and offers… certain assistance on a daily basis.”

I blanched at the thought of what a sergeant might teach a young lady who defended herself with fire irons and knives, so I avoided that particular thought. “Do those visits make you happy, or at least content?”

She looked at me in some confusion at the pedestrian nature of the conversation. “Misery loves company, but I must take my leave before I become any more maudlin. Goodbye, Mr Darcy.”

With that, she started spreading the last of her grain. I was becoming accustomed to having her say goodbye with the finality of a hangman’s noose, but I had not come to be turned aside.

“Miss Elizabeth, wait! Please!”

She stopped momentarily but did not face me again.

With one part of my mind, I thought I had one last desperate hope to reach her in some small way, and possibly even start scaling the wall she had built around herself. Another part knew I was much too stubborn to give up easily. I had given up one time too many already and would not be so easily dissuaded in future.

“I would like one last chance to help you,” I said cautiously. “I have been these two days working on your problem, and I have learnt a few things that may be of use.”

She made no reply but at least stopped to listen.

“Before that, I owe you an apology—or many apologies. I have been neither a gentleman nor a friend to you, and I would like to remedy that. Elizabeth, please! I genuinely wish to help. Will you at least hear me out?”

She stood stock-still for several moments, neither looking at me nor moving away. I could not tell if she was taking my offer seriously, trying to get her fiery temper under control, or more likely, doing something unanticipated.

At long last, she answered, “If I hear you out, will you finally leave me in peace?”

“You have my word. I know I have given you no good cause to trust me, but you have my word for what it is worth.”

I did not think my word was worth all that much to her, but I had to try something.

“Very well, I will hear you out, but not now and not here.”

I let out a breath I did not realise I was holding.

“I thank you for giving me a chance to redeem myself. I know I have a long way to go before I achieve any level of trust whatsoever, but I will do my best. I agree to your terms, which are entirely sensible. I am perfectly sanguine about being in your presence and do not care who knows about it, but it would not be ideal for you to be seen with me before you accept my help. I am at your disposal.”

“I will be busy the rest of the afternoon. I would invite you to supper, but I doubt my menu will be to your standards. Perhaps midday tomorrow?”

Feeling like I had made at least a little bit of progress, I thought I might be able to at least put the tiniest bit of humour in the situation, so I foolishly asked, “I am not as fastidious as you may think. What is on the menu?”

Once again, I saw a frown appear and disappear almost too fast to see. I seemed to be putting my foot in it more often than not.

“I apologise. Did that make you uncomfortable in some way?”

She blew out a restless breath. “Do not worry. It just reminded me of something.”

“Would you share it?”

She glanced at me with the tiniest hint of either mischievousness or malice. “That was the first thing I ever heard about you… your fastidiousness. Mr Bingley said he ‘would not be as fastidious as you for a kingdom’ at that first assembly because you would not dance with any of the Meryton ladies. That was just before you—”

The rest of that ill-fated conversation came abruptly to mind, as if I had endured it last night instead of last year, and my heart dropped through my shoes. If she heard that, she must have heard—I remembered her words from two days ago about ‘handsome enough’. They had not sunk in as her beating me with my own words. What a fool I was!

She apparently decided to quit rubbing salt in the wound, as she stopped speaking mid-sentence. “My apologies, Mr Darcy. You are trying to be civil, so I will quit harping about that assembly.”