Page 22 of When Elizabeth Said Yes

Elizabeth bit the inside of her cheek.

She tried not to answer.

She truly did.

But in the end she could not resist.

"I think, my lady, there are many marriages that might prove a worse fate than becoming a governess."

The room fell utterly silent.

Then the tea arrived, and thankfully the conversation drifted towards the unusually pleasant weather. Elizabeth accepted her cup, sipped it cautiously while it was still hot, then glanced up.

Mr Darcy's dark eyes were upon her.

They had not seemed to leave her since he had entered the room.

Chapter Twelve

She was incredible.

He found himself spending the whole tea oscillating between trying not to laugh at her blatant disregard for his aunt's opinions, admiring her fine eyes which were full of fire, and reminding himself of what her family had been like.

She had been a gentleman's daughter, certainly, but even Mr Bennet, God rest his soul, had not known the proper bounds of society every time Darcy had encountered him. But if he had been the worst of it, it could surely have been brushed aside.

But there was her mother, shamelessly pushing her daughters in the paths of rich men, including the beautiful Jane, whom he had only recently warned Bingley off marrying. For although she was pretty and certainly sweet, he did not see any affection reciprocated. And Mrs Bennet had never allowed either himself or Bingley – or indeed, he was sure, any other man of consequence who had passed through Meryton – to enter the room without their income being loudly announced, as if that were the most important attribute about their person: the fact that they had a certain income a year.

And then there were the younger sisters: the plainly dressed girl who did not know when it was time to give up singing and playing piano to allow another young lady to have her moment, and the very silly younger two who flirted and giggled their way through every social occasion without a care in the world about what it did to people's impressions of them. It simply could not be borne.

He needed to remember that she was not a suitable match, that he would be aligning Georgiana with her family if he chose her as his wife. He was expected to marry someone who would know how to be mistress of Pemberley, who would raise an heir to be master of it in the future.

The lady was not meant to be Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

And yet...

As she verbally sparred with his aunt and then joined in the polite conversation that Mrs Collins tried to introduce, he could not ignore it. He had never before felt as he did when he looked at Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Never considered marriage, not seriously. Never felt as though he could not remove a young lady from his thoughts.

He was, he rather thought, in trouble.

When she spoke of being a governess instead of marrying, was it because she had already declined the odious Mr Collins, he wondered? Or just her general view on marriage?

"The weather is very pleasant out," Darcy said, interrupting Mr Collins's diatribe on the benefits of young ladies reading Fordyce's Sermons. "Perhaps we should take a walk before it is time to return."

Everyone looked at him. He supposed his aunt and his cousins both thought he was acting wildly out of character. Not for the walking – it was well known that he enjoyed exercise and fresh air – but because he was asking for company in doing so. If there were an adjective ascribed to him by others, he rather thought it would be solitary. Well, maybe he hoped it would be. Perhaps there were others that were more unsavoury. He was well aware that he was not at ease with people and did not always make friends among those he met.

"I am here to take tea," Lady Catherine said, raising her eyebrows at him. "I do not intend to walk, nephew. But of course, if you wish to take the air, you must do so. Take Miss Bennet and Mrs Collins with you," she said, shooing at them as though they were children underfoot. "I'm sure Miss Bennet could use some air to make her reconsider some of the thoughts she has expressed this afternoon."

Darcy did not think Elizabeth Bennet was likely to reconsider anything, but he was more than happy to be forced into having her accompany them.

"Of course. Ladies, would you care to take a turn outside?"

They both stood, but rather to his surprise, his cousin stood also.

"It is too humid for you, Anne," Lady Catherine said. "It will fatigue you. You mustn't—"

Anne closed her eyes briefly in a pained expression and then softly said, "The young people are going for a walk, Mama. I am one of the young people."

She said so in a manner that was surprisingly like Lady Catherine herself and brooked no argument.