Falling at Pemberley Chapter 5

Here is Chapter 5 in my latest work in progress. Elizabeth is still trying to keep her presence at Pemberley from Mr. Darcy. How much longer will she succeed? Here are some hints about this chapter: Elizabeth will confess something to her aunt, and there will be a new introduction. Finally, I promise you that something big is going to happen in the next chapter.

Here are the links to the previous chapters: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, and Chapter 4.

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Chapter 5

Darcy readied himself with the aid of his valet to go down to meet the Westerfields. He felt a great deal of agitation because he had hoped Georgiana would be delighted with the prospect of gaining Miss Westerfield as a sister, but for some reason, she did not appear eager at all. He knew she would support any decision he made regarding his taking a wife. At least he hoped she would.

When he finally came to the sitting room, he found it empty. He was glad. This time he would be there to greet the Westerfields when they came in. He paced about the room, clasped his hands behind his back, and took several deep breaths to calm himself. He was not nervous about welcoming Miss Westerfield or her parents to Pemberley; something else pressed upon him that he dared not contemplate.

Georgiana joined him a few minutes later, and it was another fifteen minutes before the Westerfields arrived. He greeted Mr. Westerfield with a hearty handshake.

“It is good to see you, again, sir. Pray forgive me for not being available to welcome you when you first arrived.”

Mr. Westerfield waved his hand through the air. “Think nothing of it, sir. We arrived much earlier than we had anticipated.” His gaze turned to his daughter. “Some of us were eager to arrive.” He let out a hearty laugh. “I am well aware that there are many things you must see to when you are in residence, particularly when you have been from home a long time.”

Darcy nodded a thank you to him and then introduced Georgiana to Mr. and Mrs. Westerfield, since it had been several years since they had seen her. After inviting them to sit down, Georgiana took the chair next to Mrs. Westerfield and her daughter, while Darcy sat with Mr. Westerfield. The two men conversed, and as hard as he tried to attend to the conversation, his attention was drawn to his sister and how she was faring with the two ladies.

“You have preserved the elegance of Pemberley, Darcy,” Mr. Westerfield said. “You have much to be proud of.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“The grounds are well-maintained, and the rooms are a delightful balance of modern and antique furnishings.” He laughed. “We all agreed your good parents would be well pleased.”

Darcy nodded appreciatively.

“Mr. Darcy, your sister is absolutely delightful!” Mrs. Westerfield said, glancing his way. “She told us of the gift you presented to her earlier. Despite her reserve, which is both charming and sweet, both my daughter and I can see how delighted she is with it… and with you! What a generous brother you are!”

“She is certainly fortunate.” Miss Westerfield turned to her mother. “Can you imagine James ever bestowing such a gift on me?”

Both ladies laughed and shook their heads. Mrs. Westerfield looked at Georgiana. “James is Angeline’s elder brother, Miss Darcy, and only concerns himself with his sister when absolutely necessary.”

“Perhaps Darcy is more like a father figure than a brother to Miss Darcy.” Mr. Westerfield turned to Darcy. “Would that not be true?”

“I… I cannot speak for Georgiana as to whether she sees me more as a brother or a father or both, but I highly doubt I could ever replace my father.” Darcy began tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair. “And I would not wish to.”

“That is perfectly understandable,” Mrs. Westerfield said with a pleased nod.

“What do you think of the matter, Miss Darcy?” Miss Westerfield asked. “Do you look upon your brother as such or more like a father?”

All eyes turned to Georgiana. “I… I regret that my brother has had to take on the role of father to me, to have the burden of responsibilities thrust upon him at such a young age.”

Darcy’s chest tightened, and his jaw clenched when he heard his sister’s sentiments.

“I am certain you have never been a burden to him.” Miss Westerfield looked at Mr. Darcy. “I doubt you have had to employ your time worrying about her. Am I correct?”

Darcy glanced at Georgiana when she cast her face down, and he then turned back to Miss Westerfield. “While it is true she gives me no reason to worry, I still care for her deeply and intentionally make her my concern.”

Miss Westerfield reached over to Georgiana, placing her hand on hers. “You are so fortunate, my dear. One could not ask for a finer brother.”

They were soon called in for the meal. While it was a pleasant conversation, Darcy could not help but feel his sister’s eyes upon him. She spoke little, and he attributed it to her getting used to the idea that he might soon be married. He unwittingly looked at Miss Westerfield, whose eyes were on him. He smiled, a more nervous than encouraging one. She returned the smile then quickly looked away.

Miss Angeline Westerfield was beautiful, kind, generous, and attentive. She was intelligent and accomplished. What was there not to like about her? A pair of fine, dark eyes suddenly flashed before him. He shook his head, and his fork clattered down onto his plate. That was in the past, and he needed to now consider Miss Westerfield as his future.

*~*~*

After eating another delicious meal in the privacy of her uncle’s room, Elizabeth bade her aunt and uncle goodnight and said she would retire to the adjoining room to read.

“I shall likely join you there tonight, Lizzy. I think Edmund is feeling well enough that he can survive the night without me at his side.”

“Uncle, do you truly think you can sleep well knowing she is not at your beck and call?” Elizabeth asked teasingly.

“I am the one who suggested it,” her uncle replied.

“No, you did not suggest it,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “You demanded it!” She looked back up at Elizabeth. “Since we are just next door, I told him if he has need of anything to rap loudly on the wall.”

Elizabeth laughed, kissed her aunt and uncle, and then stepped from the room.

*~*~*

“No! Please, no! Please do not make me!”

“Elizabeth?” Mrs. Gardiner called out. “Is something wrong? Are you awake?”

“No! I cannot marry you!” Elizabeth cried out. “I must get away before I change my mind!”

“Elizabeth, dear, everything is all right.”

Elizabeth heard her aunt’s voice and felt her gently shaking her. She opened her eyes, struggling to wake up enough to make sense of what was happening.

Mrs. Gardiner took her niece’s hand. “Lizzy, you were having a nightmare. Wake up, dear.”

Elizabeth sat up, a little more cognizant of her surroundings. She had no idea what she might have cried aloud, but she certainly knew what had been happening in her dream. Mr. Darcy had discovered her at Pemberley and insisted they marry. But he was not the kind, caring man she had witnessed here and heard so much about, but a demanding and cruel one.

“I am all right, Aunt. I know I was having a dream, but it is odd, as I rarely have nightmares.” She laughed slightly. “I suppose it is due to my fear of encountering Mr. Darcy here.”

Mrs. Gardiner sat down on the bed next to her and began to pat her hand. “I suppose, but was he the one you were insisting you could not marry?” Now it was her turn to chuckle. “If it was indeed him, I find that interesting. Imagine, you marrying Mr. Darcy!”

Elizabeth groaned and drew her legs up, wrapping her arms about them. She rested her chin on her knees. “Oh, Aunt, I really did not want to tell you this, but now I feel I must.” She bit her lip and drew in a breath. “I suppose it will help you understand why I have such a dread of encountering him.”

Elizabeth lifted her head. She could barely see her aunt’s face lit by the subdued moonlight shining through the window coverings. That was probably best so she would not see her aunt’s expression when she told her what had happened in Kent.

She stretched out her legs and reached over to grasp her aunt’s hand. “I know you and my uncle have felt that my uneasiness about being discovered here by Mr. Darcy has been foolish, unreasonable, and perhaps a little immature.”

“We merely felt he would think nothing of it. You seem to think that by having had a slight acquaintance with him he would consider it wrong or improper for you to be here.”

Elizabeth looked down and shook her head. “Oh, Aunt, if only we had been mere acquaintances.”

“Lizzy? What are you saying? What happened?” Her voice reflected her concern.

“He…” She looked up and drew in a deep breath. “Oh, Aunt, he apparently had developed rather strong feelings of admiration for me. He…he came to me one day at the parsonage in Kent and declared that he was… that he was ardently in love with me.” Elizabeth lifted her eyes and despite the darkness of the room could readily see the stunned look on her aunt’s face. She chuckled. “I can see that you do not believe it, either. I was just as astonished as you now are when he made me an offer of marriage.”

Her aunt’s eyes narrowed. Very softly she said, “I see. Go on.”

Elizabeth shrugged. “It was the last thing I would have ever expected from him and…” She pursed her lips together tightly.

When she did not continue, her aunt asked, “How did you answer him, Lizzy?” She suddenly let out a gasp. “You did not refuse him, did you?”

Elizabeth mutely nodded. She was surprised when a surge of regret passed through her. “Yes, I had to.”

“Oh, dear!” Mrs. Gardiner abruptly stood up and crossed her arms about her. “I think I need to walk.”

Elizabeth watched her aunt pace about the room, knowing there was so much more she had to say.

Finally, she said, “Aunt, there is something else.”

Mrs. Gardiner stopped walking. “Yes?”

“Not only did I refuse him, I was…” She drew in a breath. “I was rather indignant to him in my refusal.”

Mrs. Gardiner came back to the edge of the bed. “I think I need to sit down.”

Elizabeth took her aunt’s hand. “Are you all right, Aunt?”

Her aunt nodded quickly several times but no words came forth.

“I cannot make any rational excuse now, but in addition to those things that had prompted my initial dislike of him, there were some things that I had just come to learn about him that had angered me greatly.”

“What kind of things?” her aunt asked softly.

“Well, in addition to his treatment of Mr. Wickham, which I told you about, I had just been informed by his cousin that Mr. Darcy had been proud of the fact that he had been a great influence in separating Mr. Bingley from Jane.”

Mrs. Gardiner opened her mouth with a look of surprise. “It was his doing?”

Elizabeth nodded. “His and Miss Bingley’s doing.”

“So, you let him know how you felt about that?”

Elizabeth nodded. “How could I not?” Elizabeth began to pull a strand of her hair through her fingers. “There was also the manner in which he proposed. Although he declared his love and admiration for me, he told me that despite all of his efforts, it had been impossible for him to conquer his attachment to me, someone he had considered to be greatly inferior to him.” Elizabeth paused and winced. “While he had spoken warmly to me, as if that might somehow soften any offense I might feel, I was unable to think reasonably on the matter. I lashed out at him in anger, refused him, and…”

“And what?”

Elizabeth frowned. “I told him he had acted in a most ungentlemanly manner and that he was the last man I could ever be prevailed upon to marry.”

Mrs. Gardiner’s eyes widened. “I see. Well, this explains why you have not wanted to encounter him. I imagine he was angered by your answer.”

“Indeed.”

“I imagine he was not expecting you to refuse him, was he not?” She said it as more of a statement rather than a question.

Elizabeth paused to consider this. “No, I imagine not; yet, while he was not expecting a refusal, I had not been expecting a proposal.” She shook her head. “I had no idea of his strong regard.”

Mrs. Gardiner smiled. “I suppose the man had never found himself in love before and was not certain of the right way to go about letting his feelings be known.”

“Or the right way to propose to a woman.” Elizabeth sighed. “If only he had given me some indication of his feelings…”

“But would you have welcomed them?”

Elizabeth looked down and shook her head. “Certainly not. But if he had, I could have politely discouraged him instead of ruining his hopes and dreams as I did when he…” Her voice trailed off.

“But Lizzy, I sense you feel some regret now. Have your feelings towards him changed?”

Elizabeth lifted her eyes. “The next morning I encountered him while out walking. He had purposely come in the hopes of seeing me and presented me with a letter explaining some of the things of which I had accused him.”

“Lizzy! Mr. Darcy gave you a letter! If anyone had seen it…”

“No one did, Aunt. We were a good distance from anyone and anything.” She took in a raspy breath as tears filled her eyes. “In reading it, I realized how wrong I had been about him in so many ways. I regretted… I deeply regretted the manner in which I refused him.”

“How were your assumptions wrong?”

Elizabeth also explained that one of Mr. Darcy’s reasons for separating Mr. Bingley from her sister was because he had not observed any outward signs that Jane loved him as strongly as Bingley did her. “For that I could almost forgive him,” she said with a chuckle.

She then told her that she had not been aware of the truth about Mr. Wickham when he proposed.

Mrs. Gardiner drew in a breath. “Well, my dear. This does explain a few things.” She took Elizabeth’s hands. “Lizzy, I know you must have had your reasons, but why did you not feel as though you could tell your uncle and me of this? Especially when we suggested coming here.”

“The only person I told was Jane. I think if you had not held such a favourable opinion of the Darcy family I may have, but how could I tell you he asked for my hand in marriage and I refused him?”

 Mrs. Gardiner gave her a compassionate nod. “We would have understood, Lizzy.”

Elizabeth let out a long sigh. “And yet to this day, I do not.” She looked up at her aunt. “I do feel a great deal of regret over what I said and did.” She began to shake her head. “Not that I feel I should have accepted him, but that perhaps I ought to have made an attempt to understand him better before responding as I did.”

Mrs. Gardiner took Elizabeth’s hand. “Well, Lizzy, what is done is done. We cannot change the past.” She squeezed her hand. “We can only hope that you have learned something from what happened.” She smiled. “Perhaps he did, as well.”

*~*~*

That morning, when Mrs. Gardiner had dressed and left to check on her husband, Elizabeth remained in her room, knowing that her aunt was going to tell him what she had been told the night before. When she felt enough time had passed for her aunt to furnish him with the details, she carefully opened the door, looked out to see if anyone – particularly Mr. Darcy – was in the vicinity, and walked to her uncle’s room.

Her uncle greeted her when she walked in. “Well, hello, Lizzy. Your aunt has been telling me an extraordinary tale that I find rather hard to believe. Did she imagine all of this or is it true? Could it have possibly been just a dream?” He let out a hearty chuckle, but then leaned his head back in pain. “I have to remember that it hurts when I laugh.”

Elizabeth gave her uncle a weak smile. “Please take care, Uncle. And yes, it is all true. I could never have made up a story like that.”

“And neither could I!” declared her aunt.

Elizabeth looked apologetically at her uncle and waited for him to say something. He seemed to be contemplating his next words.

“I am not going to admonish you for refusing him, Lizzy, for everything you knew – or thought you knew – about him was what you had witnessed. His behaviour and his actions all combined to make up the man you believed him to be.”

Elizabeth silently nodded.

“I wonder what you think of the man now, though. In seeing his home and in hearing the praises of his housekeeper, has your estimation of him at all changed?”

Elizabeth drew in a long breath. “I own that from the moment we saw the house from the carriage, I was gripped with a realization – almost as strong as a jolt of physical pain – that this could have been my home.” She slowly shook her head and cast her eyes down. “But still at that moment, I felt no regret in refusing him.”

“And since then?”

She walked to the window and gazed out. Her heart skipped as she saw Mr. Darcy step out into the courtyard. It was apparent he was going out walking or riding, something he had done with frequency in the mornings while at Netherfield and in Kent. When she saw him stop and turn, offering his arm, she waited, hoping to see Miss Darcy. Instead, she saw Miss Westerfield, who seemed delighted to take it.

She shook her head and looked at her uncle. “Pray, forgive me. What did you ask?”

“Since coming here, have your feelings changed?”

“Oh, I do not know!” she cried out. “I have heard him spoken of with words so full of praise and admiration and even witnessed some of that myself that I do not know what I think anymore.” She glanced out the window again and sighed. “As beautiful as Pemberley is, however, if he were truly as disagreeable as I had believed him to be, I could not regret my refusing him.” She shrugged. “Besides, I am certain he must still despise me for all I said to him… that day.”

Mrs. Gardiner walked over to her and placed her hands on her niece’s shoulders. “Perhaps not, my dear.” Looking out, she asked, “Is that Mr. Darcy, and who is with him?”

Elizabeth drew in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. “That is Miss Westerfield, and I believe she is here because Mr. Darcy intends to make her his wife.”

“I see.” She nodded her head towards another woman who had stepped out. “And I assume that woman is their chaperone.” She returned to her husband’s side. “Well, Lizzy, we likely have only a few more days here. Once the doctor gives his approval for Edmund to travel, we shall be gone.”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said softly. “We shall be gone.”

*~*~*

Later that afternoon, the doctor came by to check on Mr. Gardiner. He was not pleased with the pain level the gentleman was still experiencing.

“It is possible the injury was more than just a small fracture. Just as a precaution I am going to recommend bed rest for another day just to make sure. If you move even a little, it could worsen.”

Elizabeth was disappointed. She was not only tired of staying out of one gentleman’s sight, she was restless and wished she could go out for a walk. But she did not dare.

Miss Darcy arrived soon after the doctor departed.

“May I come in?” she said when she came to the door.

“Please do!” Mrs. Gardiner replied.

“What did the doctor say?” she asked. “I noticed he did not stay long. I hope Mr. Gardiner received good news.”

“He wants him to continue to remain inactive for another day,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “We shall have to impose on your gracious hospitality a little longer.”

Georgiana clasped her hands. “Oh, please, it is no imposition at all! Do not think anything of it!”

Elizabeth smiled. “You are too kind, Miss Darcy.”

Georgiana smiled and pursed her lips, seemingly at a loss to know what to say next.

“Tell me, Miss Darcy. What do you do to occupy yourself when you are here at Pemberley?” Elizabeth watched her eyes light up when she asked the question.

“Oh, I love to play the pianoforte, and just yesterday my brother presented me with a surprise for my birthday. A new instrument!”

“It is lovely!” Elizabeth said. “Your housekeeper showed it to us as we toured the home.”

“I could not believe it. I was not expecting it at all. Sometimes he does the most unexpected things!” Her face brightened with a smile. “The pianoforte that I had been playing had been here since before my father was born, I believe.” She laughed softly. “It was getting more and more difficult to keep it tuned for any length of time.”

“You must have been delighted with it,” Mrs. Gardiner said.

“Yes, I was. He is so very generous.”

Elizabeth readily noticed the look of admiration on the young lady’s face.

“I spent all morning playing. Did you not hear me?”

“No, unfortunately we did not,” Elizabeth said. “I would love to hear you play sometime.”

“Would you like to come up and hear me play now?” Miss Darcy turned to Elizabeth. “I am not used to performing before many people, but I need the practice. A smaller audience is easier for me than a larger one.”

“Why, that would be…” her aunt began.

Elizabeth took the young lady’s hand. “What my aunt is trying to say, Miss Darcy, is that is very kind of you to ask, but we ought to remain with my uncle. He is still in much pain, and besides, I would not wish… we do not want to disturb… the household.”

“I understand,” Miss Darcy said softly. “I wish I could do something to make your stay more enjoyable. It must be such tedium to remain in your rooms.  I want to assure you that you are more than welcome to stroll about the house or the grounds. We truly do not mind.”

Elizabeth felt her aunt and uncle’s eyes fall on her. “Miss Darcy, you are very kind. But I think my aunt and I would prefer to remain near Mr. Gardiner.”

“Here you are, Miss Darcy! I am so glad to have finally found you.” The sound of a young lady’s voice drew everyone’s attention to the door. Elizabeth tensed when she saw that it was Miss Westerfield.

“Were you in need of something?” Georgiana asked.

“Oh, no,” she said. “I merely wondered where you were. Mrs. Reynolds directed me here. Your brother is busy with his steward in the library, and I thought it would be nice to spend some time together. But I see you are engaged.”

“I came to see how Mr. Gardiner was doing.” Georgiana introduced Miss Westerfield to the Gardiners and explained a little about Mr. Gardiner’s condition.

“I am so sorry to hear about your fall,” Miss Westerfield said. “What does the doctor say?”

“Unfortunately, my husband cannot be moved, and traveling is out of the question for now,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “The jostling of the carriage for even just a short distance could possibly worsen the injury.”

“How unfortunate this must be for all of you, but I am certain Pemberley’s staff is taking good care of you.” Miss Westerfield clasped her hands.

“Indeed they are! I am being treated almost as if I were royalty,” Mr. Gardiner said with a laugh, followed by a slight moan. “But I need to remember that even something as simple as laughing causes me great pain.”

“We ought to leave so you can rest,” Georgiana said. “Again, please do not hesitate to let us know if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Miss Darcy,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Westerfield.”

Both young ladies smiled and nodded and slipped quietly from the room.

When they were gone, Mrs. Gardiner turned to her niece. “So that is Miss Westerfield.”

Elizabeth nodded. “She is very pretty and seems most genteel.”

“I do not think her exceptionally pretty,” Mr. Gardiner said with a smile.

“Be kind, Edmund,” Mrs. Gardiner said with a pointed look.

“Hmm?” her husband asked, shaking his head. “I truly do not see what Mr. Darcy would see in her… compared to our Lizzy.”

“Oh, Uncle Gardiner, please. She is probably more suitable for him than I ever was.” Elizabeth’s brows unwittingly pinched in thought. Whatever did he see in me? I certainly am not as attractive as she is. His words at the Meryton Assembly struck her forcefully. She is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me.

What was it that had brought about a change in how he saw her? She shook her head, knowing she might never know.

Chapter 6