32. Chapter 29: He who holds his tongue

Ch 29: He who holds his tongue is wise

Three days later, on the morning of the assembly, a gentleman on horseback rode into Meryton. He went directly to the inn and inquired after Mr. Darcy. Moments later, the gentleman himself appeared.

"Richard!" he exclaimed, reaching to take his cousin's hand. "I did not expect you quite so soon!"

"With the message you just sent, you could hardly expect me to dally about," Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed, clapping Darcy's shoulder. Indeed, it sounded as though something quite unprecedented had seized you!

After giving instructions for his room, the two men excused themselves to the parlor. They seated themselves comfortably by the fireplace.

"Have you just left our sisters?" Darcy asked.

"Indeed I have. They and Miss Lackley have kept my mother quite occupied! Though Mother might say otherwise, she has been delighted with a house full of young ladies to guide into society!" Richard leaned back in his chair and laughed thoughtfully. "It was right to send Georgiana to my mother. She has blossomed under a woman's hand. And sending her friend with her was quite the right choice as well. Though she does not come out and say it, both she and my sister have found it encouraging to see that they are not the only ones plagued by the trials of becoming a woman of society."

Darcy sighed, shoulders sagging.

"You are not still flagellating yourself over what happened, are you?" Richard crossed his arms with a stern expression. "For heaven's sake, man, let it go! Your sister is well, and that scoundrel is somewhere in the middle of the ocean, if he has not already succumbed to the scourges of naval life. Her reputation is safe. Why must you still brood?" I know very well the answer, for you are just like your father. I hope you do not succumb to his weaknesses though.

Darcy scowled. "How can you ask such a question? I should have protected her. I should have taught her better…"

"No more of this, no more! Truly I have heard enough. If you wish to continue dwelling on your inadequacies, and the sad fact you are human, you may do so, but without my company. It is fortunate that you were first-born. You would never have survived the life of an officer."

Darcy blushed, chastened by the reminder of his cousin's very different lifestyle and of Bradley's similar admonition. "Very well, I can hardly argue with you. So, are you finally retired from the military, or am I still addressing one of His Majesty's finest?"

"The last of the formalities was finished just the day before I received your letter. My life is my own once more. I must admit, I fear the challenges of accustoming myself to civilian life. The thought of a sedentary existence…"

Darcy snorted. "Enjoy a few sedentary months, Richard! When you purchase your estate, you will wish for idleness again!"

"I suppose you have a point there. It is easy to forget the frenzy of planting and harvesting."

"It is not just spring and fall. Winter must be spent planning for spring and summer for fall…"

"Enough! I understand your point." Richard laughed. "So can I count on your assistance in finding a proper estate for the second son of an earl?"

"When I am done here, you may count on it. Although it seems I am making a habit of this service." He crossed his right ankle onto his other knee. "Bingley has had me all but crawling through the attics of Netherfield!"

"Oh that is rich! I can see you covered in dust and cobwebs, the proper master of Pemberley with cobwebs on his lapel!" Richard slapped his knee, laughing.

Rolling his eyes, Darcy sighed. Even the army has not tainted your sense of humor, cousin. I am glad for that, and for your new civilian life.

Leaning forward on his knees, Richard became more serious. "So tell me, how did you meet this rare paragon of feminine virtue you wrote me of? I am all ears."

Darcy blushed as he recounted his tale of losing himself in Longbourn's woods.

Richard roared with laughter. "You, lost in the woods? Chasing raspberries? Has running Pemberley become too much for you? Perhaps I should reconsider my future life as a gentleman!" The sour glare that his cousin shot him only made him laugh harder. "Surely you have met her since under more civilized conditions?"

"I have. She and her sisters have twice called upon Miss Bingley at the inn. They are anxious to make her feel welcome in Meryton."

"Let me guess, you, and probably Bingley as well, just happened to be about when the young ladies came to call?"

"It was unplanned, but I have no wish to deny a welcome occurrence," Darcy smiled a little smugly.

"You say there are four sisters…"

"I have been told that there are actually five, but the youngest is with her mother in London."

"Well, I have no need for a silly young wife, so it is well enough that she is absent. Clearly you have selected a sister for yourself. Have you chosen one for me as well?" Richard grinned rakishly.

"Richard!" he rebuked sharply. I will not have him speak so! The implications he draws are too much! "We are speaking of gently bred ladies, not common…"

"Relax, cousin! Surely you know I jest. It is so unlike you to be moved by any woman that I find it difficult to know how to respond." I want to know more of someone who could raise such a reaction in you and if she has sisters all the better. It is time I settle down, or so Mother is fond of telling me.

Some of Darcy's tension left. "You are correct." He laughed with a wry smile. "I do find that I am behaving quite out of character. Perhaps being around Bingley has begun to affect me."

"If it is, you need to find him an estate near to Pemberley! You would do well to continue this reformation."

Darcy rolled his eyes and grumbled.

"I am waiting. Tell me of these women we are to marry—has Bingley made his choice among then? He is a good sort of fellow. I could accept him as a brother easily enough. What are we to do with the one remaining? Have any of them designs to be a maiden aunt to tend our children?"

"That is enough!" Darcy growled. Angry, he rose and stalked out of the parlor, leaving a stunned Fitzwilliam behind.

What has come over Darcy. I have never seen him so easily angry. This is no fleeting infatuation. I do wish his vicar were here to see to him lest he make a rash he is like this it seems only Bradley can speak sense to him.

Not long afterwards, Darcy was on his horse riding rather aimlessly down the road toward Pierce's cottage. I cannot believe his disregard for all propriety! If anyone heard him speaking so, what would they think? I will not have him be the source of any untoward gossip concerning the Bennet sisters. That would be unconscionable. In the distance, he saw two young women walking down the road. Moments later he recognized Jane and Lizzy. Smiling at his good fortune, he slowed his horse, eventually coming to a stop beside them. "Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth." He dismounted and bowed.

"Good day, Mr. Darcy," they replied together and curtsied.

"Are you on your way to Mr. Pierce's cottage, or are you seeking more raspberries, sir?" Lizzy teased gently, garnering a puzzled stare from her sister.

"Neither, madam." He smiled graciously. "My horse and I have grown restless with too much time at the inn. Neither of us is accustomed to such a sedentary life." As if realizing he was being discussed, the horse nudged his rider's shoulder. Darcy patted him affectionately.

"It would seem that he agrees with you, sir." Lizzy laughed fondly. "May I?" She gestured toward the animal.

"Of course." With Darcy holding the horse's halter, she stoked the creature's soft nose. "Do you ride, Miss Elizabeth?"

"A very little, and certainly not so fine an animal as this," Elizabeth replied, enchanted by the horse's response to her. "He seems quite a delightful creature."

"Usually he is quite high spirited." Darcy reached up to stroke the horse's cheek. "I am sure he is gentled by the presence of…" his remark was cut off by the sound of rapidly approaching hoof beats. Craning his neck, he saw Colonel Fitzwilliam on his bay stallion trotting toward them. Moments later, the horse pulled up to a stop beside Darcy.

"Darcy!" he exclaimed, jumping out of his saddle.

Darcy sighed stoically. Immediately Lizzy noticed the change in him. I wonder what is going on?

"Ladies, may I present my cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. This is Miss Jane Bennet and Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longborn." The girls curtsied.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, sir," Jane replied softly, her eyes locked on the Colonel's. He is not a handsome man, but his eyes are quite striking.

"The pleasure is all mine, madam," he replied, embarrassed as he realized he was staring.

"My cousin has just come from London," Darcy offered, unsure of what to say.

"Indeed, I had heard that there is an assembly tonight." Richard smiled broadly.

"You heard correctly, sir," Lizzy answered, her eyes still on Darcy.

"Do you plan to attend, sir?" Jane asked, a blush rising in her cheeks.

"I do believe I will, if you and your fair sister will be there." He winked at his cousin. Darcy shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.

"All my sisters and my father shall be there tonight," Lizzy answered with a stern look.

"I do hope we shall be introduced to him," Richard answered smoothly.

"So are you and your horse restless like your cousin, or have you a destination in mind?" Lizzy asked with a quick glance toward Darcy.

Richard chortled merrily. Darcy cut in, "We are going to pay a visit to our friend, Mr. Bradley. He visits with your curate who lives this way."

So Bradley is here after all! How providential for us all.

"How singular. We are on our way to see Mr. Pierce ourselves." Jane smiled. "Our mother prepared a basket for him before she left for London. We are taking it to him."

"Perhaps we might walk together then?" Richard suggested, reaching to take the basket from Jane's arms. I wonder if these are the girls Darcy wrote of. The look he is giving Miss Elizabeth would certain suggest that.

"Thank you, sir," Jane glanced at Lizzy, who nodded.

Jane walked slightly ahead with Richard, while Lizzy hung back a few steps to walk with Darcy. For several minutes, they were silent, listening to Jane and Richard's lively conversation. Lizzy noticed Darcy's discomfort. "I have met your friend Mr. Bradley. He had dinner with us just a few nights ago."

"Really?" Darcy looked surprised. "So, what is your impression of him?" He held his breath, awaiting her answer.

"To be honest, sir, I did not like him very well at all." Lizzy noticed the immediate tension that filled her companion. Oh dear, I have upset him. How often has Mama warned me to be careful with my teasing? He feels very strongly about Mr. Bradley, this is not a playful subject at all.

"Why might that be?" Darcy asked coldly, gritting his teeth.

"Because I fear he intends to take our Mr. Pierce away from us." She laughed softly, trying to catch his eyes.

Darcy sighed with audible relief. "Why have you come to that conclusion, Miss Bennet?"

"The signs are very clear, sir. He is a peculiar man in his devotion to his parish. I have met few clergymen who are so caring of their flock. He has no son to carry on his work. He is approaching an age where most men are looking to their sons to take on some of their responsibilities. It seems quite apparent that he is here looking for his heir. Mr. Pierce is a man cut from the same cloth."

"You presume a great deal from a man you have only just met." Darcy glanced back as his horse nudged his shoulder again.

"Perhaps, sir, if I had only just met him. But it seems that your Mr. Bradley has had a long standing relationship with my family." Lizzy smiled enigmatically.

"Indeed?" He has never mentioned the Bennet family to me. Surely she must be mistaken.

"My aunt grew up in Lambton, in Mr. Bradley's parish." Lizzy's eyes twinkled, enjoying Darcy's bewilderment. "She and my uncle were married by Mr. Bradley."

"How very surprising!" Darcy could not think of what else to say.

"For years my aunt has written me letters filled with stories and wise advice that originated from the curate who taught her as a girl. Having him in our home for dinner was like seeing an old friend. Though I have never met him, I felt I knew him well." Glancing up at Darcy, she was taken aback by the sudden warmth in his eyes.

"So then, what did you really think of him?" he asked again, a smile brightening his face.

Lizzy paused thoughtfully. This is important to him. He deserves more than a flippant answer. "I found him to be just as my aunt described. I liked him very well indeed, and feel sorry that his parish is so far away. He is the man I believe that Mr. Pierce will become in time." Looking up at him, she was rewarded with his smile.

They walked on in companionable silence, soon arriving at Mr. Pierce's cottage.

"You are the vicar for Mr. Darcy? Of Permberley?" Mr. Collins exclaimed over his tea.

Mr. Bennet and Mr. Gardiner looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"I am indeed, sir." Mr. Bradley nodded, helping himself to the sandwiches that Mr. Pierce's housekeeper had just provided. "I have been in the service of that parish for many years."

"You must, of course, know of the great Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who in her beneficence has recently bestowed upon me the valuable living at Hunsford," Collins gushed.

"Yes, I have met the lady," Bradley conceded, swallowing hard as the breeze blew through the open window, wafting Collins' scent his way.

"Is not her wisdom, her condescension in recognizing those below her…"

"Those below her, sir?" Mr. Pierce said sharply. "Those below her? Do not tell me that you continue to propagate such nonsense…"

Bradley's eyes flashed to the curate as he struggled to suppress a smile.

"Nonsense! How dare you, sir! Surely you have not studied…" Collins sputtered angrily, juggling his tea cup as he tried to put it down.

"What are you insinuating, sir? That I have not studied the Holy Scriptures? Well I assure you I have, and have found sufficient justification to refute this idea of anyone being below any other person…" Pierce countered sharply with a conspiratorial wink at Bradley.

"Such ideas are tantamount to…"

"God is no respecter of persons, Mr. Collins!" Pierce snapped, his face turning red.

"It must be because you have no wise patron to guide you…" Collins turned to Bennet and Gardiner, silently seeking their support.

Disguising their mirth, the two brothers simply shrugged. At that moment, the housekeeper hesitantly peeked in. "Mr. Pierce, sir?"

"Yes, Mrs. Potts," Pierce replied as all eyes turned on the elderly woman.

"The Miss Bennets have come to call on you. There are also two gentlemen at the door. They say they have come to call on Mr. Bradley, sir."

Pierce glanced back at Bennet. He nodded. "Show them all in." As the housekeeper disappeared, he rose to greet his guests. Moments later, she ushered in the newcomers. "Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth." He bowed.

Suddenly Bradley was on his feet, "Ladies." He bowed. "Mr. Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, I did not expect to see you! Allow me to introduce you to everyone." Smiling broadly, the vicar turned to the rest of the party. "May I introduce my patron, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley, and his cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam…"

"Retired now," Richard added as he bowed to the party.

"This is Mr. Thomas Bennet of Longbourn, Mr. Edward Gardiner, his brother and his cousin…"

"Mr. Darcy! Colonel Fitzwilliam!" Collins cut in, rushing forward to greet the gentlemen. Both men took a step back. "It is so good to see you again, good sirs. I am pleased to assure you of your aunt's and cousin's continued good health and prosperity."

Surprised, Pierce glanced at Bennet, who simply shrugged.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, sirs," Darcy bowed toward Mr. Bennet. Seeing the man's confusion, he added, "Mr. Collins is my aunt's vicar…"

"You are graced with the presence of the nephews of the great Lady Catherine," Collins announced bowing grandly.

Richard and Darcy looked decidedly uncomfortable. Turning aside, Bennet rolled his eyes and frowned. Rushing to smooth the ruffled feelings, Mr. Bradley interrupted, "Gentlemen, these are Mr. Bennet's eldest daughters, Miss Jane and Miss Elizabeth, although it seems that you have already met." His eyes asked Darcy a clear question.

"They have come to call on Miss Bingley in town several times. She took it upon herself to introduce Mr. Bingley and myself during one of their visits. We met by happenstance along the road today to call upon you," Darcy carefully explained.

"Please, sit down. We were just having tea," Pierce offered.

Richard handed Jane her basket. "Mr. Pierce, my mother packed this for you before she left." She handed over the parcel. Turning to her father, she explained, "Hill told us that she forgot to give it to you before you left for your visit today. She was quite distraught that Mr. Pierce would believe Mama had forgotten and hoped that we might deliver it instead."

Bennet smiled gently at his girls. You make me so proud. I wish this toad was not here to see it.

"My dear cousins are all that is kind and thoughtful, are they not?" Collins smiled, allowing his eyes to linger on the sisters. His expression left the ladies decidedly uncomfortable.

Darcy restrained the urge to glare. Bennet and Gardiner felt no such restraint.

"Mrs. Bennet is a gentle and generous woman indeed," Pierce countered.

"So what business brings you to Meryton, Mr. Darcy?" Gardiner quickly asked. It would not do to have my brother throttle his cousin in front of the girls, though I would gladly help him do it.

"My friend, Bingley has decided to lease Netherfield. He asked me to help him in the process," Darcy replied curtly, accepting the tea from Pierce, but continuing to frown at Collins.

"And you, Colonel?" Gardiner watched Darcy. You seem quite disconcerted with Mr. Collins. Do you know something more of him that we, too, should understand?

"Now that I have retired, I am also in the market for an estate, and I came to glean from my cousin's wisdom," Richard replied smoothly.

The conversation continued for a quarter of an hour, at which time Darcy and Richard began to excuse themselves. Glancing at each other, Jane and Lizzy did the same. Shortly thereafter, all four were standing outside Mr. Pierce's cottage, surrounded by rose bushes. An awkward quiet grew.

"Have you another destination in mind, Mr. Darcy?" Lizzy finally asked, desperate to break the silence as she gulped in the fresh air.

"I believe that we shall go to Netherfield and survey the property. My cousin has not yet seen it," Darcy replied, noting and sharing her appreciation of the rose scented breeze. "And you?"

"We are going to call upon Mrs. Downs to ask after her children," Jane replied, her eyes on the Colonel.

"Might we have the good fortune of sharing the road with you for a little while yet?" Richard asked hopefully. "I do not know the directions…"

"Yes," Jane quickly responded, "they are both this way." In silent accord, they broke into couples once again, Jane and Fitzwilliam leading the way.

"So Mr. Collins is your cousin?" Darcy asked carefully.

Lizzy blushed, "Actually, a distant one, but yes, I am afraid so, sir." She looked down at her feet uncomfortably.

"Lady Catherine is my aunt," he offered cautiously, a sheepish look in his eyes.

Lizzy laughed, nodding. I am glad he does not hold Mr. Collins against me!

Suddenly Darcy looked uneasy once more. He glanced anxiously at Lizzy until his horse nudged him. He reached back to pet the bold animal.

"It seems he is urging you to speak, sir," she teased, a familiar twinkle in her eye.

"I suppose he is." He smiled. "You have said you will be at the assembly. Now that we have been properly introduced, I was wondering if I might be so bold as to ask you for the first set tonight." I cannot believe I just did that! Bradley will laugh. I dare not tell Bingley, lest he never let me hear the end of it!

"I am afraid I have already had to promise the first set to my cousin." The look of misery on her face disturbed him. "He came to stay with us two days ago, and when he learned that were attending the assembly, asked us all to dance with him. My eldest sister was away from home at that moment, so he requested the first set from me." Please do not think I am making this up to avoid you! I hate disguise such as that.

"Then any other set will have to do, one of your choosing?" His eyes glittered with hope.

"I would be most pleased, Mr. Darcy."

Too quickly, Lizzy and Jane turned off the main road toward Mrs. Down's cottage while the men continued on to Netherfield. Returning to horseback, they rode in silence for several minutes before Richard finally spoke. "Darcy, that was them, was it not?"

Not looking at his cousin, Darcy nodded, "Yes."

"Miss Elizabeth, she is the one you wrote to me about?"

"Yes."

"Darcy, I am sorry, I was wrong to tease you the way I did at the inn. They are indeed rare ladies. I should very much like to know Miss Bennet more. I have asked her to dance tonight."

"I accept your apology, Richard. But please, be circumspect in how you speak. This is a small town, and idle words spread like fire. Ladies' reputations are fragile, and I will not have a foolish jest damage them," Darcy warned severely.

"I should have known better. I should have realized a woman who would garner your attention would be worthy of respect. It was wrong of me, and I shall not make that mistake again. Her sister is an angel, and I would do nothing to harm her." Richard pulled his horse to a stop and met Darcy's eye.

"See that you do that. Apparently they are old acquaintances of Mr. Bradley, and it seems under his protection…"

"I will not chance your vicar's wrath!" Richard laughed and urged his horse on.

*Pv 10:19