shut the door. “I feel that I should have a part in this discussion; after all, it was I who discovered my friend and your daughter at the tenant’s shack this morning.”
Mr. Bennet considered the red-headed man with great dissatisfaction before he conceded. “Very well, come in. But I warn you that I shall have my answers from this gentleman.”
Charles moved forward to take the seat next to William. They both faced Mr. Bennet, who sat behind his desk. Without bothering to speak to Charles, he turned back to William, addressing him sarcastically as he had been doing since the interrogation began.
“Now, you were saying.”
William’s demeanour was not conciliatory. He took an exaggerated breath, puffing up his cheeks and blowing it out, hoping to convey his displeasure at her father’s intimations.
“As I tried to explain previously, I was not at Oakham Mount to meet your daughter. I had no way of knowing that she was in the vicinity, and it was just a coincidence that I was surveying the last of Netherfield’s tenant houses and was in the area.”
“That is correct!” Charles interjected, causing the two to glance his way. “Darcy set out alone early yesterday morning to survey the last of the structures, as I was too tired to accompany him after the ball.”
William was far too weary to object to his friend’s attempt to be helpful, so he ignored him and continued. “And the only cottage left to inspect was at the base of Oakham Mount, where the two properties meet. As I arrived in that area, the storm began in earnest, and my only thought was to find shelter. It was a miracle that I came across your daughter at all.”
Mr. Bennet rubbed his chin uneasily. Perhaps the man had been telling the truth and was not the scoundrel that he had painted him when he arrived this morning with his favourite daughter in tow. Learning that the bridge was now passable, he had just sent a servant to saddle his horse when he had found himself squinting at the shape of two riders barely visible in the distance, against the backdrop of the breaking dawn. And by the time they entered the drive to Longbourn, he knew that it was Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy and that each carried something on his horse.
He stood as if in a trance until he could make out that Bingley transported Elizabeth’s small white goat and that Mr. Darcy held his daughter. Moreover, whereas Bingley looked rested and well dressed, he noted that Darcy hardly looked like the man he had met at the ball. He was unshaven, his hair uncombed and his clothes dishevelled. Elizabeth’s appearance was equally disturbing. That observation and the fact that she was feverish combined to push his temper to the edge of reason. Consequently, he had not expressed gratitude towards Elizabeth’s rescuer, but instead, had fired accusations at him the minute they entered the privacy of his library.
Now as he studied Darcy anew, Mr. Bennet had to admit that having been up all night fretting about Elizabeth and trying to calm his wife might have rendered him swift to judge. However, he was not of a mind to admit that to Mr. Darcy just yet.
“So you contend that you followed some wild dogs, who were chasing the goat, and found Elizabeth stranded in the middle of a stream, trying to shield that kid from the pack?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hmmm.” Mr. Bennet studied his desk top for a moment before challenging him again. “And you maintain that you were barely able to rescue her and the animal from the swollen waters.” William’s head nodded in agreement. “Then somehow you managed to find this tenant cottage in the middle of a driving rain, and you decided it was best if you both spent the night?”
“Yes, sir. Your daughter mentioned that the bridge was most likely underwater, and even had it not been, it would have been impossible to get there during the downpour that followed.”
“I would imagine she was soaking wet. How did you manage to keep her warm?”
“I
Mr. Bennet considered the red-headed man with great dissatisfaction before he conceded. “Very well, come in. But I warn you that I shall have my answers from this gentleman.”
Charles moved forward to take the seat next to William. They both faced Mr. Bennet, who sat behind his desk. Without bothering to speak to Charles, he turned back to William, addressing him sarcastically as he had been doing since the interrogation began.
“Now, you were saying.”
William’s demeanour was not conciliatory. He took an exaggerated breath, puffing up his cheeks and blowing it out, hoping to convey his displeasure at her father’s intimations.
“As I tried to explain previously, I was not at Oakham Mount to meet your daughter. I had no way of knowing that she was in the vicinity, and it was just a coincidence that I was surveying the last of Netherfield’s tenant houses and was in the area.”
“That is correct!” Charles interjected, causing the two to glance his way. “Darcy set out alone early yesterday morning to survey the last of the structures, as I was too tired to accompany him after the ball.”
William was far too weary to object to his friend’s attempt to be helpful, so he ignored him and continued. “And the only cottage left to inspect was at the base of Oakham Mount, where the two properties meet. As I arrived in that area, the storm began in earnest, and my only thought was to find shelter. It was a miracle that I came across your daughter at all.”
Mr. Bennet rubbed his chin uneasily. Perhaps the man had been telling the truth and was not the scoundrel that he had painted him when he arrived this morning with his favourite daughter in tow. Learning that the bridge was now passable, he had just sent a servant to saddle his horse when he had found himself squinting at the shape of two riders barely visible in the distance, against the backdrop of the breaking dawn. And by the time they entered the drive to Longbourn, he knew that it was Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy and that each carried something on his horse.
He stood as if in a trance until he could make out that Bingley transported Elizabeth’s small white goat and that Mr. Darcy held his daughter. Moreover, whereas Bingley looked rested and well dressed, he noted that Darcy hardly looked like the man he had met at the ball. He was unshaven, his hair uncombed and his clothes dishevelled. Elizabeth’s appearance was equally disturbing. That observation and the fact that she was feverish combined to push his temper to the edge of reason. Consequently, he had not expressed gratitude towards Elizabeth’s rescuer, but instead, had fired accusations at him the minute they entered the privacy of his library.
Now as he studied Darcy anew, Mr. Bennet had to admit that having been up all night fretting about Elizabeth and trying to calm his wife might have rendered him swift to judge. However, he was not of a mind to admit that to Mr. Darcy just yet.
“So you contend that you followed some wild dogs, who were chasing the goat, and found Elizabeth stranded in the middle of a stream, trying to shield that kid from the pack?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hmmm.” Mr. Bennet studied his desk top for a moment before challenging him again. “And you maintain that you were barely able to rescue her and the animal from the swollen waters.” William’s head nodded in agreement. “Then somehow you managed to find this tenant cottage in the middle of a driving rain, and you decided it was best if you both spent the night?”
“Yes, sir. Your daughter mentioned that the bridge was most likely underwater, and even had it not been, it would have been impossible to get there during the downpour that followed.”
“I would imagine she was soaking wet. How did you manage to keep her warm?”
“I
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