A Wife for Mr. Darcy

sister.
    Looking out the window, Jane said, “When you walk this morning, you may have company as Mr. Darcy is in the lane.”
    Lizzy joined her sister at the window. “Well, I shall not disturb him as it is easy enough to go out through the breakfast room onto the terrace.” But when she went downstairs, she found that the maids were in the room cleaning. Well, he does not bite , Lizzy thought and went out the front door. She walked quietly and as closely as possible to the house to avoid his notice.
    “Miss Elizabeth, are you trying to escape?” Darcy asked as she emerged from behind a bush.
    “I was trying to avoid intruding upon your privacy, Mr. Darcy,” an embarrassed Lizzy answered.
    “If that is your goal, I would suggest you stay off the gravel,” and then he smiled. It was an infrequent event, but when it did happen, it was a reminder of how truly handsome he was. It seemed rather unfair. If you were rich, you should not be handsome, and if you were poor, you should be blessed with good looks. One person should not have it all.
    “I am not in need of solitude this morning. Quite the contrary, I would enjoy your company.”
    Lizzy was used to walking at a brisk pace, but Mr. Darcy preferred to amble along. But the pace did lend itself to conversation, and he shared with her his visit with Miss Darcy.
    “When Bingley and I first planned to come to Netherfield, I had hoped my sister would join me, but instead she chose to be with friends in Hampshire. It is very strange. I have spent five years moving her toward adulthood, and now that she has reached it, I find I want to pull her back.”
    “As her guardian, I think that is a natural inclination as you wish to protect her. Up to this point, you have been more father than brother, but you may now look forward to a mature relationship. It may take some time for you to get used to it as she will probably wish to make her opinions known.”
    “Oh, it is too late for that. Her powers of observation are amazing, and there is nothing that does not merit some comment.”
    “Since you are of a taciturn nature, Mr. Darcy, surely the pleasure she derives from talking takes some of the burden of conversing off of you. And since you do not like the preliminaries necessary for friendship, she may catch you up, and you can jump right in without enduring the tedious parts you so dislike.”
    “I would most definitely have benefited from such assistance before being formally introduced to you. I would have been warned of your penetrating wit and ability to strip a person of all pretenses.”
    “Would you have avoided me, sir, if you had known?”
    “No, but I would have asked you to dance at the assembly, thereby avoiding your censure.”
    “But you had an opportunity to dance with me at Lucas Lodge, but chose not to. Did you not risk the same result?”
    “I think not. You now know me better and understand that my comments at the assembly were not malicious, merely thoughtless and inaccurate.”
    “And the dance?”
    “A lost opportunity, not to be repeated.”
    “Does Mr. Bingley plan to have a ball at Netherfield? He spoke of it when he first arrived. If so, you may yet claim your dance.”
    “Yes, there will be a ball, and the date has been set for the first night of the full moon. Bingley will soon be sending his cards around, and after the ball, his sisters will return to London.” Looking at her to make sure she understood the importance of what he was about to say, he added, “but Bingley will remain at Netherfield. Unlike his sisters, who have tired of the country, Bingley has found much to admire here.”
    Lizzy’s assessment had been correct. Mr. Bingley would not yield to his sisters on the matter of whom he should marry, and because of that, she smiled, letting Mr. Darcy know that she had understood his meaning.
    “Who will keep house for Mr. Bingley if both of his sisters leave?” Lizzy asked.
    “Most likely it will be his eldest sister, Diana Crenshaw. If she comes to Netherfield, you will know of it. She has a large family, actually more like a tribe, on the order of the Red Indians of America. Her two eldest are twin boys, impossible to tell apart and equally inclined to mischief. Mrs. Crenshaw was greatly influenced by Rousseau’s concept of the noble savage in rearing her children. The savage part of the equation has been achieved. However, I have seen no evidence of anything noble in their behavior.”
    “Do you mean to