Chapter 6
“You have a lovely home, Mr Bingley,” Lady Amelia said.
“Thank you, your ladyship. I inherited it from my excellent father.”
“What about your sisters? Did they inherit anything? Usually, women are left out of the will, and the entire fortune goes to the men, which I find highly unfair and irritating.”
“Our father was as fair in his business as he was with his family. My sisters had generous sums settled on them. Also, Louisa was given a house in London, only a few minutes’ walk from here. Caroline chose and received an additional amount of money instead of a house.”
“How wonderful. Your father must have been a very successful man. I was not aware one can make so much money from trade,” Lady Amelia continued.
“In fact, the late Mr Bingley’s fortune was much more significant,” Mr Darcy interjected. “Most of it went to Bingley with the purpose of purchasing an estate.”
“Indeed,” Mr Bingley added. “Darcy has promised to help me find the right property when the moment comes. Until then, I have much to learn about managing an estate. Darcy tries to teach me, but I am afraid he is a more diligent teacher than I am a pupil.”
The viscount and the colonel both laughed. “Do not feel bad, Bingley, Darcy is more diligent than most people when it comes to managing a property. Would you not agree, Hurst?”
“What?” Mr Hurst asked. “Yes, yes, of course.”
“Miss Elizabeth, I understand you visited Rosings Park last month?” Lady Amelia said. “How did you find it?”
Elizabeth’s cheeks warmed, and she cast a hasty look at Mr Darcy. “Rosings Park is a beautiful estate. Anyone would admire it. I felt privileged to have the chance to see it when I visited my friend Charlotte, who married my cousin.”
“Mrs Charlotte Collins is the new wife of Mr Collins, the clergyman of Hunsford,” the colonel explained. “We were lucky enough to have Miss Elizabeth’s company while we visited Lady Catherine. That made our stay more entertaining.”
Again, Elizabeth glanced at Mr Darcy and met his eyes briefly.
“Miss Eliza, we were surprised to hear your cousin married Charlotte Lucas,” Miss Bingley interjected.
“The rumours in Meryton were that Mr Collins would propose to you. I heard my maid talking about it with the cook one day. It would have been convenient for your family if you had married the man who would inherit Longbourn.”
Elizabeth felt an instant sharp pain in her stomach and became dizzy at such insolence. She dared another look at Mr Darcy and noticed his disconcerted expression. As she struggled to find the right words to reply, Lady Amelia spoke.
“Miss Bingley, you should not trust gossip. If we are to consider them, rumours in London say you have been chasing Mr Darcy for years but he will never marry you.”
The lady ended her statement with a smile; Miss Bingley’s smirk vanished, and her face turned white. Mr Darcy quickly sipped from his glass.
“Lady Amelia, this is not—” Miss Bingley mumbled, but the lady interrupted her.
“Of course, there is worse gossip about me, too, a rich heiress who has not married and will soon be declared a spinster. However, I am fortunate enough not to care about gossip, but I do not entertain it either,” the lady concluded.
“If Mr Collins intended to propose to Miss Elizabeth and changed his mind, I dare say he had more sense and wisdom than I suspected,” Colonel Fitzwilliam intervened.
“A man lacking in so many ways should not have the audacity to propose to a witty, spirited woman like Miss Elizabeth, and he would probably have faced a harsh rejection. He was exceedingly lucky that Mrs Collins accepted him.”
“Charlotte Lucas was my best friend for many years, and I always admired her wisdom, strength, and determination,” Elizabeth managed to reply politely. “She now has a lovely home, an honourable husband, and Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s approval. Mr Collins was indeed fortunate in his choice of wife.”
For a while, there was only an awkward silence, and they all fixed their attention on their plates.
Dinner was a feast of delights, but Elizabeth had lost her appetite.
Her distress was eased, however, by seeing Jane and Mr Bingley exchanging glances and small gestures, proving they enjoyed each other’s company.
Slowly, the conversation resumed, led by Lady Amelia, the colonel, the viscount, and the Gardiners, with Miss Darcy’s timid comments.
After dinner, Elizabeth fought her restraint, and at the first opportunity, she moved to stand near Mr Darcy; he was stationed next to a window, holding a glass, and appeared startled by her approach.
“Miss Elizabeth?”
“Mr Darcy, I know this is not the time or the place… I only wished to tell you…I thank you for the letter, and I apologise for my previous dreadful manners. I am ashamed at how wrong my judgment was and how I misplaced my trust.”
“Indeed, this is not the place or the time for such a discussion, but no apologies are needed.” He paused. “I heard you had a visit a few days ago…”
“We did. A most unpleasant one, and I believe I showed him he was not welcome. I have shared with my uncle and aunt my recent knowledge about Mr Wickham’s financial dealings — just enough to reveal his deceptive nature.”
He nodded. “I am glad and relieved that my letter offered you some valuable information, Miss Elizabeth. I trust we shall have another opportunity to discuss this matter at length.”
“I would like that very much, Mr Darcy.”
“Miss Elizabeth, a word of advice. Do not assume Wickham will easily accept that he is not welcome any longer. Please be cautious with him.”
“I shall, thank you. He fooled me once, and that will never happen again. If he dares to insist on his lies, he will hear my opinion loudly and clearly.”
“Perhaps we should postpone this conversation and return to the others. I think we are being observed. I wondered…would you mind if I accompany Bingley next time he calls at Gracechurch Street?”
Only then did Elizabeth notice several pairs of eyes were gazing at them; Mr Darcy’s last question left her stunned and puzzled. She needed a moment before she responded.
“No, I would not mind at all.”
He seemed pleased, bowed his head, then walked towards the other gentlemen, while Elizabeth went back to her aunt, who was sitting with Miss Darcy.
She was again overwhelmed by thoughts and speculations, some pleasant, others truly disturbing.
Mr Darcy wished to call? Why would he take the trouble to do that?
“Miss Elizabeth, would you favour us with some music?” Colonel Fitzwilliam enquired. “I asked the other ladies, but they refused, so you are our only chance. I might turn the pages for you, as I did at Rosings.”
Elizabeth blushed, glancing about.
“Colonel, you surely know that my talent is meagre and my technique even more wanting. If I am your last chance for entertainment, I feel sorry for you all.”
The colonel laughed.
“I have heard you play, Miss Elizabeth, and I was enchanted, so I have no concerns about our enjoyment. As Darcy said once, you like to occasionally profess things that are entirely untrue.”
Elizabeth laughed too, glancing at Mr Darcy. “If you remember that occasion, it is strange that you conveniently forgot the part where neither Mr Darcy nor I perform for strangers.”
“I did not forget it, but there are no strangers here, are there? We are only amongst friends,” the colonel responded, and Elizabeth sighed, declaring herself defeated.
“Very well. Would any of you ladies wish to share this task with me?”
“I shall play with you, Miss Elizabeth,” Miss Darcy offered, and all eyes turned to her.
“That would be a great pleasure, Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth said genuinely. “Though, by comparison with your proficiency, my faults will be even clearer.”
“I am sure that is not true,” the girl replied, and they walked together towards the pianoforte. Elizabeth’s reluctance to play was mostly in jest, but her emotions when she felt Mr Darcy’s gaze upon her were real and overwhelming.
They began to perform — Miss Darcy played, and Elizabeth sang — timidly and clumsily at first but growing more confident and more coordinated. When they finished, they were rewarded with applause and cheers, so they played another song together, and then another one.
Elizabeth’s unease soon dissolved, Miss Darcy’s exquisite performance covering her own faults.
Yet she was acutely aware of Mr Darcy’s attention.
When, in a moment of daring, she allowed herself to meet his gaze, the intentness of it struck her, quickening her pulse and threatening her command of the melody.
She fixed her eyes upon the music at once, lest a falter in her voice betray her.
“That was absolutely delightful,” Colonel Fitzwilliam declared when they had finished. “I was right to not believe your claims, Miss Elizabeth.”
“In fact,” Lady Amelia interjected, “although the entire performance was very pleasant, Miss Elizabeth was right — her skill cannot equal Georgiana’s. But then again, very few can. You two found a good harmony. One would assume you had performed together many times before.”
“It is easy to perform with someone as talented as dear Miss Darcy,” Miss Bingley said in another attempt to offend Elizabeth.
“And yet, you declined to do so, Miss Bingley,” Lady Amelia said sharply. “We look forward to listening to you exhibit at the next opportunity.”
Miss Bingley seemed unwilling to reply; the other lady’s superiority had sapped her courage.
Mr Darcy congratulated his sister when she sat down, and she whispered something to him. He smiled and glanced at Elizabeth, causing her cheeks to warm again.
Not long after that, the party came to an end. The Gardiners and their nieces took their farewells, then entered the carriage for the journey back to Gracechurch Street, a long drive that allowed them the chance to discuss the evening at length.
With general delight, they praised their host, Mr Bingley, as well as Lady Amelia, Miss Darcy, the colonel, and the viscount.
“There is something strange about Mr Darcy that I find more intimidating than pleasant,” Mr Gardiner said. “It is more difficult to address him directly or to engage in conversation with him than with his cousins, though they are all part of the same high society.”
“Mr Darcy is not as easy with strangers as his cousins,” Elizabeth said. “But this does not diminish his qualities, nor his worthiness. I have recently learnt that amiable men might appear better than they truly are.”
“I hope you do not mean Mr Bingley, Lizzy,” Jane said, and Elizabeth laughed.
“Not at all, dearest. Your Mr Bingley is as good, as amiable, and as handsome as he appears.”
“You, Lizzy, spoke to Mr Darcy tonight, did you not?”
“I did, Aunt, but only for a moment. He asked permission to call on us next time Mr Bingley comes.”
“Really? I wonder why he asked your permission?”
“I do not know, but I assured him we would all welcome him.”
“We would certainly be delighted to receive him,” Mrs Gardiner said.
They returned to Gracechurch Street very late and found the children safely asleep. Before they retired, a maid told Mr Gardiner that Mr Wickham had called.
“He said he would return to Meryton tomorrow and asked whether you had any letters to send. I told him you were having dinner at Mr Bingley’s house and hadn’t left any letters for him.”
“Very well,” Mr Gardiner replied with apparent indifference, and taking his wife’s arm, he led her upstairs.
Elizabeth followed Jane to their chamber, her heart gripped by a sharp claw again.