“The man is a good sport,” Bingley replied. “Sprained his foot yesterday when we ran across the ice that had formed on Goulding’s pond and—”
“Horrible.” Georgiana clapped her hands together. “The weather is hardly cold enough for ice skating.”
“This is why we did not invite the ladies.” Bingley grinned. “No worry. Too small a pond to drown a man — not when his friends are there to crack him out if the ice cracks. Bare two ells deep.”
“How does Mr. Peake do? Fitzwilliam, is he well?”
His sister’s concern for their old employee showed well for her general concern for those beneath her. She had been raised well. “Mr. Peake took only a minor harm — he can even walk a little. The sprain is mild. But leaping on and off horses or dancing shall be beyond him for several days.”
Georgiana nodded seriously.
When Darcy rode up to Longbourn early in the afternoon with the crowd of gentlemen come to be feasted for the evening, Elizabeth hurried out to greet him in the cold air, along with the other ladies coming out to welcome their men. Elizabeth smiled rosily at him. “Mr. Darcy — I have awaited youdesperatelythis past hour and a half.”
Darcy leapt down from the horse and kissed Elizabeth upon the cheek, as that was as much as could be appropriate, even betwixt an engaged couple, in public. “You? Did all Mr. Bennet’s books burn up? I cannot smell smoke but—”
“I can talk rather than read,” Elizabeth replied primly.
Darcy theatrically gasped. “Aha! You are bored on occasion by the society of ladies as well. I too suffer. Greatly.”
“I am a lady; do you become bored by my company?” She raised her eyebrows and thinned her lips.
“Iknow. You are more a Lady than any other lady — Yet I am never bored by your society — I believe it to be a paradox philosophical.” Her presence made Darcy euphoric, and he knew he talked nonsense.
She giggled.
“You should have occupied yourself giving French opinions to other women.”
“French opinions?” Elizabeth grinned. “The novelty of beingengagedstill managed to distract me from every word spoken by my friends. DidIdistractyoufrom your ride at all?”
“I survived without being thrown, so I must have paid some attention to where I went.”
“Iamglad you did not get thrown — even though it shows a startling lack of feeling for me.”
“Do not worry, Lizzy,” Bingley laughed, holding Jane around the waist. “He has been the most horrid company since the evening he met you. Calflike and loverlike. You need not worry how obsessed our Darcy has been.”
“Calflike?” Elizabeth spiritedly smiled. “Mr. Darcy, you ought to be made of sterner stuff thanthat.”
“How can I protest? If I claim that Bingley exaggerates, then I will downplay the depth of my affection for you. Yet I hardlyenjoybeing compared to a yearling.”
“What a difficulty. Poor Darcy — but you must choose whether to disappoint me by admitting a similarity to a bovine juvenile, or by confessing you do not love me enough to act like one.”
“Inside, inside. Move the dispute inside.” Bingley waved them in from the cold, half pushing Elizabeth by the shoulder. “Lizzy,Ican tell you! The day after you met, heinsistedhe did not desire to court you. Very loud. Never heard a clearer expression of intent.”
They entered the warm house, with its blazing hearths and crowd of guests. The portraits of Bennet ancestors greeted them along with the housekeeper helping to pull off the gentlemen’s heavy overcoats.
Elizabeth put her hand on Darcy’s arm. “Iamglad to hear your affection for me went so deep as to disclaim any interest for me so quick. ‘Twas well done.”
“You are fortunate, madame.” Darcy pulled her hand up and kissed it. “Not every Miss has a lover who will make such a declaration so quickly.”
“You do not mean to tell me that you only disclaimed a desire for my hand to hide the intensity of your affectionate love, which developed on the first eyeballing—”
“It was the first tongue lashing.”
“Did you attach such import to hiding your deepest heart from Bingley?”
“Nay! You misunderstand us. I declared my honorable intentions to your defending brother immediately. Youheardhim. That was his example of acalf-likebehavior.”
Bingley held up his hands. “I only report upon Darcy’s behavior. I do not wish myself to be examined. Lizzy, can’t you be satisfied with teasing Darcy? I am not the one who must be teased mercilessly. Darcy must be teased — punctuating his eternal smugness is the greatest advantage of the match.”
