“There is a great scandal with Miss Darcy, count upon it,” Miss Bingley said in a delighted tone. “He received a letter from his sister, perused it for half a minute, and went pale as a sheet, and then he—”
“We willnotspread gossip,” Mr. Bingley said sharply. “And certainly not when it is uncertain and unsubstantiated. Of course, he was reading a letter from a family member, since it was an urgentfamilymatter.”
“Why else would he repeat ‘that blasted man’ three times under his breath, if she had not eloped with someone?”
Bingley glared at his sister in a way that Elizabeth frankly would never have expected from the always cheerful and personable gentleman.
“Hear, hear.” Mr. Hurst said for the group, “No speculating. Reputations can be wrecked easily enough.”
Miss Bingley made an unsatisfied grunt.
From the way that Mrs. Hurst and Mama looked at each other, Elizabeth rather suspected that this scandalous speculation would be shared, but only when the more scrupulous gentlemen were not present.
“He’s barely shown me courtesy over the past weeks.” Miss Bingley sourly ground her foot into the rug. “I’ll not pay him more consideration than he gives me. There areothershe paid some attention to, even when they seemed quite unworthy tome.” Miss Bingley glanced at Elizabeth as she said that. “And now I can forget his pretentions to being the perfect parent. The man simply left the little beast and her nurse with us. Said thathe would send word in a few days if she was to be sent north to Pemberley, or back to London.”
This made Elizabeth’s eyes widen. “He left Emily behind?” That dispelled any remaining suspicion Elizabeth had that his departure had been precipitated byher. He had been required to be somewhere as fast as he possibly could.
“I’d been driven to distraction by the way he gave thecreaturethe run of everything when he was here. I shall not let her wander the drawing room with a servant, no matter how much she screams for Papa.”
“Caroline!” Bingley exclaimed. “Emily is the dear child of my dearest friend.”
Miss Bingley pasted a smile on her face. “Of course, she is a darling creature. Even if she has refused to sleep for the past two nights for more than a half hour at a time.”
“Perhaps if I visited… I believe she likes me,” Elizabeth said. “I might distract her, or help her sleep. Though I know what she needs is for Mr. Darcy to return.”
“Anything!” Miss Bingley exclaimed. “We’ll take you back with us to see if it might help. I believe her poor nurse is half as ragged as I am. When I have a child, I shall not permit them to have the slightest affection for their father until they are sufficiently aged to manage their own emotions.”
Now Mr. Collins stood up. “Mr. Bingley, you do not believe that Mr. Darcy shall return soon to Netherfield?”
Bingley shrugged. “I would guess not. But he is welcome if he wishes. Perhaps he shall retrieve Emily in person, but we have reached the end of the period that he had planned to visit in any case.”
“Then it is time for me to return to Lady Catherine, to give her what information I have assiduously gathered about the way her august nephew has behaved. Mrs. Collins, we shall return tomorrow.”
“We shall?” Jane now looked up from the sewing work that she’d kept herself assiduously focused on. “So fast?” She then looked at Mr. Bingley, who was looking at her.
After a moment they both looked away from each other, Elizabeth thought because they knew they had an audience.
“What purpose remains for us here?” Mr. Collins waved his hands grandly. “Mr. Darcy is no longer present. Cousin Elizabeth shall not marry Mr. Sykes, and I begin to believe that was for the best, and I have met all the neighbours, most of them twice. The management of the house has been set back into a good course. Nothing remains.”
“Oh,” Jane replied. “Oh. It is for the best, I think.” She then looked up again at Mr. Bingley who had a sad expression.
Bingley then forced his usual cheerful air and said, “I am glad to have met you. Very glad. And I shall miss you and think often of our conversations.”
Jane’s cheeks filled with colour.
Mr. Collins replied, “That is very kind. I had no notion that you were so affected by the times we’ve spoken. But I too have received pleasure from our acquaintance, and should you ever be in Kent, I would be happy to have you for dinner at my humble parsonage. Though it be so humble, I think we would not be shamed were you to sit down at our table.”
It was impossible for Elizabeth to not smile at that misaimed response from her cousin.
Mr. Bingley though shook Mr. Collins hand heartily, and he promised that should he visit that section of the country, that he would dine with them, and he received in turn a promise from the Collinses to dine at Netherfield the next time they were in Hertfordshire.
A few more greetings, Bingley shaking Jane’s hand, and then the Bingley party made to leave now that the time of their call was completed.
As they stood to go, Miss Bingley asked Elizabeth eagerly, “Shall you come now?”
“Come where?”
“To Netherfield, to help with Mr. Darcy’s wailing banshee.” Miss Bingley rolled her eyes. “You have forgotten your offer already.”
