Caro and Louisa decided that they required some punch and hastened away. Caroline’s feathers seemed a little droopier but, given the warmth of the room and the lateness of the hour, saggy feathers and wilted blooms were to be expected.
Sir William elbowed Darcy in the arm, and he muttered something that made Darcy’s cheeks turn crimson. He turned to Miss Elizabeth and smiled. She laughed, and soon Darcy did too, his smile wider than Bingley had seen since… since he could remember!
Good Lord, the man must be smitten! How had Bingley not noticed the depth of his friend’s attraction before? All the conversations, debates, exchanges of opinions…
Of course! It was just like Cambridge. Darcy had always delighted in an intellectual conversation. Bingley had never understood his need to seek out such complicated discussions, but Darcy must have found his counterpart in Miss Elizabeth.
Bingley grinned at Darcy. Knowing his best friend would be happy increased his own happiness tenfold.
Smile wide, Darcy caught Bingley’s eye and signaled for him to join him off to the side. As it always did, the crowd parted to allow Darcy passage. Once they reached the edge of curious onlookers offering their congratulations, Bingley clapped Darcy on the back. “Well done, old man! I wish you and Miss Elizabeth every happiness.”
Darcy met his felicitations with a dangerous glint that made Bingley squirm. Why was he looking at him like that?
“Wickham was not in the study.”
Oh, that man. Just the mention of Wickham was enough to put Darcy in a dudgeon. “I beg your pardon, but I never directly said he was. However, I must apologize for seizing an opportunity presented to me. You charged off so quickly, and I was desirous of dancing again with Miss Bennet, so I did not correct you. I considered the consequences as you had advised me and thought that the worst that would come of it was you being forced into conversation with Mr. Collins. You did not see him, did you?”
Come to think of it, the clergyman had been missing for some time. He was not still in the study, was he?
Darcy clenched his jaw shut, his muscles twitching.
Bingley understood that as ano. Still, this was a night to celebrate, and he could not allow his friend’s happiness to be marred by an unpleasant man who was not even present. “Pray, think no more of Wickham. I assure you, he is not here, at least, not that I am aware of. Tonight is an evening for rejoicing. You are to marry a remarkably clever young woman, and I have never seen you smile with so much feeling. So much for finding her intolerable, eh?” He laughed and elbowed Darcy in the side.
Another jaw twitch and a tense, “I am determined to be happy.”
That was an improvement. “Then happy you will be. Anything you determine to do is as good as done.”
If only Bingley could be so resolved. Seeing Darcy merry made Bingley wish for the same. He had made progress that night, but he still had a way to go.
If Darcy gave his blessing to pursue Miss Bennet, then Bingley could be completely certain. Taking advantage of their tête-à-tête, Bingley continued, “I say, there is a matter I should like your opinion on, now that you are engaged to Miss Elizabeth.”
Darcy shot him a look. “You are the man of the house. Take charge. Think through the consequences of each action, decide on the path of most benefit to those dearest to you, and act without hesitation. It is not difficult. Now, if you will excuse me, I must return to my betrothed.”
Bingley sighed in frustration, but he would not insist. Clearly, Darcy wished to be at Miss Elizabeth’s side, and Bingley would not deprive him of that. He turned to the orchestra to ensure they played a lively tune.
That was when he saw Mrs. Nichols approach, wringing her apron. “Mr. Bingley, there is a matter—I believe I have succeeded in keeping it quiet—but you would do well to come with me and see for yourself.”
Intrigued, Bingley followed her up the stairs to the resident’s wing, doing his best to assuage her distress and placate her apologies.
When they reached Caro’s door, Mrs. Nichols took a deep breath, pushed it open, and stepped aside.
Bingley poked his head through the opening, half suspecting to find a tiger or some other fearsome creature prowling in the shadows. He held his breath and stepped inside. It was too dark to see anything.
And then he heard it. It was not a tiger. “Dear Lord!” he mumbled.
The next few minutes was a hushed blur Bingley would rather not recall, but he muddled his way through creditably, or so he hoped. He simply followed Darcy’s steps: take charge, think through the consequences, decide, and act.
Except thinking through things was not Bingley’s strength, and he worried for a solid five minutes whether he had been as thorough as he needed to be.
CHAPTER16
Darcy stood between Lady Lucas and Mrs. Bennet, in agony, his thoughts far from cordial. Not only had Bingley danced again with Miss Bennet, thus furthering expectations that a proposal was imminent, but Bingley had been the one to send Darcy to his blasted study and create this whole mess!
And did the man for a moment suspect his involvement? Not at all! His smiles were genuine, his felicitations sincere. Darcy had been perilously close to thrashing his friend and found it imperative to take his leave before he said or did something a lovelorn gentleman pleased with his fate would not do. How was he supposed to pretend to be enamored of a female who only married him because she had no other option?
Had Darcy been in possession of his full wits, he would have extracted himself from Mrs. Bennet’s company. But Darcy was not, and so he endured her boasts until he could conjure a means to dismiss himself politely, which, given his present mood, was easier said than done.
“We shall celebrate two weddings at Longbourn before the end of the year! What a blessing Mr. Bingley’s arrival has been for my girls!” Mrs. Bennet blinked up at Darcy. “I do not suppose he intends to invite any more of his gentlemen friends?”
