“I do! But that is not what she has toward Mr. Bingley. She is full young! She does not even know herself enough to love someone else.”
“She is a Darcy.” Darcy emphasized every syllable.
They stood toe-to-toe now. “You are determined to discourage Bingley away from Jane? He loves her, I am convinced of it. And she is ready to marry now.”
Calmly, rationally, Darcy asked, “Are you convinced she loves him?”
Elizabeth raised her chin. “Yes.”
“Do not presume to know my sister better than I do when you are blind to the indifference of your own.”
“You think Jane indifferent?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes.”
Her chin trembled as she spoke, and her eyes sparkled. “I can forgive a great many things, but I could never love a man responsible for the ruination of my dearest sister’s happiness. How can I marry a man who held my family in such disregard, who proclaims himself an expert of my sister’s heart?”
“And three weeks have made you an expert of my sister? Come, Elizabeth, this is madness!”
She blinked over and over, her voice shaking. “If you choose to insist on protecting your sister at Jane’s expense, then I must insist we call off our engagement.”
Darcy reached for her, but she was too swift, and he was too numb to stop her.
* * *
Elizabeth wasproud of herself for making it upstairs and to her room before the tears came. But once the first spilled down her cheek, they kept coming in heaves and swells.
Throwing herself on her bed, she buried her face in her pillow and wept. She would have cried longer, but she had to comfort Jane. Dear disappointed, heartbroken Jane. Oh, if only she had never met Fitzwilliam Darcy!
Tears burned her eyes anew, but Elizabeth choked them back. She washed her face and dabbed it dry, dreading the conversation she would have to have with her sister and wrapping her burgeoning anger around her like a shield.
Feeling stronger, she grabbed the door handle, took a deep breath, and yanked it open to step squarely on Jane’s toes.
“Ouch!” Jane protested, grabbing her foot.
“Oh, bother! I am sorry, Jane!” Elizabeth wrapped her arm around her sister and helped her hobble over to the bed.
“‘Tis no matter.”
It was to Elizabeth. Aside from an injured heart, Jane now had an injured foot! “It is my fault. I should have been more cautious.”
“All will be well, you will see.” Jane nudged Elizabeth in the side. “A fine, steadfast love cannot be swayed by a misunderstanding.”
Oh no. She and Fitzwilliam would never agree about their sisters. As far as Elizabeth was concerned, she was through with him. She swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked hard. That high-handed, arrogant, selfish man! How dare he pretend to be chivalrous and charming when all the time, he was willing to sacrifice Jane’s prospects for his sister! “I do not want to speak of him, Jane. He is not the man I thought he was.”
He knew Jane had been hurt before. He knew Elizabeth would not stand to see Jane hurt again. He knew that, and he still took Mr. Bingley from her. How did he justify his actions? By claiming to understand Jane’s heart better than Elizabeth! Of all the arrogant, self-serving claims! A harsh laugh escaped her.
Jane looked at her questioningly.
The last person Elizabeth wanted to talk about was proud Mr. Darcy, but she had to explain. “He presumed to understand your heart better than me. He believes that you are indifferent to Mr. Bingley. Can you imagine? After all the consideration you have shown his sister, instead of recognizing your grace, your compassion, and your patient serenity, he assumes you are indifferent!” She laughed bitterly, waiting for Jane to join her.
Jane did not. She pinched her lips and calmly clasped her hands. A niggling fear choked Elizabeth’s laughter dry. “You do love Mr. Bingley, do you not, dearest?”
“Ought a woman love a man too fickle to make his own decisions?”
Elizabeth steadied herself against the headboard. “Tell me you love Mr. Bingley, Jane.”
“There was a time, a very brief time, when I believed myself in love. But it was a flicker of a flame, and it died when I learned more of his character.”
