“Until tomorrow,” he murmured, lips still hovering by her hand.
That was not familiar.
The dinner at Barlow Hall was as delightful as all who had experienced Mrs. Gardiner’s hospitality had come to expect. In addition to the party from Pemberley, Mr. and Mrs. Ashley and Mrs. Woodhouse were present. Conversation flowed freely,and almost all the guests enjoyed themselves. It is possible Miss Bingley and her sister were put out at not being shown more deference as guests of Pemberley and ladies quite certain of their own importance. Mrs. Woodhouse, in light of her age and the long-standing relationship, was given the seat of honour and quite monopolised Mr. Darcy’s attention.
“What think you of our lovely Miss Bennet?” she whispered to Darcy as he returned to her side after fetching her shawl. “A man could go a long time without encountering so fine a face and figure, particularly when combined with her sweet nature.”
The lady in question was across the room, seated beside Colonel Fitzwilliam with Mr. Bingley in the chair on her other side. Engrossed in their own conversation, none of them seemed to have heard the question despite the fact that Mrs. Woodhouse’s whisper was not nearly as quiet as she thought it was. Miss Bingley, who was lingering close by pretending to give the shelf behind Mr. Darcy some attention, seemed very interested in the answer. Elizabeth and Georgiana were not quite so near, but due to the volume of the question heard it as well.
As his cheeks reddened, Mr. Darcy glanced quickly across the room where the lady in question sat, then said, “She is indeed a lovely young woman. I am grateful for her friendship with my sister and to be able to know her better during her visit this summer.” He tugged at his cravat before enquiring if she wanted any tea. Mrs. Woodhouse brought the cup he had brought her just a few minutes earlier to her lips in answer.
Elizabeth tried not to imagine that his obvious embarrassment belied any real interest in her sister. Thoughmost gentlemen of a certain age fancied themselves in love with Jane at some point, Elizabeth had not truly considered that Darcy might ever be among them. The prospect was indeed so terrifying she put it out of her mind. Or tried to.
Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was crossing the room on his way to the table where Mrs. Gardiner was making tea and Mrs. Ashley pouring coffee, asked after the cause of his cousin’s blush.
“Have you been teasing him, Miss Elizabeth? I shall not chastise you for it. In fact, I may be able to help.”
“I have not,” she answered primly, then with a sly grin, “but by all means, what have you to accuse him of that we might find amusing?”
“Might I object to this line of enquiry?” Darcy asked.
Miss Bingley, who had come to stand beside Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, adjacent to where Darcy squirmed under the multi-pronged interrogation, came to his defence.
“I doubt there is anything in Mr. Darcy’s past that he need be ashamed of, but in general, I find this type of humour vulgar. Should we not attempt to elevate ourselves by speaking of more sophisticated topics?”
“What would you suggest, Miss Bingley?” the colonel enquired before returning with his newly acquired cups of tea. He handed one to Bingley and one to Jane and resumed his seat.
“I am sure I don’t know, but I would be happy to be guided by Mr. Darcy,” she said, looking eagerly at that gentleman.
“Yes, please do direct us, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth seconded, feeling only a little bad as Darcy’s colour increased. “We await your guidance.”
“I would not presume to . . .” he began, but then, as if struck by an idea, turned a mischievous look on her. “We could discuss the benefits of climbing trees, particularly for young children, and then we might consider which kinds of trees allow for the best climbing. What thoughts do you have on the matter, Miss Elizabeth?”
“Climbing trees?” Miss Bingley was confused enough not to be initially judgemental, but she quickly recovered herself. “I cannot imagine climbing trees played any part in your childhood.”
“I assure you it did,” Colonel Fitzwilliam put in.
“Indeed,” Darcy agreed. “But I will say I know for certain there is an individual in this very room who has an ability superior to my own.”
“I assume you are referring to the colonel?” Mr. Barlow guessed. He had paused his chess match with Mr. Ashley to participate in the conversation.
“No, as I think Stephen will admit, I was always the superior climber between us two.”
“Alas, it is true. I hope you ladies will not think less of me.”
“I suppose we shall have to satisfy ourselves with your heroics on the battlefield,” Elizabeth consoled him. “Why don’tyou tell us about all the times you bested your cousin at other things?”
The colonel smiled broadly at Elizabeth, but when he looked to Darcy and then back to her with a knowing expression, it seemed he had had an epiphany.
“While I normally would be happy to recount the many ways I have beaten our Darcy over the years, I believe you have given yourself away. You are the proficient climber?”
Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst shared a knowing glance before the latter asked, “Miss Eliza, how singular. And do you count climbing trees as your greatest accomplishment? Perhaps Caroline and I should have forgone our seminary education and found a tenant child to teach us to climb trees.” The sisters tittered with laughter.
“That would have been hard to do as we have never had any tenants because we grew up . . .” Mr. Bingley pointed out.
“You miss the point, Charles,” Miss Bingley waved off her brother’s interjection. “We were speaking of Miss Eliza’s accomplishments and whether the climbing of trees should be at the top of the list.”
“Lizzy has an impressive list of accomplishments,” Georgiana began, her tone both earnest and hard. Before she could begin to enumerate this list, Elizabeth interrupted her.
