Bingley bowed to the matron again and turned to take himself to the study to pay his respects to Mr. Bennet and his soon-to-be brother-in-law, the other Mr. Bennet.
Elizabeth sat; her hand raised in mid-air. When she had heard Mr. Darcy had departed with the harpy and the Hursts she had never thought to see him ever again. Now, not only would he be in her home, but his sister and two cousins as well. She was sure it meant nothing for her, but nevertheless felt a level of excitement.
She finally admitted to herself she had never been indifferent to the man. At first, she had allowed her prejudices to influence her thoughts of him, but then he had apologised to her.
The apology had changed everything, washing her prejudices away and allowing her to see Mr. Darcy more clearly. Since then, she had protected her heart. First, she had latched onto the idea he was engaged, and then when that had been disproved, she had convinced herself he would never align himself with the daughter of a minor country squire.
Even though he did not say anything overt, considering the hauteur and pride of his actions that first night at the assembly, Elizabeth was sure the man had enough filial pride and pride of position to not allow himself to court one so far below his station in society.
It would be interesting to meet his sister. She knew the tale Mr. Wickham had told her was full of lies, but she was curious to see just how far from that convict’s description the truth of the matter was.
Jane’s fiancé had mentioned a Colonel and Lady Tiffany Fitzwilliam. Were they husband and wife, cousins, or brother and sister? Her question would be answered soon enough in the morning.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Welcome back, Mr. Bingley,” Bennet stated when bows had been completed. He was glad to see Mary had convinced her fiancé he no longer needed to bow as if the King was in the room. “I am pleased to know theproblemhas been dealt with and will not be a thorn in Jane’s side.”
“Theproblemis well on her way to Scarborough. To ensure she did not get it in her mind to bolt, I placed adequate guards with her. In addition, the money and her jewels are being held by one of the outriders so she will have no means to try to make her way back here. As an extra level of security, they will be given over to my Aunt in Scarborough,” Bingley shared.
“Have you and Jane discussed a date for your nuptials yet?” Bennet enquired.
“We have not,” Bingley averred. “It is my intention to have that discussion today.”
“Will you attend my wedding to my Mary tomorrow a sennight?” William Bennet asked keenly.
“My party and I will be happy to attend if we are welcome,” Bingley responded.
“Is my patroness’s nephew present?” William Bennet queried hopefully.
“Yes, in fact, two nephews and two nieces,” Bingley shared. He elucidated as he received questioning looks from both men. “Miss Darcy has accompanied her brother as has Colonel Fitzwilliam and his younger sister, Lady Tiffany. The latter two are the two youngest children of the Earl and Countess of Matlock.”
William Bennet looked as if he was going to faint from excitement. “An earl’s son and daughter! Lady Catherine’s nephews and nieces! I will go distracted. I must pay them every arrear of civility.”
“Unless you want them to feel uncomfortable, I would not pay them too much attention,” Bingley advised. “Please excuse me, I will return to the drawing room.”
Bennet made his way from behind his desk and escorted Bingley to the door. “Speak to Mary,” he stated so only Bingley could hear. “She knows what to say to curb the worst excesses of her betrothed.”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
On his return to the drawing room and before he took a seat next to Jane, Bingley spoke with Miss Mary as her father had advised. She nodded freeing him to join Jane.
“It is so very good to see you in person again Jane,” Bingley told his fiancée.
“As good as it is to be seen by you,” Jane stated daringly.
Bingley felt the heat rise under his collar. How he loved this woman. The sooner they wed, the better.
“Are you open to discussing a date for our wedding?” he questioned.
“Nothing would please me more,” Jane assured her fiancé.
After retrieving a calendar from Bennet’s desk, the two were soon sitting in the small parlour with the door fully open. They both poured over it, and if they may have sat a little closer than propriety strictly dictated, neither moved.
What say you to the fifteenth day of January? A Tuesday,” Jane suggested. “It is almost ten days from Twelfth Night and more than a month from the day we became engaged.”
“And that will become known publicly as I listed the date of the ball as the date we became engaged. No one will be able to claim it is a patched-up affair,” Bingley informed his lady love.
“In that case let us inform my parents,” Jane said.
