To judge by her upright posture as she sat on the drawing room sofa, anyone would have thought Miss Bingley in the peak of health and strength. For his part, Darcy felt no wish for a delay. His heart beat wildly with anticipation. Odd, that. He had always seen himself as a serious man. Who could have guessed that he would so greatly enjoy dabbling in intrigue? Perhaps it was the personal connection that made it so intriguing. He felt a strange thrill, knowing that he and Elizabeth would be working closely together.
Admittedly, Darcy had chosen to be somewhat less than open with his fiancée. He had little hope they could prove the situation had been orchestrated. While Elizabeth seemed sanguine in her hopes that their reputations could be saved, Darcy thought it a vain hope.
That did not mean the effort would be wasted. If someone had acted so villainously against them, Darcy wanted to know who. And if their efforts came to nothing, he would have at least learned more about his betrothed. Elizabeth was rapidly becoming a fascination for him. She was so determined, so forthright, and yet she expressed the characteristics with true feminine delicacy. The very essence of her nature seemed to be sweetness, her smile made his heart beat faster, and —
“Are you well, Mr Darcy? You have been pacing about like a nervous cat,” Miss Bingley observed.“Shall we tell the ladies that you are not receiving visitors, after all?”
“No!” Darcy said a little too quickly. He took a deep breath and glanced at Bingley, who gave a short laugh.“No, I am well, Miss Bingley. Do not worry about me.”
Bingley walked over to his sister’s side and offered her his arm. She took it hesitantly, not being much given to sisterly shows of affection.“Yes, do not fret about Darcy. He is a man of impeccable composure, is he not?” Bingley winked at Darcy but kept his sister from seeing the gesture.
Thankfully, the Bennets’ coach was then pulling up to the front of the house. Miss Bingley rolled her eyes heavenward, let go of her brother’s arm, and walked to the window.“Hmm,” she said thoughtfully, but did not reveal the insults that were sure to be bouncing around her head. Darcy was grateful for her forbearance, though aware it was likely only momentary. Miss Bingley did not seem to have anything nice to say about the Bennets lately. Indeed, nor had she since their first meeting.
The door soon opened and the three of them stood together to greet the sisters as they were announced by the butler.
“How good of you to come, ladies. We are delighted to have you. Please,” Mr Bingley greeted them first, then waved to Darcy and Miss Bingley. Darcy bowed, and Miss Bingley gave a slight dip by way of a curtsy.
“It was so good of you to invite us,” Miss Bennet said. Darcy noticed the brightness of her smile at Bingley with pleasure for his friend’s sake. That was not the smile of an indifferent woman.“I was sure you would need a few days at least to recuperate from the ball.”
“Yes, so was I,” Miss Bingley replied, dryly.
Darcy stepped forward and offered Elizabeth his arm.“How are you this afternoon, Miss Elizabeth?”
“I am well, thank you.” Darcy frowned in concern. Despite the reassuring works, she did not seem quite herself. Elizabeth seemed a bit aloof. Or was it that she was nervous, too?
Miss Bingley waved them to follow and led them all into the parlour. She turned slightly to speak with Elizabeth over her shoulder.
“It is a wonder you did not opt for your long walk, Miss Elizabeth. I half expected you to arrive with mud caked to the soles of your boots, as you have been wont to do in the past.” Darcy stiffened, astonished and angry that she would dare to insult his fiancée to her face, but Elizabeth did not show any signs that the comment had offended her.
On the contrary, Elizabeth was smiling sweetly.“Oh, to be sure, so I would have done, Miss Bingley. However, I believe that Mr Darcy and I have a good deal to discuss regarding our upcoming nuptials.” At the reminder, Miss Bingley’s face fell. She said nothing more while everyone else was settled. Miss Bennet and Mr Bingley shared the settee, and he and Miss Elizabeth sat across from them in two chairs, while Miss Bingley had to sit kitty-corner to the rest of them, dull and silent.
Miss Bingley seemed aware that she had lost the battle and was well on the way to losing the war, for tea was a tolerably polite affair. She seemed content to sit aloof and judge the company. Darcy felt heartily that as long as she would do so in silence, she might judge them as much as she liked. The rest of them had a wonderful time talking about the weather, the upcoming Christmas festivities, and any number of subjects ranging from politics to how their families were faring.
“Do you like children, Miss Elizabeth? You have mentioned your cousins several times. Are you very close to them?” Darcy asked.
“I do. It is a pity we do not have the pleasure of seeing them more often, but then my aunt and uncle, Mr and Mrs Gardiner, make their home in London.”
“Do you never visit London, then, Miss Elizabeth Bennet?” Miss Bingley asked with highly suspect civility. To judge by her tone, Elizabeth might have been a country bumpkin who would faint if she ever saw the great metropolis.
“My aunt and uncle have been good enough to host me in London several times, but I never see them so much as I would like. I am sure my mother would love the prospect of visiting London. But my father does not care for Town.” Elizabeth folded her hands demurely in her lap.“During the summer months, our young cousins come to visit for several weeks at a time, for their health.”
Miss Bingley gave a short, mocking laugh.“Ah, yes, if the vapours in Town do not kill them, let the tedium of country life bore them to death.”
Elizabeth frowned but said nothing more. Darcy was surprised at Miss Bingley’s venom. She had always prided herself on presenting a well-bred, genteel lady. No evidence of that good breeding could be seen now. She was acting like a jealous cat, baring teeth and claws.
There was no need to continue subjecting Elizabeth to such unpleasantness. They had spoken with the others long enough for civility, and by the looks of things, Bingley would be entirely capable of amusing Miss Bennet without them. He stood and offered Elizabeth his hand.“Shall we begin?” he asked.
For a moment, Elizabeth looked stricken. He thought furiously, trying to imagine what might have put such a look on her face —
“Begin?” Miss Bingley asked.
He had forgotten that they had to hide their mission from the others.“I, ahh, well… That is —” Darcy fumbled.
“What Mr Darcy means to say is that we had agreed to start going over the ins and outs of how he should like Pemberley to be run, once we are married,” Elizabeth cut in smoothly. “He had a splendid idea to take me on a tour of Netherfield, since it is a large house, and discuss how it compares to Pemberley.” She glanced at her sister.“It is, after all, going to be my home shortly. I want to be as prepared as possible when I arrive there as its new mistress.”
Darcy let out a sigh of relief.“Yes, that is it precisely,” he agreed. It was hardly a surprise to be given fresh evidence of Elizabeth’s quick wit, but he found himself surprised and pleased at how well they worked together.
Miss Bingley shot Elizabeth an annoyed look as she rose and took his hand. He eyed his fiancée with some curiosity, waiting for her response. He had never seen anything of incivility or arrogance in Elizabeth, but after Miss Bingley’s behaviour towards her, he would not have begrudged her a private glimmer of triumph.
