Elizabeth’s smile in return was merely polite. She seemed to have no interest in crossing swords with Miss Bingley, a choice for which he commended her. He could not help but think how exquisite she was. She had been gracious while Miss Bingley had been petty. And her ready wit was never absent.
Darcy could not deceive himself. From the brilliancy of her eyes and her warm smile to her elegant, pleasing figure, he found Elizabeth’s person every bit as entrancing as her character. Though he might have wished for a wife of greater fortune and better connections, there was nothing to object to about Elizabeth herself.
He glanced over at her as they walked. Perhaps that was not quite accurate. If there was anything he could change about her, it would be the coldness he had so often felt aimed at himself. Or at least, to know what he had done to cause her such offense. But that was on his own shoulders. At least if Bingley was correct, he well knew what he had done to displease her.
“Miss Elizabeth, I think I owe you an apology,” Darcy said suddenly, surprising even himself.
Elizabeth looked nonplussed. “You have already apologised for falling on me, Mr Darcy. In any case, I know it was not your intention.”
“I had no intention of apologising for that,” Darcy began, before realising that his words were rather less than gentlemanly. “Excuse me, I fear I am expressing myself rather badly. I meant to say that I am sorry for my uncouth, untrue remark at the Meryton assembly the night we first met. Am I mistaken in believing that you heard me?”
“You are not mistaken, sir,” Elizabeth said quietly.
“Please believe me, I regret it most sincerely. I ought not to have said any such thing about a lady. It was very badly done of me indeed.” And he had since learned that Elizabeth was indeed handsome enough to tempt him, but to say such a thing to her when there was even the most minute chance that their engagement could be temporary would be more ungentlemanly still.
“I accept your apology,” Elizabeth said simply, “and I thank you for offering it.” She offered him a friendly smile, but was that a hint of sadness he saw in her eyes? Surely she could not think his opinion unchanged. To judge by Elizabeth’s eagerness to escape the engagement, it would not matter to her if it was.
Such thoughts could lead nowhere constructive. He would do better to keep his mind on their task.“I thought we might begin in the ballroom,” Darcy said, leading her through the long, well-lit hall. The sunshine coming in through the glass-paned windows gave him hope that they might have a chance of finding some evidence before the rain fell again.
When Elizabeth merely nodded, he looked over at her and asked,“How is your family bearing up under the ordeal? I am sure it was a shock to all of them?”
“Indeed, it was. My father is doing well, under the circumstances. He is grateful that you did not choose to leave me stranded — without protection. In his eyes, you can do no wrong,” Elizabeth said. Darcy had not been fishing for a compliment, but it made him feel a little better that he was in good standing with her father.
“And the rest of your family?”
Elizabeth sighed, flashing a sad smile at him, and looking at him with those big brown eyes. He almost felt he might lose himself in their depths.“My youngest sisters think it is all very romantic. And Mary, well, she has said little on the subject. I believe she is ashamed of me.” She gave a shallow shrug.“My mother is delighted to be rid of me, I think. Or at least, to have me finally engaged so she can move on to the next of her unmarried daughters.”
Darcy chuckled. “Yes, I rather thought that was a particular preoccupation of hers.” It was no secret that Mrs Bennet was obsessed with getting her daughters married off. He could almost suspect her of orchestrating the compromise herself…
Darcy abruptly stopped walking, surprised by his thoughts. It was an ugly thought to have of his future mother-in-law. Elizabeth halted as well, giving him a concerned look.“Are you well, Mr Darcy?”
“Yes, of course. I was only thinking,” he replied. He tried to give a smile in return to put her at ease.“If someone did set us up, what would be their motive? Why go through an elaborate charade to force us into an engagement?”
She only shook her head. “I have been trying and trying to think of an answer, but everything fails me. I have no enemies — certainly no one who dislikes me enough to ruin my entire family, as would surely have been the case had you not saved me by announcing our engagement. And if our unseen enemy wished to harm you, forcing you to either ruin or marry me seems like a rather odd punishment. I cannot seem to find a solution.”
Darcy could only agree. Yet as they walked through the ballroom and out into the hall toward the study, he could not shake the feeling of unease rising in his stomach. There was one person who seemed delighted by the outcome of the events — Mrs Bennet.
Surely she could not be responsible. It would take a desperate woman to put her daughter through the ordeal Elizabeth was experiencing. First, it had brought Elizabeth no little embarrassment. Far worse, there was the risk that Darcy would not have offered for her. If Mrs Bennet was indeed to blame, she had risked all five of her daughters for the chance of marrying off one. Darcy shook his head. No, Mrs Bennet was not a sensible woman, but surely she would not do such a thing.
“I received my note at approximately the same time as you, I assume?” Elizabeth inquired. “Since we arrived in the library around the same time, that seems a logical conclusion.” Elizabeth walked through the study, looking at the desk. It had been cleared of all papers by Mr Bingley’s steward. Even so, she touched nothing. Likely she intended to respect Bingley’s privacy, not knowing how little he would have cared.
“I am not sure of the timeline. I was in the ballroom when I received my note.”
“And I, in one of the side rooms.”
“What were you doing in the side room?”
Elizabeth gave a sheepish smile.“My friend Miss Lucas and I were taking a respite.” She stopped.“Well, that might not be exactly accurate. I was avoiding Mr Collins, if I am being wholly truthful.”
Darcy relished her openness with him. Surely, it deserved his openness in return.“I had noticed you were not pleased to be dancing with him.”
She halted as they went back into the hall and started toward the library.“You were watching me?”
Darcy grimaced. How easily he misspoke when Elizabeth was concerned.“I would not say it like that, exactly.”
“Then how would you describe it?” Elizabeth did not seem annoyed, only curious, even a little amused.
“Perhaps I would describe it as watchingoveryou?” he replied.
