“Then your daughter would welcome him back should he return.”
“I cannot imagine she would not,” said Bennet, sipping from his cup again. “Therehasbeen some talk that she may return to London with the Gardiners when they leave.”
Again, Hurst turned to him. “Does she suppose she can see Bingley again if she goes to London?”
Bennet shrugged. “Jane is not the sort to chase after a man, but Lizzy presses her. If you consider it, your wife and sister claimed her as a friend—if she is in London, it would only be good manners to visit her friends.”
“And in doing so, she might come across Bingley,” replied Hurst, understanding his meaning at once.
“Lizzy is convinced that your brother’s failure to return was not of his own choosing. Jane will do nothing improper, but she does not wish to allow Bingley to fade into history either.”
This time, Hurst did not respond, and Bennet was content to allow the subject to rest. Whether he would do anything about the information Bennet had just provided, he could not say, but he had done his best to inform him of the truth of the matter. For Jane’s peace of mind, Bennet hoped Hurst would act—if Bingley returned, then it would become Bennet’s turn to act, and in this he determined he would not shirk his duty.
AS THE EVENING DREWto a close, Elizabeth assisted her aunt and uncle in settling the children after their games, and soon the time came for them to retire to the nursery. Christmas had always been Elizabeth’s favorite time of year, for despite the season and the dreary winter weather, the joy of family, the games, and the sense of renewed kindness in the world always settled her, preparing her for the months ahead until the world awoke, freeing her from the gilded cage her home always felt like in the dead of winter.
After the departure of the children, the sitting-room settled into a quiet lethargy one often experienced after a day of such revelries. Jane and Elizabeth sat together talking in quiet tones, while the rest of the company sat around them, each reflecting on the experiences of the day. As Jane had not yet decided whether she would go to London, Elizabeth indulged in a little gentle teasing, trying to convince her it was for the best. The surprise when Mr. Hurst spoke up on the subject was akin to that she felt when she saw him in the sitting-room at Lucas Lodge.
“You mean to go to London?” asked he, keeping his voice low so that only Jane and Elizabeth might hear.
Jane appeared uncomfortable at the question but did not hesitate to respond. “I have not decided, Mr. Hurst.”
“Do you often stay with your relations?”
“Jane and I both stay for at least a few weeks every year,” replied Elizabeth, unable to keep the hint of challenge from her voice.
“That is understandable,” agreed Mr. Hurst, offering no trace of judgment. “Caroline, though her home is with her brother, often stays with Louisa and me.” The man paused, then offered asardonic smile. “To own the truth, I might wish for her presence less, but Louisa enjoys her company.”
Though she had never had a sense of it before, it seemed Mr. Hurst did not appreciate his wife’s sister, though that could just be the man’s general taciturn nature.
“My sister and I are the same,” said Jane. “I always had the sense that your wife and your sister are close.”
“That they are,” said Mr. Hurst. “When do Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner return to London?”
“On the twenty-eighth,” replied Elizabeth. A sudden desire to provoke Mr. Hurst entered her heart, and she said: “Perhaps Jane may encounter your wife and sister there. Miss Bingley was clear in her desire for friendship, so a visit would be only proper.”
Mr. Hurst appeared to understand Elizabeth’s meaning at once and was amused by it, if his chuckle was any sign. “You may be correct, though I shall not venture a guess about her feelings should Miss Bennet present herself on her brother’s doorstep without warning.”
Whether or not Mr. Hurst intended it, Elizabeth interpreted his comment as an admission that Miss Bingley wouldnotappreciate Jane’s coming. As Elizabeth had always believed that Miss Bingley’s regard for Jane was not so warm as Jane had always supposed, it was a vindication, not that Elizabeth would bring up the subject with Jane.
“As for your proposed stay in London,” continued Mr. Hurst, “I shall offer no opinion, except to say that you can never know when circumstances might change.”
“What do you mean?” asked Elizabeth, suspicion rising in her breast.
“Nothing at all,” replied Mr. Hurst with a nod and more of a smile than she had ever seen from him. “Just that Bingley is an impulsive man, as you have already apprehended. The businessthat took him to London was not impulsive, for he had known for days in advance that he needed to go, but his decision to stay therewas. Did you not speak to Bingley about this? As I recall, it was something about his being gone in five minutes.”
“Mr. Bingleydidmention he needed to return to London,” ventured Jane, a frown creasing her brow. “He did not say how long he meant to be there, but his eagerness to return was plain.”
“That is no surprise, Miss Bennet,” said Mr. Hurst. “Then you can expect he might be equally impulsive should he decide Netherfield suits his mood.”
With a nod, Mr. Hurst moved away and, addressing Mrs. Bennet, conveyed his need to return to Netherfield. After a flurry of farewells, the man made his way from the room with Mr. Bennet for company, leaving the ladies within. The moment he was gone, Jane turned to Elizabeth.
“What do you suppose he meant?”
“The inference was that Mr. Bingley might return,” replied Elizabeth, no less nonplussed than her sister.
“Then I shouldnotgo to London?”
“I have no answers, Jane. Perhaps the next time he comes, we should ask him more openly.”
