Bingley shook his head. “What has got into you this evening, man? ’Tis midweek—you have no excuse for your usual Sunday evening doldrums. Why are you trying so hard to start an argument?”
“I am not.”
He was. He had wanted Miss Bingley to respond with wit, intelligence, a glint of challenge in her eye. To hell with it, he wanted her to argue with him like Elizabeth would have! The realisation amplified his ill-humour tenfold.
“What wouldyouhave us talk about, Bingley?”
The infuriating devil smirked at him. “I wished to talk about balls.”
“You wished to talk about Netherfield, and I have told you there is no point. We have discussed this. There is no advantage in going back. You had much better stay away.”
Bingley sighed and sank further into his chair. “Yes, yes, I know. There is no need to repeat the entire sermon. I remember it all perfectly. Nevertheless, I cannot help but think it is the height of poor manners to have left without word. I promised Mrs Bennet I would dine with them on my return.” He looked at Georgiana. “Do you not agree, Miss Darcy? Would you not be offended if I said I would dine with you and then I disappeared without a word?”
Georgiana’s eyes widened, and she swallowed so hard Darcy saw it from across the room.
“Bingley,” he said through gritted teeth, “we are notreturning to Hertfordshire.”
“Do not concern yourself, Charles,” Miss Bingley said, with a reassuring glance at Darcy that he absolutely did not deserve. “I shall write to Jane again to confirm that we mean to winter in town. That will certainly suffice, for we have no particular connexion to them that would lead them to expect more. Indeed, I should think Mrs Bennet will be relieved at not having to entertain another family so close to Christmas.”
Bingley nodded disconsolately, and the room fell into a gloomy silence, all topics of conversation having been established as either too tedious or too incendiary for an ordinary Tuesday evening in December.
3
Charlotte’s younger sister snuck out of a side passage to greet Elizabeth when she arrived at Lucas Lodge the next day. “Thank goodness you are here,” she whispered as she attached herself to Elizabeth’s arm and clung to it tightly. “We have run out of ideas.”
“Good morning, Maria. Ideas for what?”
“Ways in which to please Miss de Bourgh. She has been dissatisfied with everything we have done thus far.”
Elizabeth frowned. “She chose to impose herself upon you. I should say the onus was on her to be a pleasant houseguest, rather than to expect you to keep her entertained.”
Maria nodded her head. “That is as my mother says, yet nothing has satisfied her. Even my father has begun to show signs of vexation.”
Miss de Bourgh must be trying indeed if even Sir William had grown weary of her. “How do you know she is dissatisfied? Is she uncivil?”
“If silence can be taken as incivility, aye. She has not yet said a word to me. Even after I played the pianoforte for her last night. It was as though I was not there.”
Elizabeth declined to comment. Sweet girl though Maria was, she was so timid that it often seemed as though she were not there. “Does she speak to anyone else?”
“Sometimes she asks a question but usually only of Charlotte or Mr Collins. Mostly, she just sits and looks disapproving.”
“She is bearing a greater resemblance to her cousin by the moment. Let us see whether we can draw her out a little this morning, shall we?”
Maria nodded and squashed herself hard against Elizabeth’s side as they entered the morning room.
Miss de Bourgh reddened upon seeing them enter and turned to whisper urgently to her companion. None of the men of the house were present—only Charlotte and her mother.
“How delightful to see you, Eliza! But I am sure you young ladies have plenty of things to discuss that you would not wish me to overhear. I shall leave you alone to talk amongst yourselves.” Lady Lucas promptly hastened away.
Elizabeth found herself pulled to the sofa, where she sat heavily, thanks to Maria’s insistent tugging.
“How nice of you to call, Eliza,” Charlotte said, her tone thick with apology.
“Is it usual for people to pay calls so early in the day here?” Miss de Bourgh enquired tersely.
Maria whispered to Elizabeth, “Do you see?”
“Eliza and I are good friends. We often visit each other outside of the customary hours for calling,” Charlotte explained.
