“My cousin jests,” Miss Darcy said with absolutely no conviction and looking increasingly bewildered. “The Bingleys are all good friends of our family.”
Miss de Bourgh rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored her. “I understand you saw my cousin in Meryton yesterday.”
“We did,” Lydia answered. “He came with us for tea at my aunt Philips’s house.”
“Yes, he mentioned that.” Miss de Bourgh fixed Elizabeth with a stare that was startlingly similar to her cousin’s, if rather colder. “I trust you did not misunderstand his purpose.”
“In accompanying us?” she answered. “No, I do not believe there was any misunderstanding.”
“Indeed, none at all,” cried Mrs Bennet. “Why Mr Darcy chose to show suchvastcondescension to the family who might soon boast a connexion of theclosestkind to hisoldestfriend is his own business. We should never presume to draw any conclusions about it.”
“That is well. Assumptions are clearly not your forte,” Miss de Bourgh replied with a slightly bemused expression. With a sidelong glance at Elizabeth, she added, “So long as his attention was taken for what it was.”
Elizabeth was careful to keep her expression neutral, despite how her stomach dropped. Here was her message then—a reminder of their conversation on Christmas Day. “Civility,” she said, nodding. “I know.”
“No,” Miss de Bourgh replied with surprising energy. “No, he wasnotbeing civil.”
“Cousin Anne, I cannot imagine my brother would have been impolite!” said Miss Darcy with alarm.
“That was not my meaning, dear. Of course he waspolite.Darcy is unfailingly well-mannered, which is fortunate, given what he told me of the visit. But you cannot believe it was his design to call on Mr and Mrs Philips to exhibit his good breeding.” She pierced Elizabeth with another glance. “He does not give such notice indiscriminately. I have said before that one should never mistake civility for attentions. I say it again now but with the opposite meaning.”
Elizabeth made no reply, unsure she had understood properly.Was it more than politeness that induced Mr Darcy to suffer that ridiculous visit?
Her mother certainly took that as Miss de Bourgh’s meaning. She preened and leant to clasp Jane’s arm. “You see, Jane. In recognising our relations thus, Mr Darcy proves he knows what is coming between you and Mr Bingley.”
“Mrs Bennet, you are a true wonder. How you managed to construe that hint as meant for you, I do not know,” said Miss de Bourgh.
“Thank you,” Mrs Bennet replied, puffing up with pride.
Elizabeth closed her eyes briefly, mortified by her mother’s misplaced hubris, and dismayed by the confirmation that Miss de Bourgh’s hint was meant for her. She replied with equanimity she did not feel.
“You have no cause to be uneasy, madam.Icomprehend the importance of not taking things that are not meant for me. And I never would.”
Miss de Bourgh replied in a flash. “I know. It is a disposition I find most tiresome.”
“Lizzy, what are you running on about? Remember who you are speaking to, and do not vex our visitors so!” Mrs Bennet snapped, looking between them in frowning perplexity.
“We are talking about my cousin, Mr Darcy,” replied Miss de Bourgh. “And the fact that he and your daughter share the same insufferable inclination to rectitude.”
Elizabeth huffed in frustration. “In which case, you cannot believe him capable of ever showing…civilityto more than one person at once.”
“That is precisely my point. I am glad we have come to it at last.”
The room fell silent as everybody else attempted to come to thesamepoint and, judging by their bemused expressions, failed.
“Isthatwhy he did not speak to Mrs Long at the assembly?” Mrs Bennet enquired dubiously.
“I am sure he did not mean to be rude to Mrs Long,” Miss Darcy said breathlessly. “Or anybody.”
Jane gave a mollifying tut. “Come now, Mama. Mr Darcydidspeak to Mrs Long at the assembly. I have told you that.”
“I find it difficult to know who to talk to when there are too many conversations happening at once,” Kitty said, pouting. “Perhaps Mr Darcy is the same as me.”
Miss de Bourgh pulled a disgusted face and turned her back on them all to address Elizabeth. “I heard it reported that you were clever. Please do me the honour ofattemptingto grasp what I am telling you.”
“Perhaps I also struggle with more than one conversation,” Elizabeth replied. “There are at least four going on here, and I am not sure I am following any of them properly.”
“Then constrain yourself to just one, as my cousin is doing. Andhisconversation, I trust you comprehend, isnotwith me.”
