“I can walk no more today.”
“Cannot or will not?”
“What does it matter?” she retorted angrily. “I only agreed to walk out so that I might begin to make amends to you both. If the pair of you are content to stride ahead and abandon me to—” She directed a disdainful look over her shoulder at the younger girls. “I struggle to see why I should trouble myself any further.”
Darcy gave Elizabeth a look expressive of his exasperation, and stalked over to join his sister without another word.
Still unable to discern whether Miss de Bourgh’s fatigue was feigned or not, Elizabeth opted to avoid the subject altogether. Instead, she pulled the feather from her pocket and held it out to her.
“I found this on the path just now. I recalled you like the iridescent ones.”
Miss de Bourgh took it. After staring at it for a moment, she gave a terse grunt of acknowledgement. “I believe you will prove to be a tolerable cousin. More tolerable than some of my others at any rate.”
“Mr Darcy told you we are engaged?”
Miss de Bourgh gave a bark of laughter. “Darcy does not tell anybody his business. It infuriates my mother.”
“Then how did you know?”
“I did not, until you just told me.”
Elizabeth swallowed the first response that sprang to mind. Never had she met a more contrary woman! “I see. Might I prevail upon you to keep the news to yourself for now? We were hoping to wait for Mr Bingley and Jane to come to an understanding before we announced it.”
“That is a stupid scheme. The man spent almost half an hour deciding whether or not he wanted a cup of coffee at breakfast this morning. You could be grey-haired and barren by the time he decides to take a wife. But I suppose if that is your wish, I must play along.”
Elizabeth thanked her and was inordinately relieved to espy the carriage come clattering around the head of the lane shortly afterwards. She was less pleased—though not as angry as Darcy—when it was reluctantly decided that the horses ought not to be sent hither and thither about the freezing countryside too many times in one afternoon, and the walk was curtailed with the entire Netherfield party conveyed home. Her only consolation was in the knowledge that, no matter how frequently her family might behave with a total want of propriety, Darcy’s relations could be uniformly counted on to perform worse.
18
With all the tribulations of the past few weeks, the ugliness of his aunt’s attacks, and the all-consuming euphoria of securing Elizabeth’s hand, Darcy had forgotten the very particular torment of Miss Bingley. She arrived with Mr and Mrs Hurst just after noon on Monday with the evident resolve of refreshing his memory. There was little that would have given him more pleasure than to tell her of his engagement and put an end to her officious attentions, but Elizabeth was adamant—and Bingleyinexplicablystill single.
Tea was served in the parlour an hour before they were all required to dress for the feast. The room was crowded, noisy from the numerous conversations occurring, yet he was not surprised that Miss Bingley still managed to find herself a seat near him and to begin wittering in his ear. She took up precisely where she had left off in London, agreeing with his every passing remark and deferring every one of her own answers to him. Eventually, he took his cup to the window and stood with his back to the gathered company, staring out into the garden, willing the minutes away until Elizabeth arrived.
Miss Bingley did not take the hint. “Your tea must be cold by now,” she said quietly, as she sidled up next to him. “Allow me to fetch you a fresh one.”
“This one is still hot, thank you.”
“I should have offered you coffee, for I know you prefer it, but Charles had already sent for refreshments before I came downstairs.”
“I was offered coffee. I preferred tea.”
“Quite so. Only tea will do when it is this cold. And this house is horribly draughty, do you not think?”
“I am not uncomfortable. Perhaps you are chilled from your journey.”
“Perhaps I am. You are kind to be concerned for me. Still, I should have preferred to stay in London.” When he made no answer, she continued. “Louisa and I saw Mr Pargeter at Lord Bertram’s rout last night. He wished to know whether you would be back in town before his party at the end of the month. I took the liberty of telling him I thought it likely.”
“Thatwasa liberty, Miss Bingley,” said Anne from her nearby seat. Darcy did not acknowledge her remark, though he objected far less to her eavesdropping on this exchange than he had when she obtruded on his conversation with Elizabeth on Christmas Day.
“I am sure Mr Darcy does not consider it so, madam,” Miss Bingley replied. “After all, it was only a few weeks ago that he and I were discussing our intentions to remain in town for the rest of winter.”
“My plans altered,” Darcy said, then sipped his fast-cooling tea, indicating his disinclination to say any more on the matter.
Indeed, nothing morewassaid until a conversation struck up between those seated closest to them, at which point Miss Bingley shuffled closer to him and, in a hushed voice, carried her point.
“I must have misunderstood about my brother’s plans. I thought we had agreedtheyshould remain as they were.”
“Theyarestill as they were,” Darcy replied impatiently. “Would that he make haste and do something to rectify the situation.”
