Jane’s limited activities did not take long to impart, and Mr Gardiner was in too high dudgeon to add much; therefore it fell to Elizabeth and her aunt to sustain the conversation until dinner was over. Before they were quite finished, Hannah appeared in the doorway, informing Mrs Gardiner that her youngest son would not settle.
“Allow me to go to him,” Jane said immediately.
“Nay, I shall go. You have not finished your dinner,” Mrs Gardiner replied, but Jane insisted; she was up and gone before her aunt could object a second time.
“She is a good girl,” Mr Gardiner said as the door closed behind her. “It is very sad she should be so downcast. She is beginning to look a little pale, though.”
“Aye, because she has not seen sunlight for a week,” Elizabeth agreed. “She has not said as much, but I believe she does not wish to be out if Mr Bingley should call.”
Mrs Gardiner paused with her glass halfway to her mouth. “I thought she said she was not expecting him.”
“She said she was not expecting that Miss Bingley would tell her brother she was in town, not that she did not want to see him.”
Mrs Gardiner lowered her glass back down to the table, shaking her head. “I am sorry for her. If Miss Bingley is not willing to pass on the news, then it is very unlikely we shall see Mr Bingley here.”
Elizabeth poked insouciantly at what was left of her dessert with her fork and said in a light tone, “It is possible that Mr Darcy will tell him if Miss Bingley does not.”
Her aunt frowned dubiously. “Was it not you who said Mr Darcy would not suffer his friend to call in such a part of London? How have you come to think that he will direct him here?”
“Well, granted, he may not encourage him to call, but he has promised to let him know that Jane is in town.”
“And when did he make this promise?”
“Three days ago. Stephanie and I happened to see him while Uncle was with Mr Barnstaple.”
“Is that so?” Mr Gardiner said. “It is a small world, is it not?”
Elizabeth smiled benignly. The size of the world could take no credit for this particular encounter. Miss Bingley had told Jane that her brother was much engaged at his club; thus, resolved to tell him herself that her sister was in town, Elizabeth had walked up and down St James’s Street five or six times in the hope of seeing him go into or come out of one of the gentlemen’s establishments there. Poor Stephanie had been dulled to distraction by the time Elizabeth had spotted him leaving Boodle’s—and too fatigued by far to run after him as Elizabeth had wanted to do. The subsequent encounter with Mr Darcy outside White’s had therefore been of very little surprise to her—thoughhehad seemed rather astonished by it.
“And he acknowledged you, did he?” her aunt asked. “I did not get the impression you were on such friendly terms.”
“They danced together. That implies a certain degree of amicability,” Mr Gardiner observed.
His wife raised an eyebrow in Elizabeth’s direction. “Perhaps I mean, then, that I am surprised Lizzy acknowledgedhim.”
Elizabeth laughed consciously. “He is not my favourite person, it is true, but I should like to think my manners are at least equal to his. We greetedeach otherwith perfect civility.”
She had been surprised that he deigned to acknowledge Stephanie, for she had always thought him too stately by far to condescend to making young children feel at ease. Yet he had managed the business without compromising an iota of his usual dignity. He had been easy and—it diverted her no end to think it—sweet. It was a shame he had not learnt to adopt a similar manner with adults.
“And the subject of Mr Bingley just happened to arise, did it?”
“No—naturally, I asked after him. Can you blame me? I was not about to let the opportunity go unexploited.”
“And? What did he say?”
“The same as he said to Jane—that he has not seen him since he left Netherfield.”
“I cannot help but think that strange given the purported strength and longevity of their friendship. But perhaps his influence over Mr Bingley is not as great as we imagined.”
Elizabeth gave a sceptical hum. “He did not seem to think it odd—or, if he did, he did not reveal it to me. In any case, Mr Darcy pledged to tell Mr Bingley that Jane was in town when he next sees him.”
Mrs Gardiner set her fork down and dabbed her lips with her napkin. “Do you believe him?”
Elizabeth shrugged. Her aunt had hit upon the very reason why she had not told Jane about the encounter. “I do not know. His behaviour towards Mr Wickham inclines me to think that his word is worth very little, but I confess there was something believable in the way he said it. But Mr Bingley has not called, soeither Mr Darcy has not yet seen him, or he has seen him but has not kept his word.”
“Or he has kept his word, and Mr Bingley has decided not to call,” Mrs Gardiner said. “Young men will fall out of love as easily as they fall into it when the object of their desire is out of sight for any length of time.”
“Poor Jane. I daresay the uncertainty is as painful as a direct rejection would be. I am not sure how I can lift her spirits whilst matters remain unresolved.”
