‘There is absolutely no need to apologise. Not only was I not offended, but I was grateful to your cousin.’ Elizabeth sighed. ‘I know that I should not have enjoyed watching the Colonel hit Mr Darcy, but that man has such a knack for insulting me…’ She shook her head. ‘I have never known anyone who could make me so very angry…’
‘I believe that in the days of chivalry, ladies had champions to defend their honour. I suppose that the Colonel appointed himself as your champion. As ladies we are supposed to be gentle and sweet and… insipid. Colonel Fitzwilliam acted in your stead,’ Mary opined.
‘No one could ever call Miss Elizabeth insipid,’ Lady Matlock interjected and turned the conversation to more neutral topics.
~T~
When the ladies left the dining room, the Earl invited the gentlemen into the library. ‘I am afraid that my wife objects to the smell of tobacco in the dining room.’
The party naturally split into the younger and older groups as they took their drinks and sat down.
During the latter part of the meal, Darcy had been drawn into a discussion about literature with Miss Elizabeth. While he found the lady well educated and erudite, he could not help but notice that Miss Bennet seemed to greatly enjoy her conversation with Deveril.
Remembering her comments about Bingley, Darcy kept wondering if it was a situation ofthe lady does protest too much. He could not help but think that Miss Bennet might not have been as immune to Bingleyas she had claimed, since Bingley was convinced of her feelings, but the lure which Deveril presented outweighed any sentiments she might have had for his friend.
As a consequence, Darcy said to Richard, when he thought he had a chance to speak without being overheard, ‘I ran into Bingley earlier who was trying to find Miss Bennet. I am concerned because he mentioned that he heard from his sister that the lady is in town since Miss Bingley saw Miss Bennet yesterday afternoon entering a private residence with an affluent looking gentleman… unchaperoned.’
‘Did she indeed? Where was that?’ asked Richard who suspected the truth of the matter that Miss Bingley had been loitering in the area around Grosvenor Square in the hope to accidentally run into Darcy.
‘Miss Bingley did not give an address, only saying that it was in a fashionable part of town, but she claims that Miss Bennet appeared quite… cosy with the gentleman,’ Darcy replied with a pointed look at Deveril.
Gardiner, who had excellent hearing and having heard the quiet comment, cut in. ‘Are you trying to determine whether Miss Bingley is slandering my niece with her insinuations or whether Jane’s disinterest in Mr Bingley stems from a mercenary motive? If the second, then I hate to disappoint you, because unlike many members of so-called polite society,’ he gave Darcy a meaningful look as he spoke, ‘my nieces have no need to be mercenary. As for Miss Bingley’s insinuations, they are slander as it was I who escorted my niece into my aunt’s house.’
‘You?’ Darcy gasped, uncertain whether to be relieved or affronted. The affront was mainly fuelled by a feeling of shame for having given any credence to Miss Bingley’s insinuations.
Before he had a chance to say anything else and since Gardiner had not bothered to speak privately, a bristling Deveril snarled, ‘Darcy, you had better watch your tongue. If you think that ruining the reputation of a lady on the say so of a… woman… like Caroline Bingley is a wise choice, you have less intelligence than a slug.’
As that had been the last thing on his mind when he made that quiet enquiry of his cousin, and because Darcy was a loyal friend and wanted to see Bingley happily settled, he replied, perhaps unwisely, ‘I have no intention of ruining the reputation of an honourable lady. I only wonderwhether you used your wealth and your position as a future duke to turn the lady’s head. Bingley was quite adamant that Miss Bennet cared for him until you appeared on the scene.’
The Earl decided that Darcy was getting too far out of line. ‘Stop defending that spoiled child. You are as blind to that rake’s character as your father was to Wickham. Quite frankly, I believe that you have spent too much time with Bingley and his pernicious sister. You are starting to sound like them.’
While Darcy stared in open mouthed silence, Richard had his say. ‘In my opinion Miss Bennet described Bingley’s character to perfection.’ Having sat opposite Jane during dinner he had heard her explanation. ‘You should also know that Deveril has been out of town for the past ten days and only returned this afternoon.’
That gentleman added his own information. ‘Furthermore, Miss Bennet is unaware of my full family connections. When my Cousin Amelia, that is Mrs Carleton, introduced us the other week she only used my name since it was a family gathering. When Miss Bennet called me Mr Deveril, no one bothered to correct her.
‘But why would Mrs Carleton introduce Miss Bennet to you at a family gathering no less?’ spluttered Darcy.
‘Because John Carleton is my cousin as well,’ Gardiner informed the totally confused man.
‘But I have never heard of a Gardiner family in our circles.’
‘Probably because I am not of your circles.’ Gardiner gave Darcy a pitying look. ‘Have you not realised yet that I am that ghastly uncle in trade, to use Miss Bingley’s words?’
‘You…’ Darcy stared at Gardiner as if he had seen a ghost. ‘But you are genteel.’
‘You know, I should like to slap you for that comment, to teach you manners,’ Gardiner said mildly.
Richard had just poured a generous measure of brandy into a glass. He handed it to Gardiner, saying, ‘Allow me,’ and before Darcy realised what was happening, the Colonel delivered a ringing slap to his cousin’s cheek.
‘Thank you, Colonel,’ Gardiner said in a perfect echo of Elizabeth’s words earlier as Richard retrieved the glass and passed it to Darcy.
The Earl cleared his throat. ‘If you have all finished playing, can we get down to the reason for this get-together.’ He turned to Darcy. ‘Your aunt has been trying to save your reputation by inviting you along to this dinner which was supposed to have been a pleasant evening amongst intelligent adults.’
He shook his head in disgust. ‘Then you started to act like a complete nodcock. Do you not realise that having you attend was to give you a chance to make things right with the Bennet ladies in the hope that they might be inclined to save your reputation. Your dear friend Miss Bingley,’ the Earl said in a voice dripping with sarcasm, ‘spread word of your behaviour in Hertfordshire, which is now the talk of the town. It even made tonight’s newspaper.’ He slammed the offending article which had been folded open to the relevant commentary on the table next to Darcy. ‘We were hoping to convince the ladies and gentlemen whom you keep insulting to be of assistance in saving the family name.’
‘You are here to help me? I thought that you had all gathered to pick on me and humiliate me. The tone of Aunt Matlock’s invitation implied that.’
‘The only one who humiliated you is you,’ said Richard.
