‘To me it is perfectly understandable since I do not particularly like your puppy either.’
’You dislike Bingley?’ Darcy was aghast. ‘You never said so.’
‘I do not dislike him, but I also do not care for him. He is your friend and as long as he behaves like a friend to you, I have no issues with him. I will simply never actively seek out his company. Especially since he lets his sister bully him into taking her along almost everywhere he goes. If women were not prohibited in clubs, we would never get any peace from her.’
‘You think then that Miss Bennet truly never cared for Bingley and is not simply looking to Deveril because he was there when Bingley was not?’
‘I think Miss Bennet described Bingley perfectly and I believe that since he was always indulged, he thinks that he is entitled to whatever he wants.’
Darcy pursed his lips in thought. ‘I believe that he is not the only one with that failing,’ he murmured. After a minute he raised his eyes to his cousin and said, ‘But these matters are too weighty for the breakfast table. When were you planning on calling on the ladies. I will have my carriage readied then.’
‘We will not need the carriage. A walk will do you good.’
~T~
At Gardiner House, Mrs Gardiner was feeling rather tired and was encouraged by her husband and her nieces to remain abed.
‘Aunt, I know that Mr Deveril is planning to call an me, but surely my two sisters will be adequate as chaperones,’ argued Jane when the lady felt that she was neglecting her duties. Eventually the lady agreed, and Mr Gardiner went to work, feeling relieved that his nieces would be on hand to look after his wife.
Jane was restlessly pacing the drawing room while Elizabeth and Mary chose a window seat which benefitted from a slight breeze as the day was rather unseasonally warm.
Given that they had privacy, Mary commented, ‘Lizzy, you quite surprised me last night; forgiving Mr Darcy as easily as you did.’
‘Are not you the one who always tells me that I should be less judgemental?’ Elizabeth prevaricated.
‘Indeed. I wish for you to be less prone to jump to conclusions. But I heard Mr Darcy’s insulting comments.’
‘So did I, but considering his reaction, I judged those insults to have been accidental rather than to be intentionally hurtful. I thought that he is unused to being in the wrong and apologising did not come naturally to him. As a result, he was exceedingly bad at it.’
‘I wondered if you are more lenient with him because he is extremely handsome, than if his appearance more closely resembled our cousin, Mr Collins.’
The question caused Elizabeth to pause for a moment as she considered the question. After a minute she sighed. ‘There is an element of truth in your assertion, but physical appearance alone was not what made Mr Collins offensive. While Mr Darcy is arrogant andpossibly even pompous, he is most certainly not obsequious, and unlike Mr Collins, he is definitely more intelligent.’
‘Yet despite his intelligence, he can say the most stupid things.’
‘True. But consider… I am certain that I would not like to spend any time with a man who has never said a wrong word in his life. Not only would he be dreadfully dull, but I should be most uncomfortable with such a paragon since I would never be able to live up to such an exalted standard.’
That comment caused a small chuckle to escape Mary’s lips and before she managed to censor her word, she said, ‘I see. You enjoy being able to correct the gentleman,’ causing her to blush.
‘My dear Mary. I believe that my impertinence is starting to rub off on you,’ Elizabeth laughed in response. ‘I confess that you are partly right, but I also remember my conversation with Mr Collins. Correcting him was not as much fun since he was virtually impervious to any opinion but his own or Lady Catherine’s.’
‘And you think that Mr Darcy is more amenable to correction?’
‘He was certain quite amenable to a debate. Colonel Fitzwilliam was correct about his cousin. Mr Darcy loves to debate and will consider the argument irrespective of the sex of the debater. I rather enjoyed being taken seriously. And while I still have some reservations, for that kind of respect, I am willing to forgive much.’
Mary was quite willing to concede that point as she too had a most enjoyable discussion with Colonel Fitzwilliam.
~T~
When it was late enough to make a morning call, Darcy and Richard set out to walk to Gardiner House.
Darcy was astonished when after a mere hundred and fifty yards Richard stopped and nodded to a plaque beside the front door of a large house.
‘Gardiner House!’ exclaimed Darcy. ‘I never realised that there was any connection to the Bennets in Hertfordshire.’
‘Would you have behaved better if you had known they have a house just around the corner from you?’ Richard asked with a challenging look.
Darcy grimaced. ‘Yes, I probably would have, but I hope I will not make that kind of mistake again.’
