‘Keep that in mind and you should do well enough,’ Richard said as he knocked on the door, which was opened immediately.
~T~
The Colonel and Darcy were shown into the drawing room where they were greeted by the sisters as well as Deveril who had arrived only minutes before them.
Once the customary civilities were exchanged and refreshments provided, Darcy cleared his throat which attracted everyone’s attention. ‘My apologies for raising an unpleasant subject but I have some information which I thought you should know.’
Deveril, who occupied the chair next to Jane leaned back in his seat to listen to what Darcy had to say.
Jane, as the hostess, prompted Darcy when he paused, ‘As you have warned us, please go ahead.’
‘I encountered Bingley yesterday as I was leaving your uncle’s house in Gracechurch Street. He was there to find you Miss Bennet in the hope you would be able to refute something his sister had told him,’ Darcy said, clasping his hands to stop himself from fidgeting.
He looked Jane in the eye and swallowed before he continued, ‘Please understand I know that what the lady implied to be a falsehood. She had told my friend that she had seen you entering a private residence in a fashionable neighbourhood with a man who appeared wealthy and that you were unchaperoned.’
Jane blushed as she comprehended the implication. ‘Indeed. I gather that you know that the gentleman in question was our uncle, and this was the residence which she observed us entering?’
‘Yes, Miss Bennet. I raised the subject with my cousin last night and your uncle overheard us, even though I tried to keep the conversation private.’
An impish smile quirked Elizabeth’s lips. ‘I have it on good authority that our uncle has exceptional hearing, as a number of his clients and competitors have found out to their chagrin.’
Darcy bowed his head in her direction. ‘As you so rightly guessed, I too would have preferred not to be overheard, but in retrospect it was convenient as it cleared up any misunderstandings which might otherwise have occurred.
Jane let her gaze wander around the occupants of the room. ‘Who else is privy to that… information?’
It was Fitzwilliam who answered, ‘All the men who were at dinner, and before you become concerned, there was unanimous support for your honour.’ He shrugged and added, ‘In the meantime my father informed my mother of Miss Bingleys scurrilous implication and I suppose that your uncle passed the information on to your aunt.’
‘Why did no one think to inform me of this… story?’ Jane wondered.
‘Your uncle did not wish to upset you,’ said Mrs Gardiner, who had just entered the room. She had heard the question and correctly assumed the reason. The lady greeted her guests and accepted a cup of tea. ‘I was planning to inform you myself as soon as I had an opportunity, but I am pleased that I did not have to do so.’
Elizabeth refrained from rolling her eyes by exerting admirable self-control as she said, ‘While I love Uncle Gardiner dearly, he can be overly protective at times.’
Darcy gave her a rueful smile as he said, ‘I can fully understand your uncle, as I have been guilty of the same failing. Although in recent times I have learnt the folly of such an attitude.’
‘Is that why you have come today?’
‘Indeed. How can you, or anyone else for that matter, make good decisions or defend yourself if you are unaware of what is being said about you and of people’s true character.’
‘Thank you, Mr Darcy. I appreciate your concern.’ Jane smiled with gratitude and added, ‘Perhaps you would be good enough to inform Mr Bingley of everything you have discovered so that he can put Miss Bingley’s mind at ease about what she saw.’
While Darcy agreed to do so, Mary said quietly to herself, ‘I wonder what Miss Bingley would have done if she had been aware of the true circumstances. Would she have refrained from mentioning Jane’s presence in London to Mr Bingley?’
Fitzwilliam, who sat next to her, drawled in response, ‘I can just imagine that if Miss Bingley had known about that relationship, she would have saidMiss Bennet appeared quite cosy with her… uncle.’
‘You truly believe that Miss Bingley would be so devious?’ Mary asked.
Richard shrugged as he said, ‘She is very adept at shading the truth to suit her ends and I would not trust her an inch.’
‘Well, I for one would like to give her the benefit of the doubt. She may have merely attempted to protect her brother. As long as she does not try to besmirch my reputation to anyone else, I shall be content to ignore her,’ Jane declared with a challenging look at her companions.
‘You take all the fun out of this situation,’ complained the Colonel. ‘I had looked forward to stymying the lady’s plans.’
‘If it turns out that Miss Bingley has any scurrilous plans, feel free to stymy away,’ Jane offered a compromise causing Richard to grin in malicious delight. After all, he knew Caroline better than Jane did.
~T~
21Concerns
