Sure enough, the duke and Georgiana were standing at the edge of the bowls court, both smiling. Elizabeth was not certain she had ever seen Georgiana smile before. Well, she had barely made the other girl’s acquaintance, she supposed. And there was no real reason for them to be close now, for she wasn’t marrying Mr. Darcy.
That was a strange thought, wasn’t it?
She had never even wanted to marry Mr. Darcy.
As if summoned by some odd whim of the winds or fate, there he was, galloping up on horseback over the driveway. He had been missing all morning then, and she hadn’t even noticed.
Good,she thought.I shouldn’t be noticing him, anyway.
CHAPTER FIVE
THERE HAD TObe some way to get Elizabeth alone without going back to her bedchamber at night, Mr. Darcy thought.
He was very tired after riding all the way out and back in one day, but he was also fueled by a sort of excitement to share what he’d found with Elizabeth. He should like to speculate with her over what all of it meant. He thought of her face, screwed up in thought, of the way her eyes lit up when she had an idea, and he was warmed by that.
It was foolish, of course, and he scolded himself for it.
He did not know why it was so difficult for him to swear this woman off. There were a number of reasons why he must stop feeling anything amorous towards her, chief amongst them that she belonged to his cousin.
No, perhaps the chief reason was because she didn’t desire him. She never had. She had refused him, denied his advances, and she was, in fact, in love with Richard.
If he were to continue to make love to her when she did not welcome him, it put him on the same level as Wickham, plying himself on women who were not willing.
I shall stop,he assured himself for the eighteen-thousandth time.
The afternoon was progressing much the way the morning had, he understood, only everyone was much drunker than theyhad been. He sprawled out in a chair next to others who were sprawled out due to too much merriment, and when he heard some of them saying that a long nap before dinner might be in order, he thought that perhaps he’d like that himself.
But there was Elizabeth to speak to and his sister… where was his sister?
He had spoken to her after arriving, had taken refreshment, and then had set about scheming how to get Elizabeth alone. He was a wretched man who didn’t deserve guardianship over his sister, in the end. He was entirely ignoring her.
But he caught sight of her, sitting with a man he first thought was Mr. Houseman, but then realized was not. That man was the Duke of Neithern, Elizabeth’s possible half-brother. Well, this was interesting. The duke and his sister seemed to be quite engaged in some animated conversation. Georgiana was laughing quite a lot, and the duke didn’t seem to be taking his eyes from her.
“Mr. Darcy, here you are!” It was Caroline Bingley. She had a glass of wine—no, it was some kind of wine punch, he thought. She was stretching out her words in a way that made her sound a bit drunk. Dash everything.
“Miss Bingley,” he said to her.
She sat herself down in a chair next to him. “I have the loveliest bit of gossip, I must say.”
“Gossip?” God, he did not care about this.
“Elizabeth Bennet is married,” said Caroline. “Secretly married to Colonel Fitzwilliam.” She wrinkled up her nose. “Wait a moment, she told me, I think, that you are already aware of this. Anyway, that’s quite good, because I’m not supposed to tell anyone.” She giggled, making a motion at her mouth to turn a key and miming throwing it away.
“Have you told anyone else of this?” said Mr. Darcy.
“No, of course not,” said Caroline, in a way that let Mr. Darcy know she had told positively everyone.
“And Miss Bennet trusted you with this?” he said, quite confused, for was Elizabeth so foolish to think that Caroline would keep a secret?
“She volunteered it, yes,” said Caroline. “I think she and I might be making great strides towards true friendship, in fact. I like her ever so much more now that she cannot marry anybody.”
Mr. Darcy scoffed. She truly was drunk.
Caroline gave him a smile. “So, Mr. Darcy, have you come here looking for a wife?”
“Indeed not,” he said, sighing. “I’ve obviously come for Miss Darcy. My sister will be coming out in society in the spring, and I wish her to feel comfortable and to be well-acquainted before then.”
“Ah, yes,” said Caroline. “However, I did have some reason to believe you thought that Charles might marry Miss Darcy. You said things, months ago, that seemed to indicate such a thing.”
