“Miss Elizabeth Bennet,” came his reply.
Her mouth dropped open in shock. “Oh.” Miss Bingley removed her hand from his person. “Tell me, sir, when am I to wish you joy?” The sour look on her face could have curdled milk.
“Your imagination is very rapid, Miss Bingley. It is not so unusual to admire a person without having any intentions towards matrimony. If I am so inclined to pursue a courtship, however, I promise you will be the first to know.”Blast, that was rude.Darcy winced at his lack of gentlemanly behavior and scrambled for something to say as the lady stood up, huffing in irritation.
“Miss Bingley,” he called. She stopped and turned to look at him. “Forgive me for my intemperate words. It has come to my attention that you have certain…expectations. I must tell you now that I have no interest…”
She waited for a moment as he paused before speaking. “No interest in me, you mean.” Her bitter words pierced his heart. “May I ask why, with so little endeavor at civility, I am thus treated?”
“I apologize for not addressing the matter sooner. I confess I have only lately realized the…depth of your expectations. As a gentleman, I ought to have spoken to disabuse you as soon as I comprehended. I hoped my disinterest was obvious.” He shrugged helplessly.
“We have been designed for each other!” Miss Bingley’s frantic voice pitched up an octave. “I have waited years for your proposal, attempted to be the perfect example of ladylike accomplishments, only to be disregarded in favor of a low-born country mouse. I have never been more insulted in my entire life!” She whirled around and stalked angrily from the room, forcefully closing the door behind her.
Darcy sighed and leaned back in his chair.
“Well, that went well.” Bingley entered the breakfast room from a side door.
“Eavesdropping, Bingley?” Darcy knew he sounded bitter and a bit annoyed, but he did not care.
Bingley shrugged and took the seat opposite his. “I was about to enter when the entire thing began. What would you have me do? At least my presence means she cannot claim a compromise.”
“I thank you for that.” Darcy took a scone from a platter and cut it open before adding a generous layer of preserves. “I know you and I have discussed my position when it comes to marrying your sister, but I ought to have made my disinterest clear to her long ago. It was badly done to allow her to hope.”
“What is done is done. She knows your sentiments. Perhaps she and Louisa will hurry back to Town and leave me in peace.” Bingley began to fill his plate with bacon, eggs, and toast. “If they are not here, they will cease disparaging my neighbors…and Miss Bennet.” He looked up. “Now, of more interest to me is your admiration of Miss Elizabeth.”
Darcy groaned. “You will never leave me in peace now! Can you not forget what I impulsively said?”
“Not a chance! This information is too splendid to disregard. The impenetrable, immovable Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy has been shot by Cupid’s arrow. Tell me, does the lady know of your admiration?”
“Myadmiration,as you call it, is but a fledgling thing. Miss Elizabeth has caught my attention, true, but as someone worth knowing better. Her conversation is intelligent and engaging—”
“You called her eyesfine,Darcy. That is not merely a meeting of minds.” Bingley’s knife clattered as he set it on his plate. “Why do you resist?”
“It is too soon. I cannot declare an interest when we have met but a few times.”
Bingley chuckled. “Then you had best take the advice you so graciously bestowed upon me only a short while ago. Now is the time to know her better. You never fail to study a matter thoroughly before making a decision, and so I have great faith you will do just as you advised me. Imagine, you and I shall perhaps be brothers after all.”
“Your imagination is as rapid as your sister’s.” Darcy’s words made Bingley laugh again, and after scowling playfully for a moment, he joined in. “Very well,” he said when their mirth was spent. “I shall make every attempt to know more of Miss Elizabeth. My beginning was not the best, and I suspect I have much to atone for, though she has forgiven me for my words.”
Bingley looked confused. “I am afraid I have not the pleasure of understanding,” he said slowly. Suddenly, comprehension struck, and he perked up. “The lady fromthe assembly! Was it not Miss Bennet’s sister who you insulted?”
“You have the right of it. Providence gave me the opportunity, and a healthy dose of good sense prompted me to tender my apologies. She accepted, and we have resolved to be friendly.” Darcy took a bite of his scone, pausing to savor the delightful preserves.
“Then you are much better off than you suppose. Ladies can be fickle creatures, but if Miss Elizabeth is as intelligent as you say, then she will see your sincerity and behave accordingly. Now, let us speak of other things. You promised you would come shooting today.”
They finished their breakfast and parted ways, Darcy agreeing to meet Bingley for sport later that afternoon. Meanwhile, he returned to his chambers to complete a few matters of business.
As he poured over letters from his steward and his housekeepers in both Town and Derbyshire, Darcy’s thoughts wandered to the conversation he had shared with Elizabeth.
Missing gloves, candles, and a locket,he mused.Every instinct and experience I have had tells me they have a thief in their midst. Does Mr. Bennet know?The thefts were rather brazen. All the missing items haddisappeared from the family’s bedchambers.How had someone crept about the house undetected? Could it perhaps be a servant?
He set aside the report from Pemberley’s head groom, unread, and leaned back in his chair, temple resting lightly against his fingers. He had dealt with petty theft before—at the London townhouse, a scullery maid had once been caught pilfering food and handkerchiefs. It had been quickly resolved, but not before damaging the trust of several long-standing staff members. In Derbyshire, there had been an incident involving a dishonest footman, though that matter had been far more delicate, as the man’s family lived on estate land.
There was some worry for the Bennets’ welfare—Miss Elizabeth’sin particular. The idea of her being unsettled in her own home, subject to suspicion or, worse, intrusion, made his jaw tighten.
But she is clever,he reminded himself.Clever, intuitive, observant. If anyone can untangle this mystery, it is her.
And yet… even the cleverest minds could miss what was hidden in plain sight.
