“Do not make a joke of it, Richard. I am being serious.”
“As am I, Darcy. You really do not trust yourself anymore. Just because you made a mistake with Mrs. Younge, it does not mean you must cast aspersion on every young lady who crosses Georgiana’s path. You are taking it too far.”
“I would rather not hear that woman’s name spoken in my presence, if you please. I am only just comprehending the extent of my own folly.” He threw back his head, downing his brandy. “I cannot afford to make another mistake. Richard, you have no idea how horrified I felt when Georgiana told me about the planned elopement.” He stared into the distance, thinking of all the things that could go wrong. “Wickham often beat me at chess. He is an expert manipulator. He is especially good at whispering in young ladies’ ears. What if he is one step ahead of me?”
“Now we come to the heart of it. This is not about Miss Bennet at all, is it? It is about Wickham.”
Darcy considered the question. “It is about Miss Bennet being acquainted with Wickham.”
“We have already accounted for it, Darcy. We do not need to go over this again. It was simply a coincidence.”
“Can we really be so nonchalant about it, when the consequences could be so disastrous for Georgiana?”
“I suppose you are right. What do you propose we do about it?”
They sat in glum silence as Darcy reviewed his options. How could he find out if his suspicions were based in fact? He feltguilty doubting Miss Bennet when they had declared a truce, but what else could he do? He needed other opinions.
“If you can spare the time, I would like you to become better acquainted with Miss Bennet,” remarked Darcy. “You have watched Miss Bennet from afar. It would be good if you could speak to her and judge for yourself what kind of a pickle we are in. I want to hear your opinion. If you think she would be a bad influence on Georgiana, or if you suspect any form of subterfuge, I will find a way to be rid of her. The sooner we know, the better.”
“I will be happy to meet her. I will have more time next week.”
“Good, then I will arrange for a dinner with you. I will also invite Bingley.”
“You think Bingley will be a good judge of her character?”
“Bingley was there when Miss Bennet was accused of theft. I think he might look at the situation differently. I will not prejudice him against her, of course. I will just ask him to observe her and give his honest opinion. As I hope you will do as well.”
“Fear not, then,” said the colonel cheerily. “I will tell you if I get even the smallest sniff of anything suspicious.”
Darcy nodded, relieved. There was no need for him to tie himself into knots mulling over Miss Bennet’s character. With two other gentlemen involved, they would soon be able to put their heads together and reach a conclusion.
A week passed, and Elizabeth had no reason to regret coming to London. She was continuously involved in one thing or another. There were a thousand little things to do as she, Miss Darcy, and Mrs. Annesley made changes in the townhouse to suit Miss Darcy’s taste. Then there was getting to know the household staff and understanding the ranks of the servants and their exactchores. She made herself useful wherever she could, advising Miss Darcy on issues such as the dinner menu and solving the inevitable conflicts that sometimes arose. Overall, Elizabeth enjoyed learning how to manage a household this size.
The downside of all this activity was that, so far, they had not visited any of London’s sights. Their days were spent shopping for new curtains and new clothes, and visiting the confectioners, since Miss Darcy possessed a sweet tooth and delighted in trying out different flavors. Elizabeth had finally given in and accepted Miss Darcy’s offer of a new gown. She had chosen a delightful evening dress made of blue crape over a white slip, with a bodice of blue satin, embroidered with white roses down the middle and at the hem. Elizabeth had never owned something with such delicate work. Her sisters would be green with envy when she returned.
It was a life of luxury, no doubt about it. Elizabeth was worried she would become so accustomed to it that she would have to adjust to a less comfortable setting when she returned home. She had her own personal maid, whereas in Longbourn all the young ladies shared one, and they often fought over her. Lydia usually won, because her voice was the loudest, and Mrs. Bennet would inevitably interfere in favor of her youngest. There was no need for that now. A single tug at a bell brought Betty to her within minutes.
What she did miss was the opportunity for long walks. Luckily, she was within easy reach of Hyde Park. It did not compare with her solitary walks across the fields at home, of course. Since Papa had agreed to it with Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth was obliged to be chaperoned. After consulting with Mrs. Annesley, they had concluded that, as long as she took a maid and a footman with her, there could be no objection to her walking in Hyde Park alone. The arrangement was far from perfect. For practical reasons, she could only take the servants for a short time,because they were needed for their tasks in the house. She was also restrained by the rules of proper conduct. She could not just stride through the park like a hoyden (Miss Darcy’s words). She had to adopt a more leisurely pace. It was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, and it was certainly not enough to induce her to return home.
Overall, the visit was going better than she would have expected. The only obstacle she had so far was knowing how to deal with Mr. Darcy. The uneasy peace between them seemed to be holding, though it had not really been put to the test. Mr. Darcy came to tea daily, but they had not had a chance to talk again privately since that time in the library. Sometimes she caught him looking at her, and wondered if he was looking to find fault. At other times, they managed to converse easily.
Overall, she was slowly coming to view him more favorably. He certainly was a dedicated brother. He was both affectionate and generous, so much so that Elizabeth wondered if he was over-indulging her. He was unfailingly kind to Mrs. Annesley, inquiring about the state of her knees whenever he came, and expressing his appreciation for everything she did. The housekeeper was constantly singing his praise.
Nothing in his bearing or behavior supported her initial impression of him. She still resented him, but she was finding it harder and harder to justify her early opinion.
As her family had predicted, it was not long before Elizabeth had an opportunity to interact with Mr. Darcy’s friends. She had always known that such interactions would be limited, since Georgiana was not old enough to come out, and consequently she was unable to dine with anyone that was not a close connection of Darcy’s. However, two weeks after she arrived inLondon, Mr. Darcy announced that he had invited his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam for dinner, along with Mr. Bingley, and he would like Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Mrs. Annesley to join them at Darcy House. Elizabeth was happy to finally expand her circle of acquaintances, however limited. After all, that was why her family had insisted she should go to London with Mr. Darcy and his sister.
If only her first experience of dining with Mr. Darcy’s friends had not included Mr. Bingley! Not only had she already met him, but it was also his sister who had encouraged Darcy to toss Elizabeth out of the house. At the time, she had been taken so much by surprise, she could no longer bring to mind how it all started. All she remembered clearly was Miss Bingley’s voice calling her a thief.
As for Mr. Bingley, she only had a vague recollection of an agreeable gentleman with a broad smile, not much else. How was she to face him anew? Especially in front of Mr. Darcy’s cousin, who was not just the son of an earl, but of the Earl of Matlock, whose splendid house she had visited on her tour with her uncle and aunt. Could she trust the colonel not to condemn her immediately? Or worse, what if he decided to spread the story amongst his acquaintances?
The night before the dinner invitation, when she went to bed, she found it impossible to sleep. Mr. Bingley was bound to bring up that moment in their first encounter at least, and perhaps on other occasions as well.Remember when you stole that priceless artifact from Mr. Darcy? Of course. It was a delightful occasion.
How was she going to react if he did bring it up? She spent the whole night tossing and turning, wracking her brain, trying to imagine what she would do, to no avail. At one point in the middle of the night, she almost decided to return to Longbourn.She even went so far as to start packing her bags and preparing to leave.
But as the morning light filtered through the curtains, she concluded that she was not a coward. She would not slink away. She had done nothing wrong. It was they who had wrongly accused her. She had the right to be here with Miss Darcy, and she would not give it up.
Besides, Mr. Darcy had promised her father not to insult her. Surely, he would not allow his sister’s guest to be embarrassed. If he was a man of his word, then it was up to him to protect her.
