“There you are! Mr Darcy has been waiting in the drawing room. Being a considerate gentleman, he brought flowers, however I told him such gestures were quite unnecessary between betrothed persons. Still, the thought was lovely. Come, come.”
At the drawing room door, Mrs Bennet paused. “I shall leave the door open. Propriety must be observed even betweenengaged couples, but I trust you two have much to discuss. I shall be in the breakfast room if needed.”
She departed with a final meaningful look.
Mr Darcy stood near the window, his posture rigid as if braced for unpleasantness. When Elizabeth entered, he turned, and his expression eased.
“Miss Bennet.”
“Mr Darcy.” Her voice sounded strange to her own ears, thin and uncertain, nothing like her usual tone.
The silence demanded to be filled with words. Any words. “I owe you an apology. A profound and sincere one. What I did yesterday was impulsive and mindless. I acted only to prevent those women from compromising you, but I failed to consider how my declaration would compound the difficulty rather than resolve it.”
“Miss Bennet…”
“Please, let me finish.” She inhaled deeply before continuing. “I did not anticipate the news spreading as rapidly as it has, nor did I foresee how impossible it would be to quietly retract such a claim once made. I have created a terrible predicament for us both, and I am cannot express how sorry I am.”
Mr Darcy was quiet for a long moment, studying her with an intensity that made her wish to look away. It took all her willpower to look at him.
“You need not apologise. I supported your declaration when I might have denied it. That makes me equally responsible for what followed. If blame is to be assigned, it ought to be shared equally between us.”
The unexpected generosity of this response gave her pause. “You were caught off guard. You reacted without time to properly consider alternatives.”
“As did you.” A slight, rueful smile touched his mouth. “It appears we are both guilty of acting impulsively under extraordinary pressure. I bear you no resentment, Miss Bennet. Your intention was to help me. The execution may have failed but that counts for something considerable.”
Relief hit her so sharply her shoulders dropped. “Thank you. That is far more grace than I deserve, given the chaos I have caused.”
“Nonsense.” He moved slightly closer, his voice dropping further. “The question now is how we proceed from this point. Have you given thought to our available options?”
Elizabeth had thought of little else since waking. “I believe we might maintain the fiction temporarily. My family departs for England in a couple of days. Once we are no longer in Ireland, removed from the immediate source of gossip, the news may begin to fade. We could then acknowledge that further acquaintance revealed incompatibility between our temperaments and dissolve the understanding by mutual consent.”
“You think physical distance will diminish the scandal?”
“I hope it might soften the impact, at minimum.” She searched his features anxiously for his reaction. “Does that seem a reasonable approach to you?”
Mr Darcy considered this before nodding. “It seems the most prudent option available given our limited choices. We shall maintain appropriate appearances here in Ireland, then address the matter properly once circumstances are less immediately volatile and we are no longer subject to such intense observation.”
“You agree, then?”
“I do. But I must ask, are you certain this approach will not damage your reputation irreparably? A broken understanding, even one dissolved by mutual consent with the most diplomatic explanations, still carries social consequences. Particularly for the lady involved.”
“Less severe consequences than the truth becoming widely known. If word spread that the declaration was fabricated, that I had lied before dozens of witnesses, I should be ruined with no possibility of recovery. At least a dissolved courtship suggests we proved incompatible upon better acquaintance. Unfortunate but not scandalous.”
“Very well.” He extended his hand across the space between them. “Then we are agreed. A temporary fiction, maintained with appropriate dignity until calmer circumstances may prevail.”
She placed her hand in his. His grip was steadying in a way that eased some of the tight anxiety that had gripped her chest since waking. “Agreed.”
For a moment they stood thus, hands clasped, a strange understanding passing between them that transcended the awkwardness of their situation. Whatever chaos yesterday had wrought, they would face the aftermath together. Not as strangers thrust unwillingly into impossible circumstances, but as reluctant allies navigating disaster with whatever grace they could muster.
It was not precisely comfort. But it was, Elizabeth reflected, something. And at present, something felt infinitely preferable to nothing at all.
Chapter Six
Darcy
Later that day
“You are certain you are well, sir?”
