He nodded back.
We both turned and began walking back towards the house.
“So,” I said, “that means that Mr. Bennet is—”
“Please leave him out of it,” muttered Bingley. “Poor, handsome country mouse of a man, really. You realize what it would do to his sister if he were to be exposed. You like his sister, even if you said she was only tolerable. I saw how you looked at her.”
“I have no intention of exposing anyone,” I said.
“Good,” he said.
“Good,” I said.
We continued walking.
I burst out with, “But Danvers, then?”
“Oh, God,” said Bingley, rubbing his forehead.
“Well, if you were going to take up with Bennet in that way,” I said, “why invite Danvers at all? Indeed, why invite me? Why am I here?”
Bingley stopped walking. “Look, Darcy, men are less…” He cleared his throat. “You know that men do not necessarily wish to settle down and get married to the first woman they find pretty? Well, men are much the same in this regard even if they don’t fancy women.”
“What?” I said.
“I am only saying Danvers and I are not… exclusive.”
I drew back, faintly grimacing. “Indeed, I am sorry I asked.”
“I suppose,” said Bingley, “it is better all around that he is not here, for men are rather prone to jealousy, also, and they can be very impulsive, and there can be a lot of yelling and punching and challenging people to duels, and trust me, if I could simply be drawn to women, like everyone else, I think I would.”
I shook my head at him, thoroughly flummoxed by everything that had come out of his mouth.
He shrugged again. “And James, he’s so…” He shook his head. “God, he’s really adorable, you know, so earnest and sort of shy in his way, and there’s this nobility to him, and I find myself torn between wanting to show him the entire world and then also wanting to just sort of ensconce him here, in the country, and never let him leave, because I don’t wish to ruin him, ruin his, erm, innocence, I suppose. Speaking of men being jealous, I supposeI’mpossessive. I’ve never really felt this way before.” He shut his eyes. “Dash everything, why am I telling you this?”
“I haven’t any notion,” I said.
“Apologies,” he said.
I shifted on my feet. “So, you like Bennet more than Danvers, that’s what you’re saying?”
He nodded. “Yes, quite. I like Bennet more than I’ve liked anyone, truly. Well, it’s new. Probably will wear off with time.” He tilted his head at me. “Could you just take my sisters with you when you go, so that I could just be alone with him, have the place to myself?”
“Well, I don’t see why your sisters would leave in a rush with me now for my family emergency,” I said.
“No, that’s true. But if you delayed a day or so, and we termed it a less urgent emergency, I think… well, Caroline would be overjoyed to leave, and it would be ever so good of you, Darcy. I should be quite grateful.”
I let out a disbelieving laugh.
He shook himself. “All right, all right, apologies. You are horrified by me. I am unnatural and you think of men together and your stomach grows weak—”
“My stomach is fine,” I broke in.
“I’m only saying, I need to keep in mind that you are likely not my friend anymore.”
I probably should not be this man’s friend. I fixed him with a glare. “We can’t be friends if you are imagining doing things to me.”
He grinned at me. “I don’t.”
