The request was natural enough. Bingley had grown accustomed to speaking of the Bennets with an openness that made little distinction between friendship and family. Under ordinary circumstances, Darcy might have thought nothing of the errand.
Yet as he played with the folded letter, he became aware that his thoughts had already moved far beyond the message itself.
Six more days. The house would remain quiet. Caroline Bingley, having discovered that neither persuasion nor tears had altered his resolution, had withdrawn into a silence which was meant to convey injury but in practice produced only peace. Mrs. Hurst had followed her example.
Netherfield, for the moment, demanded very little of him.
Darcy stood by the window for some time, the letter still in his hand. He had, in truth, thought more than once how he might see Miss Elizabeth again since the evening of the ball.
Miss Elizabeth had settled in his thoughts with a persistence that surprised him.
At first, he had resisted it. Her image had returned to him uninvited – during the quiet of the morning, in the intervals of conversation, even in the midst of business with Mr.Harding. He had found himself recalling some expression of her countenance, some lively turn of phrase, some moment of quiet attentiveness toward her sister. Such recollections had at first provoked a certain irritation. Darcy was not accustomed to his mind being occupied without his permission.
Yet the resistance had gradually faded.
Miss Elizabeth now occupied his thoughts with familiarity – no matter if he had intended it or not. To his own surprise, he no longer bristled at the intrusion. Indeed, he had begun to recall their earlier meetings with a curiosity that was almost… indulgent.
He remembered the quick intelligence of her eyes, the readiness with which she met any remark, the animation of her manner when amused. He remembered, too, the firmness with which she had opposed him when she thought him unjust – and the dignity with which she had done it.
There was nothing submissive in her character.
The reflection ought perhaps to have discouraged him. Instead, it returned to him again and again. He found himself wondering what she thought of him now. That question alone was enough to occupy his mind longer than it ought.
The smile she had given him at the end of the evening at Longbourn refused to be dismissed. It had not been mocking. Nor guarded. Nor even merely polite. It had been… unrestrained.
Darcy could not easily explain why the recollection of that brief expression disturbed him as it did. It suggested a change – slight perhaps, but unmistakable – and he found himself wondering what had produced it.
And then he recalled her confrontation with Mr. Wickham. She had said it was for his sister; yet he could not entirely believe that had been her only motive. Something in her opinion had shifted. The thought returned to him unbidden, stirring a curiosity that bordered – had he examined it closely – upon eagerness. He wanted to know what she now thought of him. More than that – though he did not yet admit it, even to himself – he wished to see her again.
Darcy stood very still by the window.
The explanation for his proposed visit remained perfectly reasonable. Bingley had entrusted him with a message, and it would be discourteous to delay its delivery.
Yet the truth was simpler than that. He wanted to see her.
And now, he possessed a reason. He would ride to Longbourn the following morning.
Darcy folded Bingley’s letter once more and placed it carefully upon the desk.
The decision, once made, settled his mind with surprising ease. It seemed, after all, a very natural errand.
Chapter 14
Disappointments and Distinctions
That same morning at Longbourn, Lydia Bennet declared that a walk to Meryton was absolutely necessary. “The air is far too fine to remain indoors,” she announced, tying her bonnet ribbons with great satisfaction. “Besides, I am persuaded we shall meet half the regiment.”
Kitty agreed with immediate enthusiasm.
Elizabeth, who had intended to call at the milliner’s in any case, offered no objection. Jane, though not at first inclined to walk so far that morning, was soon persuaded by her sisters.
Mary declined the invitation. She wanted to use the time to practise on the pianoforte. Mr. Collins easily persuaded himself that a little music just then would be the perfect background while he relaxed after breakfast. Mrs. Bennet remained in the drawing room, still lamenting the sudden departure of Mr. Bingley to anyone who might listen.
Thus, it was Jane, Elizabeth, Lydia, and Kitty who set out together.
Lydia’s expectations were rewarded almost immediately. They had scarcely entered the principal street of Meryton when she exclaimed with delight. “There they are!”
A small party of officers approached from the opposite direction. Among them, Elizabeth recognised Mr. Denny and Mr. Wickham.
