“Please do so.”
“Do you have news from Mr. Bingley? He is in good health, I hope?”
The answer came after some hesitation.
“I know he is in good health, but I have not seen Bingley much lately. We last spoke in February, when he went to visit a friend in Oxfordshire.”
“Oh…so he was not in London?”
“No.”
“That is strange because…my sister Jane has been in town since January, and she visited Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst.”
She waited for his response, but none came.
“They told my sister that Mr. Bingley was in town but was busy with you and Miss Darcy.”
At this, he turned to her, a frown appearing on his face.
“I was informed of your sister’s presence in London. To my knowledge, Bingley had already left by then.”
“Mr. Darcy, there is no other way of asking this, even if it might raise a further disagreement between us. I know Mr. Bingley’s sisters put great effort into separating him from Jane and keeping him in town, but I sense you were no stranger to this matter either. I am not ignorant of the fact that you never approved of Mr. Bingley’s admiration for my sister. Can you deny it?”
“I have no wish to deny it, Miss Bennet. I always take responsibility for my actions.”
They walked in silence for a short while. She felt disappointed by his cold admission of ruining Jane’s happiness. He sounded careless and arrogant, just as he used to in Hertfordshire.
“I knew his sisters opposed Bingley returning to Netherfield because of his admiration for your sister. And I knew she was in town. I suspect they refused to inform him.”
“I see…so my sister has been suffering for four months because of an evil scheme meant to ruin her happiness, andprobably his too. I shall not pretend I am not disappointed and stunned by the complete lack of consideration you — as well as his sisters — showed to Mr. Bingley.”
“Miss Bennet—”
“I am sorry, I have a sudden headache. I should return to the Parsonage.”
“Miss Bennet, please, only a moment longer.”
She looked at him. His gaze was dark, and she could not read anything in it.
“Miss Bennet, I did not disapprove of Bingley’s admiration for your sister. In truth, I believe she is one of the most beautiful women of my acquaintance, and with her flawless manners, I am sure she is universally admired.”
“She is,” Elizabeth replied with pride. “I am as aware of my sister’s lack of faults as I am of the fact that the rest of my family has plenty. From our situation in life to the breaches of decorum that are not rare for us.”
She expected him at least to attempt to deny it, but to her pain, he did not.
“All those were issues to consider, and they might have been the strongest inducement for Bingley’s sisters. For me, my main concern was my friend’s happiness. I did not want him to be hurt in a marriage where most of the affection lay on one side.”
Again, Elizabeth stared at him, trying to comprehend his words.
“What could you possibly mean, sir.”
“Miss Bennet, we both know that, while my young friend fell in love immediately, your sister’s heart is not easily touched. Anyone who saw them together, especially at the Netherfield ball, could observe that he was deeply enamoured while your sister received his attention with pleasure but no particular interest. I do not doubt that she would have been a loyal wife to Bingley, but in the end, both of them would have suffered, evenif secretly. A marriage with unequal affection is worse than one with no affection at all.”
“So, you separated your friend from my sister because you thought her indifferent to him?” Elizabeth enquired, almost suffocated by repressed anger and grief.
“I tried to protect him. I did not induce him to go to London, but when we were there, he asked my opinion about his situation. I honestly told him the result of my observation. Bingley left my house that day, and I have barely seen him again after that.”
She stood still, breathing hard and fighting to keep her composure.
