Helpless, Elizabeth could do little more than shake her head. “No more surprised than I was to receive it. Though Mr. Darcy has not said as much, I suspect he shared it because he felt it essential, both to secure my belief and to emphasize the danger Mr. Wickham presented.”
A slow nod was her father’s response, accompanied by the tapping of his fingers on the arm of the chair. “I must suppose it accomplished its purpose.”
Elizabeth nodded. “I cannot say you are incorrect. For a man such as Mr. Darcy to share such a thing reaffirms its truth—no man would spread such things about his sister unless it was both true and he deemed it absolutely essential.”
“Then that is all I need to know,” said Mr. Bennet. “Should word of Mr. Wickham’s charges gain interest in the community, we may act to discredit it. Beyond that, it is a curiosity and nothing more.”
“I hope our neighbors are sensible enough to set it aside,” said Elizabeth.
“You might hope that, Lizzy,” said Mr. Bennet, “but sense and gossip never seems to exist in tandem.”
Then Mr. Bennet turned a grin on her. “Now, Lizzy, I am curious, for our Netherfield neighbors are to join us for dinner tonight. I cannot but suppose you are anticipating it—your mother knows about Mr. Darcy’s proposal and will not hesitate to rescue the situation as she deems it.”
Elizabeth shook her head at his teasing. “Do not remind me, Papa. I regret that Lydia made me so furious that I forgot all about discretion.”
“Yes, she has that effect,” Mr. Bennet agreed. “What shall you do to deflect your mother?”
“There is little I can do,” said Elizabeth, sighing in regret. “Anything I say will only provoke her further.”
“And Mr. Darcy might prefer to provoke your mother.” Mr. Bennet nudged her hand. “From what I saw of the gentleman today, the admiration has not departed.”
Elizabeth regarded him, skeptical. “Do you suppose that a man once rejected will press his suit again?”
“All I suggest,” replied her father, this time a little pointed, “is that you remain open to the possibility.” Mr. Bennet leaned forward and took her hand. “Lizzy, your reaction to Mr. Darcy has always been intense, but I do not think you have always judged him properly.”
“You are correct, of course,” replied Elizabeth, feeling her cheeks heating. “When Mr. Darcy proposed, I leveled two charges at him, both of which have been resolved.” At Mr. Bennet’s curiosity, Elizabeth added: “The matter of Mr. Wickham and Mr. Bingley’s absence.”
“Then what do you have left to resent?” asked her father.
“Only his general incivility and his insult at the first assembly.”
“Those are concerns,” acknowledged Mr. Bennet. “The question you should ask yourself is what provoked them. There is no need to answer at once, but should Mr. Darcy stay and make his continued interest plain, you would do well to understand him better. Should Mr. Darcy renew his addresses—and I am not convinced he will not—that will be critical to your decision of whether to accept him.”
“That is good advice, Papa.”
Mr. Bennet offered her a fond smile, squeezing her hand before releasing it. “I should hope so. Give the man a chance, Lizzy—you can only gain from it.”
AS ALWAYS, MR. BENNET’Sadvice was sound. Elizabeth had no more notion of favoring Mr. Darcy than she had before, but she could not be so opposed to him in light of recent events. By the time the Netherfield party arrived for dinner that evening, Elizabeth had passed resignation into curiosity to see how Mr. Darcy behaved.
“How wonderful it is to see you returned!” exclaimed Mrs. Bennet when Mr. Bingley greeted her. “I hope your welcome has been all you expected.”
“It has,” agreed Mr. Bingley, his usual good humor displayed for all to see. “Then again, our welcome consists of this evening at Longbourn, and I am not displeased at all, I assure you.”
Mrs. Bennet’s eyes then fell on Mr. Darcy, though she did not speak at once. Elizabeth thought she understood—Mrs. Bennet had never liked Mr. Darcy and was perhaps even a little in awe of a man who was not only the grandson of an earl but had proposed to one of her daughters. Yet for Mrs. Bennet, the most important consideration was that proposal. How she should treat a man she had disdained and, perhaps more important to her mother, how to induce him to propose again, was beyond her comprehension.
It was fortunate, therefore, that Mr. Darcy intervened. “Mrs. Bennet,” said he, “if you would be so kind, I should like to introduce my sister to your acquaintance.”
Though she blinked in surprise, Mrs. Bennet recovered at once. “Of course, you must introduce her, Mr. Darcy.”
The gentleman’s feelings were not apparent at once, for he turned to the task, presenting the Bennets to his sister, then his sister to the Bennets as was proper. Mrs. Bennet exclaimed her welcome and invited her to sit nearby, engaging her in conversation. Miss Darcy said little, which Elizabeth understood as her shyness, and not the conceit Mr. Wickham had attributed to her.
One benefit to Miss Darcy’s position was that it prevented Mrs. Bennet from saying something she ought not, which was reason enough for gratitude. Mr. Darcy stayed near Mrs. Bennet and his sister, listening to the conversation but not speaking much. Miss Darcy, though she was unaccustomed to ladies of Mrs. Bennet’s character, appeared to give a good account of herself. In time, Kitty and Mary drifted closer to learn more of her, and even Lydia put her sulking aside in favor of curiosity.
Mr. Darcy appeared to believe that his sister was well entertained and in no danger, and he rose and approached Elizabeth. As she was watching for signs, Elizabeth noted the added measure of deference he appeared to show her, along with his gaze, which, though it could not be called warm, was more open than the face he usually showed to the world.
“Miss Elizabeth,” said he, bowing to her curtsey, “I wished to thank you again for your instant defense of my sister.”
“It was no trouble, Mr. Darcy,” said Elizabeth. “I knew it would be better to cast doubt on his character rather than refute his claims. If you had sworn to your sister’s innocence, it would have given rise to more gossip.”
