It was not the literal truth, but as Mr. Darcy had appealed to Colonel Fitzwilliam’s testimony, Elizabeth felt comfortable invoking his name.
“Lydia will not like that. She thinks that Mr. Darcy denied Mr. Wickham his due.”
“That concerns me not a jot,” replied Elizabeth. “I mean to say nothing to Lydia. Instead, I shall concentrate on Mr. Wickham.”
Kitty regarded her with hope in her eyes. “Then you do mean to act against him.”
“I do,” agreed Elizabeth. “But I must ponder the best way to do it. Mr. Wickham is too well-liked in the neighborhood to speak against him and expect our neighbors to give over their opinions. It must be done with delicacy.”
“What did you learn of him, Lizzy?”
“Enough to render us all wary of him,” was Elizabeth’s firm reply. “Mr. Wickham is a debtor, a gamester, and he is too free with his behavior toward ladies. For the moment, that is enough.”
A spark entered Kitty’s eye, a hint of determination Elizabeth had not often seen in her sister, as fretful as she could often be. “Then I shall ensure that Lydia remains safe from Mr. Wickham. Should I see anything untoward, I will inform you, and I will stay close to Lydia.”
“That would be for the best,” said Elizabeth with a warm smile. “I mean to move quickly, but I will not be reckless.”
Kitty nodded and excused herself, leaving Elizabeth to contemplate the surprise. Of all her sisters, to be aligned with Kitty in the conspiracy—for want of a better term—to protect their sister and expose Mr. Wickham was not what she had expected. Then again, she had never expected Kitty to be the one who would see through Elizabeth’s cautious comments either. It appeared strange events were afoot.
With a sigh, Elizabeth blew out her candle and slipped under the counterpane, determined to push thoughts of Mr. Wickham to the side. Deciding to do so was not the same as succeeding, and that resulted in Elizabeth lying awake for some time, considering what she might do to deal with the officer shewas certain presented a danger to her family. It was some time before she fell into a restless slumber, and even when she did, she was plagued with night terrors, awaking several times with thoughts of the situation still rolling through her head.
THE SITUATION WITHMiss Bennet, Bingley, Miss Elizabeth, and all that had occurred in Hertfordshire consumed Darcy’s thoughts in the days after he returned from Kent.
The first question for Darcy was whether Miss Elizabeth had been telling the truth about her sister and Bingley. While some might suggest that she had a motive for lying, Darcy had the firmest confidence in Miss Elizabeth’s integrity. If she said her sister had suffered from Bingley’s withdrawal, then Darcy had no choice but to believe she spoke the absolute truth. This part of Darcy’s rumination consumed very little time, allowing him to move on to the next point.
That was, of course, the business of Bingley and Miss Bennet and what he ought to do about it. That Bingley had been as infatuated with Miss Bennet as he had ever seen was a consideration, and Bingley’s continued low spirits suggested he was far more affected by Jane Bennet than he had been by any other young woman he met since Darcy had known him. The question then became whether Darcy was justified in keeping it from him.
Darcy had not known Miss Bennet was in town—not until several weeks after she had visited Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. It was not Darcy’s practice to visit Bingley’s house much, for he had long been accustomed to avoiding Miss Bingley whenever possible—his interactions with Bingley were usually conducted at Darcy’s house, the club, or in other locations where he could be assured of avoiding Miss Bingley’s presence. As their social circles overlapped to a certain extent—a function of Darcy’sfriendship with Bingley and the acceptance he had found because of it—Darcy most often saw Miss Bingley at various events, or when she presumed to visit Georgiana. This was a presumption, indeed, because his sister was not yet out, but Darcy had allowed it in deference to Bingley’s feelings. It was during one of these occasions that Miss Bingley had informed him of Miss Bennet’s presence.
“I have something to tell you, Mr. Darcy,” the woman had said, stepping away from Georgiana and Mrs. Hurst, who were still conversing.
“Yes, Miss Bingley?” asked Darcy, plastering an expression of polite interest on his face. Any more and she would take it as a sign of welcome, one that he did not intend.
“We had a most unwelcome visitor.”
“Oh?” asked Darcy.
“Miss Jane Bennet.”
It was, Darcy thought, not unexpected. Jane Bennet was a reticent and well-behaved young woman, but he would put nothing past her mother when it pertained to the pursuit of a man who could improve her place in the world.
“That is interesting,” said Darcy, considering the implications. “Are all her family in town?”
Miss Bingley made a guttural snort of disgust in the back of her throat as she often did when considering something distasteful. “No, she is staying in London with hertradesmanuncle. According to Jane, her aunt was to come to that part of town, so she took the opportunity to visitold friends.”
The tone was calculated to convey what she thought of Miss Bennet, her relations, and the supposed friendship between them. Darcy ignored her mention of tradesmen, for to call her on it would have been far too obvious, and Darcy cared nothing for her opinion. Tradesmen were not all reprehensible, as Bingley proved, and the only thing that Darcy knew about the man wasthat Mrs. Bennet was his sister. While that might seem to indict him, Darcy had only to consider the differences between his uncle, the earl, and Lady Catherine to know that siblings could have completely distinct characters.
“The utter effrontery is beyond the pale,” continued Miss Bingley, not noticing Darcy’s introspection.
“That is curious, Miss Bingley,” said Darcy, considering her. “As I recall, did you not profess friendship to Miss Bennet?”
“That is not the point, Mr. Darcy.”
“That is exactly the point. Since you expressed friendship for her, it is only good manners to visit a friend when one is in a position to do so.”
Miss Bingley regarded him as if trying to make him out. “Do you suggest I should receive her with open arms, allow her to sink her claws into my brother again?”
“I suggest nothing, Miss Bingley,” replied Darcy. “All I said was that you should not be surprised when a woman you called a friend visited you. If you do not mean to continue the friendship, it is your responsibility to inform herbeforeshe visits. That is the proper way to go about terminating a friendship.”
