Page 78 of The Mistress of All & Torn

“Oh no, I did not mean that! Not at all!” he cried.

“Lady Barrington, I trust we all agree that we want to be nowhere else except here for the time being. My sister and I would be exceedingly happy to welcome all of you at Pemberley as soon as circumstances allow it. Please do not think otherwise, not for a moment,” Darcy addressed Elizabeth, his voice grave but warm.

She nodded silently. “I know. This is precisely why I feel as much regret as gratitude.”

“I dare suggest your ladyship puts both regrets and gratitude aside,” Darcy concluded, and she nodded again with a resigned smile.

She felt foolish, embarrassed. It had been a lovely evening, and she had ruined it again with her dark thoughts. She had even upset Bingley, who now appeared to have replaced his joy with nervousness.

“I heard Bingley’s estate is quite charming too,” the colonel intervened to break the awkward moment.

“Netherfield is beautiful,” Jane hastily answered. “We are very eager to return there soon.”

“It is close to your father’s estate, I understand,” the colonel continued. Carefully, he turned the conversation to comfortable subjects and Bingley quickly regained his usual spirits, pleased to speak about the place where he had found happiness.

The colonel’s partiality towards Elizabeth was apparent to Darcy, despite his cousin’s guarded manners. He could not avoid examining Robert’s interactions with Elizabeth—just as had happened in Kent. Even under the current, delicate circumstances, the friendship between them had been immediately reestablished. He was pleased to see Elizabeth less troubled, but he could not deny that the claw of jealousy gripped his chest.

“What do you think, Darcy?”

“What? Excuse me, Bingley. can you repeat the question?”

“We were talking about returning to Hertfordshire. Since you and Georgiana could not return to Pemberley, perhaps a fortnight in the countryside would be a little compensation? We would be delighted to host you at Netherfield.”

He was taken by surprise and needed a moment to compose himself. Considering the rumours that were circulating, he preferred to keep some distance from Elizabeth, in order to protect her from gossip.

“If my presence is needed, of course I will come,” he answered.

Before she had time to ponder her words, Elizabeth heard herself speaking.

“Your presence is not needed, but much desired, Mr. Darcy. Mr. Bingley wished to invite you and Miss Darcy as friends. Of course, Colonel Fitzwilliam is most welcome too.”

Darcy gazed at her with a slight frown, trying to comprehend her words properly, then he looked at his sister.

“Unfortunately, I must return to my regiment the day after tomorrow and will remain there for the next two months,” the colonel said.

“I would like to go, if my brother agrees,” Georgiana answered.

“Excellent! So what do you say, Darcy?”

“We are grateful for the invitation. My sister and I will discuss it and let you know.”

Bingley was ready to insist but Elizabeth threw him a quick glare.

“It was Darcy that convinced me to choose Netherfield! Little did he know that by renting that house, I would lose my heart and find my forever happiness,” Bingley declared.

“Well, you do not look lost at all, my friend; quite the opposite,” the colonel teased him. “Darcy has always had a good eye for property. On matters of the heart—not so much.”

Darcy glanced at Elizabeth again then turned to his cousin. “As you say, each of us may be proficient in one matter, but not in all.”

“True. A perfect man would be annoying,” the colonel concluded.

After dinner, they all moved to the drawing-room. There was no separation, only drinks enjoyed together.

And then, their hopes were rewarded by Cece and Georgiana Darcy playing together.

Elizabeth sat on one sofa with the colonel next to her, and the Bingleys on another. Darcy was sitting on an armchair.

As the ladies began their entrancing performance, recollections invaded Elizabeth again, so powerful that her eyes moistened. She remembered that very moment when she had listened to Cece playing for the first time and reflected that only Miss Darcy’s talent could compare. At that time, she had assumed that Cece and Georgiana would never meet, and playing together was unthinkable. Once more she had been wrong in her assumptions. In front of her, the most unlikely sight was unfolding in perfect harmony. Two young women of stunning beauty and amazing talent—one blonde with bright blue eyes, from one of the oldest British families, the other one with dark skin and dark eyes, with no family—bonded by their talent and by the superior understanding and character of a remarkable man. The man whose worthiness she discovered more of every day, who granted her his affection although she did not feel she deserved it and whose love—once rejected—she was now yearning for, without admitting it even to herself.