Page 152 of Bitterness of Spirit & The Painting

Julia took his hands in hers. “I am happy to have met you again, Will Darcy. You were quite good at the pianoforte too. Do you still play?”

Darcy fought his own tears. “No. I have not touched the instrument since she passed away.”

“Oh, how unfortunate! She used to say you had inherited your father’s good looks and sense of honour and her artistic talents.”

“She was obviously partial to me, as I surely do not deserve such praise.”

“I am sure you do. At least on your appearance, she was correct. Your honour, I do not doubt. As for your talent, I shall insist on discovering the truth one day,” she teased him.

They were already in the centre of the town, surrounded by the bustle of people walking and riding.

“Julia, do you happen to remember…while she was in Brighton…was my mother on friendly terms with your family? Yours, Mrs Crawford’s, Mrs Clarke’s? I mean… with other members of your families, not just your mother and Mrs Crawford?”

“With our families? Of course! She was a favourite of everyone and we all felt she returned our affection.”

He insisted no further. Any other enquiry would have been a betrayal of his mother’s wish and a terrible indiscretion.

“Well, we are here,” she said and only then he noticed the carriage had stopped.

“Thank you for keeping me company,” he said while helping her out of the carriage. “You cannot imagine how much comfort you offered me, Julia.”

“It was mutual, I assure you,” Julia replied. “But this is not goodbye, I hope? I look forward to seeing you again at home.”

“Of course,” he answered. She offered him her hand and he brought it to his lips briefly, then she entered the shop, and he untied his horse and mounted.

∞∞∞

Bingley’s call so early and so soon after the previous one at Mrs Crawford’s, surprised and delighted Jane exceedingly, and it pleased her sisters and aunt. Any doubts they might have had about the gentleman’s feelings and intentions were slowly vanishing.

Due to the unsettled weather, Elizabeth, Jane and Mary had planned to journey into Brighton and to call on Colonel Forster, to check on Lydia and Kitty.

“If I may be of any help to you, ladies, I would gladly escort you,” Bingley immediately offered. “To be perfectly honest, the moment I found out the regiment was here, I intended to call on Colonel Forster too.”

“How kind of you, sir,” Mrs Gardiner answered, while Jane blushed and Elizabeth smiled. “Mr Bingley, I confess that I would feel much relieved if my nieces were not alone in a strange town, but under the protection of a trustworthy acquaintance. If it is not too much trouble for you of course.”

“Trouble? Not at all. It is my pleasure, I assure you. As I said yesterday, I have no fixed plans, so I am at your disposal whenever you need me.”

“Excellent,” the lady agreed, to everyone’s acquiescence. Therefore, with the three Bennet sisters on one bench and Mr Bingley sitting opposite them, the carriage headed for Brighton.

The first stop was the colonel’s house, where they were gladly received. Bingley’s presence was much appreciated by the colonel, and only minutes passed until Mrs Forster insisted on him attending their ball too.

“I am very grateful for the invitation, madam, and I will gladly accept it as soon as I consult with Darcy too. I am here at his invitation and I must see if he has other plans.”

“Mr Darcy? It was an honour to meet him in Hertfordshire and I would very much enjoy seeing him again,” the colonel answered.

“And of course, Mr Darcy is invited to the ball too!” Mrs Forster interjected.

“I will tell him, of course, although I know he is not fond of balls,” Bingley said.

“We planned to go for a walk, as soon as we finished our tea,” Mrs Forster continued. “Would you like to join us? The more, the merrier.”

Bingley was happy with any opportunity to be in Jane’s company as much as possible, so when the Bennet sisters accepted, he readily supported them.

After some more tea and drinks for the gentlemen, the large party headed towards the park, which was already full of people.

As Elizabeth feared, they soon met another group of officers and Wickham was among them. She was tempted to shorten their walk, but Jane and Mr Bingley looked so happy together that she reconciled herself to the company of Wickham, who was now at her side.

He spoke much and she responded only shortly. He even mentioned Darcy’s name several times, and she was uncertain if he had actually seen Darcy or only heard about his presence in Brighton. But she refused to enquire and to engage further in that conversation. As they were walking along the main street, Elizabeth suddenly held her breath as she spotted the very subject of her reflections.