Page 140 of A Most Unwelcome Acquaintance

“I had no cause.”

“You would have looked until you found one.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth, then closed it. Mary had no reputation for wit, which made the remark more effective. “You take pleasure in this.”

“No. I know what it is to have judgment fixed before one has finished speaking.”

The words stopped Elizabeth. Mary’s solemnity, her music, and her desire to instruct had made her an easy object of family amusement. Elizabeth had joined that amusement with affection and seldom malice, but affection did not prevent carelessness.

“I am sorry,” she said.

Mary looked down at the cups. “For Mr. Darcy?”

“For you.”

A flush rose in Mary’s face. “That was not my purpose.”

“No, which may be why it deserves saying.”

Mary adjusted her hold on the tray. “Then I accept it.”

She carried the cups toward the kitchen before Elizabeth could answer. The restraint annoyed Elizabeth more than a lecture would have because Mary had given her nothing to argue against.

She went to the library and found Bennet in his chair, a book open but his attention on the window. He looked over the page.

“Have you come to improve my understanding of the afternoon?”

“Mary has done enough improving for one household.”

“A sentence I never expected to hear.”

Elizabeth took the chair opposite him. “Did you believe Mr. Darcy?”

Bennet closed the book around one finger. “Which part?”

“His defense of us.”

“A man does not quarrel with a woman like Lady Catherine for amusement. At least, no sensible man does.”

“That was not my question.”

“No. It was a request that I tell you whether his words came from conviction.” Bennet studied her. “They did.”

“You sound certain.”

“I watched him choose the harder answer when an easier one was available. He might have soothed his aunt by admitting that our family embarrasses him, defended you while sacrificing the rest of us, or dismissed Kitty as foolish and preserved half his dignity. Instead, he stood beside the whole untidy collection.”

Elizabeth folded her hands. “That does not erase what he thought before.”

“No. Did he ask you to erase it?”

“He apologized in every fashion except using the word.”

“Some men find conduct easier than speech.”

“Mr. Darcy does not appear to find speech difficult when correcting others.”

Bennet smiled. “Then perhaps his correction of himself deserves notice.”