Page 95 of A Most Unwelcome Acquaintance

“But his failure to give a proper warning does not prove that the warning is false.”

Elizabeth turned back to the window. Darcy and her father were no longer visible.

“You are determined to rescue him from his own conduct.”

“No. I am separating the conduct from the claim.”

“While Kitty waits for us to decide which part matters.”

“Both parts matter.” Mary’s voice remained calm. “If Mr. Darcy is wrong, any suspicion may injure Mr. Wickham. If he is right, rejecting the warning because we dislike his manner may injure Kitty.”

Elizabeth had known that in the field, which was why Darcy’s silence angered her. He placed the burden of his knowledge upon them while keeping control of that knowledge.

“He leaves everyone else to bear the consequences,” she said. “The shopkeepers must decide whether to expose themselves. Papa has to restrain Kitty, and she endures suspicion without knowing why.”

Mr. Darcy protects himself and those who trusted him while the rest of us act in the dark.”

Mary looked down at the passage she was copying. “Mr. Darcy may be right, even though it is inconvenient.”

“Inconvenient to whom?”

“To everyone, it would seem.”

Elizabeth almost laughed, but the sound did not come. “Does that make it admirable?”

“No. It makes it costly.”

Footsteps sounded in the passage, and Kitty entered without knocking. Her eyes moved from Elizabeth to Mary, then to the books on the table.

“Mama says Papa is speaking with Mr. Darcy.”

Elizabeth said nothing.

Kitty’s face sharpened. “Is it about Mr. Wickham?”

Mary closed her book.

“Why should you think so?” Elizabeth asked.

“Because Lydia said Mr. Darcy looked at you when she mentioned the note.”

“Lydia notices more than she understands.”

“And you understand everything?”

“No.” Elizabeth kept her voice even. “That is the difficulty.”

Kitty stood near the door, one hand gripping the edge of her sleeve. “Mr. Darcy hates him. Everyone knows it.”

“Everyone knows they dislike each other, which is different.”

“If Mr. Darcy has said something against him, Papa will forbid us to see the officers.”

“Papa will decide what is reasonable.”

“Reasonable for whom?” Kitty asked.

The question was close enough to Elizabeth’s own complaint to bother her. Without waiting for an answer, Kitty left, shutting the door behind her.