Page 90 of Master of Himself

“No, indeed, Mr Bingley,” Miss Elizabeth said. “We have come with Mr Darcy and are waiting for him to rejoin us.”

Lockhart’s voice calling out to the fretting horses recalled Charles to his senses; in his zeal to speak with Jane, he’d forgotten that his valet had accompanied him and still awaited in the chaise. However, after being separated from his angel this past sennight, he refused to part from her again and instructed his driver to proceed to Netherfield without him.

Sensing that something had gone amiss in his absence, he engaged the ladies in polite conversation until Darcy emerged from the butcher shop and shook his hand.

“Welcome back, Charles. I suppose I must now relinquish my brief role as master of Netherfield to you,” Darcy said with a smirk.

Everyone laughed at his joke, putting them all at ease, and Charles offered his arm to Jane. “If my friend will convey your sisters to Longbourn, Miss Bennet, I hope you’ll allow me to walk you home.”

She offered a tremulous smile.

“You may rely on me, Charles,” Darcy said, then whistled for his driver.

After seeing them off, he escorted Jane through the village towards the lane. “You can’t imagine how glad I am to see you again.”

“You must allow me to thank you for your role in saving my sister, Mr Bingley. In truth, all of my sisters.”

“How could I have done any less, Miss Bennet? You must know that I would do anything to prevent any harm from befalling them.”

“Would that Mr Collins shared your loyalty,” she said.

Her troubled air gave him pause. “Why? What has he done?”

Charles listened in silence as she revealed the turmoil that had erupted at Longbourn on the night of Lydia’s disappearance. His heart clenched at her pallor, tremulous voice, and flowing tears. Never having witnessed her in such a state, he stopped walking and held her hands as she recounted the parson’s sanctimonious tirade and her father’s bitter retaliation. If that betrayal were not enough, Collins had also repeated the story at Lucas Lodge, which was then circulated throughout the community, leaving the Bennets in disgrace.

“One might suppose that a clergyman might have better things to do than to deliberately spread malicious slander about his nearest relations,” he said in disgust.

This response proved particularly unhelpful when Jane dissolved into sobs. He held her in his arms and seethed with contempt for the man who had harmed his angel. Charles had never intentionally insulted another man in his life, but if he ever encountered the parson again, he wouldn’t hesitate to give him the cut direct. Though not prone to violence, but he might even land a facer on such a villain.

“Come now, all is not lost,” he said, dabbing her tears with his handkerchief. “Darcy and I will never abandon you and your family.”

She nodded, offering a tearful smile. “Mr Darcy and Lizzy are courting.”

This news came as a surprise to Charles. “Courting? I thought they would be engaged by now.”

“No, my father wouldn’t consent to a betrothal so soon after Lydia’s scandal.”

Charles bristled at this injustice. Under no circumstances would he agree to this constraint. “Well, he’ll not deny me,” he said in a commanding tone. “You’re of age, so we needn’t delay our happiness on Lydia’s account.”

She stared agape as he dropped to one knee. “Miss Bennet, I have loved you since the first moment of our acquaintance. Being separated from you this past sennight has been unbearable. Please do me the honour of accepting my hand.”

Tears lingered on her lashes. “Are you certain, Mr Bingley? My family is quite ruined.”

He stood and gazed into her eyes. “You can’t suppose me so fickle that I would abandon you because your sister made herself the subject of gossip. My own sisters are a continuous source of embarrassment to me, but we need not allow them to come between us.”

“Your sisters are quite convinced that you intend to marry Miss Darcy.”

“What’s this?” he inquired, to which she entered into a tearful rendition of a despicable letter she had received from Caroline, claiming that he had long intended to marry Darcy’s sister.

Groaning at his sister’s blatant interference, he pulled Jane closer. “I readily confess that I have considered myself in love many times before, but certainly never with Miss Darcy. I now realise that those were merely infatuations and not the true abiding affection I have for you.”

She released a soft sigh. “I love you, too, Mr Bingley. You have made me the happiest creature in the world.”

Finally free of all restraint and obstacles, he wrapped his arms around his angel and kissed her with abandon. Nothing and no one would ever separate them again.

Chapter 27

Late Monday