Page 45

“That is true.”

Darcy’s quill paused and he turned his head to watch the next salvo in the battle between Miss Elizabeth and Miss Bingley.

“How long were you absent?”

Between different people, and with a different tone, this was an innocuous question. But here the intent was anything but innocuous.

“Several years.”

“How many years?”

Darcy knew that when Miss Elizabeth carefully placed her bookmark and closed her book it was not a good sign. He snorted, internally of course, at his hubris, as it was based on one other evening. Hardly much of a sample.

“Does it matter? I am here now and did not know you five weeks ago.”

“You seem to be very secretive about it. Do you have something to hide?”

Darcy’s head whipped round to Bingley, he needed to stop this now. But he was not even paying attention, his focus still on Miss Bennet.

“It is not a secret, merely a family matter.”

Darcy watched Miss Bingley’s face. There was no mask on earth that could hide her malicious smirk.

“Are you missing your uncle? After all you” pause “lived with him” another pause “for four years.”

Darcy had to stop himself rising to his feet. For gentlemen to speak thus would have resulted in a duel, regardless of the topic or that duelling was illegal. This was the rudest thing Darcy had ever heard with his own ears. And what Caroline Bingley was implying was disgusting. Bingley had to do something. But before anything could be said Miss Elizabeth rose to her feet. Darcy had never seen a woman hit another but he suspected that was about to change. He watched in astonishment as Miss Elizabeth performed an elaborate court courtesy in front of Miss Bingley.

“I had not realised that we were in the presence of royalty.”

Darcy knew Miss Elizabeth was intelligent and well-read but once again she had managed to confuse him with her response.

“What do you mean?”

Caroline Bingley was equally confused.

“I had not realised that the Hapsburgs were in exile in Great Britain. After all, only they would think of acting in such a disgusting manner. Although I expect they have better manners than to imply it out loud.”

Darcy watched Caroline Bingley try to fathom how to respond. He was not sure he could have formed a cogent reply either.

“And such prominent Catholics as well. Mayhap, are you an agent of a foreign power? The self-styled Henri IX finally died only four years ago. To whom do you owe your allegiance?”

Darcy’s stoic resolve finally gave in, he too gasped. Caroline Bingley had implied Miss Elizabeth had engaged in incest with her uncle but her response was to accuse Miss Bingley of treason, supporting the Jacobite cause in Hanoverian Britain.

“I am as English as you. How dare you accuse me of such things.”

Elizabeth looked at Bingley but it was clear he had no control over his sister and would say nothing. She looked at her own sister staring at her with a shocked expression. When she looked at Darcy she could not read his expression but he held her gaze. With a brief nod to Darcy Elizabeth quietly left the room. Once in her own chambers she quickly called for Claire.

“Go and find Robert, I would like to talk to you both.”

10 minutes later the three of them were in Elizabeth’s bedroom. She recounted the evening, a task of not many minutes as there were long stretches where nothing significant happened. The last 15 minutes of the evening were the key ones.

“She really accused you of, I mean of….”

Saving them all from saying it out loud Elizabeth nodded.

“She was careful in her phrasing but there was a significant pause, and a malicious smirk, both before and after the phrase ‘lived with him’.”

Robert laughed, a low rumbling sound.