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“Whatever do you mean? Surely you have not allowed Lady Catherine’s misguided point of view or that of her nephew to poison you against Mr. Wickham’s character. You met him yourself and on numerous occasions. Has his behavior ever been anything other than beyond reproach?”

“I cannot personally attest to anything untoward on his part; however, there was the business of his sudden interest in Miss Mary King after she inherited her fortune. I recall receiving any number of letters from my mother on the subject. The matter of the young lady’s hasty removal from Hertfordshire continues to raise questions in people’s minds.” Charlotte reached out her hand to her friend. “I am sorry to say this, dear Eliza, knowing how much you have always liked the gentleman, but the mercenary nature of his actions in this regard combined with Lady Catherine’s admonishments as well as Mr. Darcy’s decided disdain are considerations that ought not to be ignored.”

“Charlotte, you cannot be serious! No doubt, you merely intend to vex me when you know full well what I think of that woman’s opinion, but it will not work. Since when are a young man’s hopes of furthering his chances for felicity by seeking an advantageous alliance to be likened to maliciousness? Is this practice not precisely what is expected of members of the opposite sex?” Elizabeth was too politic to point out that Charlotte had married for security, but, however unspoken, the implication was clear.

The older woman evidenced no offense. “What of Mr. Darcy’s objections? You have spent enough time in his company to discern that he is over a hundred times Wickham’s worth, and I am not speaking of the gentleman’s enormous wealth.”

“It is true that I have spent a fair amount of time in Mr. Darcy’s company. However, I had the occasion of spending a great deal of time with Mr. Wickham as well. If he was so untrustworthy as Mr. Darcy suggests, I am quite certain that such a flaw in his character would have revealed itself. Instead, I only detected good in the gentleman, and I will not allow the opinions of others to persuade me against him. He is the only person capable of doing that, and frankly I do not see how that would be possible.”

As there was no sign of yielding on either of their parts, Charlotte and Elizabeth simply agreed to disagree, concurring that their mutual admiration need not be affected by matters that were beyond their control. Having survived the inherent awkwardness of the former accepting an offer of marriage from the same man whose proposal to Elizabeth had barely grown cold, they were certain nothing would ever come between them again.

Darcy placed his hand on the small of her back. Leaning closer than propriety allowed when he turned the pages, he whispered in her ear so she might feel the brush of his breath, warm against the nape of her neck as he spoke. Such diversions pleased her well enough were he to judge by the rise and fall of her bosom. Wanting more—some repetition of all the pleasures he bestowed upon her night after night in his dreams—the desire to lift her into his arms, sweep away all impediments to his purpose, and lower her atop the finely tuned instrument nearly undid him.

I must abstain from entertaining such thoughts, especially when I am standing this close to her, breathing in subtle hints of lavender from her hair, watching her fingers stroking the keys, and enjoying the barely perceptible twist of her lips. She is a proper young lady who, notwithstanding her impertinence, knows nothing of the ways of the world. The thought that he might be the one to teach her threatened to increase his discomfort, affording evidence of his burgeoning ardor.

Elizabeth cleared her throat and thereby interrupted Mr. Darcy’s musings.

Slightly uncomfortable with the thoughts he had just entertained, he sought to cover up his disturbance. “Did you write to your father as my aunt advised?”

Having surmised that Mr. Darcy was exceedingly quiet that morning and feeling a bit flustered under the weight of his gaze, Elizabeth was relieved to have diverted him from whatever thoughts he was thinking by clearing her throat. Even talk of his aunt was a welcome reprieve from his silence. “Indeed, I have written to my father any number of times. However, I most certainly did not do so to satisfy your aunt’s demands, nor did I convey her directives.”

“Are you always so stubborn?”

“Are you always so impertinent?”

“I am afraid what you look upon as impertinence is merely my way of expressing genuine concern for the welfare of you and your family.”

“Have I asked for such consideration on your part?” Elizabeth inquired, her voice raised.

“Pray, Miss Bennet, do anything but allow your high regard for your own opinion to blind you towards my honest intentions.”

“Mr. Darcy, if you and I are to have any chance at all of mutual civility then I must insist you and I agree to disagree on all matters concerning Mr. Wickham. I know not the particulars of your grievance with the gentleman. As there are, after all, two sides to every story, I suspect Mr. Wickham has a different story to tell.”

So heavily engaged in their debate were they that neither of them noticed that Lady Catherine had strolled into the room. She moved quickly to the pianoforte.

Elizabeth rose and curtsied. “Lady Catherine.”

“Carry on as you were, young woman.” She peered at her nephew pointedly. “Darcy, I did not expect to find you here.” Glancing back at Elizabeth, she said, “Pray my nephew is not keeping you from practicing, Miss Bennet.”

“Not at all, Lady Catherine.”

“Capital. No manner of competence is possible without constant practicing. You will never truly excel in this regard as I am sure I would have. And so would my Anne if her health allowed, but I wager you shall be quite the proficient by the time you return to your father’s home.”

Speaking once more to her nephew, she inquired, “How does Georgiana get along? I trust she does not waver in that regard.”

Darcy nodded. “Georgiana practices faithfully every day.”

“That is excellent,” her ladyship cried. “It has been far too long since I bore witness to my niece’s exhibition prowess. You must tell her that I expect a lengthy recital when next we meet.”

Darcy’s eyes fell once again on Elizabeth. He wanted nothing more than time alone with her—if only his aunt would take her leave.

“Darcy, I wish to speak with you,” his noble aunt decreed.

“What is it, Lady Catherine?”

“Not here!” her ladyship exclaimed. “I would have a word with you in privacy.”

Darcy threw Elizabeth an apologetic glance; an entirely unnecessary gesture as far as Elizabeth was concerned for she was just as eager to see the nephew leave as she was the aunt. She supposed she ought to thank Lady Catherine for sparing her the burden of being in the company of the officious Mr. Darcy.