Chapter 10

Library

Netherfield Park

Two Hours Later

Netherfield's library was a spacious and well-appointed room, filled as it was with comfortable leather chairs and small tables and nooks for sitting and crannies for candles and a massive fireplace. It was only the shelves themselves that were sparse, wearing a furry layer of dust where books should be. Darcy looked them over with disapprobation as he browsed the titles. One collection of Shakespeare's sonnets, one anthology of his plays, one of just the tragedies. A brown leather Marlowe. A book on cow husbandry and a treatise on crops. A copy of Newton's Principia in Latin.

It was this last that he picked up, carrying it over to one of the half-hidden chairs near the back of the room. He sank down on the soft brown leather and opened the book, hand settling on one crisp page as he started reading. But it could not hold his focus, and he found his attention wandering. He leaned back in the chair to look out the far window, dwelling pensively on the past few days.

Jane Bennet's lovely face rose in his mind, and he frowned slightly. He found her … puzzling and surprising. Her distant courtesy was not what he had come to expect from the women to whom he directed his attentions. Instead of pursuing the wealthy master of Pemberley, Miss Bennet maintained her focus on Bingley, gravitating towards him at every opportunity, at dances and dinner parties and card parties and social calls.

Darcy had overheard Mrs. Long and Lady Lucas talking together about his wealth, about Pemberley, and about his connections. He had heard them speaking to Mrs. Bennet, also, and he was well aware of how gossip traveled through a small town. If anything, his eligibility had grown in the retelling, not shrunk. It could not be, then, that Miss Bennet was unaware of his advantages, and he was reluctantly coming to the conclusion that she was truly fond of his friend. It was an unusual thing, still, to view marriage as a union of mutual respect and affection, rather than a chance to advance one's own personal fortunes and standing.

He was aware, also, of the entail on Longbourn. It only made Miss Bennet's marked lack of encouragement towards him the more remarkable. Her integrity must indeed be as strong as her affection for Bingley for her to dismiss his decidedly more eligible self in favor of his amiable but less wealthy friend. Darcy found himself, rather against his will, impressed by the caliber of her character so far.

As was all too common these days, his mind shifted to Miss Bennet's next younger sister. Miss Elizabeth was not as classically beautiful as her elder sister, but she had a certain piquant loveliness that was entirely charming. It was her wit and her cleverness that had captured his attention, however, and her kindness which had held it. She was, he admitted to himself, a delightful young woman. It was a pity her family, though genteel, was so poorly connected. As the nephew of an earl, he owed it to his family to look higher for a bride than a country squire's daughter, no matter how enticing she might be.

The door opened, distracting him, and he cringed as soft steps approached his hiding place. The person moving his way was too light to be Bingley, which meant it was probably Miss Bingley who was hunting him down.

His entire body relaxed, and he smiled when Georgiana appeared around the corner.

"Georgiana!" he said. "I thought you were in the midst of a French lesson!"

"I finished a few minutes ago," the girl replied, and now that he was paying attention, he could see that she was flushed with embarrassment.

"Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"No. It is just ... I have a question for you, but it is perhaps a trifle indelicate, but..."

She trailed off, and he gestured to the chair next to his own. "Sit down, my dear, and tell me what is bothering you."

She did so, her brow wrinkled, and for a moment the pair sat in silence. Darcy knew that his sister was a shy creature and often needed time to bring up anything uncomfortable, so he waited patiently.

"Are you ... is it possible that you are interested in marrying Miss Jane Bennet?" Georgiana finally blurted.

This was so shocking that Darcy felt his mouth drop open, and it took him a full ten seconds to sputter, "My dear girl, no! Why would you think such a thing? I hardly know her!"

Georgiana openly relaxed at these words, but her brow remained furrowed. "If you are not interested in her, why did you ask her for the first two dances at the ball?"

Darcy blinked, cogitated, and then said, "Why should I not? She is a handsome, well-bred lady, Miss Bennet."

"Yes, but you told me that you deliberately never dance the first set with a lady when in London for fear of raising expectations."

"Yes, but this is not Town, and the people here will not expect anything if I dance with a local lady. Indeed, it is, I hope, a compliment to the area that I am dancing with Miss Bennet."

He had, he thought, managed quite well and thus was startled when Georgiana's face turned bright red and she blurted, "How can you act in such a way with a lady whom Mr. Bingley is obviously interested in? Is he not your friend?"

He stared at her, appalled. "Of course he is!"

"But he likes her so much, and I saw the way Miss Bennet looked at him when you asked for the first dance. It seems so ... unkind ... to pay attention to the most beautiful woman in the area when Mr. Bingley had already shown his interest!"

"I am doing it for him," Darcy said hastily and then winced. He had not meant to say that to his sister, and based on her expression, she was profoundly shocked.

"Whatever do you mean, Brother?"

Darcy blew out a breath, leaned back in his chair, and said, "You are correct, Mr. Bingley is very interested in Miss Bennet, but he has been ‘in love' with other blonde, blue-eyed ladies before. Bingley is an earnest, genuine man, and he wishes to marry a woman who is genuinely fond of him, not his money. For a few years now, when I have had the opportunity, I have helped Bingley determine the true nature of his angels' affections by paying attention to them to see if they will transfer their interest to me, as I am wealthier and better connected. In the past, every single woman whom I have honored with some regard has moved her pursuit from Bingley to me."

Georgiana was obviously shocked now, her blue eyes wide with incredulity. "Is that, pardon me, but ... oh brother, is it truly just to lead on another woman in such a way?"

He stared at her with equal shock, and yes, anger. How could she accuse him of dishonorable behavior?

His sister's eyes filled with tears, and she looked away, cringing slightly, obviously aware of his indignation. He reached out in contrition and took her hands in his own.

"My apologies, my dear," he said solemnly. "That is a reasonable question. I ... well, I would like to explain the situation to you, but you must not tell anyone else about it."

"Of course I will not," Georgiana replied, her eyes still averted.

He blew out a breath, released her hands, and leaned back.

"I doubt you remember when our mother died, as you were but four years of age."

Georgiana looked at him now, her brow scrunched. "I do not have any distinct memories, but from my youth, I recall sorrow at Pemberley."

"Yes. Our parents loved one another, and Mother's death broke our father's heart. He especially struggled the year of her death, and that was a bad year in that there was a hard winter, followed by a drought, and the tenants' farms did not produce good yields. Father was a diligent and loyal master of the estate, and he willingly emptied the coffers of Pemberley to help the tenants with food and the like. It left him rather low on funds, and he was eager to replenish the Darcy savings."

He paused, and Georgiana, who was now staring at him intently, prompted, "And?"

"A friend of his, the Earl of Prestbury, suggested an investment which Prestbury assured Father would produce great yields in short order. Father was on the cusp of investing when the elder Mr. Bingley, whom Father knew only slightly at the time, visited Darcy House and warned that the investment was not a safe one. Mr. Bingley's reasoning was cogent, and Father decided not to invest. Within a year, the entire scheme had collapsed, and all the investors lost their money."

"Oh my!"

"Yes. Pemberley would not have been impoverished, but it would have caused significant problems if that money had been lost. Thus, our father felt obligated to the elder Mr. Bingley, and when I was old enough to enter society, Father instructed me to assist young Mr. Bingley. I have carried that obligation for many years, though it has been no great struggle; I consider Charles Bingley to be one of the most amiable and comfortable men of my acquaintance."

"He is indeed a very pleasant man," Georgiana agreed, "but I am still puzzled about Miss Bennet. You are saying that..."

"I am saying that Bingley is a wealthy man and thus attractive to many a young woman in want of a rich husband. He asked me some years ago to help him determine whether a woman truly cared for him or only for his wealth."

"And you do not think you are leading these ladies on in any way, Brother?" Georgiana asked timidly.

"I do not. I am not, as you know, easy in company, and am far less charming than Bingley or…"

He trailed off and Georgiana flushed and said, "Or Wickham."

"Yes," her brother agreed soberly. "Both Bingley and Wickham have more charm in their little fingers than I have in my whole body. I have had to approach my interactions with the fair sex as I do a math textbook. I have learned to speak courteously, and to smile, and to dance well, but it does not come naturally to me. If I were as magnetic as George Wickham, I would feel less at ease in assisting my friend, but I know I am not. I am, in fact, quite awkward, and I think it would be a peculiar lady who would not prefer me over Bingley if it were not for the disparity in fortune and rank."

"Fitzwilliam! Surely you do not mean that! You are a wonderful man, honorable and intelligent, and so very kind to me. There must be scores of women who appreciate you, not because of the Darcy riches, but because you are an excellent gentleman."

"Thank you," Darcy replied and reached over to embrace the girl. "You are most generous. In truth, I have not always been a sufficiently diligent brother, and I know that."

"Ramsgate was not your fault," Georgiana said and gulped, her eyes shiny with tears. "It was mine."

"I should have warned you about Wickham's predilections, and I should have more thoroughly checked Mrs. Younge's references. I had no idea that she and Wickham were in league with another. But I do not wish to stray from the discussion at hand. I know that I appear reserved and overly fastidious, and my manners, although well bred, are not inviting. Bingley is sure of being liked wherever he appears, whereas I often, and unintentionally, give offense. No, my dear, I am confident that in the past I have done Bingley a great service. The ladies who have promptly transferred their attention from my friend to me have doubtless done so because of their desire for wealth and connections. So far I am inclined to believe that Miss Bennet is different, though. She has always been courteous to me, but has shown no sign of wishing to fix my interests."

"I am glad," Georgiana said simply. "I like her and her younger sisters too."

Darcy's imagination flashed instantly to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, with her fine eyes and graceful form and clever speech.

"I like them as well, Georgiana."