THREE

Two more days passed without mention of the Bennet name, though Elizabeth's image was always present in Darcy's mind. Christmas was only a week away, and Georgiana was busy preparing the gifts for the servants for Boxing Day. Those for Pemberley had been sent the week before. It was a custom inherited from their parents: every year, on Boxing Day, the servants were given some monetary bonus together with a gift. Presents were offered to the tenants' children too, and the tradition was carried on each year.

On the third day after the fortuitous meeting, Darcy received a note from Miss Bingley that made him roll his eyes.

Mr Darcy,

We desperately need your help. It seems Jane Bennet is in London, and she has informed me she will come to visit today at noon. I cannot allow Charles to meet her and ruin our hard work. Therefore, I told my brother that you called yesterday asking for him and that you are expecting him today at twelve o'clock. I beg you to keep him busy for at least two hours. I intend to keep Miss Bennet's visit to under half an hour, but I need some additional time in any case.

I am counting on your support, as always.

C.B.

Those few words irritated Darcy exceedingly. Miss Bingley's audacity was outrageous, and he realised it was his previous actions that had induced that woman to believe they were partners in lies and deceptions.

His first response in anger was to reply and disagree with the scheme. However, that would probably only inspire the woman to conceive another lie.

Darcy was still convinced that marrying Miss Bennet would be a mistake for Bingley. That the young woman's feelings did not match his friend's. He would still strongly advise Bingley against such a step. But to create a web of deception behind his back was appalling and dishonourable, and Darcy could not be part of it.

He put the note aside, reflecting on how he would act further.

Later on, Darcy was surprised by an unexpected visit from his aunt Lady Matlock asking for Georgiana.

"I cannot stay long — I am just returning from the dressmaker. She finally finished my gowns for the New Year dinner party. Georgiana dearest, I received the pleasant news that Mrs Gardiner and her nieces will come and call on me today. Apparently, they have other business in the neighbourhood. I intend to keep them for at least a cup of tea and find out more about them. I have reason to believe I might gather some interesting details. Would you like to come?"

"Of course, if Fitzwilliam does not mind."

"Fitzwilliam might join us too if he is desirous of seeing the ladies. However, I have reason to believe he is not eager about such an encounter. Am I wrong, Nephew?"

"I have another engagement, but of course, I do not mind Georgiana visiting you at any time or for any reason, Aunt," Darcy answered with no little emotion. It was precisely what he feared. Furthermore, he understood his aunt's meaning and what sort of interesting details she hoped to discover. If only the colonel did not have such a big mouth.

Lady Matlock rested for a little while, but just as she was ready to leave, the door opened and Bingley entered. He stopped, bowed to the lady, and apologised for almost bumping into her.

"Mr Bingley — what a lovely surprise, sir! I have not seen you since the spring. How are you, young man? As handsome as ever!"

"Lady Matlock, I am honoured to see you! I am reasonably well."

"I heard that you rented an estate. You must tell me one of these days how you like being a landlord."

"Oh…I could not say…I only rented the place in September, and I am not sure whether I shall return there."

"Really? Such a pity. I assume you were displeased with the property? Or with the neighbourhood?"

"No. Not at all…in fact, it was quite the opposite. But there were some circumstances that altered my plans."

Bingley looked troubled, and Darcy wondered where his aunt would take the conversation. Surely, she could not simply inform Bingley about the Bennets' presence in town!

"How intriguing. Unfortunately, I cannot stay as I have an appointment. But I might ask you to come and have a little chat with me sometime soon. That is, if you do not have anything better to do than visit an old lady."

"Oh no. I shall come at any time you wish. I would be honoured to talk to your ladyship. I just never assumed you would have any interest in discussing anything with me."

"I am always interested in you. You seem to be a worthy young man, and I know how much my nephew values your friendship, so your happiness is my concern. I hope you do not mind."

"Oh no, not at all. Quite the opposite."

"I am glad to hear that. Georgiana dear, I shall expect you in half an hour."

The strange conversation left Bingley puzzled and speechless, and Darcy could not blame him. Lady Matlock had met him several times previously but had never spoken more than a few polite words to him.

Lady Matlock's interest was upsetting for Darcy too; his aunt had the same tendency to intrude where it was not her business as Lady Catherine, only she usually did it with more consideration. But the intrusion remained, and the effects could be painful.

Georgiana stayed with them for a little while, talking to Bingley. Then, together with Mrs Annesley, she left for the Matlocks' house, and only then could Darcy open a private conversation with his friend. However, he was still undecided about what could and what should be said in the delicate matter that affected them both. Even if he disagreed with Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst's machinations, Darcy did not feel comfortable revealing their plan either.

"Bingley, there is something important I must tell you."

"Yes, Caroline said as much. What is it?"

"Your sister is not aware of this particular situation."

"Should I be worried?"

"There is nothing to worry about, but it might be a little disquieting. A few days ago, my aunt and sister had a little accident in Hyde Park. Almost an accident. To cut a long story short, my aunt's carriage almost hit three young women."

"Oh? Really? I am very sorry to hear that. Was anyone hurt?"

"No…however, she discovered that the three ladies were Mrs Gardiner and her two nieces. Miss Jane Bennet and Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

Darcy watched Bingley attentively, noticing the same response he had when he first heard the story.

"Miss Bennet is in London?" Bingley managed to ask.

"Yes. And there is something else you should know."

"But, wait…where is she staying? Is this her aunt from Gracechurch Street? Have you spoken to her?"

Bingley's apparent nervousness caused Darcy anxiety. If he expected that his friend had forgotten Miss Bennet, he was clearly wrong.

"No, I have not spoken to her. My aunt and my sister did and discovered some details, including her address."

"If she is in town, I must call on her, of course. It is only polite. Could you ask Lady Matlock for the address? The name was Gardiner?"

"My sister knows the address too. But Bingley, try to calm down a moment and speak reasonably."

"Yes, yes, I assume you disapprove of my intention to call on her."

"My opinion matters little. I admit politeness alone requires you to call on her."

"I shall! Tomorrow! In the meantime, please ask Miss Darcy about the address."

"I shall…and…"

"Yes?"

Darcy hesitated to speak further, but regardless of how much he revealed, Bingley would find out the whole truth as soon as he visited the Gardiners. He had already abused his friend's confidence enough, and he owed him more honesty.

"Bingley, before you came, my aunt told me that Mrs Gardiner and the Miss Bennets were expected to call on her imminently. Georgiana has also gone there to see them. Apparently, my aunt and my sister had a favourable first impression of them."

"Miss Bennet is at Lady Matlock's now?"

"I believe so."

"I must go and greet her. I have not a moment to lose!"

"Bingley, wait! You cannot simply appear at the Matlocks' residence, uninvited and in such a state of agitation! Calm down and try to be reasonable! You may ask Georgiana about her if you want, then you can call tomorrow at a reasonable time."

"I shall not appear uninvited. But I can wait outside, can I not? I shall watch until Miss Bennet comes out, then greet her and ask permission to call tomorrow. Surely that is reasonable."

Darcy's nervousness increased at the same time as his friend's. He was not sure what was reasonable or not, considering the circumstances.

"Not entirely reasonable, Bingley. You will certainly surprise Miss Bennet with your sudden appearance. You may do so only if you are certain of her reception."

Bingley's countenance changed from agitation to worry.

"You believe she might not be pleased to see me? You are right, of course. What a fool I am! She might not wish to see me either today or tomorrow. She will surely be embarrassed if I disturb her visit to Lady Matlock. And her ladyship would never forgive me for making a scene in front of her house!"

"Bingley, you are very troubled, and you need to calm down before deciding how to proceed. You do not know whether Miss Bennet will be pleased or embarrassed to see you. I doubt she would make a scene, regardless, and my aunt would probably be more amused than upset to see you waiting in the street."

"Then I shall go! I can claim I was there by accident. A mere coincidence, just as happened with Lady Matlock. Yes, that should work! I shall wait a little distance away, and when I see someone leave the house, I shall step closer!"

Bingley was already grabbing his coat and hat and was ready to go. Darcy found no arguments to calm him.

"I shall come with you, Bingley. Lady Matlock invited me to join them before you arrived, but I declined."

"You declined? Why? So you could see me? I am truly grateful to you, Darcy. I know you never approved of Miss Bennet and her family, but I appreciate that you are supporting me."

"You are too generous with your praise, Bingley. I should have supported you more and expressed my disapproval less. Come, let us go. I feel I owe it to you to make a fool of myself along with you."

As they walked the short distance, Bingley chatted, but Darcy heard nothing.

His heart was racing at the thought that he would see Elizabeth too. He had suspected that she was aware of his admiration and welcomed it. Furthermore, he had reasons to believe that her feelings for him were not indifferent. The way she used to smile at him, to tease him, to argue with him — it was quite revealing. How would she respond to seeing him?

He had to act with the utmost precaution in order not to arouse hopes that would never be fulfilled. As much as he denied that pleasure to himself, he felt happy to be able to see her again.

Bingley stopped at the house next door to the Matlocks' before Darcy realised they had arrived. Once there, they looked quite laughable, two men waiting in the cold without even knowing whether the subject of their interest had really visited Lady Matlock and whether they were still there.

They waited for a little while, and suddenly, the Matlocks' door opened, and a servant came out, descended the steps, and called, "Mr Darcy? I thought it was you, sir! Are you waiting for Miss Darcy? Will you not come in, sir? It is very cold."

"No…I am just waiting…" he replied, feeling foolish in front of the servant's puzzlement.

"Shall I inform the master or the mistress that you are here?"

"No…I mean…" He hesitated, looking at Bingley and then at the servant. They were already acting like fools; he could at least avoid being the subject of servants' gossip and laughter.

"My sister is still here? I know Lady Matlock had guests. Are they still here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then we shall enter," Darcy decided, breathing deeply and moving towards the door, while his common sense and wisdom advised him against such an action.

Once inside, Bingley became hesitant and timid, following Darcy in silence. They should have left. When they entered the drawing room, the sound of voices suddenly ceased, and bewildered gazes turned towards them. Darcy dared to look at each lady in turn. Lady Matlock frowned, Georgiana smiled with delight, Elizabeth looked at him with apparent surprise, while Jane Bennet was pale, her eyes and lips wide in astonishment. On another chair was an unknown lady at whom Darcy barely glanced.

"Forgive me, Aunt, for disturbing you. I was talking to Bingley, and knowing Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth were here, we took the liberty of coming to greet them briefly. We shall only stay for a moment."

"Darcy, this is quite a surprise," Lady Matlock replied. "And Mr Bingley! I certainly did not expect either of you. We are only ladies here. Your cousin and your uncle are at the club."

"And there we shall go too. As I said, we only called in for a moment. Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, I am delighted to see you."

"We are pleased to see you too, sir," Elizabeth answered, smiling. "And you, of course, Mr Bingley."

"May I detain you a moment longer, to ask to be introduced to your aunt?"

"Of course," Elizabeth responded.

The introduction was made and greetings and pleasantries exchanged. Bingley barely said a few words, and Jane Bennet none, so Darcy assumed the task of carrying on the conversation.

"Mrs Gardiner, before we leave, my friend Bingley would like to ask your permission to call on you tomorrow or on another day that is acceptable."

"Yes, yes." Bingley finally found his voice. "Darcy just told me you were here…I mean in London…and I would like to call on you if you do not mind…"

"We should be delighted, Mr Bingley," Mrs Gardiner answered graciously. "And of course, it would be a great honour if you were to come too, Mr Darcy."

It was Darcy's turn to be wordless. He had not considered calling on the Gardiners, and now he tried to find a reason to refuse.

"I am sure Mr Darcy is a very busy man, and he certainly has no business in that part of town," Elizabeth interjected.

He looked at her, and their eyes met briefly.

"I thank you, Mrs Gardiner. I am indeed very busy. I shall discuss it with Bingley and see whether I can join him. Regardless, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance and to see Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth again. Now please excuse us. It is time for me and Bingley to leave and allow you ladies the pleasure of each other's company."

None of the ladies tried to persuade them otherwise, so minutes later they were back out in the cold.

"Darcy, I shall be forever grateful for what you have done," Bingley said with regained liveliness. "Miss Bennet looked so beautiful, though a little pale. And silent. Do you think she was displeased to see me? Her aunt did not seem to oppose me calling on them. How wonderful that we entered to speak to them! Now I can call tomorrow, and I know they will be expecting me!"

"Bingley, there were signs that you will have a pleasant call tomorrow. You just have to calm down a little. And to be less generous with your praise and gratitude, as I deserve none. Now let us go to the club — we both could use a drink."