Chapter 10

Ten

Darcy listened to Bingley recount the details of his proposal for more than an hour. They sat in the drawing room; Darcy was glad to have chosen a comfortable chair and footstool, since it appeared Bingley meant to continue his chatter all night. His excitement was understandable, and Darcy was genuinely pleased for him, but there were only so many times one could listen to the same story before becoming bored.

"I am glad you are here with me. I would not have had the courage to approach my dear Jane again, or known what to say, if it were not for you!" Bingley held his glass, still half-full of wine, aloft in a salute.

"Thank you, but I do not believe either statement to be true."

"No, no, Darcy, your advice has been invaluable." Bingley shook his head. "I shall insist Jane and I name our first son after you."

"You must be drunk to suggest naming your child Darcy, and Fitzwilliam would be even worse. Fortunately, Miss Bennet is too sensible to agree to either."

Bingley laughed in such a way that proved Darcy correct; he was drunk, on happiness if not wine.

"Now that you have been accepted, I believe it is time to discuss my going away," Darcy said once Bingley regained control of himself.

"What? Why?"

"You have no more need of my advice, and I expect you will want to spend every waking hour with Miss Bennet and her family."

Bingley shook both his head and his finger. "No, no, no. I cannot see you chased away because I am an engaged man. An engaged man. Does that not sound wonderful? You ought to find yourself a young lady and follow my example."

If only you knew . Darcy marvelled that Bingley had not noticed his attentions to Elizabeth and the Gardiners in Derbyshire, but it was just as well he had not.

"I want you to stay. Say that you will. With my sisters being so hateful, I need you. I told you about Louisa's letter, did I not? Let me find it to show you."

"That is not necessary. You read it to me at breakfast."

"I cannot believe how she and Caroline continue to object to Jane. Sweet, beautiful Jane. She will be an excellent sister. Teach them a thing or two about kindness and-and being kind. You know what I mean. I ought to write that to them. Can you imagine what they would say?" Bingley sniggered.

"No good would come of antagonising them."

"Very true. Do you see? That is why I need you to stay. The wedding will be in just a few weeks. No more than six. Mid-November sometime." He waved a hand as though the exact date was immaterial, and Darcy supposed that, to his friend, it was, in his present celebratory mood. "If you could stay that long, I would be very grateful. I want you to stand up with me, of course. And do not forget that you promised Mrs Goulding you would attend her dinner party."

Rightly or wrongly, Darcy allowed himself to be convinced. But then, the next morning found him on the road to London.

It was no surprise that Mr Bingley came to Longbourn immediately after breakfast the next day, and Elizabeth was pleased to see him. The joy he and Jane shared brought light to her heart and helped sustain her through her sorrow, which was made worse when Mr Darcy did not come with his friend.

"Where is Mr Darcy this morning? He is not ill, is he?" Mrs Bennet asked.

Everyone apart from Mr Bennet was in the drawing room. Elizabeth tried to hide that she was listening for Mr Bingley's answer rather than to Kitty describing the gown she hoped to convince their mother to buy her for Jane's wedding.

"Darcy is in excellent health, but he received a summons from his uncle first thing this morning. He is needed in town on family business," Mr Bingley explained.

That is convenient, if it is entirely truthful. I expect he was looking for an excuse to leave. And yet…

"He is coming back?"

Looking at her mother when she spoke, Elizabeth was struck by how alarmed she appeared. Her wide eyes and the way she leant forward in her chair reflected the anxiety Elizabeth felt as she awaited Mr Bingley's next words. She could not accept losing Mr Darcy's company so abruptly. She needed more time, another occasion to look upon him and hear his voice.

"He promised he would. Mrs Goulding invited us to dinner, as you know, and Darcy expects to be back in time to attend. It is some estate matter or other. I cannot recollect exactly. Some property once held by a cousin or aunt that was left in an odd manner when they died, and now Darcy, the earl, and the earl's sons have to…" He waved his hand in a gesture that told Elizabeth he did not understand the situation. He then started and turned to her.

"You met one of them, did you not? Colonel Fitzwilliam?"

Elizabeth nodded and ignored the way her mother was watching her, her eyes narrowed in contemplation or suspicion. Likely she was questioning why Elizabeth's cheeks were red, but she could hardly help it with her emotions being tugged this way and that.

"I did. He visited his aunt, Lady Catherine, when I was staying with the Collinses last spring."

"I saw him in town at the start of September, and he mentioned it." Mr Bingley grinned at Jane, apparently intending to devote himself to her.

"A colonel? Maria mentioned him to me. Did you find him handsome? She did not. Did he wear his uniform?" Kitty asked, touching Elizabeth's hand to get her attention.

"I would have thought we had quite enough of handsome officers in this family," Mary, sitting beside Elizabeth, muttered.

"There is nothing I can tell you other than he was friendly." Elizabeth pressed Mary's hand. If she could, she would remove Mary from Longbourn and teach her not to be so angry.

I am sure Jane intends to take me with her and Mr Bingley once they are married, but I ought to insist she take Mary instead. I have no wish to remain at home, but Mary's need for diversion is greater. Besides, I am safer from seeing Mr Darcy if I stay at Longbourn.

Darcy did not regret his brief absence from Netherfield. He felt the separation from Elizabeth terribly, even though he was only gone two nights. It was almost enough to make him write to Bingley with some excuse for not returning, despite his promise to do just that. The more time he spent with her, the worse it would be when they were parted for good. He was too honourable to lie to Bingley, especially after having done so in the past, and so, the afternoon of Mrs Goulding's dinner party, he was once again in Hertfordshire. Bingley welcomed him warmly and provided a detailed recitation of what he had done during Darcy's absence. He would have preferred silence to prepare himself for seeing Elizabeth.

Should I attempt to sit beside her at dinner? It was not unpleasant when we did so at Longbourn, and perhaps we would have another easy exchange. If nothing else, I shall have it as a pleasant memory. What might I say to encourage her to talk to me? Please, Lord, let me do more than make another insipid remark about the weather!

What he would also like to avoid was talking to Mrs Bennet, her sister, or friend more than was absolutely necessary. Their attempts to inform him of Elizabeth's excellence were trying.

The Bennets were already present when he and Bingley reached Haye-Park, and as he was greeting the Gouldings, his and Elizabeth's eyes met across the room. Darcy could not make out anything particular in her expression. There was no smile to encourage him to immediately go to her, but there was also no scowl to warn him to stay away.

Mrs Goulding's chattering demanded his attention. "I cannot tell you how relieved I am that you are here, Mr Darcy. We heard from Mr Bingley that you had to go to town, and I was ever so worried it would mean you would miss tonight. Despite his assurances you would not, I was prepared to cancel the whole thing until we knew you would be in the neighbourhood again."

"That is very kind of you," he said, though he doubted she heard him, because she continued to speak.

"We are all so pleased about Jane and Mr Bingley's betrothal. You will find us in quite the celebratory mood, and who knows? Perhaps we shall have more good news soon. One engagement often leads to another! I would love to see another of the Miss Bennets snatched up by a handsome young gentleman. I have known the girls since they were born, of course, having lived nearby all my life. Mrs Bennet is fortunate with her daughters, is she not? My own children are everything they should be. I am not one to brag about them, but I have no such concerns about singing the praises of another woman's children. Lizzy, for example. Who could fail to recognise her many fine qualities?"

To Darcy's relief, Mrs Goulding's speech was interrupted by a servant announcing that dinner was ready. Anxiety briefly left Darcy feeling dizzy; he had wanted to talk to Elizabeth, to ascertain if she would welcome his company at the table. But he ought to have trusted in whatever scheming Mrs Goulding and her friends were engaged in. Somehow, she had arranged it so that he escorted Elizabeth to the dining room. Mrs Philips led Elizabeth towards them while speaking animatedly, only to abruptly stop once they reached him.

"Well, never you mind, Lizzy. I can tell you another time. Look, here is Mr Darcy. How do you do, sir? You will be so good as to take my niece from me, will you not?" Without waiting for an answer, she linked her arm with Mrs Goulding and passed into the corridor.