Page 47 of To Love And To Cherish
Bingley paled. “He sees her at every meal!”
“Indeed. Morning, noon, and night.”
“I must go at once!”
“I thought you might say that. Shall Georgiana and I accompany you? We can distract the family while you find a quiet moment with her.”
“Yes, thank you, but only if you’re ready within ten minutes.”
Darcy looked down at his attire. “I was born ready. Georgiana should be down any moment.”
And indeed, five minutes later, the trio were mounted and riding toward Longbourn, Bingley with fire in his heart, Georgiana with gentle curiosity, and Darcy with a mixture of amusement and a quiet dread that he might one day soon hear that Miss Elizabeth, his Elizabeth, had married someone else.
The three visitors from Netherfield were received at Longbourn not long after ten o’clock, and Mary, having been the only Bennet sister downstairs, took it upon herself to see them comfortably settled with tea. Mrs. Bennet and Jane had not yet descended, owing to the earliness of the hour.
Hill dispatched Alice with instructions to hasten Miss Bennet. The girl hesitated at the foot of the stairs.
“But should I not attend to Mrs. Bennet first and assist her dressing?”
Hill’s response was swift. “That young gentleman did not come to court, Mrs. Bennet. Make haste, Alice, before he changes his mind and returns to Netherfield.”
Presently, Mr. Bennet entered the drawing room with his cousin, the rector. Polite greetings were exchanged, though Mr. Darcy appeared momentarily unsettled. He glanced at Bingley, then at the two gentlemen, clearly calculating the danger that the topic of Mr. Collins’s engagement, to Mary, not Jane, might arise. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and extended his hand.
“May I have a word with you both, in your study, if you please?”
Mr. Bennet looked faintly amused, and Mr. Collins visibly puffed with pride. As Mr. Darcy was not a man to whom Mr. Bennet could comfortably deny a request, he complied at once.
Darcy followed them into the study, uncertain how best to keep the gentlemen from returning to the drawing room, butdetermined nonetheless. He began with what he hoped would prove a useful fiction.
“Mr. Bennet, I wonder if I might be of assistance in applying to my aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, for her approval regarding quarterly visits from your heir. You were speaking of it at dinner the other night, saying it would be advantageous for Mr. William Collins Bennet to spend a week each quarter reviewing the estate ledgers and consulting with the new steward.”
Mr. Bennet was taken aback, then gratified. Before long, the three gentlemen were deeply engaged in discussion. What might have been resolved in five minutes extended to twenty, for Darcy, each time they neared a conclusion, posed a fresh question, effectively forestalling the conversation’s end.
Meanwhile, back in the drawing room, Mary poured tea for Mr. Bingley and Miss Darcy. With polite reserve, she inquired after Mr. and Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley.
“They are well enough,” Bingley said tersely. “Though I confess, I look forward to the day Caroline is married and living somewhere far from me.”
The words were out before he could recall them, and he flushed from collar to hairline.
Mary, unperturbed, smiled. “Do you believe Miss Bingley will take kindly to the notion of a wife usurping her place?”
Bingley blinked. “To tell the truth, Miss Mary, I had not considered it. But now that you mention it, no, Caroline does not easily relinquish authority.”
“Forgive the indelicacy,” Mary said, “but since we are already discussing private matters with great freedom, has your sister ever considered establishing her own household in town? Shehas a substantial dowry, I believe, and a marked preference for London.”
Bingley sat back, thoughtful. “You astonish me. I’ve never considered it, but it does make sense. Caroline does adore London, and the Hursts reside there year-round. She would not lack company. Why should she resist it?” He was silent for a moment longer, then frowned. “She overspends, you know. My sister borrows from me each quarter. That will stop. If I am to marry, I must be a better steward.”
Just then, Jane entered the room with Kitty. Miss Darcy immediately rose and took Kitty’s hands.
“Would you walk with me?” she asked eagerly. “I received a letter from my cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam. He writes of his adventures in Lisbon, and I think you would enjoy it.”
The girls departed, and Bingley turned to Jane. Their eyes met. All doubts he may have harbored vanished in that instant.
“Miss Bennet,” he said softly, “would you walk with me in the garden?”
Her smile deepened, and she stepped toward him. He offered his arm, and she took it. Hill brought Jane her pelisse, gloves, and bonnet, and soon the couple slipped out into the golden warmth of a fine spring morning.
Everything, in Bingley’s view, was an omen.
