Page 16 of Penned By Mr Darcy
“Miss Bennet is entirely trustworthy.”
“Is she?” Darcy asked. “Tell me, and tell me honestly, you have had no invitation to visit her room after nightfall?”
“Darcy!” Bingley exclaimed, his face now the exact shade of a ripe summer strawberry. “How dare you?! She is a lady, and she is gravely unwell!”
“Forgive me.”
“There has been no such invitation, and nor shall there ever be. I am appalled you would even make such a suggestion. I do not understand the nature of your quarrel with the Bennet family. I have found them very welcoming during our time here.”
“Too welcoming, perhaps.”
“I disagree.”
“I urge you to consider if she is suitable for a wife.”
“Suitable? Her father is a gentleman, no matter what your own opinion of him may be, and that is far more than can be said for mine. She is kind, and beautiful and…”
“And has given you no indication that your feelings are returned.”
“You have seen little of us together!”
“Precisely. You have spent very little time with her, and it is little more than fantasy than to claim undying matrimonial love after two dances and a period of convalescence in your house, in which time you glimpsed her twice through a door!”
“What is this really about, Darcy?”
“It is about protecting you from yourself.”
“I am not a child! You look at me as though I know nothing. Well, I do know myself, Darcy. I know what I feel, and I know what my heart is telling me I must do!”
“I beg you, please do not make a decision whilst she is in residence. I say this only out of concern for a dear friend.”
“I cannot claim to agree with you – but I will wait, as a favour.”
“Thank you.”
“Do not tell Caroline. I am sure that she and my sister would scheme and plot if they do not agree with the match, and I do not have the energy to have everyone against me.”
“I am not against you, Charles. I am very much with you – which is why I urge you to move carefully. I would not see you with a broken heart.”
“I will keep your warning in mind, but speak no more of it.”
“That is all I ask.”
They remained in silence, staring at the horses.
“I am sorry if I spoke harshly of Miss Bennet,” Darcy eventually said. “It does not mean that I retract what I said, but I am sorry to cast doubts over her character.”
“But you are not sorry to have insinuated she does not care for me?”
“No, I am not.”
“I think I will return to Netherfield to see that Miss Bennet is well. Perhaps you should ride on. Something has gotten you riled up, Darcy, and I do not believe it is my fault. You should clear your thoughts before you return, lest you offend everyone who cares for you today.”
Darcy remained silent, his eyes fixed on Bingley as he turned his horse from the stream and mounted once more. With a swift kick to the animal’s side, Bingley was gone, galloping into the distance and leaving Darcy alone in the quiet wake of his departure.
He drew a slow breath and lifted his gaze to the sky. He was steadfast in his belief that his counsel to Bingley had been justified; he would not retract it. Still, perhaps his delivery had been… flawed. These matters were never simple, and he seemed to stumble with every attempt.
Moving toward the water’s edge, he stared down at the rushing stream. Its ceaseless flow mirrored the state of his mind since Miss Elizabeth’s arrival—restless, unordered, and impossible to calm. Maybe it was that very turmoil, born of his own helplessness, that had compelled him to caution Bingley.
