Page 104 of Her Whole Heart
“You are welcome,” he said wryly.
Elizabeth laughed at this, and though it was brief, the sound was like music to him. The other occupants of the room glanced up sharply at the sound.
“You have no idea how grateful I am to you, Mr. Darcy, for listening. To know that I can trust you with it all and that it does not change how you see me—it is a profound relief.”
Ithadchanged how he saw her—it made him angry on her behalf and more protective than he had been. He had admired her before, but that admiration was now even deeper. However, now was not the time toexpress such thoughts. He hoped that his devotion was clear as he leaned forward to say, in her ear, “Elizabeth, I will always be your strength, if you will be my heart.”
“Kindly refrain from the intimacy of whispering, Mr. Darcy,” Lady Carlisle said, though she did not sound angry.
Darcy sat back, but he thought he had his answer in Miss Elizabeth’s tender gaze.
“Miss Torrington’s salon is just after Easter,” she said softly.
He shook his head to clear the haze. There were others in the room, and she was guiding him back to safer subjects. “Yes, I recall.”
“Do you still intend to allow Georgiana to attend?”
“I do not see why not. I will be there as will you, not to mention her uncle and Fitzwilliam cousins. She will be well chaperoned.”
“Excellent,” Miss Elizabeth said. “For we are to discuss many subjects of the day, including whether or not a regency is the best manner in which to solve the problem of a ruling monarch’s illness.”
“My goodness,” he replied. “A weighty topic.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “I am warning you now so that you are prepared.”
He chuckled. “I will ensconce myself in the library the moment I return home.”
“Do, Mr. Darcy,” Miss Elizabeth said slyly. “Do.”
There was a commotion at the door, and the butler announced Bingley. Darcy was surprised—had he known Bingley meant to call today, he would have offered him a ride.
But Bingley barely looked at him when he entered the room. He stood ramrod straight and addressed the countess. “Lady Carlisle, may I have your permission to address Miss Bennet privately?”
Lady Carlisle assessed him. “Is there a reason for this privacy, Mr. Bingley?”
“There is.”
“Jane,” the countess asked, turning to Miss Bennet, “would you like to hear what Mr. Bingley has to say?”
Miss Bennet looked at Miss Elizabeth, who smiled and lifted her shoulders a fraction.
“Yes,” Miss Bennet said. “I would. But Elizabeth may remain.”
She was a very proper woman, Miss Bennet. But he knew that Miss Elizabeth would be an excellent chaperone, sitting in some distant corner of the room, doing her best not to attend.
“Thank you,” Bingley said, and Darcy stood with the other ladies to vacate the room.
“Please stay,” Miss Elizabeth said. “I mean, not just this moment, but will you return after Mr. Bingley has said his piece?”
“If you wish,” he said affectionately.
“I do.”
He stepped out into the hall with Lady Carlisle and Miss Hamilton, though his eyes remained on the door to the parlour. If only he had not bungled everything, he might also be proposing to a Bennet woman today. But no matter. It would happen eventually. Miss Elizabeth seemed determined to put his unwitting deception behind her, and he could not be more relieved.
Elizabeth stood and moved to a chair near the window and opened a book she pretended to read. Mr. Bingley took the seat on the settee next to Jane. “Miss Bennet,” he said, nervously, “I have come here today with a purpose, one that you know I have been preparing for.”
“I hoped as much,” Jane admitted.
