Page 60 of To Go Against Her Heart
And Elizabeth was right. When his friend had pressed him with the dinner invitation, Darcy had made it clear that he was not willing to spend time in his sister’s presence, and Mr. Bingley had assured him that Miss Bingley would not be in attendance. Mr. Bingley seemed to be doing his utmost to make amends for the past as he sat beside Jane, struggling to maintain a conversation. As for Elizabeth, she might have been in a better frame of mind to observe her sister had she not felt so unsettled herself while seated beside Darcy during the meal.
“Georgiana sends you her regards and will call on you tomorrow,” he said, and Elizabeth gave him a small smile.
“I look forward to seeing her. I had a pleasant time in her company yesterday.”
“Honestly, we wanted to call on you today, but as Bingley pressed me to attend dinner, I took the opportunity to meetyou,” he said, “I take it that you did not quite expect to see me here.”
“You are right; I did not. You tend to surprise me a lot these days, Mr. Darcy,” she said with a playful smile. Darcy felt drawn to her like never before and had to remind himself that he was seated in his friend’s dining room and needed to act accordingly.
Elizabeth noticed that not only Mr. Bingley but also his sister made a genuine effort to make up for her mistakes. She observed Mrs. Hurst converse with her aunt without any pride or conceit. However, there was no improvement in the iciness between Jane and Mr. Bingley.
“Do you plan on returning to Hertfordshire in the near future, Mr. Bingley?” Mr. Gardiner asked casually.
“I do intend to. I left in a hurry, and I still regret it. But when I return in the future, I plan to settle there in the country,” he said, looking at Jane hopefully.
Mr. Gardiner nodded and pitied Mr. Bingley as he could see that his niece was unwilling to trust him again.
After dinner, Mr. Bingley suggested a walk in the gardens. Although the air was cold, the sun shone bright and warm, making the prospect most inviting. Jane and Elizabeth agreed, and Mrs. Hurst and Mrs. Gardiner joined them. As they stepped out, Darcy offered his arm, and Elizabeth took it with a smile, while Jane took Mr. Bingley’s with hesitation. The couples walked ahead, followed by Mrs. Hurst and Mrs. Gardiner, as the path wound through the garden.
“Miss Bennet, I hope you are not uncomfortable in my company. Forgive me for being so direct, but I definitely understand why you would resent me,” Mr. Bingley said with despair, taking Jane by surprise.
“Resent you? I do not understand why you would assume so.”
“I deeply regret my actions and I’m fully aware that whatever I allowed to occur has caused you pain. I hope you do not doubtmy sincerity in this matter. I was unaware of your presence in town and that you took the trouble to call on me.”
“I have no wish to dwell on the past, Mr. Bingley. I do not hold you or your sister in contempt for whatever happened, and I wish you would stop bringing up this subject between us.”
“Do you forgive me?” he asked earnestly.
“I do not think you did anything wrong to be forgiven. I wish we could put an end to this topic without feeling uneasy. I am glad you chose to call on us and clear this misunderstanding as I should have always wondered why you ended our acquaintance. Now, I shall be happy to return to Longbourn.”
“Surely you do not wish to leave soon?” Mr. Bingley asked with shock.
“I wholeheartedly do. Though I have enjoyed my time with my cousins, I am impatient to return home. I thank you for inviting us for dinner today, and I am very certain if you should return to Hertfordshire, my father would be pleased to see you,” she said, and Mr. Bingley felt dejected by her words.
Is she suggesting she would not welcome me if I called on her in Longbourn?Mr. Bingley wondered and glanced behind, he noticed Darcy and Elizabeth in a deep conversation.
“I assume you write to your father often?” Darcy asked Elizabeth as their conversation circled around Longbourn.
“Yes, I do. I dearly miss him and Charlotte. But what comforts me is how promptly they reply to my letters.”
“I thought so as you seem to have a very special friendship with Miss Lucas.” Darcy paused and then continued. “However, I must confess that I quite envy you in the matter.”
“Why, Mr. Darcy, I can see you have the same kind of friendship with Mr. Bingley. You cannot expect both to deceive me and to obtain my sympathy,” she said with a laugh.
“You are too hasty. I did not say that I envied you because of my own disadvantage in the matter. I did so because ofGeorgiana. She has not had a close friend since her childhood and struggles to form a connection with any young lady among our acquaintances. But since I became acquainted with you in Hertfordshire, I have known she would find happiness in having a genuine friend, should she have the chance to meet you—and my intuition has proven true.”
Elizabeth could not mistake the sadness in his voice.
“Pray, forgive me; I meant no disrespect to your confession. Miss Darcy reminds me much of my sister, Mary. Though reserved, her warmth and kindness become apparent once she is acquainted with someone. Indeed, I believe she takes after you…” She said but then stopped abruptly.
Darcy could sense her embarrassment and smiled.
The party returned indoors as it began to drizzle. Mr. Bingley struggled to understand whether Jane had truly forgiven him and felt devastated to realize that winning her heart would not be easy. At the moment, everything about her manner suggested that he did not possess even a feeble chance.
Another person in the same house shared his torment. Seated by the window after watching Darcy and Elizabeth walk through the garden, she could no longer contain the fury building within her. Grasping her perfume bottle, Miss Bingley flung it to the floor, watching itshatter—and wished it had been thrown at Elizabeth herself.
Chapter 23
