Page 48 of Eavesdroppers Never Hear
“A pleasure, madam,” Darcy said with a courteous bow.
They spent a few more minutes with the usual niceties, then entered the hall.
Though not the host, Darcy said, “I have taken the liberty of requesting luncheon at the usual times, and Mrs Nicols tells me your guest rooms are ready. By your leave, I might suggest you wash off the road dust and meet in an hour for luncheon.”
Georgiana looked like she would rather drag him into a room to talk about Elizabeth, so he relented slightly. “Shall I see you in a half-hour, sister?”
She nodded enthusiastically, and everyone save Bingley followed the housekeeper to their rooms. Bingley hung back a minute, and Darcy gestured to the study with a questioning look, which was agreed.
Once inside the room with the door closed and brandy in hand, Darcy began. “Is it done?”
“It is done!” Bingley said with a finality that sounded both assertive and sad to Darcy’s ear. “I proceeded as planned, and it went as expected. I doubt you can imagine the amount of caterwauling I endured… but I prevailed in the end.”
“Care to talk it through?”
“Not now. I would prefer to discuss it with Miss Bennet. Have I any hope?”
Darcy sighed, no more sanguine about being in the middle between the two than Elizabeth was, and finally answered, “Ibroached the subject with Elizabeth. She suggests tomorrow might be a suitable time to visit. If there was no hope at all, she would have suggested next week.”
Bingley looked momentarily disappointed but resigned.
Darcy thought to throw him a bone. “As I mentioned in my letter, I made a grand gesture, and it worked out for me. I cannot say it would for you, but it is worth keeping in mind.”
“I will take it under advisement. An apology is certainly due, so let us hope the Bennet sisters did not exhaust their stores of forgiveness.”
“I believe the supply is extensive, but we shall see. You are your own man, the offence was different, and Miss Bennet is not Miss Elizabeth. Your path will be different from mine.”
“I believe it will be. Can you tell me what you have learnt about Miss Bennet?”
Darcy once again felt wrong footed, but he gamely spent a quarter hour telling Bingley what he had learnt in his interactions with the Bennet sisters.
He finally ended with. “I believe their departure from Netherfield was a sort of catalyst. I suspect half of what I just said would not have been true before Elizabeth overheard us.”
“Better or worse?”
“All for the better, I assure you,” Darcy said with slightly more confidence than he felt.
Bingley nodded.
“Are you still planning a ball?”
“Yes, much of the preparations were underway under Caroline’s direction. I cut the budget in half and my aunt will manage the affair. It will be on the twenty-sixth.”
“That is less than a week. I suppose it will be sufficient.”
Bingley shrugged. “I could have delayed, but some rather expensive arrangements for musicians, flowers and the like were already underway.”
“It will be fine.”
With a quick motion, Bingley finished his brandy and left to clean up.
~~~~~
Georgiana entered the parlour nearly at a run, bursting with excitement. “Tell me about Miss Elizabeth, Brother!” she said without preamble.
He laughed, “All in good time, Georgie. I do not wish to endlessly repeat myself nor exclude your other guardian, so we shall discuss the Bennets over luncheon. For the moment, I shall tell you that she and two of her sisters are the kindest and gentlest people you will ever meet. There is not an unkind bone between them, though all three have spines of steel when it comes to protecting their siblings.”
“That sounds wonderful. Are you courting her?”
