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“For entirely selfish reasons,” Darcy said as he made his way over to the window. He recalled Mrs. Bennet commenting on the very view from here and how mortified Elliot had been by her remarks. It seemed so very long ago now. What had they said, something about poetry and whether it was the food of love.
Everything nourishes what is strong already.
He turned back to Charles.
“I cannot make my address until you complete yours.”
“Because Elliot blames you for Jack’s distress.”
He inclined his head. “Quite.”
“He is correct.”
“I am aware of that and have apologised for it,” Darcy said.
“You have.”
“Then why have we a delay, Charles?”
Charles crossed his arms. He looked nervous indeed and also…worried. It was quite unlike Bingley to be so! “What if Jack no longer feels for me the way I feel for him?” he eventually asked.
“Then I was correct all along,” Darcy said. “And you are not fated mates. Ordinarily I would be quite pleased indeed to be proved correct, but it will not help my plans, so let us hope I have been a fool these past months and Jack Bennet is as in love with you as he ever was. The only way we will know is if we endeavour to find out.”
“We might both end up being tied to that family,” Charles said.
Darcy laughed then, for what else could he do but that. “Yes, dear friend, but my estate is quite some distance more than three miles away from Longbourn!”
And Bingley laughed too, finally himself again now that a plan was afoot. “I always did enjoy the property in Derbyshire!”
Fifty-Five
The sound of horses approaching Longbourn was both highly anticipated and yet very unexpected. Anticipated because the Bennets had been informed earlier in the week over an afternoon coze with Mrs. Phillips that Netherfield had been opened up in preparation for the arrival of Mr. Bingley—not Bingleys, just Charles Bingley alone.
“Not that we care, of course!” Mrs. Bennet had said to her sister. “He’s nothing at all to us! Nothing!”
And unexpected because Mr. Bennet’s response on being told that he must call on the Bingley immediately upon his arrival was met with an instant and quite firm rebuttal.
“You forced me into visiting him last year, and promised, if I went to see him, he should mate with one of my sons, but it ended in nothing. I will not be sent on a fool’s errand again,” he snapped.
His wife, who clearly did care quite a bit indeed, represented to him how absolutely necessary such an attention would be from all the neighbouring gentlemen on Bingley’s returning to Netherfield.
“If he wants our society, let him seek it!” Mr. Bennet said. “He knows where we live. I will not spend my hours in running after my neighbours every time they go away and come back again!”
“It will be abominably rude if you do not wait on him,” Mrs. Bennet responded.
“Rude?” Mr. Bennet said in disbelief. “After his treatment of Jack!”
Jack showed his surprise at that statement, and Elliot too, as rarely did Mr. Bennet comment on such things.
“Your poor attitude shan’t prevent my asking him to dine here, I am determined,” Mrs. Bennet said.
“Perhaps you should consider your son’s feelings?” Mr. Bennet said, gesturing vaguely at Jack.
“That is exactly what I am doing,” Mrs. Bennet responded, and she flounced off, mortified by the prospect of others in the area visiting with Mr. Bingley before the Bennets were able to see him. The Lucases she was sure would be round there the instant he arrived and what would that say about their standing in society? No, it was bad enough that people were still making a fuss about Louis! Mrs. Bennet would not give them another opportunity to gossip!
But Mr. Bennet did not visit Mr. Bingley and so there was little expectation that he would call direct given the difference in their standings, and the assumption was that they would have little choice but to await an invitation instead. But the sounds on the gravel were now clear and Mrs. Bennet gave a little shriek as Christian looked out the window and said, “It is Mr. Bingley! There is a gentleman with him. I wonder who it could be.”
“Some acquaintance or other, my dear, I suppose. I am sure I do not know,” Mrs. Bennet said even as she began arranging everyone around the room to her satisfaction, her cheeks already flushed and a determined glint in her eyes.
