His cousin made his shot, and then took a swallow from the porter. “Now can you matchthat.”
“Eh, but what areyoudoing in London?” Bingley asked, joyfully.
Darcy turned back to the table silently to hide his frown. Images of Wickham’s handsome smiling face, as he sneered at them, but promised he would not say a word about Georgiana’s indiscretion. The rooms that Mrs. Younge was now managing. Darcy believed that she had settled in an exceedingly dilapidated bordello. She’d also promised to never say anything, in response to their threats.
The task was managed. Except for Georgiana’s melancholy.
And his own helpless anger, at her, at Wickham, at himself.
He imagined that he’d permitted himself to challenge the cur to a duel. His pistol was aimed directly at Wickham’s eye. Pull the trigger.
Crack.
“Zeus, Darcy, it is unfair that you can make such shots.” Colonel Fitzwilliam pounded the jar of porter several times on the table, and then drained the last of it. “Bingley, I must have you poke him again; his next shot. It will be the last of the game.”
“I’ve aided you as far as I will, the victory is up to you.”
Richard groaned, and shot quickly. He was now up by one point, which Darcy could easily match.
He did so, with a quick, efficient shot.
Bingley clapped to see the end, as they stepped away from the table, and Colonel Fitzwilliam exclaimed, “Most annoying thing to play with you — I did the nearest to cheating, and you still took the game.”
“You did cheat,” Darcy replied chirpily.
“Idid nothing, it was entirely Mr. Bingley’s doing — an unconventional stratagem.”
“It is my view,” Darcy replied, “that any good player shall be prepared to achieve victory, even against those whose preference is forunconventional stratagems.”
Richard laughed. “Wellington would like you.”
“Well, Darcy,” Bingley returned tohischief point. “Are you to visit? Two months! At least two months. I need such a visit to make recompense foryourhospitality. And Caroline would be delighted.”
Thatwas not in fact a point in the scheme’s favor.
While Darcy was wholly willing to admit that his friend’s sister was a fine lady, with excellent taste, fine accomplishments, excellent figure, fine conversation, etcetera, etcetera, it was clear that she wished to catch him.
And Darcy was in no mood to be caught — certainly not by Caroline Bingley who… lacked something in his view. If he accepted Bingley’s invitation, the pleasure of having a pretty young lady in the house would be offset by the need to keep said young lady from being encouraged or given hope by his actions — while still behaving towards her with the politeness due the sister of his dear friend.
All of these thoughts went through Darcy’s mind in an instant, as in one jumble felt more as an emotion than a set of words.
Pemberley.
Georgiana would not be there. After the scenes following her separation from Mr. Wickham, they decided she should spend the next months with Richard’s parents.
Those he loved dearest would not be at Pemberley this autumn, but those old memories of Wickham, the man who had been his closest friend when they were boys, would still be there.
Darcy stuck his hand out to Bingley. “Two months.”
His friend shook it vigorously and whooped with delight.
Chapter Two
Elizabeth Bennet squealed in glee as her best friend in the entire world, Caroline Bingley, bounded into the Longbourn drawing room.
The two girls embraced each other heartily. “Caroline! I hadn’t hoped to see you until tomorrow!”
“Ages! Decadal ages!” Caroline replied laughing and smiling. “Now Charles is settled near you at Netherfield, we shall spendallour time together — no pauses! Like when we were children.” So saying Caroline spun around. “And my dress — the finest fashion. You see how the sleeves have changed since we were in the season. The very height of fashion. Yellow dyed; Spanish wool.”
