Mrs. Bennet waved a hand dramatically. “Oh, but Mary, he need not have done so. He might very well have hired a curate from his own funds, had he but taken advantage! The income from that living could have been a great benefit to you girls. I told Mr. Bennet as much when we married, but he was certain his father had done right.” She turned back to Lady Lucas. “Men are always so short-sighted in these matters.”
Charlotte spoke up at last. “It is true that any additional income can make a great difference in the upkeep of an estate.”
Elizabeth turned to face her friend, who shrugged slightly. “Your mother is not wrong. It is legal to hold more than one living, after all, even if one is not in residence.”
She was already thinking about such things. Elizabeth had not realized that Charlotte was ambitious, but of course, she would be now, for it was a wife’s duty to support her husband’s advancement. Under Charlotte’s management, she thought wryly, Mr. Collins might one day make bishop. Elizabeth still loved her friend but could not deny that their differences were revealing themselves as rather significant.
“Exactly, Charlotte!” Mamma exclaimed, as though her point had been proven. “Mr. Collins understands the value of securing a good living, and I am sure he will ensure Longbourn prospers when it is his turn. No giving up the living at Hunsford whenhecomes north.” Her face paled as she registered what she had said.
“Mr. Bennet is hale and healthy,” Charlotte replied gently. “We do not look to return to Hertfordshire for many years.”
Elizabeth leaned closer to Miss Darcy and said in a low voice, “My mother has a talent for finding the most surprising ways to connect one thought to another. You will soon become accustomed to it if you visit again.”
Miss Darcy’s lips twitched into a smile. “I am only surprised, Miss Elizabeth. Your family is refreshingly open.”
She doubted Miss Darcy entirely believed her own words, but it was kind of her to say so. The young lady continued to display remarkable composure as Mamma, her opinions now roused, continued to expound on her views of estate management, marriage, and men in general.
Finally, Lady Lucas suggested a round of cards. Miss Darcy’s mouth formed a little circle of surprise that a guest would suggest the entertainments, but the Lucases were more like family, in fact would be family by marriage in less than a fortnight. The ladies agreed, rising amidst the rustle of skirts and the soft hum of shifting conversation. Elizabeth moved to help rearrange the chairs and ask for the card tables with Jane andMary, her gaze catching Miss Darcy’s in the process. There was a quiet watchfulness there, not unlike her brother’s, as though she were carefully absorbing everything around her.
Her gaze lingered on the younger woman for just a moment longer before they joined the others. Elizabeth liked Miss Darcy. She liked her very well indeed.
The card game proved an excellent diversion. They settled on commerce, a game simple enough to include even Kitty and Maria, who did not play well, yet strategic enough to spark a rousing competition.
Miss Darcy sat demurely at the table, her sharp focus contrasting with Lydia’s exuberant exclamations and Lady Lucas’s animated commentary. But as the hands progressed, it became clear that Miss Darcy possessed a clever mind. More than once, she outmanoeuvred her opponents with a soft smile and a quiet remark about good fortune.
Elizabeth, seated across from her, could not help but admire the younger woman’s composure. In the girl’s deft play, she saw the same quiet decisiveness she had begun to associate with her brother.
Eventually, the sound of footsteps in the hall signalled the return of the gentlemen, and the music room quickly filled with renewed energy. As the men entered and declined to play, the card tables were put away, the conversation turned to lighter subjects, and the group settled into a lively rhythm once more. But Elizabeth, now seated near the fire with Charlotte and Jane as Mary played and Miss Darcy turned her pages, mulled over what had been discussed earlier and could not shake the sense that Miss Darcy had been seeking something. Her questions lingered in Elizabeth’s mind, and as she glanced across the room at Mr. Darcy, she found herself wondering what answers the young lady sought—and why.
Chapter Thirteen
Darcy leaned against the edge of the library desk, arms folded as Fitzwilliam poured a glass of port and held up a glass in his direction.
“I have had more than enough port this evening, thank you,” he said.
Fitzwilliam laughed.
The fire was crackling low in the hearth, and the muffled sounds of the servants preparing the house for the morning before they wandered to their beds filtered faintly through the walls. It was growing colder in the room, and he pulled his coat a little tighter around him.
“Well,” Fitzwilliam began, taking a sip from his glass, “tonight was a rousing success. I propose a toast to the unparalleled ability of Bennet père to say absolutely nothing of substance while appearing to engage.”
Darcy huffed a quiet laugh in reply, raising his glass in mock salute. “To impenetrable characters, then.”
“To sympathetic stories,” Fitzwilliam added with a smirk, taking a sip.
Darcy shook his head. “Neither his silences nor his stories are uncalculated. He knows we are seeking something, and he has no intention of aiding us. I would wager he enjoys watching us flounder.”
“Do you think he knows what we wish to know?”
“No. I think he is waiting us out. He will win when we capitulate and confess what it is we want.”
“Or perhaps he simply takes pleasure in tormenting his guests,” Fitzwilliam suggested with a shrug. “Either way, he won tonight.”
The door creaked open, and Georgiana stepped inside. Already dressed for bed, a thick silk dressing gown wrapped about her, her hair plaited neatly down her back, she looked several years younger and entirely out of place in the dim, masculine space of the library. Yet her eyes were bright, and a faint smile played on her lips.
“You are not asleep,” Darcy said as he stood.
“Not yet,” Georgiana replied lightly. “I wanted to speak with you both after Mrs. Annesley was abed.”
