Sir Thomas rose, straightening his waistcoat with an air of finality. “I understand, gentlemen, if these revelations change your minds about the lease.” He forced a smile that did little to conceal his sadness. “Please, excuse me. You’ll no doubt wish to confer with each other, and I am… expected in the infirmary for my rounds.”
With that, he turned and left, the soft click of the door closing behind him, leaving Darcy and Bingley alone in the silence of the study.
Elizabeth closed the doorto their room with a firm click, her gaze sharp as she turned to her sister. “Jane, what did you mean when Charlotte was here—about what she wrote to you in her last letter?”
Jane seated herself at the vanity and began to fuss with her hair—for no need, since it already looked perfect—and avoided Elizabeth’s gaze in the mirror. “Whatever do you mean, Lizzy? Did she say nothing in the letter she sent to you?”
“Not a word beyond Maria’s terrible piano practicing with Lydia and John sneaking sweets from the larder.”
“Oh, surely, she wrote more than that. Perhaps you overlooked it.” Jane pinched her right cheek, then turned her head from side to side to compare the effect.
“Not a chance. And you can give up the act at the vanity, for you are putting on airs like Kitty when we both know plain and well that is not your way. You have been remarkably evasive since before we left London. Whatisgoing on, Jane?”
Jane sighed, then twisted around in her seat, clasping her hands in her lap as she stared at the floor. “Elizabeth, I… Well, yes, I do know more than I let on. Charlotte… she wrote to me about it while we were in London, saying the same thing she just told us below. That it is beyond certain that Sir Thomas is pockets to let.”
Elizabeth folded her arms. “Why would she not write the same to me? Or why would you ‘forget’ to mention it? That is far more than a simple oversight, dear sister.”
“Because…” Jane worried her lip between her teeth before looking up with a frank expression, shedding her initial reluctance. “Because Charlotte and I agreed it would weigh on you too much. You have always had such sympathy for Sir Thomas and what he has tried to do here. Charlotte knew that if you heard the state of things, it would only make you miserable and ruin your time in London.”
“That is the most preposterous thing! Ruin my time in London? What, was Charlotte expecting me to dance at balls every evening until I snagged a husband? I know Mama thought two months in London were sufficient to the task, but Charlotte could not be such a fool.”
“No, not…” Jane frowned. “There was nothing you could do. It would have simply outraged you until you were tugging the sleeve of every wealthy gentleman we met and making uncomfortable demands that would have placed Uncle in an awkward position. You would have tried to mend the thing yourself, thinking that our time in London might afford us the opportunity to bang on doors and drag unwilling gentlemen along on some crusade. It would have—”
“It would have ruined your little holiday in London?” Elizabeth finished.
“Made you a laughingstock,” Jane corrected.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. Her pulse was drumming through her limbs until her very veins pounded. “What else would you have me do? Just…watchwhile so many people lose the only home that is open to them?”
“Lizzy, some things are beyond our control.”
Elizabeth covered her mouth with her hand and paced around the bed, finally sinking onto it and clutching a pillow to her stomach. She wanted to shake and cry, and… and just make it all go away. But then, something pricked her as sharply as a pin to the back of her neck.
“Tell me something, Jane. HowdidMr. Bingley hear about Netherfield?”
Jane’s eyes widened, and she sucked in a breath. “Oh, I am… I am quite sure it was a coincidence.”
“What part? The part where he was nearly oozing into a puddle at your feet in Aunt’s drawing room, or the part where he just ‘happened’ to stumble up to the same coaching inn yesterday?”
Jane swallowed. She opened her mouth, and Elizabeth put up a finger to silence her. “No more excuses, dear sister. The truth—allof it. When did you conspire with Mr. Bingley to send him to Netherfield?”
“Conspire! You make it sound very devious, indeed.”
“Convince me, then, that it was not. What were you and Mr. Bingley talking about while I was playing the piano with Mr. Darcy beside me?”
Jane’s face flushed, and she shifted uncomfortably. “Perhaps… I didmentionNetherfield, yes.”
Elizabeth pressed a hand to her forehead. “Why would you do such a thing, Jane? You knew Sir Thomas could lose his home, and yet you practically delivered it to strangers. Howcouldyou?”
“Lizzy, please.” Jane took a shaky breath. “Not bringing anyone would not change Sir Thomas’s position. He cannot keep the house.”
Elizabeth shook her head, incredulous. “Then whythem? Why tempt Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy here, knowing that, of all people, they might very well take possession of it right away? They are richer than Croesus! They have no need of circumspection or diligence and probably no patience, either!”
Jane hesitated. “Because… Oh, very well. You may as well know the whole of it. I told Aunt about Sir Thomas, Lizzy. She was adamant that we not say anything to you until it was unavoidable, but she did consider it possible that something might be done.”
Elizabeth’s jaw dropped. “She invited them on purpose. Just for this!”
“We thought that therighttenants might help Sir Thomas. If someone kind, someone with influence and means, were to lease Netherfield, perhaps Sir Thomas’s work would continue. Perhaps they would be willing to… offer support.”
