“Telling?” Elizabeth echoed, crossing her arms. “I am merely passing the time until dinner. Shall I sit and wait in silence instead?”
Jane turned to face her, one corner of her mouth lifting ever so slightly. “You are waiting for more than dinner, Lizzy.”
Elizabeth blinked. “For the company, perhaps. That is natural.”
“For Mr. Darcy,” Jane said matter-of-factly.
Elizabeth pressed her lips together, but Jane’s knowing look did not waver. With a sigh, she sat down on the edge of her bed. “Is it so obvious?”
“To me? Yes,” Jane replied. “But I know you best. So, tell me—are you falling in love with him?”
Elizabeth’s cheeks heated. She hesitated, then gave a small, reluctant nod. “I think… perhaps I am.”
Jane’s face brightened, though she wisely refrained from any exclamation. “And why do you think so?”
She chewed her lower lip as her eyes squinted in thought. “He is kind, though he takes great care to disguise it. Thoughtful, though he says little. And I admire how sure he is, Jane. He knows who he is and what he stands for, and he… well, I suppose he does exactly as he pleases, but what he ‘pleases’ to do is good.”
Jane smiled, leaning forward slightly. “Then you approve of his character as well as his wealth?”
“Oh, bother! You know very well I care nothing for that.”
“Well, you should. ‘Twould be a fearful shame if you fell for a man who had not two pence to rub together.”
Elizabeth sighed. “What I mean, Jane, is that when I first met Mr. Darcy, I had set him far from my mind. He was amusing to flirt with, but it was nothing serious. I thought such a man could have no possible interest in…” She looked down at her hands. “Well. Perhaps he still does not. And I could hardly blame him, of course, but I am gratified that he has taken such an interest in Sir Thomas’s predicament.”
Jane crossed her legs and leaned back primly against her vanity. “Ah, she finally admits it! I told you, Aunt and I had a terribly useful idea, putting Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy in the way of learning about Netherfield. You cannot accuse us of doing anything more than leading the horses to water, Lizzy. It was up to them to drink, and so they did.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “I think, rather, that you employed hefty doses of both guilt and temptation, but so far, the gentlemen have made no objection.”
“Mark my words; they have no intention of doing so.”
“Oh? What makes you so sure?”
Jane blushed and fought back a giggle. “You cannot ask me to say.”
Elizabeth arched a brow. “What? Has Mr. Bingley told you something? Youdoappear to be in his confidence.”
Jane’s mouth dropped open in sheepish denial. “But it was not only what he said, though. I am not blind, Lizzy, and neither is anyone else. It seems to me that Mr. Darcy is rather captivated by you.”
Elizabeth blinked, a soft laugh escaping her lips. “Do not be absurd, Jane.”
“I am not,” Jane insisted. “He watches you, Lizzy. Not in the way some men do, with idle interest or fleeting admiration. He observes you as if he is memorizing everything you do. It is as though he wants to understand every part of you.”
Elizabeth’s her heart quickened, though she shook her head. “You imagine things.”
“I do not,” Jane said firmly. “I think Mr. Darcy admires you deeply. And if you would let yourself believe it, you might see it too.”
Elizabeth could not bring herself to answer. A quiet thrill ran through her at Jane’s words, but she tempered it with caution. Hope, she knew, was a precarious thing.
The faint jingle ofcarriage bells outside drew Elizabeth’s attention from the bouquet she was arranging. Jane, beside her, adjusted a stray ribbon on the mantle garland, pausing when the noise grew closer.
“That must be them,” Jane said, smoothing her gown and casting a glance at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth met her sister’s gaze with a smile she could hardly restrain before following their mother toward the front door. As the door opened, the sight of Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, and a man Elizabeth had not met filled the threshold.
Darcy inclined his head politely, stepping aside to gesture to his companion. “Mrs. Bennet, Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth. Forgive me for the last-minute addition to the party, but may I introduce my cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam?”
Colonel Fitzwilliam bowed with a warm smile. “It is an honor to make your acquaintance.”
