Charlotte’s lips quirked. “And what do you think Mr. Darcy would say if I asked him?”
Elizabeth tilted her head, pretending to consider. “He would say... nothing at all, I imagine. Silence seems to be his greatest skill.”
She laughed lightly, but as Darcy stood to refill his tea, his glance lingered on her for just a moment longer than it should have. Elizabeth’s heart gave an unexpected flutter, but shepushed it aside. This was a game, and she had no intention of losing.
Three
Darcy quickened his pace,his strides purposeful, though he had no destination in mind. He needed movement—something to untangle the knots Elizabeth Bennet had tied in his thoughts. Her voice, her sharp remarks, her maddening smile—they lingered far longer than they should have, disrupting the quiet discipline he relied upon.
How she had managed to turn the conversation at Lucas Lodge toturnips—a topic so utterly inane—and yet draw him into it, was beyond his understanding. And that… thatsmileof hers, overturnips, of all things! It had unsettled him far more than he cared to admit.
He reached the edge of the field and paused. Why,whywas he even thinking about her? She was just a country girl—no connections worth noting, probably no fortune, certainly no fashion or… He shook his head with a hiss. She wasnotworth thinking about.
But still, there was something about her that defied reason. She was clever—far cleverer than most of the women he hadencountered—but that alone was not reason for him to think of her.
She was unpredictable in her attacks, wielding her wit like a blade. No… not a clumsy, brute force saber. More like a foil—each remark precise, leaving him both challenged and intrigued.
And then there were her eyes. Nothing out of the common way, as far as shape and color went. Indeed, she was not even handsome by his standards, but those eyes had haunted him since his attention first lighted on her at the Assembly. Darcy’s jaw tightened as the image came unbidden: her gaze fixed on him, bright and unrelenting, as though she could see through every mask he had ever worn. It had been... disarming.
He drew a deep breath and paced along the field border to the stile. There was no room for such thoughts. Elizabeth Bennet was only a temporary distraction, a puzzle to be solved and set aside. And yet...
“You are going to wear a ditch into the ground if you keep pacing like that,” Bingley called out.
Darcy turned to see his friend approaching, his usual good humor written across his face. “I had not realized I was pacing.”
“Of course you had not.” Bingley fell into step beside him, hands tucked into his coat pockets. “I imagine you were too lost in thought. Or should I say, too lost in Miss Elizabeth Bennet?”
Darcy’s jaw clenched. “I do not know what you mean.”
Bingley gave him a knowing smile. “Do not pretend, Darcy. I saw the way you were looking at her during tea.”
“Like she sprouted a third arm?”
Bingley laughed. “I have not seen you so engaged in conversation since we arrived in Hertfordshire. You actually smiled, or something dangerously close to it.”
“If I smiled, it was because her remarks were absurd. She finds great amusement in provoking others.”
“And you find great amusement in being provoked.”
Darcy stopped. “Do not read too much into it. Miss Elizabeth Bennet is merely... diverting. Nothing more.”
“Diverting.” Bingley laughed, shaking his head. “I do not believe I have ever heard you describe a lady that way before. Usually, it is all about their connections or their manners. But Miss Elizabeth Bennet seems to have captured your attention in spite of all that.”
Darcy looked away, the weight of Bingley’s words pressing against the boundaries of his resolve. “She is... different,” Darcy admitted reluctantly.
“Different is good.”
“Not in this case.”
“Why not?”
Darcy hesitated, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “Because different is dangerous. She has no regard for convention, no care for propriety. A man like me cannot afford to indulge in such distractions.”
Bingley’s smile faded slightly. “Perhaps she is not the one who needs to change, Darcy.”
Darcy turned to him sharply. “What are you suggesting?”
“Only that you might try seeing her as she is, rather than as someone who defies your expectations. She is only a lady, after all. No one is expecting you to propose marriage just because she happens to be of the opposite sex.”
