“I did!”
Elizabeth blushed. “What is his opinion?”
Jane took her hands. “He told me that, even if you did the right thing for all the wrong reasons, he would be happy. A man so violently in love with his wife as he is with Mary would be happy foranysituation with such a good outcome—buthe strongly denied it was so.”
“How so?”
“Right or wrong, Lizzy, our new brother believes you have anatural affinityfor such things. You recognised that he and Mary would do well, despite a dearth of tangible evidence infavour of that outcome. All you had was Mary saying she was interested. You recognised that he was in a stubborn mood and would need strong persuasion in the right direction, but not strong enough to break him. He believesheacted badly, butyoudid the right thing to bring about the correct outcome. He thinks you can fool yourself all you want to, but you have a talent that was well applied. It is a skill you possess that others lack. You have the ability to see to the heart of relationships and understand what is missing. Perhaps it is part and parcel with your mathematical ability.”
Elizabeth shook her head vigorously. “Suppose you throw 10 numbered stones on the ground, put grain on each, and ask a chicken to pick the answer to 2+3. It would be right 10% of the time, the same as a stopped clock is right twice a day. That is all I did. He could just as easily be married to Charlotte Lucas or Louisa Goulding now, if we depended on me to set things right. If I were as clever as you think, I would have dissuaded him from proposing in the first place, or advised you better about that other so-called gentleman.”
“I do not repent the loss of that unnamed man. That was a bad fate narrowly avoided… but it left me… well—”
“Left youwhat?”
“I should not tell you this—”
“Then do not.”
“No! I need to. You see… I am left… damaged… timid… unsure of myself. With that other man, I acted exactly as a lady is taught to act. I did not flirt or show overt signs of my regard, assuming he could see them. Now I see that may have hurt me, but I still have difficulty believing in my… worthiness.”
“Bite your tongue, Miss Jane Bennet!You are the worthiest woman I know.”
“Perhaps, but sisterly affection more likely clouds your vision. However, that brings us to Mr Jameson.”
Elizabeth did not like the topic in the least but seemed unable to stop it.
She whispered resignedly, “Go on.”
“He was engaged a few months before I met him.”
Elizabeth started at the news. “What happened?”
Pain crossed Jane’s face; whether from embarrassment or some other emotion, Elizabeth could not guess.
“Her father overheard her speaking to another woman. She said outright that she had seduced him, but was accepting him only for his position in life. His intended boasted that she would notnecessarilyfeel the need to be faithful once she had done her duty by producing an heir.”
Elizabeth stared in consternation.
Jane continued calmly. “He is not gentry, but he is a successful tradesman. He is well off, and he expects to buy an estate someday. The situation resembles that of another man we once knew, except that Mr Jamesonearnedhis own success. His intended was only thinking of him for what he could give her.”
Elizabeth stared in horror. “What happened?”
“Her father broke the engagement. I do not know what happened to the lady, but doubt it was pleasant. Mr Jameson accepted the change quietly, which I think was generous of him. His reputation and his confidence were damaged, while the guilty party’s remained mostly intact, since crying off an engagement is one of the few privileges women have. He was harmed by her attitude but did not have it in him to be vindictive.”
Elizabeth took her hands. “So, you have two people,bothrecently abandoned and—”
“And both unable to move past our hurt. We both like each other, and likely more, but neither of us can get past this barrier of unreasonable fear. We cannot get to the next step, so we muddle along betwixt and between.”
Elizabeth sat back and considered it for some time.
“Are you certain this is not merely two people carrying identical hurts and hoping two wrongs make a right? How can you expect to solve thenextbig problem in your life if you must run to your sister for help?”
“I am not certain of anything. I know only that I cannot manage to start the conversation we need. Perhaps a better analogy would be a broken leg. I would expect someone with a broken leg to be as strong as ever in time, but not if they disdain a crutch while they heal.”
“So, I am to be your crutch?”
“Please, Lizzy!”
