Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet sat near each other, speaking more calmly and quietly. Elizabeth waited for a little while, then she breathed deeply and daringly moved to sit next to Mr. Darcy on the sofa. He seemed surprised, and her father looked at her, puzzled.
“Yes, Lizzy? May we help you with something?”
“No, Papa. Yes…I wish to thank Mr. Darcy for his help and to say how grateful—”
She kept her voice down, but Mr. Darcy’s countenance immediately changed.
“Miss Elizabeth, please know that no gratitude and no thanks are necessary,” he interrupted her.
“Besides, this is not a subject for after dinner, Lizzy. If you wish to discuss it, I am sure Mr. Darcy will indulge you on another day. For the moment, we were discussing hunting. Would you like to join us?”
“No, Papa. I have no interest in it.” She smiled. “I do wish to speak to Mr. Darcy whenever he has a little time to spare.”
She felt embarrassed to request a private meeting in front of her father, but she did not wish to lose the opportunity.
“I assume Bingley will call again tomorrow. If it is agreeable to you, I could keep him company.”
“Very agreeable,” Mr. Bennet responded on Elizabeth’s behalf.
“I shall ask him when he plans to call, so I shall be at home. Whenever the weather is good, I enjoy walking towards Oakham Mount before breakfast,” Elizabeth said.
She glanced at Mr. Darcy, and their eyes met, locking for an instant. She noticed his countenance had warmed again.
“Upon my word, Lizzy, surely you do not expect that Mr. Bingley might call before breakfast and find us in our nightgowns,” Mr. Bennet replied. Elizabeth smiled and so did Mr. Darcy, though for other reasons than Mr. Bennet assumed.
Elizabeth returned to sit near Jane, suddenly at peace. She knew he understood her meaning and would come to meet her on her walk. She had been bold, perhaps even improper, but she could not bear another day without talking to him in earnest.
It was almost midnight when the guests finally left, and the family retired for the night almost immediately. However, neither Jane nor Elizabeth could sleep. The former was too thrilled and had too much to say, while the latter was lost in her thoughts and did not dare say much.
Jane was eventually defeated by tiredness, but Elizabeth remained restless till dawn. Despite it being very early, she dressed and left the house at an hour that made Hill arch her eyebrow.
