Mr. Darcy began to stammer. “You?You?The two of you have become engaged?”
Emma sat down on a sofa and gestured for the others to do likewise. “It is a most advantageous union for both of us, practically speaking.”
“When my uncle plied me with drink last night, of course what he really intended was for me to sleep soundly as he snuck away to kill Mrs. Younge, but at the time I supposed him to be getting me drunk enough to pressure me about matrimony, as many others in my family have done before him.”
Mr. Willoughby gave them a rakish grin. “He observed me enjoying the company of Miss Woodhouse and Miss Smith at dinner, and I imagine there is some added inducement for Sir Walter, in vexing Lady Susan.”
“My aunt will probably be relieved,” Emma drawled. “She is aware of my secret, and I know she fears it will make a scandal.”
Elizabeth glanced curiously at Mr. Willoughby, who seemed entirely unbothered. “And… Harriet?”
“She is my cousin by marriage, you must remember,” Mr. Willoughby said. “Her mother, Lady Allen, is my uncle’s widow.”
“I told him everything,” Emma said, looking rather smug. “I should never have accepted him if I could not have my own way. Harriet will accompany me to Combe Magna, Mr. Willoughby’s estate in… where was it?”
“Somerset, my darling.”
Elizabeth was sure she had heard Mr. Darcy give a low groan, but when she dared a glance in his direction, he was as rigidly still as a statue, his face an inscrutable mask. “So you have reached an arrangement that is acceptable to you both? Forgive me, I had thought myself past all capacity for astonishment, but….”
“But just a few days ago I told you I meant never to marry,” Emma said with a laugh. “I never thought to encounter a man who would allow my… affectionate friendship with Harriet to remain a priority.”
“So this union will be more of a farce than most,” Mr. Darcy huffed.
“We will live as brother and sister,” Mr. Willoughby said. “She will have herfriend, and I shall havefriendsof my own.”
“And you will have her fortune?” Mr. Darcy shook his head with disgust.
“Your concern is touching, sir,” Emma drawled.
“You are Miss Bennet’s friend; Miss Smith is her sister.” Mr. Darcy looked over at Elizabeth, as if expecting her to share his protestations.
Emma grimaced. “I have told my new friend Lizzy that I have felt like a guest in my sister’s home, since our father died and Isabella inherited. Of course, I should prefer to be mistress of my own estate. A home far away from Highbury should suit me very well, especially since the horrid little vicar married that awful woman who spoils every party she attends.”
Elizabeth looked back at Mr. Darcy; she began to wonder if perhaps he was right in expecting her to dissuade her new friend from such a hastily formed connection. She thought of her dear friend Charlotte, who had accepted Mr. Collins for the sake of having a home of her own rather than remaining a burden to her family. But Charlotte had no fortune.
“You have mentioned a friend of yours – Mr. Knightley, I think? Could he not act on your behalf, or your sister’s husband? Forgive me, Mr. Willoughby, but we have read your dossier, and I am aware of your need to beprudentin marriage.”
Mr. Willoughby laughed and gave them a bold wink. “You will makesomebodya terrifying wife, Miss Bennet, and I say so with every proper regard for your clever concern for Miss Woodhouse. I have made no secret of my circumstances, but the marriage settlement shall be a generous one; Miss Woodhouse may name whatever terms she likes. It will still be a most ideal arrangement for the both of us.”
“We shall live as brother and sister,” Emma repeated. “I shall have my own home, my dear Harriet, and a child to dote upon.”
“A child?” Elizabeth gasped. What she and Mr. Darcy had been about was scandalous enough!
“Your friend has as tenacious a turn of mind as you, Miss Bennet.” Mr. Willoughby grinned at her and nodded his head in a display of respect. “She knows all about Eliza Williams, and told me that she will give me no children. So, we shall do what my uncleclaimsto have done. I shall hopefully escape Colonel Brandon murdering me if I offer to take Eliza’s child as my ward and heir.”
“And I forgot to mention one vital thing, sir,” Emma said archly to her betrothed. “Since my sister’s family have come to Hartfield, they have thought there was little need for a governess for their five little beasts, when Auntie Emma would suit.”
“A legion of governesses shall arrive promptly, and in phalanx formation, to attend the child,” Mr. Willoughby said with a laugh.
Mr. Darcy shook his head. “I think you both mad, but I suppose you were compromised together, anyhow.”
Elizabeth’s eyes went wide, but once again she could not look at Mr. Darcy. If what he said was true, the same logic must also apply to them. She began to feel heartily ashamed of herself, as if she were no better than the philandering Sir Edward. “You mentioned a distraction, Mr. Willoughby; I think that would be just the thing.”
Mr. Darcy crossed the room and began to pound on the door and call out for their friends, until he finally admitted defeat and came back to join them. They agreed on a few parlor games; first they played Charades, and then Consequences, andfinally The Minister’s Cat. This last game afforded Elizabeth the defiant distinction of declaring, “The minister’s cat is atolerablecat.”
“The minister’s cat is anunforgettablecat,” was Mr. Darcy’s unperturbed response, and he smiled warmly at Elizabeth. When it was her turn again, she was stumped by the letter X, and surrendered to their teasing.
After this, they called for help again before resuming their search of the room, which yielded nothing more interesting than the discovery of a box of alphabet letters, and they resumed their entertainment. The sky had begun to darken, for they were on the east side of the castle, and it was late in the afternoon.
