“Then how did she find out? She did not even pretend to be surprised to see him here.”
“I do not know, but it was not from me,” Mrs. Hurst insisted. “I am happy with our small family party and would not have wanted to ruin it!”
“Harold?”
“Who, me?” The man so addressed looked up in amazement. “I do not like the chit, you know that, Bingley.”
Mr. Bingley took a breath to remonstrate with his brother by marriage, but then gave it up.
“She must have learnt it in town,” Mrs. Bingley said. “No one here is to blame, Charles. We all know the house is more peaceful when she is elsewhere, if you will forgive me for saying so.”
“What are we to do?” Mr. Bingley addressed his wife.
“There is nothing to do but to live through it, I fear,” his wife replied. “Unless you are prepared to make good on your threat to return her to London.”
“I do not think I can do that,” Mr. Bingley said. “When all is said and done, she is still my sister. She may stay as long as she behaves herself.”
“You recall that we invited my family to dinner tomorrow night?” Mrs. Bingley asked.
“I had forgotten,” her husband admitted. “Should we cancel it?”
Mrs. Hurst spoke now. “Why should we allow Caroline to alter our social life?”
“She will insult the Bennets, you know she will,” Mrs. Hurst warned.
Mrs. Bingley now faced her husband. “I cannot allow her to upset my family. If she insults them or is rude to them, she will answer to me for it.” Her soft voice was determined; there could be no doubt that she meant every word.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Elizabeth knew that waiting to understand Mr. Darcy’s character was the right thing, but it was becoming more and more difficult to tolerate the wait. She found it hard to be apart from him. She thought about him constantly. She imagined touching him, his skin, his hair, the hard muscles that his clothing could not disguise. She imagined him touching her…her hair, her face, her body. Her face burned with shame at her imaginings. It was well that she no longer shared a bed with a sister, as she would have been hard-pressed to explain her nighttime blushes.
She still felt that she did not know him well. They were infatuated with one another, without a doubt, but was that enough of a foundation for a lifelong attachment? She did not think so. After all, look how infatuation had bound her parents together in an unhappy marriage!
Her mother questioned her constantly as to Mr. Darcy’s almost daily visits. What is he waiting for, her mother wanted to know. Elizabeth could not confess that it was she, Elizabeth, who was delaying the progress of the romance.
But tonight the Bennet family would go to Netherfield for dinner. The very thought of seeing Mr. Darcy had her heart a-flutter!
***
As the Bennet family clustered in Netherfield’s entryway, Elizabeth was surprised to see Jane, rather than Mr. Hughes. There was a forced smile on her elder sister’s face. “Jane?” she whispered.
“Caroline is here,” Jane whispered back. “I wanted to warn you.”
Caroline Bingley! Oh, Lord. Elizabeth grimaced at Jane, who grimaced in return.
“Thank you for telling me, Jane,” Elizabeth whispered.
Both sisters plastered smiles onto their faces as they walked into the drawing room. Those already gathered in the drawing room rose to their feet as the Bennets walked in. Bows and curtsies were exchanged, though Miss Bingley merely nodded her head at the newcomers.
Miss Bingley had claimed a chair to Mr. Darcy’s right. There was an empty chair to Mr. Darcy’s left, but Elizabeth chose not to set herself up as Miss Bingley’s opponent quite so obviously. Instead, she took a seat on a sofa on the opposite side of the room. Mr. Darcy was plainly disappointed, his eyes following Elizabeth as she moved away.
“My sister has come for a short visit,” Mr. Bingley began. “You all remember Miss Bingley, do you not?”
“Indeed we do,” Mrs. Bennet said, frostily. “I recall that your brother’s wedding breakfast was not to your liking, Miss Bingley.”
“Oh, I do beg your pardon, Mrs. Bennet,” Miss Bingley said. “I am so accustomed to Town affairs that I truly had no notion of how differently things were done in the country.” Her saccharine tone fooled no on.
Elizabeth groaned to herself. Must the warfare begin so soon?
