“And there you go again. First, you begged my mother’s pardon for her observation that you did not enjoy your brother’s wedding breakfast. Then, you begged her pardon for yawning during your conversation with her. Then there was a third begging for mis-speaking her name. Then we had a fourth begging for mis-speakingmyname, and now you are about to embark upon a fifth. I truly had no idea you were such a beggar, Miss Bingley.”
Miss Bingley leapt to her feet. “Well! I have never been so insulted in all my life!”
“I find that quite difficult to believe,” Elizabeth shot back.
“Lizzy!” her mother exclaimed, just as Mrs. Bingley called out, “Caroline!”
Miss Bingley gathered up her skirts and left the room with enormous dignity, head held high. But she could not miss hearing the peals of laughter behind her.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mr. Darcy opened his eyes and felt briefly puzzled: nothing looked familiar. It took him a moment to recall that he had spent the night in a strange bedroom in order to avoid a possible compromise by Miss Bingley. It was a comfortable enough room, just not the one he had become accustomed to at Netherfield.
Evans seemed to have some sort of sixth sense that allowed him to know when his master was awake; Mr. Darcy was not surprised to see the bedroom door open, noiselessly, and Evans tiptoe in.
“I am awake, Evans.”
“Yes, sir. Here, let us slip you into your banyan and get you into your proper bedroom to dress.”
Three-quarters of an hour later, Mr. Darcy made his way down to the breakfast room. He paused at the doorway; he did not intend to eavesdrop on his host and hostess, but had been unable to pause upon hearing Mrs. Bingley say, “And then Lizzy called her a beggar!”
He continued, then, into the breakfast room; Mrs. Bingley coloured upon realising that her guest must have heard her comment.
“Mrs. Bingley, I hope this is not rude, but may I assume you are explaining last night’s contretemps?”
“Oh, Mr. Darcy, I am sorry. I know it was all very awkward.”
“No need to apologise; the drawing room simply got very quiet when the gentlemen joined the ladies, and I saw that Miss Bingley was not present. The Bennets left soon afterwards. I surmised that something had occurred amongst the ladies.”
Mr. Bingley said, “Oh, it did indeed! Caroline was rude to Mrs. Bennet, then rude to Miss Bennet, and finally Miss Bennet – Lizzy – had enough, and was rude back, in her own inimitable fashion.”
“Miss Bennet was rude? I find it hard to believe.”
“You must know that her wit can be rather biting at times,” Mrs. Bingley said.
Mr. Darcy allowed that he imagined that to be the case.
“Well, Caroline pushed her to the limit last night, and got a good taste of that biting wit.”
“Ah, so that is why Miss Bingley was absent from the drawing room when the gentlemen came back in,” Mr. Darcy said.
“From what Jane tells me, Caroline could not return fire and so withdrew from the field.” Mr. Bingley grinned broadly, clearly proud of his military metaphor.
“Well said, Bingley,” Mr. Darcy approved. “But I would be sorry to see bad blood between the Bingleys and the Bennets; it would be rather awkward for you and Mrs. Bingley.”
“Oh, no, not at all,” Mr. Bingley cried. “I will take the Bennet side against Caroline every time!”
“Perhaps now she will return to London,” Mr. Darcy said.
“We can hope,” his host sighed.
***
The events of the prior night were also being discussed at the Bennet breakfast table. Mr. Bennet, far from being horrified upon hearing of Lizzy’s outburst the previous night, was instead delighted. “Tell me again, Lizzy,” he pleaded.
“Oh, Papa, I was rude,” his daughter sighed. “I cannot imagine what Mr. Darcy will think when he hears of this.”
“If he does not understand how you were provoked, then he is not the man for you,” her fond father insisted.
