“Months and months.” She blushed and leant closer for a brief moment. “In truth, I decided years ago that I wanted to marry him when I was old enough. Jane and Lizzy and Mary used to say I would grow out of my infatuation, but I never did, and once he started to notice that I was no longer a child, I had no reason to.”
Darcy’s mouth was dry, and his heart raced when he posed his next, most dangerous question. “I had heard that another one of your sisters was destined to become Mrs Collins. Do you know how such a mistake could have been made?”
“My parents were rather secretive about the whole thing. I suppose it was because of the uncertainty about when we would be able to get married and my age. Papa also believed I would change my mind. I told him I would not, but…” She shrugged. “Many people knew, though. My aunt and uncle Philips did, and the Lucases and Gouldings—”
Not wanting to hear her list every person with whom the Bennets associated, he said, “But there was never any suggestion that he might marry Miss Elizab—”
Her hearty laugh stopped him from completing the name and drew the attention of their companions. Anne gave him a disapproving look—why, he did not understand—and his aunt wanted to know of what they were speaking. He claimed he was asking after the people he had met in Hertfordshire, which was not a falsehood, and soon she went back to whatever she was saying to Mr Collins.
“Goodness, no,” Mrs Collins said. “Lizzy would have murdered him within a week if they were husband and wife. I dare say, she would have been a better choice for him. She is much more sensible than I am, and she knows a great deal more, but I am determined to learn. I never heard her talked of as the lady he wanted to marry. Whoever told you such a thing?”
“Miss Bingley said her housekeeper at Netherfield Park wrote to her about it in December.” Darcy wanted to see how she responded to the name.
“Her?But she caught William and me— Well, you do not need to know what we were doing, though I assure you it was not so very scandalous. The point is, she must have known it was me and not Lizzy he was marrying.”
Her expression darkened, and all joviality seemed to have vanished in the blink of an eye. “The only other sister people expected to get married was Jane, but then your friend”—she all but spat the words—“left so suddenly, and all the farewell she or any of us received was Miss Bingley’s horrid note. I do not suppose it is fair to ask you to explain your friend’s abominable treatment of Jane, so I shall not. I will never understand how he could abandon her after paying her so much attention since the very day they met! Am I to offer you my congratulations?”
Her fierce scowl and words left him bewildered, and for the first time, she reminded him of her sister.
“I do not understand what you mean.”
“Without outright announcing your betrothal, Miss Bingley’s note made it as plain as could be that—”
“My betrothal?Miss Bingley led you to believe she andIwere…?”
She nodded, and he shook his head. Forming words and pushing them past his lips was impossible. His blood began to boil. Although his chief concern was Miss Elizabeth, he had not missed Mrs Collins’s anger when she spoke about Bingley and Miss Bennet. Contrary to what the Bingleys had told him, Miss Elizabeth had not married her cousin, and apparently, Miss Bingley had strongly hinted that she would soon be his wife, even though there had never been anything of the sort between them.
There is only one conclusion I can make. They have deceived me.
CHAPTERFORTY-FOUR
Madness carried Darcy through the night and the long Sunday that followed. He wanted to depart at once, but it was too late on Saturday to set off safely, either for town or Hertfordshire, and while he might have been willing to travel on a Sunday, given the extraordinary circumstances, his aunt would remind him of it forever.
More important than her disapproval was that he had come to Kent to assist her, and the job was not yet done. Once he left, he did not anticipate returning for a long while. His most fervent prayer was that he would be more agreeably occupied in the coming months.
On Sunday, Darcy worked tirelessly to get Lady Catherine’s affairs in order, slipping the steward a handsome sum for being so accommodating. With every second he could spare, Darcy debated the best course of action. Should he travel to Longbourn to see Miss Elizabeth? Or should he first go to London to confront the Bingleys and confirm his worst suppositions? In the end, he decided he needed to understand exactly what had happened—what had motivated his erstwhile friend and his sister to lie to him, as surely they had done—before seeing the Bennets again. No doubt, those good people would have questions, and he wanted to be able to answer them.
If their deceit has cost me the joyous future I know I could have with Miss Elizabeth, there will be no safe place on Earth for them!
As he made his final preparations to leave at first light on Monday, the twenty-seventh of January, it occurred to him that, exactly one month after Christmas, Mrs Collins had given him the most amazing gift: the hope that he could have his heart’s desire and would no longer need to struggle against the misery that had come into his life when he believed Miss Elizabeth was unattainable.
Lady Catherine was seriously displeased with his early departure, but it did not touch him.
“I shall explain it all as soon as I have resolved certain matters. I shall do you no good if I remain, now that everything has been put to rights with your accounts, and I must see several people as quickly as possible,” he explained.
“But Darcy, this is very odd behaviour from you, especially when you say there is nothing amiss with Georgiana. You have spent very little time with Anne—”
“Which, if you enquire of my cousin, she will tell you suits her perfectly. Pray accept that your daughter and I do not enjoy each other’s company, and neither of us is inclined to marry someone we do not like.” He paused before admitting, “In truth, I hope to very soon have news that would preclude me ever being able to offer for Anne.”
Lady Catherine’s eyes, which had always reminded him of his mother’s, grew round as they met his. “Like that, is it? Whoever she is, no matter how admirable a lady you introduce to me as your wife, I shall never agree that you made a wise choice. You and Anne would get along well enough, if you both only tried a little harder. It would have pleased my sister.” Averting her gaze, she sniffed and dabbed her nose with a lace handkerchief.
He kissed her cheek, said a final farewell, and climbed into his carriage. Lady Anne Darcy may once have desired a union between her niece and son, but more than that, she would have wanted him to be happy.
And so I shall be. Today, I will be in town to confront the Bingleys and tomorrow, I go to Longbourn, where I shall do whatever necessary to win Miss Elizabeth’s affection and consent to my proposal!
* * *
Upon reaching London, Darcy stopped at his house only long enough for his valet to disembark before continuing on to the town house Bingley had leased, such was his impatience to have answers to the many questions racing through his mind. His fingers drummed on the seat beside him throughout the drive, and he vowed to remain in Bingley’s drawing room until he was returned, should he not be immediately available.
