“It is not so simple,” Darcy interjected. He leant forwards, his chest touching the edge of the table, as though closing thedistance between the two of them would make Bingley believe him. “It was because of the youngest Miss Bennet’s marriage. You know a little of my history with Wickham, but there is more to it.” He provided a rough explanation of Wickham convincing Georgiana to agree to an elopement. He said nothing about Wickham injuring more than his sister’s heart. “She cannot bear to hear his name, and when she learnt that he was now Elizabeth’s brother, she became convinced that she would have to see him if we were married. She and my family begged me to consider Georgiana’s happiness above my personal wishes, and…” He held his arms aloft as though asking what he could have done.
Bingley took a deep breath and slowly released it. His voice might have been slightly less angry when he next spoke, or that might have been only what Darcy wished to hear.
“I see, and I am very sorry for Miss Darcy and you. But once I brought Lizzy into your house, once Isuggesteddoing so, you ought to have told me. I am responsible for her well-being, and I can hardly protect her properly if I am kept in the dark about such important matters. I wish she or Jane had told me, but when it was clear they would not,youought to have done it.”
Darcy nodded, accepting the rebuke.
“I understand you decided you could not offer for Lizzy. You did not want to distress your sister, and if you told me your uncle and aunts raised objections, I would not be surprised. But I cannot believeyou, of all men, could not find a better way, especially since—from everything I have heard—you were honour bound to her, even if not actually engaged.”
Heat suffused Darcy’s cheeks, and he was glad the gentle candlelight meant Bingley was unlikely to notice. “You are correct. Are you surprised that I agree with you? Elizabethknew I intended to propose after what was supposed to be a brief trip to town last autumn. I placed myself in an untenable position. In a moment of panic, I promised Georgiana I would not marry Elizabeth unless she was comfortable with me doing so. She was not, and in truth, meeting Mrs Bingley and having you all to stay here has been difficult for her. I believe she only acquiesced to you coming because, like your wife and Elizabeth, she did not want to damage our friendship. She does not fear being near your wife as she does Elizabeth, for some reason I only vaguely understand, and she has always liked you, which helped, I suppose.”
Bingley watched him for a long moment. Darcy could not guess what he was thinking, but he doubted it was anything pleasant. At length, Bingley pushed himself away from the table and stood.
“We cannot remain. Jane, Lizzy, and I shall leave first thing in the morning.”
Darcy also got to his feet. He jerked his head in acknowledgement. “I want you to know?—”
“I am grateful for everything you have done for me, Darcy, but Lizzy is my responsibility, as your sister is yours. I shall always put Lizzy’s happiness—and Jane’s, needless to say—above any friend. You would expect nothing less of me, and you would act exactly the same in my position. Youdidexactly that when you rejected Lizzy for your sister and other relations. I expected better of you. I used to consider you the best of gentlemen, the most honourable, and one whom I could trust to always do what was right. I forgave you for lying to me about Jane, and you vowed never to behave in such a manner again. And yet, here we are. It is not even myself I am angry for. First, you injured Jane—the woman I love more than I do my life—and then to discover you also injured Lizzy! I do notknow what to say to you. I do not know whether I shall ever have anything to say to you again.” Bingley strode from the room.
The Bingleys and Elizabeth left Pemberley before breakfast the next day. Darcy did not attempt to speak to any of them, choosing instead to discreetly watch from a window as the carriage drove away.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Bingley directed his coachman to take them to Buxton. It was a sizeable town and close to Larch Lane. He said very little during the drive, other than asking Jane and Elizabeth whether they required anything. Jane kept her head lowered and only shook it. Elizabeth, likewise, remained quiet. She felt guilty for everything that had happened—for Bingley’s unhappiness and simmering anger and for having begged Jane to keep secrets from her husband. Bingley had assured them both that he knew they had acted as they thought best, and he appreciated the impulse to spare his feelings.
“Do not mind Bingley’s mood,” Jane told her when they stopped near Bakewell to take breakfast. “He is disappointed in Mr Darcy and uncertain whether he will be able to overlook it.”
In other words, Bingley was mourning what might be the severing of the connexion, just as Elizabeth had feared he might.
“I ought never to have asked you to keep the truth from him. I am to blame for this. Surely, if I had only tried, I could have found a way to tell him enough so that he understood why I would prefer not to see the Darcys but that it need not affect their friendship.”
“Everything will be well, for all of us. I am certain of it. You will say I am being fanciful and only seeing the good in everything and everyone, but I feel in my heart that it is a very good thing that this has come out now. Somehow, you and Mr and Miss Darcy will all be better for it.”
Elizabeth laughed, though it sounded sad rather than amused. “I cannot see how that is possible, and it absolutely is not if you mean to imply the three of us shall be friends. I am glad we are gone from Pemberley and that you no longer have to keep secrets from Bingley. Let us resolve to do what we can to cheer him. You will have your own ways of doing so, and you are his best comfort. As for me, I shall ensure he knows that I am as enthusiastic about our tour as I have ever been, and I am sure I have a joke or two or an amusing anecdote tucked away up here.” She tapped her forehead with a finger. “Before the morning is up, we shall have him smiling and laughing again.”
Jane regarded her for a moment. “And you, my dearest sister, willyoube happy again?”
“I shall, and much quicker than you might imagine. I shall be my usual self before you know it.” To ease Jane’s disquiet—and for herself—Elizabeth silently vowed to do whatever she could to be more cheerful.
They made good time to Buxton, and after arranging for rooms at an inn, spent the day quietly exploring the town. Bingley said little until dinner.
“I know we came to Buxton because it is close to Larch Lane, but I am questioning whether it would be a good idea to proceed with the purchase.”
Elizabeth saw the same questioning expression on her sister’s face as she knew she herself wore. They turned as one to Bingley.
“You are?” Jane said.
Less hesitant to ask what had possessed him to say such a thing—and rather suspecting the reason—Elizabeth said, “Have you changed your mind about its suitability, or is something else worrying you?”
Bingley poured himself more wine, though he did not drink it. “It is so close to Pemberley. That was an attraction not so long ago, but now, I do not know. Does it not seem…wrong to you?”
“Not at all.” Elizabeth stated firmly. All three of them had agreed that Larch Lane would make the perfect home, and she was not about to let anything other than discovering some fundamental flaw with it dissuade Bingley. “If you are thinking of my feelings, I appreciate it, but it is not necessary. My situation should not affect your choice of estate at all. It is not as though Mr Darcy and I would have to see each other. I admit that it has not always been easy when we have been together, but it will become easier in time—for both him and me.” Elizabeth reached across the table and rested her hand on his. “Listen carefully to me about this. You should not make a decision that has long-term consequences for your family based on something that is short-lived, as is the discomfort Mr and Miss Darcy and I feel when we are together.”
Bingley furrowed his brow and turned to Jane. “What do you think, my dear?”
Jane glanced at Elizabeth before responding. “Recollect, I approved of Larch Lane knowing of…everything, but the choice is yours.”
“Would it prevent you from living with us, Lizzy?”
