Dinner was announced, taken with equal cheer, and afterward the ladies withdrew, leaving the gentlemen to their port. Darcy poured, sat, and made a very sincere attempt to attend to his friend. Fortunately, Bingley was in a state of such eager enthusiasm that it required very little from him in return.
“…and of course, I cannot help but wonder—whether it will be a boy or a girl. Though I assure you, I shall be equally delighted with either—though Mrs. Bennet has already declared it must be a boy, and at least two of her neighbors have agreed with her—”
Darcy nodded at what he hoped was an appropriate interval. In truth, his thoughts continue to stray rather persistently upstairs.
Bingley, accustomed to his friend’s silences, continued his chatter.
“I cannot tell you, my dear fellow, how extraordinary it all feels. A father! I had not quite imagined it so soon, and yet—well—here we are.”
Darcy allowed himself a faint smile.
“Yes,” he said. “Here you are.”
Bingley leaned back, still smiling. “And you? How do you find being returned to Hertfordshire? I wondered—whether itmight feel… awkward. Particularly with Mrs. Darcy wishing to visit Longbourn.”
Darcy’s brow lifted slightly.
“No oneallowsElizabeth to do anything,” he said dryly. “And heaven help the man who attempts to forbid her.”
Bingley laughed—though there was a hint of nervousness in it. “Yes—well—quite. I suppose we have each chosen wives suited to our dispositions.”
Darcy’s mouth curved, just slightly wicked. “Elizabeth would prove far more than you could manage, I think.”
Bingley’s eyes widened. “Oh, I do not doubt it. Jane is quite enough for me.”
There was a brief pause, then Bingley leaned forward, his tone shifting. “In all seriousness, old man—how are you?”
Darcy considered for a moment before answering. “If Mr. Bennet had not come to Rosings,” he said, his voice even, “and if Elizabeth had not chosen to forgive him, I should not have returned to this county.”
He took a slow sip of his wine. “Nor permitted her to do so,” he added. “At least not until the man was safely in his grave.”
Bingley winced slightly. “Then I do not feel quite as guilty about Mr. Bennet discovering you at Rosings so quickly.”
“Youtold him where we were?” Darcy was incredulous. “Good Lord, man!Why?”
“Not me!” Bingley raised his hands. “No, it was… it was Caroline.”
Darcy closed his eyes briefly. “Of course it was.” Then his brow furrowed. “I thought she was in the north with your family.”
“Yes, well, she arrived the day after the wedding. She was infuriated she was too late to stop us—apparently a broken axle on the coach delayed her travel, thank heaven.”
“I imagine that was an unpleasant surprise to awaken to after your wedding night,” Darcy said dryly.
Bingley’s face turned red. “Yes, well… unpleasant is one way to put it. But by the time I was informed of her arrival, she had already learned that you two had disappeared. When Mr. Bennet said there was no sight of you on the north road, she concluded you must have gone to Rosings.”
Darcy nearly choked on his port.For someone as oblivious to reality as her, she certainly has an uncanny knack of knowing where I will be.
“I beg you not to concern yourself,” Bingley added quickly, oblivious to Darcy’s inner thoughts. “She has… rather fallen out of favor. Entirely, in fact. She has taken a house of her own and, by all accounts, is quite miserable.”
Darcy raised a brow. “Indeed?”
“She is presently in Bath,” Bingley continued, “endeavoring to persuade a baron—one already in possession of three daughters—that he stands in need of a wife to provide him with a son.”
Darcy huffed a quiet breath. “I wish her every success. It would be a mercy to us all if she were otherwise occupied.”
Bingley laughed.
“Oh—and one more thing,” he added. “Your in-laws have invited us all to dine at Longbourn tomorrow evening. A family gathering—and to celebrate Mrs. Darcy’s birthday, since she will be attaining her majority next week.”
