Page 16 of Miss Bingley’s Return

“Please trust me in this, Miss Eliza—Charles did come to London to see to business, and if he stayed longer than he wished, circumstances dictated it. I have nothing but my brother’s interests in mind, and from what I have seen, your sister is a large part of Charles’s happiness.”

Then with a nod, Miss Bingley stepped away, Elizabeth watching her as she retreated. On the other side of the room, Mr. Hurst called for a card table as he had often when she had stayed at Netherfield. She felt rather than saw Mr. Darcy lean closer.

“You do not believe her.”

As it was a statement rather than a question, Elizabeth treated it as such. “That is not it exactly, Mr. Darcy. Let us only say that I have not yet seen enough to convince me.”

Mr. Darcy chuckled under his breath. “Let us call a spade a spade, Miss Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth turned to him. “Tell me, Mr. Darcy—are you aware of the reason for Miss Bingley’s sudden interest in promoting my sister to your friend?”

“No, Miss Elizabeth, and I have no suspicions that I would care to share at this moment.”

The ensuing question was obvious. “But you have them.”

“Perhaps,” replied the gentleman, his shrug anything but nonchalant. “Should anything come to mind, I will not hesitate to share it with you.”

That was a surprise to be certain. “You will?”

The gentleman offered her a nod—one she did not think performative. “In doing so, I will serve two purposes. Bingley is my friend, Miss Elizabeth, and your sister is worthy of esteem. I would not stay quiet when I believe it is in their best interests to speak up.”

With those words, Mr. Darcy went away, Elizabeth watching him as he departed. This Mr. Darcy was unlike anything she had known in Hertfordshire, different even from his behavior during their meeting at Bond Street. Elizabeth was still wary of the gentleman, but somehow she had come to see him as strangely compelling.

When Miss Bingley made her first miscalculation, Elizabeth almost missed it. She could only blame her lack of discernment on her sister’s reticence, and the distractions present in a room full of people.

It had come innocuously enough. Miss Bingley contented herself in allowing Jane and Mr. Bingley to speak that evening, and even on those occasions when they drifted apart for a time, she did not take any overt action.

That they had occasionally separated from each other was noteworthy by itself, for they had so often joined in Hertfordshire that she did not think she had seen them apart more than a handful of times. Elizabeth did her best to remain agreeable to all as she mingled with Miss Bingley’s friends. In time she learned most were also known to Mr. Darcy, and they invariably appeared to esteem him.

Miss Bingley’s miscalculation came after an extended period when Jane had been speaking to another man in the room—Mr. Harrington. The man was unremarkable so far as Elizabeth could see. He was tall, passing handsome, engaging, yet his manners were unforced. He stood next to Jane for a time, speaking with respect, but lacking intensity, expectation, and perhaps more importantly, without the history that complicated everything else in the room. What set him apart was not brilliance, but steadiness—in a room full of tension and intention, that alone made him stand out.

For her part, Jane responded with her usual even demeanor, though Elizabeth could see at once that she was more at ease than she had been at any other time in the evening. As Elizabeth noticed this, so too did Miss Bingley, perhaps more quickly than Elizabeth did herself. Miss Bingley did not insert herself at once, but when she did, it was with more authority than she had ever used before.

“Dear Jane,” said Miss Bingley, approaching a moment after Mr. Harrington moved away, “it is wonderful to have you among us again.”

“Thank you, Miss Bingley,” said Jane, ignoring the sentiment that Miss Bingley had repeated several times already. “Lizzy and I appreciate your invitation.”

“Charles!” said Miss Bingley, catching the attention of her brother who had moved closer by chance. “Jane and I were just discussing how fortunate it is when early attachments are renewed, when misunderstandings are set aside, and when constancy has its reward.”

“That is curious, Caroline,” said Mr. Bingley, “for I was not aware of any such mistakes. Do you speak of something in particular?”

Miss Bingley smiled, unbothered by her brother’s response. “I speak in generalities, Charles, not specifics.”

“Of course,” replied Mr. Bingley, though Elizabeth could see he did not believe a word of what she said.

Then he turned his attention to Jane, and his smile softened. Jane sensed this and returned the gesture, though Elizabeth could easily see that her sister had withdrawn, her dignity asserting itself where Miss Bingley had tried to impose expectation.

“It is agreeable to be reunited with friends, Miss Bennet.” He paused, taking care to say what he meant. “I hope we can continue in this fashion as friends.”

Though Miss Bingley’s face fell at the word friends, Jane nodded, appearing relieved. “My sister and I both welcome your friendship, Mr. Bingley.”

“That is interesting, to be certain,” said Mrs. Gardiner the next morning when they related the previous evening’s events. “The picture you paint of Mr. Bingley’s behavior does not match what you told me of him at Christmas.”

“It does not,” said Elizabeth. “That Miss Bingley would push her brother’s interest in Jane was so beyond what I might have expected as to be farcical.”

Though Mrs. Gardiner looked to Jane for her opinion, her sister did not respond at once. That spoke volumes. When Jane noticed their matching looks, she did not hesitate to reply.

“Do not tease me, Lizzy. There seems to be something more happening than Miss Bingley wishing to promote me to her brother. I cannot deny what appeared incontrovertible.”