Page 116 of Near Pemberley

“Unfortunate for Lydia?”

“For Lydia certainly.”

“And for you?”

A shadow crossed his face. “Yes.”

That answer only increased her curiosity.

Elizabeth stopped walking and turned to face him. “Mr. Darcy, I assure you that after everything which has happened, you may safely tell me.”

He laughed softly. “I am not entirely persuaded of that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I should very much prefer that you continue to think well of me now that I have achieved that.”

The remark caught her completely by surprise. She stared at him.

Darcy immediately appeared to regret having said it. A faint colour rose in his cheeks. “That was perhaps poorly expressed.”

“No,” Elizabeth said quietly. “I think it was expressed very well.”

Neither moved.

Then Darcy looked away and gathered his thoughts. “I can tell you this much. I found your sister entirely by chance.”

Elizabeth frowned. “That seems extraordinary in a city the size of London.”

“It was.”

“You recognised her?”

“Not at first.”

“And she recognised you?”

A curious expression crossed Darcy’s face. “Yes.”

Elizabeth blinked.

“I believe her first reaction was disbelief.”

That sounded remarkably familiar. Despite herself, Elizabeth smiled. “I begin to sympathise with her.”

Darcy inclined his head.

They resumed walking.

For a few moments, he appeared to be considering how much he ought to say. He sighed. “The difficulty, Miss Bennet, is that if the full story became generally known, it would create questions that serve no useful purpose.”

“What sort of questions?”

“The sort society enjoys most.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened.

He continued more quietly. “Your sister was frightened, alone, and in circumstances which no gentleman would wish discussed. If I tell you more, I do so only because I trust your discretion.”