Page 106 of Mr. Darcy’s Diamonds

“I am. Thank you for inviting us to Gunter’s, Mr. Bingley.”

Jane chuckled. “Lizzy has wished to come here for years and be served by a waiter running across the street.”

Elizabeth blushed.

“Gunter’s has been a dream of yours, has it, Miss Elizabeth?”

“A little bit, Mr. Darcy. I did eat inside the shop once, but is it not exciting to have ices brought out to us? Although, it must not be as comfortable for you and Mr. Bingley to have to stand there the entire time.”

“We will survive quite well. I am glad you are satisfied today.”

They shared a friendly smile, and then the waiter arrived, and they had to make their selections. Jane chose vanilla mousse, Mr. Bingley ordered pistachio sorbet, and Elizabeth selected a bergamot ice. She blushed when she remembered why she liked the flavor even more than she used to, but her blush deepened when Mr. Darcy asked for a lavender ice. Surely his choice had nothing to do with her favored scent.

Mr. Darcy soon distracted her from her embarrassment, however, when he insisted Dinah, Matthew, and the coachman order, as well. He paid for all the treats without hesitation and merely nodded at her thanks.

“Darcy, Caro and Jane have a ball Thursday, but they have agreed to the theater on Friday. I am not sure whether Sir Abraham or Mr. Hillyerd will come, but the Hursts have other plans.”

“Very well. Miss Elizabeth, would you like to see Henry IV Part 1 this Friday? My box has space for your aunt and uncle, as well.”

“I would like that, and I believe the Gardiners will also come.”

Observing Elizabeth in such high spirits had Darcy feeling better than he had since the Hyde Park incident Monday evening. After eating their desserts, he and Bingley had left the ladies and walked to White’s. Bingley had gone up to play a few rounds of cards, while Darcy read the newspapers in a quiet corner and considered his next steps.

Before he had gone to Kent, Elizabeth had mentioned the British Museum’s exhibition on Egyptology. He would apply for tickets to take her and her aunt and uncle.

He was thinking about other London attractions Elizabeth may not have seen when Bingley approached. They had planned to dine together, but surely he had not been woolgathering for so long.

“Are you ready to eat, Darcy? I know it is early, but I must get back. Jane and Caro asked me to escort them to a party of some kind tonight.”

“Very well.” He joined his friend at a table, and three others almost immediately sat with them. He had been friends with Warren and Lord Davenport since their days at Eton. Ashley was younger, but he had known him almost as long as he had known Bingley.

“Gentlemen. It is good to see you.”

“And you, Darcy. It seems you have been keeping secrets.”

“To what are you referring Warren?” With the thought of dinner, Darcy’s mind had returned to the flavor of his ice. Not nearly as good as Elizabeth smelled, but it would have to do for now.

“You always held back from amusing yourself with women, but it was only a matter of time.” Darcy stiffened. Warren shared a smirk with Ashley, while Bingley looked at the table and Davenport looked at him as though unsure of who was sitting across from him.

“When we first heard the rumors, we thought nothing of them. Idle talk and all that. But your name has been linked repeatedly with the same woman for several months. Once people got to talking about seeing you so close at Vauxhall and Hyde Park, people remembered hearing you were with her at some ball as far back as January. And then my cousin saw you with her at Gunter’s only a few hours ago.”

“Do you have a point, Warren? I am perfectly capable of reading the gossip sheets if I want nonsense.”

“You deny it, then?” Davenport still looked at him intently.

“Deny what, exactly? That I have been in London since January and have not remained in my study for the past four months? I do not deny it.”

Bingley gave him a worried glance and then eagerly accepted the dishes a waiter delivered. Once everyone had slices of beef and ham, roasted vegetables, and thick dark bread in front of them, the interrogation began anew.

“Darcy, you have ever been careful to distance yourself so as not to be linked to any woman in a way a sensible person would believe, but we have heard troubling rumors⁠—”

“What is it to you who I associate with, Dav?”

The men exchanged concerned glances.

“Very well, ask me. What is it you have heard, and what concerns you?”

Davenport nodded to Warren, who apparently spoke for them both.