Page 26 of To Win Her Affections

“Perhaps I should be angry with you for keeping this from me, but I find that I cannot. As you said yourself, you learned of Miss Bennet’s visit after the fact. Of more importance, I find myself in your debt for telling me now.”

“What do you mean to do about it?” asked Darcy.

“At present, there appears to be little I can do,” replied Bingley with a grimace. “Miss Bennet is in the south, and I am in the north, and when we leave Pemberley, we are to go to York and visit our family.”

“Then it will be at least another two months,” said Darcy.

“It will,” agreed Bingley. “When Miss Elizabeth comes tonight, I shall speak with her and discover whatever I can. Depending on what she tells me, a visit to Netherfield in the autumn might be in order.”

“It might be at that,” agreed Darcy.

Bingley fixed him with a speculative look. “The question is what you mean to do about Miss Elizabeth.”

Though laughter hovered on the tip of his tongue, Darcy held it in. “It is yet too early for such a determination.”

“Oh, aye,” said Bingley, showing his usual grin. “As I recall, you and Miss Bennet were only cordial in Hertfordshire, and I cannot imagine that three weeks in Kent did much to alter that.”

Bingley was more correct than he knew, but Darcy would not say as much. Now that he had her assurance in hand that she was not averse to coming to know him better, the situation had improved a vast deal. That did not make an engagement imminent, but it gave him more hope than he had when he had met her in Pemberley’s gardens.

“There is nothing to be done right now,” said Darcy at length. “For so long as she is in the neighborhood, I mean to show her every civility in my power. That will not be long, of course. When I am at liberty to do so, I shall divine some means to put myself in her company again.”

“Perhaps she may accompany the Gardiners back to London,” suggested Bingley.

Darcy acknowledged the point with a nod. “That is possible.”

“If she should return to Hertfordshire,” said Bingley, “you will need a place to stay and conduct your wooing. If you wish, I can put Netherfield at your disposal.”

Though unsurprised by his friend’s generosity, Darcy had not expected this much. “Thank you, Bingley,” said he. “I may just accept your kind offer.”

“Not at all,” said Bingley, a mischievous grin lighting his face. “In allowing you to stay at Netherfield, I am serving my self-interest too. After all, if you are in Hertfordshire, you may speak of me in glowing terms to Miss Bennet.”

Darcy did not even try to suppress his laughter this time, and his friend joined him in mirth. “I have no notion if anything I say would assist you, but I am happy to offer my services. What do you suppose your sisters will say about your intention to return to Netherfield?”

“Their opinion does not concern me,” replied Bingley. “They can accept it with good grace, or they can keep their distance. Caroline has already persuaded me against my desires once—I shall not allow her to do it again.”

Bingley rose. “Now, if you will excuse me, Darcy, I believe that a conversation with my sisters is long overdue.”

As he watched his friend leave the room, Darcy reflected that the confession could not have gone much better had he scripted it in advance. Though he knew both his friend and Miss Bennet had suffered in the intervening months, Darcy now suspected some good would come of it. If nothing else, Bingley’s growth as a man, his intention to assert his authority in the face of his sisters’ blatant manipulation could not go amiss.

Of more importance to Darcy himself was the benefit he would derive from Bingley’s newfound resolve. Bingley’s return to Miss Bennet’s side would remove the remaining source of disagreement between himself and Miss Elizabeth. Darcy knew it would not provoke Miss Elizabeth to fall madly in love with him, but it could not hurt either.

Georgiana entered the room and approached, displaying a hint of knowing.

“I see you have returned from Lambton. How were Miss Elizabeth and the Gardiners?”

“They were well,” said Darcy. “Mrs. Gardiner has planned an outing for the day, but they anticipate the visit to Pemberley tonight.”

“That is excellent news,” said Georgiana.

Darcy regarded his sister. “I had not thought you were aware of my visit to Lambton this morning.”

A giggle was his sister’s response. “Miss Bingley was not best pleased.”

“That I understood myself,” said Darcy, wondering anew how he would ever tolerate her for three weeks complete. “What did she do?”

“At first, she said nothing,” replied Georgiana. “I supposed she understood how agreeable I find Elizabeth, which prevented her from venting her spleen. After a time, she seemed to think better of it.”

“It is unfortunate that I issued the invitation to them,” said Darcy, shaking his head in disgust. “If Miss Elizabeth had visited while they were elsewhere, we might have enjoyed the visit. Then I could have informed Bingley of it and suggested he return to Netherfield.”