Page 66 of A Prudent Engagement

“I must speak with Mr. Darcy. Has he returned?”

“Not as yet. I believe that gentleman went to call upon you. I am surprised that you missed him.”

Fear twisted her guts.

What if he had just heard whatever Jane told him, then immediately left for London?

“I see.” Elizabeth paused.

Should she return home?

Maybe instead of going off to town, to never be seen again, the way Mr. Bingley had never been seen by any person, living or dead, again, he had simply stayed at Longbourn to await her return, so that he could interrogate her upon the subject.

“Is it a serious matter? I can have a man sent off after him, though if he wasn’t at Longbourn, I don’t know where they’d look for him.”

“Thank you. Kindly do that. Can I have a room to wait in for his return?”

“Of course, ma’am.”

When Elizabeth entered the lavish private room—the one which she knew was the best in the Meryton Arms—her hands shook.

There was a shelf filled with books and a fine writing desk with ample supplies of stationery, ink, and blotting paper.

She tried to sit, but after less than a minute, she stood again. This waiting felt near as awful as when she had heard the news of her papa’s death.

But it was, in fact, far better, because she knew that this time everything would turn out well.

She would explain herself to him. Words. Somehow the words would work. And then he would understand and tell her that he still loved her.

Her stomach hurt and her hands shook.

The sun was well advanced in its course when the door finally opened and Darcy entered the room, pulling his gloves off.

Chapter Fifteen

A long ride that took him far from Longbourn left Darcy confident as he returned to Meryton that Miss Bennet had spoken truly, but he was otherwise no more settled.

They could not continue as they had.

But at least he could not accuse her of lying. Elizabeth always was cautious in what she said and how she described her feelings.

Perhaps he had known all along.

There had always been anxiety about her sentiments, and he had found himself wishing to gain her approval when he should have been confident that he already possessed it.

But this had changed slowly, as the engagement had become familiar to him. And as she had begun to act with more ease in his presence. Or so it had seemed.

When Darcy returned to his rooms he was greeted by the obsequious innkeeper, who made a deep bow and informed him that Elizabeth waited in one of the rooms to speak to him. “Miss Elizabeth has been there for more than two hours. I had tea sent up to her just half an hour ago. When she arrived, I sent a man out to find you, but he had no notion where to go once it was confirmed that you were not at Longbourn. It must delight you to see how eager Miss Elizabeth is for your presence.”

Darcy’s heart leapt.

Elizabeth was here.

She would tell him that Miss Bennet had been wholly mistaken. She would say that her sister had spoken out of a malicious and unreliable impulse. She would say that she loved him to distraction, to stupidity, as much as he loved her, and that everything was the same as he had thought it was that morning.

His stomach crashed to his feet.

She considered herself required to marry him, and thus she would say what she must to satisfy him and prevent him from ending the connection. Miss Bennet’s words echoed in his head again: “You cannot still mean to marry Lizzy, not now you know that it will make her unhappy as well.”