“Well, can you imagine my astonishment when I learned of your engagement? To think, I did not expect we would see any of you again or return to Hertfordshire, but here we all are, celebrating this most surprising event.”
“Hardly surprising, Miss Bingley,” said Darcy smoothly. “After all, you often teased me about my regard for Miss Bennet. You spoke of our marriage as a sure thing, do you recall? You even had some charming ideas for how I should have her portrait painted and where I should place it.”
“Yes.” Miss Bingley smiled again, but her eyes were like flint. “And I hope you will attend my ideas. If you will excuse me, I will see to our other guests.”
After she hurried away, Elizabeth looked up at Darcy with a smile. “So, you discussed my portrait. Well, you did have it all worked out.”
“Miss Bingley is a seer perhaps,” said Darcy. There was a mischievous smile on his face. “What she spoke of will become a reality. I am sure no one is more astonished than she is.”
For most of the guests, the night was a success. They had come eager to see the new bride and groom and have their fill of the gossip surrounding their engagement. Darcy’s attentions to Elizabeth escaped no one. For a marriage that had been arranged to cover up a scandal, he certainly seemed to dote on his bride. Elizabeth for her part seemed more than content in the company of the man she had openly despised only months before. Her eyes shone as she looked at him and for a woman forced to marry a man she disliked, she certainly smiled and laughed a great deal.
“How clever of Miss Elizabeth,” said Anne Long as she watched with envy while Mr Darcy led his bride out to dance. “She made such a show of disliking him last winter, and she played her hand right. Mr Darcy must have women fawning all over him, and she caught him by behaving just the opposite. No doubt it is not a coincidence she appeared at Kent just as Mr Darcy arrived and then managed to be shut away with him. Well, she always was a sly thing.”
“We shall have to take a lesson from her,” agreed Elinor Long. “Treat the men with disdain, that’s the way to win them. Come, let’s try it on the officers.”
The two women swept away, determined to tease and scold an officer into a proposal of marriage before the evening was finished.
Chapter 24
Another young lady watched the couple with even less grace than the two Miss Longs. Miss Bingley was not having an enjoyable evening. Ever since she had first met Darcy and learned enough of his wealth and handsome appearance to decide she was in love with him, she had imagined their engagement ball. All eyes on them as they watched the happy couple, green with envy that she was to become Mrs Darcy, wife of one of the wealthiest and most handsome men in the kingdom. She would own jewels and carriages and have a country estate where she would throw glamorous house parties, and a magnificent house in the most desirable part of London.
Yet, here she sat, still single while the poor country nobody swanned about the room on Darcy’s arm, bestowing smiles on everyone, no doubt gloating over her triumph. If Miss Bingley were not the hostess, she might have found an excuse to leave. If only she had refused her brother’s idea to throw this ball but Darcy had agreed to it at once, and Miss Bingley would not allow it to be said she was jealous of a woman with muddy hems.
Someone took the seat beside her. Miss Bingley begrudgingly recalled her duty as hostess and turned with poor grace to make an effort to speak to the young lady. She hoped it was not one of those infestations of Bennets. She opened her mouth to speak but stopped in surprise when she saw a handsome man in scarlet uniform. It was that man, that Wickham, whom Eliza Bennet had been so delighted with the previous winter. Miss Bingley knew enough about him to know Darcy, and he were not friends and that he had used Darcy in an infamous manner. Despite her hunger for gossip, Miss Bingley could not discover anything more than that. But whatever he had done, they had been introduced, albeit briefly, the previous winter, and there was no way to avoid speaking with him.
“It is quite a night, is it not?” Wickham spoke first. His eyes were on the couple. Miss Bingley wondered if he had been in love with Eliza Bennet. She saw nothing remarkable about the girl. Her teeth were tolerable, but that was the nicest thing she could think to say about her. “I confess, I was astonished at the engagement. I would not have paired them together, but I suppose it had to come about There was no way around it.”
“No, there was not,” said Miss Bingley flatly. Why could it not have been her trapped alone with Mr Darcy? It would have answered all her prayers.
“I do not recall there was ever any great regard between them,” added Wickham.
Miss Bingley laughed sourly. “If I recall, Miss Eliza was delighted with you.”
“And I with her.” Wickham gave an affected sigh. “There is nothing worse than seeing the person you hoped to marry in the arms of another.”
Miss Bingley should have scolded him for such an indelicate speech, but she could not disagree. Seeing Darcy and Elizabeth together like that made her stomach turn.
“As I think you know,” added Wickham in a low voice.
It took a moment for his meaning to filter through, and when it did, Miss Bingley rounded on him at once with a cry of outrage.
“How can you say something so impertinent? It is…”
Wickham gave her an understanding smile. There was such sympathy in his eyes that to her surprise, Miss Bingley felt her anger melt away. He really was a very handsome man. Not as handsome as Darcy, of course, but certainly not unpleasant to look upon.
“Please do not be cross with me, Miss Bingley. I do not mean to be indelicate. And I do not mean news of your hopes for him were spread far and wide,” he lied. “But I can see it in your eyes. A disappointed lover will always recognise and feel a sense of kinship with another disappointed lover, will they not?”
His brown eyes were warm with understanding. Miss Bingley relented.
“These things happen,” she said. “Mr Darcy compromised Miss Eliza’s reputation, and they must wed. He is too honourable to do otherwise. There is no way around it now.”
“Of course. Nothing can be done.” Wickham sighed and stretched his legs out before him. After a moment’s silence, while they watched the engaged couple, he spoke again. “It seems unfair though, does it not? We sit here with hearts full of two people who are bound against their own desire. They do not want this any more than we do. And yet, what can we do?”
Miss Bingley hesitated. “They seem to make the best of it.”
Darcy and Elizabeth were smiling at one another. Elizabeth stood up on her toes to whisper something in Darcy’s ear, making him burst out laughing. He could not have been more attentive to Eliza if he had proposed to her out of love and not duty. But they could not wish to marry one another, surely? Well, Eliza certainly would. The girl was no fool, and she was not about to allow a prize catch like Darcy to escape her hook.
But Darcy? No. He could not want this. He might smile and attend to Elizabeth but he had always been a gentleman, so it was no surprise he would not wish to shame his future wife by being dismissive towards her. But inside, he must feel ill with shame at such a connection.
“There is nothing to be done,” Miss Bingley said as if to convince herself of that fact.
“No, I suppose not. We must watch the two people we care about making a mistake that will cost all of us our lives happiness, and there is nothing we can do about it. There is no way we can interfere to prevent the ones we care for making a mistake they will regret all their lives.”
Miss Bingley paused. She looked about the room. No one was paying them any attention. She was the hostess but of course, why would anyone look at her when they had a new bride to fawn over. She barely kept herself from gritting her teeth.
“I suppose there is nothing that can be done?” she repeated carefully.
Beside her, Wickham took a sip of ale and dabbed his mouth carefully with a handkerchief. He had impeccable manners for an army man, but such would be the case from gr
owing up at Pemberley alongside Darcy.
“I do not know,” he said slowly. He watched her face as he spoke. “If I could think of a way to spare them both from a step they do not wish to take, I think I would be glad to do it. Wouldn’t you?”
Miss Bingley hesitated as a wild hope sprung within her. Was there a way out of this? Could she possibly save Darcy from an imprudent match just as they had worked together to save her brother all those months ago? Of course, Darcy’s situation was much more advanced than Charles’s had been, but they were not yet married. Perhaps there was a way to win him after all.
“If it could help Mr Darcy and Miss Eliza from doing something that will lead them to certain misery, I would be glad to do it,” she said with a pious sniff to hide her excitement. “But I cannot think of anything. Can you?”
Wickham placed his ale on a nearby table and rose from his chair. He stood before Miss Bingley and with a flourish, he bowed to her and offered her his hand.
“Will you walk with me, Miss Bingley?” His eyes crinkled with a smile. Miss Bingley felt a moment’s distaste. What would people think of her walking about with a lowly officer? But as she glanced around her, she noticed quite a few envious looks from other ladies cast in her direction. How would Miss Eliza feel to see Miss Bingley on the arm of her former favourite? Would it cause Mr Darcy any pang to see her with another man, especially a man he disliked? Would it awaken feelings in him he had always attempted to deny? With a smile on her lips, she took Wickham’s offered arm.
The French windows opened out onto a lawn lit up with twinkling candlelight. It made an enchanting sight if Miss Bingley did say so herself. She leaned on Wickham’s arm as he led her out onto the grass.
Wickham breathed in the soft night air with a contented sigh. “I am glad I have found someone to converse with. I expected a miserable evening, but it has taken a most pleasant turn.”
Miss Bingley could not help feeling flattered. “So did I,” she confessed. “But we were having a most interesting conversation…” She glanced up at him quickly and looked away.
“Yes, we were.” He paused and turned to her, still holding her hand within his. He spoke urgently. “Miss Bingley, I think we understand one another. What is happening here is not right. If I may speak indelicately, I should be with Miss Bennet, and you should be with Mr Darcy. Anything else is a crime against heaven, do you not agree?”
“I do, but— “ Miss Bingley couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
“Would you like to think of Mr Darcy unhappily married to another woman when he should be with you, and the two of you should be happy together?” he asked in a gentle tone.
Miss Bingley could not argue with him there. No, she did not want that.
“What should we do? Can we speak to them and persuade them away from the step they are about to take?”
Wickham looked away to hide his twitching lips.
“Perhaps we can try that later,” he suggested. He took a step closer to Miss Bingley, and if he were not so handsome, she might have taken a step back. “No, I was thinking of something more effective. We both know the ones we love are too noble to part now, whatever we might say. They will see their commitments through to the end; it is one of the reasons we love them, is it not? But if we were to provide them with an opportunity that would take the matter out of their hands entirely…”
Miss Bingley’s breath caught. “What do you suggest?” she asked.
Wickham smiled. “Something that will spare them from taking a step they do not wish to take. I flatter myself that Miss Bennet still holds a torch for me. In fact, I know she does.”
Miss Bingley’s eyes lit up, but he stopped her from speaking. Too many questions that way. “What I propose is that I carefully court Elizabeth again. I will make her doubt her decision, and in the meantime, you will suggest to Darcy that her heart is elsewhere. By the time we are finished, he will remember with gratitude that you warned him. When the time is right, I will declare my love for Miss Bennet and beg her to run away with me. She will be torn, and you will be there with Darcy when she agrees so everyone will know the true heart of everyone else. They will have no wish to marry one another afterwards out of some misplaced sense of nobility.”
“It is risky,” said Miss Bingley as she tried to suppress her excitement. “What if Eliza should deny you? What if Darcy does not listen when I try to warn him?”
“It is risky. But not as risky as allowing them to marry one another. And Elizabeth already has feelings for me. My task will not be difficult which will, in turn, make your path smooth. What do you say, Miss Bingley? By Christmas, you might be at Pemberley as the new Mrs Darcy.”
Miss Bingley could hardly breathe. It was what she wished for more than anything. Eliza did care for Wickham, and if she did, she did not deserve Darcy.
But something else gave her pause.
“You do not care for Darcy,” she said. “How do I know you are not doing this for your own gain, to hurt him?”
Wickham looked away, his eyes filled with pain. “It is as I feared. Darcy has spoken of me to you.”
“Not as such. My brother told me you had used him in an infamous manner, causing Darcy to cut off all communication with you.”
Wickham smiled sadly. “I am afraid I had a disagreement with Darcy. It was a misunderstanding, and I believe we both saw the situation differently. I wish to renew my friendship with him, but…” He sighed and ran his hands through his hair in a way he knew made the ladies sigh with longing. “But you must believe me, Miss Bingley. I would not hurt Darcy. I wish to save the woman I love and win her for my own. And Darcy will not be happy in this marriage. You know as well as I that this match will mortify him. Such connections and alliances — no, Darcy would never choose this for himself. If he were not forced to it, he should never have looked twice at Elizabeth for his wife.”
That was certainly true. He might have admired her, but he would never have stooped to marry her.
“Then we are in agreement, sir.”
Wickham smiled and kissed her hand. As he led her back to the ball, Miss Bingley’s heart was in a flutter of excitement.
Chapter 25
Elizabeth had been so preoccupied with Darcy at the ball, she had no thought to spare for anyone else. How attentive he had been and how much she had enjoyed his company. Elizabeth left Netherfield with her head full of him and could not wait to see him again the following day. She was so happy it took some time before she realised Jane was more subdued than usual.
“What is it, Jane?” she asked as Jane moved fitfully around the room, picking objects up and replacing them, her eyes troubled. “I hoped you would have a good evening at the ball. I hoped there was a chance that…”
“He did not speak with me, Lizzy.” Jane’s eyes were shadowed from lack of sleep. “I told myself not to expect anything but a part of me could not help hoping he would come to me, that we might once again have what we had before. But it came to nothing.” She swallowed and looked away. “He scarcely spoke when I arrived, and any time I found myself standing near him, he looked as if he could not get away fast enough. He did not wish to be near me. He does not care for me.”
Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed and stared at her sister in confusion. This could not be. It made no sense. Anyone who saw Bingley with Jane last winter could not mistake his feelings for her. Yet he had left without a backward look. Were his feelings really so fickle? Elizabeth had been so sure all it would take was one look at Jane, and he would be as much in love with her as before. And now, Jane had her heart broken yet again.
“If he can forget his feelings for you so soon, he is not worthy of you,” she said. “His love should have been able to withstand a separation of a few months. If he can forget you this easily, he is not worthy of your love.”
Jane nodded but her eyes filled with tears. Elizabeth caught her hand and pulled her down beside her. She wrapped her arms around her.
“You must believe me, Jane.
You have had a lucky escape. Why, you might now be married to Bingley and had the pain of seeing his regard for you lessen, knowing you are bound to him forever as his wife. Now, you are still free to find a man who is constant and steadfast. Who will have his head full of you even when you are separated by a few months if he could even endure being away from you at all. You are free of the fickleness of Mr Bingley.”
“I wish I could think as you do,” said Jane with a watery smile. “I cannot think of him as anything other than the most amiable, the kindest-hearted and most generous man I have ever known. I cannot think too badly of him if a few months in London has changed his feelings for me. He is a young man in the world, and he must find many distractions.”
“And I still say a man who is so easily distracted would not make a good husband,” said Elizabeth firmly. “Husbands and wives must bear separation at different times in their lives. You would not have liked to find yourself alone at Netherfield because your husband went to London and became distracted enough to forget you, surely?”
“No, you are right. I would not like that.” Jane sighed. “I must be sensible. I must guard my heart against seeing him until I can meet him as an easy and indifferent friend. I shall try to see matters as you do, Lizzy.”
“I always say everyone should,” said Elizabeth to prompt a smile from her sister. It worked. Jane wrapped her arms around her and kissed her sister on the cheek.
“Thank you for making me smile. I shall not know what I am to do without you when you leave with Mr Darcy.”
“You shall visit us often, both in Derbyshire and in London,” Elizabeth promised. “Now, get dressed. A walk does wonders for every bad feeling.”
Jane declined the offer of a walk, so Elizabeth had to be content with her own company.
She walked down to the river to follow the path to Meryton, her mind lost in thoughts of the night before. Darcy had treated her and her family with more tenderness than she had ever seen from him. He endeavoured to smile more and took pains to speak with all her sisters. And the way it felt to be held by him when they danced — Elizabeth sighed. She could not wait to see him again. She smiled. Who’d have ever thought she’d find herself in a flutter about Mr Darcy of all people?
Trapped at Rosings Page 17