The Beginning of Hope

Part 15

Darcy's nerves had been put a little at ease from his private audience with Egerton. He liked the fellow more on every meeting and was grateful to have someone with whom to discuss the Wickham situation without obfuscation. He had not shared every detail of what had transpired between Wickham and himself over the years, nor had he even mentioned Georgiana, keeping her a private concern, but even the vaguest allusion to Wickham's past misdeeds was enough to confirm to Egerton that he had a friend and an ally in Darcy.

"We shall retreat to London, I think," Egerton had said, before bidding Darcy return with him to greet their guests. His doctor was resident there along with his other sister. It was a sensible and cautious course of action, although Darcy could not have been mistaken to detect a note of regret when Egerton mentioned it. Now, he fancied he could see why. There was Egerton, making a happy trio with his sister and Miss Mary Bennet, speaking as animatedly as Darcy had ever seen him. Gone was the scowl, the pained expression he wore whenever the mention of George Wickham, by word or deed, crossed his lips. He smiled often, his features springing into life. It was not leaving Hertfordshire, then, that caused him pain, but leaving being Mary Bennet.

How many more people's happiness will Wickham destroy? Darcy thought, unconscious of the heavy sigh his thoughts provoked.

"I quite agree!"

Darcy started, then, surprised first to note that Caroline Bingley was standing so close to him. To his shame, he realised he had quite forgotten she was there, for they had been standing in silence for above a minute, and his thoughts had wandered as far as Egerton's circle, but no further. He had kept his gaze back from meeting Elizabeth's, although he was no less aware of her presence, standing in another small group with her odious cousin Mr Collins and the plain but pleasant Charlotte Lucas. How was it he seemed to know precisely where she stood, and by what manner she spoke to her friends, without ever lifting his eyes to look at her?

Caroline Bingley, on the other hand, had almost entirely slipped his notice, and it was not until she spoke to him that he was forced to acknowledge first her presence and then her words.

"You agree, Miss Bingley?" He cleared his throat, certain he had missed some precursor to this declaration. Wetting his lips, he continued, determined to understand her. "With what?"

"With your evident disdain for certain people." This was uttered in a stage whisper, accompanied by her sharply lifting her eyebrows in the direction of another - the main recipient of her ire. "Or, at least, the way they manage to win the affections of certain other people however undeserving of those affections they may be."

Darcy could remain still no longer but turned to see at whom Caroline directed her scorn. It was not at Elizabeth, as he fleetingly supposed, for he was no fool and had noticed the dislike between the pair. No, Caroline's baleful glance was directed at another Bennet - Jane - and the fact that she was standing beside Charles Bingley, both of them talking animatedly and happily with Mr and Mrs Bennet and Sir William Lucas.

"She has her claws into him, and no mistake!" Caroline hissed, so sharply that Darcy instinctively felt a little sorry for Miss Bennet. It was hardly her fault that Bingley had chosen her. She was certainly pretty and had an ineffable charm that worked on all but the most unfeeling of men. There was a little disparity in their positions, Darcy supposed, but hardly enough that could not be surmounted, and the love on either side certainly seemed adequate to the task.

"Claws, Miss Bingley?" Darcy asked, drily. "You make it sound as if she were an animal."

"She is something," Caroline muttered, tossing her dark head and shifting her gaze to another. "I ought not to be surprised, I suppose. The whole family leaves a great deal to be desired."

"Oh?" Darcy's hands clenched into fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. It took all his strength to keep his features from betraying him, but he fancied he succeeded, for Caroline did not seem to notice any change in the air between them.

"Well, Elizabeth Bennet seems bound and determined to secure her cousin for a husband." Her smile grew vicious. "She is welcome to him, for William Collins is not precisely what some of us might consider suitable to marry. Can you imagine spending your life chained to such a vain, vacuous -"

"You think she and Mr Collins plan to marry?" Darcy's voice caught in his throat, but Caroline was so enchanted with the delicious gossip she fancied she knew, and now delighted in sharing, that she scarcely noticed.

"Indeed!" Her voice dropped and she angled herself towards him, far closer than was necessary, but Darcy was so eager not to miss a word of her news that he did not move, and kept his eyes pinned on her face, hoping to determine more from her delivery than merely her words. Elizabeth had denied an engagement, but that did not mean there was not one in her future.

"Longbourn is entailed, of course, and this is the cousin who shall inherit when poor Mr Bennet passes on." She sniffed. "It is only sensible, I suppose, that one in a household of penniless daughters ought to seek to secure the house for the others. 'Tis a pity that to do so means marrying such a man as Mr Collins, but I can think of nobody who deserves such a dreary future more than Eliza Bennet."

Darcy's face remained impassive, but inside he railed. Elizabeth Bennet might have married him, once. She might have married him any time thereafter, if only she had come with an explanation for their parting. Any excuse, no matter how flimsy, and I would have forgiven her.

Darcy had nursed his heartbreak in silence and stoicism, but now, seeing that the same young lady who threw him aside was only too happy to claim affection for one who was so far beneath Darcy's notice was worse than tragic. It was humiliating. Drawing in a short, sharp breath, Darcy lifted his chin, determined that no trace of his discomposure might show, and so betray him to Caroline Bingley. She was not a clever woman, but she was cunning, and he feared she would succeed in reading the truth if he did not manage to conceal it to the very best of his ability.

"She has confided as much to you?"

"She has not needed to!" Caroline snorted. "Why else do you suppose she is forever taking his arm when he offers it to her? He cannot marry Jane, of course, although that would be the most logical solution." Her eyes grew steely. "No, I see Miss Bennet makes a clear goal of securing wealth through marriage to my brother, Mr Darcy, and leaves Eliza to do her duty for the rest of the family."

"They certainly seem to have matters managed between them, if you are right."

Darcy marvelled at how natural this observation sounded, wondering if it was his long isolation at Pemberley or his myriad interactions with Wickham that had enabled him to master the art of deception. He did not like to think of this as deceit, but he certainly was not about to confess his true feelings to all and sundry, and particularly not to Caroline Bingley.

"I know I am right," Caroline said, fixing Darcy with a look that soon became a simpering smile. It was as if a gear had turned over in her mind and she suddenly feared to indicate too much knowledge of such feminine wiles would be to suggest that she, herself, deployed them. "At least, I fear I am. Some young ladies can be quite Machiavellian when it comes to matrimony." She blinked at him and Darcy resisted the urge to ask if she had a dust mote in her eye, guessing, correctly, that she thought the affectation beguiling.

"I confess you have surprised me, Miss Bingley," he said, drily. "I had no idea young ladies schemed so ostentatiously. I imagine, if your supposition is accurate, it would serve us well to put ladies in charge of our military manoeuvres, then all our wars might be won without a single drop of blood ever being shed."

Raking his gaze across the parlour, he saw Edgerton's small circle widen to welcome another guest, and took the opportunity to join them. Caroline's assertions had left him uncomfortable and longing for the company of someone true and genuine, which description could be applied in spades to Mr Sidney Egerton. Let Elizabeth make her play for Mr Collins if that was truly what she was doing. She may marry whomever she chooses, he told himself, as he skirted past their small group. I care not.