Unforgiving Temper (22 page)

What was he to do?! To choose between his
present, very comfortable position with her Ladyship and any future
advantages of Pemberley was an impossible task. His neckcloth grew
uncomfortably tight as the tiny beads of perspiration gathered and
began to run down his face. He mopped his forehead nervously.
Lady Catherine was his patroness, and surely deserving of his
loyalty. But wait – did she not often say her daughter, Miss de
Bourgh, was very nearly engaged to Mr. Darcy? Oh, dear! Not
only was he master of the great estate of Pemberley, but the future
master of Rosings Park as well! To provoke his displeasure would be
madness and ruin! There was no choice but to acquiesce to the
gentleman's wishes and hope Lady Catherine would never learn
what he had done.

“Mr. Darcy!” cried Collins
energetically, “I did not mean to say that I disagreed in any way!
You are, of course, a man of great talent and intelligence,
superbly capable of resolving any situation that may present
itself; so much so that Lady Catherine need not be troubled
with this matter at all. Allow me to say, sir, that the Bennet
family is most fortunate – yes, fortunate, indeed – to have been
noticed by a man of your station! Such affability! Such
condescension! And, if I may flatter myself, I would do great
justice to a sermon on your charitable – ”

“Ahem!”

“ – or, perhaps more properly said, I
could
do it justice, if this matter were not to be kept
absolutely silent, as a matter of honor, and never discussed with
anyone under any circumstances whatsoever! On this point,
Mr. Darcy, you may depend upon my absolute discretion. You
have my word as a gentleman that I would not dream of imperiling
your reputation in any manner! And if I may be of service in any
way, sir, please do not hesitate to call on me – sir.”

“It is good of you to offer; but you need not
concern yourself again.” Having finally achieved his purpose, Darcy
was relieved to bring the visit to a close. “I am going now,
Mr. Collins, and I expect that the particulars of this visit
will fall under your vow of silence as well.”

“Of course, Mr. Darcy. I understand and
you may be assured that I will be mute in every respect. It would
not do to have your tranquility disturbed by every person of humble
means in need of a champion. Very wise, very wise indeed.”

Darcy rode away from Lucas Lodge only partly
satisfied. He was confident that there would be no immediate
scandal in Hertfordshire, but his aunt was another matter. While he
had scarcely uttered more than two words to Mr. Collins before
today, the past half hour had revealed the full extent of the man's
unimpressive character, and Darcy was not completely confident that
Lady Catherine would not learn of the affair despite
assurances to the contrary. He knew his aunt's abilities perfectly
and if she were to get the smallest inkling of anything amiss, she
would not stop until she had extracted every particular from the
clergyman. Darcy could only hope that would not be the case.

* * * *

Bingley bit his lip, slowly chewing at the
irritation which had not diminished in Darcy's absence, and watched
his friend cross the room to settle into the chair facing the
massive mahogany desk. No words had passed between them since
Georgiana negotiated their tentative truce and subsequent agreement
to search for Elizabeth Bennet together, not even when Darcy had
gone to deal with Mr. Collins.

“It is done,” Darcy reported tersely. “He was
a bit tenacious at first, but in the end he agreed to give up his
interest and return to Hunsford. With any luck, no one will hear
another word from that quarter.”

“Hmm,” Bingley muttered sourly.

“Is that all you can say?” Darcy felt his own
irritation rising again. “Do you think you could have done better
with the man?”

“No, I do not think I could have done better.
I understand why you had to do it; but what I do not understand is
why you insist on being further involved in Miss Bennet's
affairs.”

“And I do not understand why you fail to see
what I have to offer in restoring her sister.”

“Darcy, you amaze me! You have done nothing
but encourage me to remain in Hertfordshire and be steadfast in my
affections – desperate as my position is – and the first
opportunity I have to really prove myself, you cut me off at the
knees!”

“That was not my intention in the least,”
replied Darcy defensively. “I offered my assistance only because I
saw that Miss Bennet needed help beyond what she was willing
to ask of me.”

“And she refused you, giving me the perfect
opportunity to raise myself in her estimation; but your unyielding
tenacity has diminished my own usefulness by half. I do care about
Miss Elizabeth, of course; but you must see that my helping
Miss Bennet would be invaluable to my cause. I must ask you to
step aside and allow me to do this alone.”

“I cannot step aside. I appreciate your
position, Bingley; but do you not see the benefit of our working
together on this?”

“Given your superior rank and standing, a
comparison of our efforts could only lower me in her estimation. I
hardly believe that would be a benefit.” Profound resentment tinged
Bingley's words and he eyed Darcy warily. “You were so keen on
offering yourself to Miss Bennet, one would think you had more
than a casual interest. Perhaps your purpose runs much deeper.”

“Bingley, you are being ridiculous!”

“Am I?” he cried petulantly. “She was the
only one you found handsome enough when we first came to
Hertfordshire. You said so yourself at the assembly. And you were
particularly keen for me to drop the acquaintance and stay in
London after the ball. Trying to get me out of the way, I daresay;
except that she made her escape before you could return.”

“This is absurd! Why would I convince you of
her true feelings and encourage you to come back, if that were my
motive?”

“Who is to say? Perhaps you felt it an
advantage to return to the neighborhood by way of Netherfield. In
any case, it is quite clear to me. Our friendship is but a means to
your own end!”

“Bingley, I swear to you, I have not the
slightest interest in Miss Bennet.” Darcy did not know whether
to laugh or cry at his ridiculous position. “I would hope you know
our years of friendship means more than that.”

“I should like to think so, but your behavior
today has been very unlike you,” Bingley responded grudgingly,
trying to measure Darcy's sincerity. “Will you give me your word as
a gentleman that you have never considered an alliance with the
Bennets?”

“I give you my word as a gentleman that I
have never had any romantic notions regarding Miss Jane Bennet,”
Darcy replied evenly, hoping that Bingley would not notice the
manner in which he had rephrased the promise. “I will step back and
let you take the lead in this endeavor – you shall have all the
credit, I assure you. The material point is that we bring her
sister home as soon as possible.”

Bingley cocked his head curiously and Darcy
met his gaze evenly. “Very well, Darcy. I shall take you at your
word regarding Miss Bennet. As for Miss Elizabeth – with
nowhere to start, I am afraid it will take some time to trace her.
I shall have to find a way to get more particulars and it may take
a day or two to arrange another meeting with Jane.”

“No, Bingley, that will not do! Every day
could make a difference in the outcome of things. I said I would
let you take the lead, but for heaven's sake, take the lead!”

Bingley observed his friend's heated
animation with no small interest. He had always known Darcy to be
calm and collected, ever in good regulation, and yet twice in one
day his friend had exhibited a passion heretofore unknown to him.
It was all quite puzzling!

“Darcy, you have sworn you have no interest
in Miss Bennet, and I believe you; but…” Bingley's voice grew
in intensity with the idea that was forming in his head, “…could it
be you have another reason for wanting to be so involved?”

“My purpose is to assist Miss Bennet,
and you, in protecting the Bennet's good name,” Darcy shifted
uncomfortably under Bingley's gaze. “If you truly wish to achieve
matrimony, you have enough to overcome without adding scandal to
the list.”

“But I could do it on my own. You know I
could; so there must be another – ” Bingley's jaw dropped with
sudden comprehension. “It is not Jane at all, is it? It is
Miss Elizabeth! It is her
sister
that makes you so
determined!”

“You know as well as I do the whole family
will suffer if scandal arises; therefore, it follows that we must
safeguard Miss Elizabeth's reputation. Now, shall we get on
with it?”

“Not yet.” Bingley stared into Darcy's face,
knowing there was more. “I would have your reason.”

“I have already told you. Gossip and scandal
would do no good for her or her sister,” Darcy replied, completely
ignoring the piercing stare. “Do you not think we could try for
more details tomorrow? Perhaps I could ask Georgiana to send a note
for Miss Bennet to rendezvous somewhere?”

“Darcy –”

“We are wasting time, Charles. Are you going
to discuss a meeting with Miss Bennet or not?”

“Certainly, it just seems that…I, umm…I say,
Darcy, I have the peculiar notion that it is affection that drives
you in this matter!”

“Indeed there is, for if you succeed in
securing Jane Bennet's affection, I shall count my part well worth
the effort,” Darcy calmly assured him, desperately wanting to avoid
the inevitability of Bingley's conjecture.

“
Your
affection, Darcy – for Elizabeth
Bennet. Do you love her?”

Darcy sat motionless, staring hard at the
floor and wishing he had never agreed to come back to
Hertfordshire. No one knew of the tumultuous battle he had waged
against his feelings for Elizabeth Bennet, particularly after the
crushing disappointment in Kent. His only hope had been that the
passing of time would fill the void left by her rejection and mend
his shattered heart; but it seemed fate would not be merciful. The
revelation of Elizabeth's mysterious absence had given new life to
his desire and he was keenly aware that the emptiness would never
be filled. Yet could he admit it to Bingley? Could he clothe his
love for her in the reality of spoken words? If Bingley had given
him any chance for escape, he would have equivocated. But the
question had been asked, and Darcy could not deny it.

“Yes, I do,” he reluctantly forced the words
out.

“This is unbelievable!” Bingley fell back
into his chair in amazement. “After all you said against me wanting
to marry Jane…how unsuitable the match was…and now you are in love
with her sister! How can that be?”

“It has not been a conscious choice, believe
me. Every sense of reason argued against it and I have tried for
months to repress my feelings, but – ”

“Months!? Darcy, are you telling me you have
loved her for months? How? Where?” Bingley struggled to comprehend
the extent of the revelation. “My word! I suppose I should have
guessed something after her stay here, but I truly saw no signs of
attachment at all. And when you danced with her at the ball, you
actually…but you always seemed so severe, and her manner toward you
was not …my word, from what I could see, you two did not get on
well at all! I must say you both did a splendid job of hiding
it!”

Darcy winced at the realization that even
Bingley had seen the truth. Had he been the only one in the entire
world blind to Elizabeth's dislike of him?

“For her part, there was nothing to hide. I
mistook her meaning utterly and completely.” Darcy tried to ignore
the pang of regret his words aroused. “Not long ago, she informed
me, in the most painful way imaginable, that she has never returned
the sentiment – not in the least.”

“In Kent,” Bingley said quietly.

“In Kent,” Darcy nodded. “After all my
struggles to forget her, you can well imagine my dismay in finding
her at Rosings Park. The almost daily reminder was excruciating.
When I finally realized I could not overcome my attraction, I went
to her, fully expecting to be accepted; but found instead a
wellspring of bitterness and resentment. Not only did she champion
Wickham's claim of abuse at my hands, she had discovered my
unforgivable role in separating you from her sister. She was
exceedingly clear in her opinion of me, and it was not
flattering.”

“That would explain your certainty of Jane's
feelings for me. And I thought you – ”

“It is no less than I deserved, given my
interference,” replied Darcy bitterly.

“But surely there is hope? You would not be
pursuing this scheme if there were not?”

“No, my friend. I assure you that the opinion
she expressed, and the manner in which she expressed it, gave me no
hope whatsoever. I have no expectation. My only purpose here is to
remedy what I can for her and her family, and to assist you in
gaining Miss Bennet's trust and confidence.”

“I am sorry for your disappointment; but
pray, do not lose heart. Who is to say what will happen?”

Darcy shook his head slowly. “My purpose is
as I said and nothing more. This muddled affair is strange at best,
and whether the circumstances show themselves to be fair or foul, I
am certain if Miss Elizabeth welcomes my efforts at all, it
will be for her sister's sake and nothing more.”

“I refuse to consider such a bleak outlook,
Darcy. Did you not say yourself that one cannot give up, especially
at the very moment one is most needed? Things will come right, you
shall see.”

“Ever the optimist, I see,” observed Darcy,
giving up the smallest of smiles. “It is a true friend, indeed, who
can return the favor of good advice without rubbing salt in the
wound. I thank you, Bingley.”

“I am glad to be of some service to you at
last. It is a rare occasion and I am happy for it. We shall do what
we can for the Miss Bennets and hope that it is enough to win
their hearts. At the very least, we shall solve the mystery, bring
Miss Elizabeth home, and put to rest any whisper of scandal
before it ever begins!”