Page 19 of Elizabeth and Caroline
But did she want rid of him?
He was her fantasy come to life, wasn’t he? She had daydreamed about some wealthy man to appear and want her and take her away from all this. It washappening.
Yes, but Caroline will never forgive me.
Only Caroline had seemed ready to cede him to her.
Yes, but he is not the sort of man I want to marry, not at all.
Of course, faced with the prospect of Mr. Collins, it madeher weigh things differently.
She cleared her throat. “You came here at the bidding of Mr. Bingley, I understand?”
“It was odd,” said Mr. Darcy. “I had not heard from him in years, but the truth is, I get so few invitations from people that I was a bit excited at the thought of it. He said that he had been reminded of me by his sister, Miss Bingley.”
“Oh, yes,” said Elizabeth. “Miss Bingley. You must have seen her in London recently.”
“I hear from your sister that you and Miss Bingley are thick as thieves,” said Mr. Darcy.
“Yes, she is one of my closest friends,” said Elizabeth.
“Well, if she had a friend like you in London, it would be good for her,” said Mr. Darcy. “It would soften her a bit, I think. She seems shrewish already, and she is not quite old enough for it, I don’t think.”
“Shrewish?”
“Oh, dear, I meant no offense,” said Mr. Darcy. He winced. “Perhaps it’s not a thing one can say without being offensive. In all honesty, this may be why I get so few invitations socially. Saying things like that.”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, is that so? Well, perhaps that’s something you and Miss Bingley have in common, then. She is solitary, you say, and so are you? And you censure her for it?”
“Put that way, it makes me sound rather horrid, doesn’t it?” he said.
“You could ask her to dance after our dances,” said Elizabeth.
“You think I should,” he said. “You wish me to ingratiate myself to your friend? Very well, Miss Bennet, I shall see what I can do.”
CHAPTER SIX
ELIZABETH WAS ALONEafter the dances with Mr. Darcy, for Mr. Darcy did indeed dance with Caroline, and Charlotte was dancing with Mr. Collins.
She sipped punch, feeling nervous and confused and out of sorts. What was happening to her?
Eventually, her sister Jane found her, all smiles. “What do you think of Mr. Darcy?” she said in a low and conspiratorial tone.
“He said you have been talking of me to him!” said Elizabeth.
“Oh, yes,” said Jane. “I know you think you’re the one who is the matchmaker in the family, Lizzy, but I think I have matched the two of you and have done it rather well.”
Elizabeth’s shoulders sagged. “But you know that Caroline wants him!”
“I think not,” said Jane with a shrug. “Yes, yes, she is the one who brought him here, and she is the one who said she was desperately in love with him, and I interceded for her, but here is the way of it, Lizzy. Mr. Darcy is a very lonely man. Most people give him deference and they respect him, but he is very rarely included in anything. He was quite eager to come here, you see. He’s the sort of man who needs someone who will not simply tell him what he wants to hear. Caroline isn’t truly in love with him. She wants to use him. Anyone can see that. She’s not the least bit good athiding it. They had this conversation about pens.” Jane shook her head, sighing.
“Pens?” said Elizabeth, who thought this was an odd change in topic. Pens?
“Oh, yes,” said Jane. “Caroline comes to him and says that she will mend his pen, and he says no, he mends his own, and she is huffy about this, as if he has done her an injury, not allowing her to do him a favor. So, then he reacts rather badly to that, but she won’t take the hint. She stays close to him, though it is obvious he would rather she leave him be. So, then, she is looking over his shoulder and commenting on the evenness of his handwriting, and he is clearly annoyed and simply wishes to be free of her company, but she is oblivious, and… and… after that, I decided I should no longer feel guilty about answering all of his questions about you, for he has been talking about you, Lizzy, ever since he saw you in Meryton.”
Elizabeth let out a breath. “Caroline is good at being complimentary, or she can be, but she sometimes applies it badly.”
“Oh, Lizzy, are you hearing anything I say? They are no good for each other, Mr. Darcy and Caroline.”
