Page 67 of Mr. Darcy and the Mysterious "Miss B"
“Georgiana,” he said without turning from the fire.
“Yes?”
“Your instincts about Miss Elizabeth…” he paused, watching the flames dance. “They may not be entirely misguided.”
Her delighted laughter filled the room like music. “Oh, Fitzwilliam! I knew it!”
He faced her with a stern expression, though his eyes betrayed his affection. “That does not mean I approve of your methods.”
“Of course not.” She attempted to look contrite, but joy kept breaking through. “I shall be the very picture of propriety from now on.”
“See that you are.” He moved towards the door, then paused. “Though I suppose I should thank you for one thing.”
“What is that?”
“For seeing what I was too stubborn to acknowledge.” He met her gaze. “Miss Elizabeth Bennet is indeed an exceptional woman. Perhaps it is time I told her so myself.”
As he left his sister’s room, Darcy’s steps carried new purpose.
Behind him, Georgiana’s soft humming drifted through the door—a melody that sounded suspiciously like a wedding march.
Chapter 24
Darcy
10th May 1811
Darcy settled into the familiar leather chair opposite his dearest friend, noting how Bingley could scarcely contain his excitement. Tea sat untouched between them, the delicate China cups growing cold whilst they spoke of weightier matters than refreshment.
“I can scarcely believe it myself,” Bingley said, his face alight with a joy that Darcy had not witnessed in months. “Jane has agreed to marry me, Darcy. Actually agreed! Not because of obligation or necessity, but because she… she loves me.”
The wonder in his friend’s voice struck something deep within Darcy’s chest. When had he last seen Bingley so thoroughly content? Not since before their hasty departure from Netherfield, certainly. Not since Darcy had convinced him that Jane Bennet’s affections were mercenary rather than genuine.
“I owe you an apology, Charles.” The words emerged, weighted with months of regret. “A most sincere and heartfelt apology.”
Bingley’s expression shifted, surprise replacing joy. “Whatever for?”
“For my interference. For my presumption in deciding what was best for your happiness.” Darcy leaned forward, his hands clasped tightly. “For separating you from the woman you loved based upon my own prejudices and faulty observations.”
“Darcy, we have discussed this—”
“No, we have not discussed it properly.” Darcy’s voice carried a firmness that brooked no interruption. “I convinced you that Miss Bennet’s feelings were insincere. I planted doubts where none should have existed. I nearly cost you the greatest happiness of your life.”
Bingley studied his friend’s face with growing concern. “You acted from friendship. You thought you were protecting me.”
“I acted from my own failures of character.” The admission tasted bitter, but necessary. “I allowed my judgement to be clouded by circumstances I misunderstood and prejudices I should have overcome long ago.”
The silence stretched between them, broken only by the ticking of the mantel clock. Finally, Bingley’s expression softened into something approaching understanding.
“You have been forgiven these many weeks, my friend. Jane harbours no resentment, and neither do I.” He paused, then added with a slight smile, “Though I confess I am curious about this sudden urgency to discuss matters we have already resolved.”
Darcy rose and moved to the window, gazing out at the bustling London street below. How could he explain the tumult in his own chest? The way Elizabeth Bennet’s presence had begun to colour every thought, every moment of his days? He still had not spoken to Elizabeth, thought his conversation had made him realise what had been clear all along. He loved her.
Yet, each time he was with her, something inside would not let him tell her the truth. It was silly, really. He knew it.
“I have been reflecting,” he said, “upon the nature of judgement. How easily we convince ourselves we see clearly when we are, in fact, blind to what stands before us.”
“Ah.” Bingley’s tone carried new understanding. “And what, precisely, stands before you now?”
