Page 53 of The Briar Bargain
And even those drawings were nothing to what might be found on the walls of a respectable tavern, or worse, in their club’s reading room.
“I had not thought my sister so prudish,” Bingley said with a chuckle.
“Indeed,” Darcy replied, unamused. “Though her little display was far too polished.”
Hurst shrugged. “Caroline has been plotting since the moment you carried Miss Elizabeth back into the house, Darcy. She has that gleam in her eye, the kind women get when they are about to set fire to something.” He paused. “Metaphorically, of course.”
“What kind of gleam?” Bingley asked, genuinely curious.
“You have seen it,” Hurst said, scrunching up his face like a disgruntled pig. “That tight squint and the lip purse.”
His impression was disturbingly accurate. Darcy choked on a laugh.
“And you did not bother to warn anyone?” Bingley asked.
“Not my place,” Hurst said with a shrug. “Besides, Caroline’s plots usually collapse under their own weight. This one folded more quickly than most.”
“I cannot imagine what she thought would happen,” Bingley mused.
Darcy shook his head. “Your sister thought she would ruin Miss Elizabeth’s reputation as a maiden, Bingley. And if she succeeded in maligning Miss Elizabeth’s character, then Miss Bennet would have been tainted too.”
Bingley’s normally amiable expression hardened.
“Precisely,” Hurst nodded. “Caroline’s been watching Darcy and Miss Elizabeth and getting twitchier by the day. Yesterday I heard her muttering about ‘fortune hunters’ and ‘country nobodies.’”
“She called the Bennet ladies that?”
Darcy sighed. HowcouldBingley be surprised? He supposed at least Bingley had been kept busy away from the house, but really . . .
“She has called them worse,” Hurst said. “Nothing I would repeat unless we were duelling.”
Bingley flushed a dangerous red. “I see.”
“But I will say this,” Hurst added with a slow grin. “Watching the whole thing blow up in their faces was worth every second. ‘Elizabeth has a difficult time drawing a straight line.’ Absolute perfection.”
“What I cannot understand is how she thought she would get away with it,” Bingley said with a sigh.
“She clearly expected both of you to explode with moral outrage and be so angry you would not question the source,” Hurst said. “Instead, Darcy here calmly took responsibility and quite destroyed their plans. But the best part was when Miss Bennet pulled a tactical masterstroke.”
“She did rather surprise me,” Bingley said with obvious pride. “I have never seen her speak so firmly.”
“Firmly?” Hurst scoffed. “She dismantled Caroline’s entire scheme even before Darcy confessed. Ha! With little more than a well-timed laugh.”
“Miss Bennet has hidden depths,” Darcy said.
“She is a reservoir,” Hurst agreed. “And Caroline has only a teaspoon.”
Bingley chuckled, then sobered. “Caroline truly has underestimated Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth.”
“Caroline underestimates everyone,” Hurst said bluntly. “Usually, she surrounds herself only with women less clever than she. This household, however . . .” He gestured vaguely. “Bit above her usual preferences.”
“I shall take that as a compliment,” Darcy said.
“You should. Not often I find myself surrounded by people with actual thoughts in their skulls.” Hurst sipped his brandy. “Makes for lively conversation. Even when the topic is Caroline’s descent into Machiavellian plots.”
Darcy lifted his glass. “Machiavelli would be heartily disappointed in this attempt.”
“Ha!” Hurst crowed. “You see? Clever.”
