“You danced.” She lifted her chin. “With both Mrs. Hurst and with Miss Bingley.”
“Yes, but that was why I knew that I couldn’t possibly do any more dancing.”
“Why not?”
“It was, er, a physical… condition, which was exceedingly uncomfortable.”
“You seem able-bodied to me, Mr. Darcy.”
“It was not an ailment, necessarily. Rather, a reaction to… to you. The sight of you.”
“What?” She could not believe he had said such a thing. “I assure you, I have no ability to render men physically incapable of dancing simply by appearing in a room.”
“In my case, yes, you did. But I’m afraid it’s all rather impossible to explain to you. You see, I was struck by your… your beauty, and I, um…” Mr. Darcy blushed then. Perhaps he had been blushing all along, but now the flush was obvious, stealing over his face and even his neck. “Listen, I can’t explain this to a woman such as yourself. It would be utterly indecorous. You must, however, trust me that I think entirely the opposite of what I said, and that you are, in point of fact, one of the most winsome creatures I have ever laid eyes on. I think you very beautiful.”
Now, it was her turn to flush. She found she couldn’t keep her gaze on his. She looked down at her fingers and she twisted them together. “You don’t need to make excuses for yourself, sir. I assure you, I am not bothered in the slightest about the things you said. This ridiculous physical condition you have invented—”
“It’s not an invention.”
“I would not have your compliments, when they are only being said now because you feel guilty of having said the opposite in the past.”
“That is not the case. I am endeavoring to tell you that you have been mistaken about me. I feel as though you are not much inclined to believe me, however.”
“And why should I be?” She looked up at him now.
“Well, when we are married, if you are always willfully disbelieving me, I fear it will be quite disagreeable for us both.”
“When we are…?” She gaped at him. “Your arrogance knows no bounds.”
He flinched. “That is… I did not mean for it to come out in that way.”
“I have accepted no offer of marriage from you,” she said, and her voice was rising, even though she knew that it wasn’t wise to talk to loudly, lest they were discovered.
“I realize that, and I meant to say that I had come to renew my—”
“Furthermore, there is no need for any offer of marriage at all,” said Elizabeth. “We escaped from that room last night, so we are free from any obligation. And even considering the particulars, I was by no means convinced that I would take your hand at any rate, as I think I made abundantly clear.”
Darcy’s blush deepened. His jaw twitched. “Your opinion of me, Miss Bennet, is flawed, and I am only attempting to get you to see—”
“I don’t think it is flawed,” she said. “You are far too presumptuous. You take me for granted, and I can’t abide that. I think you should go.”
“There is always the possibility that Miss Bingley will decide to tell what she saw,” he said. “Will your answer still be thus in that eventuality?”
“I don’t think she will,” said Elizabeth. “At least not if you flatter her a bit. Flirt with her. She is obviously quite taken with you, and she only keeps it to herself because if she forced us together, she should lose you.”
“Lose me?” Mr. Darcy’s face twisted in horror. “You can’t possibly think that Miss Bingley would want me?”
“You are blind, Mr. Darcy. I don’t know what goes on in that thick head of yours,” she said, and it was easier to be angry with him, because it tended to drive down the other things that she felt when she looked at him—the bothersome and confusing sensations that ran all through her body. “Now, please, leave my room.”
* * *
When Darcy left Elizabeth’s room, he felt as if he’d been held under a strong current and nearly drowned.
What had he been thinking? That woman’s tongue would cut him to ribbons. He couldn’t possibly marry her. No, he was actually glad that she was refusing him. He had an irrational attraction to her, but that was as far as it went. He would have to deny himself the pleasure of the things he wanted to do to her, he supposed, but that was worth it, because she was stubborn and prejudiced. She had made up her mind about him based on one interaction, and nothing to the contrary seemed to be able to shake her conviction. If they did get married, after the heat of passion left them, he imagined they would have been miserable, anyway.
Yes, he was very glad that she’d said no, and even more glad to find that she and her sister were leaving Netherfield, as he discovered the next day. They were to remain one more night, and then they would be gone.
He made himself scarce, and didn’t speak to her again. She, of course, would not speak to him either. At one point, they were even left alone together for almost half an hour, but he studied his book the entire time and reminded himself over and over that he was glad to be rid of her.
Once she was gone, he was certain it would be the case that he no longer thought of her, and he eagerly awaited her departure.
He did consider also what she had said about Caroline, which was so odious that he willed it to be false. He despised Caroline, and he was only polite to her for Bingley’s sake. He certainly had no desire to be matched with her, and he hoped against hope that she had no desire either.
However, as he observed Caroline in the ensuing days, he was forced to concur with Elizabeth’s analysis. Caroline did seem to spend more time than made any sense talking to him, especially about nonsensical things. He noticed that she didn’t do this with anyone else, not even her brother, who tolerated her idiocy more than anyone else. And she and her sister were close friends, but Caroline paid more attention to him than her also.
He also began to think of other things that Caroline had done in a new light. For instance, she had pronounced a strong dislike for a book that Darcy was about to begin reading. After he took it up and sang its praises, Caroline decided to read it too, and upon doing so, she changed her mind, and then wanted to spend time talking to him about his opinions on various passages. Of course, she had no opinions of her own. She simply agreed with whatever he said. “You’re quite intelligent, Mr. Darcy. I’m sure I could never think of anything like that myself,” she would say or some other such nonsense.
With a sinking sensation of dread, he realized it was true.
Upon doing so, he immediately began completely ignoring Caroline. He only spoke to her in short phrases, and he never engaged her. He did not consent to any more walks in the lane with her and her sister, but instead withdrew entirely. He didn’t want to give her any encouragement whatsoever. He even began considering that he might go back home to Pemberley. There was nothing good coming of being here with Bingley, and he could certainly stand to see Georgiana again.
Bingley himself was mooning over Elizabeth’s sister, and nearly every conversation he had with Darcy had something to do with her. “Doesn’t this remind you of the color of Miss Bennet’s hair?” Bingley would say, or, “It’s a pity that Miss Bennet had to go home so soon.”
If it weren’t for the fact that Darcy had succumbed to the madness that was falling for a Bennet girl himself, he would do his best to dissuade Bingley from his obvious infatuation. But, as it was, Darcy barely had the space in his mind for it, so often was he chasing away thoughts of Elizabeth.
The worst was at night, when he dreamed of her—exactly the kind of carnal dreams that made him feel as though he was burning up from the inside, the kinds of things that were surely a sin against nature to feel. He would wake sweating and aching and throbbing, and nothing seemed to drive the dreams away.
But he was also assailed by less carnal thoughts, as well. He imagined what she might say in conversation or how she might enjoy a meal or simply her smile. Quite often, as he listened to Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurs
t prattle at what passed as conversation, he wished that Elizabeth were there to add her bright wit.
The truth was that he missed her. It had barely been a matter of two days since she left, and he was already wishing to see her again. He told himself that he simply needed more time, and that she would soon be nothing more than a distant memory.
But then he went to sleep that night, and she surfaced in his dreams again, delicate fingers and creamy skin and her hair undone…
Abruptly, he was pulled back into wakefulness. He had felt a weight at the foot of his bed, as if someone was sitting there.
He sat up, and there was Caroline Bingley, holding a candle, perching on the edge of the bed.
“What the devil are you doing here?” he said.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“You shouldn’t use such language,” said Caroline, shocked.
“You must leave now.” Darcy glowered at her. He could not believe that she was the one shocked, when it was her who had come into his bedroom in the middle of the night. That was a bit of irony.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s only that you don’t even look at me anymore, and I know it’s that awful Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and if I don’t do something, I fear that you’ll slip away, and I can’t allow that to happen.”
“What are you going on about?” He thrust aside the covers to the bed and got out. On his feet, he seized her by the arm and hauled her up.
“Oh! Mr. Darcy, you’re hurting me.” Her voice was a squeak.
He dragged her across the room towards the door. His mind was churning. Slip away, she’d said? So, she had orchestrated this in an attempt to secure him in some way. What did she want from him? Whatever it was, she wasn’t going to get it. He flung open the door and came face to face with Mrs. Hurst.
Who screamed at the top of her lungs. “Villain!” She pointed at Darcy. “Wretched, wretched man.”
Darcy was stunned. He looked at Caroline.
Caroline winced. “I really am sorry.”
“Wait a moment,” said Darcy. “The other night, being locked in that room. That was you! It was your first attempt. But you accidentally caught Miss Elizabeth instead of yourself. What is the meaning of all of this, Miss Bingley? This is highly irregular, as you must see.”
“Oh, Brother, help!” Mrs. Hurst was yelling as loud as she could. “You won’t believe this calamity.”
Darcy let go of Caroline long enough to grab at Mrs. Hurst. “Stop that.”
She shrank from him as if she was afraid he was going to strike her. “Please, Mr. Darcy.”
And at that moment, all of the servants in the house appeared around the bend in the hallway, wide eyed.
Darcy let go of Mrs. Hurst, sighing heavily.
A moment later, Bingley burst through the servants and strode down the hall. No one was dressed. Everyone was clad only in their nightclothes. Bingley was wearing a ridiculous nightcap and the top of it flopped down in his face. Annoyed, he brushed it away. “What is the meaning of this?”
Darcy began to speak. “Your sister is the most dreadful—”
“He’s ruined Caroline,” said Mrs. Hurst breathlessly.
Mr. Hurst appeared at the end of the hallway. “Now, what is all this?” he said sleepily.
Bingley looked from Darcy to Caroline to Mrs. Hurst and then back to the servants. “Go back to bed,” he bellowed at them.
Dutifully, they all disappeared around the corner, but Darcy would have laid money down that they were simply hiding round the bend, listening to everything that was being said. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach. He was starting to realize what was happening, and he didn’t like it at all. He lowered his voice. “Bingley, I assure you, I have not touched Caroline—Miss Bingley.” Dash it all, saying her first name as if they were intimates was not helping anything.
“I should say not,” said Bingley. “You are my friend. My dearest, closest friend. You would never do such a thing.”
“Indeed not,” said Darcy.
“But he has,” said Mrs. Hurst. “I discovered that my sister wasn’t in her bed, and I knew where I would find her. She had confided in me such alarming things as of late, and I was sick with worry. I went in search of her at once. And wouldn’t you know it, I found her here. In Mr. Darcy’s bedchamber.”
“This is most assuredly all a lie,” said Darcy.
“Have a care,” called out Mr. Hurst. “That’s my wife you’re calling a liar.”
Bingley’s night cap flopped over his eye again. Frustrated, he pushed it aside. “Look here, Darcy. She wasn’t in your room, was she?”
“Well…” Darcy cleared his throat. “That is, she was, but I didn’t ask her to come in. I simply awoke and she was there, and it’s likely all a trap she’s laid, and it’s not the first time she’s attempted something of that nature—”
“How dare you?” said Caroline, and her face was crumpling. “You would… would not protect me, sir? When it was from your summons I came to you in the first place?”
Darcy swallowed.
Bingley’s eyes widened. His cap flopped down again. He tore the thing from his head and dashed it against the floor. “Darcy, I would have thought it impossible you would treat my own sister with such disrespect. What are you about? And then, to be such a blackguard as to deny it, it is not even to be thought of, let alone—”
“Of course I deny it. Nothing happened.” Darcy clenched his hands into fists.
Bingley’s face was getting red. “Now, listen to me, you are saying that both of my sisters are lying.”
“They have obviously conspired with each other,” said Darcy. “They’ve put this together themselves to ensnare me and make me look like the worst sort of snake, but I assure you that there is nothing in it.”
Bingley sputtered. “Why would they invent something so abominable?”
“We would not!” said Mrs. Hurst, indignant. She looked over her shoulder. “Husband, will you bear his accusations in this way?”
“Indeed, I will not,” said Mr. Hurst. “In point of fact, Darcy, I have not the least objection to dueling one such as you. I have done it before, and—”
“Oh, stop!” said Caroline, horrified. “There is no need for that. Darcy is sorry, are you not, darling? You will admit what you did with me?”
Darcy turned to her, disgusted. “And what is that exactly, madam? What do you claim has passed between us?”
“We were… alone together in your room,” she said. “And that is quite scandalous enough. Everyone knows now, and you are an honorable man, so you must do the honorable thing.”
Bingley was shaking. “Darcy, will you insist on denying this thing?”
“I must deny what is not true,” he said. “We were alone in the room for moments only, and I was taking her back to her room, that is all. Nothing passed between us, nothing at all. I do not have any designs on your sister. Indeed, I can hardly stand to be in her presence. There is no chance on earth that I—” He broke off, suddenly remembering. “The letter!”
“What letter?” said Bingley.
“Did you write me a letter, summoning me to a room in the north wing?”
“What?” said Bingley. “When? I most certainly did nothing of the kind.”
Next to Darcy, Caroline went rigid.
“That is because your sister must have done it, in order to trap me,” said Darcy. “I went to that room, and the latch didn’t work, and then…” Oh, blast, it wouldn’t do to bring Miss Bennet into this, would it? How would that look, his being in rooms alone with not one but two unmarried women?
“What are you talking about?” said Bingley. “If you have some letter, can you not produce it so that we all might see?”
“Oh, don’t let’s get dragged out in minor details. You have seen that we were alone together!” burst out Caroline.
Darcy grimaced. He didn’t have the letter, in any case. It had blown out the window.
“Well?” said Bingley, ignoring his siste
r. “Do you have something to show us or not?”
Darcy sucked in a sharp breath. “Forget that I mentioned the letter. But it changes nothing. The fact is that I have done nothing untoward with your sister—”
“That’s enough,” said Bingley. He drew himself up, and his eyes were wild. “I want you out.” Bingley pointed down the hallway. “I would not host such a man as you under my roof anymore. You….” He gave Darcy a disgusted look. “I don’t think I’ve ever even known you.”
Darcy shut his eyes for a moment and then opened them. He was reeling now, unsure of what to do, but this naked dislike from Bingley shook him to his core. He and Bingley were quite close, and the destruction of their friendship was not something that could be taken lightly. But perhaps things could be mended with time. If Bingley were to calm down, then perhaps Darcy could get him to see that this was all a misunderstanding. So, he simply nodded. “Yes, of course. I will go.” He started to close the door.
“Wait, you can’t send him away,” said Caroline, looking very worried.
“A moment to get dressed and I will be gone,” said Darcy. “If you could be so good as to send someone to the stables to saddle my horse.” He slammed the door.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Outside the door, Darcy could hear the screech of Caroline’s voice, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying. He struggled to dress without the help of his valet, which he hadn’t thought would be quite so difficult. It was the emotion of it all that made it hard for him to stay steady. His hands were shaking.
He hardly knew how to feel.
This was not to be borne. He did not deserve any of this. And Bingley should know that Darcy was not the sort of man who would do something such as what he had been accused of. How could Bingley believe his sisters?
But Darcy realized that if the situation had been reversed, he would have turned against Bingley himself. He simply couldn’t abide the thought of his own sister as anything other than innocent. And Georgiana was, of course. Innocent. She had been taken in by that horrible Wickham. It wasn’t Georgiana’s fault. Couldn’t be.
The Unraveling of Mr Darcy Page 5
