“But, Caroline, the Hulstons are very nice people and excellent hosts,” Bingley said.

“The one has nothing to do with the other, Charles. Nice people can live in hovels. It is simply a matter of setting priorities. For example, one might have to choose between repairing falling brickwork or the purchase of a pack of hounds.”

If Anne had not been the daughter of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, she would have been amazed at Caroline’s tone deafness. Just as her mother was oblivious to how her words insulted and injured, so it was with Caroline. If she had been less self-absorbed, she would have noticed that Georgiana was offended by her reference to the Hulstons, and Will was doing a slow burn.

“Will, I must correct you regarding Pemberley,” Anne said. “There is something new here, your gift to Georgiana of that beautiful pianoforte. And, Miss Bingley, I understand that you are an accomplished musician. We would be delighted if you would favor us with a display this evening as we are to have additional visitors. I believe you are acquainted with them. Am I correct, Will?”

“Yes, I was just about to bring the subject up. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner of London are visiting the Peak, and with them is their niece, Miss Elizabeth Bennet. They are staying at the inn at Lambton, and they have agreed to dine with us this evening.”

The result was as expected. Louisa looked confused, Caroline’s jaw dropped, and Bingley just about jumped out of his chair.

“Darcy, are you saying that Miss Elizabeth Bennet is but five miles from here?”

“Yes, she was here yesterday touring the house.”

“Well, I shall visit immediately,” Charles said enthusiastically.

“Bingley, she will be at Pemberley in a matter of hours. It is not necessary,” Darcy insisted.

“I am sure they will not come before 8:00, and that is five hours from now. I was hoping to ride before supper anyway, and since Montcalm is in need of exercise, I shall ride to Lambton as soon as our meal is finished.”

“You are too hasty,” Darcy cautioned his friend. “Miss Elizabeth and the Gardiners are here on holiday. Do you really think they are sitting in their rooms on such a beautiful day?”

“But, Will, I think Mr. Bingley may proceed with some hope of success,” Anne remarked. “Surely, the Gardiners and Miss Elizabeth will want to return early to the inn to prepare for their engagement with us.”

“I should like to go too,” Georgiana said, adding to the confusion. “I am the only one who has not met Miss Bennet and the Gardiners.”

“There you have it, Darcy,” Charles said. “Your sister and I shall go to Lambton.”

“Charles, what are you thinking?” his sister asked. “If Miss Darcy joins you, how can you exercise Montcalm? You will have to go in a phaeton.”

“I am afraid that is not possible as the phaeton is being repaired,” Darcy interjected. Caroline was smirking at her brother when he continued, “But I can order the carriage, and I shall go with you. But it will have to be a short visit as we must allow our guests time to prepare for this evening.”

“Perhaps Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst would like to join us,” Georgiana said. Anne shook her head at her cousin, but Georgiana ignored her. “We now have a milliner in the village from Bristol, and they may wish to visit her shop.”

Caroline stared at Georgiana. A milliner from Bristol? What next? Picking out calico at the draper’s shop? Besides, she would not go one step out of her way to meet Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and since Mr. Darcy had been opposed to the idea of going to the inn, she could stay at Pemberley free of any concerns regarding Mr. Darcy and Eliza Bennet meeting again.

“That is very kind of you, Miss Darcy. But I think Louisa and I will remain with Mr. Hurst and Miss de Bourgh.”

“Then it is settled,” Darcy said, silently thanking Charles.

* * *

After the two gentlemen and Miss Darcy departed, Caroline quickly went to work, and the knives came out. “When we were in Hertfordshire, Louisa and I were told that Miss Elizabeth was considered to be a beauty. She looks well enough, but a beauty? And all of her dresses were out of fashion, and the colors she chose, especially yellow, did not complement her complexion in the least.

“And, Louisa, do you remember when she visited her sister at Netherfield Park? Miss Bennet had fallen ill, and her sister insisted on nursing her and remained for days. She greatly irritated Mr. Darcy. They came very close to having words on a number of occasions. I believe you knew her in Kent, Miss de Bourgh. What was your impression of the lady?”

“I did notice that at least two of her dresses had yellow in them as well as a bonnet, and she seemed to be fond of roses. But now that you mention it, Miss Bingley, I do recall Mr. Darcy and she did disagree on one matter.”

“Yes,” Caroline said eagerly.

“They were discussing the different bathing resorts, and if I recall correctly, they were unable to agree on whether Weymouth was better than Lyme. By the end of the evening, no agreement had been reached.”

“Perhaps, Miss de Bourgh, we should take advantage of our hosts’ absence and return to our rooms to rest,” Caroline suggested. If that was the best Miss de Bourgh could do, then she might as well be sleeping.

Anne agreed, and once she reached her room, she shared her exchange with Mrs. Jenkinson, and they had a good laugh at Caroline’s expense.

* * *

Although Darcy had ordered the carriage, Charles insisted on riding horseback. It had been months since he had had an opportunity to ride one of his favorite horses, a splendid hunter he had personally trained. And totally out of character for the chatty Georgiana, she was quiet on the ride to Lambton, and it provided her brother with an opportunity to think about Elizabeth, who was once again inhabiting his dreams. At Hulston Hall, Elizabeth had come to him clothed in a gossamer night shift that left nothing to the imagination, and she had allowed him to undress her. Once she had joined him in bed, she slid beneath him in an effortless motion, and he was just about to enter her when the damn cock had started crowing. “I’ll have that bird for breakfast,” he had shouted, bringing a startled Mercer running into the room. Darcy smiled at the memory, but at the time, he had found little humor in his situation.

When they arrived at the inn, he was almost hoping Elizabeth would not be there. His preference would have been to meet her again at Pemberley where he was always at his best. The gardens, the views, the clean air, and the scents of spring were a tonic for him and never failed to restore his spirits. But while he was in Lambton, he was the lord of the manor, and as such, he must visit and greet and acknowledge and listen, but with privilege came responsibility, and he always did his duty.

Bingley rode on ahead, and when Georgiana and he got out of the carriage, Charles had already made inquiries and learned that the party had just returned from an excursion arranged by the inn.

“Darcy, they are definitely in their rooms, so I have sent word that we are here.”

Georgiana rested her hand on her brother’s arm. “I am finally to meet Miss Sonnet. I might possibly be more nervous than you.”

Good grief! Was it that obvious?

When they went into the anteroom, the first person Darcy saw was Elizabeth with her hair hanging loosely about her bare shoulders, and he quickly crossed the room, took her in his arms, and began kissing her and was lifting her onto the table when, alas, reality returned. He had heard Bingley telling Elizabeth how wonderful it was to see her again and had mentioned the exact date on which they were last together. When Bingley finally stopped talking, he asked Elizabeth if he might introduce his sister.

“Miss Elizabeth, I am very glad to make your acquaintance as I have heard so much about you,” Georgiana said. “Well, actually, I did not even know of your existence until today. But you are exactly as I imagined you to be,” and looking at her brother said, “Oh, don’t mind me.”

“I am pleased to meet you, Miss Darcy,” Lizzy said, smiling at the engaging young woman before her. “Your brother speaks of you with great affection and marvels at your talent on the pianoforte. I hope this evening you will favor us with a performance.”

“Oh, gladly, as I truly enjoy playing, but I cannot sing a note. My brother tells me you have a very fine voice.”

“Well, I am very flattered by his praise because Mr. Darcy is my harshest critic,” and when she turned to gauge his response, she found him looking at her in such a way that made her want to touch his face.

“I might say the same about you, Miss Elizabeth. I believe I fell particularly short of the mark at an assembly in Meryton.”

“It is as you say. But none of us is perfect, Mr. Darcy, and you definitely improve upon further acquaintance.” She would have said more, but Charles Bingley was craving her attention.

“Miss Elizabeth, may I inquire after your family? Are your parents well? And all your sisters? And Miss Bennet? Of course, Miss Bennet is one of your sisters, so I have already asked that question.”

“All is well at Longbourn, Mr. Bingley. Just today, I received a letter from Jane, and she tells me that everyone is in good health.”

“A letter from Miss Bennet. Very good. Just as I had hoped.”

Before Bingley could further trip on his tongue, Darcy interrupted to say they needed to return to Pemberley. After greeting the Culvers, the owners of the inn, and chatting with the villagers who had gathered around him, Georgiana and he were finally allowed to leave. On the ride home, Darcy went over in his mind all that had transpired and felt reassured. The damage he had done in Kent was not irreparable. It was possible he had been given a second chance.

Chapter 32

Elizabeth joined her aunt and uncle in the front room and spun around so that they might comment on her dress and hair.

“Truly lovely, my dear,” her uncle said. “But I shall leave you ladies to compliment each other, and I shall have the carriage brought ’round.”

“If I had known I was to see Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy on our visit, I would have brought another dress. They have seen this frock a number of times and look at the creases,” Elizabeth said, pulling the fabric away from her body to examine just how bad the wrinkles were. “I am sure all of the ladies will be wearing the finest silk, while I wear muslin.”

“There is nothing wrong with muslin,” Aunt Gardiner said, “and surely they would not expect you to pack your finest dresses to go on a tour of the countryside. Besides, a dress is only good for a first impression. It is the person in the dress that matters, and if your reception is half as warm at Pemberley as it was this morning, then you have nothing to be concerned about.”

“Yes, it has been a pleasant day. I liked Miss Darcy very much, and it was wonderful to see Mr. Bingley again. I have hopes there, Aunt. As soon as he learned that we were at the inn, he came immediately, and you must have noticed how he twice asked after Jane. I am confident that Jane and he will have a courtship after all.”

“And what about you, Elizabeth?”

“I shall wait for events to unfold,” she said, without any of the confidence she felt on behalf of her sister.

“I understand your caution, but I believe Mr. Darcy’s interest in you could not be mistaken.”

“Nevertheless, I shall remain on guard because I saw how hurt Jane was when she realized Mr. Bingley had left Netherfield Park with no intention of returning. And there is the matter of Mr. Bingley’s sister. I do not know how much progress can be made as I am sure Miss Bingley will be listening and watching everything I say or do.”

“I think you are underestimating Miss de Bourgh. She has already proven herself to be an expert in masterminding and executing a plan. I cannot imagine she went to all the trouble of having Mr. Darcy and you meet, only to give way to Miss Bingley. And I suspect you have made a friend of Miss Darcy.”

“It should be an interesting evening. I almost feel sorry for Miss Bingley. She wants Mr. Darcy so very badly, but everything she does diminishes her chances of that happening because he finds her so annoying.”

“If that is the case, you may have a secret ally: Miss Caroline Bingley.”

* * *

“Well, what do you think, Mercer? Am I presentable?” Usually, Darcy allowed his man to lay out his clothing, but tonight he had picked out each piece himself because he wanted to look his very best for Miss Elizabeth.