Hi everyone, I am still not sure this is the right title for this chapter. Earlier titles I had were "Admiring Miss Bennet" and "Edwin's admiration." Is this the right title now or do you have another suggestion? I've been trying to keep all the titles at about the same length, two to four words.

I'm also feeling like it is about time for an interlude from another character's POV as I did in VMC I, but the ones that I have written previously would make more sense later in the story. Who would you like to hear from now and about what?

Chapter 9: The Open Carriage

Miss Elizabeth looked over at her sister, so I did as well. The ladies were all conversing animatedly with Edwin, even Miss Bennet. Miss Elizabeth turned back toward me and noted, "However, I suppose it is unlikely to do harm. My mother would be ready to marry any of us off in any order, but all things being equal she would likely to prefer a marriage for Jane first. I cannot imagine my father has thought of it overmuch."

"How are things with you sister now?"

"I told Jane last night that we are engaged. She already suspected it from the attention that you have shown me. She tried her best to don a happy visage, but oh her eyes were still so sad. Jane told me that she was glad for me, knew that you could not be as Mr. Wickham said you were, but also insisted that there must be some misunderstanding between you and him, sought to excuse it as a joke taken too far. Although she tries to hide it, I am certain our own happiness makes her only more aware of what she is missing. I think she is mostly resigned that her hope of Mr. Bingley must wither away, but still, she longs for someone for herself."

We were distracted by sudden feminine laughter and the both of us glanced back at Edwin and the ladies. Somehow, he had gotten Miss Bennet to laugh, but then as if remembering that she was supposed to be sad, her momentary mirth faded into solemnity.

I opined, "Perhaps that is a good sign. Mayhap her dark mood is starting to lift."

"It is kind of him to try to lift her spirits; the Colonel always could talk very pleasantly and find pleasure in any society, was able to entertain with talk that might be mundane from someone else."

I did not like her thinking on him in such a way and I told her so.

"Oh Mr. Darcy, I mean no slight on yourself, only that Colonel Fitwilliam is much easier in new company and with such a conversational partner perhaps my sister's mood may remain improved. I shall have to warn Jane not to have any notion that he might take a serious interest in her, for he himself told me while we were in Kent he must marry well. But given her continued focus on Mr. Bingley now that all hope is gone, I doubt she would become confused."

"Yes," I said, "I think my cousin still means to find an heiress with his mother's help. Even this morning, he told me that on other ladies he never has any serious design." I observed how now Edwin seemed to be speaking mostly to Miss Bennet as Miss Lucas was showing my sister her sketch book and Mrs. Gardiner was talking with a servant.

"Still, a slight flirtation might do her some good." Miss Elizabeth commented. "I was flattered when I thought the Colonel had some attraction to me. However, his insulting words about you quickly cured me of it."

I asked, "Do you suppose when it is time for you to depart from London that I might have the pleasure of escorting your party to Hertfordshire in my carriage? Naturally, I would ride outside again."

"I am not sure that would be wise," Miss Elizabeth replied. "Not because I would not wish for your company, or the opportunity to travel in your fine carriage again rather than by post, but because it might be better if I return first and have some time to soften my father to you before you arrive."

I wanted to protest against such a plan and as I was mustering my rebuttal, she added, "Too, Uncle Gardiner said it was most headstrong of me to write to both him and my father before we left Kent to simply inform them of the change in travel plans and act as if it were all about accompanying Miss Darcy rather than on your invitation, and fail to ask their permission and not inform them of your interest in me."

"But all was most proper," I insisted perhaps a bit too loudly, for Miss Elizabeth quickly glanced around before looking back at me.

"Certainly, naturally. None would impugn your honor, but still to act as I did by accepting based on my own judgment . . . it was unseemly. Unlike a man, I cannot travel as I see fit and must defer to the male relatives into whose care I am entrusted."

"But your cousin, Mr. Collins . . ."

"Was not truly asked."

We were both distracted by the sudden laughter erupting from my cousin and Miss Bennet. In looking over at them I saw nothing to suggest that Edwin was being anything other than his usual charming self. But then I noted that, perhaps, he was more focused on Miss Bennet than he ought to be.

Then I began to ponder, could it be that he might seek to further the Earl's interest in keeping me from marrying any but Anne by trying to make Miss Bennet lose all interest in Mr. Bingley, to prevent me from wedding Miss Elizabeth (although of course, Miss Bennet in truth did not need to marry first)? It would be a cruel trick if Edwin sought to engage Miss Bennet's interest in himself and then planned to act to crush her once more. If that were to be his game, would he not be disappointed to learn that it was all for naught?

I did not want Miss Bennet hurt. Now I wondered if I had tampered overly much in her life by the simple lie Georgiana had suggested.

But as I watched it seemed that something was happening between the two of them, like a sudden affinity had been recognized. Was it possible Edwin saw something special in Miss Bennet from her own merits?

Within a few minutes, my head began hurting from trying to puzzle out what Edwin might be doing in paying Miss Bennet such decided attention, when earlier that day he had once again reaffirmed that he must seek an heiress as his bride. I suggested to the room at large "Should we not soon depart for our outing?"

All seemed favorable, so within minutes we were preparing to leave for the British Museum, which was contained in the Montague House. Soon enough, it was just a matter of arranging who would travel with whom.

Georgiana, Edwin and I had arrived together in an open carriage; while I traveled by horseback almost exclusively, I had compromised this much when Georgiana had suggested, "If we do take the open carriage, perhaps Miss Elizabeth can sit with me, with you and Edwin opposite." Was not some discomfort necessary to have more time with my bride to be? However, alas, instead Georgiana ended up traveling with the other ladies.

Sitting in the open carriage with just Edwin while waiting for the ladies' carriage to go first felt decidedly odd. However, given this time with just him, I resolved to inquire as to his actions toward Miss Bennet. Therefore, once the ladies' carriage was away, I did not signal the driver to proceed for nearly two minutes.

Edwin drummed his fingers during the delay but remained silent. During this time, I tried to muster my thoughts about what I needed to say.

However, once the carriage was traveling down the road and before I had spoken a single word, Edwin became loquacious. After a few comments praising the hospitality of Mrs. Gardiner, he began speaking of Miss Bennet.

It was well that my coachman Davis is rather deaf, for Edwin's voice grew louder as he spoke and I could not have been certain it was entirely masked by the noise on the road, the sounds of hooves and wheels, and the din of the town. "I know not how Bingley could have rejected Miss Bennet. She is everything a woman ought to be. While she is perhaps a little sad over being crossed in love, her inner goodness and cheerfulness shines through. Her sweet disposition knows no guile and she seems completely unaware of her great beauty. She is Eve embodied before the fall. What man would not want such a woman on his arm, with that warm smile, that golden hair and such lovely blue eyes!"

I had never heard Edwin praise any woman so much before, but he was not done. "Why most woman in town of gentle breeding who are that lovely would use such assets to quickly arrange an advantageous marriage, while Miss Bennet is currently endeavoring to do nothing but be good company to those around her, be a helpful guest and a devoted niece, friend, sister and cousin. It is clear she dotes on her young cousins and would be an excellent mother."

"Can this be so?" I cried out in astonishment. "Can you really, so quickly and with no apparent effort, now be an admirer of Miss Bennet?"

Edwin colored, which astonished me further, I do not think I had ever seen him blush before. "That has not been my intention. I know my parents would never approve of such a match, for them marriage is a practical financial arrangement. To me, that always made good sense, but then, I had never met anyone like Miss Bennet before. Tell me, surely you must know from Miss Elizabeth, do you think her heart could be touched by another or is she completely fixed on Mr. Bingley?"

While earlier I had wondered if Edwin could be playing some kind of game with her, now I believed him to be genuine. However, both times I was disturbed.

"Miss Elizabeth is of the opinion that her sister loves Bingley. I believe Miss Bennet has felt this way for nigh on six months." I told him.

"Ah then she must have great constancy of feeling." Edwin sighed and looked into the distance ahead of us. "I cannot help but admire such devotion, though not that apparently it is turned toward an unworthy object if Mr. Bingley does not return her regard."

"He admired her before, and it is my hope that he will admire her again. They would make a fine match. And would you be a more worthy object with the actions you have taken?" I was quick to point out "Whether or not they can resolve their differences, Bingley does not have a paid woman in his life, would not dishonor his wedding vows both before and after they are spoken."

I saw the moment Edwin absorbed what I said, for he gritted his teeth and then drew back his lips for a moment before his face resumed a more customary expression. "Just because Mr. Bingley has no 'paid lady' that does not mean he has never paid for a woman's favors and would not again."

I nodded in acknowledgment. While I was almost certain Bingley had no mistress, as for other more temporary pleasures, I had no knowledge one way or the other about what Bingley may or may not have done.

As I considered the matter, my eyes swept over the shops adjoining us and the people on the street begging or plying their trades. We passed a shoe black and then a costermonger selling what might have been eggs or some undersized fruit to a woman who had no shoes and who, if not a beggar, was not far removed from it.

I offered another argument, "Still, a man's loyalties are much divided if he provides for a mistress. Additionally, while one of means may not miss the sum for her upkeep, for another who lives upon more modest funds in providing for her steals from his family. The cost of supporting his left-handed wife, makes his family live lower than they ought, deprives the daughters of an adequate dowry, takes bread from his children's hands. If you marry without a care to money, you certainly cannot afford both."

As I spoke these words, my eyes again swept over the shops and people near us. It was so much easier to see all the poverty in London when in an open carriage than when riding and concentrating on directing my mount. It was one of the things I disliked most about the city. Certainly, there was poverty everywhere, but not to such a degree and it was certainly less apparent in the country.

Edwin gave a jerky nod and then told me, "I have made many mistakes, it is true, but perhaps they can in part be unraveled, resolved in a way that I have done no great harm. There is much a man ought to do to be worthy of a woman like Miss Bennet."

With a jerk (which startled me), our carriage came to a halt. There was apparently some delay ahead. In consequence, I made sure to speak quietly for it would certainly be easier for anyone to overhear us without the sounds of the road. I could hear anger in my voice as I questioned, "Are not all women worthy of our respect? Are not all women someone's dear sister or daughter? Would you have someone else treat Georgiana as you treat Miss Vaughn? At least George for all his foulness was offering Georgiana his name."

I noticed a beggar girl with a younger boy beside her. She was perhaps seven or eight-years-old. Her hair was knotted; her dress was overly large, frayed and ripped at the neckline. Her feet were black with dirt.

The boy might have been eleven years of age and was in a similar ragged condition. He was standing and swaying as he brought his left hand, the fingers spread, close to and away from his face, the movement caused by his elbow.

The girl must have noticed my notice, for she started towards our stopped carriage. As she made her way towards us, she shouted, "Please sirs, rich you are, some coins. My brother's simple and our mum is dead."

"You should not have looked," Edwin told me. "They all lie."

Even though she was closer than the boy now, my eyes stayed mostly on the boy. I watched how he brought his hand close to his face, again and again. She noted, "My brother is dumb, makes no words, only howls. We had no bread today."

The carriage began moving again and the girl ran after us, still pleading. I brought forth my purse and tossed a handful of coins in her direction. She scrambled after them in the dust and retrieved perhaps two before I also saw a man I had not noted before, shove her aside to get to the rest.

"Despicable" said Edwin. He must have noted what happened as well. "If I do not miss the mark, he may be their drunkard father, using them to get money so he may get soused."

I was not so sure. Perhaps he was simply a fellow beggar, taking advantage of the situation. I wondered if the disreputable man would also take the coins the girl had already picked up. She was so small that if he wanted to there would be nothing she could do.

Already there was naught I could do, for our carriage was moving along now at a good clip. And even if I could stop and intervene, I would be swarmed by beggars and anything I gave then might only later line the pockets of the man who had stolen from the girl.

I thought about her brother, also. He had ignored her begging, had focused on his hand, doing the same thing over and over. I thought he might be like me.

I turned back toward Edwin, tried to pick up the thread of our conversation. "Is not Miss Vaughn worthy of the same respect as Georgiana?"

Edwin responded, "You must think yourself above us ordinary mortals that you have not succumbed to temptations of the flesh, as most all men have. Do you wish me to admit I am a cad, that I am as bad as my father? At least I have been devoted to one rather than spreading my affection around as he does, whether it is welcomed or not. Do you wish me to say that I do not deserve love?"

I made no reply, although I wondered whose love he spoke of. Was he saying he deserved Miss Vaughn's love, or that of Miss Elizabeth's sister?

We traveled the rest of the way to the Montagu House in silence. Rather than thinking on my conversation with Edwin, my mind kept returning to the images of the beggar boy with his hand before his face and of his sister grimacing as she was being shoved aside.