BONUS CHAPTER!

Chapter Eight

"Further," Darcy continued, "if you can still bear the sight of me, you are more than welcome to come to Darcy House."

"I must see Jane," said Bingley, and he started up the stairs again.

Darcy went after him and took his arm to stop his progression. A muscle in Bingley's jaw twitched and he glared pointedly at the hand that held him.

Letting go at once, Darcy said, "I know you've no wish to heed my advice at present, but it is too late to call on her tonight."

"And frankly, Bingley," added Fitzwilliam, "you are in no fit state to be in her company. I daresay Miss Bennet would be much distressed to see you as you are now."

Bingley clearly did not want to agree with either of them, but still he nodded. "You're right, I can't let her see me like this—it would only frighten her."

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief. "Will you come to Darcy House?" he asked quietly. "The Miss Bennets and their aunt and uncle will be dining with myself, Georgiana, and Fitzwilliam tomorrow evening. By then, I am sure, your temper will be in a much better state for entertaining your lady."

"My lady," said Bingley with a mirthless chuckle. He looked to Darcy then and asked, "Does she know—the truth, I mean?"

With a shake of his head, Darcy replied, "Not unless Miss Elizabeth has told her in the last couple of hours."

"Best let her take the lead then, I daresay," Bingley mused, then continued up the stairs. Darcy let him go and headed back toward his cousin.

"Mr. Darcy," Mrs. Hurst addressed him. "What can be the meaning of this? Why did you tell Charles about our keeping that girl's presence from him? You said yourself that we were acting for his own good!"

"Indeed," added Miss Bingley in a haughty tone as she crossed her arms. "You told the same lies we did."

Darcy was once again angry and lifted a hand to stave off further comments. "I never lied to your brother. He could hardly ask me if I had heard from Miss Bennet—though as he said a moment ago, you did lie when you said you had not."

Mrs. Hurst raised her hands to her hips. "What about that chit's being in London, or when we told you she'd called here and asked you not to tell him about it?"

"To refrain from mentioning something is not the same as telling a lie," said Darcy. "However, my agreement to do so was the second time I erred in judgment, Mrs. Hurst. At the time, I did think it for the best that he not know, but that was only because I truly believed Miss Bennet indifferent to him. Believing her indifferent was my first mistake, as I now know she is not and never was."

"And how do you know that Miss Eliza Bennet has not lied to you?" Miss Bingley challenged. "She could be swearing that Jane Bennet is in love with my brother solely for the sake of securing a rich husband for her sister, as she has somehow manipulated you into marrying her! What tricks did she use against you? Oh, come now, Darcy, you need not marry her because of some silly compromise! Surely your revered uncle the earl can get you out of it—I am certain he would never countenance damaging the respectability of his nephew or the credibility of his family by allowing such a connection. She is so… so ill-mannered and ill-bred and…and plain! Pemberley deserves a lady of great beauty and refinement for its mistress."

Fitzwilliam snorted behind him and made a poor attempt to disguise it with a cough. Darcy ignored his cousin and glared at Miss Bingley as he said, "Pemberley will have a mistress of great beauty and refinement, Miss Bingley, when I am married to Miss Elizabeth. Even were her features plain as the day is long, her irreproachable character and loyalty to her family would give her an air of beauty far greater than the prettiest face in London."

"Well said, Darcy!" exclaimed Fitzwilliam with a laugh. "If my father did not already approve your marriage, I do not doubt that he would give his most hearty consent after hearing so impassioned a speech!"

Feeling rather disgusted with Bingley's sisters and even more so with the flaws in his own character that their behaviour reminded him of, Darcy stepped away from the ladies after bidding then each a good evening. He motioned to Fitzwilliam to follow and walked determinedly toward the door, ignoring the pleas of Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst to come back and help them fix the mess he'd created.

Fitzwilliam turned back to them with an indignant gaze. "Darcy is not the only one to blame for this 'mess' as you call it," he snapped. "At least he has had the decency to come forward and confess his part in deceiving your brother. He has done his friend the courtesy of making him an honest apology, whereas the two of you can do nothing but shift blame. Not once have you accepted any responsibility for your own actions, nor have you shown even a shred of remorse. If your brother should never speak to you again, I would not be at all surprised."

At that moment, Mr. Hurst emerged from the drawing room. "Ah, Mrs. Hurst, there you are! Where is Bingley—whatever can be keeping the three of you? Our guests are wondering what's become of you."

He then peered more closely at Darcy. "What the devil happened to your face, old boy? You get into a fight with one of your friends at the club?"

"A friend, yes," Darcy muttered, then went out the front door.

Fitzwilliam followed him after bidding Hurst a polite farewell; the latter was overheard asking his wife "What in the world was that all about?" as the door closed between them.

They were in the carriage and on their way back to Darcy House in only a moment. About two blocks were passed before Fitzwilliam ventured to ask, "Do you think he'll come?"

"I don't know," Darcy replied, then lifted a hand to lightly touch the wound on his lip; he suppressed the urge to hiss, as it was still quite sore, though thankfully the bleeding had stopped. "He was very angry, as you saw."

"Aye, that I did. But I also saw that you genuinely regret your part in all this. You apologized to Bingley, whereas his sisters did not." Fitzwilliam paused to scoff. "And even if they do, I highly doubt they shall mean it. The only thing those two will be sorry for is having their plans for climbing up the social ladder thwarted. If I may speak my true opinion, Will, both you and Bingley would be wise to give up the connection with his sisters. Ignorant as they are that their actions have consequences…"

"I have every intention of doing just that," Darcy said. "However, Bingley's amiable nature will not likely allow him to go so far as to cut his own sisters—thought he may treat them as we do Lady Catherine, and only see them when it is necessary."

"All the better for him either way," said Fitzwilliam.

They had been home about an hour—ensconced in the billiard room where the colonel played a lonely game and Darcy brooded over his brandy—when Tolliver, the butler, entered the room to announce the arrival of Mr. Bingley. Darcy shot to his feet at once and hurried out, Fitzwilliam close on his heels.

It was clear that Bingley felt awkward being there, as he had remained near the front door and his posture was tense. Darcy could not say he felt any better. Still, he welcomed his friend as warmly as he felt it reasonable to do and invited him into the drawing room. Bingley went first, with Fitzwilliam again bringing up the rear.

"I am glad you are come here instead of going to a hotel. I've had your room prepared, just in case," said Darcy as his cousin was closing the drawing room door.

"I, uh… I thank you, Darcy, though I do not know that I shall stay," Bingley said.

"Bingley…"

Bingley held up a hand and Darcy fell silent. "I cannot determine which direction to go in without knowing one thing, and I beg you would answer me honestly."

Darcy nodded. "You have my word, Charles. What would you like to know?"

"Did you truly think Jane indifferent to me, or did you only talk me out of marrying her because her mother and sisters are a little bit ridiculous, and you wished to spare me the embarrassment?"

"Both," Darcy replied immediately. "When I came to realize that you were interested in Miss Bennet more than you had been in any other girl in the two years I've known you, I thought to put aside my disgust at the impropriety of her mother and youngest sisters for the sake of your happiness. After all, you had only leased Netherfield, and might eventually settle somewhere that you'd not be in their company often.

"However, not only did Miss Bennet guard her true feelings so fiercely that I thought her indifferent, Mrs. Bennet so freely talked of the match as a certainty that I began to suspect she was pushing her daughter to spend time with you only to secure a rich husband. I know you well enough to be certain that you'd be devastated if you found out the woman you loved cared more for your money than she did for you."

"Yes, that… That is true," said Bingley.

"Also, given my growing attraction to Miss Elizabeth and the knowledge of how much more a connection between us would be frowned upon, I latched onto any excuse I could find to absent myself from Hertfordshire."

"You hardly needed me as an excuse to leave Hertfordshire," Bingley said. "And I could have gone back without you."

"Yes, you could have done—but if you did, if you married Miss Bennet and chose to purchase Netherfield, I would at some point have to go there to see you at risk of seeing Miss Elizabeth. I could not take the chance of being swayed by my feelings if I were to see her again."

Darcy paused and ran a hand through his hair before releasing an aggravated sigh. "I am sorry, Bingley. In talking you out of pursuing Miss Bennet, I was really talking myself out of pursuing her sister because I was ashamed of wanting a woman whose family and connections were so unfavorable. It was selfish of me to ruin your happiness in order to save myself."

Bingley regarded him for a long, silent moment. "Why confess the truth to me now?"

"Aside from the fact that Elizabeth asked it of me?" Darcy countered. "Her refusal—or rather the cruelty and lack of regard for others' feelings she accused me of therein, among other things—forced me to re-evaluate my own conduct, and like she did, I found it wanting."

"Come now, Will," spoke up Fitzwilliam. "You can't be all that bad if you are so well admired and respected by your tenants and servants."

"On the contrary, Theo," said Darcy, before he turned away and walked absently toward the fireplace. "The last four-and-twenty hours have had an effect on my equanimity I never could have predicted and elicited a change in myself I never knew I needed. Elizabeth's recriminations made me see that while I showed respect to those of lower station, I still disdained them. I didn't see them as worthy of attention or affection from those of greater consequence. I had literally been ashamed of loving a most amiable, admirable woman for no other reason than that she was not as rich and connected as myself, and because her family reminded me too much of a person in my own whom I avoid as much as I am able."

He sighed again and turned back to Bingley. "Even had she not at last accepted me, I believe I would have spoken to you. Elizabeth helped me to see that I was wrong to interfere."

Bingley again regarded him in silence, then at length he sighed, and the tight set of his shoulders relaxed. "Thank you, Darcy. I appreciate your candor."

He moved at long last to a chair and dropped into it heavily. "At least you've had the decency to own your mistake. My sisters could not even do that, let alone feel any shame for their conduct. After you'd gone, they came to my room to press me about what a mistake they believed it would be for me to ally myself with the Bennets. How my fortune made me a most eligible match for a girl from a wealthier family with better connections."

"What did you tell them?" Fitzwilliam asked him.

Bingley looked up. "I said that I was ashamed of them for being embarrassed by their own origins, that it pained me their ambitions had stripped them of all kindness and compassion, and that I wished with all my heart they might one day see the error of their ways…but that I was not in the least sorry for having fallen in love with one of the sweetest, gentlest creatures in all the world."

He sighed again and tipped his head back. "I only hope that Jane will forgive me for not being stronger in my own belief that she cared for me. I could have returned to Hertfordshire at any time these last five months, and I didn't because I was too bloody afraid that Darcy and my sisters were right. I simply could not stand the idea that she might reject me."

When he looked to Darcy again, Bingley's expression was confused. "Darcy, earlier you said that Miss Elizabeth refused you, then you said you were marrying her, and just a moment ago you said she accepted you at last. What does that even mean?"

Darcy half smiled and said, "I made my offer to Elizabeth yesterday in the afternoon. She quite angrily refused me, based in part on my interference with you but also because she believed me to have wronged Mr. Wickham. I was too angry at having been accused of cruelty and inhumanity, of not behaving as a gentleman, that I had not command enough of myself to explain the true circumstances in either case. On the advice of Theo here, I spent the night reflecting on our conversation and cooling my temper, that I could be more rational when next I saw her. This morning, I attempted to make her understand the reasons for my interference as well as relay the whole of my history with Wickham."

He chuckled mirthlessly. "I daresay she still has not forgiven me for my part in causing pain to her sister, but I am at least acquitted of wrongdoing as regards Wickham."

When his gaze fell on Bingley again, Darcy added in a more sober tone, "I must further confess that I honestly did not believe myself wrong in separating you and Miss Bennet, not until I witnessed the repercussions of my actions with my own eyes. I delivered Elizabeth into her uncle's care earlier this evening, and it was immediately evident—though she was as sweet and well-mannered as ever—that Miss Bennet was not quite herself. In that moment, I understood how correct Elizabeth had been about her sister's feelings and how wrong I had been to judge them as I did. I pray that your renewed attentions to her will restore her to her prior cheerfulness, even if she does not openly display how happy she is."

The last he said with a benevolent smile, as his revelation that Miss Bennet was not herself had alarmed his friend. "As for Miss Elizabeth and myself…" Darcy continued, "One of Mr. Collins's servants saw us together when I called yesterday and reported it to her master and my aunt this morning. Elizabeth was accused of attempting to compromise me—among other unwarranted insults—and on the orders of his patroness, the parson turned his own cousin out."

Bingley's countenance showed his astonishment. "Darcy, that's horrible!"

He agreed with a nod. "Indeed. And naturally, as I could not abide this treatment, I offered the use of my carriage. During our stop to rest the horses at Bromley, Elizabeth and I discussed the possibility of my aunt further slandering her character."

"Would she do that?" Bingley asked.

Fitzwilliam nodded. "As much as we dislike speaking ill of family—even our supercilious aunt—I'm afraid it's a very real possibility," he said. "Lady Catherine's been obsessed with Darcy marrying her daughter since they were children."

Bingley looked between them, and when his eyes came to Darcy they suddenly widened. "You're only getting married because of the alleged compromise, aren't you?"

"Yes, and no," said Darcy. "Elizabeth is marrying me for the sake of preserving her family's respectability, but I am marrying her because I love her."

"Even though she refused you—even though she doesn't want you?"

Darcy ignored the sting his words generated and said, "I loved her before I proposed to her, Bingley—being refused did not change how I feel. If we were not to marry, I am certain the strength of my regard would take some time indeed to alter, if ever it did. But as we are to be man and wife, it is my sincere hope that, in time, Elizabeth will no longer despair being married to me."

Bingley looked at him with a discerning gaze, then shook his head. "I feel like I'm missing something of consequence," said he.

Darcy glanced at his cousin. Fitzwilliam cocked an eyebrow. "I think you can trust him, Will."

Darcy sighed, and though he'd only moments ago held back the truth, he now confessed to Bingley about the kiss.

Bingley shook his head in amazement. "Let me see if I understand you now," said he as he sat forward in his chair. "There actually was a compromise, but you are pretending there was not?"

"That is correct."

"But why? Why not confess it? Would it not lend more credence to your ruse of being a happy couple—you did say she was an equal participant, did you not?"

Darcy, suddenly feeling quite fatigued, sat down on the end of a sofa. "The kiss was definitely mutual but recall that it happened after she refused me. I wonder now if the servant listened in on the entire interview as well as saw our embrace, as they would then know I'd been rejected. That we kissed might easily be construed as Elizabeth regretting her decision and throwing herself at me, so I'd be forced to marry her anyway. She did not agree to the match until I informed her of my belief that my aunt might attempt further destruction of her character. By admitting to a partial truth—that I'd bumbled my offer and she needed time to consider—we acknowledge something happened but keep the true details private."

"And the more you both maintain your version of events, the less credibility the servant's version has," observed Fitzwilliam, "and our aunt's by association, should she be so malicious as to try spreading one."

"And, um… If she does not?" asked Bingley. "Are you not afraid, Darcy, that you might have no need to marry?"

"If I could trust that my aunt would not attempt to harm Elizabeth's reputation, then no, there would be no need," Darcy conceded. "However, my conscience would not allow me to do nothing in light of the fact that propriety was breached; I do believe I would have asked her again based on that alone. Had we not kissed, Elizabeth and I would have parted in bitterness and resentment, each of us likely thinking the worst of each other even while recognizing the truths we both shared. It would have been months or longer—if ever—before we made peace. I am glad to have the opportunity to make things right sooner by marrying her, as it gives me the opportunity to show Elizabeth that I have taken her words to heart."