"How delighted Miss Darcy will be to receive such a letter!" Miss Bingley declared.
Darcy was sitting in Netherfields drawing room, trying to ignore the confusion in his mind. Miss Elizabeth sat on the couch, with a book just out of sight.
Maddening woman. Why did she have to argue with him so well? Did she know how much he enjoyed the debate? Was this a new trap laid at his feet? If so, it was incredibly successful.
"You write uncommonly fast," Miss Bingley said. He jumped a little at how the woman had materialized next to him. She should have said something.
"You are mistaken. I write rather slowly," he said, trying to slyly cover his letter. He hoped he hadn't written about Miss Elizabeth in his ceaseless thinking of her. He wanted to check, but he couldn't right now!
"How many letters you must have occasion to write in the course of a year! Letters of business too! How odious I should think them," Miss Bingley smiled at him.
What was he supposed to say? There wasn't a question. And he liked writing letters, because then he didn't have to talk to anyone. But he couldn't say that, she just decreed they were odious!
"It's fortunate that they fall to my lot, instead of to yours," he settled on saying, trying hard to keep his voice from rising in a question at the end. He wished it was Miss Elizabeth talking to him. She was so much easier to talk to!
He froze for a moment. He liked talking to a lady? Specifically one lady, but still. Usually they only wanted one thing and it made him uncomfortable.
"Pray, tell your sister that I long to see her," Miss Bingley broke into his thought again.
"I've already told her so once, by your desire," he wrestled to keep the whine from his voice. Miss Elizabeth would tease him, and then he would laugh! He would never hear the end of it! His face must have reflected his conflicting emotions.
"I am afraid you must not like your pen. Let me mend it. I mend pens remarkably well."
"Thank you, but I always mend my own," he said. Why couldn't she leave him alone? In fact, why couldn't she and the Hursts leave the room? Then he could talk with Miss Elizabeth and Bingley. That was probably the best way to spend the day. Miss Elizabeth could tease and laugh, and Bingley could help Darcy if he fell silent. But with Miss Elizabeth, he imagined he could converse as well as he could with Bingley or Richard.
"How can you contrive to write so even?" Miss Bingley asked, but Darcy was deep in his imagination in a room with all his favorite people. He was mildly startled that imaginary Elizabeth was seated next to him on the fictitious couch. Usually Georgiana sat there.
"--infinitely superior to Miss Grantleys," Miss Bingley said.
Damn, how long had she been talking? He quickly replayed the last few seconds in his mind.
"Will you give me leave to defer your raptures? I don't have room to do them justice," he said and Miss Bingley flooded him with words. He dared not go back to his letter, or his imagination now.
"It's a rule with me that a person who can write a long letter with ease cannot write ill," Miss Bingley said. Darcy was at another loss as to what to say. Thankfully he heard Bingley laugh behind him, and he turned to face his friend.
"That won't do for a compliment to Darcy Caroline," he said. Darcy nearly laughed. So, Bingley just let him struggle for his life with these unending compliments and left him alone. "He does not write with ease. He studies too much for words with four syllables. Don't you Darcy?" Darcy nearly grinned, but didn't want either Miss to see him be silly.
"My style of writing is very different from yours–" he said but was cut off by the most annoying Miss in the county. The county with Bennets!
"Oh! Charles writes in the most careless way imaginable!"
"My ideas flow so rapidly that I have time to express them all– which means I don't actually convey anything to my friends," Bingley's grinned and shrugged. Darcy gave a crooked smile. Yes he knew very well of half formed, multiple ideas.
"Your humility must disarm reproof," Miss Elizabeth said with a smile towards Bingley. Her eyes twinkled as though she'd been watching the whole conversation with amusement. Usually he hated people laughing at him. But with her, it didn't feel as intolerable. He wanted to talk to her.
"Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility," he said, looking at her for help against Miss Bingley. He laid out all his grievances for that lady to Miss Elizabeth, "it is often only the carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast." Miss Elizabeth smiled as though laughing at that.
"And which of the two do you call my recent piece of modesty?" Bingley said.
"An indirect boast," Darcy replied to Bingleys chuckle. "You like that you can do everything quickly, like writing letters. Just this morning you bragged to Mrs. Bennet you could move
houses with five minutes' thought. You prize the rapidity of your actions." Bingley laughed and nodded with a shrug.
"How you can remember what is said in the morning is amazing," he said, "but I didn't say it to boast. I really think I'd do it." Darcy pressed his lips together to not grin at that. Truthfully, he liked that part of Bingley as well.
"I bet you believe it, but I doubt it. If one friend asked you to stay another week, you would do it!" he said, with affection towards the man.
"You proved that it wasn't an indirect boast," Miss Elizabeth laughed, "Mr. Bingley didn't do justice to his own disposition. You've shown him off much more than he did himself." Darcy nearly laughed. Maddening woman! She was right.
"I'm glad you think he meant well," Bingley smiled at her, "but Darcy would think better of me if I gave a flat denial and rode away as fast as I could." Darcy almost chuckled and hid his face in his hand, but refrained. He didn't want either lady to see his enjoyment and press any advantage. Though Miss Elizabeth had a stellar advantage.
"Would Mr. Darcy consider the rashless of your first intention atoned by the stubbornness of you clinging to it?" Miss Elizabeth said, sending each gentleman a beguiling smile. Yes, she had the greatest advantage.
"I can't explain it," Bingley laughed, "Darcy must speak for himself!" Darcy was met by the two mischievous smiles, and his heart thumped.
"You're putting words in my mouth," he said, "you must remember Miss Bennet that the friend only had the vague inclination to remain. There was no good argument to do so."
"To acquiesce readily–easily to a friend has no merit for you?" she smiled. She did have beautifully expressive eyes when she smiled and thought.
"To acquiesce with no conviction can't have merit either," Darcy said remembering all the trouble Bingley got into for not being able to say no.
"You give no allowance for the weight friendship alone has then? Regardless of how Mr. Bingley behaves, isn't friendship an argument enough to acquiesce without asking for more reason?" Darcy pulled his mouth into a thoughtful frown. Damn, she made a good point. He would drop everything for Bingley, for no other reason than friendship. He would not do the same for other friends though.
"We should probably define how important the request is as well as how intimate the friends are before continuing down this discussion," he said, looking at her with excitement.
"By all means," Bingley grinned at Elizabeth, who grinned back. Oh, she acted as though they three have been friends for years. "Don't forget to talk about each friends size and height, because that matters more than you may be aware Miss Bennet. See, if Darcy weren't such a great tall fellow, I wouldn't listen to half the things he says. There's nothing worse than Darcy in certain spots. Like in his house on Sunday, when he has nothing to do."
Darcy nearly laughed and forced his mirth down to a tight smile. Bastard he laughed in his mind. God he wished Miss Bingley wasn't lurking, because he would've died of laughing.
Miss Bennet threw her head back to laugh, but silenced it down to a chuckle. He wondered at that.
"I see what you're doing Bingley," Darcy smiled at his friends, "you don't like debates so you're trying to stop us."
"Its true, they're too much like arguments," Bingley confessed to Elizabeth with a grin. "But If you want to keep going, let me leave and you can say whatever you like of me." Bingley winked at Darcy, and for a moment Darcy felt panicked that his preference had been found out!
"I don't mind stopping," Elizabeth said, "Mr. Darcy has a letter to finish after all."
Oh, he'd forgotten about his letter. Everyone suddenly turned back to their own amusements, so he turned back to his letter.
He mentioned Miss Elizabeth breifly. But he mostly sat in his imaginary room with all his favorite companions. Elizabeth sat next to him again. She smiled that same smile she had in the conversation, with the same twinkle in her eye.