Page 9

Elizabeth stared at Mr Darcy, but truly had no idea what to say, now that the polite greetings were complete. Mary and Jane were no better, having come no closer to any idea of how they should react to the morning’s events.

Elizabeth finally blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I am all astonishment that you can be so courageous, Mr Darcy. That was an extraordinary apology.”

“It was barely what was due,” Darcy replied gravely. “We both know it was only partial recompense. I owe you a much more specific confession, but I judged doing so publicly would hinder my cause more than help.”

“Were you concerned with my comfort or yours?” she asked, though she had no idea where she was going with the question, since it was all quite confusing and disconcerting.

“Yours I would hope; but I cannot judge my own motives. That said, everyone is still present. If you feel a more public expression appropriate, I can be readily heard from the top of the steps.”

Elizabeth replied almost in panic. “ No, no! That is hardly necessary! I am entirely satisfied. Your willingness to humiliate yourself must disarm reproof.”

Darcy frowned, while Mary squeaked out, “I do not believe that is quite right, Lizzy.”

Darcy spoke gravely. “I believe Miss Mary has the right of it. I humiliated myself the first night at the assembly, and on several subsequent occasions. Today is simply an attempt to see justice done. The worst I suffered is overdue mortification, which is hardly even proportional to the offense.”

“I apologise,” Elizabeth said with a sigh. “I suppose my words sounded like a backhanded compliment at best. I meant them as something akin to praise, or at least approval, of your courage.”

“I should earn no praise for finally acting in some vague approximation of a gentlemanlike manner.”

“Fear not. You have acquitted yourself admirably, and we need never discuss the assembly again. You have entirely escaped my brown books,” Elizabeth said with a shy smile.

Jane and Mary quickly agreed. They both felt the man had not especially offended them in the first place, save on their sister’s behalf.

Darcy bowed, “I thank you. It is a great relief.”

Elizabeth laughed, though it came out sounding nervous. “I can safely assert that it was a very good apology! In fact, it is sufficient to add it to my list of very-good-apologies from your sex.”

“May I ask how many very-good-apologies you have collected?”

“Including yours?”

“By all means.”

“ One! ” Elizabeth said with a laugh, echoed by Darcy and her sisters. It was nervous but a substantial improvement over the murderous intent they started the day with a few hours earlier.

Darcy chuckled gamely. “Miss Bennet, I owe you an apology as well.”

Jane laughed. “For what? I suppose you could apologise for neglecting to take a cricket bat to the drawing room at Netherfield! Your worst offence against me was sitting silently while the Bingley sisters disparaged Lizzy. After that, I can hardly fault you for saying something both true and obvious.”

“Silence implies consent, or at least acquiescence. I was in the wrong. What I said after was hardly polite, whether true or not.”

“Perhaps, but by that standard I should apologise for the things our mother and sisters say every day. And yet, like you, we have learnt to ignore that which we cannot change. The Bingley sisters’ manners, while atrocious, are their own responsibility, while the comfort of guests is the responsibility of the master of the house.

A guest owes nothing save politeness to his hosts. ”

Darcy stared at her disconcertingly a moment before recollecting himself enough to answer. “I will not dig my hole any deeper by arguing. I do not feel I treated you fairly and am unlikely to be moved from my regret. I offer my abject apology, preferring to err on the safe side.”

Jane shrugged nonchalantly. “As Lizzy says, you are forgiven.”

He glanced to Mary, but she pre-empted him. “You correctly identified me by name, much to my surprise. You owe me nothing.”

Darcy sighed but could not dispute the fact that he had never been introduced to Miss Mary, and he would not have been able to name her without Sir William’s subtle reminder. According to propriety he should not even be speaking to her.

Jane added, “If all accounts are to be paid, I believe we should apologise as well.”

“What on earth for?” he asked, in clear and obvious puzzlement.

Elizabeth took up the yoke with a quiet sigh.

“I overheard you at the assembly… every word. Instead of speaking to you or quietly asking my father to do so, I decided to savage your reputation by disparaging you to my friends. My mother got wind of it, so everyone within twenty miles knows the story. Since then, practically every word for the last month was intended to draw blood. It was badly done.”

Darcy laughed awkwardly. “It is no less than I deserve. Nevertheless, before you forget the matter entirely, allow me to say that the words were quite churlish. I apologise and admit my wrongdoing without reservation. They were unkind, untrue, and ungentlemanly.”

Elizabeth scrunched her face. “I will agree with the first and third, but I am unconvinced they were particularly untrue.”

“Of course they were! Bingley had the right of it. Did you hear that part?”

Elizabeth looked slightly confused, so Darcy, in an uncharacteristic bit of silliness, raised his voice and smiled like a fool to emulate his friend.

“I would not be so fastidious as you are for a kingdom! Upon my honour, I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening; and there are several of them you see uncommonly pretty.”

Elizabeth stared at the ground in embarrassment. She did remember it but had focused exclusively on the much less appealing response and mostly forgotten the other gentleman’s words entirely.

“Mr Bingley is quite the flatterer,” Jane said with a frown that Darcy thought presaged a difficult (or impossible) road for Bingley.

“My purpose is neither to praise nor disparage Bingley. I simply noted that he had the more accurate assessment of the local society. I cannot speak to every woman in the room, but all the Bennet sisters are quite handsome.”

“And you were doing so well,” Mary sighed with an uncharacteristic (and surprising) bit of censure in her tone.

Darcy was confused, as were her elder sisters. Jane gently asked if she would care to explain.

Mary looked surprised at herself but gamely continued.

“Even with her opinion at its nadir, Elizabeth admired your honesty. Nobody likes to be called unhandsome, but it is an improvement over being lied to, since many men will say anything to get what they want. Flattery does not help your case, sir. It discounts your best feature.”

“At the risk of more censure, I must dispute with you, Miss Mary. Regardless of what your mother might say, all the Bennet ladies are handsome.”

“Now you have shown yourself blind as well as a flatterer,” Mary said emphatically.

Darcy thought carefully about his next words, wondering how in the world he had dug himself yet another hole to climb out of.

“I will not argue, Miss Mary… if you will agree to an experiment with a neutral party to resolve our dispute.”

“Such as?” Mary asked suspiciously.

“My cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, will escort my sister here later in the week. I hope to introduce Georgiana to your family if you have no objections.”

“How could we possibly object?” Jane asked.

He chuckled. “I am experimenting with an entirely new way of presenting myself in society. I will try being polite and see how it works out.”

Elizabeth and Mary laughed gaily but kept the volume down, as they were afraid of attracting gossips, and they both knew that eavesdroppers never hear anything good of themselves.

“My cousin knows nothing of your family, save what I have written. That means all he knows is that the two eldest Bennet sisters are quite handsome, with the eldest having blond hair. Do any of you wish to dispute that? ”

All the sisters shook their head but wondered what the man was working at. It certainly contradicted what he said at the assembly, so perhaps his opinion had shifted over time.

Darcy looked at Mary. “This will sound like shameless boasting, Miss Mary, but I shall prove myself correct. All I ask is that you appear with your sisters to be introduced—but in Miss Elizabeth’s gown, with your hair fixed like hers, without your spectacles since you obviously do not need them in company.

Since my cousin knows nothing save the second-eldest sister is handsome, we will challenge him to identify which sister is the handsome one who is not blond. ”

They stared, but finally Elizabeth laughed slightly too loudly. “He has boxed you in neatly, Mary. You must choose between being handsome or being right.”

Jane laughed, but then she saw Mary getting nervous.

“Do not distress yourself. You need not go along with Mr Darcy’s experiment, but I would like to try it if you can be brave enough.

I think you might be surprised when you stop listening to our mother’s nonsense and going out of your way to appear plain. ”

Everyone tried not to stare at Mary, even though she had their undivided attention.

Much to the rest of the company’s surprise, Mary eventually laughed gaily. “This is astonishing, Mr Darcy. I believe you jumped out of that grave you dug yourself in a single bound. Impressive! ”

Darcy chuckled, then let it expand into a laugh that the sisters had to admit made him seem quite handsome.

“I agree… Lizzy?” Jane sighed.

“Quite!” Elizabeth said emphatically, with surprisingly cordial feelings for the gentleman.

Elizabeth reflected that it could not have been easy to do what he did that day. She would certainly never have enough bravery to do any such thing.