Page 34 of Knowing Mr. Darcy

“My sister,” said Darcy, suddenly.

Bingley raised his eyebrows.

“You can’t tell anyone, but I trust you,” said Mr. Darcy. “Wickham tried to elope with her for her dowry. He nearly managed it.”

“Lord!” Bingley gasped. “Your sister is but sixteen.”

“Yes, and she was younger still when he did it,” said Darcy. “I don’t think he touched her. I hope he didn’t. She says he didn’t. He says… well, he would say anything.”

“Lord.”

Darcy shut his eyes tightly against it.

“Fitzwilliam, this man could ruin Georgiana,” said Bingley.

“I well know that,” said Darcy. “I only hope that—”

“I would marry her, if it came to that, and you know it.”

Darcy opened his eyes, stunned.

“Not that you would wish to marry your sister to me—”

“Thank you,” said Darcy softly.

Bingley’s mouth tugged up in a smile. “That’s what friends are for.”

“Indeed, yes,” said Darcy. “And we are fast friends, Charles.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

WHEN MARY DENIEDMr. Collins’s proposal, it was Elizabeth who their mother was angry with.

Elizabeth supposed that she should have recognized that would happen.

Mary spent all morning telling her mother her mad scheme about becoming a novelist, and her mother still gave Elizabeth the tongue-lashing.

That was Wednesday.

On Wednesday evening, news came that Mr. Collins was engaged to Charlotte Lucas, which horrified Elizabeth, but then she thought of that conversation they’d once had about Mr. Thane, and Elizabeth realized that Charlotte was desperate, and this was, well, better than Mr. Thane.

She’d had time to prepare herself that Mr. Collins would not marry a Bennet sister, and she thought that Charlotte was likely a very good outcome. Charlotte would be charitable to the Bennet family if and when she took over Longbourn.

Of course, Mrs. Bennet, who spoke ill of the Lucases behind their back, was in a tizzy over it, because it rankled her. She had seen herself as above them and now the ever-so-plain Charlotte, heretofore a spinster, would lord over her in her twilight years.

Mrs. Bennet was beside herself.

Elizabeth thought that it all could have been much worse.

Then Thursday dawned.

There was nothing in the sunrise to give a hint to what calamity would fall, but then later, a letter arrived from Caroline Bingley.

It was short. It indicated that the family had been summoned back to London, where they intended to spend the entire winter. It specifically said that Mr. Bingley had made the decision. It said that Miss Bingley was pleased to be going back to London to see old friends but that she was deeply sorry to be leaving “you, Miss Eliza, for whom I have developed a deep and abiding affection. Would that you could contrive to be in London as well, but I despair of that eventuality.”

Elizabeth read the letter seven times.

She was shaking.