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D arcy’s initial intention was to make for Lambton with only Georgiana for company; the justification for excluding the Bingleys was his desire to introduce Georgiana to Miss Elizabeth—the Bingleys had no part in this.

As he expected Miss Bingley to raise the hue and cry about Miss Elizabeth’s presence, every moment of delay before she learned of it was a benefit.

As Darcy lay in bed that evening, however, he realized there was a weakness to that plan, and that weakness was Bingley.

While he could defend the decision to keep Miss Bingley in the dark about Miss Elizabeth’s residence in Lambton, should he keep it from Bingley, his friend would start asking questions that may cause trouble if Darcy did not clarify the matter with him.

The truth was that Darcy had no notion whether his advice to Bingley in December had been correct, and Miss Elizabeth had said nothing about Miss Bennet.

Yet for Darcy to disapprove of Miss Bennet when he was all but fixed on pursuing her younger sister was unfair to his friend.

Bingley was an adult and could choose his own path in life; it was not the act of a friend to deny him the power of choice.

Darcy had already given his opinion about Miss Bennet, and Bingley had thus far accepted it.

Now that his reacquaintance with Miss Elizabeth was a fait accompli, inevitably, Miss Bennet would return to Bingley’s thoughts, if, indeed, she had ever left them.

What happened after that was Bingley’s concern, not Darcy’s—if his friend decided that the drawbacks attendant on Miss Bennet’s situation were of no importance to him, he would make the same calculation Darcy had made.

It would be Bingley’s responsibility to learn her sentiments and to act, even if he married a woman who would accept him by her mother’s decree.

Should that happen, Darcy still did not think Bingley would be unhappy, for Miss Bennet was such a woman as to find contentment in any situation and would be a good wife to his friend.

That left the question of what Darcy should do to inform his friend about their plans for the following morning and how to mitigate the damage it might do to their friendship.

Unless Darcy was mistaken, he did not suppose that Bingley would think that far ahead—Miss Bennet’s presence would be the foremost consideration in his mind, which would push away questions of why Darcy had not informed him at once.

Darcy did not think there was any danger in angering Bingley on that score.

With that decided, Darcy sent a message to Bingley’s man to request his friend’s presence at breakfast that morning, and Bingley proved his adaptability to country living by striding into the breakfast room at precisely the correct time.

In typical Bingley fashion, he offered a hearty greeting, fixed himself a plate from the sideboard, and approached the table at once.

“I must own that I was surprised to learn of your summons, my friend. What can you mean by it?”

Bingley must have seen something in Darcy’s face, as he chuckled and spoke again before Darcy could respond.

“No, my friend, I do not suspect you of ordering me to comply. At the same time, I cannot understate my curiosity, unless you mean for a little private conversation before my sisters descend.”

“To own the truth, I intend more than that. What I did not tell you last night was that there is an acquaintance known to us both who is staying in Lambton. As I mean to go there this morning and introduce Georgiana, I wondered if you wished to accompany us.”

“An acquaintance, you say,” said Bingley, his interest raised. “This is quite mysterious, Darcy, for I wonder why you did not speak of it last night, unless you did not wish my sisters to know of it.”

“I shall not say you are incorrect, Bingley,” said Darcy, much to his friend’s surprise. “It will come to their attention—that is inevitable—but Miss Bingley in particular will not appreciate this person in our midst.”

Bingley appeared nonplused, but then a look of suspicion mixed with anticipation accompanied a dawning understanding. “Are you speaking of friends we last saw in November?”

“I am, but not the person I am certain is foremost in your thoughts. It is Miss Elizabeth Bennet; she is traveling with her aunt and uncle.”

“The aunt and uncle from London, I presume.” Bingley grimaced. “As I recall, Caroline discovered the connection and harped on it the rest of our stay in London. One of the primary arguments she used to persuade me from returning to Netherfield was the connection to a man of trade.”

Bingley shook his head, near scorn for his sister unless Darcy missed his guess. “Of course, that is no less than hypocritical, given the history of our family, but so very much like Caroline.”

That was a subject Darcy would not touch even if his life depended on it.

“Thus, you can see my reasons for not wishing to alert your sister. Georgiana means to invite Miss Elizabeth and her relations for dinner, so your sister will learn of their presence. When I introduce her to Miss Elizabeth’s acquaintance, I wish to do so free of any interference. ”

Bingley’s response was a wry grin. “Say nothing more, for I understand your meaning, Darcy. Were Caroline present, she would do anything she could to cast Miss Elizabeth in a negative light to your sister.”

Again, it was a subject that Darcy thought unwise to pursue, so he turned the subject away. “We are to depart so that we arrive in Lambton by nine o’clock. Do you wish to accompany us?”

For the first time in the conversation, Bingley regarded him with no little suspicion. “Pardon me, Darcy, but I did not think you approved of the Bennets or wished to maintain the acquaintance. For that matter, how did you even learn of her presence?”

As there was yet a little time before they must depart, Darcy explained the previous day’s surprising encounter and what ensued, including their tour of the park and his request to introduce Georgiana to Miss Elizabeth’s acquaintance. If anything, Bingley’s suspicion grew even more marked.

“That is curious, indeed, Darcy, but does nothing to answer my first point. As I recall, you argued against my returning to Hertfordshire with as much vociferous energy as my sisters, yet you greeted Miss Elizabeth and her relations, explored Pemberley with them, and then arranged to meet again today. To own the truth, I might have expected you to offer civil greetings and allow them to depart. Is there something I do not know?”

“At present, there is nothing,” replied Darcy.

“If you consider my advice in December, I confined my arguments to Miss Bennet’s feelings for you.

While I agreed with Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst about her situation, I did not dwell on that as I thought it did not signify.

Whatever else Miss Bennet is, she is the daughter of a gentleman and is not unsuitable by that standard. ”

Bingley regarded him. “I feel you are not telling me all, Darcy.”

Knowing that Bingley would not allow him to wriggle free, Darcy nodded. “There is another matter, my friend, and that is that I have found these past months that I am fascinated with Miss Elizabeth.”

Surprise did not even begin to cover Bingley’s reaction, for he gaped at Darcy then burst into laughter. “No wonder you do not wish Caroline to know! If it were not my sister, I might consider it an excellent joke, indeed!”

“Actually, it has nothing to do with your sister,” said Darcy. “I apologize, Bingley, but I have no interest in Miss Bingley as a potential wife.”

Bingley kept shaking his head and wiping the tears from his eyes. “No, I never thought you did. Caroline will be impossible, all the same.” Then Bingley sobered. “By speaking to me of this, you are withdrawing your objections to Miss Bennet?”

Darcy sighed. “You are your own man, Bingley, and may do as you wish. I have given you my opinion of Miss Bennet, and I mean to say nothing more. Should you choose to pursue her now, I shall have nothing to say, nor will I offer another opinion.”

“You could not say Miss Bennet is unsuitable when you have all but decided on her sister,” mused Bingley.

“No, I could not.”

“Then, when do we depart for Lambton? I am eager to become reacquainted with Miss Elizabeth, whom I consider a most excellent young woman.”

That did not satisfy Bingley’s interest in everything to do with Miss Elizabeth and her appearance the previous day.

When they entered the carriage for the journey to Lambton, he pressed Darcy for everything he could recall concerning Miss Elizabeth, how she appeared, what she had said, and the sort of people her aunt and uncle were.

Of primary importance to him, not that it was a surprise, was any information Darcy had about Miss Bennet.

“I apologize, Bingley,” said Darcy after some time of this, as the carriage approached Lambton, “but I have no information about Miss Bennet. Miss Elizabeth said nothing, and I did not ask.”

As Bingley was becoming nervous, he glared at Darcy as if accusing him of not discovering every detail when he had the chance. The good fellow that he was, his pique soon gave way to rationality, for he nodded, albeit clipped.

“No, I do not suppose you wished to discuss Miss Bennet when Miss Elizabeth was before you. Though I wish you had, I cannot blame you for it. When the moment presents itself, I shall ask Miss Elizabeth.”

Georgiana, who was watching all this with no little astonishment, turned to Darcy, her eyes wide with sudden comprehension. “Then I was correct—you do admire Miss Elizabeth!”

“Forgive me for interjecting,” said Bingley, “but given your brother’s reputation for disinterest in ladies, I cannot think there is any other interpretation!”

“That is quite singular, William! I had no notion when you mentioned this outing that I would meet my future sister!”