Page 12 of Mrs. Gardiner: Matchmaker (The Pemberley Collection #3)

Mrs. Gardiner watched the wedding between her least favorite niece and that man, Wickham, with some dissatisfaction. She never anticipated this Bennet girl marrying first, not by a long shot—that had always been reserved for Jane, one of her favorite nieces. Jane would have deserved to marry first, too, and she almost certainly would have, had Bingley not been persuaded against her so many months ago.

Mrs. Gardiner thought back to Derbyshire, when she revealed to Bingley what all had happened. The man had been surprised—

"Mr. Bingley, I have an impertinent question for you," she said to him as he stood in their Lambton Inn sitting room that day he came for a visit with Darcy and his sister. Bingley looked surprised but intrigued, and he and Mrs. Gardiner turned away from her husband and Miss Darcy. She cast a glance at Darcy and Lizzy over in the corner, speaking quietly to each other. Bingley had followed her gaze, his eyes landing on them.

"Did you know he is attached to her?" she asked quietly.

Bingley started. "He what?"

Mrs. Gardiner raised an eyebrow at him. He cleared his throat.

"Why, ah, no," he said politely, "I was not aware."

Mrs. Gardiner paused but then decided to say it: "You know, Mr. Darcy was wrong about Jane."

Bingley turned to stare at her, speechless. Mrs. Gardiner smiled pleasantly, as if her knowing of his intimate affairs were a perfectly normal occurrence.

"I know all about it, Mr. Bingley," she said calmly. Bingley's face reddened at the mention, but he looked at her, imploring her to say more. "He believed my eldest niece had no affection for you, but he was wrong. As he has since learned, when he proposed to Lizzy back in April and was refused because of it."

Now Bingley's eyes certainly looked to be bulging out of his skull. She glanced at the others to make sure they were not listening in. She smiled as she watched her husband readily engaging Miss Darcy. Mr. Gardiner was such an intelligent man. He had known his wife was up to something, but he knew better than to pry—he gave her a strange look the day before, when she suddenly found herself overly fatigued and walking painstakingly slow just after Darcy had arrived, but he questioned it not. He glanced over and looked at his wife just then in the Inn, seeing her and Bingley, and then merely continued to speak to Miss Darcy, occupying all her attention.

Mrs. Gardiner appreciated the man she loved—he knew how to cooperate, and not to ask prying questions.

She turned back to Bingley, who was still nearly sputtering over the revelation of Darcy's failed proposal. She leaned forward and said, "I propose you help them reunite—shall there be any more opportunities for our parties to be assembled together soon?"

Bingley finally recovered his ability to speak. "Miss Darcy is inviting you all to dine with us tonight, actually."

Mrs. Gardner nodded, satisfied. That would be perfect. She leaned in and said quietly, "Then I suggest you hand out Lizzy from the carriage tonight, ahead of Mr. Darcy—"

"Oh, but surely—"

"And you tell Lizzy that Mr. Darcy has told you all about his attachment to her."

He looked at her curiously. "But Darcy hasn't said a lick about it to me!"

Mrs. Gardiner smiled. "Look at him. Can you not see it?"

They turned their gaze toward Darcy, who quite indeed looked moonstruck with Elizabeth. Bingley looked back at her with a chuckle.

"But why should I lie to Miss Bennet?"

"We are merely helping your friend along, is all. If Lizzy knew for certain he liked her—which she will, once you suggest it to her—then she would be less nervous around him. Look—"

They watched Darcy and Lizzy again. There was a subtle nervousness between the both of them. But, there was also an eagerness there between them, too—each of them holding something back, resisting their feelings.

Bingley returned his gaze to Mrs. Gardiner with an amazed grin.

"You are a real matchmaker, aren't you?"

She smiled but didn't answer. Finally though, she tipped her head and said, "Ask Lizzy about Jane."

"Do what?"

"Ask Lizzy about whether you have a chance with my eldest niece. If anyone should know, she will."

And things went swimmingly after that. Bingley practically stole Lizzy away from Darcy before dinner, and Mrs. Gardiner had to hold back a laugh at his surly expression when he watched them from afar. But it worked—Lizzy warmed up to Darcy right away, and everything else quickly fell into place. Mrs. Gardiner watched them oogling each other over dinner, and she even heard him call her by her Christian name. A betrothal was eminent, and sure enough, before the evening was over, they were engaged.

Mrs. Gardiner would have been satisfied to see Lizzy marry Darcy, even before Jane and Bingley. But no, that reckless Lydia and the scoundrel Wickham had to ruin things. Alas, their little sham of a wedding was nearly over with, and they could all put this dastardly episode behind them. She watched as Lydia batted her eyelashes at Wickham, who looked bored and stiff. She knew Darcy had paid him off, though her husband swore her to secrecy on that score. She was not surprised he did that, though. The young man went to great lengths to retrieve Lydia, to make sure this marriage took place without a hitch.

Mr. Bennet had given Darcy his consent, and even now, Bingley was in Hertfordshire, hopefully wooing Jane and winning her heart once more.

Mrs. Gardiner smiled.

Soon, everyone would be settled, and she would be a very satisfied matchmaker.