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“Miss Elizabeth? Oh…but…so she said you were wrong? I mean, did she mention Miss Bennet’s feelings for me? What did she say?” Bingley enquired, his anxious look becoming one of trepidation.

“She did not say anything specific about Miss Bennet, but she said so many things to me that I am ashamed to repeat. She blamed me for separating you from her sister, and she accused me of being selfish, arrogant and disdainful. I assume that is enough evidence that I was wrong.”

“This is quite extraordinary,” Bingley said, rubbing his hands restlessly. “So…is Miss Elizabeth still in Kent?”

“No, actually, she is in London now.”

“In London?”

“Yes… Bingley, there is something else you should know. Miss Jane Bennet is in London too. She has been here since January.”

At this, Bingley stilled, his eyes wide, staring at Darcy.

“She is in London? How do you know that? Did Miss Elizabeth tell you?”

“Yes…but in fact…”

“Yes?”

“Your sisters told me first.”

“My sisters? Did they know Miss Bennet was in town? Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“How could they tell you but not me? How is that possible?”

“That, you should ask them. I take the blame for not informing you immediately. It was disrespectful to you and based on a ridiculous assumption that it would be better for you if you did not know. You have every reason to be angry with me. I did not act as a friend or as a gentleman.”

Bingley seemed to be struggling to breathe, and he quickly poured some wine into his glass.

“I cannot believe it! I need time to think about all this. This is so upsetting… So, where is Miss Bennet now? Do you know?”

“Yes. She is in Gracechurch Street, with her uncle and aunt.”

“I shall call on her immediately. Not now — it is already dark. Tomorrow morning. Do you happen to know the direction? It does not matter. I shall find it. I think her uncle’s name is Gardiner. I shall find him.”

“Bingley, I know you are angry, but I beg you to try to calm down a moment. I have already visited Mr Gardiner, and I might escort you there if you like. My cousin wishes to call on Miss Elizabeth too. We may all go tomorrow, if you do not mind. It might be easier—”

“I just want to call on Miss Bennet and apologise. She might believe I knew of her presence but did not even visit her once. I must explain.”

“You will — tomorrow morning. May we join you? We could leave at eleven if you agree.”

“Yes…it does not matter. You may do as you please. I shall go nevertheless.”

“So, tomorrow at eleven. Shall we all meet here?”

“I shall be here. But now I must leave. I need to be alone and to think. I cannot stay any longer,” he said, agitated, standing up from the table.

He bowed his head briefly and strode quickly from the room, his expression dark. Darcy did not attempt to stop him; Bingley would certainly not accept any suggestion from him, and rightfully so.

Once alone, Darcy ate little, but he poured himself two more drinks. He sent a note to his cousin the colonel, informing him about the visit to the Gardiners’ the next day and inviting him to attend, though the call would surely be awkward for some of them.

The entire situation was distressing for both Bingley and Georgiana, and he was to blame in both cases.

He had been too indulgent with Wickham and too severe with Miss Jane Bennet and her entire family.

In other words, Elizabeth Bennet had saved his sister from a scandal, while he had carelessly ruined her sister’s happiness. He truly had nothing to be proud of.

Bingley’s anguish proved his feelings were still strong.

If Miss Bennet’s were similar, she must have suffered deeply, assuming her suitor’s attentions had been nothing but shallow infatuation.

And for all that distress, Darcy felt responsible.

He was nothing but a spoilt, arrogant rich man.

He had been taught good principles, but he had applied them selfishly and hurt people, even if unwittingly.

That night, he barely slept at all. At some point, he even considered going to Bingley’s house and attempting to talk to him and apologising again, but it would have been a foolish endeavour.

In the end, he realised there was nothing he could do but wait for morning and take Bingley to see Miss Jane Bennet.

***

Darcy had barely finished breakfast when Bingley arrived. He looked pale and tired, and he said little.

“Bingley, I apologise again.”

“Strangely, as upset as I am, I can understand your reasons, Darcy. I believe you would do better to apologise to Miss Bennet if your intervention truly hurt her.”

“I shall. I already considered doing so, but I was uncertain of your plans. That is why I did not mention to her the possibility of you calling.”

“You believed my admiration might have faded by now? Surprisingly, I am not as shallow as you think,” Bingley said, then stopped as Colonel Fitzwilliam entered.

Greetings were exchanged between the men, and then a little after eleven o’clock, they called for the carriage.

“I have not seen you in a while, Bingley. How are you?” the colonel asked once they were situated in the conveyance. “I understood you were out of town.”

“I am well, thank you. I would have been much better if my own sisters had not betrayed me and tried to impose their will over mine by deception,” Bingley said sharply. “And the person whom I considered my best friend, the man I admired the most, seems to have plotted with them.”

“Ah… Perhaps I should not have asked,” the colonel replied.

“I apologise, Colonel, for my bitter and rude answer.”

“Do not worry,” the colonel responded. “You seem quite distressed.”

“I should be the one to apologise. And I have already done so several times,” Darcy interjected.

“May I ask what Darcy has done?” the colonel asked, and it was Darcy himself who replied.

“I interfered in Bingley’s relationship with Miss Jane Bennet. I made a presumptuous estimation about Miss Bennet’s feelings, and I convinced Bingley it would be in his best interest to leave Hertfordshire. And I did not inform him that Miss Bennet had been in town for several months.”

Darcy gave a summary of the story, even though his cousin was already aware of it.

“What upsets me the most,” Bingley said to the colonel, “is that Miss Bennet might have been hurt by their actions. Of course, my sisters were the main culprits! But from Darcy, I expected nothing but honesty. I would not have let my sisters convince me, but I trusted in Darcy’s advice.”

“You might not believe me, but I did consider your well-being. My reasons were honest, but my judgment was completely wrong.”

“So you trusted Darcy’s estimation of a woman’s feelings over your own feelings and judgment?” the colonel repeated.

“I know I am not innocent in this,” Bingley admitted. “I was weak and gullish, and I have every reason to be ashamed of myself.”

“You certainly should bear the greatest share of the blame,” the colonel said harshly “But the thing that surprises me the most is why you would take Darcy’s advice in a matter where he has no experience. It is like Darcy asking for advice from you about estate management.”

Bingley looked at the colonel, his brow furrowed. “You are right, of course,” he finally said.

“The last thing you need is more advice, but if I were you, I would put the past aside, with all its errors, and concentrate your attentions on what happens today. You have the chance to make amends.”

“I needed that piece of advice, Colonel. Thank you,” Bingley replied.

Half an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of the Gardiners’ house. Darcy stepped out first, then the other two. Out of the corner of his eye, Darcy spotted someone at the window, and he recognised the two Bennet sisters. A moment later, both disappeared from sight.

When they knocked, Mr Gardiner himself opened the door, and the first introductions were performed. Then the host invited them in, and in the drawing-room, they met the ladies.

Darcy looked at Elizabeth; she seemed surprised and nervous but smiled at the colonel, who hurried to her.

Jane Bennet was pale and silent, standing still, her hands entwined in front of her.

Bingley looked no better. Of all those assembled, only the colonel and the Gardiners seemed in good dispositions, and they immediately initiated a conversation.

The colonel sat near Elizabeth, with Darcy and Bingley on the other side of the room.

Jane Bennet sat between Mr and Mrs Gardiner.

“How kind of you gentlemen to visit us,” Mr Gardiner said. “We are absolutely delighted.”

“Darcy told us about Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth’s presence in town, and Bingley and I could not wait to come and greet them,” the colonel explained joyfully.

“I just returned to London last night,” Bingley added, his voice hesitant. “I was shocked when Darcy told me Miss Bennet had been in town for several months. I was completely unaware of her presence here. If I had known, I would certainly have called a long time ago.”

“Jane and my aunt visited your sisters, so we assumed they would have informed you,” Elizabeth said, and Bingley paled even further.

“They did not. I am very sorry… There was a sort of …misunderstanding…”

“I am sure there was,” Mrs Gardiner offered graciously. “We are all happy to finally have you here, Mr Bingley. And the colonel and Mr Darcy, of course.”

Fortunately, Mrs Gardiner and her husband possessed excellent conversational skills, and with Colonel Fitzwilliam’s help, the atmosphere soon became more relaxed.

Elizabeth spoke to the colonel, and Darcy watched their easy, animated chatter.

His cousin had been charmed by Elizabeth from the very beginning, and the feeling seemed to be mutual.

Bingley hardly spoke a few words; he only glanced often at Jane Bennet, who seemed unwilling to meet his eyes.

“It was such a pleasure to meet Miss Elizabeth in Kent,” the colonel said. “Darcy and I visit our aunt Lady Catherine twice a year, but our visits are rarely — if ever — as pleasant as the last one was.”

“You flatter me, Colonel,” Elizabeth said, laughing. “I know it is not entirely true, but I am glad to know I was pleasant company.”

“It is entirely true,” Darcy heard himself saying before he minded his words.

Elizabeth cast a quick look at him, and his eyes met hers briefly.

“You cannot have any doubts if Darcy seconds my pronouncement,” the colonel said in jest. “We all know he is not accustomed to flattery.”

“Indeed. Mr Darcy is always honest, even when he is wrong,” Elizabeth said, and a little smile appeared on her lips.

“I cannot argue with you, Miss Elizabeth, though I am not sure whether you are intending a compliment or a reproach,” Darcy said. The mere fact that she had smiled at him and teased him was enough to delight him.

“It was certainly not a reproach, Mr Darcy,” Elizabeth replied, the little smile still on her lips.

The visit lasted almost two hours — and Darcy hardly noticed the time passing.

Minute by minute, Bingley seemed to regain his spirits and Jane Bennet the colour in her cheeks and her serene countenance.

A slight feeling of jealousy grew inside Darcy as he watched his cousin talking to Elizabeth with so much ease.

At times, her glances turned to him, and their eyes met, but they did not exchange more than a few words.

When they were ready to leave, Darcy was surprised by Elizabeth approaching him and asking in a low voice, “Mr Darcy, is Miss Darcy well? Was everything settled?”

“Almost…to both your questions, Miss Elizabeth. I am not quite sure how to best settle things. As you know better than anyone else, there are many details to be considered.”

“I imagined as much. I wrote to my father and warned him about Mr Wickham. He is no danger to my family, for we have nothing of interest to him. But I do not want my parents or sisters to consider him a friend any longer.”

“Very wise of you, Miss Elizabeth. Hopefully, Wickham will not be around your family for too long.”

“Miss Elizabeth, it was a pleasure to see you, as always. I hope we can meet again before you leave London.”

“We would like that very much, Colonel. We shall leave by the end of next week,” Elizabeth said.

Darcy needed a moment; he breathed deeply and suddenly said, surprising even himself, “Mrs Gardiner, Mr Gardiner, would you consider having dinner at my house, together with Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth, of course, before their departure?” As he spoke, he stole a glance at Elizabeth and noticed her flushed cheeks.

“We would certainly be delighted and honoured, Mr Darcy!” Mr Gardiner replied.

“Most certainly,” Mrs Gardiner agreed enthusiastically.

“Excellent,” he uttered. “Of course, Bingley and the colonel will be there too, as well as my sister.”

“It will be a great pleasure to make Miss Darcy’s acquaintance.” Elizabeth finally voiced the acceptance that Darcy so longed to hear.

“Perhaps in three days’ time, if that is agreeable to you all?” Darcy suggested.

“Very agreeable. We have no other fixed engagements,” Mr Gardiner said.

With that, the three men left the house. At the door, Darcy cast another glance towards Elizabeth and noticed the smile not only on her lips but in her eyes.