Chapter 35

June 12, 1813

Bingley was sitting with Jane on a bench overlooking the lake. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was peeking over the trees, casting her soft glow on the landscape below, but the strength of her fiery rays was held in check by the lily-white clouds that danced around her. The birds were frolicking among the bushes singing as they gathered their morning's meal, and the smell of jasmine hung in the air. Jane had remained nearly silent all morning, and Bingley was growing concerned.

“Jane darling, are you still worried about your sister?” He did not wait for her response. His anxiety too immense, so he immediately continued in an effort to reassure her. “The doctor will be visiting today. It has been four weeks now, and there is no reason she will not be released from her bed rest.”

Without saying a word, Jane reached into her pocket and retrieved a piece of paper and handed it to Bingley. He took it and saw it was a missive from Jane's mother. He scanned its contents discovering that in the letter Mrs. Bennet had demanded repeatedly to know if Elizabeth had received any proposals recently. After finishing, he looked into Jane's eyes and words immediately flowed forth.

“Oh Charles, I have been holding Mama back by telling her that Lizzy has remained confined to bed since the day of our arrival. I know it is a little white lie, but if you only understood how ruthless she will be once she discovers Elizabeth has rejected an offer as lucrative as Mr. Darcy's, you would understand the need for my deception. Now, however, Lizzy will again be mobile, and Mama cannot be put off for long. Either I will need to confess that an offer has been made and rejected or she shall travel to Pemberley herself and demand Mr. Darcy follow through with the promise he had made to Father to ask for Lizzy's hand.” Jane wrung her hands, and her face contorted with angst. “Of course, there is no choice. I must confess. There is no benefit to maintaining a lie when the outcome for all others will be the same regardless of whether or not I confess. But I cannot bear the wrath I will bring upon my sister by telling the truth. And Lizzy still has no idea that Mama has the slightest notion that Mr. Darcy held her in such high esteem. Not only shall she suffer from Mama's anger, any good will Mr. Darcy has gained in the past three weeks will be destroyed once she learns of his foolish action.”

As Jane finished speaking, her hands balled into fists, and she raised them to her face in an effort to stifle her cries. Bingley immediately reached into his inner breast pocket and produced a handkerchief. When he handed it to Jane she took it in her right hand and artfully dabbed at her eyes. Her left hand fell to her lap and was quickly encased by Bingley's hands. “Dearest, we have not yet announced our betrothal, and perhaps our happy news will calm your mother's ire and buy Darcy more time to make inroads into your sister's heart.”

Jane let out a second wave of sobs. “Charles, I am so very sorry! I know that I shouldn't have, but I sent word to Mama weeks ago. It was the only way to keep her at bay. She was threatening to come here and force Lizzy to get out of bed, despite the doctor's advice, to ensure Mr. Darcy did not change his mind. I told her that Mr. Darcy was waiting to allow us to have our moment in the limelight and that he could not possibly make his intentions known for another three weeks regardless of Lizzy's state. Can you possibly forgive me?”

Bingley pulled her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. “There is nothing to forgive, my Angel. I have been so excited myself, I would have told our happy news to every person I know if I had the knack for correspondence you possess, Darling. Although I now know I must plan my visit to your father posthaste. I have been reluctant to leave your side, but I cannot have him believe I would wait so long to gain his permission. If it were not for the mess Darcy has created by speaking to your father first, I very much wish I had the foresight to employ his approach.”

Jane gave him a weak smile. At least a portion of her burden had been lifted by her confession of confiding in her mother of her own situation. But her chief concern had been for Lizzy, and in this regard, she had no satisfactory solution. Bingley refocused his efforts on finding a solution to Jane's dilemma.

“Jane, if your mother believes that Mr. Darcy has yet to propose, would she mention his intentions to your sister?”

“Oh, no. Papa swore her to secrecy and she would not wish to ruin the moment for Lizzy. I found out she knew only by a slip of the tongue. She said something that did not make sense before we left, and I dismissed it. But once we arrived and Lizzy confessed what had transpired, I figured out that Mama had known before we had ever left Hertfordshire. I made her confess, and I am sorry I ever did. I wouldn't be in this mess if I had simply pretended she was ignorant.”

“Does your Miss Elizabeth write to your family as you do?” Bingley asked.

Jane was somewhat confused by the sudden change in conversation. Maybe he was hoping to distract her from her problem. “Well, if we travel together, usually only one of us writes home. I enjoy letter writing a little more than she does so often I correspond for both of us. I suppose, when she is visiting friends or family on her own, she is as diligent in keeping our family informed on her adventures as I have been.”

“In that case I may have a way to avoid this unpleasantness.”

Jane looked up hopefully. Her expression clearly demonstrated her desire to hear the proposition.

“If I might tell Mr. Darcy of your mother's interest in this matter, he could claim to be called away on an urgent family matter. This sudden, unscheduled departure would explain his delay in proposing. Then, after a time, I could have my sister invite both you and Miss Elizabeth to our home in London. Or, if you prefer, you could elicit an invitation to your aunt and uncle's home. During your stay in London, I am certain we could arrange for time in which Darcy might woo your sister. If he can win her heart thus, and make a second more genteel offer when the time is right, your mother would believe it was pure serendipity that the trip to London finally gave Darcy the opportunity to propose. If he fails in his attempts to woo her… well, at least your mother would not find out Darcy was in London until you return home. I think this plan is worth a try. It would at least give Darcy more time to put his best foot forward before Elizabeth learns of his blunder. Further, if you stay in London for several months and your mother does not learn until you return that you encountered Darcy during your stay, your mother may forget Darcy ever had any intention of proposing.”

Jane considered the plan and, loath as she was to engage in subterfuge, she had to admit that this could result in the best outcome for all parties. Bingley watched as her eyes darted about indicating she was considering his suggestion. Finally, she spoke. “You are wrong about one thing. My mother will never forget Mr. Darcy's intentions. But she might believe that our encounter with him occurred after such a long period that his affections had changed. At least then she could not be angry with Lizzy for refusing since she would assume a proposal never occurred.”

Bingley smiled. “Does that mean I might share your confidence with Darcy, Jane?” She looked at Bingley and for the first time all morning a real smile fell on her face. She nodded with enthusiasm, and they hurried back to the house to put their plan into action. Bingley found Mr. Darcy in his study reviewing and correcting his ledgers. He was sitting in his leather chair at his enormous and imposing mahogany desk. After being invited to take a seat, Bingley expounded on his plan.

“Bingley, the last piece of advice you gave me on this matter was to hold Elizabeth hostage until she agreed to marry me. Now you are asking that I lie to her family, sneak off, lie in wait while you set a trap for her, and then pounce on her during what she had assumed would be a pleasant visit with her friends or family?”Darcy took his quill back in hand and shook his head.

Bingley laughed. “I don't know what is funnier: you believing Elizabeth would consider a visit with my sister to be a visit with a friend or imagining she would think it might be pleasant. Further, I feel I must clarify something. I never suggested holding her hostage.” Bingley leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. The change in posture suggested to Darcy that this could prove the be a longer conversation than he had bargained for. “I merely suggested you use the circumstances of her situation to your advantage. I must say, you do seem to take great pleasure in describing my efforts to help you in such a way that they make me sound rather sinister. If you think my idea so abhorrent maybe you can, as you put it, 'sneak off' after asking Miss Elizabeth if you could write to her. She does not seem one to stand by convention.”

Darcy looked mortified. “I would never make such a request to a lady! Nor would Elizabeth ever agree to such impropriety. Besides, I hardly see how you could think trying to convince her of my integrity long distance would be any better than your last suggestion.”

“Did I say trying to convince her of your integrity? No. I would instead suggest you try charm.”

Darcy returned the quill to its ink pot with a bit too much force. Ink dribbled out of the pot onto the thick blotter beneath. “Ah, yes. Charm. That quality you have so enjoyed pointing out eludes me.”

Bingley uncrossed his legs and leaned forward so he might look directly into Darcy’s eyes. “Therein lies the beauty of letters. If charm does not come naturally, you can achieve it through revisions.”

“I daresay, Bingley, it is a wonder you have managed to get Miss Bennet to agree to put up with you. Your harebrained ideas suggest you have questionable ethics at best.”

“It is for Jane I make such suggestions!” exclaimed Bingley, squaring his shoulders. “I offer unorthodox solutions only because you have managed—through your own stupidity, might I add—to get yourself into such desperate situations. We all want what is best for Elizabeth, and we believe that is you. She simply needs more time to see it, and we are trying to help you find that time. I offer you two alternatives toward this end, and all you do is scoff. Do you have a better plan?”

“Well, I was the idiot who put the cart before the horse, and my plan is that I suffer the consequences. Only a coward hides behind a web of deceit.” Darcy tapped his fingers against his desk absentmindedly. “I have been blessed these past three weeks to at least gain Elizabeth's respect. While I know that once she discovers my stupid blunder she shall hate me, I would rather her hate me for acting rashly under a time of emotional stress than hate me for failing to take responsibility for my errors and lying to avoid my punishment.”

“Then what are you intending to do?”

“I intend to tell the truth, Bingley. I know that concept may seem foreign to you, but it is the correct thing to do.”

“I am beginning to resent your commentary on my character, but as you are under duress, I shall set aside my annoyance. And, Mr. Righteousness, do remember that by simply telling Miss Bennet the truth, she will still needlessly suffer her mother's wrath.”

“You are right.” He furrowed his brow in contemplation. “She should not need to suffer, and I have witnessed enough to suspect her punishment for refusal will be severe. I will tell Mrs. Bennet that I have changed my mind; that spending time with her daughter demonstrated to me that we are not right for each other. I shall tell her that it is my duty to my family to marry Anne. Then, as I will be taking the blame, Elizabeth will not need to suffer her mother's reprimand.”

Bingley stared at Darcy in shock. “If you do that, you will not be allowed within a hundred feet of Longbourn. You will no longer have any chance of eventually marrying Elizabeth, and it is quite possible that her mother will ensure she is entirely cut out of your life. Believe me. I once had a conversation with Mrs. Bennet after Mrs. Collins's wedding that left little doubt that the woman does not tolerate men she believes are toying with her daughters.”

“Well, perhaps that is the punishment I deserve. Besides I am rather certain that I have no chance of marrying her anyway.”

“I will hand it to you, Darcy. You are certainly brave.” Bingley shook his head, a look of awe on his face. “How do you intend to go about your plan? Will you ride down to Hertfordshire and accept your stoning, then and there, or will you be sending a message through some other means and patiently wait for Lyssa to hunt you down and unleash her wrath right here at Pemberley?”

“I believe I shall send a letter explaining myself. I will spend the period it will take for my message to be delivered and answered cherishing my time with Elizabeth if she will allow it. I must make the most of the next five days or so. The memories I create will need to last me a lifetime.”

Bingley walked to the sideboard and poured two tumblers of bourbon. He handed one to Darcy and sighed as he looked into his own glass. “It is a pity. It seems that you have made great strides improving her opinion of you during her time here, and I had harbored fantasies of being brothers one day. But I cannot fault your conviction to live honestly.”

Darcy smiled sadly. He accepted the glass offered to him and took a sip. He was saddened but knew he was doing the right thing. Alienating himself from the Bennets would act to protect Elizabeth from the wrath she would face for following her heart. He could not fault her for her choice and wished only for her happiness. His desire to marry for love had always been a folly. He knew that such privileges were reserved for those not born to the first circles and felt grateful he had been afforded the opportunity to pretend, however briefly, that his life could be different. “I may not become your brother, my friend, but I have no doubt that your future sister will find a very worthy man to fulfill the role, and I shall always see you as a brother in my heart.”