| The Other Bingley |
| I feel really sorry for poor Bingley, having only Caroline and Louisa as relatives, so I thought, "Hey, I'm going to add a character, and she's going to be cool and make things right because she's intelligent and kind!" Here's what I think would happen if there were another decent Bingley around... Elinor Westling, n�e Bingley, was 28 years old, tall (thought not quite so tall as her sister Caroline), with blonde curls and kind blue eyes like her brother. Indeed, she was much like her brother in many ways, and fortunately not the least bit like her sisters. Being the eldest and most experienced, she was not quite as na�ve as Charles, and not as inclined to think well of people, particularly her sisters. Her husband, Mr. Westling, owned a handsome estate, Tarleton Park, (comparable to Netherfield in size) in the county of Cheshire, and had nearly seven thousand a year. She had met him in Bath the same year Louisa had met Mr. Hurst, but fortunately for her, Robert Westling was a man of great intelligence and understanding as well as wealth, and their marriage had been nothing less than a love match. They had two young sons, Robert Jr. and William, and had been recently blessed with another young one just before Christmas. The Westlings had been invited to Netherfield when Charles had let it, but she was too far along in her confinement to be able to join him. She had hoped to visit him there after the birth of her third child, but was disappointed when Caroline had written to say they were back in London to stay. She was even more affected by the other contents of Caroline's letter, mainly as pertained to the "savage" society of Hertfordshire and how they had recently "saved" Charles from the inconvenience of a most imprudent marriage. It seemed that more duplicity was involved in this "salvation" than Elinor felt comfortable condoning, and in her reply was not shy about saying that she wished to know more of the particulars before passing judgment on her siblings. Little Thomas Westling was born on December 7th, and was as healthy and happy a baby as could be hoped. By the middle of January he was quite strong enough to allow the family to travel to London for a visit to his aunts and uncle. The Westling townhouse was opened, and the family arrived in town a month and a half after Thomas' birth. Charles was the first to call on his favorite sister, accompanied by his friend Mr. Darcy. "Elinor!" he cried happily. "It is so good to see you! I have missed you very much, and am very anxious to see my nephew!" They embraced warmly, for Elinor was as fond of her brother as he was of her. "I am happy to see you as well Charles. I was hoping to visit you in the country, but was quite surprised when Caroline wrote to say you had quit it." A cloud passed over her brother's usually cheerful face, and from the lines that creased his forehead, she saw this was not the only time his countenance had turned such. "Oh yes, well, it was for the best really, London is really the place for me you know, the society and whatnot." He did not trust himself to say more, as he could feel the lump growing in his throat. Darcy looked uncomfortable at this as well, but decided to come to his friend's rescue by changing the subject. "Mrs. Westling, you look remarkably well. I must congratulate you on the birth of your son." She smiled; Darcy had always been her favorite of her brother's friends. She in turn was his favorite of Bingley's sisters, being the only one with sense, wit, AND kindness. He had been somewhat disappointed when she had married, for he had occasionally entertained the notion that she would make him a proper wife, even if he did not feel the passion for her that he ought to have felt; the passion he felt for Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Where did that thought come from you fool? Elizabeth Bennet is far from worthy of you, no matter how fine her eyes are! He sighed inwardly, for he had been no less able to forget Elizabeth as Charles had been able to forget Jane, and he was well aware of it. He hoped that the distraction of the lively Westling family would help both of them get the past out of their heads. "Thank you Mr. Darcy," she replied. "It is a pleasure to meet you again. I know Mr. Westling will be happy to see you also, for he had some estate business on which he wants your advice." Pleasant conversation ensued, but although Bingley was very happy to see his sister, his outer cheerfulness could not hide the sorrow he still felt inside. Elinor was worried, but decided to wait to confront him until she had the chance to observe him more. The opportunity presented itself soon enough, for he invited the family to dine at his house the following day. Leaving the little ones with the nanny, Elinor and Robert arrived punctually at 11 at her former home. Bingley immediately claimed Mr. Westling's attentions for his advice on a matter of business, and the two ran off to the library, leaving Darcy and Caroline to entertain Mrs. Westling. "My dear Elinor, I was dearly hoping that you would have brought little Thomas along with you! I long to see my dear nephew," oozed Caroline failing to sound as sincere as she wished. Darcy rolled his eyes, for not 5 minutes before their arrival, Caroline had been saying that she hoped "they wouldn't bring that little brat here." "I knew you would be my dear sister, which is why I was so surprised to see that you did not accompany Charles and Mr. Darcy yesterday when they called on me," Elinor replied just as sweetly. Caroline reddened slightly. "Well, you know Charles, he did not tell me he was going until Louisa and I were practically out the door for a prior engagement. I was planning to call on you very soon, of course!" Elinor only nodded. First battle goes to me, as usual! she thought smugly. Darcy could only suppress a chuckle at the obvious war of wits between these two women. Before another battle could commence, the bell rang again, announcing the arrival of the Hursts. "Dear Elinor! How good to see you! I have missed you so!" lied Louisa, not really that happy to see her least-liked sibling. Elinor's greetings were just as enthusiastic and just as false. She curtseyed politely to her brother-in-law, who grunted a greeting and asked after her husband. She told him that he was in the library, and Hurst, hoping not only to speak to Westling but also to get some brandy before lunch, went after him without another word. The four remaining partook in uncomfortable small talk for several minutes before the bell rang again. "Well this house is certainly the hot spot today, isn't it?" joked Darcy as the doorman walked in followed by a young lady. "Miss Bennet to see Miss Bingley," he announced. Elinor was extremely surprised at the sudden pallor and look of wide-eyed shock on the faces of her companions. They looked at each other nervously, as if each was asking the other what to do. Elinor did not see what was so threatening about this young woman; in fact, she looked like the least threatening creature who had ever lived, quite doe-eyed and angel-faced. After a few moments, Caroline stood up. "My dear Jane!" she said. Jane smiled warmly at the sight of her friend and curtseyed. "Hello Caroline. I am very happy to see you. And you as well Mrs. Hurst, Mr. Darcy," she said as the gentleman bowed and Louisa nodded. "We are also very happy to see you! But you have used me very ill! How abominable of you not to inform me of your coming to town!" Jane looked confused. "But Caroline, I wrote to you twice to inform you of my arrival." The poor girl did not once suspect that Caroline was lying, and instead allowed it to be explained away by the negligence of the English postal system. Elinor was not so easily led, and believed quite firmly that Caroline had received both letters and had ignored them for some reason. Perhaps this has something to do with Charles' melancholy? "Caroline, will you not do me the honor of introducing me to your friend?" Elinor said as she stood from her seat. Caroline looked extremely uncomfortable, but smiled as best she could. Jane now looked carefully on Elinor and was startled to see her striking resemblance to Mr. Bingley. Her disquiet was as brief and subtle as could be expected from Jane, but to an experienced observer like Elinor it was noticeable, and she wondered what could have disturbed her so. "Oh of course, forgive me! Jane, this is my eldest sister Mrs. Elinor Westling. I believe I spoke to you of her when we were in Hertfordshire." Jane nodded. "Elinor, this is Miss Jane Bennet. The Bennets were one of our neighbors at Netherfield." The hint of disgust in Caroline's voice told Elinor all she needed to know about her sister's opinion of Miss Bennet. Well if Caroline is contemptuous of her, then I am sure I will find her to be perfectly sweet and pleasing, and I am determined to like her if only because Caroline does not! Elinor smiled kindly and extended her hand to Jane. "I am pleased to meet you Miss Bennet. Won't you sit down?" Jane smiled and took the offered seat. Caroline and Louisa gave each other a look that could only mean trouble. "Dear Jane, I wish I had known you were coming, for we were at this moment preparing to go on an outing with some friends. We will of course visit with you for a few minutes, but we cannot keep them waiting too long!" said Caroline. Now Elinor was really suspicious, but decided to play along; perhaps it would be easier to get information if they were not around. "That is alright Caroline. I only wanted to say hello and invite you to tea at my Aunt Gardiner's at your earliest convenience." What a sweet girl! She honestly believes that Caroline is her friend! Poor thing, thought Elinor. "Is� is Mr. Bingley at home?" Jane asked a bit more shyly. Caroline and Louisa again locked eyes, and this time Darcy was involved too. No dear Darcy, don't tell me YOU are in cahoots with them! "I'm so sorry my dear, I think you have just missed him. I believe he went out," Caroline replied, trying very hard to sound convincing. It apparently worked, for Jane's countenance certainly showed her disappointment. Elinor decided that it was now time for her to step in. "Why Caroline, you silly thing, Charles has not gone out! He is just in the library. Why don't you and Louisa go out like you planned, and I'm sure that Charles and Mr. Darcy and I can entertain Miss Bennet until she must leave. Isn't that right Mr. Darcy?" She smiled at him with a look that definitely meant don't cross me and he nodded and smiled weakly. Caroline and Louisa, unable to renege on their lie of going out, had the coach called and prepared to leave. Where they were to go, they had no idea, but one thing was certain: Elinor would not get away with this. When at last they were gone, Elinor turned to Darcy. "Now my dear sir, I will just go fetch my brother and husband. Do be nice to Miss Bennet!" and with that swished out the door, leaving a very uncomfortable Darcy, and a very nervous Jane. Bingley heard the strong but ladylike knock on the library door and opened it with a wide smile. "Ah, Elinor, I knew it was you! Is dinner served?" "Not yet Charles, but I thought you would like to know that Caroline and Louisa have just remembered a prior engagement and left." She turned as if to go, then tossed over her shoulder, "Oh� and there is a Miss Jane Bennet here to see you." The look on Bingley's face was priceless. All at once it showed astonishment, hope, fear, and love. Definitely love. "Miss Jane Bennet did you say?" he asked when he regained his voice. "Are you certain?" "Oh yes, quite certain, I have been sitting with her for the past 10 minutes." His reply was barely above a whisper. "She� wishes to see me?" "Oh yes! She inquired after you quite particularly, and seemed quite disappointed when Caroline said you were out. Of course, I can't imagine why she would say such a thing, when she knew perfectly well that you were in the library. But then, Caroline can really be quite a silly thing!" she said, slyly noting her brother's expression when Caroline's duplicity was mentioned. He seemed confused, then almost angry. "Strange indeed. Well, I believe I should go speak to Miss Bennet then. Hurst, Westling, please excuse me for a moment." Elinor smiled and took her brother's arm to return to the parlor. Meanwhile, Darcy was having a difficult time with Jane. "So Miss Bennet� um, how long have you been in town?" "About 10 days sir." "And where are you staying?" "At my uncle's house in Gracechurch Street." Ah yes, the uncle in trade. Humph. "Oh yes of course. And are you enjoying your stay?" Jane's eyes momentarily betrayed her sadness, but Darcy forced himself not to see it. "I always enjoy seeing my young cousins," she replied more softly. "Um� I hope your family was in good health when you left them." "Yes, sir, very well, I thank you." "I am glad to hear it." He stared around the room nervously; then almost without knowing what he said, he asked, "And are all your sisters still at Longbourn?" What are you saying man? It matters not to you whether any of her sisters are at Longbourn! he berated himself, though he couldn't deny that he was anxious to hear the answer. Jane allowed herself a small smile. "Yes, thankfully," she replied. He searched for something more to say. "And is your cousin still visiting with you?" "No, Mr. and Mrs. Collins have returned to Kent." He gave her a confused look. "Mrs. Collins?" "Oh, I am so sorry, I forgot that they married after you left Netherfield." She momentarily paled, but recovered. "Mr. Collins married Charlotte Lucas." "Really?" he asked with genuine surprise; he had seen Mr. Collins' pointed attentions to Elizabeth. "I had thought his interests lay elsewhere." He felt a curious relief knowing that Mr. Collins had not married his Elizabeth. She is not my Elizabeth! Jane stifled a giggle. "So they had� but they took a turn, much to everyone's satisfaction, as Lizzy says." He was burning with curiosity to know what had transpired, but knew it was improper to try to get gossip out of Jane. Still, one or two little questions couldn't hurt� "I seem to recall Mr. Collins spending a good deal of time in Miss Elizabeth's company," he ventured. "I did not see any attachment to Miss Lucas. I suppose his feelings changed?" This time Jane could not suppress a chuckle. "I believe they were changed for him, sir. Lizzy made it quite clear that he was wasting his time with her." This again relieved him; she had not wished to marry that insipid fool. Still, it would have been a good match for her, and he could not quite understand why, financially speaking, she had not entered into the arrangement. "It seems that it would have been an advantageous match for your sister." Jane shook her head. "Obviously you do not know Lizzy, Mr. Darcy. Nothing could have induced her to marry Mr. Collins, I can assure you of that." Now his curiosity was truly piqued; perhaps she had realized his attraction for her, and had been waiting for his addresses. He cursed himself for not having been more guarded in his behavior. "And how can you be so certain?" "A marriage where either partner cannot love or respect the other� that is one of life's great tragedies," she replied passionately. "Mr. Collins could provide a comfortable situation, but her life would have been empty," she finished quietly, and looked quite on the verge of tears. "Please excuse me, Mr. Darcy, I� I do not know what came over me. I am so sorry." Her face was a deep crimson with embarrassment, and she could not bring herself to look up. "There is no reason to apologize Miss Bennet. Please excuse me for prying into your family's affairs. It was terribly rude of me," he said gently, feeling extremely guilty for having brought Jane to the point of tears. He was also very disturbed by her declaration, for until this point he had been quite content to think of her as a fortune-hunter whose heart was not likely to be easily touched. For the first time he began to doubt the assertions he had made to Bingley. His confidence was to be tested further in a matter of moments; Bingley and Elinor returned to the parlor. Upon hearing the footsteps, Jane rose to her feet and attempted to hide her discomposure. "Miss Bennet?" Bingley said timidly as he stepped towards her. "How do you do?" She slowly raised her head to look at him, and as their eyes met, Bingley was lost. Darcy saw it, and realized that he was powerless to stop it. "Hello Mr. Bingley. I am well, sir, thank you. How are you?" she asked quietly, her voice shaking slightly. He stepped closer, still unsure of himself and of her feelings. "I am well. How long have you been in town?" "About 10 days, sir." "I am sorry that I did not know of your arrival sooner, Miss Bennet, or I should have called on you at once. Please forgive my negligence," he said with a warmth that could not be mistaken. Elinor saw that a great wrong had been done to these two young lovers, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. "Mr. Darcy," she whispered as she approached him, "would you join me for a turn about the room please?" Darcy almost choked at the memory of the last time he had heard those words, and again forced himself not to think of Elizabeth Bennet. With a short nod to Jane, he rose and joined Elinor across the room. "Your sister is very fond of this pastime as well, you know, Mrs. Westling," he teased. "She is always raving about how refreshing it is." Elinor laughed. "I can well believe that. Caroline always has absurd notions. I did not ask you to walk with me for refreshment; I want some information." He eyed her nervously. He knew Elinor was an intelligent woman, and feared what she would say. "Do you know what I see over there, Mr. Darcy?" she continued in a lowered voice. He shook his head. "I see two young people who are very much in love with each other. And yet, they seem very apprehensive around each other. I know my brother, Mr. Darcy, and I know that he is not apprehensive about young ladies. Do you know why he is behaving like this with Miss Bennet?" "Perhaps he is unsure of her affection," he replied after a long pause. "Bingley is very modest you know." Elinor raised an eyebrow. "I know that he is very much swayed by your opinions," she replied. This remark got him; Darcy could no longer meet her eye. She sighed with disappointment. "Really, Mr. Darcy, I had expected better of you. I would expect this of Caroline and Louisa; in fact, Caroline bragged about it in one of her letters. But I did not think you would stoop so low!" Darcy blushed, embarrassed to be called out on his actions, but he could not be angry with her. Still, he felt he had to defend himself. "First there is the situation of her family, madam. Her father is a country gentleman, but her mother is the daughter of a country attorney, she has one uncle who is an attorney and another in trade in Cheapside." "Mm, yes, I see� the daughter of a gentleman is of a higher rank than the son of a tradesman� but I am sure Miss Bennet does hold this inferiority against dear Charles!" Elinor replied, eliciting a frown from her companion. "I fear that you are purposefully misconstruing my meaning Mrs. Westling. I mean that Miss Bennet is not Bingley's equal financially, and I did not want him to fall prey to a fortune hunter!" Elinor laughed incredulously. "Come now Darcy, can you honestly say that you believe that sweet creature over there to be a heartless fortune hunter?" His silence told her all she needed to know. "Was this your only reason for separating them? It seems rather poor to me." "There was another, more compelling reason. Though Miss Bennet and her sister Miss Elizabeth," he blushed slightly at the mention of her name, a fact which did not go unnoticed by Elinor, "are irreproachable in their behavior, their mother, 3 younger sisters, and even occasionally their father, exhibit extreme impropriety in all situations, and are an embarrassment!" Elinor was becoming infuriated with what she saw as Darcy's arrogance and air of superiority, and when she looked up at him with fire in her eyes, he knew he was in for an earful. "I should hate to hear what you say about my family behind our backs, Mr. Darcy! My brother-in-law is a drunken glutton, my sister Louisa is a scheming shrew, Caroline is a shameless fortune-hunter� or rather, Darcy-hunter," she said with a pointed look, "and my poor brother is sweet, but obviously a gullible fool. What could be said about me? Perhaps I am too forward, I overstep the bounds of propriety. But then, I suppose you could not expect more from the children of a tradesman," she finished with vehemence. Darcy was completely taken aback, and not a little offended. "Mrs. Westling, you go too far! I have never held your family's situation in contempt! I have always gotten on very well with all of your siblings." "You are correct Mr. Darcy; I do not know how to begin thanking you for your kind condescension." He twitched slightly at that word, his Aunt Catherine coming to mind momentarily. "But it begs the question� if my family's situation is acceptable, why is Miss Bennet's not?" Turning on her heel, she rejoined her brother and Jane, leaving a bewildered Darcy standing alone in the corner of the room. Fortunately, Jane and Bingley had not been paying the least bit of attention to Darcy and Elinor. They had been far too busy shyly observing each other and trying to hide their turbulent emotions. Bingley grasped for something to say. "How are your sisters, Miss Bennet? And your parents? Is everyone in Hertfordshire well?" "Yes, thank you," she whispered. "I am glad to hear it. I am excessively fond of Hertfordshire," he found himself saying, though in his mind he wished to say I am excessively fond of you, Jane! "Do you plan to return to Hertfordshire?" she asked hopefully. "My plans are not yet firmly settled. I had not originally planned to stay in town this long. Perhaps I shall return to the country soon. I do love the country," he replied, his voice full of emotion. Jane forced herself to look him in the eye. "You all left Netherfield so suddenly. Miss Bingley wrote to me saying that once you arrived in town you would be very busy with all your engagements, particularly with Miss Darcy." This thought pained her, and she cast down her eyes again. "Miss Darcy? Why, I have barely seen her. She is often with her masters, and as she is not yet out, she is not much in society. I can't understand why Caroline would mention her particularly," he replied, confused. Jane did not trust herself to speak on this subject, so remained silent. "Perhaps she thought that since Darcy is often with me, that Miss Darcy would accompany him; we all think of her as our own sister, so she is always welcome here. But no, she is not often here. Odd that she would say that," he continued, more to himself than to her, but at the word "sister", Jane felt her heart rise with hope. "Miss Bingley did say that she already thinks of Miss Darcy as a sister," she ventured bravely. Bingley chuckled. "Well, I suppose I can understand why she would say that." Jane's heart fell again. "Between you and me, though, I think that her schemes will come to naught; I do not think Darcy would ever marry Caroline, despite all her hopes to the contrary." Jane smiled. "I do not know about that, sir, but I do not think that was what she meant." He furrowed his brow in question. "I� I believe she meant more as a sister-in-law, perhaps." A lump caught in her throat at this thought, and she stopped speaking again. The meaning of her words hit him. "What, she thinks I intend to marry Miss Darcy? That is ridiculous! She is but 16 years old, and like my own little sister! Where did she get such an absurd notion? She knew very well that I hoped to marry�" he suddenly remembered himself and stopped mid-sentence. "Well, I do not intend to marry Miss Darcy," he finished awkwardly. Relief coursed through Jane's body, and that tiny spark of hope slowly grew to a flame as she realized that he may have meant to say her name at the end of the unfinished sentence. What would Lizzy do at a time like this? She would be brave, I know... she would not let the man she loved get away from her! She would make her feelings known... and so will I! she resolved. She forced herself to look him in the eye again and smile. Affection was written so purely on her face that Bingley could not help but smile back with equal feeling. "I have missed your company Mr. Bingley," she said with as much strength as she could muster. "I always enjoyed speaking with you." "And I you, Miss Bennet. I have always thought that you are a delightful lady." "I'm flattered sir, though I am certainly no more delightful than any other young lady of your acquaintance, and probably less so for I am far less accomplished than they, I'm sure," she replied modestly with a becoming blush. "That is not true!" he replied passionately. "I know no one as delightful as you!" Jane blushed more deeply, trying to contain her excitement. "Thank you Mr. Bingley. Your opinion means the world to me." Their eyes met again, and a mutual understanding of their feelings passed between them. Bingley slowly reached for her hand, took it in his, and brought it to his lips before returning it to her. "I assure you, Miss Bennet, my opinion of you could not be higher." They gazed at each other affectionately until a voice interrupted them. "Charles, should I check on lunch? I believe it shall be ready soon. Oh, Miss Bennet, you will join us of course!" Elinor said, quite happy with the progress she was seeing. "Oh, I do not wish to impose. I should return to my uncle's." "No!" Bingley cried. "Um, that is� please do stay. It is our pleasure to have you as our guest." He smiled so handsomely that she could not refuse. "Thank you sir, I would be honored." Elinor beamed. "Very well then! Let us go to the dining room. Mr. Darcy, would you please escort me?" Still somewhat shocked, Darcy walked to her and offered his arm, and together they all went to the dining room. When they arrived, Elinor excused herself to fetch Mr. Hurst and her husband from the library. Hurst ran directly for the dining room, but Elinor held Mr. Westling back. �Just a moment Robert, I have something particular to speak to you about,� she said as she closed the library door behind her. He stood patiently waiting for her to talk, but instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave her husband a tender, lingering kiss. �Mm� not that I am complaining, my dear� but what was that for?� he asked when she had pulled back again. She smiled and ran her fingers lightly through his hair. �Oh, nothing� I have just had a reminder of how very fortunate I am to be married to the most wonderful man in the world,� she replied with obvious affection in her voice. He smiled and kissed her again. �I am the one who is fortunate my love,� he countered. �But I would be more than happy to argue our respective good traits tonight,� he whispered suggestively. �An excellent idea darling! I shall look forward to it. But right now, we must unfortunately join everyone for lunch.� They kissed once more, then left the library to join the others. Elinor could not help but smile at the seating arrangements. Bingley had placed Jane to his right, and they were already deep in conversation and ignoring the rest of the party. Darcy was seated to Bingley�s left, with Hurst on his other side. Hurst was too busy shoveling food into his mouth to make conversation, so Darcy hoped that Westling would sit across from him so he would at least have someone to talk to. Elinor still wanted to punish him, though, so she sat across from him and proceeded to only speak to her husband or Jane for the entire meal. Darcy could only grumble a bit in his seat. When they were done, Jane announced that she must take her leave, but thanked everyone for their hospitality. Bingley offered her his carriage and rushed to walk her to the door. �Miss Bennet, I am very pleased that you came to see me today, particularly after my behavior towards you. You are a true angel,� he said lovingly. �I do not understand you Mr. Bingley. You have always been a perfect gentleman to me.� He took her hand and pressed his lips against it. �May I see you again Miss Bennet?� She nodded shyly. �May I call on you at your uncle�s tomorrow?� �Yes sir, thank you.� She gave him the direction, then stepped outside to the waiting carriage. Bingley stood at the door staring after it until it was long gone. When he came back inside, he ran into Darcy, who was watching him intently and fidgeting with his ring. �Bingley, may I speak to you privately please?� he requested. Bingley�s face fell; he knew that Darcy did not approve of his feelings for Jane Bennet, but surely he was not going to reprimand him? He nervously extended his arm for his friend to lead the way. I will not give in this time Darcy! he swore to himself. I think Jane loves me, and I will have her! The gentlemen entered the library, and Darcy shut the door behind them. �You love her Charles, don�t you?� He called me Charles� this must be serious indeed! He nodded. Darcy closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. �Bingley, I owe you an apology.� This was obviously not what Bingley had expected to hear. �An apology? What for Darce?� Darcy sighed. �It was wrong of me to separate you from Miss Bennet. I observed her today, and I believe that I was wrong about her feelings; I think she does return your love. However, as was quite rightly pointed out to me today, even if I thought she didn�t, it was not my place to interfere with your affairs. I was a fool, and I hope you will forgive me.� Bingley�s eyes widened with surprise. In all the years that he had known Fitzwilliam Darcy, he did not remember hearing such an admission. �You admit that you were in the wrong?� he asked incredulously. �Utterly and completely,� Darcy said nonchalantly. �Then� I have your blessing?� Darcy raised an eyebrow. �Do you need my blessing?� �No� but I should like to know I have it all the same.� Darcy smiled and shook Bingley�s hand. �Then go to it man! But I think you should wait at least a day or two before proposing,� he teased with a wink. Bingley laughed, good humor completely restored. �Yes, a day or two� but not much longer!� Next section... |