Page 26 of The Widower of Pemberley

“I assure you that gentlemen still look at her and appreciate her form and face. If your mother is so concerned, she ought to put Miss Bennet more often into company, rather than hiding her away from assemblies as though she were a shameful secret. I am confident she could marry well.”

“I shall suggest it to Mama.”

Mr. Darcy nodded.

“My mother frets about the future. Especially since Jane cannot see. And Papa always reminds Mama that it was her fault that Jane is blind. It is unkind, but Papa is right. And we must make sure that she is always cared for. It is my duty.”

“What is your duty?”

“To make sure that Jane is always cared for.”

“What do you mean?” Mr. Darcy frowned at her.

Elizabeth’s face grew hot. His eyes were quite deep; it was hard to think when he looked at her in such a way.

Georgiana began a new sonata, and Mr. Darcy looked away. “I apologise for speaking so bluntly, but do you mean by marrying well?”

Elizabeth fidgeted with a ribbon on her gown. “I do not mean to marry without affection. Mama hopes for me to catch Mr.Bingley, but we would not suit. I find him…he is too easily pleased.”

Mr. Darcy laughed. It was the first time she had seen him do so openly without being prompted by Emily.

The card players looked towards them, and Mr. Bingley said, “Do not tell her all my faults so she may spread the tale to her sister.”

Elizabeth grinned and said, “No, no. The conversation goes in quite the opposite direction.”

“Ah, talking about my height. It is all women do.” Mr. Bingley laughed.

Mr. Hurst then insisted that his brother-in-law return his attention to the cards, which he did.

Elizabeth sighed. “Is it not perverse that I donotinstinctively admire Mr. Bingley? Would not every sensible woman develop affection for him without trying?”

Mr. Darcy grinned at her. “It does not lower my opinion of yoursensethat you do not.”

That made Elizabeth giggle.

The conversation was more friendly than she had imagined Mr. Darcy being capable of offering.

“I suppose I am selfish,” Elizabeth added. “Mama is right that if Papa dies suddenly before I marry, there will be no money for servants to help Jane. Therefore I ought to make every effort to marry as soon as I might, even though Papa is in good health and not much past fifty. But it would not be right. I must consider the gentleman’s interest. If I gave a man the impression that I feel more than I do, that would be a lie. That would be wrong.”

Mr. Darcy’s brows drew together.

“Now you may despise me for being mercenary,” Elizabeth said, looking down to hide her blush. Why had she said so much to him? He was easy and comforting to speak to. At least once they had begun to talk. She had a sense that if he judged her, it was in a different way from how everyone else would.

Mr. Darcy shook his head. “You have declared that you are not mercenary.”

“But I wonder…”

“About what?”

“It depends on me. I must—oh, but when I think of what I must do for Jane, I become angry with Mama. She never admits that it is her fault that Jane is in such a state.”

“It is not. You should not blame her for that.”

“Yes, it was a curse from the Almighty. No one can know what might have happened. Perhaps if Jane had received the inoculation, she would have suffered terribly from that. I know that one boy went blind after receiving the cowpox. But—”

“No. I do not mean the Almighty. The chief person to blame is your father.”

“My father!” Elizabeth exclaimed with some surprise. “He is the one who wished to have us given the cowpox and who succeeded in that with the rest of us.”