Page 3 of What to do with Fitzwilliam Darcy?

"I think not," said Jane.

"Excellent. Then we merely need to decide upon the nature of my emergency. Should I be dangerously unwell? Arrested? Temporarily insane? We might tell him Netherfield has burned to the ground."

Jane stood and placed a hand on her husband's shoulder to still his increasingly energetic pacing. "I think we may manage something a little simpler than that, my dear. And perhaps something which requires only a stretching of the truth rather than the invention of an entirely new one."

"I think Bingley's version sounds much more entertaining," said the colonel, "but, dear lady, I suspect you are the one most likely to keep us all out of prison. What do you have in mind?"

Jane looked around at the three expectant faces before her. Somewhere in the last half hour, what had begun as a worried conversation over tea had become a conspiracy, and she felt more than a little ashamed of the fact that she had instigated it. But she would do almost anything to see to the happiness of her beloved sister.

"We need a reason for Mr Darcy to believe Charles requires his help somewhere outside London. Somewhere he will be obliged to remain for at least a few days."

Charles's eyes widened.

"And," Jane continued, before he could interrupt, "it must also be somewhere I can persuade Lizzy to visit without making her suspicious."

Then Colonel Fitzwilliam began to smile. "What are we to do with Fitzwilliam Darcy?" he said.

Jane topped up his tea. "I shall tell you, my dear colonel…"

Chapter Two

Elizabeth had not been difficult to persuade, Jane reflected with relief. This was largely, she believed, because she had not tried to enact a clever scheme. She had written to her sister saying only that they were travelling to Hertfordshire. She had quickly followed it with a missive saying that she missed her, that Charles was likely to be occupied with estate business for several days and that Netherfield felt very large with so little company. Elizabeth had replied almost at once that she would come on Thursday.

The fact that she had accepted without suspicion made Jane feel worse about the whole thing. Her sister would simply never suspect her of anything underhand.

"You are frowning again, my love," Charles said from across the breakfast table.

"I am thinking, dearest."

"You always frown when you are thinking."

"I do not."

"You do. It is very becoming."

Jane looked at him over the rim of her teacup and decided not to encourage him.

Charles, meanwhile, had thrown himself into the plan with such enthusiasm that Jane had been forced to confiscate two drafts of his letter to Mr Darcy before allowing the third to be sent. The first had made his proposed purchase of Netherfield sound as though financial ruin were imminent. The second had strongly implied that he had been cheated by his solicitor and might presently find himself without a roof over his head. The final version, which Jane had largely dictated, stated only that the owner of Netherfield had offered Charles the opportunity to purchase the estate and that, as the sum involved was considerable, he would value Darcy's advice before proceeding.

It was, Jane had pointed out, almost entirely true. Charles had thought this state of affairs disappointingly tame.

Elizabeth arrived shortly before noon and was welcomed with such enthusiasm by her brother that Jane feared for a moment he might give the whole thing away before she had even removed her bonnet.

"Lizzy! How wonderful to see you. And what excellent timing."

Jane stepped on his foot. Charles made a small strangled noise and immediately changed direction. "Excellent timing for luncheon, I mean. Cook has done something remarkable with some fat pigeons."

Elizabeth glanced between them, but if she thought anything strange about this reception she did not say so. She kissed Jane warmly, allowed Charles to take her pelisse and followed them through to the drawing room.

For the first hour, Jane almost forgot the scheme entirely. Elizabeth was cheerful enough, if a little quiet, and seemed pleased to be away from the bustle of London. She laughed at Charles, asked after several of their neighbours and listened with interest while Jane explained the possibility that they might finally purchase Netherfield rather than continue as tenants.

"You would like that?" Elizabeth asked.

"I think so. It has become very dear to us."

Charles took his wife's hand and kissed it. "Everything associated with Jane becomes dear to me."

It continued in this easy way for a little while, and Jane was glad of the normalcy of it. But as the afternoon wore on she noticed those same small changes her aunt had described. Lizzy had pale purple shadows beneath her eyes, and although she laughed readily enough, Jane had the uncomfortable feeling that the sound was more performance than real mirth. At luncheon she ate very little, despite making a great show of assuring Charles that the pigeon was the best she had ever tasted. Later, when Charles disappeared to deal with some matter concerning a tenant, Jane found Elizabeth standing at the drawing-room window looking out over the lawns.