Page 27 of His Pride and His Prejudice

And yet, Jack was unwell and surrounded by alphas he did not know beyond balls and afternoon teas, and so with little choice, Elliot consented, and a hardy servant was dispatched to Longbourn to acquaint the family with his stay and bring back a supply of clothes. Jack was full of gratitude for the presence of his brother and, following an evil-smelling draught from the apothecary, soon fell into a more restful sleep.

At half-past six Elliot was summoned to dinner. He dressed once more in his plain clothing, which he suspected Marc had sent as Mrs. Bennet would have packed something far more ostentatious. Inquiries were quickly made about Jack, which Elliot was able to answer positively. The sisters, on hearing this, repeated three or four times how much they were grieved, how shocking it was to have a bad cold, and how excessively they disliked being ill themselves, and then—it seemed to Elliot—thought no more of the matter. Their indifference towards Jack when he was not immediately before them restored Elliot to the enjoyment of all his former dislike and he sat down to dinner feeling almost as if he were about to head into battle!

Matters were so arranged around the table that Elliot found himself next to Mrs. Hurst, with Miss Bingley directly opposite him, and Mr. Darcy to his left at the head of the table. Miss Bingley had arranged it thus, he realised once seated, and she gave him a sly smile.

“Tell us, Mr. Bennet,” she began. “Of your amusements here in Longbourn and Meryton, for we are all vastly interested in how you spend your time.”

“If cards are of interest, might we arrange a game after dinner?” Mr. Bingley suggested before Elliot could begin to formulate a reply. “Louisa is a particular proficient.”

“Cards again, Charles?” Louisa Hurst asked with a long, dramatic sigh. “Surely, we can find some other amusement. Perhaps Mr. Bennet is particularly skilled at the pianoforte or has a favoured verse of poetry he would share with us.”

“I am not skilled in any of those employments,” Elliot said. “I had hoped to view your library and gather some reading material which I might share with Jack when he awakens.”

“Do you prefer reading to cards?” Mr. Bingley asked. “That is rather singular.”

“I imagine Mr. Elliot Bennet despises cards,” said Miss Bingley. “You are a great reader, are you not, and likely take no pleasure in anything else but that and your walking.”

She was deliberately teasing him, and Elliot did not like it, and in any other circumstances would have said as much. Like or not though, Caroline Bingley was an alpha, sister to the object of Jack’s affections, and had to be treated thus. “I deserve neither such praise nor such censure,” Elliot said softly. “And whilst it is true that I am a keen reader, I also find pleasure in many other things.”

“What other things?”

Those words came from Mr. Darcy. Elliot started slightly. He had, of course, been aware of the other man sat right next to him, and not least because of the scent. It seemed to surround him here, and it was as enticing as Elliot remembered. Elliot was reluctant to turn and face the alpha though. He did not want their gazes to meet, as he had not liked how that made him feel last time. Mr. Darcy’s eyes were a curious dark brown flecked through with hazel and they held an intensity that made Elliot feel odd things.

“I do like to walk,” Elliot said after a moment, looking down at his plate.

“Netherfield has numerous enjoyable walks,” Mr. Darcy said.

“Indeed, it does,” Mr. Bingley agreed. “If Jack is feeling more the thing tomorrow perhaps you could accompany Darcy, Eleanor and I on an afternoon jaunt?”

Mrs. Eleanor did not look enamoured by such a prospect.

“You are already familiar with Netherfield’s walks, are you not?” Mr. Darcy asked.

“I am,” Elliot replied. “But I am hopeful that Jack may be well enough to return home tomorrow.” And then, because Mr. Bingley was smiling at him so charmingly, he added, “Netherfield’s grounds are enjoyable. I have heard that one of the cave systems nearby has crude drawings from tribes that lived here in times past. I have never been able to find the cave myself.”

Mr. Bingley grinned. “It is Darcy you will want to discuss that with! His interests lie in that direction, not mine!”

“You have an interest in the natural sciences?” Mr. Darcy asked.

There was no avoiding a reply, not with everyone watching them, and Elliot looked up, finally meeting Mr. Darcy’s gaze, and nodded.

The other man’s jaw clenched.

Was he angry?

Again?

Elliot looked away.

“It seems you and Darcy have found something in common,” Miss Bingley said and there was spite in her tone. Elliot wondered that no one else picked up on it. “How delightful.”

“Darcy was always trying to get me involved in histories and sciences and such when we were away at school, but I am not a natural reader,” Mr. Bingley said. “My collection here is quite minimal.”

“You have a delightful library at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy,” Miss Bingley continued and for some odd reason Elliot realised that she was trying to illustrate how established their relationship was. Abruptly, he wondered if Miss Bingley had an intention of chasing Mr. Darcy. But then, surely if such a courtship was occurring, they would not be permitted to reside in the same house, even if it was as big as Netherfield.

“It ought to be good,” Mr. Darcy replied. “It has been the work of many generations.”

“And then you have added so much to it yourself, you are always buying books.”

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