Page 42 of Miss Bingley’s Return

Darcy shrugged, though her manner charmed him. “Hyde Park is not far distant—at the end of the street, actually. Why create a new park when there is already one close to hand?”

“Why, indeed?” said she. “Perhaps you are correct, sir.”

“While I am delighted with your appreciation for the gardens, I suspect you had some reason for this excursion. Will you not tell me what it is?”

Miss Elizabeth turned to him with a wry smile, telling Darcy that whatever prompted her desire to speak privately, she was not unhappy with him.

“Perceptive as always. I must take care, Mr. Darcy. With Mr. Collins, I could say almost anything, and he would convince himself that he understood my meaning, and it would inevitably consist of whatever interpretation he preferred. You, however, understand something of me before I ever open my mouth.”

“I hope you do not find that unwelcome, Miss Elizabeth,” said Darcy.

“Not at all,” replied she. “If I preferred an obtuse man, I would already be married to Mr. Collins.”

“That is not at all a welcome notion, for it would be a most unequal match.”

“Is that all?”

Darcy smiled and nodded. “For anything more, I suspect we must wait a little longer.”

“Yes, I agree.”

Miss Elizabeth’s expression turned serious. “As you have divined, I have a specific purpose in wishing to speak to you today. Jane knows what I wish to say, and while she does not think it is necessary, she does not oppose it either. I am not angry with you, but there is something I wish to understand.”

“Very well,” said Darcy, an indefinable feeling of relief stealing over him. “What do you wish to ask?”

“I wish to ask you about Miss Clara Whitcombe.”

Darcy started in recognition.

“You are not unfamiliar with the name,” said Elizabeth, keeping a close watch on the gentleman for his reaction.

“Yes, Miss Elizabeth, I am,” replied Mr. Darcy. “But what I can tell you is perhaps less than you suspect, and likely less than you already know yourself if you have already heard of Miss Whitcombe.”

Elizabeth nodded, having expected as much. “Then perhaps I should tell you what we have learned.”

“I am listening, but perhaps we should have this conversation in greater comfort.”

Mr. Darcy gestured to a nearby bench that Elizabeth had not noticed. Elizabeth assented, and soon they had taken their positions next to each other, close together because of the narrowness of the bench. Elizabeth did not think she had ever been so close to him—it was disconcerting and a little thrilling.

“We met Miss Whitcombe through my Aunt Gardiner,” said Elizabeth, opening the conversation.

Mr. Darcy understood at once. “As I understand, Miss Whitcombe’s father is a man of trade.”

“Yes, Mr. Whitcombe is an acquaintance, though not a close one,” said Elizabeth. “The method of our introduction was through society, the society in which Mrs. Gardiner moves.”

Elizabeth explained her first glimpse of Miss Whitcombe and Mr. Bingley from a distance, Mrs. Gardiner’s first encounter with Miss Whitcombe, then the subsequent meeting at the tea party. Mr. Darcy listened, not commenting, until Elizabeth finished her explanation, which did not take long. Once she completed her account, she put the question to him.

“What do you know of Miss Whitcombe, Mr. Darcy?” She paused and gave him a helpless shrug. “If you do not wish to answer, you may refuse, of course. But I wish to understand your role in this if you are willing.”

“That is no surprise, Miss Elizabeth,” replied Mr. Darcy. “As I stated before, I know less than you suspect, though I have some knowledge of the matter.”

Mr. Darcy turned reflective for a moment. “The name has long been known to me, for Bingley has mentioned her in times past, and I even knew a little of her father. Though I knew Bingley counted her as a friend, I did not suspect a closer connection between them until recently. However, I have never made her acquaintance.”

“Is that for any particular reason, Mr. Darcy?” asked Elizabeth.

A faint smile came over his face. “For a variety of reasons. Miss Whitcombe is not of my sphere, and the only overlap is with Bingley. As Miss Bingley disdains her and will not associate with her, there has been no opportunity.”

“That makes sense.” With a nod to show she understood, she said: “Since you do not disdain Mr. Bingley—and he is only leasing an estate while Mr. Whitcombe now owns his—the notion that you disdained her was silliness from the outset.”