Page 54 of The Engagement at Longbourn

She set down her fork. “I suppose Miss Jane Bennet has encouraged this intimacy.”

Bingley looked at her. “Do not.”

Caroline blinked. “Do not what?”

“Speak of Jane as though she is scheming.”

“My dear Charles—”

“No.”

Louisa became very interested in her soup.

Bingley folded his napkin. “I have not spoken of your letter because I was angry, and I did not trust myself to do it well.”

Caroline’s face tightened.

“Now I shall.”

“Charles, surely this is unnecessary.”

“You lied to Jane.”

“I assumed Darcy—”

“You wrote that he was already in London.”

“He was expected.”

“That is not the same thing.”

Caroline flushed.

Bingley continued, “You also wrote as though I intended to remain in town, as though Georgiana and I—” He stopped, glanced toward Louisa, then went on. “As though my life were yours to arrange.”

“We were protecting you.”

“From what?”

“An imprudent connection.”

Bingley laughed once, without humour. “Jane Bennet is an imprudent connection?”

“Her family—”

“Our father was in trade.”

Caroline’s mouth closed.

Bingley leaned forward. “Do you imagine a few years of income have erased that? Do you think the Gardiners’ warehouse is vulgar but our father’s money refined itself on the way into the bank?”

Louisa looked up sharply. Caroline went white, then red. “That is cruel.”

“No. It is true.”

Mr. Hurst, to everyone’s surprise, said, “He’s right.”

Louisa turned to him. Hurst shrugged and drank his wine. “Bingley money was trade money. Good money. Bought excellent wine.”