“Did you ever think that it is because you never ask?” She prodded at the roasted beef on her plate. The scent of rosemary drifted up to her nose, but the beef was not so well cooked that it obligingly fell apart. She would have to cut it. She glanced quickly at her injured arm. How was it to be accomplished? She would not ask Mr. Darcy to cut it for her. She was upset with him.
Mr. Darcy reached for her plate, and she idly fingered her knife. He withdrew, perhaps recalling how recently she had wielded a fork. “I have asked,” he objected. “I asked you. I also danced with Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst.”
Elizabeth glared at him. “Were you not required to ask them? I am rather surprised that they did not ask you.” She set her fork and knife down on her plate and sighed, deflated. “Truly, Mrs. Hurst and I have not exchanged more than ten words between us. That was unkind.”
Mr. Darcy chuckled, and the tension between them ebbed away. “But rather accurate.” He gestured to her plate. “May I?”
Elizabeth frowned, but had to admit that he had asked politely. She hated to have someone cut her food as if she were still in the nursery. She grimaced but reminded herself that she required the assistance, and she was hungry. Elizabeth took a deep breath and let it out slowly. By making the request aloud, Mr. Darcy had offered her a small concession. She would do the same. “Yes, thank you. Mr. Darcy,” she continued calmly as he picked up her plate, “who pointed out that Mr. Bingley was expected to offer for my sister Jane?”
Mr. Darcy managed to cut her meat while still appearing deep in thought. “I did not believe it was knowingly done. To my shame, I intended to advise Bingley against a hasty alliance.”
Elizabeth shook her head at him. “I might have been furious with you before . . . well, before,” she admitted. “Now I can only hope Papa has not allowed Mr. Bingley to call at Longbourn.”
Mr. Darcy sat back to stare at her. “Would he not? I thought . . .”
She shook her head. “When I spoke with Papa before we retired that morning, I won his agreement to keep both Mr. Bingley and Mr. Wickham from calling. He asked whether he ought to speak with Sir William, and I told him he should.”
Mr. Darcy tipped his head slightly to one side. “You have lost me again, Miss Elizabeth.”
His puzzlement offered her a glimpse into what he might have been like as a boy. It was rather endearing, and she laughed softly. “Mr. Darcy, you thought Sir William was inadvertently alerting you to a potential problem. Knowing Sir William as I do, I rather suspect that he was purposefully warning me.”
A crease appeared at the bridge of Mr. Darcy’s nose. “About what?” He resumed the task of cutting the meat on her plate into small, precise pieces.
Elizabeth shook her head. “I do not know, precisely. I presume now that he was concerned Jane might find herself engaged to Mr. Bingley without meaning to. She was enamored of him, but not yet ready to accept an offer. Jane is steady and methodical, but she is also in possession of a very soft heart. She might not feel comfortable deflecting Mr. Bingley’s pointed attentions.” She frowned. “Sir William rarely says anything without intent. Unfortunately, I was too angry with you at the time to inquire.”
Mr. Darcy set Elizabeth’s plate before her, and she nodded her thanks. The beef smelled wonderful, but the potatoes also drew her attention. They had been formed into small balls and then fried; a white sauce was drizzled prettily over the whole. She ate one and took a moment to savor it. Next, she tasted the roasted beef. It was simple, perfectly cooked and seasoned, and she nearly groaned with the pleasure of it. Instead, she delicately touched her napkin to her mouth and said, “Meet with Sir William first, Mr. Darcy.” She gazed up at him through her lashes. “And yes, I would be pleased to have you deliver a letter to my family. I will write it tonight.”
He was watching her closely. Elizabeth was pleased at the warmth in his gaze. She even believed she detected admiration in his dark eyes but dismissed the idea almost immediately. She chided herself for the thought. With his fortune and connections, he had never been for her.
“We shall seek Sir William out first, Miss Elizabeth,” Mr. Darcy promised.
He had heard her out and was taking her advice. Elizabeth smiled. “I think you will find there was no cause to be stubborn, Mr. Darcy.” She placed a piece of the meat in her mouth and savored the taste.
He grinned on the word stubborn. “How is the beef, Miss Elizabeth?”
Oh, dear,Elizabeth thought. Despite his wealth and connections, Mr. Darcy and she were rather well matched. She swallowed and impishly replied, “Excellent, Mr. Darcy.”