“Playful?” he asked disbelievingly.
“She has her own sort of impertinence. It is one reason we are such good friends.”
Darcy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Miss Lucas was an intimate friend of Miss Elizabeth,andshe had made Fitzwilliam smile. He would cease his complaints.
“I would offer to dance with you one final time before you depart for the halls of men,” she said teasingly, “but that would be a second dance, and as I am well known for not dancing at all . . .”
Another dance with Miss Elizabeth? She had been a fine partner, easily anticipating where he would place his feet, and simply . . . adjusting. Unless someone was closely observing them, they would not notice that his steps were a little different. He understood her somewhat better now, knowing she was not laughing at him. Itwouldimprove his mood to dance another with her.
“I am not averse,” he replied.
She gazed at him sceptically, yet spoke with humour. “How you do flatter me, Mr. Darcy,” she said, placing a fluttering hand over her heart. “I can hardly bear the pleasure.”
“I am so pleased you went out of your way to be introduced to the Bingleys, Elizabeth,” Jane proclaimed, beaming. “Even Mary did not do as much. And two dances! I am very proud of you.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she removed another hairpin. “The ladies were better pleased with themselves than what they saw, though their brother seems an amiable man. Mr. Hurst smells like port. As for dancing, it was only Mr. Darcy.”
“The ladies were very kind to me—and what do you mean by ‘only Mr. Darcy’?” The fine lines on her forehead momentarily marred Jane’s porcelain skin.
“Never mind about Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, and I mean that Mr. Darcy is here to learn about running an estate, not to look for a wife.”
“So, you are safe from him,” Jane concluded. She unfastened Elizabeth’s necklace and stored it in its box. “I see.”
“What do you see?”
“I see you like him but would prefer that you did not. If you tell yourself he is uninterested, your feelings are safe.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “He is awkward and requires my help with the steps, that is all.” He was also thoughtful and kind, but she did not mention it.
“He is also clever. And tall,” Jane pointed out. “You like tall men.”
“Everyone likes tall men.”
Jane laughed.
Elizabeth huffed. “Mr. Fitzwilliam is tall. Mr. Darcy is a towering oak.”
“And yet, you like him,” Jane insisted.
“Jane,” she said, frustrated. “Even were that true, it would be foolish to indulge such feelings. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Fitzwilliam are leaving in a month’s time to meet their family in London for the festive season. Theirtitledfamily, Jane.”
Her sister’s expression pinched a bit at that. “I suppose that is true.”
“And if Sarah is right, he has five thousand a year now, with plans to increase his income. I am not an equal match.”
Brooks the footman was sweet on Sarah, who regularly plied him for gossip. Neither would speak about anything outside of the house, but within the staff . . . well, they knew things sometimes before Papa did.
“Ten thousand, really,” Jane mused. “It is so kind of him to bestow half his fortune upon his cousin.”
Elizabeth believed her point had been carried and moved to change the subject. “Jane, if you and I were officers, do you believe I would leave you behind, in a perilous occupation, because I had inherited a fortune?”
“No,” Jane said fondly, “you never would.”
“If you gave half your fortune to me, would you consider it a kindness?”
“A kindness to myself, perhaps, to have you always with me.”
Elizabeth took her sister’s hand in her own. “Mr. Darcy and Mr. Fitzwilliam may be cousins by blood, but they are brothers in heart. Mr. Darcy could no more keep his inheritance to himself than you or I would. Mr. Fitzwilliam is in no danger of having Mr. Darcy change his mind. It only remains to be seen if Mr. Fitzwilliam will accept his good fortune in the spirit I am sure Mr. Darcy intends.”