Christmas at Darcy House

Excellent. Caroline’s plan might work. “I will pay you handsomely to ensure that she is no longer a suitable object for Mr. Darcy’s affections.”

The man stroked his chin, feigning perplexity. “And how should I accomplish that?”

“Propose marriage to her,” Caroline said promptly.

Wickham’s mouth turned down in disgust. “I do not wish to wed her!”

Caroline rolled her eyes. Must she do all the thinking? “You need not actually marry her. It is sufficient to make her an offer. Once she is engaged, Mr. Darcy’s interest will wane.”

“And might turn in another direction?” Wickham regarded her shrewdly from under his brows.

“That is not your concern,” Caroline informed him frostily. “I merely wish to have her removed from consideration temporarily.”

“I do not know…” Wickham examined his fingernails with studied indifference. “It seems a great deal of trouble for me….”

Caroline recognized her cue. She extracted a small pouch from her reticule and handed it to him. He opened it immediately—how gauche—and allowed the coins to spill out onto the palm of his hand.

“I trust that is sufficient incentive,” Caroline said.

Avarice glowed in his face. “Indeed. I believe I can feel my affection for Miss Bennet increasing by the second.”

“Excellent,” Caroline said. “I will leave the matter in your hands.”

Wickham smiled at her wolfishly. “A pleasure doing business with you.”

***

The knowledge that Elizabeth Bennet was in London had not allowed Darcy a moment’s rest that night. As he sat behind his desk that evening, he envisioned what she might be doing. Perhaps she was having dinner with her aunt and uncle. Now she might be sitting in the drawing room reading. Did they have children for her to play with? When would she retire for the night?

After brooding in his study until long after midnight, he had tossed and turned in his bed before falling into a fitful sleep in the early morning hours. A mere ten minutes in her presence, and he was in danger of becoming as obsessed with her as he ever was.

Upon awakening, his first thought was that he knew where Elizabeth stayed; he could call upon her and the Gardiners. Indeed, a visit was polite—nearly obligatory—given his acquaintance with her family. She had been gracious enough to call on the Bingleys despite knowing that she would receive a frosty welcome, but the Bingley sisters plainly would not return the call. If Darcy visited, at least Elizabeth would know that the entirety of the Netherfield party did not hold her in such low esteem. Also, she might have been brought low by the Bingley sisters’ insults; it was only right that Darcy visit and ensure that she was in good spirits.

Given new life by these thoughts, Darcy sprang from bed and addressed himself to his toilette with dispatch. In the midst of splashing water on his face, he had a new thought. If I visit the Gardiners’ house alone, will I appear to be courting Elizabeth? He had taken great pains in Hertfordshire to avoid the appearance of favoring her; he did not want to give rise to expectations he could not fulfill.

And yet his own reaction surprised him. The idea of creating such an expectation should fill him with dread, but instead a thrumming excitement surged through his veins. Suddenly light-headed, Darcy grabbed the edge of the washstand. Was there some part of him that wished Elizabeth to believe he was courting her? Or worse yet, wished to court her?

Darcy regarded his own rather pale face in the mirror. What could he do?

He pried his gaze from the mirror and stumbled to the closet in search of fresh clothing. I am being foolish. He was simply returning a social call for the sake of politeness. Elizabeth would understand that he only visited because of his connection with her family. He might happen to enjoy Elizabeth’s company…quite a bit…more than any other woman he had ever encountered…

But that was beside the point. His object was to help her feel welcome in London.

As his valet entered the room, Darcy thrust such thoughts from his mind. Within minutes he was dressed and downstairs breaking his fast. Another half an hour saw him driving his curricle toward Gracechurch Street. The curricle was a bit of an indulgence; it would have been simpler to take a horse. But he had a vision of offering Elizabeth a chance to tour some of his favorite sights in London. It was a ridiculous thought, yet Darcy found he could not dismiss it from his mind.

Guiding the curricle through the streets of London, he even found himself humming a tune that Georgiana had played the day before. It was pleasant to have one of his Hertfordshire acquaintances in London. There was nothing remarkable if the anticipation of her company pleased him.

The Gardiners’ home was not large, but it was well kept and more fashionable than Darcy had expected. He had never ventured into Cheapside before and had been prepared for far less genteel surroundings. This appeared to be a quite respectable neighborhood.

Darcy was still humming as he approached the Gardiners’ door and knocked. Perhaps he should have purchased flowers. Women liked flowers, did they not? But flowers might suggest he was courting her, which he most definitely was not. They were simply friends.

A maid answered the door and took his coat. Darcy gave his card and inquired if Miss Bennet and Mrs. Gardiner were at home. The maid replied that they were in the drawing room with a male visitor whose name she had not caught.

Darcy’s interest was immediately piqued. He could not imagine Elizabeth had a large circle of acquaintances in London. Could she have acquired a suitor already? But the maid had not mentioned the age of the visitor. He might just as easily be some friend of her father’s or a business acquaintance of her uncle’s. Darcy frowned at the thought. A widower of that age might prefer a younger wife.

Or perhaps it was Bingley, visiting to apologize for his sisters’ behavior the previous day. Yes, Bingley would be quite acceptable.

Darcy followed the maid down the narrow hallway to the drawing room. She opened the door and announced, “Mr. Darcy, ma’am,” before withdrawing and allowing Darcy to enter the room.