An Unexpected Ally

Part 4

Safely ensconced in her own personal corner of the Longbourn parlour, Lizzy peered over the top of her teacup towards Mr Darcy, who seemed easily as out of place to be sitting amidst a gaggle of Bennets as he ever had.

"How kind of you to bring our Mary home safely, Mr Darcy!" Mrs Bennet gushed, looking quite teary at the degree of care he had taken.

"It was no trouble, Mrs Bennet." His grimace approached a smile, and he busied himself with taking a sip of his tea. "I was poised to make the journey anyhow."

"Where will you be staying?" Lydia asked, never one to stand on ceremony when there was the possibility of gossip. "Did Mr Bingley come with you?"

This was accompanied by a significant look from Lydia and Kitty at Jane, who appeared unmoved by the question. Lizzy, who knew her sister well, could see from the whiteness in her fingers how tightly Jane clasped her saucer and how much energy it cost her to appear so unaffected. She frowned. Ought it to matter to Jane whether or not Mr Bingley ever stepped foot in Hertfordshire again? She had found love with Colonel Fitzwilliam and was surely much happier with him than she ever might have been with Mr Bingley.

"Alas, no." Mr Darcy shifted uncomfortably on his chair. "He remains in London for - for now." He swallowed. "But he has given me free rein to stay at Netherfield while I am here."

"You must dine here this evening, in that case!" Mrs Bennet declared, glancing at her husband, who was seated contentedly in one corner of the room and taking no part in Mr Darcy's inquisition. "Mr Bennet!" she called, when his response was not forthcoming. "Tell Mr Darcy he must join us for dinner this evening."

"You must join us for dinner this evening." Mr Bennet offered a mechanical repetition of his wife's command. His lips quirked upwards into a smile. "If you can bear to. I shall endear you to the notion, somewhat, by advising you that your cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, will also be dining with us." His eyes twinkled over the top of his spectacles. "Perhaps that will enable you to endure further questioning."

"Further questioning?" Mrs Bennet's voice grew shrill, although she smiled. "How you do tease us, Mr Bennet! As if there is anything untoward about our taking a neighbourly interest in Mr Darcy, now that he is returned to us after so long away!"

"Mary was away also," Mr Bennet pointed out, turning to his middle daughter with a smile. "And she has yet to speak a word. Tell us, Mary, how was London?"

"Yes, tell us everything!" Kitty said, sliding her arm through Mary's and silently pledging her allegiance to the sister who had not spent all morning either teasing or criticising her. "Did you go to many assemblies? Who did you meet?"

"Oh, I'm sure I can answer that," Lydia shot back, a malicious gleam in her eye. She counted out the likely suspects on the fingers of one hand. "There were Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, the children, the servants..." Her gaze drifted towards their guest. "Oh, and Mr Darcy, of course."

"And my sister," Mr Darcy pointed out, shooting Mary an encouraging smile. "With whom you seemed to form quite the friendship. Tell them about yours and Georgiana's performance at dinner the other night, Mary."

This was a kindness quite unexpected - and from Mr Darcy, no less! Elizabeth could not help but warm to him for the notice he took of quiet, invisible Mary, nor deny the effect his invitation had. Mary blossomed, speaking more in that five minutes than she often did in a day, and succeeded in courting the attention of the whole room, who were as eager to know about Georgiana Darcy as they were to marvel over Mary's sudden transformation.

"She sounds nice, does not she?" Jane whispered, leaning close enough to Elizabeth that her comment might carry to no other ears but hers. "Miss Darcy. She was nought but a name to me before now, but it seems she and Mary became firm friends during their time together. I am pleased, for Mary could do with a companion."