Confounding Caroline Read online

  “I am afraid the next set has been claimed, but perhaps the one after that?” Jane replied.

  Sir Matthew knew right well that Mr. Bingley had claimed the set after the one with Mr. Darcy. These gentlemen, who seemed so honourable, were surprisingly good actors, and for that, Jane was exceedingly glad.

  Caroline narrowed her eyes at Jane and stepped closer to Sir Matthew while casting an expectant glance at Darcy.

  “I see someone to whom I wish to introduce you, and then we must find your father so that he does not think I have absconded with you,” Darcy said to Jane. “I hope you ladies have a pleasant evening.” He gave a small bow and led Jane away toward where Mr. Johnson was standing with Richard and a pretty young lady, whom, Jane guessed, was Miss Johnson. The colonel and Miss Johnson did seem to look well together.

  “Miss Bingley did not look pleased when I did not request a dance, did she?” Darcy asked.

  Again, there was that note of glee in his voice. “No, she did not, and did you notice how she attempted to lay claim to Sir Matthew when he requested a dance from me?”

  Darcy chuckled. “Just as you said she would. You are very clever, Miss Bennet.”

  ‘Thank you,” Jane replied with a smile. She was often complimented for her beauty but rarely for her wit. Cleverness was Lizzy’s forte, so it was gratifying, for once, to be commended for intelligence and not beauty. “You played your part admirably.”

  Darcy inclined his head in acceptance of her praise.

  They had reached Mr. Johnson and, therefore, their discussion ended. Jane was introduced to Miss Johnson and, for effect, the colonel. Then, as the musicians began to play, she, Darcy, Miss Johnson, and Richard took their places in the group of dancers with Caroline and Sir Matthew.

  “Are you well?” Darcy asked as he took his place next to her.

  Jane smiled. “I am. Are you?”

  He gave a sharp nod of his head.

  Jane looked across the circle to where Sir Matthew stood. She smiled but allowed her eyes to carry her question. He returned her smile as he gave her a slight nod. Gathering her fortitude as the first notes of the song began, she turned and curtseyed to the gentleman on her right before turning to Darcy on her left. Then she skipped and hopped her way through the steps, pausing to watch as others took their turns.

  Finally, the ladies joined hands and went around in a circle in one direction and then the other. Jane’s heart was beating far faster than the dance steps dictated as Darcy took the hand which was not holding Caroline’s.

  As she skipped towards him the second time, he gave her a tug causing her hand to slip from Caroline’s. She stumbled slightly but being prepared for it, she did not fall. Caroline, however, was not so fortunate and found herself clasped tightly to Sir Matthew’s chest as they tumbled to the floor.

  “Are you injured?” Sir Matthew asked.

  “Let me up,” Caroline demanded, wiggling to break free of his hold.

  “Not until I know you are uninjured,” Sir Matthew said.

  “I am well,” Caroline sputtered.

  “Are you certain?” Sir Matthew smoothed an imaginary hair from Caroline’s cheek as his other arm clasped her firmly in place on top of him. “You look flushed.”

  “Let me up,” Caroline insisted once more.

  “You are very light,” Sir Matthew said.

  Caroline’s eyes grew wide.

  “Allow me to help you.” Jane extended a hand to Caroline. “I feel just dreadful that I lost my grip.”

  “Do not touch me,” Caroline hissed.

  Jane drew her hand back. “Very well. I do apologize, Sir Matthew.”

  Sir Matthew smiled up at her. “No harm done.”

  “No harm done?“ Caroline sputtered as he finally released her and allowed her to scramble off of him.

  “That is what I said.” Sir Matthew rose from the floor and brushed his breeches and then his sleeves before tugging on his waistcoat. “I am in need of a wife, and you will do nicely.”

  “A wife?” Caroline squeaked.

  “Yes, as well as a mistress for my estate – it is quite large — and mother for my children – we will need to have at least two. Boys preferably.”

  “I see no reason to not let you have her.”

  Caroline spun around. “Charles, be reasonable. It was a stumble, a misstep.”

  Bingley nodded. “Indeed, it was. A very fortuitous one.” He took Jane’s hand and pulled her to his side. “I’ll expect you in my study tomorrow,” he said to Sir Matthew. “Hurst,” he said to his brother-in-law, who had just ambled up with Louisa, “Caroline is getting married.”

  “I am not.” Caroline crossed her arms and glared at him.

  “You do not wish for a large estate and fortune?” Hurst asked in surprise. “I had thought that was precisely what you were looking for. I am certain I have heard you declare such to your sister on many occasions. True, it is not Pemberley, but I hear Stoningham is impressive.”

  “Reginald,” Louisa whispered loudly. “She is not a fortune hunter.”

  Hurst harrumphed. “Is she not?”

  “Stop speaking. I shall be ruined,” Caroline whispered.

  “No,” said Bingley, “you shall be married.” He nodded toward the door. “Shall we continue this discussion in the library?”

  “Certainly,” Sir Matthew agreed, taking Caroline’s elbow and gripping it firmly as she attempted to pull it away from him. “Smile and look as if you are pleased,” he whispered, “that is what you want them to comment on when you are gone rather than calling you all manner of unpleasant things.”

  Caroline stared at him for a moment, then, smiled. “Of course, my dear, you are correct. I was merely rattled by the fall.” She lifted her right foot. “In fact, I believe, I have injured myself after all. If you would be so good as to allow me to lean on you until I can find a place to rest.”

  “Ah, see. That was not so difficult, was it?” he replied as she wrapped her arm around his.

  Jane gave Bingley’s hand a final squeeze and then released it.

  Bingley shook his head and extended his hand to her again. “Come with me.”

  Jane looked at Mr. Darcy. “Do you mind?”

  Darcy shook his head as a grin split his face. “I have never much cared for dancing, and besides, there is someone standing by that door over there whom, if I am to dance, I would dearly like to have as my partner.”

  Jane followed Darcy’s gaze to where Elizabeth stood with her father. “I wish you well,” she said as she took Bingley’s arm. “Remember to tell her – “

  “I know,” Darcy interrupted. “I shall do my best not to blunder.”

  Chapter 14

  “Miss Elizabeth, I believe the next set is ours,” Darcy said as he came to stand with her and her father. “However, we must wait for this set to conclude.” It was perhaps the first time he had ever wished for a dance to begin quickly rather than dreading the moment when he would have to place himself across from a lady and present himself as charmingly as he was able, which, in all honestly, was a meager offering on most occasions.

  “That was as fine a performance as any I have seen,” said Mr. Bennet. “I had not thought you the actor sort, but it appears I am wrong.” Amusement danced in the gentleman’s eyes.

  “I cannot say that I have ever aspired to the role of actor,” Darcy admitted, although, it had not been deplorable to take part in the charade which had just transpired. That was rather surprising.

  “We are all actors at times, are we not?” Elizabeth interjected.

  Her eyes were sparkling in that transfixing way they always did when she began a debate. Darcy waited with eager anticipation for her to present her argument.

  “I, for instance,” she continued, “must perform my roles as daughter and sister as well as niece, cousin, and friend.”

  “But there is a truth to such roles,” Darcy retorted, his lips twitching with the pleasure that accompanied refuting her claim with one
of his own. “The actor who dons a smock and frolics about the stage becomes what he is not while you are you no matter if you are with friends or family. There is an element in each role you portray that is real. Your lines are not scripted nor are your emotions contrived.”

  “Well said,” Mr. Bennet agreed.

  “Perhaps.” Elizabeth motioned to the dancers. The sparkling in her eyes had ignited into a spark, steady and sure. “Do you suppose that all of the ladies and gentlemen in attendance are presenting themselves as they truly are? How much of the genuine person is on display, and how much is hidden? Will the lady who fears to have it known that she enjoys studying the stars rather than Mr. Ackermann’s drawings reveal herself as she is or as she is expected to be? Will she enter into a conversation with quickness or will she defer? Will she appear to be happily amused by a gentleman’s conversation about trivial matters or will she interject a subject of substance?”

  She shifted a step away from her father and closer to him as she immersed herself completely in her thoughts.

  “And what of the gentleman with an estate that is ailing and in need of propping up? Will he not hide the true state of his affairs? Will he pursue where his bank accounts lead, or will he chase after his heart?” She shook her head. “It is as the bard said. We are all players on this great stage of life.”

  “That is also well stated,” Mr. Bennet agreed. “And I would add one additional thought. Is it not possible that the fellow who prances about a stage in tunic and tights finds a bit of himself in the role he portrays? Might he not find himself comparing his own character to the part he plays?”

  Darcy looked from daughter to father and back. Their brows were furrowed in thought in an almost identical fashion while their eyes held no censure but only genuine curiosity – the sign of a quick and hungry mind.

  “I will grant you may both be correct,” he said. “There are, no doubt, many in attendance who are very unlike who they truly are. Some will have noble reasons for their performance while others seek nothing more than amusement and sport.” He paused. “I must admit that I am not at ease enough in a crowd such as this to always act as I am. As much as I say I despise disguise, I find I am often hiding myself behind an austere mien.”

  “I had not meant to rebuke,” Elizabeth said quickly.

  “No, I do not believe you were,” he assured her. “I am merely extending your suppositions and examining them closely, and as I do so, I find I must consider myself just as you considered your roles as sister, daughter, cousin, niece, and friend. However, in doing so, I find that my original rebuttal remains true. I am not given to frivolity. I tend to be more serious in nature. These things become part of the disguise but remain true to who I am. For another who gads about glibly, one might find that such a one is naturally more free-spirited, and therefore, when he presents himself, his exuberance is merely an extension of his true identity.” He shrugged. “The same can be said for character flaws, I suppose. A person given to cheerfulness, who is at ease in many situations and is never at a loss for words, might, when he allows such traits to grow beyond their bounds, become a fellow who seeks to gain favour and even wealth through charmingly teasing words that entice and deceive.” He spoke, of course, of Wickham, and from the way, Elizabeth’s gaze fell, he suspected she knew it. So, he continued. “And a gentleman such as myself, who is adept at seeing flaws in need of addressing, might become cantankerous and rude, and in doing so, cause hurt through disparagement, for he can only see the unpleasant corner of the stage in which he finds himself rather than the entirety of the theatre.”

  “And a gentleman who is rarely rattled by anything might become indifferent to those things which should stir him to action,” Mr. Bennet added.

  “Papa,” Elizabeth chided in a whispered.

  “No, my dear, it is true. And I will add that a lady, whose mind is quick and ready to debate in a moment, might use such talent to create swords that can cut and pierce even her own heart and mind, blinding her to the truth.”

  Elizabeth’s head dipped, and her cheeks grew rosy.

  “Ah, my Lizzy,” her father said, taking her hand. “Realizing folly is the first step in preventing any further foolishness and in finding wisdom, and…” He winked at her when she finally looked at him, an action that caused Darcy to smile unwittingly. “I declare, I have never had such a pleasant time at a ball. Not once have either of you spoken of lace or feathers. And for that, I am immeasurably grateful.”

  “Indeed,” Darcy muttered.

  “Not a favourite topic of discourse for you either, is it?” Mr. Bennet said with a chuckle.

  “It most decidedly is not,” Darcy replied.

  Mr. Bennet chuckled once again. “Then allow me to conclude our discussion as it appears the next set is forming, and I shall not return to my wife with the news that her daughter did not dance at least once at this ball.” Again, he winked at Elizabeth, who shook her head and smiled. “There is truth in both positions. One is not right and the other, wrong. In fact, they work best together. Now.” He gave her hand one more squeeze before lifting it in Darcy’s direction. “I shall leave you youngsters to the dancing and find myself a glass of something refreshing.”

  He lifted a brow while amusement shone in his eyes. “However, I will not be far away. There shall be no absconding or other such mischiefs. I think we have had our fill for one night.”

  “I believe you are correct,” Darcy assured him before escorting Elizabeth onto the dance floor.

  “I must thank you,” Elizabeth said as they made their way to where a circle of dancers was forming for a cotillion. “What you have done for my sister is quite lovely.”

  Darcy drew her to a stop just before they reached their places. “I did not do it only for her.”

  “You did not?”

  Her eyes were wide in astonishment.

  “No,” he replied with a smile, “my motives were more self-serving than that.”

  She blinked and looked at him with what he thought might be the most charming expression of confusion he had ever seen. Silently, she allowed him to bring her to their place in the circle. He looked around the group and then back at Elizabeth. He bowed as she curtseyed. They spoke not a word throughout the first half of the dance. Then, in the second half, when they joined hands and circled together, he pitched his tone low and spoke so that hopefully only she would hear. “I wished for my friend and your sister to be happy, this is true. I would do most anything to ensure Bingley is happy, even if it meant my own misery, which I was certain it did.”

  “I do not understand,” she said as they parted once again.

  “I will explain, but not here,” he replied as they joined hands again. He wanted to pull her from the dance floor, through the side door, and to some secluded alcove so that they might talk in private, but he had promised Mr. Bennet he would not. Therefore, they would have to pass the dance with broken conversation about something trivial such as the weather or, he smiled, books.

  “Talking of books while dancing, Mr. Darcy?” She playfully chided him as they left the dance floor.

  “Too mundane?” He queried in reply. “Would you rather canvas the weather or the flower arrangements?”

  She giggled. “I did not know you could tease, sir. In fact, I was led to believe that teasing was beneath you.”

  “Miss Bingley does not know me so well as she thinks she does,” he replied. “I enjoy a small amount of teasing. I cannot say that it is a staple in my conversation, but I have had a most excellent teacher. My cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, is proficient in the art. I think you and he will enjoy each other’s company.”

  “He seems very pleasant,” Elizabeth replied.

  “Mr. Bennet, might I have permission to take your daughter for a stroll in the hall?” Darcy asked as they joined her father. “I believe I know of a comfortable chair where you might enjoy a few moments of relaxation and solitude and yet be able to see the length of the hall in both directions.”


  “I would like nothing better than a few quiet moments in which I could rest my feet.” He waved his hand, indicating Darcy should lead on, which Darcy did with gladness.

  “You did not ask if I had a partner for this dance,” Elizabeth said as they reached the door.

  “I beg your pardon,” Darcy replied. “Have I caused another gentleman to be left standing?”

  “No,” Elizabeth admitted, “but that does not mean you should not have asked.” Her lips curled upward, and one brow was arched with an impertinent air.

  “Forgive me. I was in error.”

  “I doubt very much that Mr. Darcy cares two figs if another gentleman was left standing instead of dancing with you.” Mr. Bennet winked at her gasp before looking this way and that and spying a chair. “That should do quite nicely,” he said with a tip of his head in the direction of the chair. “We are spending a week in town,” he informed Darcy before he turned to go take a seat. “If I stay longer, my wife will likely fabricate some reason to join us, and then, I shall never see the inside of my book room until a month has passed and my bank account has felt the adventure most severely.” He winked once again and left them alone.

  “Then, I shall be returning to Netherfield within a week,” Darcy said to the back of the man.

  “Very good,” Mr. Bennet replied without a look backward. “My wife shall be delighted.”

  “Will you be pleased if I return to Netherfield?” Darcy asked as he and Elizabeth began their stroll.

  “Mr. Bingley will accompany you, will he not?”

  His brows furrowed slightly at her response. “Yes, but I was inquiring about if you would be pleased if I returned to Netherfield. Bingley could return without me. It would not be ideal, but it is not outside of the realm of possibilities.”

  “Will his sisters be joining him?” Elizabeth asked.

  Darcy shook his head. “I am not certain, but it seems Miss Bingley will likely need to remain in town.” He stopped walking. “Unless Sir Matthew wishes to join our party. I shall have to discuss that with Bingley.”