“Reading in the library, Darcy? How unoriginal!”
Jane glanced at Bingley and laughed to herself. She loved his teasing manner with his friends and how easily they bore it.
Lizzy, of course, laughed aloud—that is, until she caught Mr. Darcy's eye, and then she looked embarrassed, but also pleased, happy even. They were sat rather close, those two, and Jane began to wonder. In fact, Jane was so distracted by Lizzy's manner with Mr. Darcy that she did not catch whatever it was that Charles next said to his friend—something about letters, she thought.
“What, have you put your guest to work?” Mr. Darcy said in reply. “Miss Bennet wrote your letters for you? I can imagine no other way in which they would be completed both quickly and legibly.”
Lizzy looked at her in enquiry and then in delighted surprise. Jane was sure the matter was plain on her face. She had rarely been able to hide anything from Lizzy, not that she often wished to do so. Beside her, she heard Charles huff in annoyance as Mr. Darcy continued to await his answer.
Lizzy laughed and turned to Mr. Darcy. “'Tact', my dear Darcy,” she said, “is a small but invaluable word.”
Jane was not certain how tactful it had been for Lizzy to have spoken so.
Mr. Darcy did not seem to mind it, however. “Such as 'love'?” he asked Lizzy, leaning towards her. “Or 'kiss'?”
Jane heard that last part, though Mr. Darcy had whispered it. She stared as her thoughts spun. Mr. Darcy? But...but....Was Mr. Darcy going to kiss Lizzy? Lizzy? In front of them all? And Lizzy had spoken so affectionately to him! Flustered, she turned away to find Charles's face very close to hers. “Come,” he said quietly. “Let us leave my impudent friend to your impertinent sister.” He grinned widely as he led her from the room and into another, and she followed, hardly knowing what she did.
“Charles,” she said when they were alone in the drawing-room, without knowing what she meant to say next. He gave her a surprised, searching look, and she covered her mouth as she realised she had called him Charles and not Mr Bingley!
“Yes, Jane?” Charles said with warmth and a touch of amusement in his voice.
Jane was certain her heart had never felt as full. “I am so...happy!” she whispered between her fingers. 'Because of you,' she did not say but willed him to understand. She felt slow tongued and dull witted. Why could she think of nothing brilliant, nothing clever to say at this moment?
Just as she decided to make use of the uninspired phrase that had come to her, Charles startled her by kneeling.
After that, not much conversation was exchanged beyond a few crucial phrases (“hand in marriage” and “oh yes” among them), but Jane managed nonetheless to communicate her sentiments to Mr. Bingley.
Somewhere through the haze of delectable feeling floating about Jane's conscionsness came the notion that Mr. Darcy had been quite right. 'Kiss' was indeed one of those small but invaluable words.
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