“It is one of many ideas, Caroline. My wife and I are not certain which path we will take, although I know my Jane would like to be close to Lizzy, especially now.” Jane smiled sweetly at her husband.

“Jane,” Caroline continued, “would you not miss your parents if you moved away?”

“Yes, of course, and that is why we are not wishing to rush into a permanent decision.”

“How is your family, Mrs. Darcy? Your mother and father are in good health?”

“They are quite well, thank you.”

“And your youngest sister? How are she and her… husband faring in… Newcastle, was it not?” Caroline asked with a smirk and slight emphasis on husband.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the table, as Lizzy reached to lightly caress Darcy's hand where it lay on the table. Smiling innocently, she replied, “They are also well, Miss Bingley. Your kindness in inquiring after my family touches my heart. Of course, in an obliquitous way they are also your family, so I suppose it is natural that their well-being would be of your concern.”

Caroline blanched and Jane hid a smile in her napkin. Darcy nudged Lizzy with his knee and took a quick bite of bread to hide his smile. Caroline remained quiet for a time while the conversation varied. She lost count of the number of times Darcy and the upstart shared a tender glance or sly touch. He appeared to observe her every bite with the utmost interest, to Caroline's bafflement. Once, when Elizabeth brought her napkin to her mouth and bowed her head briefly, he rapidly leaned in and whispered something with an expression of deep concern which only cleared when Elizabeth shook her head negatively. Then, to Caroline's shocked irritation, he actually bestowed a brushing kiss to her temple. Poor man, she thought, his hideous bewitchment seems to have overtaken him.

The rather tragic truth is that Caroline Bingley simply could not fathom the concept of love. It was one thing to see her naïve brother fawn over his pretty but brainless wife; Caroline was accustomed to watching him make a fool of himself over a pretty girl. The fact that he had married this one was embarrassing, but she did not conceive of his emotions as being any different than all the others he had been infatuated with. It was not that Caroline did not care for her brother; she did. Nonetheless, she deemed him shallow and moronic; thus, it would never occur to her to entertain the concept of him truly being in deep anything, let alone love.

Mr. Darcy was an entirely different matter. Frankly, as fortuitous as she had considered it for her future, Caroline could never reason why Mr. Darcy was friendly with her brother. Charles, God love him, is such a simpleton, she would think to herself, so how can an intelligent man like Mr. Darcy be his friend? Despite the puzzle of the question, Caroline had given it little contemplation. The advantage was all hers, and to her delight, she knew her close proximity over the past several years to one of the most eligible bachelors in England had been the fount of wild envy among three-quarters of the ton. She had seen Mr. Darcy as the perfect catch, and not only because of the size of his pocketbook. Darcy would be flabbergasted, but the fact is that his cool, aloof demeanor as a result of his shyness and disdain for the foolishness and falseness of society had translated to Caroline as superiority of character. Caroline looked down her nose at everyone, was cruel and snide, haughty and arrogant in the extreme. Lizzy was not the first to interpret Mr. Darcy's past behavior in this light. So, Caroline figured they were two of a similar kind.

Even now, witnessing his happiness, devotion, playfulness, and joviality, she did not evaluate it correctly. In her eyes, he was enchanted, which to a degree was true, but she assumed it was in a negative way. In a twisted bit of logic, she reckoned it her duty to point out his error and ridiculousness before he made a bigger fool of himself before all of society. Simply put, Caroline was ragingly jealous and her pride seriously wounded. One would sympathize if there had ever been the slightest hint of love involved in her pursuit of Mr. Darcy, but since it had always been mercenary in nature, sympathy was impossible.

“Mrs. Darcy,” she inquired sweetly, “how are you finding Pemberley? I have always regarded it the most splendid manor in all of England, do you not agree?”

“I do not believe I could assert that fact with any confidence, as I have personally seen very few of the vast number of houses in all of England. However, I concur that it is splendid.”

“Have you made many changes as Mistress? Redecorated and reorganized? Pemberley has long been without a woman's touch, no offense intended, Mr. Darcy, so I imagine there were numerous areas to address.”

“You would be mistaken, Miss Bingley. Pemberley has been excellently managed by my husband and a superb staff. I have seen no need to change anything. Learning where everything is has taken me most of the past six months,” she completed with a laugh.

Darcy smiled. “My wife is jesting, of course. Within a month she had mapped the entire estate, out buildings as well. She employs her boundless energy and superior intellect and has assumed most of Mrs. Reynolds's duties. I am quite proud of her.” Lizzy blushed prettily and Darcy kissed her hand.

Caroline would not let the subject rest. “Most impressive,” she murmured, “I suppose redecorating has consumed much of your time as well?”

“Not really. My private parlor was the only room requiring extensive renovation, having sadly sat vacant for so many years. We did rearrange our private sitting room, but that has been all. William's mother and other ancestors had amazing taste. I see no reason to change a thing.”

Caroline was shocked, on several counts. The “our private sitting room” frankly baffled her, as she had never heard of such a thing. “Certainly the esteemed departed Mrs. Darcy did have excellent taste, but styles do change. Surely you must recognize the expectation to modernize and, of course, to compliment your own personality. As Mistress it is essential for you to place your distinctive flavor to your home, Mrs. Darcy. Has no one informed you of this necessity?”

Darcy was scowling and opened his mouth to speak, but Lizzy squeezed his knee and replied with a shrug. “Fashion and trends are fickle, Miss Bingley, whereas elegance, refinement, and graceful aestheticism are timeless. Pemberley boasts the latter in all aspects. Modernizing for the sake of convenience and comfort is legitimate, but to constantly revamp in a vain attempt to chase the whimsy of fads is nonsensical. My ego does not require such superficial blandishments.”

Darcy's face had relaxed into its usual serious pose, but inwardly he was jubilant with pride. Caroline was at a loss. She recognized that she had just been insulted but could not readily think how to respond. Fortunately for all, the conversation turned to the planned shopping expeditions for later in the week; Kitty was especially all fluttery at the prospect, having never shopped in Town. A couple of references to baby furniture and clothing were made, but Caroline was so caught up in her own thoughts that she did not note them.

The meal ended without further mishap, everyone in the party retiring to the music room. Georgiana and Mary played a couple of duets they had been practicing, Mary displaying an increased aptitude under Georgiana's gentle instruction. The ladies each sang a couple of songs. Caroline chose a particularly romantic ballad, performed brilliantly as she did possess a stunning alto; however, as her eyes alit on Darcy a great portion of the time, it was uncomfortable for all. Darcy's face was a mask of dark disapproval, fingers warm and tense on the nape of Lizzy's neck. Bingley quickly challenged Darcy to a game of chess, breaking up the musical entertainment session.

Mary, Georgiana, and Kitty continued to play and sing softly in the background while Jane, Lizzy, and Caroline sat on the settees and drank tea.

“Do you have any idea what Mr. Darcy has planned for you tomorrow Lizzy?” Jane asked.

“Not one iota. He has been immeasurably secretive about the affair and rather smug about it all to boot. All I know for certain is that we are dining with Lord and Lady Matlock, but I have no clue as to whether they even know it is my birthday.”

“Tomorrow is your birthday? How lovely,” Caroline murmured. “Mr. Darcy has planned a surprise, I take it?”

Lizzy laughed. “Oh yes! I joked when I surprised him on his birthday November last that he had six months to plan my surprise and I rather think he took me at my word! He has been scribbling notes and sending couriers hither and yon, asking me all sorts of innocent questions about previous trips to London.” Lizzy shook her head and glanced fondly at her spouse, currently scowling in concentration at the chess table before him.

Caroline felt ill. “You have become well acquainted with Lord and Lady Matlock, Mrs. Darcy?”

“Yes. They live quite close to Pemberley, as I am sure you know. They spent Christmas with us, along with Colonel Fitzwilliam, and we dined with them frequently over the winter and spring. Have you been so fortunate as to make their acquaintance, Miss Bingley?” Lizzy did not mention how attentive Lady Matlock had been during her recovery, nor the role Lord Matlock played in the Orman fiasco. These were painful topics and she did not wish to discuss them with Caroline.

“At a few social gatherings, yes. Has the breach been healed with Lady Catherine?”

Jane inhaled sharply and Lizzy's smile froze. After an uncomfortable pause: “This is a private matter, Miss Bingley. It would be best not to pursue.”