Chances Come, Ney Mitch [snow like ashes series TXT] 📗

instead can become of what are you going to do?” Richard asked him. “Are you going to dissuade me from feeling for Miss Bennet because of Bingley? Mind you, Bingley did choose to abandon all pursuits of her.”

“He did so under my instruction.”

“He is a grown man, responsible for his own actions.”

“But what of you, Richard? You do need to marry an heiress to maintain your level of life.”

“And how many of those women are going to choose me? Look at me. I am hardly the ideal candidate for her. I am a second son; I inherit little to nothing, have to work for a living, and am not as handsome as other men.”

“Attractiveness is a subjective thing. And consider that Jane herself does not come with much. Therefore, she must marry a man with a fortune of his own, to support her. It is very easy to see her serene nature and assume that she would be happy with simple lodgings, but would she? And consider your family. Would Lord Fitzwilliam be happy with you choosing a woman who does not bring wealth with her? They would not make it so easy for you.”

“And how is that different than you, Darcy? You are willing to face Lady Catherine’s displeasure for Miss Elizabeth. How can you dissuade me from her sister?”

“Because I have the money to support Elizabeth.”

Richard looked down at the floor and Darcy immediately felt embarrassed and ashamed.

“Richard, I am sorry,” Darcy apologized. “I did not mean to wound you at all. I feel terrible that I even have to speak to you in this way.”

“Yes, it is very hard to hear it. And I cannot help but wonder how, the way that you are advising me now, is the way that you advised Bingley.”

“The pattern is not lost on me either,” Darcy admitted. “But with Bingley, I encouraged him to abandon Miss Bennet because I believed her to be indifferent to him.”

“You did?”

“Yes. She did not bestow any peculiar regard for him, but time has helped me realize that she was merely demure. And the serenity of her countenance did not show that underneath, she perhaps was a woman who felt more deeply for things than I had believed. And seeing her here today, her character is greatly improved. With her, I just needed time. Also, Richard, you have to consider the main impediment: I know that she is in love with another man.”

“A man who abandoned her.”

“A man who I recently arranged to have her see again. Bingley is going to be at Sir Aleck’s ball. Elizabeth and I have both looked forward to bringing them together again.”

“And now, here I am, being a nuisance.”

“And so I ask you again, what are you going to do?”

Richard took another glass of scotch.

“I suppose I have to entertain the fact that I just met her, and perhaps, I am letting my emotions get too far away from me. And, on both sides, it is a most imprudent match. I cannot guarantee her a comfortable home where she shall want for nothing. She cannot bring to me a dowry that will allow me to support her.”

“Yes. I do not wish it were so, but yes, it is. And again, her heart is occupied.”

“And I was not finished. I agree that you are correct, and that I should proceed with caution. And I do respect Bingley, for he is a pleasant man. However, he did choose to not consider her for a wife, therefore, due to disloyalty on his part, I will not care for his feelings. I will see how time shall have everything unfold. Perhaps, my feelings were the work of a moment. Perhaps, Miss Bennet does not care for Mr. Bingley any longer.”

“There are many ‘perhaps’ in that monologue.”

“As there has a right to be. Compile them all with perhaps if I develop a means for how to support Miss Bennet and she and I do develop feelings for each other… then perhaps, all shall fall into its place without any confusion and conflict occurring on any side. Yet, this is the only promise that I shall give: if I continue to feel for her, then I shall only abandon all hope if I discover that she still prefers Mr. Bingley to any other man. If she still loves him, then I shall walk away and be a gentleman about it.”

Darcy sighed, for this was the perfect mode of thinking.

“Richard, that is precisely fine. While I know that Bingley still feels for her, I shall not let my loyalty to him keep me from letting you feel as you feel. Yet, I ask now, for permission to tell Miss Elizabeth about this.”

“Why? She will tell Miss Bennet!”

“She clearly has not told Jane about how I separated Bingley from her. Elizabeth knows how to keep a secret if I ask it of her.”

“You just wish for that because you know that it shall make you and her closer to each other.”

“No, it is because I am in love with her, and she has a right to know that my cousin is possibly entertaining romantic designs on her sister. I have made mistakes by concealing things from her, and that led to me leaving her in awkward situations. How can she love me if she cannot trust me?”

Richard considered this and saw the logic of it all.

“Besides,” Darcy continued, “if I tell her, in strict confidence, then she may be willing to help me understand Miss Bennet’s feelings. Maybe Miss Bennet has changed and is not as in love with Bingley as she was before. Maybe Lizzy could help us.”

“You call her Lizzy already?”

“It was a slip of the tongue.”

“Very well. You may tell Miss Elizabeth. In the meantime, I shall be as I am. I shall still enjoy Miss Bennet’s company, nor will I remove myself from her society. And time will tell how things ought to be.”

“I respect that.”

Richard stood up, straightening his jacket.

“I wish to