Page 90 of The Crown’s Gift

Darcy stepped forward. "Miss Bingley, I also owe you an apology. I knew what you hoped and chose silence because it spared me discomfort. I should have told you plainly."

Caroline stared at him. Pride battled humiliation, then yielded to a weary nod.

"I would have hated you for saying it."

"Perhaps."

"I hate you somewhat now."

"That is fair."

Lady Bennet, who had endured more quiet emotion than nature intended, rang for tea.

Caroline stayed through dinner. She did not become transformed. She corrected Lydia's pronunciation once, asked three questions about Pemberley's guest rooms, and flinched when Darcy used Elizabeth's name. But she praised Mary's music without comparison to Georgiana and asked Kitty to show her sketches.

At the end of the evening, Jane invited her to the wedding.

"I will come," Caroline said.

Bingley escorted his sister to the carriage. Before she entered, she touched his arm.

"I believed I was protecting you."

"I know."

"You would have married her without me."

"Yes."

Caroline looked toward the lit windows where Jane stood with Elizabeth. "That is why I stopped trying."

She kissed his cheek and left.

Inside, Darcy found Elizabeth near the fireplace.

"You offered her a path back," he said.

"Jane did."

"At your urging."

"Do not make me too virtuous. I also wished to see whether she would take it."

"And if she had not?"

"We would have locked the teaspoons."

Darcy smiled and raised her hand to his lips. "Pemberley will be safe under your governance."

"Our governance," she corrected.

His eyes warmed. "Our governance."

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The Terms of Happiness

Darcy's solicitor arrived with a settlement draft thick enough to stun a pheasant.