Page 115 of Friendship and Forgiveness
“Oh, I’m sure I was always in love with her. I just hadn’t realized it until I saw her again at the assembly that night.”
“That simple?” Darcy asked.
“Well, what more do you expect? I might not be as simple of a soldierly man as Colonel Fitzwilliam,” Bingley laughed and shoved the officer in the shoulder as he said that, “but Jane has always been my dearest friend, and I could not imagine being happier than I am now that we are married. So yes. That simple.”
Darcy took his turn again, and this time he made a perfect shot.
He handed the cue back to Colonel Fitzwilliam, who only made a mediocre shot. A small smile started to cross Darcy’s face.Come on, continue to leave me opportunities.
“I still think,” Bingley added as he watched Colonel Fitzwilliam line up his next shot, “that it would have been great fun for all involved if you two did a double wedding.”
Darcy winced at the thought.
“No chance,” Richard said, as he grimaced at the billiard table. This time he’d simply missed. “No chance of Darcy doing that. He’s made great progress in this whole ‘cultivating forgiveness’ mission which Elizabeth set for him, but there are limits.”
“There certainly are,” Darcy replied with a growl. And almost without thought he nailed a difficult shot that scored three points.
“And see now what you’ve done?” Colonel Fitzwilliam said. “He plays best when he is annoyed. He’s been thinking all night about Miss Elizabeth, so he hasn’t been able to hit the ball right to save his life. Andnowthanks to you, he made that shot. I don’t even know how he got all three balls into the pocket, and I watched him do it.”
Bingley laughed. “Blamingmenow?”
“I certainly shall. But watch.” Colonel Fitzwilliam lined up, shot, and frowned. “That did not put the game away.”
“Still, would it not have been more convenient for your families? And you and Lizzy are going to go to London for just a week as a honeymoon, before coming back to Netherfield for the second wedding, and—”
“Do you mean to say,” Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed, “that you would prefer if you had your house to yourself?”
“What? No!” Bingley waved his hands wildly. “I love all company. All of it. Do not mind any of you being here at all. Stay a decade. Two even. Not a problem forme.”
Another turn and they had nearly reached the end of the game, and Darcy decided that he would go to sleep and dream of Elizabeth after it was over rather than playing another round with his cousin and Bingley.
He felt deep in his bones, every time he thought about it, that he was completely and utterly happy.
And tomorrow he was to embark upon the happiest period of his life with Elizabeth as his wife. God had been very good to him.
Darcy took his shot. The ball bounced one ball into the pocket, but didn’t quite hit the other right, and it landed sitting next to the pocket.
Darcy frowned.
This left enough room for Colonel Fitzwilliam to make up points to win without any spectacular play on his last shot.
His cousin was winding up for the last shot, and if he made it, despite Darcy’s good play over the last few turns, he’d win the game.
Suddenly an idea occurred to Darcy.
With a smile, Darcy turned to Bingley. “Eh, Bingley, would you poke my cousin for me? As he takes the shot.”
“What!” Colonel Fitzwilliam exclaimed, as Bingley started laughing.
“I thought I might myself begin to experiment with unconventional stratagems. I merely am following the sterling example of my older cousin.”
“Uh-huh. Of course you are.”
“Well, Bingley?” Darcy asked again.
Bingley stretched his palms and wriggled his fingers.
“Excellent. Richard, it is time to discover ifyouare immune to unconventional stratagems.”
