Mr. Bingley’s candor was as false as his sister’s, only he was much better at it. Perhaps he really did like her. Perhaps he was simply oblivious to how his actions affected her, in which case he was an inconsiderate man with little honor, playing with women’s hearts as he did. She pulled her arm in tight to her body and scooted to the far edge of her seat. She would not be anyone’s play thing. She may be good, but she was not stupid, and she would not be played a fool. Again.

~

Bingley called on Jane at the Gardiners’ home in a few days. He was as attentive as ever, but she was more reserved. She was polite and kind, according to her nature, but she offered him no encouragement. He could not really blame her. His actions had certainly been confusing.

And he would have been discouraged if it weren’t for the telltale blush that rushed onto her cheeks when he kissed her hand after their first meeting. Or the way she stammered when he helped her with her shawl before a walk in the park at his second call, or the gooseflesh that had leapt onto her bare arms when he danced with her at a ball. So he continued to call, hoping to soften her regard.

Meanwhile, Caroline was being insufferable, as she nearly always was. They could be pleasant together, but there was a reason he kept his own rooms instead of living with his siblings. He had a meeting with his solicitor to assess the state of Caroline’s dowry and go over the conditions in his father’s will. The only stipulation for its release seemed to be Charles’s approval of the husband. If he were not available, it fell to an uncle.

This knowledge in mind, he decided to begin his own search for Caroline’s husband. She was a year older than him, making her nearly four and twenty. He thought it wasn’t presumptuous of him to think she had better get to it quickly before she was considered on the shelf. He also thought his chances were better at getting a certain woman to want to marry him if he could promise his sister would not be living with them.

This decisiveness was a bit new for him; he usually talked everything over with a trusted friend like Darcy before making any decisions— he was more like a big brother, really. But Darcy had been preoccupied of late. They had spent little time together before Darcy was due to leave for Kent and instead of waiting around, Bingley thought he would try his hand at figuring out what to do with his sister. He would consult with others before making any drastic decisions, probably Darcy and his uncle in Scarborough, but he had just turned twenty-three; surely it was time to do some things on his own?