Her delighted, delightful smile makes my effort worthwhile. She fastens the earring to her right lobe, which, at least in my imagination, begs to be nibbled upon by my teeth. I am lost in the reverie and hardly attending as Elizabeth thanks me, again and again, for fetching the item. Wait. That is not the only assistance of which she is speaking. Oh, please, dear Lord, tell me she is not acknowledging that which I dread!

“… for your unexampled kindness to my poor sister. Ever since I have known it, I have been most anxious to acknowledge to you how gratefully I feel it. Were it known to the rest of the family, I should not have merely my own gratitude to express.”

Oh, God! She does know! Elizabeth was never supposed to discover my spur-galled interference. Having previously intervened in her elder sister’s attachment to my friend, I am well aware of her objection to such a violation. Yet I have been caught meddling once again, this time in her youngest sister’s attachment to a former friend. Hold your horses, Darcy. She is not voicing an objection; she is expressing her thanks.

I rake fingers through my hair, silently groan, and start pacing. One glance at her face confirms the suspicion I have held all night. She is embarrassed. Undoubtedly, Elizabeth considers herself deeply and hopelessly in my debt. I preserved the Bennet family’s reputation for her, and perhaps my own, future happiness. It was never meant to make her feel beholden to me. Gah! Why can I do nothing right when it comes to Miss Elizabeth Bennet? I am such a vainglorious yet idle-headed hedge-pig!