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"Oh, Mr. Darcy, you must help us." Miss Bingley stated as she swept into the room, Mrs. Hurst following in her wake as usual.
"Yes, Mr. Darcy. We desperately need your assistance," Mrs. Hurst said in support of her sister. Not that Darcy would have expected anything else from the peacock's parrot. Darcy shook his head. Peacock was the wrong gender. Miss Bingley would be a peahen. The hens still had feathered head crests so it fit. At least he believed so. He would have to look that up once he returned to London and had access to his library.
Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst were both frowning. He realized he was still shaking his head, which they took for him declining their pleas instead of being lost in his own thoughts. Darcy gave himself a mental pinch. He knew better than to lose focus around Caroline Bingley. Who knew what expectations he might raise by a nod at the wrong moment to one of her ridiculous statements. He firmly forced his attention back to the conversation.
"Pardon me, ladies. I was considering a piece of business and not properly attending." That the business resembled Miss Elizabeth Bennet's fine eyes and atrocious family, he would not say. "Perhaps you might tell me what help you might need?"
The ladies took seats near his chair and Darcy retook his own seat, giving them his attention.
"We need your help in rescuing my brother from those horrendous Bennets," Miss Bingley explained. Darcy frowned. It was one thing for him to think about Eli-- Miss Elizabeth's family in an honest, even if somewhat negative, manner. It was entirely another for someone of Miss Bingley's status to continually disparage those who ranked above her.
While he had never complained before of Miss Bingley's negativity --to her face at least-- he was sorely tempted to do so now. Instead he opted, as usual, to try and ignore or redirect the most obnoxious things that came out of her mouth. "Your brother departed for London this morning," he reminded her.
"We intend to follow Charles and see that he remains there," Miss Bingley stated. "Louisa and I hope you will join your voice to ours to convince my brother to give up this backwater place permanently."
Darcy thought it was ridiculous to give up a place one had let for a year less than a quarter into the lease. Still, if there were any eligible purchase offers, Netherfield needn't be a total loss. Though he was tempted to say it was a fine estate, suitable for a man in Bingley's position, he knew separating Bingley from his latest angel would be far easier to accomplish with that angel out of sight. Darcy had never complained before about Bingley's propensity to jump from one unsuitable woman to another. He was not about to start now. Especially when convincing Bingley of Miss Bennet's unsuitability gave Darcy a ready excuse to escape the fine eyes of his own unsuitable attraction and Elizabeth's preposterous family.
"Yes, Miss Bingley. Yes, Mrs. Hurst. I will help you." After all, he'd never complained before about being of service to a friend. There was no reason to start now.