by Anna Harlow
“Oh, Lizzy, don’t be so cold,” she snapped. “Of course I also want to know if the gentleman is amiable and handsome. I do care about the happiness of my girls. I just wish for each of you to be happy with a man of good fortune, for with so little dowry for each of you, the only way your futures can possibly be secure is for you to marry well. It is fortunate that Mr. Collins wishes to marry one of you, but that will hardly help the rest to secure a good match. A young man of good fortune coming into the neighborhood can only mean a chance that one of you will soon be happily married to him.”
“I notice that Lizzy tells you nothing of Mr. Bingley’s friend,” said Jane, smirking. “For not just one gentleman has come, Mama, but two.”
“Yes, and they are both exceptionally handsome men,” added Lydia, practically beaming. “Too bad I am the youngest daughter, for surely such a proper pair will not think to overlook the elder daughters if they decide to make anyone an offer.”
“Another gentleman, you say?” she asked, her tone growing more excited now. “I shall ask Lady Lucas all about him, too.”
At Lucas Lodge, Mrs. Bennet did indeed ask many questions of Sir William and Lady Lucas about their new neighbors. Lady Lucas was just as excited to tell her as Mrs. Bennet was to listen, and so the pair prattled on for most of the evening.
“So you say that Bingley makes five thousand a year?” she asked excitedly. “What a wonderful thing for our girls!”
“How so?” asked Mr. Bennet, one brow raised. “How can that affect them?”
“Oh, Mr. Bennet, you must know I’m thinking of his marrying one of them,” she insisted. “For a single young man of good fortune coming to our neighborhood must be in want of a wife, and who better than one of our daughters to fit the bill?”
“I hope you include my Charlotte as one of that number,” Lady Lucas commented. “For she is the eldest unwed girl of them all. Surely she must set her cap at one of the two gentlemen if she does not wish to end an old maid.”
“But we all know it is not I that the men will notice,” Charlotte scoffed. “Not when we have a young woman in Meryton as beautiful as Jane. Bingley shall most certainly find favor with her.”
“Then you shall have to concentrate on Mr. Darcy,” her mother replied. “For he makes twice as much money as Mr. Bingley—ten thousand a year at the very least.”
“Forgive me, my dears, but you would be wasting your time on that gentleman,” Mr. Collins interjected. “I have heard from my esteemed patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, that Mr. Darcy is intended to marry her only daughter, Anne.”
“Mr. Darcy is engaged?” Elizabeth asked, feeling her disappointment quite sharply.
“It is a peculiar engagement, for he has not actually made Miss Anne an offer,” Mr. Collins explained. “But when Anne was born, the two mothers put their heads together and agreed to a betrothal of sorts. It is the express wish of both mothers that a wedding between their children should occur, and as Mrs. Darcy died while birthing her daughter, Georgiana, nearly sixteen years ago, I am certain that it is a wish the gentleman will one day seek to honor.”
“Yet, if he is not engaged to her at present, there can be no reason for our girls not to try to catch his eye,” said Mrs. Bennet slyly. “A betrothal and an engagement are hardly the same thing.”
“I believe, madam, that should any of these girls procure him, that Lady Catherine would be most displeased,” he explained. “Pemberley estate is quite vast and will be in need of a mistress with the proper training. Miss Catherine has informed me that you did not employ a governess for any of the young ladies. It is certain that in this case, the proper training must be lacking for such a huge and formidable place.”
“I assure you, Mr. Collins, every effort was made by me to teach my daughters how to run an estate properly,” Mrs. Bennet scolded him. “You must remember, I may not be the daughter of a gentleman myself, but our mother did, indeed, hire a governess to see to my training, for she wanted me to marry well. And as you see, I did marry a gentleman myself.”
“I am certain Mr. Collins only wishes to caution you, Mrs. Bennet,” said Lady Lucas. “For all that you have trained them well, certainly they have not learned all the things that our governess has been explaining to the girls. You must not take offense at it, my dear.”
“And what has Charlotte learned that Lizzy has not?” Mrs. Bennet sniffed disdainfully. “I am quite certain I do not know.”
“May we change the subject, please?” asked Elizabeth, frowning. “I am certainly not going to throw my cap at any gentleman who is practically engaged and well above my station. I am somewhat incensed that the man would deign to tease me as he has done the last two times we have met if he is never to have any sort of interest in me.”
“Mr. Darcy has been teasing you, Lizzy?” asked Mr. Bennet, frowning. “In what way teasing, my dear?”
“Nothing so bad, sir,” she said quickly. “Only telling me that I’m an angel who dropped out of the sky to visit him. It was quite silly, really.”
“It sounds to me like I should pay Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy a visit right away,” said Mr. Bennet as he sipped at his wine. “For if they are to have discourse with my daughters, then certainly it would lend an air of propriety if I made their acquaintance properly.”
“You are a good and circumspect father to think so, sir,” Mr. Collins complimented him. “I shall, of course, willingly come with you, since I have already made their acquaintance myself.”
“It won’t be necessary, sir,” Mr. Bennet told him. “You are in Meryton to woo my daughter Kitty, from what I can tell. Your place needs to be beside her.”
Mr. Collins smiled as he reached for Kitty’s hand and briefly gave it a squeeze. “Something tells me that Miss Catherine will not mind if I am only briefly away from her side.”
“I am sure, Papa, that parsons’ wives are meant to endure time apart from their husbands,” said Kitty circumspectly. “Surely he will need to pen his sermons and practice at his pulpit, without me attached to his arm.”
“She is quite right, cousin,” said Mr. Collins. “And I should like to speak with Mr. Darcy a little more. He is Lady Catherine’s nephew, after all.”
“Very well, we shall go tomorrow morning, first thing,” Mr. Bennet agreed.
“Jane, my father has said that you mentioned the ball next week to Mr. Bingley, and that he has petitioned to him for an invitation to attend. It was a very wise and very neighborly move. Not to mention with such a shortage of gentlemen for dancing, it shall be nice to know that two more ladies at least shall have partners at the event.”
“Indeed, I quite agree,” said Elizabeth. “I grow so tired of waiting in the wings. I do not believe I was meant to be such a wallflower when I am so very light on my feet.”
Maria chuckled. “Of course you are light on your feet, Lizzy. You barely stand at the height of my shoulder, and I am but fourteen.”
“You know perfectly well that isn’t what I mean,” Elizabeth scolded the girl.
“I wish I was old enough to go to the assembly ball,” she sighed wryly.
“We don’t need another young lady there,” Elizabeth complained. “If you were to go, I might never get to dance at all!”
“Don’t be silly, Lizzy,” said Jane. “You know that Mr. Darcy has suggested that the only reason he will be there is to see you again.”
“He did not say to see me, specifically,” Elizabeth protested, her cheeks flushing.
“No, but you know perfectly well that is exactly what he meant.”
“I am not convinced that a gentleman in such high standing would be interested in pleasing me,” she disagreed. “But if he should wish to dance, then, of course, I will oblige him.”
Chapter Five
Just as she expected, Kitty and Mr. Collins began the night by dancing with each other, and the gentleman barely left her sister’s side, only offering to dance with Elizabeth one time when he could see that she was growing bored of her
enforced wallflower status.
“You are indeed correct about the scarcity of gentlemen here, cousin. But I do wonder why Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley have not yet arrived to give you some relief.”
“Yes, I had hoped to see them well before now,” Elizabeth agreed, sighing. “I thank you, sir, for indulging me, but you must return to Kitty. She is even less patient about lacking a dance partner at a ball than I.”
“Quite right, my dear,” he agreed. “And I should not want to give anybody the wrong impression about which sister I am courting here.”
“Surely you have made it quite clear by now,” Elizabeth replied, smiling as Mr. Collins turned to wave at Kitty briefly during one of the steps that took the two of them apart. “Such attention as you pay her, nobody could possibly mistake.”
Mr. Collins blushed and giggled. “Yes, I do seem to wear my heart on my sleeve. But as to the gentlemen, when your father and I spoke to them they seemed most eager to attend. Mr. Bingley had just returned from fetching his sister, who took a hired chaise out of London and arrived only a couple hours before us. She came along with the other sister, Mrs. Hurst, and her husband, and I believe they intend to come as well.”
“That must be it, then.” Elizabeth chuckled. “The ladies are taking their time with their appearance. For I expect the pair of them to be quite fashionable.”
“And it appears you shall soon see,” said Mr. Collins as several new individuals entered the room and greeted Sir William, Bingley and Darcy chief among them. Elizabeth’s interest perked up immediately, and she smiled as their dance came to an end.
“You must excuse me, sir,” she said, unable to contain her happiness that Master Will had arrived at last. His eyes sought and held hers as she crossed the room and came to stand beside her mother and sisters.
“There you are, Lizzy,” said Mrs. Bennet. “I began to despair of you being here when I meet Mr. Bingley at last. Though, of course, I am certain he will favor Jane in any case. She is my prettiest daughter, after all. Get ready, my dears, Sir William is bringing the gentlemen over.”
“Mrs. Bennet, I understand that you have yet to meet the gentlemen of Netherfield,” he said, bowing slightly to her.
Curtseying, Mrs. Bennet replied, “Sir, it is very good to meet you at last. My daughters have gone on and on about you, Mr. Bingley, as well as your friend Mr. Darcy. I understand that you have met them already while they were on the way into Meryton.”
“Indeed, yes,” said Mr. Bingley. “It was your daughter, Jane, who told me of this little assembly. And, as promised, I have come to enjoy it. Miss Jane? If you are not otherwise engaged, may I solicit the next two dances?”
Jane blinked at his choice of words. “I am not engaged, sir,” she said in a tone that had much more meaning than something so trivial as two dances. Elizabeth was proud of her sister, for subtle nuances were not her specialty.
“Well then, that is very nice to see,” said Mrs. Bennet, smiling like a cat who had stolen some cream. “And you, Mr. Darcy? Will you not dance as well?”
Darcy looked at her as if she had just sprouted a pair of horns and a tail. “Thank you, madam, I rarely dance.”
Laying it on thicker still, Mrs. Bennet said, “Well then, sir, let this be one of the occasions, for you will seldom find young ladies who are more willing to dance. Allow me to suggest that my own daughters are quite skilled, and any one of them would make you a most excellent partner.”
She had not even finished speaking before Darcy’s face fell, and he turned and disappeared into the crowd as quickly as possible. Elizabeth frowned, for thanks to her mother the most eligible dance partner in the room had just been frightened away.
“Well, what a proud, disagreeable man!” Mrs. Bennet fumed. “What did he even come here for if not to dance, I’d like to know? He may be wealthier, but compared to Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy is nothing at all. Most ill-favored, indeed!”
“Mama, he will hear you!”
“Let him hear me, then,” she complained. “If I were you, Lizzy, I should not dance with the gentleman if he does ask you. Who does he think he is, to believe himself so far above his company?”
“It is of little consequence,” Elizabeth lied. “I think I shall go find Charlotte, Mama. She is certain to be in want of my company.”
“Yes, go and find your friend,” she snapped. “There’s no use standing around here without a dance partner to be had. As for me, I am going to dance with your father. At least he is not too proud for his own good!”
Elizabeth came across Charlotte in one of the alcoves, and immediately headed over to her.
“Lizzy, I didn’t know you were looking for me,” she said with a smile. “You look troubled. Whatever is the matter?”
“Mr. Darcy did not ask me to dance,” Elizabeth explained, sighing. “I believe it is my mother’s fault. She practically tried to force him to dance with one of her daughters.”
Before Charlotte even had a chance to reply, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy came into view. The two young ladies, seeing that they were in the middle of a private conversation, did their best to blend into the woodwork so as not to disturb them.
“Darcy, this stupid behavior has gone on long enough,” Bingley insisted. “We are at a ball, sir, the last thing you ought to be doing is standing around like this. I thought you came here to dance with Elizabeth Bennet.”
“I did,” he admitted, frowning. “But meeting her meddlesome matchmaker of a mother put me off it immediately. Did you not discern that woman’s nature yourself, sir? I’ll not be pressured into dancing attendance on her offspring in such a manner.”
“But what about Elizabeth, sir? It was not her mother who first gave you a notion about her. That, you did all on your own.”
“She is a beautiful young woman, but I shall not allow her to tempt me,” Darcy insisted. “I must think about the thing, Bingley. I do not know the girl, and for that matter I don’t know anyone in Meryton beyond my own party. And you know how uncomfortable I can be in a room filled with strangers. I never should have come here to begin with. I must meet new people in moderation, Bingley. You know it to be true.”
“If you were to dance and talk to people, they would no longer be strangers.”
“Go back to your partner and enjoy her smiles, Bingley,” Darcy told him. “You are wasting your time with me.”
When the two men moved away again, Elizabeth and Charlotte were quick to retreat to another hiding place. By the time they reached it, they were giggling.
“I cannot believe he said that about my mother!” Elizabeth gasped with her attempts to stifle her laughing. “I must own he is an excellent judge of character.”
“It was most wrong of him to speak that way,” said Charlotte, snorting and then covering her mouth quickly because of it. “But, Lizzy, believe me in this. Mr. Darcy must find you very much to his liking if he intends to fight his temptations.”
“But if he must fight them, then certainly there is a reason for him to do so,” Elizabeth pointed out. “For all that I thought from our first meeting that he might find me interesting, if he cannot act on such an interest then I shall not wish to torture him. And so, if ever he does ask me to dance, I must certainly tell him no.”
“That is not a sound way to think, Lizzy,” Charlotte scoffed. “Mr. Darcy is a man of great consequence. If he has singled you out, you really ought to be honored, and do all in your power to procure him.”
“As to that, there is no need,” she scoffed. “If Mr. Collins has the right of it, then the reason for his internal battle must be quite clear. However much he may protest the notion, surely he does intend one day to offer for his cousin and honor the betrothal agreement of their two mothers.”
“Elizabeth Bennet, I have never heard such nonsense,” Charlotte scoffed. “I have heard that the gentleman is twenty-eight years old, and Miss Anne de Bourgh is the same age as me. If the engagement was ever going to occur, do you not think he would have asked for her hand
well before her twenty-seventh year?”
“It is not for me to say,” Elizabeth insisted. “I can only go by my understanding. If he does not wish to dance with me, I must simply accept it and return to my seat with Mary.”
So saying, Elizabeth did exactly that, though it pained her greatly. Eventually, Mr. Darcy managed to come out of the woodwork to dance with Caroline Bingley. Clearly, he must not believe himself to be in any danger where that lady was concerned, and really, Elizabeth could hardly blame him.
Caroline did not possess singular beauty, nor did she seem to have a great abundance of wit, though she fancied that she did. Within Elizabeth’s hearing, she was overheard to say that a dance held in the country was beyond boring, and she did not know how she would manage to get through many days of such tedious company.
