“I applaud her concern for your safety. I never let my sister walk alone, even at Pemberley, which is far more remote and secure than this area.”
“May I ask: did you find Netherfield Park a satisfactory residence and estate? It is certainly far from being as magnificent as Pemberley, but it is certainly one of the finer houses in this area.”
“I did, as did Mr. Bingley. He has decided to lease it with an option to buy.”
“That is excellent news. The community has been hoping someone would lease or purchase the estate, or at least lease the house. Having another wealthy family in the vicinity is always good for us.”
“Your previous statement implied you have seen Pemberley. May I know the circumstances?”
“I have an aunt who was born and raised in Lambton and is quite familiar with your estate. I have had the pleasure of taking a tour of the house and grounds and believe it to be one of the most beautiful estates I have ever seen. Those who decorated the house and designed the landscaping where masters at their trade.”
“Thank you. I cannot but agree with you. My mother was responsible for decorating the house until about 15 years ago and little has been changed since she died. The current landscaping has evolved over three hundred years.”
“May I ask when Mr. Bingley and his family intend to occupy Netherfield?”
“I believe he will move in the first week of October.”
“Will you be with him?”
“Not at first, although I do intend to visit him and help him become comfortable with managing an estate. When that will be, I have not yet decided. But back to your knowledge of Pemberley. You said your aunt was raised in Lambton. May I know her name?
“I suppose there is no reason not to tell you. She has told me she is acquainted with you. Her current name is Mrs. Madeleine Gardiner, but when she lived in Lambton, she was Miss Madeleine Rodgers, daughter of the man who owns Rodgers Emporium.”
“Of course, I know your aunt well. I not only knew her as Miss Maddie when she worked for her father, but I often visit the bookstore she now owns.”
“So she told me. She and Mr. Gardiner are as a second father and mother to me, and I have visited Lambton with them. On one occasion, they were gracious enough to take me to Pemberley.”
“May I ask when your visit to Pemberley occurred?”
“It was three and a half years ago in early May. I believe you and your sister were in London while we were there.”
“Do you often visit them in London?”
“Every year for at least month, usually in late winter or early spring.”
“Are you often at their bookstore?”
“Yes, I always help Aunt Madeleine at the bookstore when I am in town.”
“How is it we have never met?”
“I am never out front. I always work in the back, reviewing books and categorizing them for placement on the shelves. As you may guess, my uncle and aunt procure many of their books at estate sales, and I have become one of their specialists for determining how valuable the books are. Occasionally we find some quite valuable books.” She then laughed. “I hope I am never required to go through your library at Pemberley to evaluate the books there. It would take more than my lifetime. You have a magnificent library.”
“Yes, it is quite large. My family has been collecting books for hundreds of years. We also have quite a large library at Darcy House in town. Its collection is not nearly the size of that at Pemberley, but it is still larger than most private libraries.”
There was a long pause, and then he, not wanting the conversation to end, asked, “Have you had a coming out in London and seen the Queen?”
“Sir, I am sure you can understand that I am the daughter of an undistinguished country gentleman who has neither the means nor the desire to be part of the ton. Furthermore, my closest relatives are members of the middle-class. Therefore, I have not had a coming out in London nor seen the Queen. Nor do I have any particular desire to do so.”
“But you are a friend of Lady Inez, and I know your uncle and aunt are quite wealthy. I would think it would be a desire of any young woman of your class with such connections to try to participate in the Season of the ton to some extent.”
Elizabeth did not respond for some time, but finally said, “As I implied, I am happy where I am. Now, Mr. Darcy, I think it is time I return home and would ask you to leave so I can descend and be on my way. Please assure your friend that Netherfield Park is in excellent condition and if he intends to manage the estate, the tenants are hardworking, good people. Also, Mrs. North is a wonderful housekeeper, and Mr. Langston is a knowledgeable steward who will be of significant help to him.”
“Thank you for speaking with me, Miss Elizabeth, I will relay your recommendation to Mr. Bingley, although I am quite sure he has already decided to lease it with an option to buy, so will, in fact, be managing it. I have encouraged him to do so. He is the son of a wealthy merchant and desires to become a gentleman and a member of higher society; therefore, he needs to someday have an estate of his own, which requires he understand what being the master of an estate entails. That estate could very well be Netherfield Park.”
“I am sure my family will look forward to meeting him. Now, I ask again, will you please leave so I may return home?”
“Very well, I will. I will be visiting Bingley quite often, therefore I hope we may have a chance to meet face to face in the future.”
“I am sure we will, Mr. Darcy.”
As Darcy rode toward Meryton, for some reason, even though he had not seen Elizabeth, he felt something he had rarely felt in a long time – interest in a woman. He had been more captivated by her on this first meeting, even though he had not seen her, than he had been with most women when he first met them. He was sure she was intelligent and, for no rational reason, expected that she was quite beautiful. He was anxious to know more about this Lady of the Mount. Would it not be ironic if I should meet the woman for whom I have been searching for five years, only to discover that she is not suitable because of her lower status?
This thought led Darcy to examining how desirable some of his friends would consider someone such as Elizabeth Bennet, if she was as intelligent and beautiful as he imagined her to be. He doubted his almost cousin, Lord Roger Vollenbrook, the eldest son of the Marquess of Willingham, would be. Much would be expected of his eventual wife. The Marquess of Willingham was Darcy’s uncle by marriage, in the sense that his first wife, who had died shortly after having given birth to a girl, was Darcy’s father’s eldest sister, Sophia Darcy, and he knew Lord Willingham expected his son to marry someone of the first circles. Elizabeth would not qualify. He also doubted his cousin. Col. Richard Fitzwilliam would be interested in Elizabeth as a wife, because, being a second son, he had little wealth of his own and needed a wife with a large dowry or a widow with a significant inheritance from her husband. However, Mr. Harold Farrington and Lord Daniel Weatherstone, both second sons of peers, might very well consider a woman of Elizabeth’s status.
Weatherstone and Darcy had been good friends since they met at St. John’s College of Cambridge, where they were in the same class. Weatherstone was handsome, personable, and an exceptional musician. He sang and played the piano magnificently. He had become the Earl of Weatherstone because his maternal grandfather, the past Earl of Weatherstone, had had no male heir and, with the approval of the Crown, had passed his title and lands on to his second grandson, because his first grandson was to be the Duke of Leister. With a title and financial independence from his parents, he did not need his parent’s approval of the woman he chose to marry, but wished it because, should his brother, Lord Stonington, die without an heir before his father died, Weatherstone would become the heir apparent, and should Stonington die after becoming Duke and still not have an heir, Weatherstone’s son would eventually become Duke. Darcy wondered if Weatherstone would be willing to go against his parent’s wishes for a woman such as Elizabeth.
As
for Farrington, he was the second son of the Earl of Wingate. Like Weatherstone, he had inherited a rather sizeable estate from his maternal uncle, although not a peerage. He was, as Darcy, not enamored of the ton, rarely attended ton events, and spent most of his time on his estate restoring the 11th century castle built on the estate. His requirements for a wife were not quite as extensive as Darcy’s, but he was in his late twenties and had still not found a woman he desired. Of course, unlike Darcy, he did have a living father and mother, and his mother was particularly concerned about whom he married.
Darcy could imagine, in either case, that should Elizabeth be introduced to either of Weatherstone or Farrington, one of them might be willing to court her. She was, after all, a gentlewoman, even if many of her relatives were not of the gentry and her family had no distinguished ancestry.
Chapter 3: The Assembly
The Bingley party, which included Mr. Bingley, his unmarried sister, Caroline, his married sister, Louisa, and Louisa’s husband, Mr. Edward Hurst, moved into Netherfield Park on Monday, October 2, 1809. Shortly thereafter, various men of the neighborhood, including Sir William Lucas, visited Bingley to welcome him to the neighborhood. He received a note from Mr. Thomas Bennet, welcoming him to the neighborhood and apologizing that he could not visit, because he was physically incapacitated. Bingley subsequently returned the visit of the gentlemen who had visited him and also chose to visit Longbourn, to see if Mr. Bennet was up to meeting him. When he was ushered into Mr. Bennet’s study, he introduced himself and during the ensuing conversation, said, “Mr. Bennet, I have heard good things about your second daughter from Mrs. North and Mr. Langston. They tell me she is a favorite of the people in this area and has taken it upon herself to look in on the tenants of Netherfield Park over the past several years.”
“That is true, Mr. Bingley. My second daughter, Elizabeth, has a close relationship with Sir Ronald and Lady Inez Carlson, the last full-time occupants of Netherfield. I am sure you know that Lady Inez is the daughter of its owner, Lord Preshwick, and Elizabeth would often visit the tenants with her when she lived here. When Lady Inez moved away and the Netherfield manor house was leased, since none of those who leased were interested in purchasing it, Elizabeth agreed to continue to visit the tenants. She now even helps Lady Inez manage the estate. I believe you will find the tenants are quite happy with the care shown by my daughter.”
“I heard the truth of that from two of the tenants we visited when we toured the estate. I am impressed and look forward to meeting her, your wife, and your other daughters.”
“My wife passed away three years ago, Mr. Bingley. My eldest daughter acts as mistress of Longbourn. May I assume Sir William Lucas has invited you and your party to attend the assembly ball to be held on Friday, October 13?”
“He has, indeed, and I am looking forward to it.”
“Then I assure you, you will have an opportunity to meet my four eldest daughters.”
“Excellent. Excellent. I hope my friend, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, who helped me find and evaluate this estate, will also be there. I am sure they will enjoy meeting him.”
“I know of Mr. Darcy from several sources, Mr. Bingley, and also hope to meet him while he is here, but, as you can imagine, I will not attend the assembly. However, I suspect Jane, my eldest, will invite you and your family to dinner, and I will be able to meet all of them then.”
Darcy, accompanied by his valet, Morris, and his Irish Wolfhound, Polegra, arrived at Netherfield Park for a lengthy visit the afternoon of October 13, not being aware the Bingleys were planning on attending an assembly that evening. He was not in a good mood because of a family problem with which he had been dealing for four months and was looking forward to an early evening. When he was told of the assembly ball, he said he preferred not to go, and Caroline Bingley stated, “Thank you, Mr. Darcy, for deciding to stay here. I have been trying to find a good excuse not to go to the assembly, which I am sure will be full of unsophisticated and uncouth people. As mistress of the house, I cannot let a distinguished guest remain here by himself.”
Darcy, on the other hand, could not allow himself to be alone in the house with her unchaperoned by another member of the gentry. There are those who would consider that such a situation compromised Darcy and Caroline, and he would be expected to offer to marry her. He could not imagine a worse fate. However, he hoped he could convince his friend that her decision to stay was not appropriate for other reasons.
“On the contrary, Miss Bingley, as mistress of the house, you must attend and make yourself known to the gentlemen and gentlewomen of the area. If you ever wish to be accepted in higher society as a gentlewoman, you must always act the gentlewoman. It would be unthinkable of the mistress of newly arrived family not to be present at a gathering which included the master of the family and his sister and brother-in-law.”
“But Mr. Darcy, the people with whom we must associate will lack polish and sophistication. It will be a painful experience.”
“Miss Bingley, may I remind you again that the owners of the estates in this region or, indeed, any region, are gentlemen and gentlewomen, and, as such, in the eyes of this society, are your social superiors. I am attempting to mentor your brother on how to fit into such society, and not having the mistress of his household appear with him and display the proper decorum would be considered poor behavior on your part. I am afraid you must go.”
Bingley, understanding Darcy’s distress, was quick to agree with him. “He is absolutely correct, Caroline. You must go. However, Darcy, let me encourage you to attend. I greatly look forward to meeting some of my neighbors, particularly the Bennet family whom I thought you might also wish to meet.”
The chance of meeting Elizabeth face-to-face was the only reason Darcy would go, and he wondered if Bingley had somehow detected his interest in Elizabeth when he had told Bingley about meeting her. He had given Bingley few details, just mentioning he had met her while riding, and they had talked a little, but perhaps his tone of voice had given him away. The question is, was the opportunity to meet her face to face override his desire to rest and contemplate what to do about his sister, Georgiana? After some cogitation, he decided it did not.
“I am sorry, Bingley, but I have a headache and wish to take a bath and rest. Please go without me and enjoy yourself. I will be much better company in the morning.”
******
When the Bingley party entered the assembly hall, the dancing had already begun, and many of the dancers near the entrance stopped dancing momentarily to gape at the strangers, thus causing some turmoil in the line of dance ‒ an incident which reinforced Caroline’s opinion of the unacceptability of the company into which she had been thrown by her brother. Sir William Lucas, who had been looking for them, immediately came to them, greeted them, and led them over to his family, where he introduced them to his wife, Lady Lucas, his daughter, Charlotte, and his son, John. Bingley, being the gentleman, he was, immediately invited Charlotte to dance the next dance with him, an invitation she was thrilled to accept, being a rather plain looking woman. Caroline and the Hursts stayed to speak with the Lucases a few minutes and then excused themselves to visit the refreshment table.
As they were walking toward the refreshment table, Caroline said, “Louisa, how can we survive living in this backcountry area. These people have no class or style. We must convince Charles not to buy Netherfield Park, even if it is close to London. I do not think I can stand having to associate with people like these day in and day out.”
“Caroline, you are judging them too quickly. Besides, if Charles is to buy an estate, it will be in the country, and if one is to live in the country, one must deal with people such as these. There are generally, among them, some who frequent London. We must seek them out and do the best we can. I assure you, these people are no worse than those found near Thorngate, where Edward and I will someday live.”
“But this is not the sort of company I long for. I wish
to spend most of my time in London or Bath. “
“Then go to Bath and stay with Aunt Ida. I will be happy to act as mistress at Netherfield while we are here.”
“Perhaps I will. But I will wait a while. I do not want to anger Charles.”
As Bingley was dancing with Charlotte, there was activity at the entrance and when he looked at the family which was entering the hall, he almost missed his step. Leading the family in were two beautiful young women who were arm in arm, one of whom was blond, rather tall, and looked like a goddess. Bingley decided she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. The other was shorter and dark-haired and perhaps considered just a beautiful as her sister, but not to his eyes.
Charlotte, noticing at whom Bingley was looking, smiled and thought to herself. “Either Jane or Lizzy has enchanted another. I suppose I should introduce him to them.”
“That is the Bennet family, Mr. Bingley. The two young women who entered first are Jane, the eldest, and Elizabeth, the second eldest. With four eligible daughters in the family, they are almost always the last to arrive. You can imagine how much time is needed to prepare four women to attend a dance. When the dance is over, I will introduce you to them.”
Somewhat abashed by his behavior when he first spied Jane, he blushed and murmured, “Thank you, Miss Lucas. I am sorry if I faltered. I have heard of the Bennet girls and am anxious to meet them.”
“No apology is necessary, Mr. Bingley. Jane and Elizabeth Bennet often have that effect on a man when he first sees them. They are considered the beauties of the area.”
“Which is Jane, and which is Elizabeth?”
“The blond, taller woman is Jane and Elizabeth, the shorter, dark-haired woman. I must warn you, Elizabeth is a favorite of the men around here and her card is probably mostly filled by now. If you want a dance with her, you will need to ask her immediately.”
The Lady of the Mount and Patience Rewarded: Two Stories of Darcy and Elizabeth Page 2
