The Portrait of Elizabeth

by Jane Angwin

  Chapter Twenty

  Visitors at Longbourn

  The carriage ride from Netherfield to Longbourn was only three miles, but there was tension inside and it felt like an interminable duration for Darcy. When they arrived and Darcy opened the carriage door, Miss Bingley began her criticism before she even climbed down the steps. "This is their estate?" she said. "This is nothing more than a country house with small, pitiful gardens. No one of our sphere could possibly live here" she said with a sneer. "I knew that this would be a waste of our time."

  "Caroline, you can either mind your manners and be pleasant during our visit, or I will have the driver return you to Netherfield this instant" Bingley said firmly. "Which is it?"

  "Oh Charles, you cannot mean that. I will be polite as I always am, and I will simply observe these odd people." She walked through the gate toward the house, and pointed at a crack in one of the fence posts. "What a sad state of disrepair. They must not have enough funds to fix their fence." She shook her head and stepped over a cracked stepping stone as if it was repellant. Bingley looked at Darcy and rolled his eyes in disgust.

  They were greeted at the door by Mrs. Hill, the housekeeper, who took their hats and coats and asked them to wait while she informed the family that they had guests. She left them awkwardly standing in the hall, and after a moment they could hear a woman loudly exclaiming, "Oh dear Lord, our visitors have arrived. Girls, make haste! Hide the ribbons and lace under the cushions. Lydia, put your bonnet away. Jane, pinch your cheeks to give them color. Oh, my poor nerves. Where is Mr. Bennett?"

  They could hear a great deal of moving about in the distance, and Miss Bingley looked delighted with the scene. "This is grand," she said. "I can hardly wait to meet this ridiculous family!"

  A door to their right opened, and Mr. Bennett stepped out, greeting them warmly. "Welcome to Longbourn gentleman," and he bowed toward Miss Bingley. He had heard her derogatory comment, but said "And who is this lovely lady?"

  "Good morning, Mr. Bennett! Let me introduce my sister, Caroline," said Bingley. "I hope that we haven't come too early. We were most anxious to return your call today, and I had hoped you would be expecting us. Should we come at another time?"

  "No, no, of course not, Mr. Bingley. I am delighted that you have come today." He turned to Darcy and shook his hand. "Good morning to you as well, Mr. Darcy. I am pleased that you have joined the Bingleys." He escorted them into the front room and gently knocked on the sitting room door. "Mrs. Bennett, we have guests." Without waiting for her to respond, he opened the door and ushered his visitors in. Before them stood a line of five women, all standing as still as statues except for Mrs. Bennett who was twisting her skirt in her hands. "Gentlemen, Miss Bingley, let me introduce you to my wife, Fanny Bennett, my eldest daughter, Jane, my third daughter, Mary, my fourth daughter Katherine, and my youngest daughter Lydia." He turned to the girls and said "Ladies, this is Mr. Bingley and his Sister, Miss Bingley. And this gentleman is their good friend who is visiting, Mr. Darcy."

  The gentlemen bowed and Caroline barely nodded her head rather than the proper curtsy. The five women all curtsied at the same time, performing what appeared to have been practiced many times.

  "Good Morning, Mr. Bingley, Miss Bingley" Mrs. Bennett declared in her shrill voice. "And you as well, Mr. Darby" she said. The two youngest girls giggled when she called him by the wrong name, and the woman continued on not realizing her mistake. "Please, by all means, be seated. Our cook, Mrs. Simpson makes the best biscuits in the valley, and I do believe she has made an apple pie for us as well. We have three large apple trees in our garden, and she always makes us something delicious with apples every day. Cinnamon apples, apple muffins, apples and ham, applesauce, and..."

  "Mrs. Bennett, that is quite enough about apples. Please kindly go and inform Mrs. Simpson that we would like tea and biscuits."

  Fanny practically ran from the room, talking to herself as she left, not comprehending that they could hear her. "Oh my, such handsome men." And then they heard her opening the front door, shouting at someone. "Lizzy, where have you been? We have guests from Netherfield, and we have been waiting for you!" The door slammed and they couldn't hear the rest, but it was obvious that she was talking to their fifth daughter who was conspicuously missing.

  "Please excuse my wife's exuberance. She is very excited that you may be purchasing Netherfield, and she is overjoyed to have you visit us this morning." He winked at them, knowing that he had told them about her extreme behavior. "And it sounds like my fifth daughter has just arrived. I apologize for her tardiness."

  "Does your daughter often go out alone, Mr. Bennett?" Caroline said with a smirk on her face. "I am shocked that you allow such conduct." Lydia and Kitty giggled again, and Jane glared at them to behave. "I am not aware of your comportment here in the country, but a lady shouldn't wander about without a chaperone."

  "Why yes, Miss Bingley. Here in the countryside, our restrictions are less severe." He emphasized the word countryside, clearly demonstrating his awareness of being patronized by this haughty woman. "Elizabeth is quite a walker, and she knows this property better than I do. You mustn't worry about that type of thing here in the country. I feel confident that she is quite safe." Thomas knew that Miss Bingley was looking down her nose at his family, and he welcomed her attempt to ridicule them. He relished bantering with someone who had an inflated sense of their own worth, and he looked forward to putting her in her place, in a pleasant way, of course. He also knew that she and her brother accrued their wealth from their father's business in trade, and that his position as a gentleman landowner was of a higher status than hers. "Do you not enjoy a good walk on a lovely day, my dear?" Darcy and Bingley glanced at each other and stifled a chuckle.

  "Good gracious, Sir, of course I enjoy walking, but not in the woods and certainly not alone. Anything could happen to a young woman alone in the wilderness. But then, I find that everything is quite different in the country. There is little society and no entertainment to speak of, so wandering in the woods is probably one of only a few things you people can do. I personally find the woods quite savage."

  Bingley cleared his throat, looking very irritated at his sister. "Caroline quite prefers the city, Mr. Bennett. I am hopeful that she will find life here as refreshing as I do when she becomes accustomed to the peace and quiet and the beauty of the land," Bingley said. He turned to his sister and said "Caroline, I must insist that you refrain from passing judgment after only one day in Hertfordshire."

  Caroline turned to Darcy, and said "I am sure that Mr. Darcy agrees with my observations, do you not, Mr. Darcy?"

  Darcy had been distracted by the previous mention that the fifth Bennett daughter was at home, and he was quite anxious to learn if she was the girl in red on the cliff. "I beg your pardon, Miss Bingley?"

  "I said that I was certain you agreed with me about the country being quite savage with little society or entertainment."

  "Actually, no, Miss Bingley, I must say I do not agree with your assessment. I have enjoyed Hertfordshire thus far, and as you are acutely aware, I much prefer my country home in Derbyshire to Town. Kindly do not assume to know my thoughts," he abruptly censured her.

  Jane glanced at Mr. Bingley to see his reaction to the obvious discomfort in the room, and found him staring at her. She quickly looked down at her hands in her lap, blushing profusely. She had been very pleased to meet this new gentleman, and she found him quite handsome.

  Thomas noticed the moment between them and felt that there was a very strong possibility that Bingley and Jane would get along quite nicely. They were both of the same disposition, very kind and unassuming, and he thought it would be interesting watching them closely.

  Just as the conversation ceased and it became uncomfortably quiet in the room, Mrs. Bennett burst into the room, holding Lizzy firmly by the arm. Her clothes were still quite wet, and her hair was hanging in wet ringlets to her shoulders, with a few falling over her eyes. Ther
e were smudges of dirt on her forehead and cheeks, and she looked quite unlike herself. "I apologize for my daughter's dreadful appearance, but she was out wandering in the woods again and somehow fell into the stream. I have told her to stop this ridiculous activity, but she doesn't listen to her mother." She pushed her forward and said "Elizabeth, say hello to our guests, and then go upstairs immediately and put on dry clothing. And please do something with your hair. You have quite embarrassed me young lady!"

  Elizabeth was used to her mother's criticism, but Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy were stunned by her harsh words. They both stood and bowed, and Thomas introduced her. "Gentlemen, Miss Bingley, this is my second daughter, Elizabeth. She does look a bit bedraggled, but I'm sure she has quite a tale to tell!" Elizabeth curtsied, and kept her eyes trained on the floor, not looking at the guests. Elizabeth never allowed herself to waver in the face of adversity, so she straightened her back and looked up, greeting them. "Good Morning, gentlemen, Miss Bingley. I do apologize for my appearance, but I had a bit of an altercation with a stream, and I came out the loser. If you will excuse me, I will leave you now. It was very nice meeting you." She curtsied again and rushed out of the room. Lydia and Kitty erupted in spasms of giggles, and Jane and Mary sat stone faced. Mr. Bennett was quite amused with the entire affair, and he broadly grinned, enjoying the spectacle. He felt bad for Lizzy, knowing that she was embarrassed at her mother's words, but fortunately she was not one to worry about her appearance.

  Mrs. Hill arrived with a tea service and a tray of biscuits, and no one spoke of what had just occurred. As their refreshments were served, Mrs. Bennett fussed and fidgeted over each guest, making sure their tea was served properly and insisting that they try the delicious cookies Mrs. Simpson made

  Darcy didn't know what to make of the girl that had just arrived soaking wet. She did not have on a red pelisse, so he couldn't be sure if that was the girl he had seen in the woods. He had also been observing the family and their house and he couldn't determine any reason why he had been drawn to this place. "There does not seem to be anything here that could tempt me, and there is obviously nothing to any of it," he said to himself. "It has most likely all been in my mind, and I can now put all this to rest and not think about it anymore." He was almost relieved to be able to stop thinking about the meaning of the similarities between his painting and this odd residence and its occupants.

  When they had finished their tea, Miss Bingley reminded her brother that they had stayed past the proper visiting time, and it was time to leave. "Yes, you are right, Caroline. Perhaps we have overstayed our welcome." He turned to look at Jane and said "But if I may, I would very much like to invite the Bennetts to dine with us before we leave for London."

  Caroline gasped and put her gloved hand over her mouth. "Charles, we will be leaving in a day or so, and I am sure that the cook is not prepared for a large group for dinner on such short notice!"

  Bingley was quite angry at his sister's rudeness and corrected her. "I have made the decision to stay on for a bit longer, Caroline, and I am sure that our cook is quite used to this sort of thing. She has worked at Netherfield for Mr. Langley for many years, and she knows the Meryton shops and the butcher quite well."

  Miss Bingley looked as though she had swallowed a sour lemon. "Well," she huffed, "We will discuss this later." She stood up, and the others stood as well. "Thank you for a most interesting morning, Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Bennett, ladies. Are you coming, Mr. Darcy?" With that, she held out her arm, waiting for Darcy to escort her out of the room, but he ignored her gesture and said his goodbyes. She rudely swept out of the room and left the house, waiting to be assisted into their carriage.

  "There is no need to have us to dinner, Mr. Bingley," Thomas said as they walked to the front door. "We are a noisy bunch and your sister seems quite put out at entertaining on such short notice."

  "Oh, but we would love to dine with you!" Mrs. Bennett screeched. "We have no other plans, and it would be our pleasure to dine with you."

  Bingley looked between the two of them, and then his eyes moved to Jane. "Good, well then it is settled. I will issue an invitation to you as soon as I have spoken to our cook and the kitchen has made the proper preparations." He said goodbye to the girls, and then turned to Jane, and bowed. "It has been very nice indeed to have met you, Miss Bennett," obviously already enamored. Jane curtsied and blushed profusely.

  As Darcy left the house, he noticed that there on the front porch was a wet red pelisse left out to dry. "It was her," he thought to himself. "This was the girl in the woods. How could this girl be of any importance to me?" He looked back at the house, and there in an upstairs window, he saw her looking down at him. Once again, he felt a gentle waft of air pass his face with the familiar faint hint of lavender. Now, more confused than ever, he quickly turned away and entered the carriage to return to Netherfield.

  Chapter Twenty One

  Miss Bingley

  The carriage ride back to Netherfield was short, but it was fraught with angst between the three passengers. "Charles, how could you invite those people to dinner at this place we cannot even yet call our home? They are horrible!"

  "That is enough, Caroline. The owner of the estate told me to stay as long as I wished and to treat it as if it was our home. He even suggested a gathering with some of the neighbors to get a better sense of the neighborhood." He spoke more firmly to his sister than Darcy had ever heard him speak to her before. "And I very much enjoy the Bennett family. I find them entirely refreshing, and to be honest, Caroline, Mr. Bennett is a gentleman with an estate, and they are of a higher status that we are! You seem to forget that we come from trade, Sister. Taking this estate is our way to raise our status." Ignoring her shocked look, Bingley turned to Darcy, "What do you think about my invitation, Darcy?"

  "I have no opinion one way or the other, Charles. I personally wouldn't be so hasty, but then, you and I are two entirely different men, and I tend to do things in a more methodical and contemplative manner than you."

  Caroline quickly replied, "You are correct as usual, Mr. Darcy. Charles, you have simply been taken in by another pretty face! I saw the way you looked at Miss Bennett, and I must insist that we retract this ridiculous invitation and leave for London immediately. We have seen enough, and this just is not the place for us."

  "I will do no such thing, Caroline. I have extended an invitation and I intend to keep my word. You may stay, or you may go, but the dinner will go on."

  "You know that you cannot have a dinner without a hostess to plan the meal and be at your table! How could you break these important rules of etiquette?"

  "Yes, you are quite right, Caroline, but I plan to ask Louisa to stay on and assume that role for me. She is not displeased with Netherfield, and she is much kinder to me than you are. I am certain she and Hurst will stay on to support my wishes."

  "Well, I never." Caroline huffed and looked out the window as they pulled up to the estate. "And this building is entirely too drab." She picked up her skirts and opened the door to the carriage, not waiting for a footman to open it first. "Where are the incompetent servants, for heaven's sake?" A footman ran to the carriage, obviously not expecting the carriage at that exact moment, and he attempted to assist Miss Bingley. She allowed his assistance, but after alighting, she pushed him away and stomped off, mumbling to herself.

  "Bingley, you must do something about Caroline. Her rudeness will cause you disfavor before you even take this estate, should you decide to do so. I also must speak to you about a concern of mine, however, we should continue this discussion in private." Darcy left the carriage and waited for Bingley, who remained seated inside. "Come, Charles, it is time we had a talk."

  The two men went directly to the study where a generous supply of spirits were arranged for their choosing. They poured two glasses of brandy and sat in front of the fireplace in silence. Finally, Bingley spoke in a low voice. "I know that my sister in very unhappy here, and she does not keep her thoughts to h
erself. I am terribly sorry, Darcy."

  "Yes, Bingley, that is quite true. She does not keep her thoughts to herself, and she frequently offends those around her that she considers to be undesirable. However, my desire to speak to you in private is of a personal nature. There is a situation that has occurred that I must tell you about."

  "Good Lord, Darcy. Whatever has happened? Are you well?"

  "Yes, I am quite well, but I have great concern that your sister may be trying to arrange for a compromise in order to force a marriage with me."

  "What? A compromise? What has she done to make you feel that is her plan?"

  "Bingley, your sister tried to enter my room last night after she thought I had gone to sleep. I had fortunately locked the door to the hall, but she was attempting to turn the doorknob." Bingley looked at him with eyes wide open. "And then, she entered the sitting room next to my bedroom and attempted entry through that door. I had taken a precaution and blocked the door earlier in the evening when I sensed her possible scheme."

  Bingley was stunned and had a difficult time accepting that his sister would resort to such a terrible deed. "Darcy, how can you be certain it was Caroline? Could it have been your valet?"

  "No, Charles, it wasn't my valet. He and I discussed this, and he was not in my sitting room or in the hallway all evening after I retired. Caroline also claimed to be able to see me go to the stable early this morning before it was light, and there is no way she could have seen me from her room. The only view of the stable is from the large window at the end of the hallway, and she must have been hiding in the hall when I left down the back stairway."

  "My God, Darcy. This is more heinous than I ever thought possible of her. I know that she has tried to entice you for years, and I know that she can be unacceptably flirtatious, but I never dreamed that she would go so far as to conspire such a scheme. Egads, Man! A compromise? Whatever shall I do?"