The Portrait of Elizabeth

by Jane Angwin

  "I suggest that I have a conversation with her, Bingley, finally putting this to rest by telling her what I know. And I must also convince her that a marriage to me is utterly out of the question. I will never marry her, and to be honest, the only reason she wishes to marry me is to be able to say that she is the mistress of Pemberley, which would raise her status in the eyes of the ton. She doesn't love me, Charles. You know her game. It goes without saying that she would be miserable at Pemberley, and she would insist on living in Town among society where she could brag about her position. I know this is harsh, but I would appreciate it if you would accompany me when I confront her with the truth of the matter."

  "Yes, yes, of course, Darcy," he replied with a look of fear on his face. Although he was the heir and keeper of the wealth, she had always dominated him, and he knew it. "She will vehemently deny any such deviousness, but perhaps hearing it from you, she will cease her conspiracy. I cannot believe that she is capable of such a strategy, but she has gone through four seasons and has not found a husband, and her desperation is obvious. I will have Blair send for her immediately." He stood and went to find Mr. Blair to bring Miss Bingley to the study. Darcy knew that this discussion would most likely be futile, but it was time to confront what she had been conspiring to do during the many years of his friendship with Bingley.

  Bingley returned to the room and poured another glass of brandy for himself and offered more to Darcy. Just then, they heard Miss Bingley's irritated voice coming down the corridor toward the room. Although they were unable to make out the words, it was obvious that she was complaining to Mr. Blair about being summoned. She came into the room and noticed that both her brother and Mr. Darcy stood as she entered, and a look of confusion crossed her face. Mr. Blair waited at the doorway, and Bingley said "Thank you, Mr. Blair, please close the door for us." Bingley turned to his sister and said "Please, Caroline, take a seat here on the settee." She cautiously did as he asked, sitting on the edge of the cushion as if she might bolt at the first provocation.

  "Charles, what is the meaning of this? If you mean to chastise me for my reluctance to entertain the Bennetts, you have already done so. And why have you included Mr. Darcy in this discussion? He has much better things to do than to listen to our silly conversation about a dinner with neighbors."

  "Caroline, please be silent. We have something quite unpleasant to discuss with you."

  "Good heavens, Charles, what is this about? Are you well?"

  "Yes, I am quite well, but please listen to our words, and do not interrupt until we are finished." He shifted in his seat as he began trying to start the conversation. "First, I have kept quiet far too long regarding your discourteous and frankly, offensive behavior around people you consider to be beneath you. You treat your servants with total disdain, and they leave your employ even at the risk of not finding other employment. You make no effort to make any real friendships except with the gossips and busy bodies who actually talk about you behind your back. No matter who we are with, you make rude comments and find fault with whatever does not meet your impossible standards. You have embarrassed me, you have embarrassed Darcy, and I would venture a guess that you even embarrass your sister and Gilbert, although they are much too polite to say anything to you. I also know that even though Louisa is older than you, she is quite intimidated by you, and she only agrees with your views and negativity out of the dread of your scorn."

  "Charles," she interrupted, opening her mouth to speak again.

  "Silence, Caroline. I asked you to remain quiet until we are finished. Sadly, you believe yourself to be far more important in the world than you really are. You have been quite fortunate that our friend, Darcy, has allowed us to be accepted by society in London due to his fine name, but you seem to forget that we are actually from trade, and until I purchase an estate, we are still a lower status than those who you criticize and those who you wish to befriend. Your abhorrent comments in front of people, and your groundless arrogance have alienated many of the people who you actually wish to impress, and if you continue this behavior, you will be left with no one who wishes your company." Bingley looked at Darcy and nodded at him, silently inquiring if he would like to contribute at that point. Receiving a small nod of Darcy's head, he said "Darcy also has something to tell you, Caroline."

  Miss Bingley had turned pale during her brother's lecture, but now that Darcy was about to speak, she almost looked like she would faint. Darcy turned to her and stared at her collecting his thoughts for what seemed like an eternity to her. His look unnerved her, and she wanted to flee.

  "Yes, Charles, thank you. I do have a few things I would like to say to Miss Bingley." He cleared his throat, and began. "I would like to start by saying that I am very aware of your desire to become the mistress of Pemberley." Caroline opened her mouth to refute his comment, but he continued before she could. "I realize that you wish to raise yourself in the eyes of the ton by acquiring a husband with substantial wealth and a prestigious estate, but I must tell you, Miss Bingley, that it is time you stop this fruitless pursuit. I will never be your husband, and you will never be the mistress of Pemberley." He paused, and Miss Bingley opened her mouth again but nothing came out. "There is absolutely no way that you will ever entice or compromise me to marry you." She blanched when he said the word compromise. "Yes, Miss Bingley, you should know that I am fully aware of your attempts to enter my chambers last night through two different entrances, and I have truly come to the end of my patience with you. I also know that you were hiding in the hallway when I left in the dark this morning, as you could not have seen me ride out from the stable from your room. I want you to know that if you had somehow succeeded in your scheme of a compromise, although I consider myself to be an honorable gentleman, I would vehemently deny that it occurred, and I would refuse to marry you. I believe that my reputation would survive, but yours probably would not." He said that with a firmness in his voice and there was no mistaking his meaning.

  Miss Bingley's eyes were as wide as saucers, and she started trembling. Darcy continued, "I am also appalled at the lack of respect you have shown your brother who has only wanted to make you happy and has done the best he can to support you and to increase your status in society by purchasing an estate. Charles is the finest of men, and you have treated him with condescension and disdain, and it must stop, Miss Bingley. I plan to continue my friendship with your brother, but it must be on the condition that you are no longer included in our friendship. You will not be invited to join him at my townhouse in London or at Pemberley in the future."

  He stared at Miss Bingley for an uncomfortable time, making her noticeably squirm on the small settee. "And, finally, you should know that I find that Netherfield is a very satisfactory estate that I will whole heartedly recommend that Charles lease. Along with that, since I assume you will be here living with him when he is in the country, I warn you to be kind to the people of this community, and especially to the Bennetts. Regardless of some of their unusual behavior and Mrs. Bennett's eccentricities, I have found them to be quite kind and rather diverting. I agree that Bingley should host them for a dinner to repay their graciousness this morning."

  Darcy stopped and kept his eyes on Caroline. He slowly took a sip of his brandy, indicating that he had finished. Caroline appeared to be in a state of stunned astonishment at what she had heard. Charles inquired if she had heard and understood what they had told her, and she meekly answered, "Yes." She then asked if she could be excused from the room, but her brother had one more thing to say to her. "I have decided that I will definitely lease this property, Caroline, and if you choose to live here with me, I will allow it, however, if you repeat any of the bad behavior that we have discussed today, I will cut off your allowance, and I will send you immediately to our Great Aunt Gertrude in Scotland. You can count on that." With that, he granted her request to leave. She quickly fled the room, and a small sob could be heard as she returned to the corridor. They could hear her steps as
she raced up the stairway to her chambers, and they did not see her again for dinner.

  "I don't know about you, Darcy, but that was grueling. Do you think any of it made an impression on her?"

  "Well, if it didn't, then I suggest you look into committing her to Bedlam. I apologize for my boldness, but if anyone who had to listen to what we had to say didn't alter their behavior after our censure, there is something seriously wrong with that person."

  "No, you need not apologize. If she wishes to live here with me, I will be a different man than in the past. She will adhere to my rules, and she will behave properly, or I will definitely send her to our great Aunt in Scotland. Gertrude is a legend in our family, quite a tyrannical old harridan, a shrew if there ever was one, and Caroline would have a dismal life living under her control." He laughed, but did not smile. The two men finished their drinks and sat quietly for quite a long time pondering the arduous conversation with Caroline and separately wondering what would change, if anything. Bingley finally left, saying he was going to find his sister Louisa to tell her about their discussion with Caroline. He hoped that he could alleviate some of Louisa's anxieties as well.

  The next two days were interesting at Netherfield. Caroline took all of her meals in her room, and she wasn't seen or heard by anyone. The mood of the staff was greatly improved, and Bingley and Darcy enjoyed being able to leave the door unlocked or even open when they spoke, as previously they had to close and lock doors to assure privacy from Caroline. The servants who took her meals to her were overheard commenting on her change of demeanor toward them. Bingley asked Mrs. Blair if she had seen his sister, and the woman commented that Miss Bingley was actually quite polite to her. "I must say, she seems to have had some kind of change of heart about Netherfield, Sir. She asked me if I like the wallpaper in her chambers, and when I politely said I didn't have any opinion one way or the other, she said she was going to change it. It certainly sounds like she plans to stay." Bingley laughed to himself, knowing that Netherfield was a far better option than Aunt Gertrude's home in Scotland, especially in the winter.

  Louisa had been quite pleased to learn about her brother's ultimatum to Caroline, and in her sister's self-imposed absence she offered to act as his hostess for the dinner with the Bennett family. She had not met them yet, but she had heard about them from her sister, and she was a bit apprehensive. While she didn't give too much credence to her sister's perceptions, there were still many parts of her tale that she found quite intriguing, and she curiously wanted to see them for herself. She had planned a delicious dinner with the cook, and she supervised setting a lovely table for their guests. There would be eleven guests, or twelve if Caroline joined them, so she set the table for twelve and agonized over the seating arrangements. She decided to place Mr. Darcy as far away from her sister as possible, seating Mrs. Bennett next to Charles who was at one end of the table, and Caroline next to Gilbert, mid way down the table. As hostess, she would take the other end of the table and seat Mr. Bennett next to her on her right side. She placed Mr. Darcy across from Mr. Bennett to her left, as she had heard that he thought rather highly of the gentleman, and they would converse easily. Not knowing any of the five girls and their personalities, she randomly placed them in the other seats, hoping that they would be close enough to their parents or each other to feel comfortable. Unfortunately, she failed to realize that she had placed Mrs. Bennett across from Caroline. This would be an interesting dinner indeed.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Dinner at Netherfield

  The Bennett household was a chaotic and noisy place with six females getting ready to dine at Netherfield. Lydia, always the loudest and most concerned about her appearance, spent all afternoon adding lace and ribbons to her very favorite dress. When she was finished, the dress looked much too elaborate and garish, but she was extremely satisfied. Mary had chosen a very plain grey frock, not wishing to draw any attention to herself, and she pulled her hair back into her usual tightly coiled bun. She just wished to be transparent and observe the others when she was in the company of strangers. Kitty had put on three different dresses, finally deciding on a yellow one that Jane said looked the best on her. Jane, who looked beautiful no matter what she wore, chose a pale blue dress with white ribbons at the waist, perfectly complimenting her lovely blonde hair and light blue eyes.

  Last, Elizabeth chose to wear a plain white dress with lace sleeves ruffled at the wrist, hoping to look quite the opposite of the last time they saw her covered with mud. She knew that her hair had been a terrible mess with wet ringlets falling into her face and eyes, so she pulled her hair back on the sides and let the curls hang down her back. She had ten small white flower hairpins that her Aunt Gardiner had given her for Christmas one year, and she stuck those in various places in her hair to help to hold the wayward curls from escaping. She knew that she could have worn something a bit fancier, but she loved this dress and she felt that it was the perfect choice instead of acquiescing to her mother who wanted her to wear a horrible green satin gown that she would wear to a ball.

  When her mother saw what she had decided to wear, she bellowed that it was all wrong and entirely too plain, and she said that Elizabeth "must go upstairs immediately and change." Thankfully, they were running late due to Mrs. Bennett having to supervise each girl's hair and wardrobe. Mr. Bennett said that Lizzy looked perfectly lovely in the white dress, and they were leaving with or without her, but, of course with no intention of leaving Lizzy behind.. Mrs. Bennett gave him an angry look, but that was the end of the conversation. Lizzy was so grateful to her father that she secretly squeezed his hand as they walked outside together. "Thank you, Papa. I did not wish to look like a Christmas ornament tonight." Thomas laughed, and squeezed her hand in return.

  At the appointed time, the carriage arrived at Netherfield carrying all seven of them rather uncomfortably squashed together "like sardines," as Lydia declared. "My dress will be entirely too wrinkled to even enter the house," she moaned. "I wore my best dress, and Mr. Bingley will think I am a street urchin when he sees me." Jane, the level headed sister of the group, assured her that she would look perfectly fine, and as it would be lowly lit in the rooms, no one would notice the wrinkles in her dress. They all climbed out of the carriage and stood looking up at the edifice of the estate.

  "Oh my," Mrs. Bennett swooned. "It is so much bigger than I recalled." Mr. Bennett took her arm and steered her toward the front entrance, and the girls all followed in single file behind them, Elizabeth being the last in line. She felt slightly uncomfortable seeing the two gentlemen again, as they had seen her at her absolute worst, and she didn't want them making complimentary comparisons and see her cheeks blush bright pink. She also did not wish to see Miss Bingley, who she had heard all about from her sisters. She had learned that the woman made very disparaging and patronizing remarks during her visit, and she knew that there would undoubtedly be something derogatory said about her conduct that day.

  The front door opened, and Mr. Bingley greeted them all, one by one as Mr. Blair took their hats and coats. After politely receiving the elder Bennetts and introducing them to his sister and Hurst, he bowed to each of the girls as they entered. He attempted to remember their names, but mixed up Mary and Kitty, which sent Lydia and Kitty into a fit of giggles. Mrs. Bennett admonished them, and they stopped, although they continued looking at each other with glee in their eyes. When Bingley saw Jane, he took her hand and bowed, never taking his eyes off her face. She blushed a deep crimson, but she smiled and told him how nice it was to see him again. Finally, last came Elizabeth, who obviously looked entirely different than she had on their previous meeting. "Miss Elizabeth, it is a pleasure indeed to meet you! I must say, I would not have known it was you if I hadn't known that you were coming this evening!" He laughed, and bowed again.

  "Yes, you are right, Mr. Bingley, I am sure I must look a little different than the day I fell in the mud. I assure you, I took great care to avoid the stream today!" Bi
ngley seemed delighted that she answered him with such wit, and he ushered her in along with the others. The group noisily walked through the large round room, their voices echoing off the marble floors and ceiling frescoes, especially Fanny Bennett who stopped every few feet to inspect something new.

  "Please join us in the drawing room for a bit of conversation before we dine" Louisa said. I believe Mr. Darcy is awaiting us there, and my sister Caroline will be joining us shortly. She had no reassurance that her sister would actually join the group, but she hoped that some of her brother's words would encourage her to show that she was willing to try to change her ways. They entered the drawing room, a richly appointed room with large floor to ceiling windows at the far end, and several groupings of chairs and sofas throughout.

  Mrs. Bennett looked as if she would burst with excitement as she looked around the room. She had been admonished by her husband to keep her outbursts to a minimum, but as a balloon will pop if it is inflated too much, she could not keep silent. "Oh, Mrs. Hurst, Mr. Bingley, this room is exquisite! As long as we have been the closest neighbor to Netherfield, I have never had the honor of being invited inside!" Everyone in the room had their own opinion as to why that was the case, except Mrs. Bennett who would never have considered it was because of her own outlandish behavior.

  Darcy was standing at the opposite end of the room in his favorite pose, next the large windows where he could stand looking out at the gardens, but he was also able to observe the room and its occupants in the reflection. He turned to greet the guests, and walked across the room, greeting Mrs. Bennett first. "Good Evening, Mrs. Bennett. It is a pleasure to see you again." He bowed and she curtsied, awestruck at his handsome attire and his formal greeting. He then moved to Mr. Bennett and greeted him with a firm handshake and pleasantries. The girls had all formed a line as before, but this time there were five instead of four, and he went down the line, perfectly remembering their names as they curtsied.