The Portrait of Elizabeth

by Jane Angwin

  The ladies were finding it awkward to discuss anything of substance. Miss Bingley was obviously quite unhappy with the Bennett's visit, but she stayed strangely quiet and thus far had not made any of her notorious vulgar comments. Louisa was trying to make small talk, but she was still daunted by her sister, and she didn't want to bring up any controversial subjects. She decided to ask her sister to play the pianoforte, thinking it would take her mind off the Bennetts and place attention on her, but she refused, and instead Mary offered to play.

  Jane and Lizzy glanced at each other, knowing that Mary was not proficient enough to play for company, but it was impossible to stop her without hurting her feelings. She looked through some of the sheet music that was there, and although she did not feel comfortable with any of the pieces, she picked one that she had tried to learn but had not practiced in quite some time. She began playing the music with little skill, missing many notes. It pleased Mary that she was able to play on such a lovely instrument, and she didn't seem to realize how bad her rendition of the piece sounded. Miss Bingley began to smile for the first time all evening, and Louisa knew that some ugly remark was forming in her mind and was about to explode from her mouth.

  Elizabeth also saw the look on her face like a cat who had just spotted a mouse, and she had to do something quickly. She picked up her tea cup and slid the saucer off the table, letting it drop to the floor, shattering in many pieces. The sound of the breaking china did exactly what she intended it to do. Mary stopped playing, and Caroline never got to utter the remark that was simmering on her lips. The gentlemen had been on their way to the drawing room to join the ladies when they also heard the noise, and they rushed in to see what had happened.

  "Oh goodness" Elizabeth said. "I have broken one of your lovely saucers, Mr. Bingley. I am so terribly sorry! I will certainly pay you for the damage." She bent down to pick up the broken shards, but Darcy quickly came to her side, touching her arm and said that she needn't pick up the sharp pieces herself. Bingley called for Mr. Blair, and a footman soon appeared with a brush and receptacle to scoop up the broken saucer.

  Miss Bingley was delighted that Elizabeth had made such a faux pas in front of everyone, but most of all, that Mr. Darcy had witnessed her clumsiness in such a refined home. "No lady of quality would ever allow a saucer to fall to the floor," she thought.

  Elizabeth was quite stunned at Mr. Darcy's intervention and the touch on her arm. She looked at him and trying to think of something to say, she said "This has been quite a night for mishaps, hasn't it, Mr. Darcy?" He merely grimaced at her quip and walked away again.

  Mr. Bennett took this as their cue to leave, and he held out his hand to Mrs. Bennett. "Come, dear. We must be leaving now. It has been a lovely dinner, but it is getting late, and I believe Mr. Darcy is suffering from a headache."

  Everyone turned to look at Darcy, and this only made matters worse. He had become the object of attention too many times in one evening, and that was what he tried to avoid at all cost. "I am fine, Mr. Bennett. It is gone now," he lied.

  "Nevertheless, it is time for us to return to Longbourn. Come along girls, Mrs. Bennett." She still hadn't taken his hand to rise from her chair, and she exclaimed that she had just become comfortable. "Mrs. Bennett" he repeated and reached down to pick up her hand and pulled her up. "Thank the Bingleys for dinner, my dear. We are leaving now."

  "Well, if we must leave, we must. It is still quite early, and I had hoped for a tour of this lovely home, but thank you so much Mr. Bingley, Mrs. Hurst." There had been no offer of a tour, and Elizabeth was mortified at her rudeness. Fanny turned to Louisa and thanked her for planning such a lovely evening. "Your dinner was truly wonderful, and we would very much like to return your gracious invitation." Louisa glanced at Caroline, and didn't know what to say, so she simply curtsied and smiled, saying "How nice." She knew that Caroline would not accept that invitation in a million years.

  The guests all retrieved their outerwear and left Netherfield in their very crowded carriage. The ever positive Bingley, not realizing that so much drama had occurred during the evening, claimed that the evening had been a "smashing success", and he very much looked forward to returning to Longbourn for dinner. Caroline had tried desperately to keep her thoughts to herself, but she snickered loudly at the remark about the evening being a smashing success. Louisa grimaced and Darcy gave her a look of disgust, but Bingley didn't notice, continuing to talk about the beauty of Jane, the humorous anecdotes about Elizabeth, and the wonderful cook in his new kitchen. Everyone declared fatigue and went to their separate chambers for the night, listening to Bingley rattle on until their respective doors shut.

  Darcy still locked his door and pulled the table in front of the door to his sitting room, even though he saw Gilbert sleeping on the small sofa as he had said he would. Even with his precautions and little chance of Miss Bingley repeating her attempts at a compromise, he slept little during the night. He kept seeing a beautiful girl with chestnut brown hair sitting on a swing with a book in her hands. He knew that he had made a terrible impression on her, and he had to change that somehow, but he did not know how or even if he could apologize. After tossing and turning, he finally fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of a woman in a white gown.

  Chapter Twenty Three

  A walk in the woods

  The ride home from Netherfield was not long, but Mrs. Bennett babbled the entire time about the grandeur of the estate, the perfect manners of Mr. Bingley, the terrible manners of Mr. Darcy, the expensive furnishings, and her hope for Jane to live in such a fine estate. Arriving home, she entered the house still talking, describing the colors of the walls, the fine vases and silver pieces, and the lovely dress Miss Bingley wore. "Did you see that turban with purple feathers? Oh, Mr. Bennett, I would look so lovely in that hat!"

  Mr. Bennett looked at her as if she had lost her mind completely, but simply replied "Yes, dear. You would look beautiful in an orange turban with purple feathers. You could wear it to church, and the ladies of Meryton would be quite envious of your fashion choice." The two youngest girls burst into laughter, and ran up the stairs to discuss the hideous orange ensemble Miss Bingley had worn. Mary shook her head and muttered something about the evils of vanity, and Jane and Elizabeth looked at each other and attempted to stifle their laughter at their father's remarks.

  "I must start planning a five course dinner for the Bingleys and the Hursts, and I suppose, Mr. Darby if he remains at Netherfield. What a loathsome man he is." Mr. Bennett interrupted her and corrected her for calling him by the wrong name again. "Oh, I don't care what his name is. Mr. Darby, Mr. Darcy, it doesn't matter. I swear, I don't think he spoke one word the whole evening. And did you see how he separated from us and stood across the room by the window before dinner? He obviously thinks that he is too good for us. I have never met such an arrogant and proud man."

  "Mrs. Bennett, you should not judge a man by one meeting. He is a very intelligent and kind man. I believe he simply suffers from the inability to converse well with strangers, and perhaps he is just a bit shy."

  "Nonsense, Mr. Bennett. I saw his face when Elizabeth mentioned visiting my brother in Cheapside. He practically grimaced. He does not wish to associate with people who have connections in trade."

  "Do you not realize that Mr. Bingley comes from trade, my dear? And he is Mr. Darcy's best friend. I think you are quite mistaken." He turned and started up the stairs. "I am retiring Mrs. Bennett. Goodnight."

  Mrs. Bennett was already seated at a small desk in the corner of the drawing room, writing down her menu for her dinner for the Netherfield party and did not notice that he had left.

  The following morning, a messenger arrived at the door with a letter for Mr. Bennett. He looked at the envelope with the strange handwriting and took the letter into his study and closed the door. Lizzy saw him as he passed her, and her curiosity aroused, she knocked on his door. "Papa? Can I come in?" She heard him tell her to enter, and she opened the doo
r and saw him sitting at his desk with the letter in his hand, shaking his head. "What is it, Papa?"

  "This is a letter from a Mr. Collins, the distant cousin who holds the entail on Longbourn, and he informs me that he will be arriving today! Good Lord, whatever does he want with us? I am in fairly good health and not planning to die quite yet, so he has no business coming to our home like a fox circling the henhouse." He continued reading the letter, and when he finished, he put the letter down and looked up at Lizzy. " This ridiculous fellow writes that he is a parson in Kent, and that his benefactress, a Lady De Bourg of Rosings, has instructed him to take a wife to enhance his station as a pastor to her tenants, and that because of the entail on our property that he will inherit when I die, he should choose one of my daughters to marry! This is completely nonsensical." He looked up at Elizabeth and said, "I can only hope that he is nothing like his father. We had not spoken in years before his death, and I must say he was a despicable man."

  "What do you mean, marry one of us, Papa? You wouldn't agree to such an arrangement, would you?

  "It would be a good idea if this man was of substance, and there are many marriages arranged for far less reasons, but I will not agree to any such arrangement, Lizzy. You have my word."

  "Thank you, Papa. You know though that Mother will be in full agreement with his proposal. This would allow her to live at Longbourn for the rest of her life. I dread hearing her cries of joy when she feels she is saved from the hedgerows!" Thomas nodded his head, realizing that his wife would, in fact, agree to such a scheme. "I refuse to marry for any other reason than for dearly loving someone, and I simply cannot be his choice. And Mr. Bingley seems to be quite taken by Jane, so she should not be his choice either! Perhaps Mary might be the best choice for a pastor."

  "Well, my dear," Thomas said, "We must go and tell your mother to expect company today. She will not take this news well." They rose, and left the study, both knowing that there would be a flurry of activity shortly and many exclamations of distress and, of course, frazzled nerves.

  As he thought, when he informed his wife about the impending visitor, Mrs. Bennett flew into a fit of rage at having "this horrid man" coming to stay in her home. "He is coming to take inventory of what will be his someday, like a vulture circling over a dying animal. How dare him come here when you are still living!"

  "Now, Fanny. There is more to his visit than that. He has decided that it would be wise to marry one of our daughters to ensure you can stay at Longbourn when I die. He is coming to conduct a viewing of our daughters! I cannot believe the audacity of such a thing, but he will be here shortly and there is no time to write back to refuse."

  "What? Marry one of our daughters? To allow us to stay at Longbourn? Good Lord, Mr. Bennett. This is an answer to my prayers! Where are the girls? I must have them dress in their best dresses and impress him when he arrives. Oh! Perhaps he will choose our Lydia! She is the most delightful of the girls, and she would make the perfect choice for him!"

  "Mrs. Bennett, I dislike disagreeing with you, but I do not approve of him coming to pick a wife like he is buying a horse, and I must also tell you that Lydia would never do as the wife of a parson, no matter what the circumstances. You must not pursue that ridiculous idea."

  She turned away from him, not hearing a word of what he had said, and scurried up the stairs to the girls' bedrooms. "Girls! I have wonderful news! We are saved!"

  Elizabeth did not wish to hear her mother's tirade and so she slipped out of the house before her mother could stop her. She wanted to get up to Oakham Mount before the sun got too high in the sky. She put on her half boots and her red pelisse, and started out. As she walked, she thought about their evening with Mr. Bingley and his sisters, and the strange feeling she got from Mr. Darcy. "I have never met such an odd man," she thought. "He could not bring himself to be social with our family prior to dinner, and then he hardly spoke at all during the meal." The thing that puzzled her the most was why he had taken such an instant dislike to her in particular. "I suppose all the stories about my foolishness and unladylike behavior are not what a man of his status approves of. He probably has a bevy of society ladies in Town with more refined qualities that have never climbed a tree or fallen into a stream." She laughed out loud imagining a prim and proper lady wearing a ball gown and dancing shoes climbing an apple tree. "But then he came to my aid when I dropped the china saucer, and he gently touched my arm, which is highly improper. I simply cannot make sense of this man."

  Because it was a little later than she preferred, she decided not to walk all the way to Oakham Mount, but rather she took the path that cut through the woods to the stream where she could sit and enjoy the sound of the water as it passed over the rocks. She walked along, listening to the birds in the trees, and enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning, when she was surprised to hear the sound of a horse nearby. As she rounded a bend, she saw Mr. Darcy coming toward her on his stallion, and she stopped in her tracks. Darcy pulled back on his reins, and he also stopped, staring at Elizabeth as if he had seen a ghost. "Mr. Darcy!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here this morning?" She was all too aware that he was the rider that had found her secret break in the fence that was a shortcut to Netherfield's furthest field, and she was greatly disappointed that he now knew her secret.

  Darcy, who was quite taken aback at seeing her, stammered saying "Hello, Miss Elizabeth. I was riding in the field several days ago and found a broken fence that borders your land with Netherfield, and I wished to see what lay on the other side. I hope that I did not frighten you."

  "No, of course not, Mr. Darcy. It is just that no one is ever here in the woods, and it merely startled me to hear a horse and then see you here. I was just on my way to the stream to enjoy the beauty of the area. Have you seen the stream? That is where I fell, if you recall hearing about my unfortunate incident!" She laughed, and his heart skipped a beat. Her laugh was enchanting, and she was so beautiful that he could hardly breathe, but he was mortified that she had found him trespassing in her secret place.

  "I apologize for intruding on your walk, Miss Elizabeth. I did not realize that this led to your home," he lied. Not wanting this fortuitous meeting to end, he said "May I walk with you to the stream? My horse might enjoy a bit of water before we return to Netherfield."

  Elizabeth could not refuse his request, so she agreed. "Yes, of course, Mr. Darcy, I do not mind the company." They walked along with no conversation, Omega trailing behind. As they reached the stream, Darcy asked her if she would show him the place where she fell. "Are you wishing to make fun of me, Mr. Darcy?"

  "No, of course not, Miss Elizabeth. I am just curious to see where I should not venture with Omega. It would not do to have me fall in the stream so that you could make fun of me!" He looked at her and smiled, showing her his deep dimples that she did not realize were there since she had not seen him smile the previous evening. She couldn't help staring at him, and she felt a slight shiver down her spine. She admitted to herself that he was indeed a handsome man, and under other circumstances, she would very much enjoy his company, but this would never do. He wanted nothing to do with her or her family, and he was surely just being polite.

  This strange reaction to his smile confused her, but she shrugged off the odd feeling, and looked away. She found a large log and sat down. "You are out riding quite early, Mr. Darcy. Is this your usual habit?"

  "Yes, actually I do arise quite early, and I enjoy riding first thing in the morning. I find it most invigorating, and Omega enjoys it as well." Desperately trying to think of topics of discussion, he asked "Do you ride, Miss Elizabeth?"

  "No Sir, I am sorry to say that I do not ride. As adventurous and foolish as my mother has described me to be, I am actually quite afraid of horses. I did try riding once when I was much younger, but the horse obviously sensed my fear, because it took off running before I was properly seated, and I slid off his back and fell quite hard to the ground. Fortunately, I did not break any bon
es, but I was quite shaken and bruised and sore for a long while, and now I find walking to be a much safer way to get where I want to go."

  "Yes, I know," he said, and then quickly realized that he had disclosed that he had seen her walking before today. He glanced at her and saw that she was puzzled by his admission. "I must admit I did see a young lady walking in the woods two days ago, and I assumed that it was you." He knew that he could not be alone with her much longer as it was highly improper, so he forged ahead with attempting to explain the bad impression he had made. "I believe that I owe you an apology for my strange behavior last night, Miss Elizabeth. I am afraid that I do not converse easily with people that I do not know well. I have also been the subject of many mothers of the ton and their daughters who are only interested in me for my wealth and to become mistress of my estate. I am extremely aware of my desirability for those reasons, and I do everything that I can to avoid such situations." He should have stopped there, but he continued. "I must admit that it is quite obvious that your mother is quite vehement about her desire to have her daughters find husbands, and I felt it was prudent to remain silent. I did not want to raise anyone's expectations." He looked down at his boots and said "Bingley chastised me roundly for my poor manners after you departed last night, and I want you to know that it was certainly not my intention to appear ill-mannered. Will you accept my apology, Miss Elizabeth?"

  Elizabeth was astounded at Mr. Darcy's disclosure regarding his odd behavior. He sounded quite sincere, but his arrogance was astonishing. "Well yes, of course, Mr. Darcy. I do realize that my mother can be quite overbearing and very obvious about the burden of having five unmarried daughters. I do believe, however, that you have nothing to worry about, Sir. She has decided to dislike you since you stood apart from us and appeared to disapprove of our family, so your scheme worked quite well indeed." She laughed and said "and unless you propose marriage to one of us and promise to save our mother from a life of poverty, she will leave you very much alone."