by Adams, Alexa
Mrs. Hurst’s thoughts were on her sibling’s unruly behavior, her husband’s on the game alone, and her brother’s on the path he had declared himself to be pursuing. It pained him to have exchanged such words with Caroline but he was quite certain of the sincerity of his affections. Never before had a lady so totally captivated his heart; with the greatest anxiety he fervently hoped that his admiration was returned.
Eventually Elizabeth abandoned her futile pursuit and returned to Jane, sadly finding her condition considerably worse. Most of that first night at Netherfield was spent at her sister’s bedside. By morning, she was highly fatigued but gratified by a noticeable improvement in her patient. Guiltily, Elizabeth acknowledged to herself some selfishness in her relief, as during the worst part of the night she had resolved to alert Mrs. Bennet, upon the morning, to come and assess Jane’s condition herself. This sudden improvement surely negated the need and Elizabeth could conceive of no possible benefit to be derived from unnecessarily exposing those at Netherfield to her mother.
Mr. Darcy also suffered a largely sleepless night and would have been gratified he had been spared Mrs. Bennet’s presence the next day had he only known of his escape, but other cares troubled his mind as he tossed and turned under the increasingly uncooperative counterpane. “What will the family say,” he wondered, “should I present them Miss Elizabeth Bennet as my betrothed?” Georgiana would certainly welcome a companion but he could only grimace at the image of his Aunt Catherine’s face. She would undoubtedly be boisterous in her disapproval; surely it was well past time she accepted that he would never marry her daughter Anne. What of his Uncle? His cousins? After getting to know Elizabeth they could not help but approve of her – but what of her family? The grimace deepened. Miss Bingley might have been pleased if she had known of his torment.
Neither Elizabeth nor Darcy, despite their best resolutions, were able to steel themselves against their susceptibility to one another. In each other’s company they could only enjoy themselves, in defiance of Elizabeth’s vulnerability and Darcy’s pride. Miss Bingley, remarkably subdued, avoided any intercourse she could with her unwanted guest, adding relief from the lady of the house’s glares to the incentives Darcy had to seek Elizabeth out. He began to wonder if much of her bravado towards himself was a facade as they had, of late, taken to gazing at each other in what he believed to be a tender way. He sincerely wanted the attraction he was experiencing to be mutual though he had no doubts that, should he ask, she would accept his proposal regardless. All the Bennet girls were surely obligated to marry as well as possible: everyone was, including himself. Therein lay his dilemma.
What constitutes a good marriage? Should wealth and breeding be the utmost concern? Many a marriage that perfectly fulfilled the worldly qualification ended in misery, as Darcy had far too often observed, and a lack of refinement was not an accusation that could be leveled at Miss Elizabeth. He marveled at how she maintained her grace and composure in the face of the incivility of her hostess.
“Mr. Darcy, you really must not continue to frown so,” Elizabeth admonished. “If you persist you will force me to do something most unbecoming and childish”.
“And what would that be,” he asked, instantly intrigued.
She spoke softly and conspiratorially, “When no one else is looking I shall stick my tongue out at you!”
He laughed, “Oh how ever will I survive such an attack.” Temporarily all his concerns were forgotten. She had a unique and delightful way of causing him to lose himself.
The passing of another day saw Jane well enough to join the party after dinner: Mr. Bingley fawned over her and his sister glowered while, on the other side of the room, Darcy and Elizabeth happily discussed their favorite poets. Observing Elizabeth’s approving glance at her sister and Bingley, Darcy decided the time was right to fulfill a determination he had made, upon the evening of Elizabeth’s arrival and the declaration of Bingley’s intentions, to inquire into the state of Jane’s affections.
“Your sister seems much improved.”
“Yes,” she responded brightly, though he thought he could detect a tinge of regret. “I believe we shall return to Longbourn soon.”
“When Miss Bennet has not yet had the opportunity to enjoy her stay?”
“For someone who has been ill she has had a remarkable time I assure you,” Elizabeth laughed.
“She does seem to enjoy Bingley’s company.”
“I believe she said he is everything a gentleman should be.”
“High praise indeed.”
“From Jane it certainly is.” She grew serious, “Your friend would not toy with a lady’s affections, would he sir?”
He responded in kind, “He has been known to fall in and out of love with great rapidity,” Elizabeth frowned and he hurried to reassure her, “but he does seem to be experiencing a most sincere attachment to your sister.”
“Does he indeed?” Elizabeth asked excitedly, her sparkle returned.
Darcy laughed, thrilled to see her joy, “I cannot betray my friend’s confidence. I have already said far too much.”
“So you have, sir, as have I. Shall we resume the much safer subject of poetry?”
--
In consequence of an agreement between the sisters, Elizabeth wrote to Longbourn requesting the carriage, which her mother promptly denied, requiring her to apply to her host for transportation or risk intruding upon the household (and her reluctant hostess) for an unseemly length of time. Mr. Bingley most emphatically insisted that there was no reason for them to leave so soon, they were more than welcome at Netherfield and surely Miss Bennet was not yet strong enough to depart. The man was so determined to keep the Bennet ladies in his home that Elizabeth acquiesced to remaining one more evening, planning to depart following the morning service on Sunday. Longer than that she could not be induced to remain, largly do to the curtness of her hostess’ civilities. Bingley was just thankful to procure himself an additional day of Jane’s companionship.
With much contrivance between his friend and staff, Mr. Bingley managed to be alone when Miss Bennet entered the breakfast room the final morning of her stay. He jumped to his feet with all the nervousness befitting a deeply in love man on the precipice of a proposal, “Good morning, Miss Bennet. You look so well I find it hard to imagine you have ever suffered a day of sickness in your life.”
“Thank you Mr. Bingley. Good morning to you,” she beamed and blushed, flattered by his marked attention.
Shuffling nervously, he waited while she made her selections from the side board and then readily seated her in the place next to himself. A few moments passed in awkward silence before Bingley managed to summon the courage to pronounce his mentally rehearsed speech. “My dear Miss Bennet,” he began with all composure he could muster, “I cannot say how sorry I am that your time with us has been the result of illness but, nonetheless, I must admit to cherishing this opportunity to get to know you better. It has been only a few weeks since we met, I know, but I cannot help but say, Miss Bennet, that I have never met a lady who matches you in loveliness. I find myself most sincerely attached to you and would be the happiest of men if only you would consent to be my wife.”
Jane looked down, her face scarlet, and quietly said, “Yes Mr. Bingley. I am most honored,” before looking up and bestowing on him the most radiant smile he had received from her yet. A few minutes later when Elizabeth and Darcy, having taken a conveniently timed walk, cautiously entered the room, so lost were the happy couple in each other that they did not notice their quiet, approving presence for several moments. Finally spotting her sister, Jane rose from her chair and moved forward to embrace her. “Oh Lizzy, tis by far too much! I do not deserve it. Oh! Why is not everybody so happy!” she exclaimed as Elizabeth laughed, assuring her that she was deserving of all her present joy and a lifetime more. Darcy and Bingley shared a hearty handshake before the latter greeted Elizabeth in kind, as was now his brotherly right. It was a celebratory party Mis
s Bingley and Mrs. Hurst walked in upon soon after, much to the former’s chagrin.
Mr. Bingley escorted the ladies to Longbourn following Matins to request a private conference with Mr. Bennet. Parental consent to the match was expressed readily and simply by Mr. Bennet; Mrs. Bennet’s approval was a bit more verbose. “Oh my dear, dear Jane! I am so happy I know not what I shall do! I said how it would be all along – you could not be so beautiful for nothing!” Her sisters too were anxious to share in Jane’s joy. Mary petitioned for the use of the library at Netherfield while Kitty and Lydia begged very hard for a ball.
Chapter 9
“I hope, my dear,” Mr. Bennet interrupted his wife’s wedding plans over breakfast, “that you have ordered a good dinner today because I have reason to suspect an addition to our family party.”
“Oh dear, yes. I had not considered that. Mr. Bingley will be joining us and perhaps Mr. Darcy as well! Unfortunately there is not a bit of fish to be got today.”
“Actually I put Mr. Bingley off for tonight and, while I cannot say what plans Mr. Darcy may have, I can assure you that it is another gentleman entirely that I am expecting – a stranger whom I never saw in the whole course of my life.”
The table came alive with speculation; so successfully had Mr. Bennet ignited his families interest that a few minutes actually went by before they resumed the wedding buzz.
“Perhaps it is one of the officers?” Lydia suggested.
“Or yet another handsome bachelor has entered the neighborhood?” Kitty guessed.
“Fancy three unmarried men of good fortune in one month! When two have been enough to undo us? Surely such bounty is excessive,” laughed Elizabeth.
Even Mary commented: “An older gentleman, full of the sobriety and wisdom of his age, would not be unwelcome.” How anti-climatic was Mr. William Collins’ appearance after such a build up? Severely.
Mrs. Bennet was particularly vexed, somewhat understandably, whenever the estate’s entail upon this unknown and uncared for distant cousin was mentioned. But by the time of his arrival, her anticipation of an introduction was only surpassed by Mr. Bennet’s, who always delighted in the ridiculous and was certain, by the tone of his letter, that Mr. Collins was a prime specimen. When Mrs. Bennet read the missive, she was more taken with the intimation that he would marry one of her many daughters than with the man’s idiocy, which she characteristically failed to perceive. This did much to change her response to Mr. Collins and erased most of the precipitous prejudice she harbored towards him, so that upon his arrival, he found himself quite cordially welcomed by the lady of the house instead of being subjected to her spleen, all traces of animosity temporarily forgotten.
Unfortunately, little was better suited to revive Mrs. Bennet’s ill will towards Mr. Collins than to witness the heir of Longbourn’s praise of the home’s interior, with a poorly disguised eye to future ownership, but the knowledge and security of Jane’s good fortune buoyed her spirits. With zeal she announced the recent engagement and relished the disappointment that registered in Mr. Collins’ approving eye. Mrs. Bennet might have been oblivious to much but she was keenly observant of any interest displayed by an eligible man in her daughters. Certainly she noticed Mr. Collins turning the focus of his appraisal towards Elizabeth and pettishly looked forward to further frustrating his hopes.
Mr. Bennet was not disappointed in of his guest. There was much in which to find amusement that evening as Mr. Collins determinedly set to informing the Bennets of every detail regarding his fortunate situation as rector of Hunsford, his magnanimous patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and her magnificent estate, Rosings Park. Upon having heard enough of this to fully assess Mr. Collins’ eligibility, Mrs. Bennet made several attempts to turn the conversation back towards Jane’s wedding, which remained her most pressing interest despite the unexpected visitor. Back and forth they attempted to speak over each other and control the tide of conversation, creating quite a racket in the process. Though he had rarely been so thoroughly diverted, even Mr. Bennet’s love of the ridiculous had its limits; once he felt his hostly duties had been fulfilled he was happy to redirect his guest’s attention, requesting he entertain the ladies by reading aloud while eagerly escaping to his library.
A small conflict arose regarding what Mr. Collins should read, an incident which did nothing to enhance that gentleman’s opinion of his two youngest cousins. Fordyce’s Sermons was finally selected, to Lydia’s great chagrin. Not three pages in she rudely interrupted the reading with a bit of supremely trivial gossip, so affronting Mr. Collins that he almost refused to continue. Though many assurances were given of the audience’s attentiveness, he was most stubbornly insistent that he would not read on until Mary placated him thusly: “It has often been observed, sir, that those in the most need of instruction are those who will resist it most fiercely. Surely the greatest attribute of the clergyman is his persistence in times of trial, great and small, tending to even the most unwieldy members of the flock.”
To everyone’s great surprise, this pedantic appeal was received graciously. Mary experienced the rare pleasure of having her words heeded and, though Lydia could only be described as stunned by such an occurrence, Kitty could acknowledge feeling a bit impressed by the middle Bennet girl’s rare, if odd, display of social acumen. Jane and Elizabeth were pleased to see Mary experience some triumph and Mrs. Bennet, in an instant, concocted great plans for her previously least-interesting daughter. And as for Mr. Collins, as he droned on for more than an hour, he had ample time to appreciate his cousin Mary’s good sense and attentive, if plain, countenance. He even managed to find a moment to bemoan the loss of such a practical lady, for his purpose at Longbourn was transparently none other than to choose amongst his cousins a wife. Knowing this to be his goal he had already, in his very brief time in the house, determined that Elizabeth would be the recipient of his courtly attentions, this decision made immediately upon learning of Jane’s engagement and seeming quite sensible, Elizabeth being next in both birth and beauty. The match would be highly suitable, remarkably convenient, and he had every confidence his cousin would deem it likewise.
--
After making such a stalwart resolution one might think that Mr. Collins would have been disheartened the next morning when, upon finding himself tête-à-tête with Mrs. Bennet, he received a caution against pursuit of the very Elizabeth he had fixed on, but then one would not be accounting for the flexibility of this astonishing specimen of humanity. For a conversation beginning with his parsonage house and leading naturally to the avowal of his hopes that a mistress for it might be found at Longbourn, elicited this presumptuous comment from his hostess, “I have reason to believe, sir, that Lizzy’s affections are already quite attached to a wealthy gentleman of large fortune who has recently come into the neighborhood, though I know of no existing predisposition amongst my younger daughters.”
It was a natural progression for Mr. Collins to turn his sight on the next chronologically eligible daughter, despite some understandable disappointment that the ladies of the house were not as ripe for the picking as he had imagined. There was some minor indignation to overcome as he felt his station entitled him to the pick of the litter, but his eager mind quickly perceived how much more appropriate Mary would be as a companion at Rosings than the elder, more showy Bennet girls. Though not a sensible man, no one would dare underestimate how keenly aware Mr. Collins was of his duty to his illustrious patroness and her daughter; readily he grasped at the notion that Miss Mary would be of far more assistance in upholding his claim that Miss De Bourgh was superior to the handsomest of her sex (and other such homages he thought due the ladies) than a sparkling Miss Elizabeth or breathtaking Miss Bennet.
In many more words than need be recounted here, Mr. Collins assured Mrs. Bennet that he would very much enjoy getting better acquainted with her middle daughter. What were her pursuits and accomplishments? Happily Mrs. Bennet recounted Mary’s diligence and piety, suddenly valu
ing these qualities more than she ever had before. What a surprise blessing a household of daughters could prove to be! Mary was perfect for Mr. Collins – it now appeared that she had been raised purposefully for the role of clergyman’s wife and Mrs. Bennet happily took the credit for educating one of her daughters thusly. She treasured up the hint from Mr. Collins and trusted she might soon have three daughters advantageously settled. Mr. Collins, formerly loathed and despised from afar, now stood high in her good graces.
Though Mary was not privy to this conversation she would not have found it disagreeable. It was difficult being the middle child amongst such sisters and she had often experienced great anxiety regarding her desirability. Mrs. Bennet’s constant preoccupation with the disposal of her daughters only heightened these concerns: each of the many times her mother bemoaned their fate should Mr. Bennet die, Mary would picture her particular lot in that scenario and saw much to bemoan. Surely her prettier, livelier sisters would make matches of some sort or another but what was she to do? Work as a governess? Spend her life caring for an aging and unloving mother? While she had long ago determined that she would not shirk from fulfilling whatever role life demanded from her, she also prayed fervently that it would be one of wife, not caretaker. So when Mr. Collins began to pay her attentions she felt both flattered and receptive, having rarely been the focus of masculine notice. From her perspective Mr. Collins was an excellent match – she honored his profession, his role as her father’s heir, and the good sense he showed in wishing for a practical and pious wife above a beautiful one.
