Clever Compromises

by APRIL FLOYD

  Elizabeth blew out a puff of air that lifted the petal and pushed it away. “Do not be ridiculous Jane! While I do not think he finds me only tolerable now, there is a quite the distance between like and love and Mr. Darcy has not yet traveled quite so far in his feelings for me.”

  Jane plucked the next petal and blew it from her palm into the air towards Elizabeth. “He loves you not.”

  Giggling at her eldest sister’s silly game that suited Kitty and Lydia better, Elizabeth caught that petal and crushed it between her fingers.

  Jane continued the game until the last petal had been plucked. “I knew it! He does love you, Lizzy. He behaved as a love-struck boy at the Lucas party and his attention was squarely on you when we were at Netherfield.”

  It was true the time spent at Netherfield Park tending Jane in her sudden illness had given Elizabeth an opportunity to know Mr. Darcy better. He had defended her against the awful Bingley sisters and walked with her twice in the gardens of the large estate as leaves swirled about their feet in dazzling flashes of red and gold.

  He was not one for rousing conversation but he had told Elizabeth of his sister, his estate in Pemberley, and made a most humble apology for his insult delivered the night of the Assembly. In his estimation, he had been in a terrible mood and should not have attended and when Mr. Bingley goaded him about dancing, an exercise he detested, he had lashed out at Elizabeth for no other reason than to have his friend leave him in peace.

  Elizabeth had forgiven him the slight after hearing more of his dislike of dancing as they strolled amiably through the gardens. She recalled their conversation while Jane hunted for another doomed flower to sacrifice for her humor.

  “Mr. Darcy, you would not dance with me if your mood had improved that evening?”

  The man had given her a rare smile and Elizabeth startled at her heart’s response to the gesture.

  “Miss Elizabeth, you must not think my reticence a judgment upon yourself. I have never been comfortable when required to dance. I am not the amiable gentleman that Bingley is and I am never at ease amongst strangers. The eyes of a community this small are ever turned to the newest man in town. A gentleman must take care with the expectations he gives a lady and her neighbors.”

  Elizabeth had looked away across the garden thinking of how lonely it would be as winter arrived. “Speaking only for myself, there is no expectation of love or marriage when asking for one dance. I would not wish to have your fortune did it weigh so heavily on my shoulders.”

  He had paused his steps then and Elizabeth turned to see whether he was offended at her words.

  “There are times I would not have it either and yet, without it, I do not think there is a lady in all the realm who might wish to dance with me.”

  His eyes left her face and Elizabeth’s breath caught at the pained expression that clouded his countenance. She recalled the loud gossip of her mother and the other matrons of Meryton that night. Ten thousand per annum. Of course the man would not wish to dance with the daughters of those who spoke of him as though he were the bank notes they craved instead of a living, breathing man!

  Now, as Jane blew another handful of petals her way, Elizabeth thought how she had come to admire Mr. Darcy before she and Jane left Netherfield. On their last morning as guests in the home, Elizabeth had sat in the library after breaking her fast and thumbed through one of the few volumes available on the still dusty shelves of the mostly unused library.

  Mr. Darcy had entered and nearly left again upon seeing her comfortably seated with a book in her lap. She had stood and asked him to join her and to his credit, he relented.

  The companionship they shared that morning was as unlikely as the heat that now tortured Hertfordshire. Brushing the petals from her skirts, Elizabeth stood and took her sister’s hand. “Come, we must save Mary from the younger girls. We shall go into Meryton on the morrow and see how Mrs. Curtis is coming along with your dress.”

  Jane held Elizabeth’s hand as they walked back through the stone arch to the front door. “Speaking of my dress, perhaps I should delay my wedding so that we might be married together? I do not think Mr. Darcy shall wait long before having his own talk with Father.”

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes at her sister and laughed. Though she found Jane’s enthusiasm for Mr. Darcy endearing, in her heart she felt the man would never see her as a suitable match. Their mother was loud and unrefined and their father often lax in his control of her sisters though he had recently set down some rules for Kitty and Lydia.

  But her heart sang his name as her own as she walked along with Jane. Elizabeth Darcy. Trembling at the thought of it, Elizabeth stepped inside Longbourn and rushed up the stairs behind Jane to rescue poor Mary from the terrible twosome of Lydia and Kitty Bennet.

  Chapter 3

  Mr. Bennet listened as the man who would inherit his home droned on about Lady Catherine de Bourgh. How a gentleman might find nothing more to speak of than a wealthy lady in Kent was beyond him but Mr. Collins seemed a man most ardently in love with the de Bourgh name and family.

  For a moment, Mr. Bennet could almost understand such infatuation. After all, the man seated before his desk had nothing much to recommend him. Not a title nor wealth, not the handsome features a lady might seek, and certainly his conversation was lacking wit and intelligence.

  When the topic of marriage to one of his daughters finally flitted through his cousin’s mind, Mr. Bennet was on his feet in moments searching for another glass so he might share his port in a moment of celebration. Never had Mr. Bennet dreamed he would be rid of Mary, his middle child, quite so easily as it now appeared he might.

  There was certainly no doubt on his part that his Lizzy would remain at Longbourn until her suitable match had been made. His favorite child was far too spirited and strong-willed for a man such as William Collins! There would be nothing but strife and unhappiness were the two of them yoked.

  With Jane to wed Mr. Bingley in a matter of weeks, Mr. Bennet had no need to accept the parson’s offer but the idea of marrying off two of his five daughters held an appeal he could not deny. A man with five daughters must seize any opportunity that presented itself, especially when the one most likely to become a spinster might be married soon after her eldest sister.

  “Mr. Collins, I must say I had not expected such generosity after reading your letter. I believe Mary shall be the perfect match. She is sober, dedicated to the Good Book, and fairly proficient at the pianoforte. Yes, she shall be a wonderful parson’s wife.”

  Mr. Collins had been about to sip from the port Mr. Bennet had provided but found himself perturbed that his cousin had decided which daughter he ought to marry. “Mr. Bennet, I am quite happy to offer for one of my cousins as I believe it shall ease the sting of the entailment. However, I would choose which young lady I prefer.”

  Watching the man as he sipped slowly from his own glass, Mr. Bennet considered whether he ought to argue his point. He did not wish to give offense and risk that his cousin might return to Kent without wedding his middle child and so he simply nodded. “But of course, as it should be. You mentioned you might stay a fortnight, surely that will be time enough to make your choice?”

  Having made himself comfortable in his chair after winning his point regarding the selection of which cousin he ought to marry, Mr. Collins merely nodded. “I believe a fortnight shall be ample time to become better acquainted with my lovely cousins. I must be careful in my choosing, you see. Lady Catherine insisted I consider not only the young lady’s temperament but also her accomplishments. Have my cousins had the benefit of a governess?”

  Mr. Bennet chuckled as he refreshed his drink. “Mrs. Bennet once demanded such and I refused. I determined that all they might need to know could be taught in our home.”

  Mr. Collins could not hide his surprise at such a foolish admission given so proudly. “Have they had masters, then? To teach them music and painting at the very least?”

  Mr. Bennet shook his h
ead. “They have not, but each of my daughters is as accomplished as any lady their age and I would boast, better read. Especially my Lizzy.”

  The parson had no use for ladies who were well read. In his experience, such women were most unhappy when faced with the rigors of running a home. “Such a pity it is, Mr. Bennet, to give young ladies such learning. They have not a natural inclination to curiosity. I shall have to take into account whether the sister I choose has been corrupted by such learning.”

  At this, Mr. Bennet was assured that Lizzy would not be chosen by his cousin. Certainly Mary would suit the man perfectly. Her preferred reading material was the Good Book as she often gave reproof to each of her sisters accordingly by quoting its passages without error. Never had she combed his book shelves for secular material as Lizzy often did through the years nor offered much in the way of spirited conversation.

  Happy now that the matter was settled in his mind, and eager to have his study to himself after entertaining the man for too long, Mr. Bennet stood hastily and walked to the door. Mr. Collins found his feet with some surprise and not a little reluctance. The parson was unsettled by his host’s spry movements when they had just been enjoying the port.

  Holding his study door wide, Mr. Bennet motioned to the hallway before them. “Mrs. Bennet has surely had a room made ready. Perhaps you would care to rest before dinner?”

  Mr. Collins glanced over his shoulder as though he wished to linger in the study. Stepping into the hallway in the hope his cousin would follow, Mr. Bennet called for his wife. “Mrs. Bennet, come quickly. Our guest must be allowed to refresh himself before we dine.”

  Chapter 4

  Caroline Bingley paced the length of the ballroom at Netherfield unable to hide her irritation. Her sister Louisa Hurst spoke with the butler and dismissed the man from the room before turning to watch her sister throw wide the terrace doors. “Caroline, you must show restraint as the mistress of Netherfield. Though your time is short here, there is much to be done for our brother’s wedding.”

  Whirling away from the doors, Miss Bingley glared at her sister. “I must plan an engagement ball and see him wed, Louisa, but I must not enjoy a moment of it to see it properly done. I care not for the staff of this horrid place or what they may think.”

  Louisa shrugged her shoulders as her hands fell to caress her increasing middle. “You may say such now but where else might you go? You cannot live at Hurst House forever, not with a little one coming.”

  Miss Bingley resented the fact that her sister was settled in a lovely townhouse in Grosvenor near Darcy House expecting her first child while she passed each season without an offer of marriage.

  Netherfield would become her home and she would be made to play the part of spinster sister instead of mistress. Miss Jane Bennet would hold that title and the idea of it gave Miss Bingley vexation. She would be forced to live far from Town and have not an important role in the home with which to amuse herself.

  Her chin rose in defiance. “Perhaps I shall take a trip to visit friends in Kent or travel to Scotland? Charles will not be eager to have me installed upstairs permanently when he and his new bride have finished their wedding trip.”

  Louisa dearly wished Caroline might travel, for perhaps a suitable gentleman would appear and solve the problem of the housing and upkeep of her sister in one lovely chance encounter. “And how might you have the funds for an adventure in Scotland?”

  Miss Bingley eagerly shared the story of her cunning. “Why, from our dear brother of course! The other night at dinner, when I spoke of how I hated the country, he began to think that perhaps he would hate it as well if it involved listening to my daily laments on the matter. He came to me in the parlor just yesterday with the suggestion of a trip since he was to be married and you are to become a mother. A bit of fair play he called it.”

  Louisa attempted to hide her relief at their brother’s quick thinking. He was an amiable and sometimes daft gentleman but where his youngest sister was concerned, the man did try to please her so as to make life easier for himself. Still, there was a most advantageous match to be made at Netherfield if only Caroline might be persuaded to endure Hertfordshire a few more weeks.

  “Wouldn’t you rather wait until Charles is home from his wedding trip? Mr. Darcy shall stay until then. Perhaps this will be an opportunity to snare the man you’ve spent the better years of your life chasing?”

  “I could not, Louisa. Not even for Mr. Darcy. The way he watches Miss Eliza as she crosses a room is simply abominable! Remember the Lucas soirée? He spoke of her fine eyes. I cannot stay and watch him fall in love with her!”

  Miss Bingley turned and stomped out of the room at the upset she caused herself over Mr. Darcy and Miss Eliza Bennet.

  Mrs. Hurst sighed and turned away as the maids from downstairs arrived to do her bidding. The floor of the ballroom would require a thorough polishing and there was still the matter of the musicians to be hired.

  Irritated at her spoiled sister for her show of useless histrionics, Louisa struggled to remain civil with the servants as they began to clean the floor. Charles would owe her a great deal for having arranged both the engagement ball and the wedding before she returned to London.

  As Miss Bingley rushed from the ballroom in a fit of temper, Mr. Darcy appeared at the bottom of the stairs with her brother. He dared not approach Miss Bingley when she was in high spirits and so he turned away and whispered to his friend before making a swift exit. “I shall be in the library, Charles.”

  Mr. Bingley frowned as Miss Bingley attempted to push past him on her way to her rooms. He wished to join his friend in the library and avoid certain unpleasantness with his sister but at present she was supposed to be preparing for the wedding ball. “Caro, whatever is the matter? Where is Lou?”

  Miss Bingley’s words were clipped and delivered with much irritation. “She is in the ballroom shepherding the help. I must go up and lie down for a time. This entire business has me most upset.”

  Mr. Bingley was accustomed to his sister’s dramatic proclamations and her dislike of the Bennet family but he would not abide her throwing her responsibilities onto Mrs. Hurst. “You are the mistress of Netherfield, not Lou. Turn and march yourself back into that ballroom or forget about your holiday in Scotland. Lou, in her condition, is the one who ought to be lying down this time of the afternoon. Really Caro, you are much too old to behave as a spoiled child.”

  Now livid at being spoken to so harshly, Miss Bingley began to argue. Instead of humoring her temper, Mr. Bingley rested his hands on her shoulders and turned her around as though she were a wayward child. “Back to the ballroom and handle the staff, sister dear. You must only remain at Netherfield until the wedding breakfast has ended.”

  Flouncing off, Miss Bingley cried out petulantly. “I shall never return to this awful place Charles! Never!”

  Mr. Bingley could hardly contain his laughter at her childishness. How he wished his sister would remain in London far from Netherfield Park. He and Jane would lead a much happier life.

  Turning to make his way to the library, Mr. Bingley thought of his angel Jane Bennet. Soon they would be wed and happiness beyond measure would be their portion in life. To think he had nearly given up on coming to Hertfordshire and letting the property he now meant to own!

  Chapter 5

  As the Bennet family sat around the dinner table that evening with Mr. Collins, Elizabeth grimaced when the man pronounced their dining room furnishings merely serviceable while her mother astonishingly remained calm.

  To Elizabeth’s surprise, Mrs. Bennet artfully turned the conversation to the family he served in Kent. “Mr. Collins, surely there is much to tell of your patroness and her family?”

  At this, he beamed with joy. Elizabeth had to wonder if he was in love with Lady Catherine in spite of how scandalous and impossible the idea seemed.

  “My dear Mrs. Bennet, you would be most impressed! I count myself quite fortunate to have gotten the liv
ing at Hunsford. Lady Catherine is a woman of rare wit and intellect and her daughter, Miss Anne de Bourgh, why there isn’t a more beautiful young lady in all the kingdom. Tis such a pity she is a sickly girl.”

  Elizabeth thought it most rude for the man to speak of the young mistress’s health as though she was known to the Bennet family.

  “Surely she has the best of doctors to attend her, Cousin Collins?” Jane asked, the furrow of her brow betraying her concern for the young lady who was but a stranger. There was not a soul Jane did not take pity upon when hearing of a misfortune.

  Mr. Collins was pleased by this reaction. “Oh, indeed Cousin Jane! You are not to worry for the young Miss for she is promised to her cousin, a Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, and shall be well cared for until her dying breath.”

  Mrs. Bennet gasped and nearly dropped her cup. “There is a Mr. Darcy, from Derbyshire, staying at Netherfield Park! Is it the same man?”

  The parson nodded sagely. “Why it must be Mrs. Bennet. He holds a large estate there, Pemberley it is. Quite a wealthy man though he does not hold a title.”

  Elizabeth gave her eldest sister a pointed look as the table erupted in excited chatter around them though her heart gave a sharp twist as her mind whispered silently to her sister. See? He does not care for me Jane.

  Jane Bennet did not believe she had been mistaken where Mr. Darcy was concerned. Many times, in families of wealth and status, cousins were expected to marry just as she or one of her sisters would be expected to make a match with Mr. Collins. It would not have been a love match for any of them.

  Wondering whether their father had agreed to the parson’s offer, Jane turned to Mr. Bennet and leaned closer to where he sat at the head of the table. She whispered softly though her younger sisters were making enough noise to cover her question if she had spoken it aloud. “Papa, what of our cousin’s plan to marry one of my sisters?”