‘I think, as my aunt says, that liking and admiration are a good start to a marriage. For me, I think love might come later.’
‘Well, there is no need to make up your mind just yet,’ said Mrs Gardiner.
‘No. He has not even asked me yet, and he might never do so,’ said Jane.
‘Then let us talk of something else and return to the subject in the morning. Now that you have had a chance to talk about it, you might find that a good night’s sleep helps you to take a decision.’
As Mrs Gardiner suggested, they talked of other things. Elizabeth entertained her sister with tales of their holiday and the three women parted at last, tired and happy, to go to bed.
The following morning brought a letter from Mr Darcy, expressing his intention of calling on Miss Bennet the next day.
‘Then he means to propose, as we suspected,’ said Mrs Gardiner. ‘Have you made up your mind, Jane?’
‘Yes, I have,’ said Jane. ‘If he offers me his hand I will accept it.’
‘I think you are making the right decision,’ said Mrs Gardiner. ‘Mr Darcy is an honourable man and any woman would be proud to call him her husband.’
‘Are you sure, Jane?’ asked Elizabeth, searching her sister’s eyes. ‘Absolutely sure? Once you are married, it is for ever.’
‘Yes, Lizzy, I am sure.’
‘Then I will wish you happy,’ said Elizabeth giving her sister a hug.
‘I will stay with you when he arrives,’ said Mrs Gardiner. ‘The presence of a married woman will give you support and it will do Mr Darcy good to see that your relatives love you and care for you. But Elizabeth, I wonder if you would take the younger girls into Meryton?’
‘I was just about to suggest it myself,’ said Elizabeth. ‘The last thing Jane wants is to be embarrassed by Lydia or Kitty or Mary!’
‘I think you are right,’ said Jane. ‘It would be better if they were not here. Are you sure you do not mind taking them in to Meryton, Lizzy?’
‘Not at all. The exercise will do me good,’ said Elizabeth. ‘Now, Mr Darcy says in his letter that he will arrive at three o’clock tomorrow. I will set out with Lydia, Kitty and Mary at two o’clock and we will not be back before half past three. That should give you plenty of time together before the rest of the family descends. I had better go and prepare our sisters for it. I will not tell them that I am taking them out of the way, otherwise they might refuse to go. Instead, I will say that I saw some new bonnets in the milliner’s on my way past the shop this morning – which is the truth. And if the thought of a new bonnet does not lure Lydia out of the house, then I do not know what will!’
The following day, Mr Darcy was on his way to Longbourn. He was feeling satisfied with himself and with the world. He had visited Mr Gardiner in Gracechurch Street and asked for Mr Gardiner’s permission to propose to Jane. He had never been in any doubt about Mr Gardiner’s reply, because no one would refuse Mr Darcy of Pemberley. But he believed in the formality of asking – as a gentleman he could do no less – and now he could ask her to be his wife.
He put aside his last, lingering doubts and banished the young woman of the fine eyes from his thoughts.
Then he turned his mind to the future. He would marry Jane and take her to Pemberley. He would provide her sisters with a home as well, for he was sure they would be turned out of Longbourn as soon as the heir was found.
The thought of housing four sisters-in-law did not worry him. Indeed, he welcomed it, as it would provide friendship for his own sister, Georgiana. To be sure, some of the Bennet girls were not ideal companions for his sister, but a few years with strict governesses, or at select seminaries, would correct their faults.
And then, once they were married, they would provide chaperones for Georgiana.
He would have to provide them with some sort of dowry so that that would make good matches and he would introduce them to some suitable gentlemen. Perhaps Bingley . . .
His thoughts went to his friend, Charles Bingley. He liked Bingley and would welcome him as a brother-in-law. He had previously thought of Bingley marrying Georgiana, but he was not sure they would really suit.
Mary Bennet, now . . .
He gave a wry smile as he pictured Mr Bingley and Mary together: Mary with her moralising and sermonising ways. No, he would not wish Mary on his friend.
Kitty, then?
That was a possibility. Kitty Bennet was light and frivolous, and although she was inclined to be petulant, a good governess would soon cure her of that particular fault.
Or Lydia, perhaps?
He shook his head in a determined manner. Lydia Bennet needed a much stronger husband than Bingley, an experienced man who could curb her wilder excesses without breaking her spirit. Besides, she was not yet sixteen. It was far too soon to be thinking of her marriage.
But perhaps the other sister, the one he had not yet met: Miss Elizabeth Bennet. She was a favourite with Jane, which boded well for her amiability, and she was well liked by her uncle. Mr Gardiner had mentioned her once or twice when the two gentlemen had exchanged pleasantries and she was old enough to be thinking of marriage.
Darcy nodded thoughtfully to himself.
If Miss Elizabeth Bennet was what he imagined her to be – polite, well bred, friendly and amiable – then he would encourage a match with his friend.
His thoughts went to where his friend would live. At the moment, Bingley did not own an estate and he was looking for one to rent. Mr Darcy thought he would encourage him to rent Netherfield Park. It was on the market and it was near to Longbourn. Miss Elizabeth would no doubt like to stay in the neighbourhood when she married Bingley, and Jane would enjoy seeing all her Hertfordshire friends again when she visited her sister.
The neatness of this idea appealed to him, and as he was used to life falling in with his plans, he thought it was almost certain to happen.
At last he reached Meryton. The carriage left the main road and traversed a country road for several miles before turning in at the Longbourn gate. The drive was overgrown and he made a note to speak with the gardeners. They took advantage of Jane’s gentle nature, but once she was his affianced bride, he would have the authority to deal with the gardeners himself. They would not dare take advantage of her then!
The carriage rolled to a halt in front of the house. It was a lovely building of golden stone with a porticoed entrance and windows reaching down almost to the ground. Beneath the windows were flower beds which, like the drive, were overgrown. Jane spent much of her time tidying them, but she could not be everywhere, and it gave him a sense of satisfaction to know that he could take many burdens from her shoulders when they were betrothed.
Mr Darcy’s footman climbed down from the box and opened the carriage door, then let down the step that had been folded inside the carriage. Mr Darcy climbed out. He flicked a speck of dust from his cream breeches and shook out the ruffles at his wrist. His booted feet crunched on the gravel as he walked to the front door.
He rang the bell and was admitted after a short delay. The maid had no doubt been loitering somewhere and had decided she would answer the door in her own good time. That was another thing he would change when he had the authority to do so.
He was shown in to the drawing-room, and there he found Jane with her aunt.
The introductions were performed, with Mr Darcy bowing and the ladies curtseying, then Jane rang for tea. They all sat down and talked pleasantly of Mrs Gardiner’s trip.
After a few minutes, Mrs Gardiner excused herself, saying that she would see what had delayed the maid, and Mr Darcy found himself alone with Jane.
Custom dictated that he should kneel when proposing, but he could not humble himself. and so he stood up, taking Jane’s hands and drawing her to her feet likewise.
‘Miss Bennet,’ he said in a kindly fashion. ‘When I saw your uncle this morning, I asked him a very important question. Can you guess what that question might be?’
She blushed and looked
at the floor.
‘I asked him if I might have his permission to address you, and he said I might. So now I can ask you, Miss Bennet, if you will be my wife.’
Still looking shyly at the floor, she said, ‘Yes.’
He took her hand.
‘Jane – for I may call you Jane now - I will do everything in my power to make you happy, and to protect you and your family,’ he said.
Jane expressed her thanks and gratitude, and they sat down again.
It was all very orderly and sensible, and just for a moment he wished there had been more to it. He wished he had been in some doubt of his reception and he wished there had been strong feelings on both sides, so that it would have been a memorable moment; one was never likely to forget. But he was a sensible man and he dismissed such thoughts as being unworthy of him.
When Mrs Gardiner returned a few minutes later, assuring them that tea was on its way, Mr Darcy told her the happy news.
Mrs Gardiner smiled warmly and congratulated them both.
‘Jane is very dear to us,’ said Mrs Gardiner. ‘I hope you will forgive me, Mr Darcy, if I say that her family consider you the luckiest of men.’
Mr Darcy bowed. The world, he knew, would consider the luck all on Jane’s side, but he did not object to her family thinking he was lucky to win her. It was only natural. She was beautiful, good and gentle. She would provide ladylike companionship for his sister, she would provide Pemberley with an elegant mistress and she would provide him with an heir. This would safeguard the future of the estate, as well as Georgiana’s future, in the event that anything untoward should happen to him. And she would make him a sweet, biddable wife.
Yes, Mr Darcy was pleased.
The three of them sat down again and tea was brought in.
Mr Darcy said that he hoped Jane would do him the honour of visiting Pemberley as soon as it could be arranged, and he extended the invitation to Mrs Gardiner so that she could chaperone Jane.
Both ladies said how pleased they would be to visit.
They had just finished their first cup of tea, and Jane was pouring a second cup for each of them, when there came the sound of chatter and laughter drifting in through the open window. It grew louder, and was accompanied by a crunching sound as many feet walked over the gravel drive. A flurry of muslin gowns, bonnets, shawls, pelisses and capes followed the noise and there came the sound of the front door opening.
‘My sisters,’ said Jane. ‘They have been into Meryton.’
Mr Darcy stood up as the four young ladies, divested of their outdoor clothing, entered the room. Lydia flew in like a whirlwind, Kitty followed in her wake, Mary walked in stolidly with a book held in front of her face, and Elizabeth . . .
. . . His heart stopped beating.
. . . . Miss Elizabeth Bennet was the young woman from the carriage.
He froze. The woman with the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen - the woman he had spent the last two years trying to find; the woman who had haunted his thoughts and dreams ever since the moment he had caught sight of her - was now standing in front of him.
And he could do nothing about it.
If they had met a year ago . . . . even a day ago . . . it would all have been so very different. He would have paid court to her, wooed her and married her. But now he could do nothing because he was engaged to her sister.
His spirits plummeted as he stood there like a statue, for his proposal was a legal contract, binding on both parties, and one he could not escape. He was obliged as a British subject, as well as a gentleman, to go through with the marriage, or leave himself open to a lawsuit for breach of promise, as well as the condemnation of all and sundry for going back on his word.
He felt a terrible wrenching inside him as the trap closed tightly around him, and he thought in anguish: I am marrying the wrong sister.
Chapter Three
Those thoughts lasted only for a moment. He reminded himself that he did not know the young woman before him. It was true that he had not been able to forget her, but what did he actually know about her? Nothing, except that she had a pair of fine eyes. But he could not marry a woman for her eyes. As Colonel Fitzwilliam had pointed out, he might not like Miss Elizabeth very much when he came to know her, or he might think her unsuitable for his wife. So there was no need for him to regret his engagement to Jane. Jane would make him an excellent wife.
Mrs Gardiner made the introductions. Mr Darcy bowed and Elizabeth curtseyed.
Then Jane said, ‘And now you have met all my family.’
Mr Darcy drew his eyes away from Elizabeth with difficulty. She was as lovely as he remembered her. Although she was not conventionally beautiful – not nearly as beautiful as Jane – there was a liveliness about her features that rendered them uncommonly attractive. They were surrounded by abundant dark hair that was tied up in a bun, with ringlets framing her face. The whole image was so pleasing that he had a sudden image of her portrait hanging in the gallery at Pemberley.
The portrait elongated in his mind to a full-length painting, with her lithe and energetic figure faithfully rendered, clad in a simple white muslin gown. The prevailing fashions suited her, with the high waist and slender skirt making the most of her height, and the short, puffed sleeves revealing her smooth and shapely arms.
But the image was shattered a moment later when she said pleasantly, but with a surprising strength underneath, ‘I am very pleased to meet you, Mr Darcy. I hope you will be worthy of Jane.’
Her words, polite on the surface but challenging underneath, were like a slap in the face. It was one thing for Mrs Gardiner to say they counted him fortunate for winning Jane’s hand. That was no more than family affection, and he honoured Mrs Gardiner for it. But it was quite another for Miss Elizabeth to suggest that he might not be worthy of Jane. He liked Jane very well, but there was no question of him being unworthy of her. He was Mr Darcy of Pemberley. He was worthy of any woman.
It was on the tip of his tongue to retort, “Let us hope she is worthy of me”, but he remembered his manners just in time. And, more than that, he did not want to hurt Jane. She was sweet and gentle, and a far more suitable wife than the impertinent young woman who was standing in front of him with her whole attitude radiating her reservations about him – no matter how fine her eyes.
He saw now the folly of the last few years, when he had allowed the memory of those eyes to mesmerise him. Their liveliness matched an impertinent character, and that was not what he wanted from a wife. What he wanted was someone who would look up to him and admire him, and think he was wonderful. And he wanted someone who would not overwhelm his sister.
Miss Elizabeth Bennet no doubt had her virtues – although, with the exception of her eyes, he had yet to discover them – but gentleness and an inclination to admire him were not among them.
All this passed through his mind in a matter of moments, so that he was able to reply with only the slightest of pauses. He said, with cold politeness that sounded very much like arrogance, ‘I shall certainly try.’
Miss Elizabeth was not abashed, as he had intended she should be. Instead, she replied teasingly - with her eyes sparkling - ‘I am glad to hear it.’
That young lady has ideas above her station, thought Mr Darcy haughtily.
Mrs Gardiner sat down and the others followed suit.
Mary, Kitty and Lydia had contented themselves with staring at Mr Darcy so far, but now Lydia seemed about to speak. Mrs Gardiner, sensing some foolish utterance was coming, made sure the younger girls were plied with cake and tea, so that they would not feel compelled to speak.
‘Mr Darcy has just invited me to Pemberley,’ Mrs Gardiner said to the assembled Miss Bennets. ‘I am looking forward to seeing it again. I have only seen it from the outside, for, as you know, I used to live in the neighbourhood. But Mr Darcy has kindly invited me to chaperone Jane.’ She turned to Mr Darcy. ‘I am sure you will not mind extending the invitation to Jane’s sister, Elizabeth, so that Jane will
have some companion of her own age.’
Mr Darcy was taken aback. Invite Miss Elizabeth to Pemberley? Nothing could be further from his wishes.
But, on reflection, there was something sensible in Mrs Gardiner’s suggestion. He would inevitably have estate business to attend to. And besides, he did not mean to spend all of his free time with Jane. She was a lovely young woman but she would quickly bore him and he meant to continue his usual outdoor occupations as well as spending time with his male friends once they were married. It was as well for Jane to get used to this routine when she visited Pemberley, so that she would be prepared for what lay ahead. So it was only kind to allow her a companion of her own age when he was busy elsewhere.
It was also perhaps as well for Miss Elizabeth to see Pemberley as soon as possible, so that she knew how vast and impressive it was. Once she saw him in his home setting, with his servants treating him deferentially and the whole neighbourhood looking up to him, she would realise he was not the kind of man who should be plagued by an impertinent female.
Again, all this passed through his mind in a matter of moments. He gave a bow and said haughtily, ‘Miss Elizabeth will be most welcome.’
‘Good, then that is settled,’ said Mrs Gardiner.
‘I am sure I would like to see Pemberley,’ said Lydia, who had by now finished her cake.
‘And so you will, but not this time,’ said Mrs Gardiner firmly. ‘You will remain here with Kitty and Mary in the care of your aunt and uncle Philips.’ Then she turned to Mr Darcy. ‘When do you propose the visit to Pemberley should take place?’
‘Next week. I will leave for Pemberley tomorrow, so that I can make sure everything is ready for your reception. Then I will send my carriage for you on Wednesday.’
‘Wednesday will suit us very well. We will make our arrangements,’ said Mrs Gardiner.
Darcy and Elizabeth What If? Collection 1 Page 21
