She consoled Jane as she could, trying still to convince her sister that Mr. Bingley loved her and might one day yet realize it. However, the news in Caroline’s letter referred to his enraptures with Miss Darcy and Jane would not believe her. All in all, Jane’s hope for love was dashed away and that of Mrs. Bennet for her daughter’s settlement with such a man of high connections was gone. Her daughters were not permitted to rest on the matter.
****
A few weeks before Christmas, some rapid visits were witnessed at Longbourn.
That of Mr. Collins came first. His visit was little tolerated this time around by Mrs. Bennet (and nothing had scarce changed with Mr. Bennet for he still thought his cousin absolutely ridiculous) despite extending it upon his departure the first time around. However, the visit was short- to exact a date of his wedding with his intended and the chief of it was spent at Lucas Lodge. His departure was succeeded by the visit of Mrs. Bennet’s brother and his wife. Mr. Gardiner, as opposed to his sister, had a good head on his shoulders that constantly engaged Mr. Bennet’s thoughts upon any relation between them at all. His wife, younger to Mrs. Bennet by several years was also agreeable, sensible, pleasant and mature enough as to endear herself particularly to the two eldest daughters of the family.
In no time, Mrs. Bennet informed Mrs. Gardiner how she was ill used by her family, how Elizabeth refused a prosperous proposal, how her husband failed her in ordering an acceptance and how Jane was disappointed in the affairs of love.
Of all the accounts, Mrs. Gardiner could only reckon with the news about Jane’s disappointment and sought immediately, to comfort her niece by talking first to Elizabeth whom she trusted to render to her the clear account. Elizabeth in turn revealed to her aunt that Jane’s plight was none other brought by a connivance of Mr. Bingley’s trusted friend and sisters and that she expected him to act on his love if it was ever true though it may be long.
“I never saw a more promising inclination,” she informed Mrs. Gardiner, “he was growing quite inattentive to other people, and wholly engrossed by her. Every time they met, it was more decided and remarkable. At his own ball, he offended two or three young ladies, by not asking them to dance; and I spoke to him twice myself, without receiving an answer. Could there be finer symptoms? Is not general incivility the very essence of love?”
On this, Mrs. Gardiner wholly agreed; “Oh, yes! Of that kind of love which I suppose him to have felt. Poor Jane! I am sorry for her, because, with her disposition, she may not get over it immediately. It had better have happened to you, Lizzy; you would have laughed yourself out of it sooner. But do you think she would be prevailed upon to go back with us? Change of scene might be of service- and perhaps a little relief from home may be as useful as anything.”
The proposal was heartily agreed upon by Elizabeth on behalf of her sister, and told her aunt so, who replied that she hoped that “no consideration with regard to this young man will influence her. We live in so different a part of town, all our connections are so different and, as you well know, we go out so little, that it is very improbable that they should meet at all, unless he really comes to see her.”
In the end, Jane agreed and the fate was decided upon. In her imminent departure, however, Elizabeth mourned for she would lose her only sensible companion in the house besides her father who oftentimes got busy on the farm or in his library. The only activities to be looked forward to were Wickham’s visit which were becoming increasingly regular in the Bennet’s home, Mr. Collins return for the wedding, the wedding itself and Charlotte’s departure with her husband to Kent. Of the activities, only the first was desirable and deserving of Elizabeth’s pleasure such that her aunt noticed the preference between Wickham and herself a few days before she took her leave of the house with her husband and Jane. Of this, she purported to speak to Elizabeth in seclusion whither she spoke candidly of discouraging Elizabeth from falling in love with Wickham. Though she knew of Wickham and his connection with the late Mr. Darcy from her days in Derbyshire, it was by no ill knowledge of him that she did not recommend him to her niece. In her opinion, Mr. Bennet depended too much on Elizabeth for sensibility in his family and it would hurt him were she to choose Wickham for a spouse as he could have nothing to offer the family but his handsomeness and affability. Elizabeth had her family to consider, she emphasized on her niece.
“At present, I am not in love with Mr. Wickham,” Elizabeth informed her aunt. “I certainly am not. But he is, beyond all comparison, the most agreeable man I ever saw- and if he becomes really attached to me- I believe it will be better that he should not. I see the imprudence of it. Oh! That abominable Mr. Darcy! My father's opinion of me does me the greatest honour, and I should be miserable to forfeit it. When I am in company with him, I will not be wishing. In short, I will do my best.”
In her speech, her aunt saw her sincerity but not an effort so she suggested, “Perhaps it will be as well if you discourage his coming here so very often. At least, you should not remind your mother of inviting him.”
“As I did the other day. Very true, it will be wise in me to refrain from that,” admitted Elizabeth with some ruefulness of spirit. “But do not imagine that he is always here so often. It is on your account that he has been so frequently invited this week. You know my mother's ideas as to the necessity of constant company for her friends. But really, and upon my honour, I will try to do what I think to be the wisest; and now I hope you are satisfied.”
Mrs. Gardiner saw at last her niece’s seriousness and contended herself with that. She was a woman who wanted the best for her nieces irrespective of their own dispositions but Elizabeth was her personal favourite and she still held the wish for her yet, that she might find a suitable match better suited to her character and want in life.
Elizabeth took this candid advice to heart and admitted that she was in no danger of falling in love with him, or he with her, for while he couldn’t be recommended to her because he had no fortune to offer her, she couldn’t also be recommended to him for the same reason. She was also sensible to know that there was no fault in both their thinking- such was the way of the world and she held no bitterness in her heart at it.
Her sister soon left with the Gardiners, Mr. Collins returned but lodged with the Lucases, and on the morrow after the wedding, Charlotte was to leave. It really was a chain of events that did nothing to comfort Elizabeth in the least. Her friend came over to Longbourn to pay her farewell visit and in so doing, charged Elizabeth to come visit her in Hunsford.
“My father and Maria are coming to me in March, and I hope you will consent to be of the party. Indeed, Eliza, you will be as welcome as either of them.”
To this entreaty, Elizabeth could make no decline, lest she appeared distressed by her friend’s happiness. Also, the Lawrences had finally quitted Garywood and indeed, all seemed to be going well for her friend. Elizabeth would only have found it easy to be happy were the spouse any other than her cousin. His insipidity left a bad impression in her and she could only hope for Charlotte’s happiness in face of this.
After the departure of the bride and bridegroom, nothing was ever so interesting in Hertfordshire. But for Jane’s letters that frequently arrived for her (wherein her sister revealed that she had waited upon Caroline Bingley in their part of the town but hadn’t seen the brother; and that when she did return the visit a long while after, she was a changed personality from what Jane knew of her and therefore, Jane admitted that Elizabeth had been right in her opinions that only pretence had fuelled Caroline’s preference for her), nothing would have so much interested Elizabeth in the dawning of a new day.
Wickham’s attention to her weakened and was renewed in another neighbour who newly came into a fortune upon the occasion of the death of her grandfather; who bequeathed to her a ten thousand pounds dowry. Elizabeth could not find it in herself to fault his deviation and comforted her unhurt pride- for she was never in love with him- that but for a lack of fortune on both thei
r sides, she was his first and would have remained his only choice. In her letter to her aunt, she told Mrs. Gardiner all this not forgetting to include that “Kitty and Lydia take his defection much more to heart than I do. They are young in the ways of the world, and not yet open to the mortifying conviction that handsome young men must have something to live on, as well as the plain.”
And after that, so boring did life in Hertfordshire grow that come January, Elizabeth began to look forward to a visit to Hunsford as she promised her friend Charlotte whose letters, along with Jane’s, gave her some semblance of companionship outside her father’s. The thought of Mr. Darcy was very soon relegated to a side of her mind where blame was duly apportioned to him for thwarting her sister’s chance at happiness, wronging Mr. Wickham and judging herself in the most abominable manner. As far as she was concerned, he was as good as forgotten.
The only disturbance to this decision however was the tiny flutter that arose in her heart at the few times that his remembrance was called upon. Since she could hold nothing in account for this irrational feeling, she fancied that it could be nothing more than extreme dislike at the mention of the man.
Chapter Eighteen
Rosings was exactly as he remembered it to be and his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, was none so different either. She was as ever condescending, intruding, imposing, observant of the minutest details, wanting to know of all secret counsel and inclined to voice her opinions and commands upon every business of other people’s life.
Fitzwilliam Darcy had engaged the company of his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, for an Easter visit to their aunt in Rosings, her country house in Kent. They were newly arrived and their aunt was all smiles and graciousness in attending to them. She was immediately upon them to give her an account of their journey and before they could string three sentences together in answer to this request, she began to render her own account of how their journey must have been and what sights they must have seen- for in her own words, ‘she herself had travelled the same route a great many a times’.
Thankfully, a visitor was admitted into the breakfast parlour where they were received and Darcy could declare that he had never been so glad to see any person as he was to see Mr. Collins at the moment despite the acute recollection of Elizabeth Bennet that he brought with him. The introductions were made of which Mr. Collins proudly announced his fortune to be previously acquainted with him (not with Colonel Fitzwilliam, but he was delighted to make his acquaintance today nonetheless) at Hertfordshire and he proceeded to declare that:
“I daresay sir- that my sister, Maria and Miss Elizabeth, would be delighted to renew their acquaintance with you here in Rosings of all places.”
Darcy, who had heretofore stopped listening to the man, whom he thought was still as effusive, stupid and absurd as ever, renewed his interest in his words.
“Elizabeth Bennet?” he asked.
“Yes,” Mr. Collins answered with a diffident smile that spoke of his awe of the man before him. “She is a visitor of my amiable wife and myself, at this moment, at my humble abode in Hunsford Lane.”
Lady Catherine, who detested to be excluded from any conversation called his attention by asking in a querulous voice that still managed to be regal, “Indeed it will be nice to have you all renew your acquaintances over dinner sometime soon.”
Mr. Collins began to say how, indeed, Lady Catherine had been everything civil as to invite his visitors to dine with her every twice in a week, but Darcy listened no more. He dwelled on this new bit of intelligence- Elizabeth was within visiting distance of Rosings. Though he knew not what to call this- fate or coincidence, but she was just the sight he longed to see. It was on the exact four months and four days that he had last seen the one whom he had instructed himself not to dwell upon in his thoughts again. It was four months and four days that he had heard her lively laughter; four months and four days that those wondrously long lashes had looked upon him in fierce temper and disdain and aye, he would take those looks for none at all.
How he missed her.
All his reflections, however, had thus far done him no good for he was alas, forbidden from repining and the dictator of such decree was none other than himself. If he could be lenient with himself- which he certainly could not; not in her affair, his only wish would have been to look upon her face once more and ask her what her business at the tavern had been that night. Oh, blast that, thought Fitzwilliam Darcy. That particular incident had yet to stop him from falling violently in love with the woman- for aye; he could now admit it to himself now after four long, scarcely tolerable months that his feeling for Miss Bennet was one that defied all logics to grow into one of ardour and tenderness.
Immediately upon rendering his schemes to the Bingley sisters after the ball at Netherfield, they had agreed and were inclined to act upon it as soon as the plan would allow. So it was that they all bid Charles farewell the following morning, only to ride after him the next.
Immediately, it was upon him to dissuade an astonished Charles from returning to Netherfield in pursuance of further ally with Jane Bennet and her unscrupulous family- and this he had done with mastery and conviction that his friend, though hugely disappointed, could not fail to reason along with him. The ultimate point of victory had been rendered to Bingley- that Jane Bennet whom Darcy knew was the principal form of attraction for his friend in returning to Netherfield, had no reciprocation of the feelings that Charles harboured for her. The hurt in his friend’s eyes at this news was something of a novelty to Darcy- for he had never seen Bingley to be so despondent- that Darcy had wished for his friend’s sakes alone that the whole affair didn’t have to be so. However, he knew for certain that Jane had no difference in feeling to his friend. He had watched the two together and apart since Colonel Forster mentioned of the likelihood of a wedding at Netherfield and found Jane Bennet wanting- not in beauty, grace or attentiveness to Bingley, but in any feelings that bore a resemblance to that which was obvious to all in Bingley’s attention to her. Therefrom, Darcy had begun to form his scheme of removing his friend from her influence- her family after all was none too desirable- if at all as to encourage the attachment for their sake.
By so doing, all things about Hertfordshire were soon forgotten, or at least pretended to be forgotten. Darcy could not tell who suffered the separation the most- himself or his friend Bingley, for indeed, they both suffered- though his own be unknown to any. The winter did nothing to ease their suffering as there were little activities to occupy their time. When Jane Bennet came to town in Grace Church Street after Christmas with her uncle and aunt (the intelligence of which he gathered from Caroline Bingley), he had done all in his power to see to it that Charles was not apprised of the information. Ultimately, four months of business, balls, sports and other engagements did away the chief of all feelings, leaving in its decline something of a dull ache.
The dull ache, however, felt a sharp- reawakening at the proximity of its object of pleasure and became a persistent urge to see and verify.
“I believe it is of moral necessity to pay a visit to my friends whom I have long seen at the earliest and there could be no sooner time than now,” he heard himself say even though he had conceived no such thoughts at all.
Mr. Collins was most pleasantly surprised at this, but not Lady Catherine and she sought from dissuading her nephew from such action, but once said, Darcy must insist and they made their word to Hunsford Lane; each step bringing a trepidation to Darcy’s mind that bore no impressions, however on his countenance. Mr. Collins proudly admitted him into his parlour where the women of the house received them with utmost civility.
His first gaze upon Elizabeth informed him that she was as well as could be and that her eyes were as fascinating as he found them to be those months ago. However, she would not look directly upon his face, merely curtseying to him without saying a word. He applied himself to Mrs. Collins directly, lest he be caught admiring her friend.
“You have a bea
utiful garden here and the house in itself does not suffer the touch of a woman’s gentleness,” he said in kind observation, though his tone of voice came out with more civility than he intended.
The acceptance of the observation was taken up by Mr. Collins rather than his wife who was yet to open her mouth to make a demure answer before her husband opened his to give more praises of all other unseen parts of the house. Colonel Fitzwilliam rescued what would have been a long rendition of praises by entering into conversation with Maria Lucas and Mrs. Collins with an ease that spoke of his affability and a lack on Darcy’s side. Observing Elizabeth’s quietness, he spoke to her directly, glad for the opportunity.
“I do so hope your family is well when you left them coming to Hunsford?” he asked. It was the only subject he could think to ask in the awkwardness of their situation.
She answered that they were and added, “My eldest sister has been in town these three months. Have you never happened to see her there?”
The question was one he hadn’t expected, so his response was halting at best, “I was not so fortunate as to meet Miss Bennet,” he answered.
Elizabeth said nothing else to him but occasionally joined in Colonel Fitzwilliam’s conversation from which Darcy was totally excluded. The visit came to an end scarcely half an hour later and as it appeared, only the Collinses were mighty happy with the encounter, judging by the unreserved appreciation of the husband and the smiles on the face of the wife.
Chapter Nineteen
It was an evening with fine weather and the sun was now low enough in the sky to caress the skin. The fine weather was such a respite for his restlessness during tea that a walk to Hunsford Lane seemed highly necessary. Lady Catherine had persuaded him in vain to order a carriage- he truly needed the serenity that only work could bestow. Mr. Collins, his wife and her sister had come to Rosings for tea, while Mr. Collins had excused Elizabeth; his cousin was suddenly feeling unwell and so unable to attend tea with Lady Catherine. That said, Darcy had felt a pressing need to see Elizabeth Bennet even though it was scarcely forty eight hours, he did for they dined at Rosings the night before last.
When Mr. Darcy Met Lizzy Page 13
