Feather in the Wind: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Madeline Kennet

  Mrs. Bennet protested this, and an argument very nearly ensued. She accused him of thinking the country nothing at all, and he was compelled to apologize. Aside from seeing the value of getting along with Elizabeth’s family, he also had a particular wish for her not to see him arguing with them.

  “You are quite right,” he said. “I spoke too hastily and neglected to consider that variety can be found anywhere. One only has to consider the difference between a pond and lake. The pond is much smaller, yet it teems with a great variety of life. I must concede that a town or village is much the same. Life here may be on a smaller scale than in London, but I have no doubt that you interact with a great variety of people.”

  Mrs. Bennet was assuaged by this and smiled happily upon him. Disaster was averted.

  ______

  Elizabeth had been mortified by her mother's remark. She was just opening her mouth to say what she could in support of Mr. Darcy’s position when he surprised her by reversing it. His conciliatory tone and pleasant manner convinced her that he had done so for the purpose of averting a disagreement.

  The success of his efforts gave her great relief, and his concession had the additional advantage of diverting her mother into a safe subject. Mrs. Bennet mentioned a pretty, little pond which was not far from Longbourn and recommended that he should find an opportunity to view it at some time.

  “It is not as pretty now as it would be in the summer,” she said, “but I think that you will still find the setting perfectly charming.”

  “I am much obliged to you,” he replied. “That sort of thing is exactly what I like to seek out on my walks.”

  “Have you seen the view from Oakham Mount?” she enquired.

  He had not, but expressed an interest in doing so at some time. Even Kitty and Lydia, who rarely walked for any purpose other than seeking out company and gossip, agreed with their mother that he would find this view worth the exertion.

  This happy exchange concluded their visit on a pleasant note. All resentment toward Mr. Darcy had disappeared, and Mrs. Bennet favoured him with an open invitation to visit them at any time he should happen to be in the neighbourhood.

  He left the room behind Elizabeth, who was returning to Jane’s bedside, and they both went up the stairs. He was a little behind her. She heard his footsteps echoing hers, but felt the distance between them as a chasm. Despite the ease of their first meeting they were now failing to make any connection.

  At the top of the stairs, just as she started to walk toward Jane’s room, he called out her name. She stopped and turned.

  “I believe Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst intend to spend some time sitting with your sister this morning,” he said. “I wonder if you would consider coming out for a walk in the garden with me at that time. You need not give me an answer now, but if you feel able to leave Miss Bennet for a while, you will find me in the drawing room.”

  Elizabeth replied that a walk would be pleasant, and although she could not promise anything, she would like to join him if Jane’s condition continued to improve. She returned to her sister’s room in excellent spirits.

  Ease and Openness

  Mr. Darcy returned to the drawing room with the book which he had gone to his room to collect and settled down to reading, which was easier to do now that he had formed a plan for having a conversation with Elizabeth. When Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley went upstairs, however, he found himself less able to concentrate on his book. He put it down and watched the door instead, hoping that she would soon appear, but knowing that there was no certainty of it. Indeed, if Miss Bennet happened to be feeling worse, he would not wish to deprive her of any source of comfort.

  To his delight, she did appear soon. She informed him that the invalid was comfortable and enjoying the company of her friends, which satisfied him that he need not feel any guilt about stealing her sister away for a short time.

  As they left the house, he thought it fortuitous that the windows of Miss Bennet’s room did not overlook the garden. If it were otherwise, Miss Bingley would probably join them in an instant without feeling any obligation toward her sick friend. He knew very well that she would intensely dislike the sight of him walking with another lady.

  Fortunately, they experienced no disturbance to a conversation which provided great pleasure because there was an energetic flow of ideas and a comfortable exchange of opinions. Although they knew little of each other, they talked with the ease of a long-term acquaintance.

  As they wandered along the paths which dissected the shrubbery, they both discovered that the feelings which had begun so suddenly a month ago had not been misleading. Through the sharing of ideas, the connection between them increased, and being in close proximity heightened their feelings of attraction.

  As they were returning to the house, Mr. Darcy saw a stray feather on the top of a hedge, which he picked up with an amused feeling of déjà vu. It offered an opportunity to speak openly of that first encounter.

  “This is not as fancy as your sister’s feather,” he said, “but it reminds me of the day we ran into each other in the lane. I was looking forward to meeting you that evening and was disappointed not to see you at the assembly.”

  “I was sorry not to be there. I very much wanted to go and was looking forward to meeting you as well, but the Lucases were all going, and I could not bear for Charlotte to be left on her own.”

  One would expect that to be the duty of the lady’s family, but Mr. Darcy could guess why Lady Lucas had not been willing to stay away from the assembly.

  “So I understood, and I thought it generous of you. Of course, at the time, I did not know you were you if that makes any sense.”

  She laughed. “You mean that you did not know if you had met me or Charlotte. That thought occurred to me when I was wondering if you –” She stopped abruptly, realizing what she had been about to admit, but then decided that it was too late to prevaricate. “I wondered if you had remembered me.”

  “It would be impossible to forget you. I have never met anybody whom I liked so much upon first acquaintance.”

  “Nor have I,” she said boldly, but with a slight blush to her cheeks. “You might be amused to know that I was also puzzled by your identity. Until I met him, I thought that you must be Mr. Bingley.”

  “Did you not hear that he had a friend staying with him?”

  “I did, but everybody spoke of how friendly he was and made him sound just like my perceptions of you.”

  “And they told you that Mr. Darcy was not so very friendly,” he supplied with a grin of amusement.

  “Well, yes.” She grinned at him in return.

  “I did tell you that I do not always make the best impression on people.”

  “You did, but I did not remember it until after I met Mr. Bingley and found that he was a complete stranger to me.

  “But a very pleasant one, no doubt. That is his particular talent. I find it much more difficult to converse with strangers. I am not at ease with them.”

  “You were very much at ease when I bumped into you.”

  “You were very easy to talk to. It is amusing that we were both uncertain, but I am glad that we have finally met.”

  “So am I.”

  The Influence of Affection

  In the drawing room that evening, Elizabeth confirmed her suspicions of Miss Bingley’s interest in Mr. Darcy. Her behaviour was entirely obvious. She had taken up a position very close to Mr. Darcy and was watching him write a letter. In this activity, she found plenty of opportunity for the praise which dripped from her lips.

  Mr. Darcy’s replies made it equally clear that he was not interested either in being praised or in the lady herself. The tone of his voice, the rigidity of his posture, and the focusing of his eyes upon the letter alone all displayed his indifference, but she continued on in this manner until her brother interrupted with a comment of his own about his friend’s style of writing.

  This was the beginning of an amicable argument betwee
n Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley on the subject of their own characters. Now the eyes were raised from the paper and Elizabeth’s saw animation sparkling in them. The pen was laid down and the chair pushed back. Mr. Darcy relaxed his posture and contributed to the discussion with eagerness.

  His points were well made, and Mr. Bingley’s deftly rebutted. His skill at debate gave his voice a serious tone, but underneath it there was a lively spirit, which Elizabeth thought she might not have noticed if she had not already heard him speak in such a manner. It was no wonder that people thought him reserved, but if one listened carefully, one could hear that he was enjoying the banter, even though his own tone did not reflect this as well as Mr. Bingley’s did.

  She jumped into their conversation, taking up an opposing position to Mr. Darcy’s, in part because she had no wish to demean herself in the manner of Miss Bingley by flattering him, and in part because she perceived that it would be more interesting to try her own skill against his.

  His point was in favour of having good reasons for making a decision, and hers was that the influence of friendship and affection might on their own be sufficient without any other reason. He replied that one would have to examine the degree of intimacy between the parties involved.

  This was diverted by a joke of Mr. Bingley’s, and then the entire discussion was brought to a sudden halt by Miss Bingley’s protest against her brother’s abuse of Mr. Darcy. He turned back to his letter and after it was finished. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst entertained the party by playing and singing for them.

  Mr. Darcy took a seat beside Elizabeth’s, and under the cover of the music, he said to Elizabeth, “I do believe that you could persuade me of anything without having to offer any argument in its favour.”

  She took his meaning at once. He had made a declaration of his affections.

  ______

  Mr. Darcy felt warm from a combination of the boldness of his last remark and the satisfaction which came from having communicated a hint of his feelings. He waited to hear what she might say next with the hope of hearing some form of reciprocation. It came in an unusual but delightful form.

  “I took Mr. Bingley’s part in teasing you just now,” she said. “I would not have done so if I had not thought the debate would entertain you just as well as it entertained me; however, I do not want you to think that I would always choose to oppose your opinions and counter your arguments.”

  “I would not mind if you did. As you say, it was an entertaining discussion and it is far more interesting to be opposed than to hear automatic agreement with everything I say. It was refreshing to hear a lady disagree with me for a change. I am sure you would not pander to my vanity.”

  “Oh, certainly not. You have seen that I am more likely to abuse you. I shall make amends, however, by assuring you that I do think your handwriting very fine and exceptionally even.”

  The roar of his laughter rose above the sound of the music.

  Thwarted

  Mr. Darcy woke the next morning with no doubt at all about the feelings which had consumed him on the previous day. He had not been mistaken in believing that there was something special about Elizabeth Bennet. She had found a special place in his heart and was destined to hold it forever.

  He got out of bed with an eagerness to start the day and flung open the curtains to let in the light. The sun was low on the horizon, and its strength was waning at this time of year, yet Mr. Darcy found sufficient brilliance in the pale orb, which was framed by a rare cornflower blue sky.

  It was a lovely day for another walk with Elizabeth, he thought. At breakfast, he was no longer tongue-tied and made a great many remarks to her, to which she replied in a vivacious manner. He had no opportunity to suggest a walk at that time, but was hopeful of finding his moment without much difficulty later. In the end, however, he was compelled to take a walk with Miss Bingley instead.

  She approached him when he was sitting on his own, which he suspected was deliberate and bade him to accompany her around the gardens. He could not think of any excuse and reluctantly gave into her wishes. The company was not to his preference, but as he was used to it by now, he did not suppose that a simple walk would be unbearable.

  Unfortunately, it was soon evident that Miss Bingley had perceived his attraction to Elizabeth. She teased him upon the subject and congratulated him on his future connections. She sneered at the entire family, and made a concerted effort to put him off. Her purpose was obvious, but it could not succeed. Everything she said about the disparity of the connection had already occurred to him, and he had already decided that it would not dissuade him from the path of happiness.

  While she was going on in this way, they were met by Mrs. Hurst and Elizabeth herself. He immediately feared that Miss Bingley’s remarks must have been overheard, but was relieved to see no sign of offence. Mrs. Hurst, however, then proceeded to give offence by dropping her companion’s arm and taking up Mr. Darcy’s free one. Her rudeness was shocking. To make matters worse, the path was only wide enough for three. Mr. Darcy insisted on going into the avenue, which they did, but he was still encumbered with two unwanted ladies on his arms, while the one he would happily have supported was denied him.

  It was not the walk he had envisioned. His captors made it impossible to have any private conversation with Elizabeth, or much conversation at all, for that matter. Afterwards she returned to her sister, and he to his book, which was again treated with neglect.

  She was in the drawing room that evening, along with Miss Bennet, who had improved enough to venture downstairs and now drew all of Bingley’s attention. Miss Bingley began as usual with various attempts to gain the same from him, culminating in one of those promenades around the room, from which he carefully averted his eyes.

  To his astonishment, she called upon Elizabeth to join her. It could only be a desperate attempt to draw his notice. Like he had been this morning, Elizabeth was compelled to agree, but he sensed that she also felt the falsity of the situation.

  He looked up and was rewarded with an invitation to join them. No doubt with Miss Bingley in the middle, cautiously separating them. This time he would not comply. Instead he welcomed an opportunity to hint to Miss Bingley that he had always comprehended the reason for her inclination of so frequently walking in front of him.

  “Surely that would defeat the object,” he said.

  “Whatever can you mean.”

  “That you walk either for the purpose of sharing secrets –”

  Miss Bingley interrupted him. “Oh! I assure you that Miss Eliza and I have no secrets.”

  Mr. Darcy smiled. In saying this she handed him the perfect opening. “Then you have confirmed my other suspicion – that your intention is to display your friend’s charming figure to me. You will not be able to achieve that aim if I join you.”

  Elizabeth gave him a sweet smile, but Miss Bingley looked furious. After walking for a few more minutes, she abandoned the activity by throwing herself petulantly into a chair.

  ______

  Immediately upon waking the next morning, Elizabeth went to see Jane and found that her sister was feeling quite well and perfectly capable of returning home, an idea which Elizabeth encouraged.

  She had been sorry not to walk alone with Mr. Darcy on the previous day, but he could find her at Longbourn if he wished to do so, and it would clearly be better for the comfort of everybody involved if she was removed from Miss Bingley’s presence.

  She was not certain if Mr. Darcy had any intentions toward her, but when there had not been constraint in his way, he had been particularly attentive, and it was drawing the ire and resentment of her hostess. She wrote to her mother for the carriage to be sent, and when that was denied, Jane made an appeal to Mr. Bingley for his carriage, which was granted, except with the provision that she stay one more night.

  Elizabeth was determined to be on her best behaviour all day, and Miss Bingley seemed equally determined to detach Mr. Darcy from her rival. He was pressed into
conversation with her at both breakfast and dinner, and into playing cards with her and the Hursts in the evening. Mr. Bingley was again devoted to Jane’s comfort and entertainment.

  Elizabeth sat quietly with some needlework, but she noticed Mr. Darcy frequently looking her way, which she could not help but find gratifying. He did not speak above ten words to her, but she still felt strongly connected to him.

  Red Cheeks

  Elizabeth and Jane departed the next day with warm wishes all around. In Miss Bingley’s case, she felt that this warmth was promoted by the satisfaction of ridding herself of an unwanted guest, but Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy both spoke with real friendship, and she hoped to see them before long.

  At home, they were not so welcome to their mother, who would have had them stay much longer, but their father was pleased to see them, and their sisters were appreciative of a fresh audience for their news.

  At breakfast on the following morning, Mr. Bennet informed his wife that they would have an addition to their party at dinner. Mrs. Bennet could not at first think why he should be expecting anybody, but then she hit upon the idea that Mr. Bingley was the expected guest. There was only one reason why he would have had a private conversation with her husband, and she was beginning to rejoice at the idea of an engagement, when Mr. Bennet assured her that it was not Mr. Bingley.

  Although this hope was dashed, she was still curious and eager to know who the expected guest was – at least until the question was answered. When she learned that it was the very cousin who was to inherit Longbourn, her eagerness disappeared and was replaced by strong objections.

  She did not want the odious man in her home; however, arrangements had already been made and there was nothing to be done about it now. Fortunately for the prospects of his comfort, he had written of making amends to her daughters, so she was prepared to offer him a cautious friendship.