by Suzan Lauder
“But I worry so for Jane.”
“You worry too much,” he said, then gathered her in his arms and kissed her deeply. She was quick to respond. As his fingers brushed her breast, she released a tiny sigh and leaned into him. Soon her nightgown and his nightshirt were discarded, and his ministrations had her thinking about aught but enjoying the satisfaction of a long and loving marriage of two such passionate persons.
***
While Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were mulling over the state of their daughters’ hearts, their three eldest girls were sitting on Jane’s bed, chatting about the ball and other current events in their neighbourhood, which led to a discussion of the Netherfield party leaving the country. Elizabeth and Mary were annoyed by the letter Miss Bingley had sent to Jane with the implication that Mr. Bingley was courting Miss Darcy, whereas Jane was resigned to it and could not understand her sisters’ insistence on deceit in the note.
“Miss Bingley’s letter shows her duplicity in all this,” Elizabeth said in frustration. “Miss Darcy is not out in society, so she is surely too young to court, and that alone suggests that Miss Bingley’s letter is quite hypocritical. I assure you that, if she was mistaken about that information, she is also mistaken about Mr. Bingley’s not returning to Netherfield. She is writing what she wishes were true. Her ambition is to marry Mr. Darcy, and she believes that would come about more easily if Miss Darcy and Mr. Bingley were matched. Her plans will fall apart when Mr. Bingley shows that his love for you overcomes her influence on him.”
Mary agreed with Elizabeth but was gentler in her advice to Jane. “No one watching you and Mr. Bingley could doubt that you have a strong regard for one another.”
“I wish I were as confident as you two,” said Jane, “because I do care for Mr. Bingley, but I am uncertain about what he feels. Perhaps he is better off with Miss Darcy if she makes him happy.” The softness in her voice betrayed no guile but hinted of regret.
Mary tried to reassure her sister. “I think you are the one who makes Mr. Bingley happy, dear Jane. I have no doubt that he will return as soon as his business in Town is finished.”
“Removing Mr. Bingley from Hertfordshire was probably the work of Mr. Bingley’s family and his friend,” Elizabeth said, her anger apparent by the blaze in her eyes. “I am convinced that if you had the fortune and connections that Miss Darcy has, they would not have coerced him to leave.”
“I cannot think of Caroline as insincere,” Jane replied, unable to share her sisters’ confidence in Mr. Bingley’s regard and Miss Bingley’s caprice. “She is my friend. I cannot see any reason for her to lie.”
Elizabeth was not inclined to agree. “I know her reason. Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy see themselves as above our society.”
“But, Lizzy, they do move in different circles than we do,” said Jane.
“I do not know how you can say that about Mr. Darcy, Lizzy,” Mary protested. “He has shown himself to be comfortable among our acquaintance. He has been a good friend to Papa, and you seem to enjoy debating with him. You cannot still be hurt by his comments at the assembly ball. His actions with Mr. Wickham prove he is a good man. I hate to be preachy, but as a good Christian, you should forgive him.”
“He did you a great compliment by singling you out at the Netherfield ball, Lizzy,” Jane offered gently. “You were the only one he danced with, and he asked you for the first set long before the ball.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “I do not think that shows any partiality on his side. With the attendance of the officers, there were plenty of men at the ball, so he could not slight me while my dance card was full. Besides, we never seem to agree. He is always trying to show his superiority.”
Mary countered, “Papa and I were present for your debates, and I am certain I can speak for both of us when I say that you deliberately provoke Mr. Darcy to hide your high regard for him. You both try to show off your superiority in intelligence. I think you admire each other’s minds and enjoy being intellectual equals.”
“I have observed that he looks your way a great deal, Lizzy,” Jane added. “I believe he has some tender feelings for you, and I think if you were rid of the prejudice you have had since the Meryton assembly, you would discover that he is a good man.”
“Pish-tosh,” Elizabeth cried. “You two are the ones in love. And Jane, you are just trying to divert the conversation away from your Mr. Bingley.”
“He is not my Mr. Bingley, Lizzy. But I will miss his company.”
***
30 November 1811
After the gossip about the Netherfield ball had subsided, Charlotte Lucas arrived at Longbourn. Mr. Collins accompanied her and requested an audience with the entire Bennet family to announce their engagement. Although he had shown progress in heeding Mr. Bennet’s edification and in his own mind believed he was using words that were less grandiose, Mr. Collins’s proclamation, in which he gushed about his betrothed to an extent that all were uncomfortable, disregarded nearly all the reproaches Mr. Bennet had subjected him to during his stay in Hertfordshire.
The Bennet family was astonished to hear Mr. Collins express the deepest love for his “little flower” after a courtship of less than four days and declare himself the happiest creature that ever lived. During the first se’ennight of his visit, Mr. Collins had tried to pay court to each of the three eldest Bennet sisters. However, with the sisters’ gentle redirection each time he paid more attention to one of them than was his due and, eventually, with the not-so-subtle interference of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, he had been unsuccessful in his efforts and apparently had gone elsewhere.
Elizabeth was surprised at the news. When the time was right, she stole over to speak with Charlotte quietly and asked about her certainty in marrying a man such as Mr. Collins. As Elizabeth suspected, her friend was not in love with him. Charlotte admitted that her lack of interest in a romantic relationship and the fact that she would soon be on the shelf had motivated her to accept the offer. She felt she would enjoy keeping her own house and found that, with Mr. Bennet’s careful instruction and her own gentle guidance, Mr. Collins’s manners had improved.
Elizabeth was disappointed. She knew her relationship with her dear friend would never be the same again; however, she was determined to try and be supportive of Charlotte’s decision in spite of her disapprobation. To prove that point to herself, she agreed to join Sir William and Maria Lucas on a visit to Hunsford the following March.
***
23 December 1811
The events in Meryton were made even more enjoyable by a Christmas visit from Aunt and Uncle Gardiner from London. Mrs. Gardiner had learned much about the events of the last month from the letters of Mrs. Bennet, and in particular, she was curious about matters of the heart. She decided to discuss the gentlemen with Mrs. Bennet, who admitted her conclusion that two hearts might have been broken, although Elizabeth’s was the more accepting. Mrs. Gardiner was unhappy to hear that Jane continued to be morose. The ladies agreed that Jane’s disappointment was justified but she also had good reason to hope. Mrs. Gardiner then asked after Elizabeth’s situation.
“Lizzy had a strong dislike for Mr. Darcy in the beginning,” Mrs. Bennet replied, “and even though her heart may have been touched, she never believed there could be a match due to the gap between their stations. Thomas similarly thinks that, although Mr. Darcy was inclined towards Lizzy, he would have a strong reluctance to marrying without attention to his social position and our lack of connections. It is a pity there are so many loveless marriages among the first circles.”
“Does Thomas not feel that the time might be right to tell the truth to Jane and Lizzy and perhaps also to the gentlemen?” Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner were the only other people privy to the full details regarding the heritage of Jane and Elizabeth.
“He admitted alluding to the true situation to Mr. Darcy but felt that, since neither of the gentlemen had requested a courtship, their affection was wanting.”
“What think you
of his decision?”
“Well, I know how much Thomas wants to continue hiding his true identity, and laying open the girls’ inheritances would put him at risk of being found out. If that occurred, it would threaten our home and reputation. If he delays the news and stays away from Town, he can maintain his role as merely Mr. Bennet, the simple country gentleman who has been their guardian these twenty years. He also remains steadfast in his resolve to wait until the conditions of the will have been met.”
“Can you not persuade him?” Mrs. Gardiner asked.
Mrs. Bennet shook her head. “I am still not certain of my own opinion or desires. I know Jane is not herself, and Lizzy thinks Mr. Bingley’s sisters have convinced him not to offer for her. If his devotion is so fickle, then perhaps Thomas’s decision is correct, though I must own that it is trying for all of us to see Jane in this state.
“Lizzy, on the other hand, was quiet for some days but since then has reverted to her cheerful self. She has never professed a marked interest in Mr. Darcy. But then neither has Jane stated her feelings for Mr. Bingley. It seems that all our family may be good at hiding things.”
“Perhaps when they come to Town for the Season, they may call on the Bingley ladies and measure the reality of the situation,” Mrs. Gardiner suggested.
***
Christmas was a season to be with friends and family, and as the Bennets spent time with theirs, so also did the Darcys, Bingleys, and Hursts.
As he had told Mr. Bennet was his plan, Darcy had collected his sister and taken her to Pemberley, stayed for Christmas and then spent some time visiting relatives in Matlock. There were plenty of family festivities, but even so, he had ample time to be alone and reflect on his recent decisions and future direction.
Darcy considered his discussion with Thomas Bennet the evening of the Netherfield ball. Bennet had chastised him for his apparent interest in Elizabeth, and he was correct in doing so; Darcy had shown her too much attention. Yet how could he not? He was spellbound by her. She was original, imaginative and the most intelligent woman he had ever encountered. She made him feel important whenever she engaged him in conversation; being around her made him long to have her as his own.
When her father pointedly mentioned Elizabeth’s disapproval of Darcy, his eyes had widened in disbelief, and for an instant, he was unable to maintain his composure. He was so certain he had earned her approbation, particularly in light of their frequent verbal repartee, which he perceived as flirtatious. He felt panicked when he realized his feelings might not be requited, but in any case, it would not do; he could not allow himself to become any more entangled than he already was. He argued with Bennet that friendship was all he expected, yet the powerful feeling in his breast said otherwise. He could no longer deny it: he was desperately in love, yet due to her situation he could not offer for her. It pained him greatly.
Bennet had given him reason to believe Elizabeth was more substantially dowered than rumoured, but fortune was not as important to Darcy as his family’s expectation that he marry within the first circles of society. Although her father was a gentleman and his friend, Elizabeth’s connections were mostly in trade, and her situation did lower her worth in the hierarchy he was raised to believe determined a proper marriage.
His tender feelings warred with his sense of duty. She had become vital to his happiness, and he did not know what he would do without her. The concept of another woman as his wife was distasteful. But he knew his obligation and decided it was best to stay away from Hertfordshire and attempt to find a more suitable bride within the ton. His aunt and uncle were always trying to forward Lady this-or-that, but he dared not hope that there would be an acceptable bride interested in more than his fortune, whose vivacity and unique beauty rivalled that of Elizabeth Bennet. He felt it unlikely that such a woman existed.
Miss Bingley’s entreaties to convince her brother to stay in Town rather than return to Netherfield and to discourage any match with Miss Jane Bennet were also on Darcy’s mind. Darcy had frequently been at Longbourn with Bingley, and his observations left him in no doubt that Bingley had a strong regard for Miss Bennet. Darcy’s friendship with Bennet allowed him opportunity to discern that, however serene and unaffected she might seem to the eyes of the casual observer, Miss Jane Bennet was very likely in love with Bingley. He had not specifically said so to Bingley but had insinuated his viewpoint in a general sense and felt that Bingley was intelligent enough to come to the same conclusion.
However, these were just Darcy’s opinions, and he did not want to appear intrusive by trying to influence Bingley in any particular direction. He would leave them be and let the romance take its natural course. He found it ironic that he would not allow the same for himself but rationalized that his situation was quite different; a marriage to a gentleman’s daughter would improve Bingley’s status, but a marriage into a family with such low connections would not be right for a Darcy.
The Bingleys and Hursts spent Christmas at the estate of Mr. Hurst’s parents in Hampshire and did not return to London until the start of the New Year, though Miss Bingley constantly pleaded with her brother to inveigle an invitation to Pemberley. Bingley’s feelings were warring in a way similar to Darcy’s, as he was a fair way to being convinced of a significant affection from Miss Bennet but allowed himself to be influenced by his officious sisters and led to believe he should avoid the connection. Since Thomas Bennet was a gentleman and an estate owner, Bingley believed an alliance with Bennet’s family would be a step up for him, but his sisters pointed out that the eldest two Bennet sisters’ lack of fortune and questionable parentage was detrimental to any sort of good match. Although Darcy did not speak of it, Bingley suspected his friend had a strong admiration of Miss Elizabeth that he was walking away from, likely for the same reason.
In any case, his sisters assured him there was no affection on Miss Bennet’s side. This confused him and left him heartbroken, but Bingley was eventually persuaded to leave Hertfordshire and Miss Bennet behind. He felt guilty in allowing the improvement of his family’s situation to stand in the way of his regard for Miss Bennet, but he loved his sister, and Miss Bingley depended upon his improved connections in order to marry well.
Therefore, the two men who had rationalized away their own happiness were not good company for their families that winter. How could they be? Their futures were bleak. They had resigned themselves to giving up the women of their dreams to suit the wishes and hopes of their relations.
Chapter 11:
Lady Catherine interrogates Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and a romance is rekindled.
February 1812
Time passed, as time is wont to do, with the day-to-day goings-on at Longbourn stimulating and warm enough to take the bite off the winter cold. Soon, the crocuses, snowdrops, daffodils, and early violets heralded the spring, and Elizabeth, Mary and Jane journeyed to London to visit the Gardiners on Gracechurch Street and assist in the care of their cousins, two girls of six and eight, and two younger boys. As they travelled, Elizabeth could not help but notice that Jane still had a melancholy air and suspected her sister was pining after Mr. Bingley, but she and Mary were resolved that an escape would be good for Jane, and they looked forward to the diversions that London had to offer. As the carriage neared the house, Elizabeth hugged herself in anticipation. She relished the change of scenery, and as much as she loved Longbourn, she was always happy to see her London relations.
Even though Elizabeth was busy in Town, there were still times when she missed her family. But she was able to bear the separation because weekly letters were received, usually written by her father and always with input from her mother and sisters, detailing the goings-on at Longbourn and environs.
She learned that her younger sisters not only were working diligently on their studies but also were entertaining themselves with novels, needlework, trimming bonnets, and the like. Elizabeth was pleased to hear that Kitty had painted miniatures of both her parents. As she read the
letters aloud to Jane and Mary, the descriptions of drama provided by their youngest sister drew many laughs. Mr. Bennet also admitted that his impatience and impulsivity had been discovered by Lydia, who had taken advantage and bested him in chess, thus he was attempting to talk Kitty into taking some time to practise so that he would have another daughter with whom to play.
The three eldest girls responded in kind from Gracechurch Street. Elizabeth was flattered that she was most often called upon to amalgamate their experiences. There were always plenty of things to share, including animated descriptions of the antics of their young cousins, commentary on the latest books that had been read, and outings to museums and the theatre. As always, Uncle Gardiner spoiled his nieces in the selection of lovely fabrics from his warehouses, after which Aunt Gardiner accompanied them to her modiste to have new dresses made up in the latest fashion. Jane and Mary listened to Elizabeth’s retelling of their adventures with amusement, and related their own lively anecdotes for her to include in the letters.
Although Elizabeth was sceptical about their reception, shortly after their arrival in Town, she and her sisters called on Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst in Grosvenor Square. Elizabeth was not surprised to hear Mr. Bingley’s sisters make excuses that they were about to go out to a prior-arranged engagement. She was not deceived, but she was displeased by their coolness and the discourteous dismissal of their visitors. Although they promised to return the call soon, Elizabeth knew it was an acquaintance they would rather not continue.
However unaffected Elizabeth was for herself, she was disgruntled by the ladies’ indifference towards Jane, whom Caroline had once declared a special friend. Elizabeth saw that Jane’s spirits had been lifted by the call and worried that her sister’s reasonable expectation of meeting Mr. Bingley through his sisters would not be assisted by the ladies from Grosvenor Square, and that, ultimately, Jane’s disappointment would be restored.
