If I Were Mrs Darcy

by Sophia Grey

  “They will be the ruin of us all,” Jane huffed as Lydia shouted at another officer.

  Elizabeth shook her head and pushed Mary into a shop. “Lydia most certainly will be,” she agreed ruefully.

  “Lizzy… Lizzy wait!” Jane’s frantic whisper caused Elizabeth to pause just long enough to see two gentlemen approaching on horseback. “It is Mr. Bingley!”

  “And Mr. Darcy with him,” Elizabeth observed tartly.

  “Do not abandon me,” Jane begged.

  Elizabeth bit the inside of her cheek and stepped out of the shop. Mary was, thankfully, preoccupied with the books and papers on the shop counters and Elizabeth knew she did not need supervision. It was the other two—”

  “Miss Jane Bennet,” Mr. Bingley declared happily. “Whatever brings you to Meryton this fine morning?”

  Elizabeth watched her sister’s cheeks pinken with delight as she engaged in pleasantries with Mr. Bingley and did nothing but nod and smile when a word or glance was directed her way. Though she kept her own gaze averted, she could feel the eyes of Mr. Bingley’s companion upon her.

  She wished that she could be inside the shop with Mary, choosing a quill for her father seemed like a much better use of her time than standing in the street, but she knew that Jane appreciated her presence there. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes as Lydia’s loud laughter echoed in the street as she and Kitty spoke with a small group of officers near the Inn. She would have to speak to Lydia about her cavalier approach to such things. It was not proper for a young lady to—

  “Lizzy.” Jane’s voice held an edge and Elizabeth blinked and looked at her sister in surprise. “Mr. Bingley would like to know your thoughts on the assembly.”

  Elizabeth felt her cheeks warming with embarrassment, but she recovered as quickly as she was able. “It has been some time since the militia was last in Meryton. And I must confess it was a much merrier gathering than those held in the past few months. I believe the musicians were of an excellent calibre, though I was nervous as they had not played here before.”

  “Mr. Bingley is planning a ball of his own,” Jane said warmly, and Elizabeth could hear the hope in her voice. Jane had spent the entirety of the assembly on Mr. Bingley’s arm, and one could only expect that if Mr. Bingley were to host his own ball that it would be a much grander affair.

  “Indeed, it is only an idea for the moment,” Mr. Bingley said hastily, but his eyes sparkled with pleasure and his smile was broad. “But I should very much like to get to know the people of this charming area.” Mr. Darcy shifted in his saddle and Mr. Bingley observed his friend with a wry smile. “Mr. Darcy does not enjoy such frivolities,” he said in a conspiratorial tone. “I am sure he would much rather spend his time with other pursuits.”

  “I should thank you not to presume my preferences, Charles,” Mr. Darcy said stiffly. “Though I confess you are correct, I have no the patience for dancing.”

  “So so you said at the assembly last night,” Elizabeth interjected. “Thankfully, there are many other gentlemen in Hertfordshire who do not share your distaste for it.”

  “There is nothing I love more than a lively country dance,” Mr. Bingley said brightly and his jovial mood distracted from Mr. Darcy’s dark one for just a moment, but Elizabeth was shocked to see Mr. Darcy’s eyes flicker in her direction. He was a cold man, and a bitter one, and she did not wish to know what he was thinking at that moment. Especially as it was likely about her and her sharp tongue.

  She was still angry with him, there was no use denying that, but he did not look chastened in any way, in fact, he almost looked smugly justified.

  The nerve.

  “I shall think on it more,” Mr. Bingley announced as Kitty and Lydia ran toward them.

  “Did someone mention a ball?” Lydia cried. “There are never enough opportunities to dance, and I love a dance!”

  “Mr. Bingley was just mentioning that he was considering—”

  “A ball at Netherfield Park?” Lydia interrupted Jane excitedly.

  “How grand that would be,” Kitty chimed in. “The assembly hall is so dreary in the winter that even the Christmas decorations do not cheer it.”

  Elizabeth looked nervously at Mr. Bingley, and noticed an equally embarrassed and frightened look on her face. But Mr. Bingley seemed unaffected by the maelstrom of excitement their younger sisters brought with them everywhere they went. “Perhaps you would be so kind as to give me suggestions as to what should be done,” he said with an indulgent smile.

  “Oh yes,” Lydia cried. “You shall have the very best musicians, and none of those terrible pecan cakes that Lady Lucas is so fond of ordering for the assemblies.”

  “Lydia,” Elizabeth scolded her. “Manners.”

  “But, Lizzy, he asked,” Lydia whined.

  Elizabeth smiled apologetically at the gentleman on horseback. “As you can see, there is a great enthusiasm for balls and assemblies in our house.”

  “I can see that very well, and it is most encouraging,” Mr. Bingley replied. “I believe you have made my decision for me, Miss Lydia.”

  Lydia beamed up at him and Elizabeth groaned inwardly. They would never hear the end of it now. Mr. Bingley bid them all a good morning, making sure to smile at each of them in turn, though Elizabeth noticed that his eyes lingered upon Jane last and longest before he turned his horse and spurred it forward. Mr. Darcy merely nodded and mumbled his pleasantries and Elizabeth could not help fixing him with a glare as he nudged his mount into a canter and set off down the road toward Netherfield Park.

  “How wonderful!” Kitty breathed. “A ball at Netherfield Park is sure to be very grand.”

  “We shall all need new dresses,” Lydia announced loudly. “Except for Mary,” she giggled as Mary emerged from the shop with a bundle under one arm and a bewildered look on her owlish face.

  “Lydia, hush,” Jane said crisply as she ushered the girls down the street. Elizabeth fell into step beside her sister as Lydia and Kitty skipped ahead as they always did.

  “If I were Mrs. Bingley, I would host balls every fortnight,” Lydia crowed. “And I would have a new gown for every day of the week, perhaps two on Sundays.”

  “On five thousand a year?” Mary sniffed. “At that rate you would be destitute before Easter.”

  “Do be quiet, Mary,” Kitty chided. “It is just a game.”

  “What a laugh it would be if Mr. Bingley were to choose me for a wife,” Lydia gasped. “I should not be able to breathe for laughing!”

  “Indeed,” Elizabeth murmured, but Jane said nothing as they turned for the road that would take them back to Longbourn.

  “Jane! Oh, Jane! There you are I have been frantic!” Mrs. Bennet’s shouts greeted them as they walked through Longbourn’s front door and Elizabeth exchanged a weary look with her sister.

  “What is it, Mama?” Jane enquired pleasantly as they came into the parlour together. Mrs. Bennet was in her chair with her feet propped upon several pillows. It was a position she often took when she did not want to do anything for herself as disentangling herself would take far too much effort. Elizabeth knew that it was done on purpose and did her best not to let her irritation show, but Jane did not seem to mind bringing their mother whatever she might need.

  Mrs. Bennet beckoned them forward excitedly. “I have been waiting for your return for hours,” she puffed. Elizabeth took a seat and looked down at her hands. They had not been in town for very long, but Mrs. Bennet took to exaggeration with such zeal that it often took too much effort to argue with her once her mind was made up.

  Jane rushed to her mother’s side as Mrs. Bennet brandished a letter. “Whatever is the matter?”

  Mrs. Bennet shook the letter furiously. “This! This is what is the matter!”

  Elizabeth sighed and looked up from her lap. “Mama, what is it?” She did not trouble to keep the vexation out of her voice and her mother fixed her with a stern look as she opened the letter.

  “My dear Miss Bennet, in
an effort to make better acquaintance with our neighbors you are invited to tea at Netherfield Park!” Mrs. Bennet fairly shouted those last words and Elizabeth winced at the sudden noise as Lydia and Kitty exploded into squeals of delight.

  “Which Miss Bennet is invited, Mama?” Elizabeth asked pointedly.

  “Why, Jane of course!” Mrs. Bennet replied joyfully while the youngest Bennet girls moaned, their sudden excitement forgotten.

  “And when is she to make the journey to Netherfield Park?”

  Mrs. Bennet scanned the letter briefly and then brightened. “Tomorrow afternoon! How wonderful, Jane. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst seem to be the most genteel of ladies, very accomplished I have no doubt, and so stylish!”

  Jane appeared to be briefly panicked, but did her best to smooth her expression before their mother noticed her discomfort. “How wonderful,” she murmured.

  “No doubt they wish to make your acquaintance to better determine how well you would be matched with their brother,” Mrs. Bennet said gleefully.

  “Now, Mama, we cannot assume—”

  “Oh, indeed we may,” Mrs. Bennet interrupted. You shall wear your best dress.”

  Jane did her best to smile, but Elizabeth could see that she was nervous. “Should I not go with her, Mama?” Elizabeth asked. “It would not be proper for Jane to go on her own.”

  “Nonsense!” Mrs. Bennet said firmly. “It is perfectly proper—”

  “Mama, I think I should be glad of Lizzy’s company,” Jane interrupted her mother’s impending tirade gently and smiled gratefully at her sister. “I have not been to Netherfield Park, and I would be much more comfortable with Lizzy there. I am sure Miss Bingley would understand.”

  Mrs. Bennet huffed and re-read the letter once more. “I suppose not,” she said finally. “But, Lizzy, you must promise me that you will in no way present yourself as a possible match for Mr. Bingley. I have my heart set upon him for Jane.”

  Elizabeth hid her smile behind her hand before she replied, “Of course, Mama. I would not dream of it.” In fact, it would be the simplest request her mother had made of her in weeks. Mr. Bingley seemed to be a kind man, but she had seen the way he had looked at Jane, and how her sister had acted around him—there was no denying that the affection between them was mutual.

  For once, it seemed as if one of their mother’s predictions would, indeed, bear fruit.

  “Then it is settled,” Mrs. Bennet said happily. She seemed very pleased with herself, as though she had arranged everything herself. “Mary, do stop lurking in the corner, if you have something to give to your Papa do it now, you are giving me a headache.”

  Mary mumbled something Elizabeth could not hear and disappeared into the hallway to do as she was told. No doubt, the poor girl was only looking for the right moment to escape, so their mother had done her a favor by dismissing her, but while Elizabeth did not approve of her mother’s treatment of Mary there was not much she could say against it.

  Finding suitable husbands for her daughters had been Mrs. Bennet’s primary focus since Jane had turned sixteen, but now that they were all out in society Elizabeth knew it was her mother’s hope that it would not take long for such things to happen.

  Lydia was troublesome, but she was, at heart, a sweet girl when it suited her. Kitty was biddable and quiet, but could be as loud and daringly boistrous as her younger sister if the occasion called for it, though she would not take the first step on her own. She was easily led, and Elizabeth only hoped that this tendency would not lead her in the wrong direction. Mary, however, was another matter entirely.

  Elizabeth had not spent much time with her younger sister of late and the guilt of it weighed heavily on her mind. Did Mary think often of what it would be like to be the last one in the house when all of her sisters were married and moved away? Would she mind at all?

  3

  If Elizabeth hoped that there would be relative quiet in the house after their mother’s pronouncement and the invitation for Jane to come to Netherfield Park, she was sorely mistaken. Mrs. Bennet took every opportunity to regale them with her opinions of Mr. Bingley and his sisters even though she had only made their passing acquaintance at the assembly.

  “Mr. Bennet we should be so lucky to have our Jane considered by Mr. Bingley!” she crowed over supper. But Mr. Bennet, as usual, was not in the mood for his wife’s hyperbole.

  “The invitation came from Mr. Bingley’s sister, did it not?” he asked calmly as he sliced into his roast beef.

  “Oh, yes, of course,” Mrs. Bennet snapped. “But there is reason to suspect that the invitation was sent at his request! I have no doubt in my mind that this is so.” Elizabeth and Jane exchanged glances and Elizabeth noticed her father’s resigned sigh as he focused on his supper. “Jane has obviously made a very great impression on Mr. Bingley’s sisters, which is why they have invited her to tea, you must not be so obtuse, Mr. Bennet,” his wife huffed.

  “I thought Miss Bingley looked a fright,” Lydia said brightly. “As though she were too good for Hertfordshire society with her nose in the air.”

  Mrs. Bennet looked scandalized. “Lydia!” she cried. “We should be grateful to have some real London society in our midst. Perhaps some of Miss Bingley’s grace and charm will find its way to you.”

  Lydia made a face and drowned her potatoes in a rebellious helping of gravy. “Oh, yes, indeed, would that some London manners would find their way into our house,” Mr. Bennet said wistfully and winked at Elizabeth secretly.

  “For once your father and I are in agreement,” Mrs. Bennet said loftily. Elizabeth could only smile down at her plate. Her mother so rarely noticed her husband’s barbs, and though Elizabeth knew that such comments were meant affectionately, it would not be difficult for an outsider to the family to presume that her parents were often at odds.

  “And so, Jane, tomorrow you will travel to Netherfield Park and return with a marriage proposal, is that what I am to understand?” Mr. bennet said conversationally.

  Mrs. Bennet waved her napkin at her husband frantically. “Do not impose your bad luck upon our dear Jane,” she cried. “Although, I daresay I would not be opposed to such an outcome!”

  “No, Papa,” Jane said with a small smile. “Miss Bingley merely wishes to make better acquaintance of her neighbors. Lizzy and I shall do our very best to welcome them.”

  “See that you do,” Mr. Bennet said, “I do believe that Hertfordshire has no better ambassadors than you girls.”

  Kitty and Lydia huffed quietly over their supper while Mary picked at her carrots with a bored expression upon her plain features. Elizabeth squeezed Jane’s hand below the table and smiled at her older sister. Everything would work out the way it was meant to, that much was certain, but whatever that could be she could not guess.

  Elizabeth looked out the window and frowned up at the grey skies above Longbourn. “I should think it will rain before luncheon.”

  “Do you really think so?” Jane came to the window and looked out at the gathering clouds. “Perhaps Papa will let us take the carriage.”

  Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Do you really believe that Mama will allow such a thing? If it rains, we will be sure to be invited to stay longer, an ideal situation if one is to secure a gentleman’s affection!”

  Jane laughed and slapped at Elizabeth’s shoulder gently. “You are not helping,” she admonished, but there was a smile upon her face and her cheeks were pink.

  “Do you really believe that Mama is correct? Could Mr. Bingley have requested that his sister’s invite me to tea?”

  Elizabeth looked up into her sisters wide blue eyes and smiled. “For once I believe I do,” she replied. “How many words did you exchange with Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst at the assembly?”

  “A small conversation, perhaps,” Jane said thoughtfully.

  “Not nearly enough to have inspired them to want to get to know you better,” Elizabeth observed. Jane nodded her rueful agreement. “The i
nvitation came so soon after meeting Mr. Bingley in town, how could it not have been spurred by him?”

  “You are far too logical, Lizzy,” Jane sighed. “I must admit I am looking forward to making a better acquaintance of Mr. Bingley’s sisters, if nothing else, perhaps we shall become great friends.”

  Elizabeth chuckled and rose from her seat at the window. “My dearest, Jane, always so ready to believe the best of people. I hope for your sake that this is true and that Lydia’s first impression of Miss Bingley was incorrect, though I doubt that very much.”

  “We shall see for ourselves very shortly.” Jane moved away from the window and began to dig through her ribbon box once more. “You must help me with my hair, I fear I am all nervousness today and no nerve.”

  Elizabeth guided her sister to the vanity they shared and set at once to brushing, plaiting, and pinning. A companionable silence fell over the room and Elizabeth could feel Jane’s gratitude at the fact that she would be there with her at Netherfield Park. “Whatever happens today, it is just tea.”

  “You are right, Lizzy. It is just tea.” Jane smiled and Elizabeth saw her sister’s shoulders relax ever so slightly.

  But Elizabeth knew that this simple invitation was not just about tea, and when they came downstairs, Mrs. Bennet’s excitement reminded them both of that fact.

  “Oh, Jane, you look beautiful, I am so pleased that you chose that dress.” She looked to Elizabeth and her brows drew together. “Lizzy, you could have chosen something more—”

  “More what, Mama?” Elizabeth asked innocently.

  Mrs. Bennet released a furious breath and returned to fussing over Jane. “As I had hoped, the rain seems to be moving in quickly.”

  “May we take the carriage, Mama?” Jane asked.

  “Oh, no. No, indeed. We cannot spare it. You must walk.”

  Jane’s eyes widened. “Walk? But Mama, if it rains—”

  “Then as good hosts they must ask you to stay,” Mrs. Bennet asserted as she pushed her daughters toward the front hallway. Elizabeth took her bonnet from Hill’s hands as Jane secured the ribbon of her own bonnet under her chin. “Hurry now. If the rain comes too soon, you will arrive bedraggled and unfit for company.” Mrs. Bennet shook her handkerchief at her daughters as their shoes crunched over the gravel of the courtyard. “Give my best wishes to Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst,” she shouted after them.