by K C Kahler
“I suppose it cannot be classified as a monograph, strictly speaking. But it is a description of medicinal plants used by the people who live on the various islands in the Caribbean Sea.”
Elizabeth sat down across from him. “I suppose you always did have an interest in botany, in your way. But to think that you should do something useful with it…”
He grinned. “Does my industry surprise you, Lizzy? In truth, a fortuitous meeting with an extraordinary man inspired me to make more of my hobby. I am convinced we shall hear much of Mr von Humboldt in the future.”
“Will you attempt to publish your tome?” Mary asked.
“Perhaps, when it is finished.”
“Mr Gardiner has had some dealings with a publishing house in London,” offered Mr Bennet, “should you decide to pursue it.”
“That is very lucky, for I would have had no idea how to begin! But it still needs some work before such a step could be taken. And I should like to show Kitty my sketches.”
“I should like to see them too,” Lydia said.
“Have you developed an interest in either botany or art while I was away, Miss Lydia?”
“Well, not really. But if you drew them, I wish to see them.”
He smiled, “Then I shall show them to both you and Kitty, but you must promise not to bicker anymore.”
She pouted. “I am not sure I can promise such a thing, though I shall try if she will.”
“I suppose that’s all I can ask.”
Mr Lucas then fell into easy conversation with Jane, Elizabeth, and Mary about numerous topics, with Bingley, Mr Collins, and Lydia sometimes participating. Bingley noticed that Mr Lucas appeared perfectly comfortable with the whole family, and also very familiar. He used the given names of all the Bennet girls. Perhaps what had been whispered over and over last night was true: perhaps there was an attachment between him and Elizabeth. Bingley would have to ask Jane about it.
At the thought of his angel, Bingley lost track of the conversation as he watched her, longing for just a little privacy. How sweetly she smiled! How he wished to kiss those sweet lips!
“Mr Bingley,” Mr Collins interrupted Bingley’s rather inappropriate train of thought. “I hope you will convey my apologies to Mr Darcy. I could not make the time to visit him and offer to convey any letters to Rosings. Perhaps I might stop by Netherfield tomorrow morning as I leave, but it would be very early indeed.”
“I do not believe Mr Darcy has any letters to send his aunt at the moment, Mr Collins. You need not concern yourself.”
“But perhaps he would appreciate the opportunity to send a missive to Miss de Bourgh without having to trust such tender sentiments to the post.”
Lydia rapped her fingers on the arm of her chair in impatience, and Bingley prayed this exchange would not bring up that subject again. Blast Darcy!
“I highly doubt Darcy has anything to send that he would not trust to the post. In any case, he will be leaving soon himself.”
“Oh yes, I expect to see him at Rosings very soon.”
Elizabeth stood and went to the window again. “Is it not beautiful out, Lizzy?” said Jane. “Shall we not take a turn in the garden?”
Bingley could think of nothing more welcome at this moment. He stood and extended his hand to Jane. “What a splendid idea! Shall we?”
“Oh yes! You young people must take a turn in the garden before dinner. Perhaps Mr Lucas will escort Lizzy and tell her more about his…studies in botany,” Mrs Bennet suggested.
“I shall be happy to.”
“I wish to hear about your studies too, John,” said Lydia.
“Do not be silly, Lydia. You could not care less about botany.” Mrs Bennet winked not very discreetly at her youngest daughter. All pretended not to notice.
“Very well,” she sighed. “I shall walk with Mary.”
They moved into the entryway to don their coats, hats, and gloves. Bingley cursed the cold for necessitating the use of those gloves. His skin still tingled where he had held Jane’s bare hand to help her rise. To ensure a modicum of privacy, Bingley stalled so that they might be the last pair walking out. He then led Jane to the cover of some tall hedges in the opposite direction of the others.
“Charles, must you be so very obvious?” Jane laughed.
“Yes, I must, when there are always so many people about.” He turned and, without more tiresome words, took his angel into his arms. She did not protest. “Ah, my Jane,” he whispered as he kissed her cheekbone, her jaw. “Now my day has vastly improved.”
“Has your day been so very terrible?”
“Any day in which I am kept from your undivided attention for so long is a terrible day. How shall I bear tomorrow without seeing you?”
“I daresay you will survive.” Then her lips brushed his, and all thought left him for a few minutes as instinct took over.
The sound of Lydia’s laughter penetrated the haze, which was perhaps a good thing considering the strength of his ardour. He peered around the hedge. “Are Lizzy and Mr Lucas willing participants in your mother’s matchmaking? They seem very close.”
“They are very close. I had thought they were merely friends, but Lizzy has been acting strangely since last night. I intend to force her to confide in me tonight when I sneak into her room after everyone retires.”
The thought of Jane in her bedclothes, with her hair down and lit by candle glow, reignited some of Bingley’s barely cooled ardour.
“How do you manage to drive every rational thought from my head?” he whispered. He took off his gloves and then removed one of hers. With his finger, he traced the ring he had given her. How he loved to see her wearing it! Then he began drawing circles on her palm.
Her breath was short as she whispered, “Charles.”
If not for the sound of Mr Collins's voice passing nearby, Bingley would have again engaged in what the newly engaged often engage in. Instead, he exhaled shakily. “Perhaps we should think about setting a wedding date, dearest Jane.”
She blushed as she pulled on her glove. “Perhaps that would be wise.”
After righting themselves, he offered his arm, and they stepped out onto the path to join the others. “What’s all this about Henry Long and Kitty?” he asked while they were still out of earshot.
“Oh, Mr Long has shown some interest in Kitty, which she seems to return now that she has had time to consider. But she did not want my mother to know for obvious reasons.” He nodded, and she continued hastily, “Last night, at the height of Lydia’s tantrum over learning of Mr Darcy’s engagement, she revealed Kitty’s secret to my mother. They have been quarrelling ever since.”
They were rather more like Bingley’s sisters than he had realised.
“Now, now, Jane,” said Mr Lucas, “we, none of us, will abide your whispered secrets.” He winked.
Elizabeth elbowed him. “Do not tease Jane or Mr Bingley, or you must answer to me.”
Jane went to Elizabeth with a laugh, leaving Bingley standing with Mr Lucas, who rubbed his elbowed ribs. “I hope, Mr Bingley, that you do not take offense to my using Miss Bennet’s Christian name here. It occurs to me how odd it must seem to you. But she is like another sister to me.”
“I assure you, Mr Lucas, I did not take offense. I noticed you address them all familiarly.”
He sighed, “I suppose I should take more care, but it is very difficult to refer to people I have known all my life so formally. Now, you must drop this ‘Mr’ business, and simply call me Lucas. I imagine we shall be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”
“I shall be happy to if you will do the same for me.”
They went back into the house and were re-joined by Kitty and Maria. They passed the time pleasantly until dinner, which was, as usual, excellent. They had the added bonus of the enthralling tales of John Lucas’s travels. Elizabeth, who would usually be the one to amuse them with stories, deferred to her friend and watched him with a sort of fond pride. The only hitch in the
evening’s gaiety came from Mr Collins. He felt some dim-witted compulsion to constantly mention Lady Catherine, Miss de Bourgh, and Mr Darcy, causing palpable tension in the room.
Added to this, Bingley could never free himself of the niggling worry about Darcy and his intemperate drinking. He would not have believed his friend capable of such behaviour if he had not witnessed it himself. So Bingley, though reluctant to leave his angel, cut short his stay after dinner, claiming he must be well rested for hunting in the morning.
When he arrived back at Netherfield, he looked for Hurst in his usual haunts without success. He went up to Darcy’s room and found his friend sprawled diagonally across the bed, fully dressed but for his boots and cravat. Hurst was slumped in one of the armchairs by the fire, snoring loudly. Bingley shook him, exasperated upon seeing the many empty bottles in the room. Hurst had not sobered Darcy up; he had merely joined him in intoxication.
Hurst snorted awake, blinking. “Bingley, you have returned.”
“Yes, and what have I returned to but two drunken fools rather than one?”
“Oh, I can handle my liquor well enough, and a man in his state should not drink alone.” Hurst motioned to Darcy.
Bingley was relieved to find Hurst coherent. “Did he say anything about why he is in such a state?”
“Nothing discernible. He kept talking about a stream in Pemberley Wood. I could not understand one whit of it. I have never seen such a lovesick fool in all my days.”
“You think Darcy is in love?”
“Obviously,” he said in a tone that made Bingley feel quite dense. “What else could send an otherwise reasonable man into such turmoil?”
“But who can she be, and why does he not pursue her?”
“The only thing I can think is that he is in love with your angel.”
“No, no. I once asked him as much before I pursued her myself, because he was acting strangely then too. He is not in love with Jane, I am sure of it.”
Hurst shrugged. “One of those other Bennet girls then. The one who is always going on about books perhaps.”
“Elizabeth!” Hurst startled at Bingley’s declaration. “Of course! She stayed here with Jane. She makes Darcy talk and laugh more than anyone!”
“I would not know about all that, but it may explain his intense dislike of the Lucas fellow.”
Bingley slumped into the other chair, “It must have been awful to watch Lucas’s homecoming and hear all the talk of an attachment between the two. So he drowned his sorrows.”
They looked towards Darcy, who twitched and mumbled in his sleep.
Bingley furrowed his brow. What could be done? Perhaps he would know more after Jane talked to Elizabeth. If Elizabeth and John Lucas were attached, it would be better for Darcy to leave as planned and try to move on with his life. If they were not attached, there was no reason for Darcy to suffer. But nothing could be done until Bingley knew more and bringing it up would only torture Darcy further.
“Will he be recovered enough to shoot tomorrow, do you think?”
“I should say so. He has been asleep since dinner. Oh, Caroline is very angry that neither of us dined in company, I should warn you.” Hurst smirked at Bingley’s cringe before continuing, “As long as he has a good breakfast… The distraction will do him good, probably.”
Bingley nodded, “And will you be capable of operating firearms tomorrow morning, Hurst?”
He snorted. “You should know me better than that, old boy.”
“Well, let us get some sleep then. We must outsmart the coveys.”
Bingley removed any remaining spirits from the room, and they left Darcy to his fitful slumber.
“Oh Lizzy,” Jane said, stroking Elizabeth’s hair. This was far beyond the normal trials and tribulations for which Jane often offered comfort to her younger sisters. She did not know what else to say. Elizabeth hardly ever cried, but Jane felt the wetness of tears through her nightdress as Elizabeth lay on her lap. It made Jane angry. “How could he behave in such a manner?”
“If you must chastise someone, chastise me,” Elizabeth sniffed. “I should have known better. I did know better, but I still behaved recklessly. Engaged or no, Mr Darcy could never choose someone like me. He was always going to return to his grand life.”
“Perhaps you were reckless, but he…he was almost cruel. You risked everything, and he risked nothing.”
“I think he suffers. If you had seen his face this morning… He is fond of me a little.”
“I hope he suffers more than a little for what he has done.”
Elizabeth sat up and wiped her cheeks. “No. I owe him—we owe him. Your current happiness could not have happened without his help. He is so clever, Jane. He is the cleverest man I know and the most honourable. He could never break his engagement to his cousin even if he wished to. And if Miss de Bourgh’s health was at all uncertain…well, I can see why they kept the betrothal a secret.”
Jane shook her head, “I always knew that when you fell in love you would do so wholeheartedly. Here you sit defending his good character to me of all people.”
Elizabeth smiled wanly. “I remember a rather different discussion on the night of the picnic. We took opposite sides then.” Her smile disappeared as she looked down. “The next morning I met him at Oakham Stream for the first time.”
“Lizzy, are you certain he would not break his engagement? Did you ask him?”
“Absolutely not! I could never ask such a thing. I should hope both of us have more honour than that.”
“But does he know how you feel? Did you tell him you love him?”
She shook her head. “I would rather he did not know. It would not change anything. But he must suspect.”
“He will regret you.”
Elizabeth sighed. “Perhaps. We cannot all be as lucky as you in this business of courtship and love.”
“Apparently luck had very little to do with it.” Jane embraced her. “Thank you for everything you did to ensure my happiness with Charles. I wish you had not paid so great a price.”
“Jane, you must promise not to tell Charles.”
“I do not know whether I can promise that.”
Elizabeth looked alarmed. “But if Charles knows, he will tell Mr Darcy. Please, I wish as few people to know about my folly as possible.”
Jane sighed. “I promise I shall not bring it up, but I also will not lie to Charles if he asks me about it.” Elizabeth nodded. “How many people do know?”
“Charlotte knows some of it, John knows most of it, and you know all of it. Papa and Mary may suspect as well, but I am not certain.”
“I am a bit ashamed of myself for having no inkling whatsoever. I have been truly self-absorbed.”
“Not self-absorbed. You have been Charles-absorbed.” Elizabeth smirked as she climbed under the covers. It was a vast improvement from her earlier tears.
“Tomorrow, I shall devote my entire day to you and you alone.” Jane said as she tucked Elizabeth in and moved towards the door.
“That’s because Charles will be off shooting and not available to you! You will be pining prettily again.”
“No, I will not!” Jane turned back. “Well, perhaps a little. We shall cheer each other.”
“Yes, we shall. And if we fail, John will cheer us both. Good night.”
“Good night, dearest Lizzy.”
* * *
Saturday
Walking with Elizabeth and John in the garden, Jane heard Lydia giggle behind them. It was another clear, sunny day, though rather cold, and Mrs Bennet had suggested the young people walk out. Of course her design was to pair Kitty with Henry Long and Elizabeth with John. Mary, Lydia, and the two Miss Longs were left to the four officers who were visiting—Lieutenants Denny, Wickham, Saunderson, and Pratt. Jane received a pointed look from her mother when she insisted on joining John and Elizabeth, but Jane had vowed to devote her day to cheering Elizabeth. Mrs Bennet’s pointed looks were thus ignored.
E
lizabeth held her face up to the sun as she walked between her two companions. “It is a lovely day, though I wish for Jane’s sake the weather would turn. We certainly will not see Mr Bingley when it remains like this.”
“Men must have their sport,” John said. “Where did you walk this morning, Lizzy? Did you happen to run into my future brother before he left for Kent?”
“I did not walk this morning. I adopted Lydia’s schedule and slept to a ghastly late hour.” Elizabeth’s tone was light and cheerful, too cheerful. Jane shot John a glance over her sister’s head.
He furrowed his brow. “Perhaps we may walk out farther than the garden right now.”
“That is a splendid idea! Do you not think, Lizzy?”
Elizabeth only shrugged in reply.
Jane spoke to John. “Elizabeth becomes quite disagreeable when she does not get her exercise. You must convince her, or none of us will be able to abide her tonight.”
“Now Lizzy, we cannot have you starting any more fights with your sisters. The situation is precarious enough between Kitty and Lydia. Where shall we walk?”
Mary joined them suddenly. “Are you walking out somewhere? You must let me come too; I cannot listen to any more of Lydia’s unabashed flirting. Her heartbreak was superficial indeed.”
Jane turned her head to observe Lydia prancing on the arms of both Mr Denny and Mr Wickham. “She does seem to be enjoying the attention of her two escorts. Anything that improves her peevish mood is welcome, though I thought she disliked Mr Wickham.”
“It seems she is willing to forget her earlier opinions,” Mary said with a hint of disgust. “Shall we walk to the stream?”
“No!” said Jane and John in unison. John continued, “That is, I have already seen Oakham Stream since my return. Perhaps Oakham Mount, or is that too far?”
Mary and Jane assured him it was not.
“I shall inform Mama of our plans.”
Jane returned quickly to the house before Elizabeth could beg off the outing. She went to the sitting room where her mother still entertained Mrs Long and Aunt Philips. “Mama, Mr Lucas has expressed a wish to see Oakham Mount. Mary, Lizzy, and I shall accompany him.”
