Prudence and Practicality

by C. J. Hill

  Charlotte laughed with her friend and told of her mother’s attempts to interest Charlotte in the evening’s proceedings.

  “And, apparently, judging by her comment to your mother, she is still under the impression that I will try to sway Mr. Bingley’s good opinion for my own interest! He would be all astonishment if I did! I would dearly like to know what Mr. Bingley is expecting this evening; he can hardly have any notion of all the preparation and planning that has been going on for the past week in his honour. I do hope he appreciates it all.”

  Elizabeth laughed and, looking around, noticed Charlotte’s younger sister.

  “I see that Maria is here this evening, Charlotte. Does this mean that your parents have changed their views to allow her out in society?”

  “Yes, thank goodness. I have told them so many times how unfair it is that she should not be allowed to enjoy herself and at the prime age as she is now, just because I have not be fortunate enough to secure a husband. They have relented so far as this evening’s entertainment; they shall see how she manages at this Assembly before more outings are decided upon. She does look well, does she not?”

  The two friends watched Maria dancing, encouraged by Lydia and Kitty who were overjoyed to see their friend at the dance. They had determined to dance every dance and take every opportunity of enjoying the evening with the fear that, perhaps, this may be the only time Maria would be allowed out for another year.

  “She certainly does look well,” Eliza agreed. “Let us hope, however, that she does not look to Lydia for all of her social information and skills; one sister who brings embarrassment to her family is enough for any village to handle!”

  At that point, the main door to the rooms opened wide and admitted strangers into their midst; strangers of such finery and deportment that, as soon as they were noticed, a silence fell upon the room followed almost immediately by a buzzing of gossip from the onlookers who knew the importance of those at whom they were staring. Sir William broke off his conversation and eagerly bustled over to greet the newcomers with his usual gallant and slightly pompous manner. Charlotte excused herself from Lizzy as she responded to her father’s wave to bring her over to be introduced.

  “Wish me luck in my quest, Lizzy!” she laughed, and wove her way through the crush of people to join her father who was in his element.

  “Ah, my dear sir. Allow me to present my eldest daughter, Miss Charlotte Lucas!”

  “Miss Lucas.” Mr. Bingley bowed. Charlotte smiled and responded with a small curtsey.

  “I am charmed to make your acquaintance, Miss Lucas. Please allow me to introduce my sisters, Miss Caroline Bingley, and Mrs. Hurst; Mr. Hurst, and my close friend, Mr. Darcy. They have all come to visit me at Netherfield for a time while I become used to managing such a large estate.”

  “I am very glad to make your acquaintance, sir,” said Charlotte after she had greeted his family and friend with suitable interest.

  “And how do you like Netherfield so far? Do you think living in the country will suit you after always being in Town?”

  “I love being in the country. I already find the life to be invigorating and can not wait to participate fully in village life. I settled upon Netherfield after only one cursory inspection. I knew it to be the house for me and signed up directly, even though Darcy here advised against such a hasty decision; but he knows me of old, and should have anticipated my speed!”

  “I am certain, sir, that your decision was made entirely on fact and good instinct. I think I can say without too much prejudice, I hope, that Meryton is a charming and most welcoming village; everyone is delighted to have Netherfield Park occupied once again.”

  “I am anxious to become acquainted with all my new neighbours as soon as may be. Your father assures me that many are interested in including us in their social circles, which I find most gratifying.”

  “I am sure, sir, that you will find yourself well entertained; however, you may find that a little prudence in accepting invitations will relieve you, and your companions, of what may become an irksome duty – after all, there are many families within the vicinity and if you call upon them all… !”

  Charlotte smiled her meaning and glanced over at the Bingley sisters and Mr. Darcy who had detached themselves from Mr. Bingley and her, and were standing in close communication, whispering behind opened fans, undoubtedly making unfavourable comments about the scene they were forced upon. Not as much enthusiasm for local society from that quarter, she mused.

  She was brought back to attention by Mr. Bingley.

  “Miss Lucas. Would you do me the honour of dancing the next dance with me?”

  “I should be delighted, Mr. Bingley!” smiled Charlotte and allowed herself to be led through the throng into the dancing room. She could feel every eye upon her and rather wished she had not been quite so singled out. Her mother, however, would be more than delighted, she knew, as she impatiently waited for the music to begin.

  Her partner was in every way excellent which produced a fear in Charlotte that she should mis-step – her chance to practise had been rather scant heretofore - knowing that she was under scrutiny from everyone in the room was most disconcerting. However, to her relief, the dance concluded with no alarming mistakes being made.

  “Miss Lucas; thank you for my first country dance. Please allow me to escort you back to your friends.”

  Charlotte nodded and smiled gracefully, and, with Mr. Bingley in tow, excused herself through the crowds surrounding the dance floor until she found herself beside Elizabeth and Jane, both of whom had not yet been asked to dance, and were immediately joined by their mother who was certainly not going to miss the chance of meeting Mr. Bingley in person.

  Charlotte turned to Mr. Bingley and formally introduced the three Bennet ladies. Once the formalities were concluded, and before Mrs. Bennet could impose herself upon him, Mr. Bingley revealed his true intentions of accompanying Charlotte by immediately asking Jane if he might have the next dance with her, to which she readily agreed.

  Mrs. Bennet could hardly contain her pleasure and stood nodding and smiling for the entirety of the dance while maintaining a commentary of its implications with whomever she found beside her.

  Meanwhile, Elizabeth found obtaining information about the visitors to be more interesting than watching her sister dance and asked Charlotte what she knew of them.

  “The two women are his sisters; the taller one is Miss Bingley who is to keep house for her brother and the other is his married sister, Mrs. Hurst. The older gentleman is Mr. Hurst and the other gentleman is Mr. Bingley’s closest friend, Mr. Darcy. While Mr. Bingley is quite polite and charming, I cannot say the same for his companions. From my observations, they appear to be most aloof and proud. Of course, they may improve upon further acquaintance, although I could not say for certain.”

  “Judging by their expression and how close to each other they keep, I do not believe them to be at all pleased with their situation or the company in which they find themselves,” Elizabeth laughed. “We may find that they do not share Mr. Bingley’s delight in country affairs!”

  Jane rejoined them after the dance, clearly delighted with her partner and said that she had also been formally introduced to his sisters and had found them to be distant but most polite. Charlotte and Elizabeth exchanged glances but managed to refrain from saying anything.

  The remainder of the evening passed pleasantly enough with Mr. Bingley sharing his attention amongst as many of the ladies as he was able, with the exception of Jane, with whom he danced twice and was heard to mention her beauty to several people. His friend, Mr. Darcy, remained aloof and inadvertently provided high amusement for the evening after his less than flattering comments regarding Elizabeth were aired within her hearing; comments which she took great delight in quickly spreading amongst her friends as soon as she heard them, turning the comment against her into a joke against his manners.

  “Imagine, Charlotte! The audacity of the man. T
o decide upon no more evidence than one look that I am merely ‘tolerable’ and ‘not handsome enough to tempt him.’ I am distraught, truly I am! What a fine thing to be so rich and proud as to be able to give offence without qualm. His breeding leaves much to be desired, no matter how much income he may have. Insufferable man!”

  “Well, Lizzy, it is now confirmed by another. You can congratulate yourself in being the less-attractive Bennet daughter and I pity your poor mother! She will never be able to marry you off if you are only ‘tolerable’. Give up now and spare her years of pointless suffering!” Charlotte teased her friend mercilessly on the point and they both had a great deal of enjoyment from the joke.

  Mr. Darcy, Charlotte noticed, did not appear to be as sanguine as he had been. He appeared to become more and more uncomfortable as the laughter of the two friends continued and began to look positively moody and uncomfortable by the end of the evening.

  The following morning, as expected, Charlotte’s mother suggested that they pay a visit to their friends at Longbourn to discuss the events of the night before. Maria asked if she, too, might accompany her mother and sister to discuss her evening with Lydia and Kitty. The three Lucas ladies, therefore, set out together and before long were admitted into the front parlour at Longbourn where the discussion was already under way.

  Maria and her friends secreted themselves in one corner and much laughter erupted from it in the course of their discussion. Charlotte watched the reactions of Jane as Mr. Bingley was discussed by the two mothers and saw that Jane was quietly but favourably impressed not only with the gentleman in question but also, surprisingly, with his two disdainful sisters. Mrs. Bennet was, naturally, delighted with the knowledge that Jane had been the only girl in the room whom Mr. Bingley had twice asked to dance. Once Charlotte had confirmed her intelligences overheard at the dance between Mr. Robinson and Mr. Bingley about Jane being the prettiest lady in the room, Mrs. Bennet was looking decidedly hopeful and could hardly contain her excitement.

  “My over-hearings were more to the purpose than yours, Eliza,” said Charlotte. “Mr. Darcy is not so well worth listening to as his friend, is he? – Poor Eliza! – to be only just tolerable! He did appear to be rather discomfited when he overheard us laughing at him! I believe he is not used to being the brunt of jokes and having his pride injured; but, judging from his fortune, family and friends, he does have a right to think highly of himself and be too grand to mix with the likes of us!”

  “Charlotte!” exclaimed Mrs. Bennet. “Do not mention that man again – he has fixed himself with me and many of my acquaintance there last night as the most disagreeable person they have ever beheld, and agree that it would be an extreme misfortune to be admired by him, regardless of his fortune, family or friends. He insulted my poor Lizzy and I shall never forgive him for that.

  “But Mr. Bingley is certainly a gentlemanlike man, well aware of his position in life but without any affected airs. He is all grace and charm and his friend would do well to learn from his example.”

  “Mamma! Pray do not concern yourself with my feelings in the matter,” Lizzy interrupted her mother’s flow. “I do not care for Mr. Darcy’s good opinion and feel glad that he has declared it so openly and immediately so I may recover from the blow to my pride all the sooner! I am sure he had no notion of it being so easily broadcast in such a noisy and crowded room; however, I am grateful for his honesty and lack of artifice.”

  The talk continued until the coffee pot was emptied for the third time when Lady Lucas declared it was time to leave, reminding everyone that they must keep next Thursday week evening open as Lucas Lodge was to be the venue of another welcome party for the new tenant of Netherfield Park. The news was received with a squeal of delight from Lydia and Maria, and a warm excitement began to build in Jane’s breast.

  Charlotte, as the actual one in charge of the Lodge household, was glad to be allowed a fortnight’s notice of an impending party, and the accompanying planning required, and rather wondered whether her father was yet to be alerted to the idea.

  IV

  It was fortunate that in the intervening fortnight before the Lucas Lodge party, the weather remained crisp but mainly fine, as not an evening went by without one family or another in the vicinity hosting a party, soiree, or similar event in honour of the new neighbours; competition was fierce to provide the most elegant entertainment.

  While the attitude of the sisters, friend, and brother-in-law remained, at best, supercilious and open to scorn from the local people, Mr. Bingley continued to give pleasure wherever he went. His manners were unfailingly charming, he took an interest in every body and was careful to divide his attentions as evenly as he thought necessary depending upon the host and whether that host had a daughter of marriageable age.

  Lady Lucas cast off her usual inertia and general malaise and threw herself into the social round with all the best families of the village. Not for many years had there been such excitement and gossip regarding a new inhabitant of the village, and she meant to be in on every little bit of it.

  Lady Lucas wanted to ensure that her party was the most memorable evening over everyone’s, but was content to leave the mundane details to her daughter – no use in over-exerting herself before the event. Lady Lucas had a list of requirements for the evening to which, every day, were added new ideas as they occurred to her, or incorporated something special from the party the night before. She was not above flattering her neighbours, especially if she could improve the imitation.

  Charlotte, however, found it necessary to deflate her mother’s high aspirations for many of her plans, reminding her that Lucas Lodge did not have to exceed the spending of all of the other families in the village together; Sir William had impressed upon Charlotte, when she had assumed the household duties from her mother, the importance of frugality wherever possible in the housekeeping arrangements.

  “We have sufficient, Charlotte,” he had intoned, “but in order to live for many years as we do now, we must take care not to overspend on frivolities. But we must also take care not to appear miserly; it is a careful balance.”

  Charlotte understood that although her father had accomplished much in the City during his years of commerce, he had chosen to retire from it before he had, with all certainty, provided sufficient income for that retirement. He had had no concept just how expensive retirement from a prosperous trade, and living like a county gentleman, could be, especially when most of his land was unfarmed and therefore brought in little income. While his household was comfortable, he could not afford to disregard monetary issues.

  A case in point was the settlements upon his daughters. Charlotte understood that he had settled only one thousand pounds upon herself and Maria each, knowing that such a sum would render them very safe from fortune hunters, but also may have the unfortunate effect of incapacitating any young, eager lover who was poor and in need of some future security. Sir William, however, considered that he had appropriated the funds he had with enough care; while thought must be made regarding suitable marriages for the girls, of paramount importance was the boys’ education. All of this Charlotte perceived and understood, certainly better than her mother, who still thought she had the bottomless purse she was used to having in London.

  Charlotte had many times discussed this matter with Lizzy and although they both agreed only the best man should win their hand in marriage, Lizzy was determined to wait until deep love was also intertwined with the best man: Charlotte already knew that the best man for her would be whomever would ask her and had the means to support the marriage. Love, she believed, was a frequently unattainable object and luxury for a woman in her position and, as the years progressed to where she was now at almost eight and twenty, she could no longer realistically hope for it. Practicality had almost turned to resignation and she realised that very soon, marriage would no longer be an option for her.

  This realisation was, while bitter with the ramifications of never having a family or hom
e of her own, not without relief; the idea of marriage and much of what it entailed had always held a quiet horror for Charlotte and the thought that it may no longer eventuate gave her some quietude and peace.

  She was much more sanguine at the thought of keeping house for her parents as they grew older, and watching her siblings marry and produce grandchildren in her place. She was well-liked and respected by her brothers, especially the eldest who would be her main protector when her father died. No, upon reflection, while she would like to contribute more to the world, if this was all her life was to amount to, Charlotte would not be the one to complain; her mother, after all, was quite capable of doing that for her.

  True to her nature, Lady Lucas began chasing Charlotte early the morning of the day the party was scheduled at Lucas Lodge.

  “I do hope you will not overly concern yourself with the particulars of the party tonight, Charlotte. The servants can cope with the details once we have instructed them. You must focus your energies on making an impression upon the Bingley sisters; they have, without doubt, many valuable acquaintances even if their brother has shown an unnecessary preference for Jane Bennet! They must be your priority tonight; as the eldest daughter of this family, and hostess, they can have no reason to distance themselves from our company as they have done at so many other affairs. I am still sure that had you tried harder at the assembly rooms Mr. Bingley might have preferred you. He did dance with you first, after all, before Jane.”

  “Mamma, I hardly think he would prefer me to Jane Bennet regardless of how much I tried! These things do not go with plans, order or traps but with preference and liking. If he is indeed attracted to Jane he has made a sound choice and I wish him and her every happiness, as should you. I have no designs upon him or any other man. I shall try to be civil to the sisters tonight but you must admit it is a challenge when they think so very highly of themselves. No one else can possibly come close to their idea of quality.”