Chapter Eighteen
M r. Darcy did his very best to be interested in Netherfield, and to comment appropriately to his friend Bingley. Though the house was fairly new, the tricks now often employed by masons to cut costs were not in evidence. The brick was solid all the way through; there was no outer facing employed to hide cheaper materials inside. The wooden floors showed no signs of damp; if the rugs covering the floors were worn, this was not to be wondered at, given that it was a leased estate. Mrs. Bingley would doubtless want to select her own furnishings, including the floor coverings, if Bingley chose to make the purchase.
The windows were all sash, allowing ventilation to be controlled throughout the house. There were a good number of windows, so Bingley would have to deal with window tax, but he was wealthy enough to pay it easily. Both gentlemen went up to the attics, for if the roof was not sound, the attics would be the first to suffer, but the attics, like the rest of the house, passed muster.
“There is nothing wrong with the house that I can see, Bingley,” Mr. Darcy assured his friend.
“Should I buy it? Jane would be delighted to be settled so near her family!”
“Hold; we must ride the estate and speak with the tenants. It may be that a good deal of money has been poured into the main house at the expense of the tenant housing and proper drainage.”
“And I have heard you say often enough that the tenants are the most important part of any estate,” Mr. Bingley commented. “Jane says the same.”
“Yes, I recall Miss Bennet making a similar comment.”
“Say, Darcy.” Bingley’s tone was now less cheerful.
“Yes, Bingley?”
“It was a rotten thing that was done to my sister-in-law, Elizabeth, while she was in Kent. I am surprised you allowed it to happen.”
“I allowed it? Bingley, it was done before I even knew of it!”
“What happened, then? You must recall that I am her brother now. Her father is somewhat remiss in exercising his paternal duties, so I think it rather falls to me.”
“The truth of the matter is that I made the mistake of showing Miss Bennet attention, and the sight of a young lady other than her daughter occupying my notice was more than my aunt could bear.”
“I had heard that you were engaged to your cousin, though you had never mentioned it.”
“In truth, I journeyed there with the express intention of offering for Anne de Bourgh. But I found that I could not. I simply could not get the words out. Then I met Miss Bennet, and found her so delightful that I could not help speaking with her.”
“And you did not foresee your aunt’s reaction?”
“I should have, absolutely. Miss Bennet even asked me not to show her any notice, but I could not resist her.”
“Thereby earning her the humiliation of being asked to leave the county? Badly done, Darcy.”
Mr. Darcy could not disagree. “I hope to make it up to her.”
“Indeed? And how?”
“Bingley, I am rather in love with her, truth be told.”
Mr. Bingley stared at Mr. Darcy. Then he began to laugh, and he laughed so hard that tears began to form in his eyes.
Mr. Darcy waited in silence until his friend’s hilarity wound down. “Are you quite finished, Bingley?”
“I am sorry, Darcy. It is just that – well, here you are, one of the ton’s most eligible bachelor, visiting a friend in a tiny and insignificant town in Hertfordshire and in love with an unknown country girl! It really is too, too funny. Will you propose to her?’
“Hold on, Bingley. You go too fast.”
“What do you mean?”
“Simply this; in Kent, Miss Bennet was a sparkling diamond compared with the lump of coal that is my cousin Anne.”
Bingley winced.
“I know, it is hardly a gentlemanly way to describe a young lady, but you and I can be frank with one another, can we not?”
“We can; go on, Darcy.”
“I fear that my fascination with the young lady may be situational, meaning that she shone so brightly due to the dullness of her surroundings.”
“So you have come now to take another look at her?”
“Quite so.”
“I am not sure how I feel about that, Darcy. I would not be pleased were you to raise expectations and then disappear.”
“I would never do that.”
“From your description, that is exactly what you did do to your cousin, Miss de Bourgh.”
Now it was Darcy’s turn to wince. Bingley’s good nature and cheerful face often led one to forget his sharp intelligence. “I cannot disagree with you.”
“Darcy, I value our friendship highly; you are, truly, my best friend in all the world after my beloved Jane. But it is my duty to protect my sister by marriage, and I will do so, come what may. So I ask you, as my good friend, to tread carefully.”