Chapter 17 #3
When he found somebody silly enough to fall for his stories and to believe them without further inquiries…” she whispered.
“Let us speak of this no more. All has passed now,” he replied forcefully.
“I admit I am content that Georgiana found the strength to share the story with you —as I was relieved to discover that she was not as affected by the news of his marrying your sister as I feared. I hope she will soon heal completely; your presence surely will help. Now, please excuse me; I shall go speak to your father.”
He departed before she had time to reply, but what else could she have said?
Everything appeared differently after that day.
A pained brother, unsure of how to comfort his sister, came to a new place where everybody demanded certain behaviour from him, and he struggled to adapt to a completely unknown neighbourhood.
And his worst enemy tainted his name while any response would disclose dreadful family secrets.
And she —Elizabeth Bennet —the chief of all fools, allowed herself to be trapped in the dishonourable game.
“Lizzy, are you well? What happened?” Jane asked as she took hold of her arm. From across the room, Mrs. Gardiner was watching with apparent concern.
“No, I am not, Jane, but it is nothing but well-deserved self-reproach. It will pass one day. Now, let us talk to Aunt Gardiner. Is there anything else you must prepare for the wedding?”
“Nothing, Lizzy, so you have no reason to change the subject and refuse to tell me what troubles you.”
“Dear Jane, if I wanted to be dramatic, I would say that I am troubled by the past and the future. Therefore, let us concentrate on the present and have another cup of tea,” Elizabeth joked, caressing her sister’s arm.
Another full, unexpected, and agonising day ended later that evening.
Longbourn fell into silence and darkness long after midnight, but most of its inhabitants did not fall asleep until much later.
For the Bennet family, it was one day nearer the moment they would cease to worry for the future, and the excitement was not a good inducement to rest.
For Jane, it was one day closer to the end of her life as Miss Bennet and the beginning of complete happiness, and for Elizabeth —the day that changed her peaceful life at Longbourn in more ways than she could number.
Both sisters were painfully aware that they had only two more nights to share the room that had sheltered their entire life: joy and sadness, laughter and tears, hopes and fears.
In two days’ time, everything would be different, and each hoped and prayed for the other’s happiness.
∞∞∞
At Netherfield, Darcy and Bingley remained in the library, talking and drinking until dawn. Bingley’s joy and excitement were joined by anxiety and fear that he might not be a good enough husband for Jane.
After several glasses of brandy, he even expressed his concerns about how he would dare to show his passion to such a perfectly beautiful and proper woman —and Darcy needed patience, tact, and carefully chosen words to calm him and ensure him of the happiest outcome.
Fatigue and brandy finally overcame them at dawn, and they fell into a deep, dreamless sleep until around ten o’clock that morning.
Their last day at Netherfield began early for the guests. The countess woke in a good mood and hearty appetite, much to Georgiana’s joy, but the entire family gathered in the dining room rather late.
Breakfast was rich, tasteful, and short for Bingley, who hurried to call at Longbourn on the pretext of an urgent matter. The others remained to enjoy their meal in comfort.
“Georgiana, is it true that Eliza Bennet will join you at Pemberley?” Caroline inquired. “Charles told us as much, but I suspect he was careless as usual and misunderstood the situation.”
“Mr. Bingley is correct. I invited Lizzy to keep me company for a few months, and I am very happy that she accepted.”
“So what are you saying? Will she be your companion? Did Mr. Darcy hire her?”
“Not at all,” Darcy intervened. “As my sister just explained, Miss Bennet will be her guest.”
“But I do not understand. Why her? Why did you not invite someone who has been your friend for years and is always interested in your well-being?” Caroline insisted irritably.
“That is how I felt,” Georgiana answered. “But I thank you for your concern, Caroline.”
“I am afraid I do not understand. I sense it is a caprice that you will come to regret. I wonder that Mr. Darcy, as an older brother, does not censure certain inclinations that might harm you. A friend who is unfit, improperly educated, and has questionable connections cannot be proper company for a young heiress.”
The countess cleared her throat.
“Miss Bingley, do you still not understand that insulting Miss Elizabeth will do you no good? Such a tendency to attack another young lady in her absence is unbecoming. It might be the reason few gentlemen are courting you despite the fact that you are smart, handsome, and have a good dowry.”
Caroline Bingley paled and remained still and silent.
Lady Hardwick continued.
“You do realise that, starting tomorrow, Mrs. Bingley will be the new mistress of this house and can decide anything she wishes, do you not? It might come as a shock to you, but even your presence here depends on the good will of the future Mrs. Bingley.”
“If your ladyship believes Charles might do anything against us, I strongly contradict you,” Louisa replied.
Lady Hardwick smiled mischievously.
“My dear, when a man enters into a marriage of love for such a beautiful woman, it is more than probable that he would do anything to please her. And since you take every opportunity to offend the members of her family, the solution seems clear to me. I have seen a number of young, newly wedded men abandon their sisters for far less. As I said, you will be at the mercy of Miss Bennet. If I were you, I would show extreme prudence in upsetting her. She is indeed the sweetest and kindest person I have seen lately, but one cannot be certain of the ways in which a young wife might change.”
Caroline choked and spat her food while Louisa burned her lips with the hot tea.
“I wonder that we came to be the enemy in this situation,” Louisa said sharply. “Last year, Mr. Darcy would not have allowed Eliza Bennet to be anywhere near his sister, and now she suddenly has become everyone’s favourite —against us, who have been your friends for years.”
Darcy intervened with polite severity.
“Mrs. Hurst, you must know that you are among our best friends, and we do appreciate our close acquaintance. But we cannot be blind to things that are improper and unfair, either in your case or in mine. All three of us know that our ungenerous interference almost ruined Bingley’s happiness, for no other reason than our own selfishness.
I am struggling to remedy my mistake, not so much for Miss Bennet, whom I have barely started to know, but for the man I proudly call my friend.
I strongly believe that anyone who cares for Charles should do the same. ”
“Excuse me; I have lost my appetite. I shall retire to my room,” Caroline said and hurried upstairs, followed by her sister.
“I am so sorry that Caroline and Louisa are upset,” Georgiana whispered. “I do not understand why they harbour ill will towards Lizzy and Miss Bennet.”
“Do not worry; just ignore them, and they will get over it soon,” Mr. Hurst replied seriously.
“Upon my word, what a waste of time. Should we not go hunting again?”
“I would rather search for Bingley,” Darcy answered. “And I wish to speak further with Mr. Bennet and Mr. Gardiner as tomorrow we will have little time for conversation.”
“I will come with you. I promised the children they could play with Mist today,” Georgiana said.
“And I will go back to my room; a few more hours of rest will better prepare me for the journey tomorrow,” the countess added.
“Then I will have some brandy and take a nap,” Mr. Hurst decided. “As I said, arguments are a terrible waste of time.”
∞∞∞
The last day of the Darcy siblings’ visit in Hertfordshire was spent mostly at Longbourn. The gentlemen stayed almost exclusively in the library to discuss books, plans for the future, and business.
Darcy offered Mr. Bennet advice on the management of Longbourn and gave Mr. Gardiner several suggestions to improve his affairs. Bingley entered and left frequently, undecided about where he preferred to be.
The ladies split their time between the drawing room and the music room with Georgiana and Mary playing enthusiastically and Kitty turning pages for them.
Elizabeth and Jane were both heavy hearted.
Every time they sat beside each other, they held hands and shared comforting smiles.
Jane’s beautiful face changed from blushes to pallor every moment, flustered by her betrothed’s presence and the sweet anticipation of their wedding and saddened by her beloved sister’s departure.
Elizabeth fought her own silly feelings: every time she looked around at her family, a lump in her throat and an icy hole in her stomach brought her close to tears. However, the image of a smiling Georgiana and a happy, radiant Jane was proof enough that she had made the correct decision.
After all, the months would pass quickly; there were already twelve since Mr. Bingley first arrived at Netherfield and six since her visit to Kent. Surely, the next few could not be any worse.
Miss Jane Bennet’s wedding to Mr. Charles Bingley took place on a sunny and joyous morning in the presence of their extended families, more than four and twenty others, a countess, and Mr. Darcy and his sister.
It was an occasion for talk and speculation, especially as the news of Elizabeth’s invitation to Pemberley was now generally known.
Suddenly, the Bennets were the envy of Meryton, and Mrs. Bennet was declared the most fortunate of mothers.
The wedding breakfast was hosted at Longbourn, and it was admittedly the richest that had been seen in the neighbourhood in quite a while. Lady Hardwick said several times —loud enough to be heard —that she had rarely tasted such appetising fare.
The newly wedded couple was barely apart as they mingled with the guests. Mr. Bingley held his wife’s arm, touched her hand, lost himself in her eyes, and shivered at her exquisite beauty so many times that the others soon stopped noticing.
Around noon, the Darcy party, along with Elizabeth, made their goodbyes with warmth, sorrow, tears, and whispered promises to write regularly.
Mr. Bennet struggled to hide his regret as he embraced his favourite daughter while Mrs. Bennet instructed her to be careful and behave properly in case she met some worthy, handsome gentlemen.
Elizabeth exchanged hugs and kisses with her sisters, her uncle and aunt, and her little cousins then turned to Jane, whose eyes were heavy with sadness when they embraced.
“Lizzy, I will miss you so much…”
“No, you will not, dearest. You will be so busy being happy with your husband that you will barely remember me. But when you finally do, please write me a long and detailed letter.”
“Not even Charles will take your place in my heart, my dearest.”
“I know that, my sweet Jane. But please do not be sad; I want to see you smile. Your happiness is more important to me than my own.”
It was slightly cloudy when the party of three carriages finally moved forward. Elizabeth looked through the window and waved towards her family, who were gazing after them and waving back. Mr. Bennet wiped his eyes discreetly and returned to the house with his wife.
Mr. Bingley placed his arm around the shoulders of Mrs. Bingley, who leant her head against him. Elizabeth smiled and withdrew her head inside the carriage. She had no doubt of Jane’s complete felicity.