Chapter 27
The last week of February was one of great anticipation for the people of Meryton, largely due to an assembly that was to be held in the public rooms in the village.
“You should go, Lizzy,” Charles said at dinner the night before the assembly was to be held.
The two of them, as well as Louisa and Hurst, were supping in the informal dining room. The Hursts immediately echoed the proposition, urging Elizabeth to join her family and friends in the gaiety.
“It doesn’t feel right to leave Jane and Louisa with things in such an unsteady state.”
“Nonsense,” Louisa said firmly. “I still have a month—perhaps more—until my lying in. Jane is sleeping comfortably by this time each evening, and while she is in decline, she isn’t quite on her deathbed yet.”
Elizabeth flinched and looked at Charles, who grimaced at his sister’s indelicate turn of phrase.
“Lou,” Hurst said, touching her arm, “that was a bit harsh.”
“I am sorry,” Louisa said, her eyes instantly filling with tears that streamed down her cheeks.
“Oh, Louisa,” Elizabeth said, “it’s quite all right.”
The mother-to-be dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. “What a watering pot I’ve become. Being with child has me angry, then callous, and then weeping—all in the space of a minute!”
Everyone at the table laughed, and Elizabeth noticed a footman do his best to suppress a twitch of his lips. “In your condition, Louisa, you can expect to be forgiven everything.”
“In that case, then, I will press my advantage and absolutely insist you attend the assembly tomorrow night.”
When Elizabeth opened her mouth to protest, Louisa raised a hand. “No, Elizabeth! You have sacrificed so much for your two sisters at Netherfield. You deserve one night to make merry. I insist!”
This last was punctuated by Louisa slamming her fist on the table with such force that a bit of wine splashed out of Bingley’s glass and onto the tablecloth.
“Very well,” Elizabeth conceded, “but only to preserve the poor table linens and the maids who have to clean them!
∞∞∞
The following afternoon, Elizabeth found herself being ushered out of the house for a walk before it was time to prepare for the assembly. “You know how irritable you become when you don’t get enough time in the fresh air,” Bingley said cheerfully. “We can’t have you frightening some poor young lad with your scowls.”
Laughing at his antics, Elizabeth obligingly went out to the gardens and towards the maze underneath the windows of the guest wing of the house. She wandered through the hedges, taking each turn from years of practice until she reached the center. After sitting on a bench near a budding rosebush, she looked up at the fountain with a marble statue in the center.
“I’ve always found those to be a bit ugly.”
Elizabeth smiled and turned to look at Jamie. “I much prefer the natural landscape myself, but the Greeks did have a talent for stonework that would last centuries.”
He limped over to the bench and sat next to her, which caused her a bit of surprise, as he was usually adamant on observing propriety between their different classes.
“I need to tell you something.”
“This sounds serious,” she said, panic rising in her chest. “Is everyone well at Longbourn?”
“Yes, yes, everyone in your family is well. This is news of the best kind. Well, I think so, that is. I hope you will as well.”
“Jamie, just tell me!”
“Penny and I are getting married.”
She stared at him, then broke out in a wide smile. “Why, that’s wonderful! I am so happy for you—both of you! But when did this happen? I had no idea there was a relationship of that nature between the two of you!”
He gave her a bashful grin. “We didn’t really let people on to the idea that we were courting until I could come up with a way to support us.”
“And?”
“Mrs. Pingree offered me a position as headmaster for the boys in the disabilities home in London. She said Penny could be a teacher there, too, since she knows how to read and has worked as a lady’s maid for you at times. If there are any children, they could be kept with us and in the nursery sometimes real easily.”
“Then you’ll be leaving Hertfordshire?” Elizabeth’s heart broke.
Jamie nodded. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. It’ll be announced at the assembly tonight.”
Impulsively, Elizabeth briefly squeezed his hand. “I will be sorry to see you go, but I am happy that you’ll be in a place where I’ll be able to see you again.”
“No matter where I am, Miss Lizzy, I’ll always come if you need me.”
The two sat in companionable silence for several minutes, unaware of a pair of eyes peering down at them from a Netherfield window.
∞∞∞
The musicians at the Meryton assembly had finished tuning their instruments by the time Elizabeth entered the room. She was immediately welcomed by Charlotte Lucas, who greeted her with a warm embrace. “Oh, Eliza, it has been too long.”
The two friends linked arms and made their way to a side of the room where they could speak without being interrupted. “How is Jane doing? I have wanted to call, but we haven’t seen her at church, and your sisters say she is doing poorly.”
“I’m afraid this is the end,” Elizabeth said. “She is only awake for perhaps five hours a day, but only for about an hour at a time.”
Charlotte’s eyes welled up. “At least she has had the comfort of her husband. His ability to support her is no small thing either.”
Had such a thing been said even a fortnight prior, Elizabeth might have taken offense at the smallest inference of Jane accepting Bingley for mercenary reasons, but this past week at Netherfield had shown her the truth of Charlotte’s words.
“So how was your time in London? Did you meet any new gentlemen there? Have you any new beaus, or a suitor or two?”
Try as she might, Elizabeth could not help but blush. The smile on Charlotte’s face spread into a wide grin. “Oh, you do have a new lover!”
“Hush, Charlotte! For heaven’s sake, lower your voice!”
Elizabeth looked around, hoping no one had heard her friend’s jest. Fortunately, the music for the first set had begun, and people were taking their places in the line. She absentmindedly noticed Jamie and Penny standing up next to Kitty and Major Wickham, along with Lydia and another officer. Kitty was glaring at Lydia, who was laughing boisterously and practically falling over herself as she danced the first steps.
Pushing her sisters and their vulgar behavior from her mind, she returned her attention to Charlotte, who was watching her with an expectant smirk.
“Well?” Charlotte asked.
“Yes, there was a gentleman with whom I spent a not inconsiderable amount of time. But this is neither the time nor the place to discuss it. If I have your word that you will not share it with anyone—not even your mother—then I will tell you all next week.”
Charlotte sighed dramatically. “Very well, but only if I do not perish from curiosity first.”
“If you do, then it will be by a thunderbolt.”
“What?” Charlotte blinked.
“You know, Paroemiologia…? John Clarke…? 1639…? Oh, never mind. Perhaps I should have quoted Saint Augustine’s Confessions instead and told you that God had fashioned hell for you.”
Charlotte shook her head. “Did anyone ever tell you that you read too much?”
Before Elizabeth could retort, the song had come to an end, and the two women were approached by Lydia, Kitty, Wickham, and a few other soldiers. Requests for dances were made, and Charlotte was whisked away by a short young captain by the name of Carter. Wickham solicited Elizabeth for the third set, then escorted Lydia to the floor, leaving Kitty alone with her elder sister.
Elizabeth winced as Lydia once again tripped over the steps, nearly falling into Wickham’s arms. Kitty gave a soft growl, and Elizabeth looked at her younger sister in surprise. “Is anything troubling you, Kitty?”
Kitty crossed her arms and huffed, then looked down at her tapping foot. She then looked back up at the dancers and scowled before turning her attention to Elizabeth. “Have you ever been in love?”
Taken aback, Elizabeth’s eyes widened. After a moment, she cautiously asked, “Do you think that you’re in love, Kitty?”
Kitty’s eyes filled with tears. “I know I am. But how can I know if he loves me in return?”
Elizabeth followed Kitty’s gaze to where Wickham and Lydia were skipping down the line. “Well, I think that a man in love will both say he’s in love and also show he’s in love, but he will be honest about it.”
For the first time, Elizabeth commanded Kitty’s full attention. “What do you mean?”
“Well, a man in love will demonstrate those feelings both in private and in public. Look at Mr. Bingley, for example. When he met Jane and fell in love with her, he not only said it, but he showed it by preventing his sister from being cruel to her. Then, he not only asked her to marry him, but he also asked Papa. He treats Jane with the same tender care and concern in his home as he did when she was well enough to receive visitors.”
Comprehension dawned across Kitty’s face. “You mean a man in love won’t tell a girl he loves her and then go flirt with another girl.”
“Exactly,” Elizabeth said firmly. “He will prove himself to be constant and true. If he cannot do that, then he isn’t worth it.”
“But what if—”
“No.”
Elizabeth stopped her sister before she could begin to play what the family called Kitty’s What-if Game, something the poor anxious girl had done ever since she had learned how to speak.
“There is absolutely no valid reason a young man would want to hide his feelings for you from others. Life is not some romance novel. You do not have a wicked father who is forcing you to marry a lecherous old man or be cast out of your home.”
Looking around at the dancers uncertainly, Kitty bit her lip.
Elizabeth sighed. “Listen, Kitty. I’ll make a deal with you. If your young man truly loves you but thinks he has a valid reason for not speaking to Papa as of yet, then have him come speak with me.”
Kitty brightened. “Truly?”
“Yes.” Elizabeth said firmly. “We have all heard time and again that Papa thinks I have a bit more wit than the rest of you.” She made a face to take away the sting of this remark, causing Kitty to giggle. “I cannot give permission on Papa’s behalf, of course, but I can at least help ensure that you are not being deceived by pretty words and a handsome face. If he isn’t willing to speak even to me—or, I don’t know, confide in Dr. Fields at least!—then he isn’t trustworthy.”
Determination filled Kitty’s face as the dance came to its conclusion. “Thank you, Lizzy,” Kitty whispered, giving her elder sister a hug before she was collected by an officer named Denny to partner for the next dance. Captain Carter solicited Elizabeth’s hand as well, and she cheerfully agreed.
On her way to the floor, Wickham stopped them and asked if she would dance the next set with him. She barely had time to nod her head in acquiescence before the reel began and she was skipping in time with the music.
After the song ended, the musicians called for a ten-minute break, and Elizabeth made her way to a table in the back where a punch bowl sat next to several pitchers of lemonade. Doing her best to take ladylike sips and not swallow the entire glass in one large gulp, she looked around the room to see who had arrived.
Lydia was holding court with several officers, along with a few young ladies from Meryton and its surrounding environs. Kitty stood a bit to the side of the group next to Wickham. He was watching Lydia prattle on, but he also seemed to be listening to what Kitty was muttering at his side.
Further on, in an attitude eerily similar to that of her youngest daughter, Mrs. Bennet was gossiping with the other matrons in the neighborhood, including her sister, Mrs. Phillips. Elizabeth’s father and uncle were both ensconced in a corner nearby, most likely sneaking sips of brandy from the flasks hidden in their jacket pockets.
Elsewhere, Charlotte was speaking with a young man whose back was turned to Elizabeth, so she couldn’t tell who it was. He seemed familiar to her, but she was unable to determine who he was. Next to them stood Jamie and Penny, and Elizabeth was gratified to see that the pair looked quite content to ignore the remainder of the room in favor of one another’s company.
Her musings were interrupted when the first few notes played in anticipation of the next set. With a charming grin, Wickham approached and extended a hand to claim her as his partner. “Shall we join the others?”
“Yes, please!”
For all that Elizabeth loved to walk, read, and debate, there was little that she enjoyed better than a country ball. There was something about having the freedom to hop, skip, and jump without being labeled as boisterous or wild that was liberating to her.
When she and Wickham came together for one of the moves, he leaned down and whispered into her ear, “I want to marry your sister.”
The shock of it made her stare at him, which in turn caused her to miss a step and nearly collide with Penelope Long. “Watch it, Lizzy!” Penelope cried out, nimbly spinning out of the way just in time.
Elizabeth apologized and regained her footing. At the next opportunity, she hissed at Wickham, “Lydia?”
“No, Kitty,” he responded before jumping away to join hands with another partner.
This too was a surprise, but Elizabeth was able to keep to her part in the dance without causing any further accidents. Fortunately, the steps changed, and she and Wickham were brought together again for the next several measures. Their eyes met with intensity as they spun around the room.
“You really had no idea this was coming?” Wickham asked her.
“None at all!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “Even when she was asking me earlier about how to know if a man truly loved her, I didn’t think… that is, you seemed so interested in Lydia…”
He grimaced. “I can see we need to speak in more detail. Here, pretend to hurt your ankle.”
“What?”
Before she could process what he had said, he stepped left instead of right, causing her to stumble. “Oh, Miss Bennet!” he exclaimed in a loud voice. “How could I be so clumsy? Oh dear, you’re limping!”
Having not even taken a step, she gave him an exasperated look. He returned it with a raise of his eyebrows. “Here, allow me to help you to a chair.”
Once she was settled and the few well-wishers were shooed away, Elizabeth looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You were saying?” she asked coolly.
He took a deep breath. “Initially, I was drawn toward Miss Lydia’s lively nature. I quickly realized, however, that there was nothing of substance beneath it. She is simply too young, especially for an old soldier like me. What harm could there be, I thought, in some mild flirtation, especially when I was not in any position to wed a young woman of little fortune? I did make that extremely clear from the very beginning.”
She nodded slowly. “My younger sisters do not quite understand that handsome young officers must have something to live on as well as the plain ones. Daughters of gentlemen who are rumored to have little by way of dowry cannot expect to wed on love alone and still maintain a comfortable lifestyle when the man has no money.”
“Precisely. But then, as I spent more time at Longbourn and your aunt’s home, I came to know your sister Kitty better. There are hidden depths to her that get overshadowed by her younger sister’s…”
“Exhibitionism?” Elizabeth suggested.
A tinge of pink lit up his cheekbones. “She and I have had conversations in which I have shared things about myself that I never have with anyone. Her joie de vivre is balanced with an empathy beyond her years, and for an experienced soldier, it’s the balm of Gilead.”
Elizabeth felt as though her heart would burst. “I think you need to speak with my father.”
He shook his head. “My pay isn’t enough to support a wife, even with Darcy’s generous gift; at least, not in the manner to which Kitty is accustomed.”
She glanced around the room. Another dance had begun, and they were mostly hidden by a plant. Leaning forward, she placed a hand on his arm and looked into his eyes. “We’re friends, are we not? Do you trust me?”
Wickham nodded slowly.
“Then do as I say. Go speak to my father. Right now. Tell him what you told me. I promise you, all will be well.”
Looking at her dumbfounded, he remained motionless. She leaned forward and urged again, this time more forcefully, “Go!”
He stood quickly from his seat and turned to face the room. His eyes scanned the crowd until he located Mr. Bennet on the other side of the dance floor with Mr. Phillips. Turning back to Elizabeth, he smiled at her in thanks. “Please excuse me.”
She held out her hand. He kissed it with affectionate gallantry; then he quickly made his way through the crowd.
Elizabeth sat back in her chair, her cheeks aching from the wide smile that had spread across her face. When Kitty had spoken of a young man hesitant about proclaiming his love, she had worried a scoundrel was soliciting favors. She was pleased to discover that the truth was just the opposite; he didn’t think he could marry her, so he didn’t want to engage her affections or risk her reputation.
Integrity of that sort didn’t come along every day. With the money her father had been secretly investing all these years—as well as Bingley’s refusal of Jane’s dowry—each of the four Bennet daughters would receive her share of the thirty thousand pounds upon her marriage from their father, as well as the five thousand pounds divided among them from their mother upon her death.
It would be more than enough for Major and Kitty Wickham.
To maintain the illusion of an injured ankle, Elizabeth sat out the following set as well before declaring her pain entirely gone. She enjoyed two more dances before Sir William stepped forward and motioned for the musicians to take another break.
“While these fine gentlemen are wetting their whistles, so to speak, I have the privilege—nay, the very great honor—of presenting Mr. Thomas Bennet, who has some announcements of no small import to share with all of you.”
Elizabeth smirked at her father as he moved to the front of the room. She inched closer until she was standing to the left of Wickham. On his right stood Kitty, and on her right were Lydia and Mrs. Bennet with identical looks of confusion on their faces.
“Yes, well, thank you, Sir William.”
The baronet gave a flourishing bow, which Mr. Bennet returned somewhat awkwardly. Upon rising, he said, “First, I would like to announce the betrothal of Jamie Hill and Penny Padmore.”
Cheers and applause rang out, although Elizabeth noticed more than one sour look from a few tenants’ daughters. Jamie and Penny stood together at one side of the room, holding hands and laughing. Several of the men clapped Jamie’s back, and Elizabeth winced as he struggled to remain upright. She was happy to see Penny casually put her arm around his back in a show of affection that masked her true motive of helping him maintain his balance.
As her eyes wandered about the room, she saw a tall man standing in the very back, half-hidden by shadows. He stepped forward, his face coming into the candlelight, and she gasped.
Darcy!
Her brain screamed at her to run to him, but her feet remained frozen at Wickham’s side. Mr. Bennet began to speak, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the dark gaze boring into her soul.
“Now, it is my very great pleasure to also announce a second betrothal!”
A flurry of whispers broke out in the crowd. She saw Darcy’s face tighten, but she was unable to comprehend what it meant.
“It gives me no small satisfaction to tell you that Major George Wickham has asked my permission—and it has been granted—to marry my daughter—”
Kitty’s name was lost in the cacophonous racket that came from Mrs. Bennet upon hearing that another one of her daughters had become engaged. Elizabeth’s attention was yanked forcefully away from Darcy, and she stared in disbelief as her mother shrieked a steady stream of nonsensical vulgarities in her enthusiasm.
When Elizabeth recovered herself, her eyes darted back to where she had seen Darcy, but he was nowhere to be found. Frantically scanning the crowd—it would be easy to find him, as he was several inches taller than anyone else in attendance—she began to panic when her search yielded no results.
He had simply… disappeared.
Fortunately, Mrs. Bennet’s effusions drowned out Lydia’s eventual howls of fury, which erupted immediately after she was corrected over who Wickham’s choice of bride was to be. The foolish girl had initially thought her father was speaking of her, and she had turned to the major to accept a celebratory kiss, only to find him in a passionate embrace with her elder sister.
“You… you… trollop!”
Elizabeth was instantly at Lydia’s side just in time. Lydia launched herself at Kitty, fingers extended, but Elizabeth caught her around the waist. It was only by sheer luck that everyone was still in loud discussion over the two betrothals, otherwise Lydia would have exposed herself and her family to the ridicule of the entire town.
Making eye contact with her uncle Phillips, Elizabeth signaled with her head for him to come help her. Together, the two of them were able to frog-march Lydia from the ballroom with one of his hands covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming.
Not even waiting for a servant to call for their coach, they made their way to the carriage stand and thrust Lydia into the Bennet coach. Mr. Phillips closed the door behind the two girls and called for a servant to begin hitching up the horses to take the pair to Longbourn.
Without his hand to cover her mouth, Lydia screamed invectives that were more fitting for a fishwife than the daughter of a gentleman.
“That hussy! That strumpet! She stole him from me! Let me go! I’ll make her pay, just you wait and see! I’ll scratch her eyes out! I’ll burn her dresses! She’s a Jezebel, a Judas! I’ll never forgive her for this. Never! The filthy little slut! I’ll be—she—”
Slap.
Unable to bear the disgusting remarks any longer, Elizabeth did something she had never done before. She raised her arm, then with all her might, swung her hand until it connected with Lydia’s cheek as hard as possible.
Lydia’s diatribe was instantly replaced with silence for several seconds that turned into loud sobs. “You hit me! You hit me! I’ll tell Mama!”
“Lydia Francine Bennet, if you make one more sound, I will hit you again!”
“But—”
“Do not test me on this!” Elizabeth shouted. “I have had all I can tolerate from you tonight. You are selfish and spoiled, and I will not allow you to ruin this for Kitty. We are going home, and if I hear one more word from you, I will slap you again. Your cheek will be so bruised, you won’t be able to show your face outside of the house for a week!”
Having never actually been hit before, Lydia was terrified enough to fall silent and remain so all throughout the time required to hitch the horses to the wagon and travel to Longbourn. Once there, Elizabeth instructed Hill that Lydia should be locked in the nursery until Mr. Bennet arrived.
Lydia opened her mouth to protest, but a glare from Lizzy sent her scurrying off silently. Elizabeth wrote a note to her father to explain where Lydia was and why her face would likely be bruised. She trusted her uncle to explain why they needed to leave, but she didn’t have much confidence in Lydia’s ability to give an unbiased report.
She would have stayed at Longbourn to explain everything in person, but at this point she had almost gone mad by not knowing where Darcy was or why he was in Meryton.
Soon she was back in the carriage and on her way to the assembly room, praying that she would find him there.