CHAPTER 4
It became, within the very few days leading up to the wedding, an established feature of the household at Netherfield that Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy could not be seated within conversational distance of one another for the length of a meal without arriving, by the second course or at some point of vigorous disagreement.
Their first real conversation, as opposed to the stiff exchange of civilities that had passed between them that morning, came at luncheon that same afternoon, when the talk turned, quite unexpectedly, toward the subject of accomplishment.
It began innocently enough, with Mr. Bingley praising Mr. Darcy’s young sister, Georgiana, and all her accomplishments.
And, Elizabeth soon discovered that Mr. Darcy was as willing to debate as he was reluctant to volunteer an opinion unprompted.
"I have never understood," Elizabeth said, setting down her fork as she considered the matter, "why a lady is thought accomplished only when she has covered every possible art without excelling particularly at any of them."
Darcy reflected on her words for a moment before replying.
He had expected a jest, perhaps another of her clever observations delivered for the pleasure of provoking him, but there was more substance in her remark than he had anticipated.
"I cannot say I entirely disagree with you, Miss Bennet.
Though I believe the difficulty lies not in the number of accomplishments a lady possesses, but in the expectation that she must possess them all.
Society is often more impressed by the appearance of accomplishment than by the cultivation of genuine excellence. "
Elizabeth lifted her eyebrows to him, mildly surprised that he had not contradicted her outright.
"I know several ladies," she replied, "who paint indifferently, play indifferently, and speak French indifferently, yet are declared accomplished the moment they have demonstrated a willingness to attempt all three.
But, a lady who reads extensively and dares to think for herself is frequently dismissed as merely bookish, as though a cultivated mind were somehow less desirable than a collection of half-mastered accomplishments. "
Darcy leaned back slightly, considering her argument.
"An accomplished woman," he said, "must possess a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages.
But I agree there must also be something more substantial; the cultivation of her mind and manner, a certain refinement in her air, her walk, the tone of her voice, her address, and her expressions. "
Elizabeth regarded him with a look of amusement.
"Then I know no accomplished women at all, sir," she said.
"Indeed, I begin to wonder that you have met even half a dozen in the whole of your acquaintance, for you require of them the achievements of an entire finishing school and the philosophy of a bishop besides. "
"Are you so severe on your own sex?" Darcy asked in an eyeing manner.
Elizabeth raised her chin, and was quick to reassure him of her meaning "Indeed, sir.
You say half a dozen? Out of all the ladies of your acquaintance in London and Derbyshire together?
I think, sir, you have set your standard so remarkably high that you may enjoy the comfort of finding nearly everyone beneath it. "
Darcy's expression remained composed, though there was a faint spark of challenge in his own eyes. "I set my standard where I believe it ought to be set, Miss Bennet. If few ladies meet it, that is a reflection upon the education generally afforded to women, and not upon the standard itself."
"Perhaps," Elizabeth replied, tilting her head slightly, "or perhaps it is a reflection upon a gentleman who has never troubled to ask whether the ladies in question wished to be accomplished according to his particular definition of the word, rather than their own."
The remark was sharp indeed, but Darcy did not appear offended by it. He did not stiffen, or draw back from her somewhat cold correctness. Instead he seemed to reflect on it, his brow drawing in a way that looked as if he had given her point a great deal of weight.
Finally, Darcy replied. "Would you have no standards at all, then?" he asked. "Would you have no expectation that a person should cultivate their abilities, improve their understanding, or strive toward excellence?"
Elizabeth answered quickly. "Of course I would.
But improvement chosen freely is a very different thing from accomplishments collected merely because they are expected.
A woman may learn music because she loves it, read because she enjoys it, or study languages because she wishes to understand the world beyond her own.
Yet too often she is encouraged to acquire these things only because they make her more pleasing to others. "
Darcy did not reply at once. He only looked at her, a long, unhurried look, his eyes fixed intently on her face.
And Elizabeth, rather than dropping her gaze, as good breeding might have recommended, found she had no inclination whatsoever to look away first, and met it steadily, until the silence between them had gone on rather longer than was comfortable.
Bingley, seated at the head of the table, looked from one to the other with the expression of a man witnessing an entertaining performance.
He had no intention of interrupting. Indeed, he appeared quite content to allow the debate to continue, particularly since neither participant seemed aware that they were enjoying it.
However, the silence became too much for him.
Hence, Bingley interjected by first letting out a short laugh before declaring, "I begin to think that the difficulty is not in defining an accomplished woman, but in determining whether such a woman would ever be satisfied with being defined at all.
" Bingley smiled at the remark, owning it a smart one.
This earned Bingley a laugh from Elizabeth and Jane, but Darcy, however, resumed his customary calm reserve.
The brief amusement Elizabeth had glimpsed vanished.
And, it was this very reserve that Elizabeth found exceedingly provoking.
She could never be certain whether she had amused him, offended him, or altered his opinion in the least, and that uncertainty piqued her curiosity far more than she cared to admit.
***
The second day brought fine weather. Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy rode early to Longbourn, and inquired whether the ladies would like to accompany the gentlemen into Meryton.
The eldest two Bennet sisters agreed, and the party, made up of Jane, Bingley, Elizabeth, and Darcy walked into Meryton upon some errand connected with the wedding, the particulars of which were very quickly forgotten by two of the four in favour of a dispute concerning the merits of London society as against the country.
"You cannot seriously maintain," Elizabeth started, sounding somewhat flabbergasted by a comment from Darcy, "that a neighbourhood is deficient in society merely because it boasts no more than four-and-twenty families."
He shook her head, squeezing his cane as they walked. "I maintain that variety is wanting where the same four-and-twenty families must be met with at every dinner, every card party, and every ball for the whole of a season, without relief."
"And I maintain, sir, that a mind capable of nothing better than boredom in the company of four-and-twenty families has a very poor opinion of its own resources, and had better look to mending them before it condemns the neighbourhood for the deficiency."
He looked at her with a shrewdness in his eyes. "That is unjust, Miss Bennet."
She returned his look, her eyes brightened by the exercise and her chin slightly tilted, as if she had a very great deal to say on the subject.
"Is it? I have lived among these four-and-twenty families the whole of my life, and I promise you I have never once been bored by them, though I grant you some of them try my patience considerably.
But there is always something to be observed, if one troubles to look, some folly, some kindness, some small drama playing itself out behind the tea-things, and I confess I would rather study that, closely, than glide over the surface of a hundred fashionable acquaintances in town without knowing any of them beyond their coats and their carriages. "
Darcy replied, and when he spoke, it was in a tone lower and considerably more measured. "I wonder whether it is your neighbors who are so uncommon, or whether you have the uncommon talent of making them so."
She turned to look towards the road, though her reply was more thoughtful. "I do claim it, sir.” She nodded her head to herself, and added. “It is my chief amusement, and I flatter myself I am tolerably good at it."
"Then I must suppose," said Darcy, with all the gravity he had brought to the whole of the conversation, and not the smallest diminishment of it, "that I have not escaped the same scrutiny you extend so liberally to your neighbours."
Elizabeth glanced back up at him, surprised by the bluntness of it.
"You need not suppose it with such apprehension, Mr. Darcy.
I have observed only that you dislike being disagreed with, and that you cannot help returning to disagree with me again the very next day, which I think a curious combination of qualities in a man who claims to find the exercise disagreeable. "
She smiled as she spoke, lest he mistake her meaning, "Though I have also observed that you are considerably more willing to reconsider your opinions than you first appear."