Chapter 10 Lydia wants to go to a ball, and the Netherfield party leaves for Town. #3
“Lizzy had a strong dislike for Mr. Darcy in the beginning,” Mrs. Bennet replied, “and even though her heart may have been touched, she never believed there could be a match due to the gap between their stations. Thomas similarly thinks that, although Mr. Darcy was inclined towards Lizzy, he would have a strong reluctance to marrying without attention to his social position and our lack of connections. It is a pity there are so many loveless marriages among the first circles.”
“Does Thomas not feel that the time might be right to tell the truth to Jane and Lizzy—and perhaps also to the gentlemen?” Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner were the only other people privy to the full details regarding the heritage of Jane and Elizabeth.
“He admitted alluding to the true situation to Mr. Darcy but felt that since neither of the gentlemen had requested a courtship, their affection was wanting.”
“What think you of his decision?”
“Well, I know how much Thomas wants to continue hiding his true identity, and laying open the girls’ inheritances would put him at risk of being found out.
If that occurred, it would threaten our home and reputation.
If he delays the news and stays away from Town, he can maintain his role as merely Mr. Bennet, the simple country gentleman who has been their guardian these twenty years.
He also remains steadfast in his resolve to wait until the conditions of the will have been met. ”
“Can you not persuade him?” Mrs. Gardiner asked.
Mrs. Bennet shook her head. “I am still not certain of my own opinion or desires. I know Jane is not herself, and Lizzy thinks Mr. Bingley’s sisters have convinced their brother not to offer for her.
If his devotion is so fickle, then perhaps Thomas’s decision is correct, though I must own that it is trying for all of us to see Jane in this state.
“Lizzy, on the other hand, was quiet for some days but since then has reverted to her cheerful self. She has never professed a marked interest in Mr. Darcy. But then neither has Jane stated her feelings for Mr. Bingley. It seems that all our family may be good at hiding things.”
“Perhaps when they come to town for the Season, they may call on the Bingley ladies and measure the reality of the situation,” Mrs. Gardiner suggested.
Christmas was a season to be with friends and family, and as the Bennets spent time with theirs, so also did the Darcys, Bingleys, and Hursts.
As he had told Mr. Bennet was his plan, Darcy had collected his sister and taken her to Pemberley, stayed for Christmas and then spent some time visiting relatives in Matlock.
There were plenty of family festivities, but even so, he had ample time to be alone and reflect on his recent decisions and future direction.
Darcy considered his discussion with Thomas Bennet the evening of the Netherfield ball.
Bennet had chastised him for his apparent interest in Elizabeth, and he was correct in doing so; Darcy had shown her too much attention.
Yet how could he not? He was spellbound by her.
She was original, imaginative and the most intelligent woman he had ever encountered.
She made him feel important whenever she engaged him in conversation; being around her made him long to have her as his own.
When her father pointedly mentioned Elizabeth’s disapproval of Darcy, his eyes had widened in disbelief, and for an instant, he was unable to maintain his composure.
He was so certain he had earned her approbation, particularly in light of their frequent verbal repartee, which he perceived as flirtatious.
He was panicked when the realization hit him that his feelings might not be requited, but in any case, it would not do; he could not allow himself to become any more entangled than he already was.
He argued with Bennet that friendship was all he expected, yet the powerful feeling in his breast said otherwise.
He could no longer deny it: he was desperately in love, yet due to her situation he could not offer for her. It pained him greatly.
Bennet had given him reason to believe Elizabeth was more substantially dowered than rumoured, but fortune was not as important to Darcy as his family’s expectation that he marry within the first circles of society.
Although her father was a gentleman and his friend, Elizabeth’s connections were mostly in trade, and her situation did lower her worth in the hierarchy he was raised to believe determined a proper marriage.
His tender feelings warred with his sense of duty.
She had become vital to his happiness, and he did not know what he would do without her.
The concept of another woman as his wife was distasteful.
But he knew his obligation and decided it was best to stay away from Hertfordshire and attempt to find a more suitable bride within the ton.
His aunt and uncle were always trying to forward Lady this-or-that, but he dared not hope that there would be an acceptable bride interested in more than his fortune, whose vivacity and unique beauty rivalled that of Elizabeth Bennet.
He felt it unlikely that such a woman existed.
Miss Bingley’s entreaties to convince her brother to stay in Town rather than return to Netherfield and to discourage any match with Miss Jane Bennet were also on Darcy’s mind.
Darcy had frequently been at Longbourn with Bingley, and his observations left him in no doubt that Bingley had a strong regard for Miss Bennet.
Darcy’s friendship with Bennet allowed him opportunity to discern that, however serene and unaffected she might seem to the eyes of the casual observer, Miss Jane Bennet was very likely in love with Bingley.
He had not specifically said so to Bingley but had insinuated his viewpoint in a general sense and felt that Bingley was intelligent enough to come to the same conclusion.
However, these were just Darcy’s opinions, and he did not want to appear intrusive by trying to influence Bingley in any particular direction.
He would leave them be and let the romance take its natural course.
He found it ironic that he would not allow the same for himself but rationalized that his situation was quite different; a marriage to a gentleman’s daughter would improve Bingley’s status, but a marriage into a family with such low connections would not be right for a Darcy.
The Bingleys and Hursts spent Christmas at the estate of Mr. Hurst’s parents in Hampshire and did not return to London until the start of the New Year, though Miss Bingley constantly pleaded with her brother to inveigle an invitation to Pemberley.
Bingley’s feelings were warring in a way similar to Darcy’s, as he was a fair way to being convinced of a significant affection from Miss Bennet but allowed himself to be influenced by his officious sisters and led to believe he should avoid the connection.
Since Thomas Bennet was a gentleman and an estate owner, Bingley believed an alliance with Bennet’s family would be a step up for him, but his sisters pointed out that the eldest two Bennet sisters’ lack of fortune and questionable parentage was detrimental to any sort of good match.
Although Darcy did not speak of it, Bingley suspected his friend had a strong admiration of Miss Elizabeth that he was walking away from, likely for the same reason.
In any case, his sisters assured him there was no affection on Miss Bennet’s side.
This confused him and left him heartbroken, but Bingley was eventually persuaded to leave Hertfordshire and Miss Bennet behind.
He felt guilty in allowing the improvement of his family’s situation to stand in the way of his regard for Miss Bennet, but he loved his sister, and Miss Bingley depended upon his improved connections in order to marry well.
Therefore, the two men who had rationalized away their own happiness were not good company for their families that winter. How could they be? Their futures were bleak. They had resigned themselves to giving up the women of their dreams to suit the wishes and hopes of their relations.