6. Chapter 6
D arcy was glad when the evening finally came to an end.
He could not even attend a small public assembly without being the subject of gossip or the target of mercenary matrons.
He had known it, and he had been proven correct.
Darcy was no novice when it came to the machinations of others, especially women.
Years ago, at a ball, a matron tried to force a compromise between him and her daughter by stepping outside the card room and shutting the door herself!
Darcy had watched her do it, hardly believing his eyes.
Little did she know, his cousin Fitz was also in the room, his presence obscured by a large flower arrangement.
Minutes later, she returned with a friend and claimed compromise, looking at Darcy with a victorious gleam in her eye.
It was at that moment Fitz rose from his chair and came to stand beside him.
Darcy then asked her why she had decided that he had compromised her daughter and not his cousin.
Flustered, she opened and closed her mouth several times as she looked between the two of them.
Fitz, who was enjoying the show entirely too much, grinned at her and asked if they should call the banns that Sunday.
The matron huffed and dragged her daughter from the room, her friend following closely behind.
After seeing with his own eyes the depths to which some women would go, Darcy took steps to ensure he would never have to deal with such a situation again.
When the carriage came to a stop in the front drive at Netherfield, the gentlemen stepped out and walked towards the house.
“It was an enjoyable evening. My dance partners were all pleasant company, and a few of them were very pretty, too,” Bingley said.
“I believe you danced nearly every set, did you not?” Darcy asked.
“Yes, all but three I think,” Bingley replied as they climbed the first set of steps.
“I am sure such efforts earned you favor with your neighbors.”
“I do not believe many ladies would have had the opportunity to dance were it not for our presence and that of the Hadley brothers,” Bingley said.
He paused when they reached the first landing and looked down for a moment as if trying to gather his thoughts.
“Even though I would prefer to spend time with Miss Bennet when we are in company, I have held to my resolve of limiting my attentions to her.”
Darcy moved in front of Bingley to better see him. The dim light of the crescent moon only helped to illuminate his friend’s face somewhat. “Doing so will help you avoid a misunderstanding.”
“Yes, but it is difficult to show such restraint with a woman as lovely as she. I do not speak only of her looks, Darcy. She is lovely on the inside as well,” he insisted.
“I am sure she is, Bingley. It seems the fine reputations of the three eldest Bennet ladies are well-deserved. Tonight, gossip regarding your wealth and mine reached Miss Elizabeth’s ears.
She took it upon herself to come and apologize to me for the offensive behavior of her neighbors.
She also asked me to pass on her apologies to you as well. ”
“That was kind of her,” Bingley said. He then turned to climb the remaining steps.
“Indeed, it was,” Darcy said, following behind him.
Mr. Oliver opened the door and greeted them as they entered. The gentlemen removed their hats and gloves then headed upstairs.
Before they parted ways, Darcy slapped Bingley on the shoulder. “Congratulations, Bingley, you had a successful debut into local society tonight.”
Bingley gave a silent chuckle. “Thank you, Darcy, and thank you for your support.”
“Not at all, my friend, not at all,” Darcy said.
“Do you think Papa will do anything about Lydia?” Jane asked.
Elizabeth sighed. “I do not know, but her conduct and her attitude are getting worse and worse. I hate to think what may happen if he does not check her.
Jane nodded and looked across the room. Her thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
After preparing for bed, Elizabeth had come to Jane's room to discuss the details of the evening. She could tell her sister was not quite herself.
“Did you enjoy the assembly?” Elizabeth asked.
“I did. It was nice to have so many gentlemen to dance with. What about you?”
“I think this was one of the most enjoyable assemblies we have had in a long time. And, as you say, it was due in large part to the gentlemen present.”
“Indeed, it was a marked difference,” Jane said.
“How was supper with your companion, Mr. Lindsey Hadley? I am sure it was amusing.”
“Oh yes! He was very entertaining,” Jane said with a smile. “I enjoyed spending time with him.”
Jane’s smile slowly faded, and she looked down at her fingers. Elizabeth watched her closely.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I think I have been foolish, Lizzy,” Jane said quietly.
“Foolish? How?”
“I allowed myself to hope something would develop between Mr. Bingley and me. That first day in the bookshop, we seemed to connect in a way I thought held promise. I realize now I was wrong. Clearly, the feelings were one-sided, all on my side,” Jane said, looking back down to her fingers again.
"What makes you say that, Jane?"
"He does not behave as a man who wishes to pursue me.
He is attentive to me at times, but he is not consistent.
When we first met, he spoke with me almost exclusively.
But when we called at Netherfield, he spent his time conversing with you.
Then, when we took our leave, he escorted Mary to the carriage.
Tonight, he did request a set with me, but other than that, I did not really spend much time in his presence.
“Maybe the feelings are not one-sided, but for some reason, he has chosen not to act on them,” Elizabeth said. “I know you and I could come up with several possible reasons why.”
Jane looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, “I suppose the most obvious one would be that he wants a well-dowered bride.”
“Or, maybe it is about his standing in society. Though he is wealthy, he is the son of a tradesman. He may want to elevate his status beyond merely marrying the daughter of a gentleman. He may want to form an alliance with a prestigious family,” Elizabeth suggested.
“Or he could already have an understanding with another woman. He could even be courting her.” Jane’s brows drew down.
Elizabeth chuckled. “Or, he may simply not be ready to take on the responsibility of a wife and family. Really, who knows if it is one or two of these reasons or none of them? The point is, you should not assume there was nothing between you simply because he is doing nothing about it. Considering our circumstances, Jane, we will likely face this again and again until each of us meets a man who can look beyond these things.”
One very significant thing a gentleman would need to look beyond was their mother's well-meaning interference.
Several years ago, Mr. Jeffries, an acquaintance of Uncle Edward's, was enamored of Jane.
They had met the gentleman while staying with their aunt and uncle.
He called on Jane several times a week for two weeks.
But then Mama came to town "to direct things".
It was not long before Mr. Jeffries stopped calling.
“You are right, Lizzy. I must prepare myself for the likelihood of encountering this type of situation repeatedly, especially when we go to town."
“Fortunately, we will have Aunt Madeleine there to guide us.”
“Yes, and no matter what comes of our visit, we will enjoy our time in town.”
“Indeed, we will,” Elizabeth said, supporting her sister’s positive thinking.
“I confess, I dread meeting him Tuesday at Lucas Lodge,” Jane admitted.
“I am sure I shall be very awkward. It is ridiculous, is it not? It was only a few days ago that I feared Mama throwing me at him. I went from that to hoping I would be thrown together with him. Now, I want to run away from him and hide!”
Elizabeth began laughing. She laughed and laughed so much that her sides began to hurt.
Jane doubled over with laughter as well.
Caught off guard by the hilarity of it all, they could not cease laughing for several minutes.
Elizabeth and Jane both struggled for breath and wiped tears from their eyes.
When they eventually regained control of themselves, Elizabeth said, “I just thought of something that will make it easier for you to face him.”
“Well, I am eager to hear it,” Jane said with a crooked smile.
“All you need to do is keep in mind that he knows nothing of your feelings. He might wonder what you think of him, but he does not know you felt a connection, nor does he know you were growing hopeful in regard to him!"
“You are certain I was not too obvious?” Jane asked, a worried expression on her face.
“Indeed, I am! It is not like you chased him or smothered him with your attention, nor were you constantly putting yourself in his way. You always acted with propriety. You were open and friendly, but so was I! He cannot accuse you of setting your cap at him any more than he can accuse me of doing so.”
“That is true," Jane said, pacing to the window and back. "I was simply open and friendly. When we meet in company, I just need to remember my feelings and thoughts regarding him are my own. I have done nothing to give myself away and therefore, I have no reason to feel embarrassed around him."
“You certainly do not!”
She smiled at Elizabeth. Jane then walked back to the window, looking out into the night.
She took a deep, cleansing breath in and let it out slowly.
Elizabeth watched her sister standing at the window.
It would have been terrible if Jane had eventually fallen in love with Mr. Bingley only to learn he had no serious intentions towards her.
Elizabeth was glad Jane had a clear-eyed view of the situation so she could keep her heart safe.
On Monday morning, Darcy rode out on the estate with Bingley and the steward. When they finished, Darcy told them to go on ahead without him, as he wanted to put Brutus through his paces.
After exercising Brutus for a bit and allowing the horse to cool down, he saw Brutus’s ear twitch. A moment later, Darcy heard female laughter. As he came around the bend, he saw the Bennet ladies saying goodbye to one of Netherfield’s tenant farmers as they left his home.
“Good morning, ladies,” Darcy said as he touched the brim of his hat in greeting.
“Good morning, Mr. Darcy,” Miss Bennet replied.
“It is a lovely morning, is it not?” Darcy asked.
“Indeed, it is. We are taking advantage of it by visiting the tenants this morning.”
“My sister is looking forward to calling at Longbourn this afternoon.” His eyes went to Miss Elizabeth. She smiled at his words but did not meet his eyes.
“We are looking forward to it as well,” Miss Bennet said.
“I shall pass that on to her. Please, do not let me keep you. Enjoy the rest of your morning,” he said, touching the brim of his hat again.
The ladies curtsied and wished him a good morning as well.
As he watched them walk away, it occurred to Darcy that Miss Elizabeth often avoided making eye contact with him.
The more he thought on it, she might have often avoided his company as well.
It would not be so notable a thing if he had not already witnessed the fact that she was a friendly and engaging young woman.
Miss Elizabeth displayed these facets of her personality to everyone—that is, everyone except for him.
She certainly did not interact with him in the same way she did with Bingley or even the Hadley brothers. Why is that? Darcy frowned.
A man might encourage interaction by initiating an abundance of friendly conversation.
However, Darcy was always careful not to encourage any young lady because friendliness could be misconstrued as interest. Still, he had always been cordial with her.
Even though she was open and welcoming with others, he realized he had not felt the same directed at him.
Does she not like me? Have I offended her in some way?
Darcy became irritated with himself for even caring what this young woman thought of him. He frowned and his lips pressed together as he looked around in displeasure. Deciding to put the matter from his mind, he headed back to Netherfield.
After dismounting, Darcy walked toward the house. He had been unsuccessful in putting the matter of Elizabeth Bennet from his mind on his ride back. When he entered the house, he went directly to the study.
“Hello, Darcy,” Bingley said. “Can I pour you a drink?”
“No, no, thank you,” Darcy sat down across from Bingley. “Do you have any plans this afternoon?”
Bingley shook his head. “I do not. Do you have something in mind?”
“Georgiana is to call at Longbourn. Shall we join her?”
Bingley grinned. “An excellent idea.”
Darcy smirked and shook his head at his friend.
Bingley only grinned wider. No doubt he was hoping to spend time in Miss Bennet’s company.
If Darcy could manage to have some conversation with Miss Elizabeth, as well as gauge her reaction to him, this visit might indeed prove to be an excellent idea.