Chapter 21
Boxing Day arrived with an abundance of gifts for the servants at Netherfield and Longbourn, both given and received with pleasure, and with abundance of fresh snow, shining under the winter sun.
In the end, it was discovered that Netherfield indeed possessed a large and comfortable sleigh belonging to the previous tenant, which was promptly cleaned and prepared for the awaited ride early in the morning.
Tired after an agitated night of anticipation, the Gardiner children were so happy at the prospect of a sleigh ride that they hardly managed to resume their sleeping once arrived back at Longbourn.
Equally excited as her young cousins, Elizabeth had slept only little and with interruptions. She secretly admitted to herself that, unlike other times, it was the company that made the event more exciting than the outing itself.
The previous evening, she had been forced to accept that Darcy’s feelings appeared rather clear in all the small hints he had revealed. Always proper and perfectly polite, he was careful not to offend, not to impose, but also genuine in showing his intentions.
Elizabeth’s feelings were not equally clear to her, as she had to fight with sensations she had never experienced before which confused and disturbed her as never before, just as Darcy’s presence gave her more thrills than she had ever felt near other men.
“I have to say that Mr Darcy exceeded all my expectations in generosity and amiability,” Mrs Gardiner said during breakfast. “Miss Darcy is a true delight — as beautiful as she is sweet and kind — but I expected that from her.”
She and her husband were talking to her eldest nieces, while Mr and Mrs Bennet, as well as the children, were still sleeping.
“I still cannot believe Mr Darcy has invited all of us to Pemberley,” Mr Gardiner added. “I am as excited as a child, but I am trying not to take the invitation too seriously, as rich people are often capricious and change their minds, and he might withdraw it at any time.”
“I am certain he will not do that,” Elizabeth suddenly intervened. “Mr Darcy is a man of his word, and since he was insistent about the invitation, he must have been serious about it.”
“I cannot argue with you, Lizzy, since I know little of his true character,” Mr Gardiner replied. “However, anything could happen in a few months. He might even marry by then, and I fear his wife would not be so tolerant of the company of people so far beneath them.”
“I did not feel Mr Darcy considered us beneath him,” Jane interjected.
“Perhaps not, my dear. But, by all of society’s rules we are,” Mrs Gardiner answered. Most people in Mr Darcy’s position would not be so keen for our friendship. I assume he is very grateful to Lizzy for clearing his name, although I doubt it was in any real danger.”
“Bingley always said Mr Darcy was a most excellent man. We simply misjudged him at the beginning, starting with that misunderstanding at the assembly. And Miss Darcy is so wonderful that I wonder…” Jane’s voice trailed off, while her eyes shadowed.
“What do you wonder, dearest?” Elizabeth asked her apparently concerned sister when no other words came.
“Caroline implied several times that Mr Bingley admired Miss Darcy very much and was impatient to resume and deepen their acquaintance. And rightfully so—”
“Surely you are not jealous because of Caroline Bingley’s malicious claims, Jane!
” Elizabeth interrupted her. “I do believe Mr Bingley admires Miss Darcy — rightfully so, as you said — as we all do. And he is very fond of her, as he should be, being as she is the sister of his closest friend and he has known her since she was very young. But he is deeply and completely in love with you — nobody could doubt that!”
“My dearest,” Mrs Gardiner intervened gently, “you should be relieved that even logic and common sense induced you to trust Mr Bingley’s genuine affection for you. He cannot have any interest or gain in marrying you other than a strong love that exceeds any other considerations.”
“True. Do not offend your betrothed by questioning where his admiration and affections lie, my dear,” Mr Gardiner added.
“I would dare say — do not offend your own intelligence by believing anything Caroline Bingley says. She would have probably done or said anything to keep Mr Darcy close to herself,” Elizabeth concluded with a sharpness that surprised even herself.
“Many women probably would. I only hope and pray that Mr Darcy will succeed in his plans to choose a wife worthy of him and his family, not someone simply attracted by his fortune and consequence.”
“As a man, I shall only say this: men like Mr Darcy can be trapped by unworthy women only when they are very young or very old. Since he has made it to the age of eight and twenty without marrying, from this point on he will be careful and wise about attaching himself to anyone.”
“I am very curious to see who his choice will be and when,” Mrs Gardiner added, while Elizabeth fell silent, overwhelmed by strange and disquieting feelings provoked unwittingly by her aunt and uncle’s remarks.
Eventually, Mr and Mrs Bennet and Mary awoke, and, a little later, so did the children. It was time for breakfast and to prepare for the ride with thick, warm clothes to protect them for the several hours they would spend outside in the cold.
The Darcys and Mr Bingley arrived before noon.
Four horses were hitched to the large, open sleigh, with a stable hand from Netherfield driving it.
Several rugs were prepared and placed on both facing benches, while more were stored under the driver’s bench.
Darcy and Bingley came to the door, but stopped, waiting while Mrs Gardiner instructed her children, giving them some last pieces of advice and repeating her requests to be nice, mind their manners, and obey their elder cousins, but the children’s excitement was too high to even listen.
When the door opened, they ran impatiently towards the sleigh and waited in front of it, unsure where to sit.
“Is Miss Mary not joining us?” Bingley asked.
“No, Mary preferred to stay at home,” Jane explained, walking on her betrothed’s arm. Behind them, Darcy and Elizabeth walked together, but keeping a slight distance.
“We should stay girls with girls and boys with boys!” Thomas declared wisely after taking in the large sleigh and the position of the benches.
He immediately climbed up, pulling his brother up next to him.
Georgiana followed, inviting Ellen to sit by her side facing the boys.
Bingley seemed rather unhappy with the arrangement, Elizabeth noticed, exchanging a quick amused look with Darcy, but eventually they took their places as Thomas suggested — boys facing girls, all bundled up to keep warm.
The sleigh started to move, accompanied by the boys’ joyous screams. Sitting opposite each other allowed the couples — both the acknowledged and the unacknowledged — to share gazes and smiles, while the wind breathed over their faces.
“Miss Elizabeth, what path do you think we should take?” Darcy asked her. “I am sure you are better acquainted with the neighbourhood than anyone else.”
“Better acquainted than anyone else in this sleigh — I admit I am,” Elizabeth said with amusement.
“But considering the weather, we should keep to the main road from Longbourn to Netherfield, then to Meryton and back to Longbourn. And we could stop wherever we want if the children wish to play in the snow.”
“Yes, that would be the wisest choice,” Jane agreed.
“A few years ago, we all went skating on a pond nearby — you may see it soon on your right side. The ice broke and Lizzy and Lydia got their feet rather wet. Thank God it was more like a puddle than a pond, and the water was not deep, but they were almost frozen before we got back home.”
“That has happened to us often at Pemberley,” Georgiana interjected animatedly. “My brother and I have loved skating since I was very young. To prevent such an accident, my brother always insisted on having an extra pair of shoes and warm blankets with us.”
“How very wise of you, Mr Darcy! You appear to always take everything into consideration,” Elizabeth said. Her voice was teasing, but her meaning was genuine and her eyes smiling warmly. Darcy replied with the same mixture of amusement and seriousness.
“To be honest, as long as I was in the company of my cousins Richard and Thomas, I did not care much about accidents when we were skating or riding or fishing. We were boys and could handle it — and my father encouraged us to do so. But when my sister started to join me, I began to see things from a different perspective.”
“You are a very caring and considerate brother, Mr Darcy. I envy Miss Darcy that,” Elizabeth said.
“And I envy you, Miss Elizabeth, for your sisters,” Georgiana answered. “I would dearly love to have a sister.”
“Mr Darcy, do you have a cousin named Thomas? My name is Thomas too,” the boy declared confidently.
“Yes, I know. It is a strong name for a strong young man.”
“Yes, it is,” the child answered, his eyes widened with pride.
“And what about my name? Is it not strong?” Andrew quickly intervened.
“Yes, it is — very much so!” Darcy assured him, much to the child’s satisfaction. On the opposite bench, Ellen was simply happy to sit between Miss Darcy and Elizabeth, watching her brothers in silence.
After a while, the sleigh reached a grove, where the trees, with the branches heavy from the snow, surrounded an open space brightened by the sun.
Elizabeth suggested stopping, and the children immediately climbed down, stepping daringly and vigorously through the fresh, untouched covering of snow.
Jane and Georgiana remained near the carriage, watching them, and Bingley took his betrothed’s arm.