Chapter 13 #2
Caroline Bingley, who had been silently eating her mashed potatoes, lifted her head and said brightly, “Oh, my dear Jane, very large indeed! Such a vast, impressive estate, and the mansion itself; well, compared to Pemberley, Longbourn is little more than a shack!”
Georgiana cringed at these words, and Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed, but at this opportune moment, the door opened and Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley entered, both still dressed in their day clothes, bringing a blast of cool air from the hall with them.
“Charles!” Jane cried out, rising to her feet and hurrying over to take his hands in her own. “I hope your business went well?”
“Very well indeed,” Charles replied, gazing down at her raptly. “I do apologize for being late.”
“And for coming in without changing for dinner,” Darcy said uncomfortably. “Perhaps we should go upstairs, Bingley…”
“Nonsense, Mr. Darcy,” Miss Bingley interrupted, her lips curved into an inviting smile. “We are all among friends, are we not? Pray do sit down, both of you, and enjoy your meal!”
Darcy still looked uneasy, and Jane said, “Indeed, Mr. Darcy, please do sit down.”
“Thank you,” he replied, and took his seat next to his sister, who smiled happily at him.
Darcy waited until a servant had poured his wine before serving himself from the platter of pheasant in front of him. “How was your day, ladies?”
“It was quite a busy day,” Caroline said drily.
“For reasons that I still have not determined, it was apparently necessary to choke the drawing room with rough crates and fill them with rugs and foodstuffs for the farmers and their families. Of course, I do not pretend to be the daughter of a great estate, but I think it a most unusual procedure for the future lady of this house.”
Jane flushed a little, and Charles shot his sister an angry look, but Darcy merely said, “I do not think it matters where the work is done, so long as it is done. Willingness to sacrifice one’s own time and talents for the benefit of others is to be admired.
Miss Bennet, I have no doubt that you will be a remarkable mistress of Netherfield. ”
“Thank you,” Jane said, relaxing noticeably, as Caroline turned a bright shade of red.
***
In the Bennet Carriage
Driving Back to Longbourn
Elizabeth leaned against the side of the coach and looked out the window.
The colors of sunset drifted into the twilight as paler, dustier versions of themselves.
The horizon was brushed a delicate mauve, fading into a soft periwinkle and then into a deeper cerulean above.
A glowing half-moon rode placidly in the evening sky, gazing benevolently down on the earth below.
It was a lovely view and matched Elizabeth’s serene mood delightfully well.
Though the gentlemen could not speak openly at dinner, Bingley’s usual good cheer had been entirely unimpaired, and Darcy had seemed quietly satisfied.
Both men would have shown some perturbation if their meeting with Wickham had not gone well, and she rested confident in the knowledge that the miscreant would soon be dealt with once and for all.
The men had not lingered over their port but a few minutes, choosing instead to quickly join the ladies in the drawing room after dinner.
Jane and Bingley had spoken of the boxes prepared that day, with occasional cutting comments from Caroline.
Despite Miss Bingley’s snide attitude, Charles had maintained a cheerful and an open-handed generosity as he consulted with his fiancée about their gifts to their dependents, and Elizabeth approved wholeheartedly.
“Thank you for your help, all of you,” Jane remarked, drawing Elizabeth’s attention. “We worked very hard today.”
“We did,” Lydia noted with a grimace. “I am glad that Kitty warned me to wear an older gown today as I spilled something and my sleeve is stained. I would have been terribly upset if a newer garment had been spotted.”
“That was wise of you,” Elizabeth agreed, eying her youngest sister suspiciously. She was still puzzled as to why Lydia and Kitty had chosen to join the older Bennet sisters at Netherfield instead of walking to Meryton to flirt with officers.
“Thank you,” Lydia said. “I do hope that Mr. Darcy and Charles were impressed with our exhausting work.”
“Why do you care what Mr. Darcy thinks?” Mary demanded.
Lydia snorted and said, “You do not imagine that Kitty and I assisted today because we enjoyed it, do you? We are wishful of finding wealthy husbands, and Mr. Darcy is rich and nephew of an earl.”
Jane and Elizabeth exchanged shocked glances, and Jane said, “Are you desirous of marrying Mr. Darcy, Lydia?”
Lydia huffed in exasperation. “Of course not! He is too old, along with being far too stiff and serious for me. I wish for a jolly husband who loves dancing and living in Town. But I am certain that either Charles or Mr. Darcy is acquainted with the perfect man for my tastes, and thus I am acting as the sort of lady who cares about tenant farmers.”
Mary’s brow had been lowering throughout this recital and she said, “You should do the right thing because it is right, not because you wish to gain something!”
“Oh, do leave me alone, Mary; it is hard enough that I have given up the idea of wedding an officer. I still love a man in a red coat, but Kitty is right, the young, handsome ones are too poor to take a lady for a wife. I hope you are not planning to marry Mr. Wickham, Lizzy; he is handsome and charming, but has no money to speak of.”
Elizabeth, who would gladly throw Mr. Wickham into an icy lake if she could manage it, merely said, “I have no interest in marrying Mr. Wickham. As you said, he cannot support a wife.”
“I still think that it is wrong to act only because you wish to benefit from it,” Mary said indignantly.
“The work had to be done, did it not?” Lydia asked carelessly. “Why does it matter why I helped if I do help?”
Jane said peaceably, “You all did assist, and very well. Moreover, if you marry a man with an estate, it will be useful to know how to care for the tenants.”
“I quite enjoyed it,” Kitty remarked. “It was fun to pack the various items for each family. Many of the Netherfield tenants have small children, and I liked that Charles was willing to pay for a few toys for the little ones.”
“He is very generous,” Jane agreed and blushed as she turned to look out the window.
“He is,” Elizabeth said, and felt her body relaxing.
It was wonderful news that Lydia was no longer enamored with officers, and though her heart agreed with Mary that one should serve for altruistic reasons, her mind told her that such a thing was unlikely with Lydia, who had been selfish since she had been in leading strings.
Ideally, the youngest Miss Bennet would become more charitable in time, but for now, Elizabeth could only rejoice that the girl planned to give up chasing officers in favor of charming Mr. Darcy.
Not that Lydia would succeed in that. Mr. Darcy was proving far more unselfish and kindly than Elizabeth had thought possible, but he was indeed very well connected and not likely to lower himself to consider the marital hopes of the other Bennet sisters.
For some reason, that was a rather discouraging realization.