Chapter One #2
Darcy changed into his riding attire and rushed towards the stables.
He loved being in the saddle and being out in the open.
Cerberus waited for him at the mounting block.
Customarily, a man of property rode an inspection of his land in the springtime, but as was typical of his friend, Bingley had made an impetuous decision.
Without the usual inquiries of the soundness of the structure or the condition of the land, Bingley had claimed possession of Netherfield Park.
Then his friend had begged Darcy to lend his expertise to the matter.
Darcy’s father had spent years teaching his son the responsibility of being master of Pemberley.
As a child, Darcy had accompanied his father on the spring inspection.
Ownership of land determined wealth and status in Society.
Darcy had inherited Pemberley through a system of primogeniture.
As Bingley’s father had made his wealth in trade, his friend held neither ancestral ties to the land nor any real knowledge of the accountability involved in owning an estate.
As the two men rode, Darcy pointed out the delights and the responsibilities of being a man of property.
Netherfield Park held areas where drainage needed to be addressed, but it also possessed immediate grounds offering paths and parkways for the pleasure of its owner.
As both men mounted a hill for a better view of the prospect leading to Netherfield, Bingley queried, “Well, Darcy, do I have your blessing in this matter?”
“Let us wait a bit longer, my friend,” Darcy began, “until you spend a winter at Netherfield. A fine home in the late summer or early autumn may be a drafty pit in the winter.”
“Darcy, you are the voice of gloom,” Bingley laughed.
Darcy flushed at his friend’s taunt. “Gloom appears to be a sound reason from my perspective.”
Bingley turned towards home, but as Darcy circled Cerberus to follow, he espied a glint of color moving along the road below them and to the right.
Upon closer inspection, he realized the apparition was a young lady walking at a robust pace.
Nearly running. How unladylike. Yet, the woman’s obvious joy at ignoring propriety momentarily intrigued him, and he found himself smiling at the sight of such unbridled freedom.
She is delightfully happy. Oh, but such as I could be!
Returning to the manor, both men washed away the dust of their ride and retired to the study to recapture their thoughts on Bingley’s investment. “The manor’s lodge is stately and will serve you well, especially for shooting parties,” Darcy observed.
“Although the wooded area was a bit overgrown, the stream is adequately stocked,” Bingley observed.
“Being able to harvest some of the wooded area for heating purposes will serve the estate, Bingley, and, if you later choose to purchase Netherfield, you may sell off some of it for profit. Yet, be prepared that there are seedlings available to replenish the area.”
“Darcy, your counsel is invaluable.”
“As for the house itself, the lighting in the dining room, morning room, and study is pleasantly suited, picking up the early light. Of course, for my taste, I hope, Bingley, you will address the library’s need for comfortable furniture and adequate evening lighting.”
“Although I am not the reader you are, I will certainly address your concerns,” Bingley mocked.
Their conversations continued along this vein until supper, when the gentlemen dressed for the meal and escorted the ladies into the formal dining room.
Congenial conversation followed the meal of several courses.
“We received,” confided Miss Bingley, “several cards and invitations. We expect our neighbors to call tomorrow.”
“I am anticipating taking the acquaintance of the neighborhood,” Bingley beamed.
“Do not think the local gentry will offer much towards polite society,” Darcy warned. “Country manners, I find, are greatly lacking in a sense of decorum and can often be viewed as vulgar. No doubt many of your neighbors will be intolerable.”
The conversation on what to expect continued over the meal and a game of whist. In keeping with his usual gracious nature, Bingley hoped for pleasant hospitality.
The rest of the party felt the intrusions upon their privacy to be a necessary imposition.
Either way, those considered to be from Society in Hertfordshire would soon introduce themselves to the Bingley party.
Sir William Lucas and Mr. Bennet numbered among the first to call on Mr. Bingley.
According to Caroline, Sir William had made his fortune in trade, and the King had honored him with a knighthood after an address made at St. James during the man’s mayoralty.
Evidently, Meryton offered Sir William as the only titled gentleman in the village.
Mr. Bennet, a member of the landed gentry, on the other hand, possessed a small estate some three miles from Netherfield.
Darcy’s smugness reappeared when his suspicions of country society had received confirmation.
“Mr. Bennet has five daughters, Darcy,” Bingley replied to his friend as they played billiards after supper. “Perhaps we can find you a fitting mate among them. I have it on good authority that they are reputed beauties.”
“I find those prospects very distasteful. I must marry a woman of wealth and standing, one who will reflect well upon my family. Beauty alone cannot be a requisite. I require a woman who can secure future generations for Pemberley. Of course, a woman with superior intellect and strength of character would be desired.”
“What do you say to love, Darcy?” his friend asked incredulously.
“Love would be a fine asset, but my first concern must be what I owe to my family,” Darcy studied his friend’s preparation before making his play. “Duty comes before affection.”
Bingley stopped and looked up from his shot.
“Then I do not understand why you avoided marriage for so long. Surely by now you could have claimed a woman who meets your standards. My own are not so stringent. I still hold hopes of marrying the woman I love, no matter what her financial standing may be.”
Arching his eyebrow, Darcy said, “Then perhaps Mr. Bennet has a daughter you will prefer.”
“Perhaps so,” Bingley mused. “I think I will return Mr. Bennet’s visit. I can determine for myself the truth of his daughters’ reported beauty.” He laughed as he placed the next ball into the side pocket.
Mr. Bingley’s foray to Mr. Bennet’s manor of Longbourn offered no new realities.
Unfortunately, he did not take the acquaintance of the young ladies in question.
Their reputed beauty remained unconfirmed.
The Bennets extended an invitation to supper, but Bingley deferred.
He held obligations in Town and could not accept the honor extended to him.
Bingley’s servants, as it was common for most servants to do, reported that rumors swirled as to whether the Bingley party would attend the upcoming assembly.
The rumors included exaggerations of the size of the intended party, thinking it to be eight to ten in number.
In reality, after completing his business, Bingley had returned to Netherfield with only his brother in marriage, Mr. Hurst, as company.
Dressing for the evening, Darcy did not anticipate a pleasing experience.
Being animated and congenial only among his close acquaintances, he detested large gatherings.
In fact, large gatherings brought on a different persona.
Even among those of refined tastes, Darcy often withdrew.
Those who encountered him customarily found a daunting scowl plastered upon his countenance.
His attitude towards a gathering where anyone who could afford a ticket could attend bordered on pure disdain.
According to all reports, he despised dancing, though he knew such was not always true.
As a young man he had enjoyed his share of amusements and flirtations.
Only after his father’s passing did he realize the weight of Pemberley and the welfare of hundreds of others rested on his shoulders.
Making a mistake of any sort was no longer to be tolerated.
Likewise, Caroline and the Hursts suffered an appearance at the assembly as a social duty.
A full moon shone brightly as the party descended from their carriages outside the Meryton Assembly Hall.
Sir William Lucas welcomed them, coming forward after their party had disposed of their evening wraps.
Ironically, as Bingley and his sisters stepped into the crowded assembly hall, the music stopped, and the dancers made their turn and came face-to-face with Town fashion.
“Permit me to give you the acquaintance of my wife and daughters,” Sir William said as Bingley’s party made a slow progression across the room. With a nod of acquiescence from Bingley, Sir William continued, “My wife, Lady Lucas, sir, and my two eldest, Miss Lucas and Miss Maria.”
The eldest Miss Lucas was no beauty, and Darcy considered how she was more than a bit long in the tooth still to be considered a “Miss.” Even so, she appeared pleasant enough.
While crossing the room at the back of the Bingley party, Darcy became astutely aware of the impression they all made on those assembled.
He realized within five minutes both his and Bingley’s financial wealth would be common knowledge.
Often, he heard it said a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
Darcy assumed the premise permeated the thoughts of those of a lower level too.
To his party’s horror, a woman whom Bingley identified as “Mrs. Bennet” elbowed her way before them and made her own introductions.
“Mr. Bingley,” she said with a curtsy, “it is pleasant to claim your acquaintance again, and, with your permission, sir, I would give you the acquaintance of my daughters.”
Again, Bingley agreed with a simple nod of his head, while Darcy recognized his friend’s interest in the rumors of the Bennet sisters.
Darcy studied Miss Jane Bennet as the girl made her bow to their party.
She had golden hair, elegant classic Greek features, and deep blue eyes.
Privately, he declared Miss Bennet very attractive.
In fact, she proved the most handsome female in the room, but Darcy possessed no real desire to know her better.
Bingley, on the other hand, requested a turn on the dance floor with the lady.
The other Bennet daughters possessed less handsome countenances.
The younger ones were nothing more than giggling school girls, and he wondered whether it was wise to permit them out in society.
The middle girl wore her hair in too strict a style to do anything for her plain features.
The second daughter appeared to think something amusing about his party.
It was as if she judged him when it was, obviously, his prerogative to judge her.
She stared at him with challenge in her eyes, a fact which made him sorrowfully discomfited.
For Bingley’s sake, he attempted congeniality, but Darcy possessed no skill in winning over strangers.
Unaccustomed to attending public assemblies, he stood along the wall, being inhospitable.
At length, Bingley came from the dance floor to press Darcy into joining him.
“Come, Darcy, I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance.”
“I certainly shall not. You know how I detest the exercise, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this, it would be insupportable. Your sisters are engaged, and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment for me to stand up with.”
“I would not be so fastidious as you are for a kingdom! Upon my honor, I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening, and there are several of them, you see, uncommonly pretty.”
Darcy glanced at the eldest Miss Bennet. “You are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room.”
“Oh, she is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld! But there is one of her sisters sitting down just behind you, who is very pretty, and I dare say very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you.”
Darcy looked around, and his gaze fell upon the woman who challenged him earlier with her bold gaze.
Without meaning to do so, he caught her eye and quickly withdrew his.
A momentary feeling of regret shot through his body, but he shook off his unfound interest in the girl while saying coldly, “She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me, and I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles. You waste your time with me.”
Shaking his head in disbelief, Bingley returned to the dance floor to enjoy his first celebration with his new neighbors.
Meanwhile, Darcy moved in the opposite direction.
He took up his disdainful pose along an adjoining wall.
Standing there, his eyes rested again upon the girl called “Miss Elizabeth.” Her enigmatic smile forced him to replay his response to Bingley’s entreaty.
Did she smile because she had heard what he had said and had found it amusing?
How dare she ridicule my behavior! To whom does this woman think she directed her contempt?
My duty does not lie to those in this room.
My duty rests with the people on Pemberley’s estate.
Although he did not enjoy giving offense to the lady, for such was not his true nature, his position in Society remained uppermost in his mind.
Yet, as the evening progressed Darcy unwillingly noted Miss Elizabeth Bennet possessed a quality he could not define.
She proved herself in the dance forms, and he discovered to his dismay his eyes often fell upon her.
Men and women alike sought her company, and he unconsciously became aware of her presence.
Miss Elizabeth approached the dance and ensuing conversations with an exuberance from which he had difficulty withdrawing.