Chapter 30 Mr. Bingley #2
Jane reflected. “You are correct. It has been two months. I cannot explain his silence, though he appears not to regard it as a desertion. Should matters progress between us, I shall inquire into it. For the present, I am content to receive his attentions as they are offered. Did you observe the manner in which he regarded me, Lizzy?”
“I did indeed. He is as captivated by you as you are by him. Yet his sister remains as cutting as ever. She declares that I am much altered and that she should scarcely have known me again, taking particular care to observe that my face is drawn. Have the trials we have borne so plainly marked my countenance? Am I so altered?”
“I perceive no alteration in you. If our trials had imprinted themselves upon your countenance, they must surely have done the same to mine, yet Mr. Bingley remarked upon no such change.”
Her eyes rested thoughtfully upon her sister.
“Lizzy, you have not lost your bloom. Indeed, I think you look better than ever, for your spirits are no longer oppressed by the perpetual anxieties that our mother imposed upon us. Come, we must dress for dinner. Miss Bingley may indulge whatever fancies she pleases, but they are without foundation.”
The following day, the sisters were seated in the drawing room, Jane with her embroidery hoop in hand and Elizabeth engaged in writing a letter to Lydia.
“I do not know whether our sister will ever comprehend that she is not the center of the world.”
Jane laughed. “What is her present grievance?”
“She declares it most unjust that she must rise at six in the morning to assist in the kitchens. For the next three months, her duty is to churn butter. She writes, ‘I had no notion how much labor Cook and Alice expend in the making of it. I must churn, wash it, set it in molds, and then clear all away besides. I must be certain that every trace of milk is removed, else it will spoil, and I must not handle it overmuch, for the warmth of my hands will injure it. Of all employments, I detest the churning of butter above every other.’”
Jane smiled. “Our sister has never known the labor of the laundry. That is an employment I should greatly dislike. The soap is caustic, and the work exceedingly heavy. She ought to be grateful for her present task. Lydia is acquiring the accomplishments of a prudent wife.”
“That she is,” Elizabeth replied. “I confess I take pleasure in receiving her letters, yet I do not relish writing in return, for I must guard against exciting her envy. Our mode of life is remarkably easy in comparison with what Lydia is required to undertake.”
“I encounter the same difficulty,” Jane said. “It is not simple to strike the proper tone.”
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. The sisters exchanged a look of expectation and rose as Mr. Bingley entered behind Hill and was announced.
He bowed, and the sisters curtsied.
“Miss Bennet, will you oblige me by showing me your prize roses?”
Jane smiled. “It would afford me great pleasure, sir.”
She turned to Elizabeth. “Will you join us, Lizzy?”
“Pray, go on without me. I must finish my letter to Lydia that it may be dispatched with today’s post. I shall follow presently.”
When the letter was completed and sealed, Elizabeth glanced out the window. Jane and her admirer remained in the rose garden, moving scarcely at all, so intent were they upon one another. Elizabeth smiled to herself.
She put on her bonnet, took up a small basket and her shears, and joined them. Occupying herself with the trimming of spent blossoms, she left them to their conversation until at length Jane and Mr. Bingley drew near to the tea table.
Jane offered refreshment, which he accepted.
“I shall see to the tea tray,” Elizabeth said.
She withdrew and delayed as long as she dared, that her sister might enjoy a private conversation with her suitor.
When at last she returned with the tray and began to set out the cups, she found she must steady herself, for what Mr. Bingley next said took her wholly by surprise.
“Mr. Darcy and Miss Georgiana are to arrive this Friday and will remain with me until my ball in October.”
Elizabeth felt the warmth rise swiftly to her cheeks and was grateful that Mr. Bingley’s attention was wholly fixed upon Jane. She heard little of what followed.
She was to see Mr. Darcy again, and he would reside in the neighborhood for several months. The knowledge stirred her deeply, and she could scarcely contain her rising spirits.
Then recollection imposed itself. He was a gentleman of consequence, the grandson of an earl, and possessed of great wealth.
The fine townhouse in Grosvenor Square was only one of his residences; the other was far grander, part of an extensive estate.
She must curb her spirits and remember her station.
Though she had lived beneath his roof, partaken of his table, been attended by his servants, and passed an entire week within his home, she was far more suited to serve as a companion to his sister than to aspire to be the wife of Mr. Darcy.
Her mind was divided. The sober truth declared that she was in no way a fitting bride for such a man, yet the sweeter truth prevailed for the moment. She was to behold him again, to speak with him, to enjoy his society, and perhaps even to accept his arm when escorted into dinner.
“Would you not say so, Miss Elizabeth?”
Mr. Bingley was addressing her. She had not attended to his question.
“Sir, I beg your pardon. I fear I was wool-gathering. What was your inquiry?”
“Darcy has given me to understand that you are well acquainted with his sister. She is a most amiable young lady, is she not?”
Relieved she had not given her feelings for Mr. Darcy away, she answered, “Indeed, sir. Georgiana is most agreeable and remarkably easy to esteem.”
He laughed. “She is so. It is fortunate that she is younger than her brother, for he has had considerable influence in her formation. She is a young woman who is contented with the world as she finds it and free from any air of entitlement, though she possesses a considerable fortune and has been reared in great comfort. Caroline is five and twenty. When I succeeded my father and became master of my household, she was already three and twenty, and her habits were well established. My father did her a disservice in placing her at a most select ladies’ seminary, where her mind was filled with expectations not easily realized by a lady of her situation.
Whatever I may suggest, she is not inclined to be guided, for she is firmly attached to her own views. ”
Elizabeth regarded him with thoughtful interest. “I have not considered inheritance in that light, sir. You inherited not only your father’s fortune but his dependents also, and must consult their welfare, even when they are not disposed to accept what is best for them.”
She allowed herself an amused chuckle. “You may count yourself fortunate in having but one unmarried sister to settle. Consider my father’s situation.
He has five daughters, and the youngest is only fifteen.
Fortunately, one of us is advantageously married.
Perhaps Jane has mentioned that my younger sister wed my father’s heir. ”
“Yes, she did.”
“It occurred scarcely four weeks after our mother’s funeral.
The ceremony was conducted with the utmost privacy, attended only by her sisters and our father, and there was no wedding breakfast, for such a display would have been improper.
I assure you, however, that the young couple did not regret its omission.
They desired only to be married and to set out at once upon their new life. ”
Mr. Bingley regarded her earnestly. “That sentiment recommends itself strongly to me, Miss Elizabeth. What signifies wealth and display if one is unhappily matched? I expressed as much to Miss Bennet in the note I entrusted to Caroline for her.”
Jane started. “A note, sir? I have not received a note from you nor a letter from your sister.”
Mr. Bingley looked astonished. “None? I departed for an extended absence in the quiet assurance that you awaited my return. Do you mean to say that you did not receive a letter from Caroline, enclosing mine and entreating you to remain constant?”
Jane shook her head. “No, sir. I believed you had quit town and had forgotten the insignificant country maid from Hertfordshire.”
His countenance changed at once, the color rising sharply to his cheeks.
“Do not say so. I might have lost you and never known the peril in which I stood. On the very day I first made your acquaintance, I met with my solicitor and directed him to find a purchaser for my sheep farm in Yorkshire. My father always intended that the proceeds should enable me to purchase an estate of my own.”
His eyes rested first on Jane and then on Elizabeth.
“After some weeks, a buyer was secured, and I was summoned to execute the contracts. On the day of my departure, I called at Gracechurch Street to take my leave of you, but you and your aunt were not at home. I left my card and returned home, where I wrote you a note explaining all. I entrusted it to Caroline, asking her to enclose it in a letter of her own. I relied upon your generosity to interpret my motives from what I had written.”
Seeing that Jane was crying, he reached for her hand. “Pray do not weep, Miss Bennet. You distress me beyond measure.”
Elizabeth resolved not to remain silent. Mr. Bingley must, in time, be brought to confront his sister’s conduct. His temper was so mild that he might never understand the necessity of decisive action unless it were clearly set before him.
Taking her courage in hand, she spoke. “Mr. Bingley, now that you have secured your estate, you must consider establishing your sister elsewhere, that you may be at liberty to form an establishment of your own.”
He looked at her in surprise. Jane’s color deepened.
“Pray, explain yourself, Miss Elizabeth. I am not obliged to wait upon my sister’s marriage before seeking a wife.”
Elizabeth met his gaze openly. “Are you certain, sir? A lady of Miss Bingley’s disposition might not readily relinquish authority in a household she has long considered her own. She could regard your future wife as an intrusion.”
He remained silent, reflecting. At length, he replied. “I must admit, Caroline takes great satisfaction in directing the servants and arranging every detail.”
“In that case, sir, it might be prudent to place her among relations in the north, where she may enlarge her acquaintance. A change of scene can often recommend new prospects. It is possible that she has found no one here who meets her expectations. In another circle, she might meet with a gentleman better suited to her views.”
Mr. Bingley regarded her with renewed consideration. “You offer sound counsel, Miss Elizabeth. I must give the matter serious thought.”
That night, Elizabeth slipped into Jane’s bed and propped her head upon her hand.
“Jane, I can scarcely believe that all has been set right, and that Mr. Bingley was not at fault. He did all he could to ensure you would wait for him. But that sister…”
Jane laughed. “Pray do not trouble yourself about Caroline, Lizzy. The truth is that he loves me, and he has returned to court me. He has all but confessed that he has purchased a home for us. Who could have imagined such a happy conclusion?”
The two sisters talked far into the night, and Elizabeth rejoiced to see her beloved sister so happy at last.