Chapter 5
Mr. Darcy was in his study when Mr. Bingley was announced.
“Darcy, fancy seeing you here at your own home! My hurrying to finish business in town was all for naught! Was I such a poor host that my guest stealthily left as soon as I turned my back?”
When the ever-amiable Mr. Bingley turned sarcastic, Darcy knew his friend had a rare occurrence of being seriously displeased.
“Bingley, I do apologize for the unannounced departure from your house. I hope you will forgive me. May I offer you a drink to calm your ire?”
Mr. Bingley sighed and slid so far down in the chair he was almost slouching.
“I am not angry, not truly, but surprised. I met with my solicitor all afternoon, went to dinner at the club, and was dreaming about seeing my angel again in two days. My jaw dropped when I saw my house all lit up as I approached. My sister told me you both agreed that leaving Netherfield Park was the only way to ensure I would not be ensnared by a mercenary woman, who loved only my fortune. To own the truth, I went to the jeweler’s browsing for a ring that might suit the future Mrs. Bingley.
I bought nothing… yet, but I was sorely tempted. ”
“Bingley, when was the last time before today you went to a jewelry store on the same mission?”
“Hmm, that must have been six months ago. Since I was still mourning my father’s passing, I did not buy anything.”
“So, at that time, so recently, you had met an angel who was worthy enough to be the future Mrs. Bingley?"
“Well…six months was a long time ago.”
“You no longer feel the same about the lady? What happened? Miss Bennet has taken her place?”
“If you put it that way. But Miss Bennet has touched my heart like no one else.”
“I watched Miss Bennet closely at the Netherfield Ball because of the gossip that was becoming louder and louder while you were oblivious to it. It was about your engagement to Miss Bennet being imminent. The loudest voice I heard was Mrs. Bennet’s.
She would like very well to have you as a son-in-law because of your five thousand a year.
Miss Bennet herself was as serene as ever.
She smiled at you the same way she smiled at everyone around her, showing no preference for you whatsoever.
It was quite clear that you had not touched her heart as she had touched yours.
As your friend, I counsel you to be cautious.
Go to the country to shoot or hunt for a few weeks to calm your ardor.
In the meantime, if no other lady catches your eye as Miss Bennet has, perhaps you could consider renewing the acquaintance.
Your lease will last till next Michaelmas.
You have plenty of time to do your wooing if you are convinced that this is not an infatuation. ”
“Hmm, Miss Bennet hardly looked at you. To me, that was a sure sign she favored me.
Ladies cannot help themselves, it seems. They instinctively chase after you when you are in the room, but you ignore them.
You told me about your ardent feelings for a lady when you were younger, and those feelings turned out to be transient.
That lady must have been exceptional to have turned your head even for a short duration.
But I am far less fastidious than you. Every week, it seems, I discover some pretty lady to love.
“Thank you for speaking with me on this topic and reminding me of my tendency to fall in love too fast. At this moment, I am convinced that Miss Bennet’s heart is true, and she is well on her way to giving it to me.
If this is correct, she will keep it for me for just a few more weeks.
A separation will be a test for both of us.
“At the club today, Thornton invited me to shoot at his country house. No ladies will be allowed, and I can leave my sisters here. Caroline used to spend her days with Louisa, but she likes the parties and balls your friends invite you to, and you so kindly bring us along. Now both sisters and Hurst take it for granted that they are included in all the invitations to me and have become my dependents. I shall think about this while I am away. It does not seem fair that I should pay for their upkeep.”
“Your shooting party will serve many purposes, then. I should be pleased—and I mean no disrespect toward you—to lose your shadow that somehow clings to me.”
“Ha ha! How droll—my shadow clinging to you rather than to me! Caroline is not your type then? What kind of lady is?” Bingley, of course, knew the answer to this question.
He was trying to tease the name of the lady who had captured Darcy’s heart so completely years before.
To him, Darcy was the perfect gentleman—tall, strong and trim, wealthy and well-connected since birth, and yet so approachable.
He also seemed to know everything and exuded an air of importance without ever saying a word.
What kind of woman appealed to a man like that?
“Bingley, not again. This was in the past. I am a gentleman. I do not bandy about the names of ladies just because you are curious. Besides, she has not been active in society for years. She is home raising her brood.”
“A beautiful, virtuous, and saintly woman! Most women in society leave their children to nurses and governesses and never miss a ball!”
Mr. Darcy did not respond to that. Bingley was new to his circles.
While what he said was largely true, there were indeed some saintly mothers and wives.
From what he had heard, Lady Caroline Lamb had trials in childbearing, and her son had significant mental problems. Yet both parents wanted to keep the child at home to raise instead of sending him to an institution.
Her other pregnancies had resulted in a stillbirth and a daughter who died soon after birth.
He had learned this from the lady’s cousin, his friend Hartington, or more accurately, Devonshire, as he had just inherited the dukedom and was the sixth duke.
The new Duke had never given up his infatuation with Lady Caroline and was still bitter that she chose William Lamb over him, even though he had been a lad of sixteen at the time of her marriage.
I wonder whether she would have picked Hartington if she had known he would inherit five years later? Or me? I inherited a few months after their wedding.
This thought reminded Mr. Darcy that he would see his former ideal of a woman at the house party at his uncle the Earl’s estate before Christmas.
The Lambs would join the party this year.
Lady Caroline had been with child almost continuously since her marriage and could not participate in the holiday merriments, even though one of the Lamb’s estates, Malvern House, neighbored Pemberley.
He looked forward to seeing this beautiful woman and mother; and hoped that her outstanding qualities would once again reinforce his own resolve to marry a lady possessing the same.
Bingley watched with interest as Mr. Darcy reflected. Mr. Darcy came back to the present and asked, “In the mood for billiards?”
“Of course. Lead on!”
In the first week of December, Mr. Darcy and his sister, Georgiana Darcy, arrived at their uncle’s estate, Wentworth-Woodhouse.
They would stay until just before Christmas and then go home to Pemberley.
He would much prefer to spend Christmastide with his uncle’s family, especially when his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, would be deployed to the Continent at the end of the year.
Mr. Darcy loved Pemberley to distraction.
However, Christmas was the one holiday during which he felt particularly alone.
Yes, he would have his nearest family with him at Pemberley, but his nearest family consisted of his sister, who was not yet out.
Celebrating with tenants and friends would not be possible without a proper hostess.
There was only one thing to do: expand his family by marrying.
Perhaps he would exert himself to court a suitable lady this coming season, but that was easier said than done.
He wondered whether seeing Lady Caroline again would spoil his plan to marry.
How could he stop comparing every lady he considered to this paragon of beauty and virtue?
Curiously, the face that appeared in his mind’s eye was not that of Lady Caroline, but that of Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
What nonsense! She, a country nobody, could never be Mistress of Pemberley.
He forced his mind to turn back to Lady Caroline. However, he felt guilty about lusting after his friend’s wife.
Fortune smiled upon William Lamb!
◆◆◆
The lucky fellow was among the first guests Mr. Darcy ran into at the country gathering.
“Darcy! Good to see you again after so long.”
“Lamb, same here! How have you been? I heard through the grapevine that you have taken Parliament by storm.”
“I must thank your uncle for being so kind. I am but a mere backbencher in that august assembly, still learning my ropes. The business of politics is altogether fascinating. How about yourself? Has your vast domain taken all your time and energy, so you have none to spare for the squabbling inside those hallowed halls?”
“Managing Pemberley has indeed been all-consuming. I do feel, finally, I have got things under control. My father’s lingering illness, unfortunately, did have some adverse effects on the smooth running of the estate.
Enough talk about business and politics!
How is your family? I have not had the pleasure of seeing your lovely wife yet. ”
“My wife has suffered greatly in the last five years. She is not built for bearing children, and each pregnancy takes a toll on her. You are an old friend, and I do not mind sharing our heartaches with you. You know my son was born with many challenges. These mental problems have been a constant worry and frustration for us.”
Mr. Darcy wished he had not asked the question. He was not equipped with heart-felt words to comfort.