Chapter 4
Fitzwilliam Darcy had been looking forward to spending the autumn in Hertfordshire ever since Bingley issued the invitation at the end of September.
He had always wished to visit that county, because it seemed to combine the convenience of a close proximity to London with the fresh air and sport of country life.
When he first saw Bingley’s leased property, Netherfield, he was not disappointed.
There was a deep stream that bordered the land, likely a good place for fishing.
Additionally, the land was relatively level, making it quite suitable for getting up to a good gallop.
In the distance he could see a forest and a fallow field, perfect places for hunting game birds.
All in all, he was very pleased with the prospect of a couple of months here.
Until he realized that it would not all be riding, fishing, and hunting.
Bingley was a sociable creature. Of course, he would wish to know his new neighbors.
In fact, the very day they all arrived at Netherfield, Bingley insisted that they all attend a local assembly in Meryton, the nearest market town.
Darcy was not exactly opposed to getting to know new people, but he was very bad at it. He had, on occasion, described himself as being ill-qualified to recommend himself to strangers, making the excuse that he could not easily catch and understand others’ expressions and tone of voice.
In his more sober, somber moments, however, he admitted to himself that he was, in truth, shy. It was, he considered, one of his greatest failings. Men of his station were educated from birth to be sociable creatures, but Darcy failed at that most important skill.
That evening, he proved it to himself once again. Though he was introduced to several people, he could not bring himself to start a conversation with any of them. Though a few gentlemen attempted to converse with him, he found himself giving short, terse answers that drove them away.
He was a failure.
As he had always done in the past when he felt as though he had failed, he covered up his failure with his pride. It was a cloak which was easy to don, since he had been raised to believe in the inherent superiority of the Darcy name.
Even when Bingley attempted to convince him to dance, it was his pride, rather than his true feelings, which spoke.
Fortunately, he was pulled out of it by a rather unusual young lady. She was sitting down, instead of dancing, likely due to the lack of men available to dance. At first, he saw little of interest in her face. It was simply average.
After only a moment, however, he noticed a resemblance to the Duke of Essex, who had been a friend of Darcy’s father.
Noticing the similarity reminded him that if the duke could set aside his pride enough to be friends with his father, an untitled gentleman, Darcy could set aside his pride enough to be kind to this lady.
Of course, she was no relation of the Duke, but he was still glad he had requested an introduction.
She had a wit and intelligence about her that was fundamentally compelling.
For the first time in years, Darcy truly enjoyed getting to know someone new, and he very much looked forward to being in company with Miss Elizabeth again.
He spent the next four days doing all the things he had come to the country for, riding, fishing, and hunting. The price he paid for such enjoyment was the necessity of sitting through dinner and after-dinner entertainment in the company of Miss Bingley.
Bingley’s younger sister was well-behaved most of the time. In fact, for the first couple of years Darcy knew her, he thought her a model of deportment. Then, last year, she began hinting that she would make an excellent mistress for Pemberley. As soon as she did, Darcy began to pull back from her.
Miss Bingley would be almost the worst choice for a wife he could think of. She was fundamentally a lady of the city. She was an excellent hostess and could throw a most enjoyable dinner party, but only when supplies were easily procured, which only happened in London.
She was in no way equipped to handle the inconveniences and extra planning necessary to live on an estate. Besides, she would simply be unhappy living at Pemberley for more than a couple months a year, and Darcy had no intention of saddling himself with a wife who was bound to be miserable.
Within two or three days, despite not seeming to leave the house at all, Miss Bingley had gathered general gossip about every household in the neighborhood. It was a feat Darcy had seen his aunts and even his mother accomplish, though he was always mystified as to how such a thing could come about.
Not only had Miss Bingley acquired such information, but she was intent on sharing it as often as possible.
“Did you know that Miss Mary King is an orphan living with her uncle?” she asked one morning at breakfast. “The poor girl must feel lost in this world without her parents.”
Ten minutes later, she added, “I heard young Alan Goulding is causing his father all manner of distress with his activities in London. So much so that old Mr. Goulding is considering forcing the young man back home. It’s shocking, is it not, Louisa.”
Of course, among all this gossip there was inevitably information about the Bennet family, and she decided to share it all after dinner a few nights following the assembly.
Though she was ostensibly speaking to her sister, she spoke in a voice loud enough for all to hear. “You know, Louisa, I heard that those Bennet girls are in a rather pitiable state.”
“What can you mean?” asked Mrs. Hurst. “They seem rather well off. And as far as I have heard, they each have a dowry of five thousand pounds. That is no mean feat to provide for such a thing for four daughters.”
“But that is it, exactly,” said Miss Bingley.
“It is only four daughters who have a dowry. Much as I inquired, I could find no information about Miss Elizabeth’s prospects other than the fact that she is illegitimate.
Poor Miss Bennet. To be dragged down by such a dead weight in the family.
Mr. Bennet should have done the sensible thing and sent Miss Elizabeth off to live in the country like every other gentleman who makes such indiscretions. ”
“Yes, poor Miss Bennet, indeed,” said Mrs. Hurst. “She is such a dear, sweet girl. But to have such relations. Not only do they have that illegitimate girl living in the house with all the others, but I have heard that most of their relations are less than genteel.”
“Oh, yes,” said Miss Bingley. “Mr. Bennet has no nearer relations than a distant cousin who is a parson and who lives heaven knows where. Mrs. Bennet’s relations, on the other hand, are even lower.
Her sister is married to a mere solicitor who lives in London, while her brother is simply a shopkeeper in Cheapside.
It is shocking that the Bennet girls are even welcome among their own neighbors with relations such as that. ”
“Now, Caroline, there is no need to be quite so mean,” said Mrs. Hurst, though her voice conveyed quite the opposite meaning.
“I am certain that in such a low society as this, one would have no qualms about such a thing. I mean, when the highest ranked gentleman in the neighborhood is a knight of only five years, what difference does it make that a gentleman’s daughter has an uncle who is a solicitor? ”
“Honestly, it is a shame that Miss Bennet has such low connections,” said Miss Bingley. “She has such a friendly countenance and elegant manners. I would not be loath to get to know her better. It is only troubling to decide how to go about it without being exposed to her illegitimate sister.”
“True,” agreed Mrs. Hurst. “Miss Bennet seems likely to be the most suitable lady in the neighborhood, and I too would like to know her better. Perhaps, instead of calling at Longbourn, we could simply invite Miss Bennet here. Or we could restrict our conversations to more public settings, I suppose.”
At this point, Darcy tuned out the conversation as he stood and began pacing around the room.
It now made sense why, despite her perfectly charming personality, Miss Elizabeth had been sitting by herself instead of dancing.
If she was truly illegitimate, she would likely not be welcome among her neighbors.
Of course, there were plenty of titled gentlemen who treated their mistress’s children as their own.
The most notable example was the lately deceased Duke of Richmond.
He had three children by his mistress, each of whom received an inheritance of ten thousand pounds.
The mistress, herself, received his property at Earl’s Court.
Mother and daughters had no difficulty being received by most of society.
The Bennets of Longbourn, however, were not the family of a duke, and had nothing like the social clout necessary to cover up such an indiscretion.
Darcy had to agree, at least in part, with Miss Bingley.
It was rather surprising that Mr. Bennet had chosen to keep Miss Elizabeth with the rest of the family.
Much as he was disappointed, Mr. Darcy resolved to not pay too much attention to the engaging young lady going forward. He would not wish to give such audacity even a hint of approval.
~~~~~
Darcy’s resolve was tested a few days later at a party at Lucas Lodge.
The party itself was nothing exceptional, just a simple and informal soiree.
Though refreshments were set out for the guests to nibble on, there was no formal entertainment or deliberate focus to the gathering.
It was merely a gathering of friends and neighbors.