Chapter 35
Half an hour later, Bingley had arrived too, and the whole party was gathered round the table.
Darcy sat at one end, opposite his wife.
To Elizabeth’s right was Thomas Crawford and on her left Colonel Fitzwilliam.
To Darcy’s right was Mrs Bennet and on his left Mr Bennet, with the rest of the guests in the middle.
Darcy would have preferred Mrs Gardiner on his right, but Elizabeth wanted to subtly send the message that the dinner was for the Bennets’ benefit more than the other members of their families.
Darcy was rewarded with Elizabeth’s sympathetic glance, and he smiled at her.
“Mr Crawford, what a surprise to see you here. I was told it was a gathering only for close friends and family,” Mrs Bennet suddenly addressed the young man.
“I am surprised to be here too,” he answered calmly. “Pleasantly, it goes without saying, but surprised. I was told the same, and I am honoured that Mr and Mrs Darcy invited me.”
“Of course we did,” Elizabeth said with a warm smile. “How could we not invite you when you are one of my only relatives on my mother’s side?”
Despite her light voice, the statement fell like thunder over the room, and Mrs Bennet choked, then threw a glare at her husband.
“Speaking of relatives,” Mrs Bennet said, changing the subject, “I hope your sister is in good health? We learnt she tragically lost her husband recently. It was in the newspapers yesterday.”
“She is slowly recovering,” Darcy answered, displeased with the subject. “She has found great comfort in Elizabeth’s company. She apologises for not joining us, but she is still grieving.”
“Of course, we understand that very well,” Mrs Gardiner said. “Please convey our best regards to her. There is no need for explanations, since we are all friends and family.”
“We were astonished that she married so young and became a widow so soon,” Mrs Bennet said. “There must have been quite a story behind it.”
“It was a tragedy,” Darcy said firmly in an attempt to end that particular discussion.
“So, Crawford, is your new house ready to move into?” Colonel Fitzwilliam changed the subject once again, and both Darcys sent grateful glances towards him.
“Almost. Unfortunately, there have been some delays, both in the delivery of materials and the hiring of hands, and it will not be finished by Christmas. As impatient as I am, I must wait.”
“You have purchased a new house?” Mr Bennet enquired.
“No, sir, we are speaking about the house I inherited from my parents. Since they were absent from England for almost twenty years and I only recently returned, the place needed extensive repairs. For now, I am renting a house on Grosvenor Street. I think I may have mentioned something about it when I first called at Darcy House.”
“Where were you living till now?” Miss Lydia asked abruptly. “Are you really Lizzy’s cousin? How can she be sure if you have never met before?”
Darcy’s irritation with Mrs Bennet and her younger daughters grew by the moment, and Elizabeth seemed already mortified, but Crawford apparently bore the interrogation with amusement, so he refrained from ending the conversation.
“I have lived mostly in India, as I believe I mentioned when I visited you at Longbourn. As for my connection with Mrs Darcy, Mr Darcy has done a thorough investigation of my assertions, as he should have, but I do not mind answering any further questions about my life there.”
At that, he glanced at Darcy, who nodded in return.
“So you live near Mr Bingley? Are you as rich as he is?” Miss Catherine asked, jumping into the conversation.
“I would not call myself rich, but I am grateful to possess a comfortable situation, so I do not have to fret about my future.”
“How lucky men are that they do not have to be concerned about the future,” Miss Lydia said. “When Papa dies, Mr Collins will inherit our house, and Mama says we shall all be thrown into the hedgerows unless Lizzy does her duty and takes care of us!”
“Lydia!” Mr Bennet censured her severely, looking pointedly at Miss Catherine as well.
“Mind your manners and your words, the two of you! I have no intention of dying soon, and it is not an appropriate conversation for the dinner table in any case, so if you do not have anything interesting to add, you would be better to talk about lace, bonnets, and shoe-roses.”
“Speaking of such things, did you purchase everything you wanted?” Elizabeth asked, grasping the opportunity for a different subject.
“Yes, most of it! I still need new dance slippers, and Mama said we should buy tea, candied fruits, and chocolate before we return home,” Miss Catherine explained.
“Well, we cannot buy too many things, since we shall barely have room to sit in that old carriage,” Mrs Bennet grumbled.
“I am sure we shall manage well enough,” Mr Bennet replied. “Let us not talk about purchasing new carriages or about my death during this dinner.”
Mrs Bennet threw him another displeased glare, and her visible effort to choke out a harsh reply made her face colour.
There was silence for a little while, and only the clinking of knives and forks was heard; then Darcy, remembering his manners, made the effort to ask politely, “I hope you enjoyed the tour of the house?”
Mrs Bennet was immediately flattered by the question.
“Oh, Mr Darcy! Very much so! You have a beautiful house! I love everything about it, but I only saw less than half. Lizzy would keep the tour short, avoiding the ‘family rooms’. As if we…”, her words faded as she noticed Darcy’s eyebrows rising.
“I am glad you approve of it, Mrs Bennet,” he replied politely.
“Colonel Fitzwilliam, is your house close to Mr Darcy’s?”
“Yes, ma’am, only a few minutes’ walk. But it is my parents’ house, in truth. I have lodgings in town, but a soldier’s ones.”
“As I said, this is a part of London where only the highest-class lives. Quite far away from Gracechurch Street. I wonder why Mr Gardiner did not find a better house if his business is as successful as he proclaims.”
Darcy was stunned by the offence, and he looked at his wife, who was pale. The Gardiners, however, seemed nothing but amused.
“I grew up in that part of London and my office is there, so I am quite pleased with my current location,” the gentleman declared.
“I can attest that Mr Gardiner is indeed very successful,” Darcy interjected. “He is one of the best solicitors in town. I feel fortunate to be one of his clients. He could probably purchase a house in any part of London, but he certainly knows what is best for his family.”
“I second that,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said. “Even my father, though he has his own solicitor, requires Mr Gardiner’s advice at times.”
Mrs Bennet seemed disconcerted, and for a while she moved her attention to her plate, not contributing to the light and amiable conversation led mostly by the colonel, Bingley, and Crawford.
“Elizabeth, allow me to congratulate you on such a lovely dinner,” Mrs Gardiner said after they had finished eating and moved to the drawing room, foregoing the separation of the sexes. “The food was delicious and all the arrangements exquisite. You have good instincts and elegant taste, my dear.”
“Thank you, Aunt,” Elizabeth answered lightly, “but the praise should go to Cook and our excellent servants, managed efficiently by Mrs Green. There was not much for me to do.”
“It is fortunate that you have servants to do everything for you,” Mrs Bennet said.
“We have nowhere near as many, I am sure. It is difficult to keep a house with so little help, especially when elder daughters are not inclined to learn their duties. I cannot complain about Jane — she was always obedient, whereas Elizabeth rejected everything I tried to teach her.”
“Mama, that is simply not true!” Miss Bennet finally interjected, her serenity disturbed by the conflict, but Darcy had already had enough.
“As a gentleman, I would not dare contradict you, Mrs Bennet,” he addressed her.
“I confess I am quite astonished, though, as Elizabeth has proved to be a perfect mistress for such a large house and with so many responsibilities. She has impressed the entire household since the first day, and I assumed she had acquired such knowledge and skills from you, as her mother.”
“Well, I…of course…this is not…” Mrs Bennet tried to speak but only managed to stammer a few words.
“If that was not the case,” Darcy continued, “and if she learnt everything by herself in such a short time, I am even more impressed, and I admire her even more, if that is possible.”
With that, he glanced at his wife, who was watching him with a strange expression on her face, her lips parted as if she had forgotten to breathe.
Mrs Bennet sat stock-still. She tried to reply, but no words came out of her mouth.
“My mother is also impressed by Elizabeth,” Colonel Fitzwilliam added. “We were a little surprised when Darcy announced his engagement, but as soon as we met Elizabeth, we understood his haste in securing such an excellent woman as his wife.”
“I was indeed a little hasty,” Darcy said, for once enjoying a modicum of pretence for so good a cause, “but that is because I was completely enchanted by Elizabeth as soon as I met her. Besides, any reasonable and fair person who met Elizabeth would easily recognise her worth. Of course, you, living with her for almost all her life, know this better than most. I still cannot believe I was so fortunate as to win her affection.”
He looked at Mrs Bennet, whose astonishment was now complete, and smiled at her. Then he glanced at his wife and smiled again. A different smile, which he hoped she would understand.
“Gentlemen, you make me blush,” Elizabeth finally said, her voice light and her countenance serene. “I am not accustomed to such praise, and I am sure I do not deserve it.”