Chapter 1 #2
Bingley’s cheery voice rang out, the sound clearer as he approached the room.
He burst into the drawing room like a brisk breeze, saying, “Darcy, Miss Darcy, Mrs Green, my family has arrived!” He performed the various introductions, and everyone bowed or curtseyed and said the proper words.
Darcy saw that Mr Hurst was only a few inches shorter than himself, although he was a much bulkier man.
He judged him to be older, perhaps thirty years old.
Bingley had arranged for refreshments, and as everyone sat down, Darcy asked about the weather and the roads. The housekeeper, Mrs Nicholls, supervised as tea and cakes were brought in and distributed.
Miss Bingley, sitting opposite Darcy, leant towards him to ask in a purring sort of way, “How are you, Darcy? I hope you have not married as yet.”
Darcy was irritated that the woman addressed him in a familiar way, even though he had never given her permission to do so.
He flicked a glance her way, careful not to look downwards to see if she was deliberately showing her rather meagre…
assets. “I am delighted to say that I am engaged to be married, and we will wed in September.”
Miss Bingley flinched and asked, “Already engaged?” Her voice could not sound less like a purr, this time, but she quickly flashed a false smile and added, “Congratulations.”
“I, too, was surprised how quickly Darcy and his lady made it official,” Bingley said. “Count on Darcy knowing exactly what he wants and promptly taking it.”
Darcy had heard his younger friend using similar words to excuse his own table manners as he ate second, third, and fourth helpings of the dishes he enjoyed. He frowned to have such a description used in regard to his courtship of Elizabeth.
Before he could respond, however, Miss Bingley asked, “When will I be able to see your intended, Mr Darcy? Louisa and I only barely met her the one time and exchanged only a few words; I long to know her better.”
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet and her elder sister, Miss Jane Bennet, will be coming for dinner tonight. They will arrive in around two hours.”
He was surprised to see genuine satisfaction light up Miss Bingley’s eyes—and of course he became suspicious of this pleasant attitude. Did the woman already have a scheme in mind?
Bingley began to rhapsodise to his two sisters about Jane, and then he went on to speak of the friendliness of the neighbourhood and the opportunities for shooting.
Mrs Hurst seemed interested in her brother’s chatter, plying him with questions, and Miss Bingley at least pretended to follow her siblings’ conversation.
Darcy turned to address Mr Hurst, who was studying a print of Two Gentlemen Going a Shooting, which hung over the mantle.
“Do you enjoy shooting, Mr Hurst?”
“Please, just Hurst.”
“Very well, and I am Darcy.”
“To answer your question, I adore nothing more than shooting. Other than, of course, eating the fowls in ‘sweetness and wholesomeness.’”
Darcy smiled and asked, “You quote Sir Thomas Elyot?”
Hurst nodded and said, “I enjoy poetry almost as much as shooting and eating!” He chuckled and said, “And of course I adore a quality brandy. In truth, I enjoy many things.”
Darcy said, “That is to your credit, sir. I dislike speaking with those who pretend to enjoy nothing. Also, I enjoy poetry quite a bit, myself.”
Hurst said, “I have been dismayed at the lack of poetry in my Louisa’s education. I have been reading some poems to her every day, and I believe she enjoys the experience. Especially when I read a Shakespearean sonnet.”
“Elizabeth loves poetry, as well. One of her favourites is Wordsworth.”
“Ah!
Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.”
Darcy nodded his head. “Very nice. You will enjoy getting to know my intended, and she, you.”
As the group finished the tea and cakes, Mrs Nicholls entered the room, ready to show the Hursts and Miss Bingley to their rooms. Darcy was glad to see that, as Mrs Hurst took her husband’s arm, he whispered something to her, and she smiled and blushed.
Their union looked happier than Darcy would have supposed; society marriages tended to focus more on status and money than emotion, and before this moment, Darcy had thought that Louisa Bingley was a grasping sort of woman, someone who would not consider affection when choosing a husband.
But…he may have been wrong, or perhaps Bingley’s elder sister had changed.
He told himself that Louisa Hurst deserved a clean slate, and he looked forward to better knowing both Hursts.
Darcy checked in with Georgiana and Mrs Green, who had decided to work on lessons on menu planning and provisioning. “I shall practice my music later, I think,” Georgiana said, “because I imagine some of our recent arrivals will wish to nap.”
“That is an excellent plan,” Darcy said. “I suppose I will see if Bingley has time for one of our lessons, as well.”
When Darcy spoke to Bingley, however, his friend put him off, saying, “I am just too excited about my family’s arrival to attend to drainage and crop rotation, Darce.
By the way, tomorrow morning’s shooting party should be fairly large, because Mr Goulding and his son William responded that they would attend, as well as the earlier respondents. ”
“Not Mr Bennet, though?”
Bingley looked upwards with a plaintive expression, as if he was exhorting God to step in with his indolent neighbour. “No, he will not stir from his library.” Grinning, he added, “Not for me, anyways.”
“Bingley, it disturbed me a few minutes ago when you said that I just take what I want. I hope that such words do not actually describe me; you said them in regard to my relationship with Elizabeth, and you must know that the two of us have been very mutual in our feelings for one another.”
Bingley scoffed. “It was not a criticism! I was praising your decisiveness, Darcy. You did not waver over your feelings. You did not wonder if she was the angel of your dreams, or if there was someone better out there.”
Darcy accepted that his friend was comparing his decisiveness to Bingley’s own mixed feelings, and he raised a single finger, saying, “Do remember, please, to be very forthright with Miss Bennet so that she is not taken unawares if you wish for further connexion or, perhaps, if you wish to stop calling on her.”
“I know, Darce. You have said this before. Several times.”
Feeling a bit dissatisfied with Bingley’s responses, Darcy reflected that getting to know his young protégé better had not been entirely smooth sailing. However, at this point Bingley seemed closed to further discussion, so Darcy decided to attend to his own correspondence.
He had been using one corner of the little-used Netherfield library as a sort of study, but with Miss Bingley’s arrival, he was determined to be in his own rooms whenever he was alone.
He sighed as he walked upstairs, resentful that he must be so careful, but he unlocked the door to his private sitting room, locked it again behind himself, and consulted the clock.
In less than two hours, Elizabeth would arrive.
Glad at the thought, he plunged into his work.