Chapter 11
The day ended as poorly as it started, as during dinner there were few other subjects of conversation except their charming new acquaintance, Mr. Wickham, and Darcy’s disdainful manners toward him.
“I believe Mr. Darcy is perfectly entitled to decide in whose company he wishes to spend his time,” Mr. Collins said.
“Lady Catherine rarely calls on anyone and only on occasion does she invite people to have tea or to dine at Rosings. I have been blessed with such attention several times, but very few people can pride themselves on such privilege.”
“I find all these reports complete nonsense,” Mr. Bennet interjected sharply.
“Did any of you consider that the man might have been in some hurry? Or that he had a perfectly legitimate reason to leave so hastily? He called on us and, at the news that you were in Meryton, he and Bingley went to look for you. If Darcy was so opposed to spending time with Meryton people, he would have simply returned to Netherfield. Why would he go to Lucas Lodge and immediately leave without a word? Unless he suddenly lost his mind, there must be a more logical explanation that we cannot see.”
“But my dear, you must admit that Mr. Darcy is a proud and aloof man and his manners are always severe. Even when he is somehow friendlier, he is a little whimsical in his civilities, and one can hardly know what to expect from him,” Mrs. Bennet uttered.
“I will admit nothing of the kind and I would appreciate it if we ceased discussing the man in his absence. If I want to know something, I will take the first opportunity to ask him, as it should happen among civil gentlemen.”
“But Mama, Mr. Wickham is truly the most charming man I have ever seen! So handsome, and friendly! Is he not, Lizzy? You spoke to him more than anyone else!” Lydia declared with loud animation.
“You should meet him soon! I invited him to call on Longbourn and he said he will! He mentioned that he knew Mr. Darcy before, but he did not say more.”
“Is he so, Lizzy?” Mrs. Bennet enquired. “What did you talk to him about?”
“Nothing of consequence, Mama. And yes, he is charming enough,” Elizabeth agreed.
Mr. Collins was highly distressed. “Indeed, a man should be judged by his worthiness, not by some shallow measures. A young lady who wishes to secure herself a happy life and a comfortable future should be careful in her estimation of a man’s character.”
“I wholeheartedly agree with you, Mr. Collins,” Mary admitted.
“A man is either handsome or charming, or not!” Lydia argued.
“I confess to having had an inclination for handsome officers when I was young too,” Mrs. Bennet admitted. “But when it came to marriage, I chose a gentleman.”
“Good luck for which I am still paying the price,” Mr. Bennet replied mockingly, glancing at his second daughter.
But Elizabeth was neither amused, nor attentive to the discussion. Her mind’s tumult increased instead of ceasing, just as her heart’s aching became stronger instead of vanishing. She was not hungry, nor curious about or interested in anything around her.
She was grateful when the dreadful day finally came to an end, but the night’s dark silence was no palliation for her grief.
It only helped her to admit to herself that her feelings for Darcy were different from any she had ever experienced before.
Even more, as she recollected their entire relationship since the beginning of their acquaintance, she discovered that from the first moment her reactions to him had always been stronger than to any other man.
Even when she was certain she despised his haughty and rude manners, she still felt intensely about him.
With either disdain or friendliness, she had always thought of him every day since he arrived in Hertfordshire.
Wickham’s claims about Darcy’s character touched Elizabeth less than they should have.
The accusations were grave and polluted his image, but, since she did not know the source of those reports well enough, she did not take them to heart.
After only a brief consideration, remembering how pale Wickham was and how angry Darcy looked, certainly, there was more to their history than she had been told so far.
Most painful to her was Wickham’s confirmation about Darcy’s engagement to his cousin.
Hearing that report from two sources–although neither reliable–left her doubtful and hopeless.
The only remaining question was how he could have offered to marry her if the rumours should demand it, since he was already promised to another?
The scandal in breaking a lifetime engagement to enter into a forced marriage would be greater and more harmful to his family than anything else. How could she ever understand that man?
Elizabeth felt the need to cry, but she fought against it. She paced the room for a while, looking outside, wondering what Darcy was doing and wondering if he would call on them again.
Mr. Bingley’s intentions towards Jane were now clear and a certain event was expected to occur very soon.
As an important part of Bingley’s life, Darcy must enter into hers, too.
Married to his cousin or not, if Jane should marry Mr. Bingley, she would be in Darcy’s company again and again.
She had to be reasonable and behave discreetly.
And she had to keep her feelings under good regulation. It was unheard of for an honourable lady to hate a man one day and then to fall in love with him within a week, then resent him again for a fault that did not exist. To her, he had done nothing wrong; she had to accept as much.
Hours into the night, Elizabeth’s spirits and reasoning slowly returned and the dawn found her resigned, calm and at peace. She had to conquer this–and she was determined to succeed.
∞∞∞
The morning announced a sunny day and, with her heart lighter and her mind clearer, Elizabeth planned a long walk before breakfast. To her–and the others’–astonishment, when the family had barely reunited in the drawing room, Mr. Bingley called.
Surprise, disbelief, hope and joy fell upon the family, as there were few doubts about the reason for such an eager and improper visit.
He enquired about Mr. Collins and Mr. Bennet – who were not in sight. They both were still in their chambers, he was told, so he readily apologised for his impromptu early visit.
“Oh, do not worry about the time, we are always pleased to see you,” Mrs. Bennet said. “Is Mr. Darcy well, I hope?”
“Yes, he is well. He has some business to attend to this morning and he could not join me.”
“It seems he has many engagements,” Mrs. Bennet said and Elizabeth paled. Alarmed that her mother might say something more, and in a desperate attempt to escape, she interjected.
“Mama, I apologise–would you be so kind as to help me with something? It will not take long.” She walked to the door and her mother watched her in surprise; then, thinking she understood her daughter’s clever scheme, Mrs. Bennet’s face brightened.
“Oh yes, your request from last night. Kitty, Lydia, Mary, come with us. Lizzy will need your help immediately. Mr. Bingley–please forgive us, we will return within minutes.”
“Yes, of course…” he mumbled.
As they all left, Elizabeth met Jane’s astonished and reproachful glance, but there was no way to return. She sent her beloved sister an encouraging smile, then closed the door behind them.
“Oh Lizzy, you are so clever,” Mrs. Bennet whispered, pushing her younger daughter away from the room.
“Mama, that was not my intention. I just wanted to…Please Mama, do not mention anything about Mr. Darcy’s engagement to Mr. Bingley. It would be awkward for him and we do not wish to distress Mr. Bingley.”
“Mr. Darcy? I could not care less about Mr. Darcy now. Be sure I will not mention his name ever again. Oh Lizzy, I am so happy! Surely he will propose right now! Mr. Bingley, not Mr. Darcy. Oh, I cannot wait to feel the relief of one daughter so wonderfully married!”
Her effusions continued for a quarter of an hour until Jane–flustered, tearful, beaming with happiness and more beautiful than ever before–came to fetch them.
“Mr. Bingley is waiting for Papa in the library. I sent for him,” Jane managed to articulate before she was covered by her mother and sisters’ embraces, kisses and best wishes.
And so, the day of Elizabeth’s reassessment and abandoned hopes, became the day that secured Jane’s felicity.
Mr. Bennet’s consent and blessing was readily offered, Mr. Collins was completely ignored from that moment on, and Mr. Bingley was kept at Longbourn for breakfast and even longer after that.
Her family’s felicity kept Elizabeth inside, but she gladly remained to witness her sister’s well-deserved happiness.
The walk could wait, and her own distress vanished.
Things were slowly moving along the path she imagined the previous night.
Bingley would be her family now, and Darcy would be part of their future.
That was fate’s decision and she surrendered to it.
∞∞∞
The soon-to-be groom returned to Netherfield as light as a bird, and almost flying.
He was met by his displeased and worried sisters, demanding to know where he had been.
“I went to Longbourn to propose to Jane. We will be married in a month,” he said bluntly. “Now excuse me, I will be in the library. Has Darcy returned? I must give him the news too.”
Consternation left the sisters silent, trembling with anger, then a storm of crying hit Bingley from behind but he ignored it; he heard nothing, cared for nothing else but the image of the most beautiful woman he had ever met, who would be his wife before Christmas.
No shrieks or arguments could ruin his disposition.
Darcy was sitting by the window, with the glass and the bottle close to him. Dark and silent, he was the complete opposite of his joyful friend.
“When will the wedding be?” he asked briefly, before Bingley even began his news.
“In a month! By Christmas I will be married!” Bingley uttered.
“Excellent.”
“And how was your morning?”
“As bad as I feared. Wickham is impertinent and thoughtless. I still regret that I did not wipe that smirk from his face.”
“I can see you are angry, Darcy.”
“You see little compared to what I feel.”
“So what will you do?”
“I will talk to his colonel to recommend caution. Colonel Forster is a wise man; he will supervise Wickham properly if he is warned. And I will speak to Mr. Bennet, too, since Wickham has already been in his daughters’ company.”
“I fully support you. And the Bennets are now my responsibility too, and I want Wickham to be aware of that.”
“I sent a note to the colonel. And I am considering calling on Mr. Bennet tomorrow morning. I do not want to ruin the thrilling day of your engagement with such an unpleasant subject,” Darcy teased his friend. “So, how do you feel, Bingley?”
“Oh dear Lord, I cannot tell you how I feel! I am not sure how I will bear so much happiness and if I truly deserve it!”
“You will! And you do,” Darcy replied wholeheartedly, with a trace of sorrow that overshadowed his joy.
He still had not had the chance to speak to Elizabeth and still feared that something had upset her.
But to discover more, he would have to wait another day.
Just how could he bear so many hours until seeing her again?
Bingley was chatting without pause, and filled the glasses again and again.
A sense of guilt overcame Darcy, realising how close he had come to interfering and to ruining his friend’s chance of happiness. If not for Elizabeth, if not for the time they were locked in the library, God knows what would have happened and how their lives would be now.
It was all about Elizabeth–again and again.
∞∞∞
In the afternoon, exhaustion silenced the Bennets and all retired to their rooms to rest. Mr. Collins–vexed by the obvious lack of importance he was given that day, was happy to receive an invitation from Sir William and accepted it readily.
That gentleman was the most highly-ranked person around who seemed interested in discussing Lady Catherine de Bourgh; and the notion that he had once been introduced at St James’s Palace raised him even more in Mr. Collins’s eyes.
When Mr. Collins departed for Meryton, Elizabeth finally escaped for a walk.
It was freezing and the sun was slowly lowering to set for the night.
In the full afternoon, the daylight was already overshadowed.
Elizabeth intended to remain in the back garden, but her steps took her further, towards the small grove that bordered the path to Netherfield.
She walked for a while, then stopped and sat on a tree stump, admiring the view across the valley.
Longbourn and Netherfield were both in sight, and she could easily choose where to go.
But, although her heart was torn between the two, her mind told her there was nothing to choose.
She was only wanted and welcome in one place.
A few more minutes passed and, as the sun was now fading into a dark red light, she turned reluctantly. By the time she arrived home, it would already be night, but she knew the grounds by heart.
Surrounded by a silence broken only by the sound of her steps, Elizabeth was caught unawares by the echo of galloping horses approaching.
Startled, she retreated to the edge of the path, away from the danger.
But it was not needed, as a joyful Mr. Bingley immediately dismounted and embraced her, asking what she was doing there.
Then, right behind him, Mr. Darcy stood silently gazing at her.