Chapter 1.26
Less than ten minutes later, Elizabeth met Mr Darcy in the parlour. With proper politeness, he kissed her hand and directed her to the drawing room where Jane, Mr Bingley, and Mrs Annesley were supposed to have tea together.
Mr Darcy opened the door, but the sight made him stop in the doorway.
As for Elizabeth, once more she was given proof that her future husband was correct in his assumptions: Jane Bennet and Charles Bingley were sitting on the couch, engaged in such a passionate kiss that they did not even notice the door open.
No, it was not just a kiss—it was a passionate embrace—and the only thought that crossed Elizabeth’s mind was that she could not fathom where Jane’s hands were.
Astonished, Mr Darcy retreated with Elizabeth and slowly closed the door, allowing the couple a few more moments of privacy to recover themselves.
Elizabeth’s wide eyes diverted him exceedingly, as she clearly could not believe the scene they had witnessed.
In truth, it was equally hard for him to imagine sweet, angelic Jane indulging in such activities in a house full of people.
“Well, my dear sir, apparently you were right. However, from what I saw, not only is Mr Bingley not to be trusted, but neither is my sister. I never would have expected something like that from her—not that I would dare complain, as my own behaviour was much worse. I dare say my aunt would be utterly displeased with both of us.”
Her words were half-serious, half in jest, and he laughed at her, placing a light kiss on her half-parted lips.
“Dearest, I must say I am very happy for them. And the fact that your sister is so much in love that she cannot help breaking with propriety is wonderfully charming, would you not agree?”
“Yes, of course I would. I want nothing less for my sister than to be as happy as I am.”
“Well, I dare say they will both be very happy. Now let us try to enter again before anyone else appears.”
He opened the door once more, this time with such a clamour that it would be impossible for anyone inside the room not to hear.
Still, when they entered, the couple was fumbling to withdraw their arms from around each other.
They quickly rose, their faces crimson, vainly searching for the proper words to greet the master of the house until he took pity on them.
“Miss Bennet, Mr Bingley, I dare say you have some news you would like to share with us…”
It was all the encouragement the newly betrothed needed as Mr Bingley practically shouted the news in his happiness at having been accepted by his beloved Jane.
The moments that followed were happier than Elizabeth could have hoped. To know her most beloved sister was engaged to be married to a man she loved, and whose worthiness and affection could not be doubted, was a true blessing and as precious to her as her own blissful felicity.
When the sisters returned to the Gardiners’ an hour later, Jane was still on a cloud and remained in that state the entire evening, especially since the object of her affection had joined them for dinner.
Jane knew she had done something highly improper and that she should feel mortified by the fact that Mr Darcy witnessed her shocking behaviour in his house.
All she really felt, however, was enormous happiness, so powerful that she was afraid she could not bear it.
She kept wondering—and even asked her sister Lizzy in the solitude of their bedchamber—whether someone could die of too much happiness.
When she and Elizabeth retired to change for dinner, she tried to relate to her sister everything that had passed between her and Mr Bingley.
She could not remember much, but she did recall that at some point Mrs Annesley excused herself to check on Georgiana and that Mr Bingley took the opportunity to move next to her.
And then…his words sounded like the most beautiful music she had ever heard.
He spoke to her of his love, his adoration, his wishes…
and then he placed a ring on her finger and…
“Oh Lizzy, is it not a beautiful ring?”
“Yes, it is a most beautiful ring.” Elizabeth’s eyes were as full of tears as Jane’s were, and she was certain she had never seen her sister as beautiful.
“Dearest Lizzy, you would be ashamed of me; I was so silly! He told me so many wonderful things, and I could not say a word. I only started to cry. And then he…he…”
She blushed so fiercely that her pretty face seemed as if it were on fire and could not hold her younger sister’s smiling gaze.
She averted her eyes while she tried to find the words to confess to her dear sister everything that occurred within the solitude of the library.
She remembered Mr Bingley’s tender, comforting words whispered to her and then his wiping her tears—tears of supreme joy—and then the bliss of his lips on hers…
and everything vanishing around her. She could not even testify whether it was real or the most wonderful dream of her life.
Fortunately, Elizabeth did not inquire further, the memories of her own first kiss and embarrassment too fresh in her mind.
When the rest of the family gathered for dinner later that evening, the Gardiners could guess the news long before Charles Bingley informed them of it.
In truth, Jane’s radiance easily betrayed her happiness and her new state of mind and heart.
Charles Bingley was the only one who did not notice any change in Miss Bennet’s countenance that evening.
He had always been certain that Jane was as beautiful as an angel, so he found nothing different in her appearance.
In truth, he could hardly think of anything but the taste of her lips and the feel of her arms around him.
None of his many dreams about the moment she would accept his offer had been even close to that reality.
Jane Bennet was more wonderful than any dream.
She not only allowed him to embrace her and kiss her, but she responded to him as he never would have dared to hope.
Her lips were so sweet, so soft; he tasted them, and she permitted him to do so. He simply could not have enough of her—the warmth of her body in his arms, the shocking pleasure of her hands touching him, caressing him tentatively. She was an angel, and he was the most fortunate man in the world.
And she was soon to be his wife! Though not as soon as he would like as he was forced to wait a few more days for Mr Bennet’s consent when they returned to Hertfordshire.
Then he would have to bear the agony of the engagement.
His only hope for relief was that Longbourn and Netherfield were remarkably close to each other.
More than once during the evening, Mr Darcy noticed—and easily recognised it, as it had happened to him countless times—Mr Bingley’s fixed stare at Miss Bennet and the lady’s constant blushes.
He breathed in sincere relief, knowing that his friend would have no reason to envy him or be angry with him for some old and long-forgotten advice.
Even more, he made a resolution to support his youngest friend as much as he could. Perhaps an invitation for Miss Bennet to join them in town for the Season would be convenient for all the parties involved. Yes, he decided, it most certainly would be.
∞∞∞
Several days later, Jane and the Gardiners had been ready for quite a while and were entertaining Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley in the parlour as they waited for Elizabeth to make her appearance. She was at that moment being assisted in her preparations by a seamstress purposely sent by Lady Matlock.
At first, Darcy had found Lady Matlock’s many preparations and endless preoccupations with Elizabeth’s appearance useless and quite tiresome; he knew how to appreciate a lady’s fashionable, high quality gown, elegance, and good taste, but he had never found Elizabeth wanting in this.
She had always been charming, and her tastes were quite to his liking no matter what she wore.
He even tried to have a private talk with his aunt, but Lady Matlock was not to be moved.
She insisted the ball would be a very difficult event for Elizabeth, and half of the ladies in attendance likely would want to tear her apart and treat her poorly as a consequence.
So, she explained to Mr Darcy that it was absolutely necessary for Elizabeth to look “astonishingly and intimidatingly wonderful” the moment she entered the ball room.
‘Astonishing’ and ‘intimidating’ were notions that distressed Darcy deeply.
He was afraid that all those professional preparations would transform her natural, lively charms into those artificial arrangements so often seen on young ladies of the ton.
However, when Elizabeth entered the room, it was several moments before he could breathe again.
When he could think rationally, he could do no more than admit that Lady Matlock had been correct once again.
Elizabeth’s beauty had been by no means altered but helped to blossom until she became truly stunning.
He could not fix his gaze on any particular part of her; he could not have related the colour of her gown or her shoes.
He barely noticed the ruby necklace glittering on her creamy skin or the earrings gleaming from behind the dark curls playing near her ears.
All he could see was that she was glowing. She simply radiated light around her, and neither the jewels nor the exquisite gown were brighter than her sparkling eyes and shining smile.
Not only Mrs Gardiner and Jane, but also Mr Bingley and Mr Gardiner gasped loudly at the vision before them. Elizabeth started to laugh, though her face turned red from the pleasure of the silent compliment. Her eyes, however, were captured by Mr Darcy’s intense stare.
“Lady Matlock’s choice was exquisite. I hardly recognised myself in the mirror. This gown is the most wonderful thing a woman could ever hope to wear.”