Hear No Evil （Omniscient） #3
He was determined to make amends. He had rehearsed apologies for hours, made notes, and even attempted half a dozen letters; he need only await a decent hour to speak to her.
He hoped to catch her alone to avoid embarrassment, but the thought caused him even more shame.
Did he seek to avoid embarrassment for her, or for himself?
Lacking a clear answer, he could not ascertain if he was any closer to being a true gentleman or not.
Yet he was determined: he would make amends and start acting the gentleman.
He was startled from the debate by the sound of a coach arriving despite the early hour. Wearing only his banyan, he ran to a window overlooking the drive and stared down in consternation.
He watched helplessly as the coachman jumped down and hurried out of sight toward the front stairs.
The man returned minutes later supporting Miss Bennet. She looked pale and sickly, but walked mostly under her own power, albeit slowly and with an occasional stumble. Her sister, Miss Elizabeth, held her other arm, though she limped noticeably on her left side.
No servants assisted. Most likely, this was at Miss Elizabeth’s orders to save them from Miss Bingley’s wrath; or the sisters had simply sent a note to Longbourn the previous evening and sneaked out with nobody the wiser.
Miss Bennet spoke to Miss Elizabeth, apparently giving directions.
The step up seemed too much for the elder sister, but in a trice, Miss Elizabeth put a foot on the step and a hand on each side of the door, then climbed in unassisted, still favouring her injured leg and nearly falling when it collapsed as she put too much weight on it.
Once inside, she turned and the coachman simply picked up Miss Bennet and set her carefully inside with a look of longstanding respect and affection. Miss Elizabeth helped her sister to a seat, sat beside her, and spoke to the coachman, who nodded and climbed aboard.
As Darcy watched helplessly, Miss Elizabeth pulled a rug off the far seat, settled it around herself and her sister, and wrapped her arms around the elder Miss Bennet protectively. The coach left, presumably to Longbourn.
~~~
The sun had climbed midway but gave little warmth by the time Darcy and Bingley arrived at Longbourn.
Instead of the expected flurry of activity at the windows overlooking the lane, the house lay quiet and still.
It was the very start of calling hours. To their surprise, they found Mr Bennet outside the front door on a bench, an open book on his lap, though he gave no indication he was reading or had been doing so recently.
Darcy had occasionally seen the man at entertainments.
The elder gentleman rarely seemed serious about anything.
He had even caught him making sport of his younger daughters, and occasionally even his wife.
In Darcy’s limited experience, only the two eldest were spared.
Now the man looked most serious as he stood and addressed them as they dismounted.
“Gentlemen, may I presume upon your time for a stroll in the garden?”
“Of course, sir. We are at your disposal.”
He led the men to the garden, where they wandered among the dormant plants for some time. Darcy and Bingley both knew an apology was well due to the Bennet daughters and their family, but had no idea how to begin.
Darcy finally decided he was most at fault and started to speak, only for the older gentleman to hold up a hand to claim the first word.
“Gentlemen, I presume that either or both of you are here to explain why I had to assist my ill, feverish, but exceedingly stubborn elder daughter up the stairs at first light; or why I cannot get a single word of explanation out of either her or her normally much more voluble blind sister; or perhaps why this is the only day of their lives they have presumed to use my carriage without my knowledge or consent?”
“Yes sir, that is exactly why we are here,” Darcy said.
Mr Bennet eyed the two of them critically. “I am displeased! I am most seriously displeased, but relieved you both seem inclined to do your duty as gentlemen. However, I do not suppose I am the one you wish to address.”
“Of course you are owed an explanation,” Bingley replied. “I must admit, sir—”
Mr Bennet raised a hand to stop him, taking the chance to speak first. “I do not actually need to hear apologies or excuses at this moment. I doubt the experience will build much character for either of us.”
They looked critically at the father, wondering if he intended simply to ban them from his daughters’ company. It was well within his rights, and almost certainly what Darcy would do in the same situation. Mr Bennet stared at both younger men for some time before replying.
“I am not the ones you will have to apologise to, as I am certain you know.”
Both nodded, giving the man his due.
“Even so, Jane is now asleep, and if you try to talk to Lizzy… well, I shall not be responsible for any injurious words spoken or actions taken; and let me assure you that being on the receiving end of one of her set-downs will do nothing for your equanimity. Do you understand?”
Both nodded, though they had no idea what to do next.
“Go home, gentlemen. If something untoward happened in your household, deal with it. If corrections need to be made to your society, see to them. My daughters may or may not receive an apology from one or both of you in a fortnight, if you still inhabit the neighbourhood, and if they desire it. Nobody save a few trustworthy servants knows exactly why or how they got here, and I will take steps to ensure it remains so. As far as the neighbourhood, including my wife and other daughters, is concerned, Jane was not as sick as supposed and preferred to recover in her own bed.”
They nodded at the odd judgement, having no idea what else to do.
“Mr Bingley,” the father asked, “I heard mention of a ball planned for the twenty-sixth of November. Is that still your plan?”
“Yes sir, but I would change it should you ask it of me.”
“No need to change anything. It will make it easier… well, not easier, but simpler anyway. If either or both of my elder daughters feel inclined to give you a chance to apologise, they will appear at the ball, and you may commence grovelling at your leisure. If they do not appear, you may assume the matter is closed and go about your business. Of course, if you do not feel the need to apologise or explain after I turned you away, you are welcome to simply greet my girls as the most indifferent of acquaintances.”
The two exchanged a glance, then looked at the ladies’ father.
Both hoped some abject apologies, while certainly not redeeming them, might at least begin making amends.
Mr Bennet obviously thought that too easy by a wide measure, and neither gentleman could blame him.
Given how gossip worked, he probably knew more about how the Bingley sisters spoke about the neighbourhood in general, and his daughters in particular, than they did.
They even suspected that the man could get a nearly verbatim quote of what was said from the Netherfield servants if he wanted to.
With heavy hearts, the two men remounted their horses and walked down the drive, so sullen even their horses adopted their mood.
Upstairs, one lady watched them go with more than a touch of sadness at the absolute and insurmountable unsuitability of such an amiable man’s family’s total lack of propriety, or even common decency.
Jane Bennet could endure much, but insulting her sister Lizzy was far beyond her limits.
Insulting her for her blindness was… was…
she could not even think of it. She fancied herself lucky she had not had time to allow her heart to be engaged, as there was no possible way to attach herself to such a thoroughly unsuitable family, regardless of how rich, handsome, and amiable the spineless brother appeared.
Her sister stood quietly beside her holding her hand, tears running down her cheeks quite unnoticed, regretting that perhaps the only man she had allowed herself to believe worthy of true friendship since she lost her sight, had turned out to be much more as she had feared, and much less as she had hoped.