Chapter 25 #2
He knew there was a long road to travel before there could be a future with Miss Bennet. What he heard next though heartened him somewhat.
“You know, Aunt Maddie, now that I am able to see the world as it is, I realise that had Mr Bingley loved me like I thought he did, he would have come back, no matter what opinions were expressed to him. It is obvious to me now that he never saw the true me, only the outward facade. In all of our time together, he only complimented my looks and never spoke about anything more substantial, and I made excuses for him!” Jane exclaimed.
“One time, at Lucas Lodge, I attempted to discuss the war with him, and he ignored what I said and rather spoke about what an angel I am.”
“Knowing that will assist you in getting over him soon,” Elizabeth opined.
“Lizzy is correct,” Maddie agreed. “Jane, could it be you were in love with being in love and not truly in love with Mr Bingley? I confess though, I thought you would have been far more upset at his abandonment.”
“That is possible, Aunt Maddie,” Jane admitted. “The more I think about Mr Bingley the more I realise he is still a boy, and I need a man.”
Fitzwilliam had been playing chess against Bennet. They were usually evenly matched, but Bennet won this game with ease. He saw Bennet smirking at him. The man was too intelligent to have missed the way he looked at Miss Bennet and hung on her every word.
“I will have to thank Jane for distracting you during our game,” Bennet stated.
There was no point denying that his attention had not been on the game, so Fitzwilliam did not. “It is good that Miss Bennet was not hurt so much by Bingley’s defection,” he opined.
“Just what are your intentions towards my eldest daughter?” Bennet asked softly so no one else would hear. He would not err again as he had with the Bingley character.
“Entirely honourable,” Fitzwilliam replied without delay. “Before you say it, I know she needs time after Bingley, even if she now sees him for what he is. I will wait until she is ready before I so much as request a courtship.”
“Before Gardiner took charge of me, I would have made some asinine comment about how all young ladies needed to be crossed in love at least once. That would not have been well done,” Bennet acknowledged.
“Jane is of age, so she does not need my permission, but if she grants you a courtship when you request it, you will have my blessing. I am aware you are a man fully grown and not a boy in a man’s body like the former temporary master of Netherfield Park. ”
“Not much of a man’s body either,” Fitzwilliam mumbled.
Bennet pretended like he had not heard the younger man, but he had a wide grin on his face.
Just then, Hill delivered a letter which had just arrived for Mrs Gardiner. “A courier on his way to London dropped this for you,” Hill intoned before bowing and withdrawing.
“It is from Adam,” Maddie reported. “Edward, will you join me in the parlour so we may read his words?”
Gardiner agreed and the two made for the mentioned room.
They sat on a settee, and as was her wont, Maddie broke the seal, smoothed the paper, and began to read in sotto voce.
28 November 1811
North Star House
Lambton
Maddie and Gardiner:
Before anything else, Eve and Gerald are hale and healthy.
Our boy is crawling everywhere now, and the little mite is rather speedy.
If he is not watched every instant, he is off causing one of us to run to catch him.
He babbles all the time, and Eve and I cannot wait until he begins to speak.
I know, there is some time before he will do so.
Now to the purpose of my letter being sent by courier. I hope you are seated when you read this because it contains news that I have prayed for, but I had until now no indication He would grant my prayer.
This morning one of Darcy’s couriers arrived with a rather long letter from my friend. (On his return the same man will deliver this to you.)
A letter from Darcy is not so extraordinary, he writes at least once a month, what was exceptional were the contents of the letter.
My urgency in writing to you is due to your last letter in which you mentioned that you two may have to issue a set down to Darcy and reconsider allowing him as one of Gardiner’s investors.
Without reservation he has acknowledged how bad his behaviour and improper pride has been! He makes no excuses and is quite severe on himself. His eyes are open, not just to his own behaviour, but that of the Bingleys and Hursts to which he has turned a blind eye.
He did not try to obfuscate or excuse his actions when he insulted Lizzy.
He told me how much he regrets it. When Jane and Lizzy were at Netherfield Park, he thought Lizzy was flirting with him.
He now realises she was not and that she does not like him.
He did not say it in so many words, but I think my friend has gone and fallen in love with your second eldest niece.
He would apologise in person, but he does not believe he will be allowed in her company again.
He admits that he made a judgement about Jane’s feelings for Bingley, which he shared with the man.
He felt bad about his interference, but now, based on Bingley’s reaction in London, he thinks he may have unwittingly done Jane a service.
You know from your report that Bingley chases after women of a certain look and then moves on regardless of their expectations.
Darcy wrote that Bingley showed no signs of pining for Jane, he simply decided to move on and find another angel.
He said that Fitzwilliam and I had the absolute right of it when we called him an ‘arrogant horse’s arse’ at times. He has no delusions that changing his character will be easy, but he is committed to doing so.
My hope is that you see this before you take him to task.
I have not told him who you are, but I think it is high time Mr Darcy meets my sister and discovers that Gardiner is my brother-in-law.
With regards from both Eve and me, and loving gurgles from Gerald,
Adam
“Well, that changes what we want to say to Mr Darcy,” Madeline said after putting her brother’s epistle on a low table.
“It certainly does,” Gardiner agreed. “It will be interesting to see the differences in Darcy. I agree with your brother, it will not be easy for him to amend his character, but realising it is needed is half the battle.”
“What say you we have Lizzy return to London with us? She said she would apologise to Mr Darcy if she ever saw him again, and he said the same about her to Adam. Why not give them the chance?” Maddie suggested.
“We can tell her and Jane some of what is in this letter, but best not to mention Adam’s speculation that Mr Darcy holds Lizzy in tender regard. She just stopped hating him.”
Gardiner agreed and made his way to the drawing room to summon Jane and Lizzy. It was not many minutes before he returned with the two eldest Bennet sisters in tow.
“Your Uncle Adam wrote to us because of an unexpected letter from Mr Darcy,” Maddie began.
Elizabeth’s first inclination was to make an impertinent comment about Mr Darcy, but she held to her new resolve and first waited to hear everything her aunt and uncle wanted to impart before making a judgement.
“In it, Adam related…” Maddie related the parts which her nieces would be interested in hearing, save her brother’s speculation.
When Aunt Maddie was finished, Elizabeth and Jane both remained calm. Rather than jump to conclusions, Elizabeth went over what her aunt had said, and not what she expected to hear.
Jane was the first to speak. “I agree, yes, he was mistaken about my feelings, but given my serenity and reticence, it is understandable. Mr Darcy actually did do me a good turn. It also allows me to securely expel Mr Bingley from my heart as it is certain all he ever had for me was an infatuation. He needs to mature before he should think of engaging another woman’s affections. ”
Maddie and Gardiner looked at Lizzy waiting for her to speak. That she was cogitating over her words rather than just making angry judgements was already a good sign.
“It is gratifying that as I have, Mr Darcy is able to see where he erred. If I am in his company again, and he apologises as he says he desires to do, I will forgive him, as I hope he will pardon me. I am not sure if, or when, I will see him again, but it is good to know. Janey has the right of it. Mr Darcy was acting in the service of a friend and ended up helping my sister as well. I cannot condemn him for that,” Elizabeth stated calmly.
When Aunt Maddie invited Lizzy to return to London with them in two days, she agreed, if Mama and Papa allowed it. They did.