Chapter Nineteen
Nearly two dozen people congregated in the large set of parlors at Milton Hall. It was a finely appointed room, and the curtains had been pulled back to showcase a splendid view of the sunset beyond a wide terrace facing the grove that concealed the little lake.
Miss Bingley had come down looking supremely smug as she prepared to receive her brother’s guests, and Elizabeth was pleased to see it. She had all the satisfaction, in the end, when her relations were among the first guests to arrive, and Miss Bingley’s importance instantly diminished.
The family from Hartfield arrived at the same time, and Emma’s reaction was just what Elizabeth expected.
She exclaimed loudly and at length upon seeing Jane Fairfax’s double, and when her sister and Miss Taylor did the same, Charlotte and Mr. Bingley joined in the great fuss of astonishment.
Even Mr. Darcy could not resist expressing a little amazement at seeing them both together, and Elizabeth noticed that he did so when it became evident that Miss Bingley was near to screaming.
Miss Bates was perfectly poised, looking like the true queen of the evening in her new golden gown as she repeated the public story as they had agreed; Mr. Bennet was rendered silent with astonishment.
He eventually moved closer to Elizabeth, looking as though he wished to avoid the imminent inquisition from his future bride.
“Elizabeth, you do not appear the slightest bit surprised to behold your identical copy.”
“We are not identical,” Elizabeth said softly. “Bessie has always shaded my hair darker so that I do not remind you of my mother.”
Mr. Bennet narrowed his eyes at her. “I noticed you neglected that habit in the days preceding our journey south.”
“I hope you do not accuse me of endeavoring to remind you of the woman you once loved. But I shall maintain the dark hair while we are here, for the sake of our friends telling Jane and me apart – even if our mother thinks it mad that I do not prefer my natural golden curls.”
His eyes widened. “Hmm,” he grumbled. “And ought I refrain from suggesting your sudden interest in meeting Caroline’s brother stemmed from an awareness of whom we would encounter on our travels?”
Elizabeth gazed at her father as if seeing him with different eyes than before her sojourn in Weymouth.
She still loved him dearly, and she had long supposed him to be a man who had loved and lost before his unhappy first marriage.
But now she also saw the man who had withheld the truth from her for twenty years, who might have allowed her to pass her whole life unaware of Jane’s existence, and who had even tolerated Jane's circumstances being so different to her own.
She wished him every joy – preferably with her mother as his next bride – but she would tolerate no further deprivation.
“It is possible that chance might have led us here, anyhow; it is certain that I intend to cherish the new relations who have come into my life. I might have had twenty years with them. But at least now I know that I shall have some place to go when Miss Bingley abandons her scheme to marry me off and simply turns me out of the house.”
Mr. Bennet looked pained. “I would never allow that, Lizzy.”
“But you would betroth yourself to someone capable of threatening it,” Elizabeth said archly. She could see that she had pushed her father to the limit of what he could tolerate amongst a larger party of mostly strangers, and fortunately Miss Bingley was moving that way to demand his attention.
She stalked toward them with clenched fists; her forced smile was somehow ominous. “My darling, you never mentioned that your ward is a twin. It is a rather remarkable omission.”
“You did not say your brother’s estate was so near Highbury,” he huffed, looking wildly unprepared to defend himself. Elizabeth flashed the happy couple a tranquil smile and moved away before she could be next assaulted by Miss Bingley.
Elizabeth kept close to her sister as the rest of the guests arrived, and Charlotte assisted – though it was hardly necessary – in prolonging the excitement of their companions at the shocking discovery that Jane Fairfax was a twin.
The Elton siblings, Doctor Perry and his wife, Mr. Weston and his son Mr. Churchill, and even Mr. Knightley all had a turn at marveling over the resemblance of the two sisters and the apparent coincidence that had reunited them.
In the midst of this chaos, Mrs. Bates waved Elizabeth over with a look of high humor of her expressive, wrinkled face.
“Are you enjoying all this fuss, my dear? I noticed you told your mother what you and Jane had contrived without remorse. That is no surprise; you must be your father’s daughter, of course.
But it is remarkable to me that Jane was just as self-assured, which must be your influence.
I have never been so proud of you, either of you, as I am this evening.
The pair of you are resplendent, and whatever my daughter says, I like the sight of you as one dark and one fair.
You are allowed your differences, and they complement you each so well. ”
Elizabeth was surprised to hear her grandmother speaking in public, even at such a discreet volume. Mrs. Bates looked very well-pleased with herself.
“Do you imagine I give a fig if anyone knows I speak so seldom out of inclination and not ailment? My husband was vicar of Highbury for half his life, and I did my duty well in the parish for five and twenty years; I think I have earned the right to be the local curmudgeon, if only Mr. Woodhouse would concede the distinction to me. Besides, nobody is going to notice the whims of an old lady when there are twin beauties causing such a to-do! The pair of you will be the talk of Highbury until Christmas! Your father’s fancy lady is well and truly put out over it; I suppose she planned on being the spectacle of the evening. ”
Elizabeth leaned in to whisper back to her grandmother, certain she might say anything at all and have a devoted ally. “I confess, I am hoping for some great tantrum when she sees her schemes come to naught – let her expose her true self to everyone, but Papa most of all.”
“Anybody can be provoked to madness, to be sure – as to whether your two pigheaded parents can be moved is another matter entirely.”
“Ah, but I am the embodiment of sternness combined; surely my willful obstinacy must be stronger.”
“Let us hope so,” Mrs. Bates agreed before shooing her away to carry on her mischief.
The other guests all broke into smaller groups to chat as they awaited the dinner Elizabeth had contrived to delay.
She dared not tarry long enough for Emma to discover that Jane Fairfax was not her intimate friend, for the sisters did not wish it to be commonly known that they had exchanged places.
Clever Jane! It was she who had observed that they may wish to save this revelation for another time, should they again see any profit in creating a bit of chaos.
Elizabeth approached her friend, giving the signal she had promised when last they met – she ascertained that nobody but Emma could see her as she crossed her eyes and stuck out the tip of her tongue before swiftly schooling her countenance into triumphant serenity.
Emma looked at her with comprehension, and then confusion.
“Miss Bennet? But Jane was meant to do that – or are you Jane? You have darkened your hair. Good Heavens! I am all aflutter.”
Elizabeth motioned toward a sofa and sat close enough to whisper to her friend.
“I am Miss Bennet, though you have known me as Miss Fairfax since my return from Weymouth. Jane and I met there, discovered the truth of our relation, and then we agreed to exchange places. She came to know my guardian, while I had a chance to meet her aunt and all her lovely neighbors.”
Emma’s mouth fell open, but she quickly closed it and took a moment to consider Elizabeth’s revelation. “So, it was not the real Jane Fairfax who has delighted me for the last week, who stood by my side like the truest of friends during my ordeal?”
“I hope you will still call me a friend,” Elizabeth said warmly. “And I hope you shall call Jane a friend in time, too. I believe our scheme has made her a little bolder.”
“I would never have thought her capable of any guile – what a wonder!”
“And you are not cross with us?”
“Oh, Jane, I am so far from cross with you….”
“Lizzy. That is what my friends call me – only Miss Bingley calls me Eliza, and I wish to throttle her for it.”
Emma grinned. “Oh! I knew at once that she is awful – and she is to be my sister! Ha! Would that make me your aunt, after a fashion? But I suppose that all took place while Jane was being you?”
“My father met her while Jane and I were becoming acquainted in Weymouth.” Elizabeth gave her friend an abbreviated account of how she and Jane had met and all that they had discovered, omitting only her true parentage.
For her mother’s sake more than her own dignity, she could not reveal that detail.
“But how shocking that they never told you of your own twin! I should be quite put out at being deprived of such a rare gift! And the disparity between you – forgive me for saying so, Lizzy, but you are an heiress of a far greater fortune than she – to favor one sister over the other by chance is cruel!”
Elizabeth smiled tightly. “We have been favored in different ways. My fortune is greater, and I shall have Netherfield, but Jane has travelled, she has been educated properly….”
Emma gave her the same guiltily downcast expression. “I suppose we would do better not to lament being always at home with our fathers, while some have been penniless and content, travelling the world….”
“And here Jane would remind us that England is not the whole world – nor is a dowry of ten thousand pounds quite abject penury.”