Chapter 5 Leaving Netherfield
CHAPTER FIVE
LEAVING NETHERFIELD
Early the next morning, Caroline Bingley departed Netherfield for Scarborough.
Only her brother came to see her off, a slight that displeased her greatly.
The previous evening she had sought Mrs Hurst’s support, but for the first time her sister refused to excuse her poor behaviour.
Their quarrel was sharp and bitter, and by morning Mrs Hurst was still so incensed that she declined even to bid her farewell.
Miss Bingley complained bitterly to her brother about this lack of support—particularly Mrs Hurst’s failure to help persuade him against sending her away.
Thus, for the first time, true discord divided the sisters, and Miss Bingley departed Netherfield, decidedly unhappy with the outcome of the past days.
She would have been even less pleased to know how little her absence was lamented by the rest of the household—least of all by the gentleman whose admiration she had most coveted.
Jane Bennet had appeared at breakfast that morning with her sister, feeling much better now and convinced that she was well enough to return home. She and Elizabeth conferred, and Elizabeth sent a note to Longbourn asking for a carriage to convey them home.
Their mother, however, had seen the letter first and wrote back saying that a carriage could not be spared. Thus, they had decided they would seek assistance from their hosts. The answer surprised them.
“You must not think of leaving so soon,” Bingley objected when the sisters made their request at breakfast. “Surely it would be better for you to remain at least one more day. You could join us for church in the morning and then return to Longbourn after.”
Jane glanced at her sister, who shrugged as inconspicuously as she could. Before Jane could respond, Mrs Hurst spoke. “Yes, Miss Bennet,” she said, her voice welcoming, “you should rest another day before departing for your home. You would not want to suffer a relapse.”
The two sisters exchanged another glance before the elder agreed.
“We would be delighted to remain today and depart after church on the morrow,” Jane replied.
The matter was not discussed again until after breakfast when Jane and Elizabeth returned to their rooms for a few minutes to gather their things for a walk with the gentlemen.
“I am surprised at you, Lizzy,” Jane began quietly nearly as soon as the door closed behind them. “I would have thought you wished to return home sooner.”
Elizabeth felt her cheeks heat. “It is easier without Miss Bingley present. I… I have learnt to,” she paused, then grinned, “tolerate the company of Mr Darcy a little more of late.”
Jane merely arched a brow at her younger sister, but said nothing else as they were exiting the room. However, as they stood at the top of the stairs, before they could begin their descent, Jane forced her sister to pause.
“Take care, Lizzy,” she said sternly. “I do not know what you are about, but I cannot imagine that either Mr Darcy or Mr Bingley would appreciate your making a mockery of them.”
Elizabeth’s eyes widened, and she drew back slightly, her brows knitting together. “What can you mean?” she asked, her voice edged with disbelief.
“Simply that you always tend to believe yourself to be more intelligent than everyone else,” Jane said, her tone far more tart than Elizabeth was used to hearing from her sister.
“If you toy with Mr Darcy, he may be offended and take Mr Bingley back to London with him, eliminating any chance I have of marrying him. I like him very much, Lizzy, and know that I am already at a disadvantage due to my family. Please be kind to Mr Darcy.”
Staring at her sister for several long moments, Elizabeth finally nodded.
“I am not ‘toying’ with anyone, Jane. Mr Darcy and I talked, he apologised for his insult at the assembly, and now, I believe we are friends. We spoke for some time yesterday while you were resting and found that we have much in common.”
Jane merely watched her sister for several moments, before hissing, “Do not ruin this for me, Lizzy. It is bad enough that I am forced to overcome Mama’s machinations, but do not be another thorn in my side.
If you cannot speak to Mr Darcy without antagonising the man, simply be silent while we remain in his company.
Mr Bingley said that his friend will depart before too much longer, and I do not wish for him to encourage Mr Bingley to go with him. ”
“But Jane—” Elizabeth began, startled at this rebuke from her sister, but before she could finish her protest, Jane only gave her a frustrated glare before sweeping past her to continue determinedly down the stairs.
Unused to such callous treatment by her sister, she lingered at the top of the stairs, uncertain of how she ought to feel, until she became aware of a tall, steady presence at her side.
“Are you well, Elizabeth?” Darcy asked quietly, his brows drawn in concern as his gaze searched her face.
She drew in a breath and nodded, and after a moment had steadied herself sufficiently to speak. The words then seemed to burst forth.
“I was too free with my censure of you after the assembly. Jane knows all too well how vehemently I claimed to dislike you in the days that followed.”
Her eyes closed briefly as the memory of her careless remarks—uttered both in private to her sister and aloud in company—rose to mind. She would have much to overcome.
“Although I have said little of our conversation yesterday, I… I did not imagine my sister would think me capable of making sport with an honourable gentleman such as yourself. Yet she fears I might speak—or act—so foolishly as to anger you… enough that you might withdraw, and take your friend with you. She holds Mr Bingley in the highest esteem and would be devastated to lose him.” Elizabeth’s voice wavered; she lowered her eyes, her hands twisting together.
“She is all too conscious, as am I, of how our family has behaved. She believes—as I once did—that you look down upon us for it. Perhaps…” She paused, swallowing hard before finishing in a low tone, “…perhaps you still do.”
Darcy’s brows furrowed as he regarded her closely. “Then she does not know of our understanding?”
Elizabeth opened her eyes and met his gaze.
“Do we have an understanding, sir?” she asked, her voice uncharacteristically uncertain.
“We spoke of your wishes, and you said something of listening to your heart… yet I was not entirely sure what was meant by it. Until now, I did not know whether we were truly agreed. Am I to wait until you have spoken to my father before I may share the news with my family?”
It was Darcy’s turn to falter. As she had done only moments before, he closed his eyes, forcing his thoughts back to their conversations in the library and at dinner the previous night, searching for the precise words that had passed between them.
“Forgive me, Miss Elizabeth,” he said at length, his voice low. For a moment more he seemed to wrestle with himself, then offered no further explanation, but extended his arm in silent entreaty. Wordlessly, he guided her down the stairs and out into the late morning air for their walk.
Elizabeth took it, and waited expectantly for the gentleman to speak. She waited as they descended the stairs and out the front door, making their way to the gardens.
Once outside, Darcy finally found the words he needed to say.
“Forgive me, Elizabeth,” he repeated. “We discussed the concept of courtship yesterday, but you are correct, I neglected to say more than that I had decided. Yes, I wish to court you, and I hope that you will grant me the honour. If you agree, I will wait to speak to your father until after you have departed Netherfield. Otherwise, he will not allow you to remain here with your sister.”
“You are correct about that, or, at least I think you will be,” Elizabeth acknowledged after she considered his words. “I will allow you to court me under one condition: my mother cannot know of it.”
“You propose we keep our courtship a secret?” Darcy asked, his surprise obvious in his tone.
“From my mother, which means keeping it a secret from most people here in Meryton,” Elizabeth said.
Seeming to understand how he might misunderstand her request, she continued.
“Mama will not hesitate to speak of the courtship as though it were an engagement and, should either of us decide we will not suit, will berate me constantly about how I failed to secure a suitor, particularly one like you.”
She paused again, thinking of how to phrase what she wished to say next.
She stopped and turned to face him, taking his hands in hers.
“Forgive me, sir, for I must mention the gossip that we have heard since you came into our area. It was widely believed that you have ten thousand a year, and Mama would spread the news to the entire county while she began to plan for our wedding. I do not know if you are aware of this, but Longbourn is entailed and a distant cousin will inherit upon my father’s death. ”
“No, I had not realised,” Darcy began, but Elizabeth spoke before he could say more.
“As you can imagine, Mama wishes to have all her daughters settled, without giving much thought to their wishes in the matter. While Papa would support me in my refusal of a suitor, Mama would not forgive me nearly as easily. She is not mercenary, merely concerned for our futures, and that makes her a bit… anxious at times,” Elizabeth said.
Darcy nodded, and for several moments, silence hung between them.
“As long as your father is aware of my intentions,” he said at last, his voice low and steady, “I can agree to your condition. I would not wish to deceive him. While I understand your uncertainty, I—” He hesitated, searching her face.
“I cannot imagine changing my mind now. A courtship, I think, would be more for you—to come to know me better. You misunderstood me at first, and now, I wish to show you my real self, one that I too often have kept hidden from others.”
Elizabeth’s lips curved into a small, amused smile.
“Only yesterday you were uncertain whether you ought even to pursue me, and now you are quite resolved that you do, in fact, wish to marry me?” she teased, her tone light though her heart was far less steady.
The swiftness of her own feelings startled her.
Only the day before she had been convinced that she disliked him—after all, his slight at the assembly had wounded her pride.
Yet she could not deny that his wish for a courtship, his earnest attempt to show her who he truly was, and the long, meaningful conversations of the past several days had steadily worn down her resistance.
The notion, which before yesterday she would have dismissed, seemed curiously appealing today.
To her astonishment, a flush crept up Darcy’s neck, staining his ears pink.
He looked away briefly, then back again, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant.
“Forgive me for my earlier attitude, Miss Elizabeth,” he murmured.
“I was determined to be displeased, but I should have never acted in such an ungentlemanly manner.”
“It is well, Mr Darcy,” she replied softly, one hand rising almost without thought to rest lightly on his chest. “I have forgiven you for your slight, and we are both determined to do better now.”
Without hesitation, he shifted, covering her hand, enclosing it carefully in his. His touch was warm, steady, reverent.
For a long moment, neither moved. The silence wrapped around them, heavy and tender, the simple gesture conveying more than either dared to put into words.
“Thank you, Elizabeth,” he said, stepping back and allowing her to take his arm in a more proper manner. “We are alone now; will you not call me William as you did yesterday?”
Wandering the gardens for the better part of an hour, the couple spoke with the same ease they had enjoyed in the library the previous day.
This time, no unwelcome interruption disturbed their discourse, and when at last they returned indoors to rejoin the others, there lingered far less uncertainty in either mind about their wish to spend more time together.
Even if she was not yet as resolute as Mr Darcy, Elizabeth found herself nearly certain about what she did desire for her future.
As the day wore on, the Netherfield party remained much in one another’s company.
The two courting pairs were, perhaps unknowingly, chaperoned by the married couple present.
One attachment was broadly assumed, if not openly spoken of, while the other existed only in the private understanding of the couple themselves.
While no one seemed surprised to see Elizabeth and Darcy engaged in earnest conversation, none suspected that a courtship had already begun.
On Sunday, the gentlemen escorted the ladies home after services as had been arranged and were well pleased when Mrs Bennet graciously invited them both to remain for luncheon.
If her welcome to one gentleman was a shade less warm than to the other, no comment was made, and the company soon settled into agreeable spirits.
The meal passed pleasantly enough, still Mr Darcy remained mostly silent. It appeared to Elizabeth that he was uncertain how to act given their new understanding, and while he had been pleasant to her family, he was still stiff and formal, no doubt a habit of his upbringing.
Still, the two couples each managed to find some time to converse privately with each other, with Elizabeth and Mr Darcy choosing to take a walk out of doors after the noon meal, while Jane and Mr Bingley remained in the sitting room with Mrs Bennet.
The younger girls also chose to remain indoors, and Elizabeth and Mr Darcy enjoyed the time spent in each other’s sole company.
The afternoon seemed to hasten away. Mr Bennet was conspicuously absent from the gathering, and it was with some reluctance that the gentlemen at last agreed it was time to depart for Netherfield before the sun had set.