Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
MORE CONFESSIONS
Mrs Bennet had been greatly displeased with her husband’s pronouncement that the wedding would take place just after the new year, on Wednesday the fifteenth of January.
Elizabeth had tried to persuade her mother to allow it sooner—before Christmas while the Gardiners were still in Hertfordshire—but Mrs Bennet had refused to hear of such haste.
“Absolutely not, Elizabeth Rose Bennet,” she had declared, the anger plain upon her face.
“It is bad enough that your father and intended have only given me six weeks to plan this wedding, but what you suggest is impossible. I will not have it. You are to go to London in less than a se’nnight to arrange for your trousseau, and even that I have been forbidden from overseeing.
Imagine it! Me—your mother—kept from helping her daughter obtain her wedding clothes and being denied a trip to London.
But with so short a time to prepare for a wedding of this consequence, how could I spare a moment for London? It is insupportable!”
Her hands fluttered with agitation as she paced the room.
“Your father has vexed me to no end with his pronouncements of late. He speaks as though a wedding were nothing more than setting a date and calling a parson! And you—forever contradicting me, when you should be grateful for the honour that has come your way. As though that were not enough, Mr Bingley has still not returned to Netherfield. What on earth is keeping the man from his estate? Does he not know his absence unsettles Jane dreadfully? It is more than any mother should be asked to bear.”
Elizabeth, sitting quietly beside her mother this morning as she made her many lists, kept her smile fixed though her patience grew thin. It had been but two days since the engagement was announced. Already her mother spoke as though she had been put upon for months.
“Six weeks!” Mrs Bennet muttered more than once, tapping her pen against the paper with great agitation. “Six weeks is scarcely six days! I declare I have been most ill-used. No one considers me, and it is I who must do all the work!”
Two days earlier, Mr Bennet had announced that the wedding date was settled and had immediately forbidden any further talk of London, silencing Mrs Bennet with the threat of cancelling the wedding breakfast altogether.
Since then, her grievances had only multiplied.
A strict budget had been imposed, Mrs Bennet was prohibited from going to London, and her protests were met with firm rebuke whenever Mr Darcy was present.
Unable to restrain herself entirely, she continued to pour her complaints into Elizabeth’s ear—about her husband’s authority, Mr Darcy’s interference, the haste of the arrangements, and even Mr Bingley’s continued absence from Netherfield.
Elizabeth listened to her mother with outward composure, but inwardly she sighed.
She loved her mother dearly, yet she could not help but wish she were less given to such displays.
She was thankful that, thus far, William had been able to bear her mother’s effusions with patience and courtesy—for she herself was fast running out of both, and she knew it would fall to her to balance his forbearance with her own resolve.
The engaged couple escaped from Longbourn whenever they could, often with Mary as a chaperone.
Since the Hursts had followed their brother back to London, William was alone at Netherfield and spent most of his days at Longbourn.
Many of his hours were passed in her father’s study, and Elizabeth often joined the two gentlemen there, even as her mother frequently demanded her presence elsewhere.
Between her mother and Jane, Elizabeth was often at a loss for what to do.
Even if Jane did not mention Mr Bingley’s absence, Elizabeth could not mistake the shadow in her sister’s countenance.
His absence was keenly felt, and for the first time in Elizabeth’s memory, Jane seemed almost to avoid her.
Instead, she spent more time with their mother—and, oddly enough, with Lydia.
The change stung Elizabeth more than she cared to admit, for she and Jane had always been the closest of sisters.
She could not help but speculate whether Jane’s distance was born of disappointment, or worse, resentment.
Elizabeth’s own engagement had been swiftly settled while Jane’s hopes appeared to wane with every day that Mr Bingley remained away.
Could her sister believe her happiness had come at the expense of her own?
The thought pained Elizabeth, yet she could not dismiss it; Jane’s avoidance confirmed that something was amiss between them.
It was a relief that Mary proved a willing listener during this time, for Elizabeth sorely needed reassurance.
She resolved to return the kindness after the wedding and spoke to William of inviting Mary to London or to Pemberley.
William had explained to them both upon his return that Mr Bingley had been detained in town for a few days, occupied with business concerning the release of his sister’s dowry and the establishment of her household.
But Jane had listened with quiet disbelief.
To her, his continued absence was proof that he had no intention of returning at all.
William could offer little more than his assurance that Bingley intended to come back; still, he admitted that the subject had not been discussed between them in detail and letters had been infrequent.
The weather remained fine enough that Elizabeth could walk out most mornings accompanied by one of the Darcy footmen, and those hours when she and William contrived to meet were most precious to them both.
The day after his return from London, they walked together along the paths near Oakham Mount, their hands entwined, speaking as freely as they dared.
“When I told my cousin Richard that Wickham had joined the militia, he at once devised a plan to rid my family of him once and for all,” William said.
Elizabeth gasped and halted, her eyes wide.
He chuckled softly, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Not that, dearest. Richard merely intends to have him transferred into a regiment in the Regulars, one commanded by a far more diligent officer than Colonel Forster. Although Forster decreed that his men must not purchase on credit, some have managed to do so nonetheless—and Wickham, of course, is one of them. My man reports he has already amassed a debt of twenty pounds. This new commission will be offered as a means to discharge it, with orders that his new commander keep him closely watched.”
His voice hardened. “I will confess to you, Elizabeth, I would not be grieved if he never returned from the Continent.”
“I cannot say I fault you for feeling so,” Elizabeth admitted.
“He has caused me grief as well, but I have not yet had the chance to tell you how. Just after he arrived, he spoke to my sister Jane and somehow persuaded her that you were merely trifling with me. Already uncertain of Mr Bingley’s regard, she has been further unsettled by his continued absence.
She scarcely speaks to me now, preferring instead to spend her time with my mother and Lydia.
Kitty, who is so used to following Lydia’s lead, is quite at a loss.
I fear Jane has placed too much faith in Mr Wickham’s lies, for she warns me repeatedly that you will use me ill. ”
Darcy frowned deeply. “I cannot imagine his purpose in continuing such falsehoods unless it is to ruin one of your sisters. Did you not tell me your father forbade your mother and sisters from entertaining the officers?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth replied, “and Lydia and Kitty have been in despair ever since. They are no longer permitted to walk into Meryton whenever they please. Only if Jane or I accompany them may they go—and since the ball, we have gone only once.
“For the rest of their time, Papa has decreed that they must engage in more suitable pursuits—sewing, reading, and such accomplishments as might one day render them tolerable in polite society. They resisted at first, of course, and Mama was no help at all until Papa spoke to her of our engagement and suggested that you would expect proper behaviour from every member of my family—else you might break it.”
Elizabeth grinned at him, her eyes alight with amusement.
“He knows—or at least I hope he does—that you would never do such a thing, given your very obvious affection for me; nevertheless, the threat proved most effective. Mama has become quite diligent in her lessons with my sisters, insisting upon both household management and stitching, and she has even sent them to Papa for an hour of instruction each day. She has gone so far as to suggest they ought to have a companion.”
Darcy chuckled softly before his expression sobered.
“I hope to hear from both Bingley and Richard today,” he said thoughtfully.
“I will instruct my man to bring any letters from either of them directly to Longbourn this afternoon that I might share whatever news there is with you. If you think it would help, I will speak to Miss Bennet myself regarding my dealings with Wickham.”
Elizabeth sighed heavily, leaning against Darcy a little more before she spoke.
“At present, I would caution you to avoid speaking of Georgiana. A fortnight ago, I would not have hesitated to share anything with Jane, but she has been different since her stay at Netherfield. I cannot explain it, but she is not the same as she once was.”