Chapter 4
Charlotte’s father, Sir William Lucas, and her sister Maria, planned to visit her at her new home in Hunsford in early March.
Sir William invited Elizabeth to ride with them, but Mr. Bennet did not like to lose her company so soon and convinced his old friend to delay several days by telling him that the roads would be in much better condition once winter was firmly behind them.
It was decided that the carriage would drop Jane in London to spend some weeks with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner and enjoy the season, and Mr. Bennet would collect both his daughters on the way to Margate.
Mr. Bennet made his daughters promise to keep up with their studies while they were away.
Jane would continue with French and the pianoforte with the assistance of Mrs. Gardiner, and the drawing master had given her several tasks to complete.
Elizabeth had no such resources at her disposal, not even a pianoforte, but she was sent with assignments nonetheless.
Her music and French master gave her weeks’ worth of daily assignments, and she was given a sketchbook by her drawing master that she was ordered to fill before her father collected her in five weeks’ time.
Her father sent her with two histories and a book of poetry; they would continue their discussions through correspondence.
Elizabeth sighed but packed the books away with her belongings and promised she would do as she had been directed.
Mr. Bennet did not give Jane as many tasks as Elizabeth because he knew she would do them without being told, as she always had, and secondly because he wanted her to spend her time socializing and hopefully meeting a man she could respect and esteem.
He had spoken at length with his brother Gardiner when they were in Hertfordshire over Christmas.
He did not share his diagnosis—he had shared it with no one—but he was sure his brother suspected something by the way he looked at him so shrewdly.
Regardless of his suspicions, Gardiner had agreed to host Jane for a time during the season and to introduce her to as many eligible men as he could.
Between the two of them, they decided a well-off tradesman might be best and most realistic.
Jane was sensible, something a man of business would surely need in a wife, and very kind and gentle, qualities a man living near the warehouses could appreciate even more than the residents of Mayfair.
And of course she was beautiful, easily the most beautiful woman of one’s acquaintance.
The fact that she was the daughter of a gentleman would bring a sense of prestige to whatever match she made.
With his marching orders in hand, Gardiner was prepared to find his niece a husband.
Her second day in town, Jane attended a dinner party with her aunt and uncle.
Her spirits were still low due to the absence of Mr. Bingley, the most amiable man she’d ever met, but she put forth a strong effort to be agreeable.
She smiled and asked questions of the people she met before dinner and was very pleasant to her dinner partner, a Mr. Eastman.
He was very kind, very handsome, and very recently married.
Mrs. Eastman shot interested glances at Jane throughout the meal and was overly inquisitive when the ladies withdrew, but Jane answered simply and discreetly, not giving the nosy woman any satisfaction.
She was serene and agreeable, as she always was, but she was not blind to the looks she received from the women.
At first, she told herself they were merely curious of a stranger to their circle, but eventually she began to recognize that the young unmarried women were not pleased by her presence, and neither were the older women with a daughter of marriageable age.
The young married women, with the exception of Mrs. Eastman, were kind to her, though.
Jane stayed close to these women and hoped the night would end soon, wondering slightly when she had become so negative. Was this disillusionment?
The following weeks were much of the same.
Dinner parties, balls both private and public, and outings to the museum and Hyde Park.
Jane became friends with a Mrs. Caldwell who had recently married a merchant of no small means, and her cousin Mrs. Pearson, who was not much older than Jane herself, but had been married two years and had an infant son.
The three ladies went on outings together, took walks in the park, cooed over young Master Pearson when his nursemaid brought him in to see them, and took tea together several times a week.
Mrs. Pearson was the second daughter of a wealthy ship magnate and had married into the gentry.
Her large dowry had attracted Mr. Pearson and his failing estate.
She was given entry to the quality through marriage; he was saved from destitution and humiliation.
Mrs. Pearson had refused to give up her familial ties when she married, and so straddled the line between tradesman and gentry.
More importantly, Mrs. Pearson had an elder brother, Mr. Walker, who had been very attentive to Jane on the few occasions he had met her.
The last time she took tea at Mrs. Pearson’s, he had unexpectedly dropped by, just to say hello to his sister, and stayed for half an hour, talking almost exclusively to Jane.
Mr. Walker was pleasant and very gentlemanly in his address, always kind to Jane and to everyone she saw him interact with.
After three weeks in town, Jane had danced with him twice at two balls, attended two dinners at his sister’s—one only a small family party, and attended a musical soiree at his father’s home.
She found his family to be genteel and kind, and all seemed disposed to like her a great deal.
It was quite refreshing to be surrounded by genuine people, which she was shocked at herself for noticing, but after sending three letters unanswered to Caroline Bingley and calling on her only to be told the lady was not at home when Jane could clearly hear her talking to Mrs. Hurst in the drawing room, she was less sure of her friendship in that quarter.
It seemed quite clear that Miss Bingley was ending the acquaintance and Jane could not think of why, unless it was that Miss Bingley simply did not like her.
Poor Jane felt very misused, after Miss Bingley had made such a fuss over her in Hertfordshire and gone on about what great friends they were.
Why would she suddenly change her mind when Jane had done nothing at all?
Or had Miss Bingley never truly been her friend and only acted as if she was? But if so, to what purpose?
Jane believed that all people were not only basically good, but actually good, and if their rude actions could not be easily explained, there must be some sort of great need that only they knew of that caused them to behave in such a way.
She only ever had kind motives herself, and she simply could not comprehend how some people were vicious, or mean, or unkind on purpose; that some people actually meant to hurt others, or that they were unfeeling and selfish, doing what they wanted, when they wanted, without a thought about others affected by their actions.
She was sure that they must simply have not realized what they were doing, that no one had ever taught them how to do right, that they were unaware of the consequences of their heedless decisions.
Her father had had many discussions with her over the past few months about the nature of people, using literature as a guide, impressing on her that not all could be trusted and that some were actually purposely dishonest while having all the appearance of goodness.
Jane had not wanted to believe him, indeed had argued with him that there could be some sort of misunderstanding, but her father had been firm and without realizing it, Jane had learned something of the darker side of life.
She was not at all pleased by it, and the disturbance of her mind was great.
If all in the world was not bright and clear, what was it?
So it was with great surprise and trepidation that she turned around at the small ball at Mrs. Pearson’s only to come face to face with Mr. Bingley.
“Miss Bennet!” he cried, surprise all over his face.
“Mr. Bingley.” Jane was no less shocked. She colored and looked to the floor.
“What brings you to London?” he asked.
“I am visiting my aunt and uncle.” She glanced quickly behind her at the stylish looking couple talking to Mrs. Pearson’s parents.
“Ah.” Bingley seemed to run out of things to say and looked about awkwardly until Mr. Walker approached and reminded her that their set was next. She curtseyed to Mr. Bingley and left gratefully, her heart thudding in her chest.
Bingley walked the perimeter of the dance floor, not talking to anyone, simply watching Jane Bennet dance. She wondered what he was about, staring at her so. He had never looked at her like that in Hertfordshire. Would he ask her to dance? Would she accept?
Two sets later, Jane and Bingley stood across from each other. The dance was a sedate one, leaving plenty of time for conversation and cross examination. The first few minutes were spent in silence, each looking around them or at the floor, but never at each other.
“How do you know the Pearsons?” he finally asked.
“Mrs. Pearson has lately become a friend,” she answered. “And you?”
“Pearson and I were in Cambridge together.”
She nodded and they continued on in silence. Feeling all the awkwardness of quiet where there had once been no lack of conversation, Jane spoke.
“How are your sisters?”
“Well, thank you. And your family? Are they well?” he asked.
“Yes, they are, thank you.”
The niceties were painful to both but Bingley seemed determined to go on. Jane was not sure how she felt about that.
“Are any of them here with you?” He gave a cursory glance around the ballroom.
“No, I am in London on my own. My younger sisters but one remain at Longbourn.” At his questioning look, she added, “My sister Elizabeth has gone to Kent to visit our friend who has recently married and moved there.”
“Oh? Anyone I know?”
“Yes. Miss Charlotte Lucas married my father’s cousin Mr. Collins. They have settled in Kent where he has a living.”
“Really!” He smiled brightly. “When you see her, please give Miss Lucas my heartfelt congratulations. She is such an amiable lady.”
“Yes, she is. She is well missed in the neighborhood.”
He squeezed her hand before releasing it to walk around her. “I am sorry you’ve lost a friend, Miss Bennet. But surely you can visit each other! Kent is not so great a distance.”
“No, it is not, but I fear that her new responsibilities will not allow her to travel overmuch.”
He nodded and they lapsed into silence again.
When it was time to take her hand, he held it a little too tightly and kept it a little too long.
They soon overcame their shyness of looking at each other and once he had caught her gaze, he stared at her, his grey-green eyes never leaving hers, and thus they finished the dance without looking at anyone else.
That night as she lay in bed, Jane was in turmoil.
What could he mean by holding her hand in such a way?
She had convinced herself that she had been wrong about him, that he had only meant to offer her friendship and that her desire for more had colored her impressions.
But he had been quite unmistakable tonight.
Her friends and her aunt had all remarked on it after their dance.
How he had stared at her, how he had ignored everyone else around them.
Mrs. Pearson informed Jane that Mr. Bingley had asked after her.
What was she to think? Oh, teasing, teasing man! It would be so much easier if he could simply tell her what he meant by all his confusing actions. And so she had another shock: Jane Bennet was irritated with Mr. Bingley.