Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
T wo days after the assembly, Elizabeth, her mother, and sisters went to call on the ladies of Netherfield. Elizabeth had not spent much time with Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley at the assembly, but from the little she had, she did not believe they would become friends. Neither lady had looked pleased with their surroundings; indeed, their expressions had been little different from those of Mr Darcy before he had asked Elizabeth to dance.
And what a set it had been! He had surprised her, which only added to the intrigue she felt. As soon as he had entered the assembly rooms with the Bingleys and Hursts, her eyes had been drawn to him. He was by far the handsomest man she recalled ever meeting. His dark hair, tall, athletic form, noble features, and elegant attire were all to her liking. She had chosen to laugh at his haughty manner rather than be annoyed by it, and because he had shown so much disdain for everyone and everything about him, she had not expected him to ask for an introduction, let alone a dance .
What had followed had been memorable. Elizabeth had often thought of Mr Darcy since then, how easy it had been to speak to him after a brief awkwardness, how interesting their conversation had been, and her wish that they had more time together. On the way to Netherfield, a shiver of anticipation coursed through her at the thought that she might see him soon.
Entering the large, rather over-decorated drawing room, a stab of disappointment dampened Elizabeth’s mood; the gentlemen were not there. Silently, she reprimanded herself and vowed to cease thinking of Mr Darcy and give her attention to the ladies. Their hesitant speech and tight smiles gave the impression they were vexed to see the Bennets.
As her mother and two youngest sisters peppered the ladies with questions about their lives and what sort of entertainments they might host, Elizabeth sat beside Mary, both of them holding their tongues. Mary usually did, and Elizabeth did not wish to add to the cacophony. Jane attempted to calm Mrs Bennet, Kitty, and Lydia with little success.
Everything changed after about fifteen minutes when the gentlemen entered the room.
“Mrs Bennet, I am delighted to see you!” Mr Bingley cried with a broad smile. “How good you are to call on us. I must say, I have never met such friendly people as those in this neighbourhood.”
He said more, and her mother responded, but their conversation did not matter to her. She was too occupied with seeing Mr Darcy again. Their eyes met at once, and he offered her a smile that, while not as large as his friend’s, eclipsed it in warmth. Had he been as affected by their time together at the assembly as she had? If she had to guess, she would say yes, and it made her stomach twist into a knot and heart beat so rapidly that she felt dizzy.
“Caroline,” Mr Bingley said, “have you ordered refreshments? I would be glad to partake?—”
He stopped abruptly, and Elizabeth and Mr Darcy both turned to see why. She noticed a faint blush on Mr Bingley’s cheeks and assumed he realised his sister had not done the Bennets the courtesy.
“Well,” he said, “I-I suppose they have not been here long. You have not had a chance…”
“Exactly so,” Mrs Hurst said. “Caroline was just about to ring the bell.”
Elizabeth detected resignation beneath the lady’s politeness, but it mattered not; she returned to watching Mr Darcy, which was much more pleasant than finding reasons to criticise others.
Mr Darcy’s gaze was on her, and he said, “Perhaps the ladies would like to walk in the gardens first?”
Mrs Bennet, the Hursts, and Mary elected to stay inside, but Elizabeth was eager to be outside and determined to do whatever necessary to spend the next while with a certain gentleman.
Almost at once, she and Mr Darcy separated from the others. Although Miss Bingley attempted to remain by his side, Mr Bingley asked her opinion on some question, and while she responded, Mr Darcy quietly led Elizabeth away. They kept to the same path as their companions, but their steps were faster, and soon there was enough distance between them that it would be difficult for anyone to overtake them.
“You did not want to hear my sisters tease Mr and Miss Bingley about the amusements they must host?”
“Would you forgive me if I said I did not? I do not see the purpose in coming out of doors only to stand about. I believe you might prefer to be active?”
“And so I do! I have also had to listen to quite enough speculation on how we shall be entertained by your friends, even before we met any of you, if you can believe it. Take it as an indication of how glad everyone hereabouts is to have Netherfield occupied again. Having discovered that Mr Bingley is so amiable, certain people, whom I shall not name, are confident he would like nothing more than to spend his money on picnics, card parties, and even balls.” She laughed fondly. “Kitty and Lydia are young and enthusiastic and prefer to spend all their time diverting themselves. Your sister is about the same age. Are they much alike?”
He shook his head. “Georgiana is shy and often content to partake of quieter activities, such as playing the pianoforte or drawing, but I believe she also takes a great interest in fashion. Given she has been at school until lately, I do not know her as well as I would like.”
“You have not spent much time together?” That surprised her; he spoke of his sister with deep affection.
“I have kept us together as often as possible, but given I am unmarried and the difference in our ages…” He shrugged. “I asked if she wanted to come to Netherfield with me, but she is content to remain with her companion.”
Elizabeth accepted this without comment. “Speaking of amusements, one of our purposes in calling today was to invite you to a picnic we are having on Saturday. I hope you will be able to accept.”
He smiled at her and said that he would. “I shall anticipate it.”
Her cheeks heated at the softness of his voice, and she turned her gaze to the path ahead of them. “The gardens here are lovely. Have you had much chance to explore them or the neighbourhood since you arrived?”
Over the next while, they spoke of gardens—including those at his estate and Kew Gardens—and she informed him of several places he and his friends might like to visit on horseback or by other means. She listened with pleasure as he described the Derbyshire countryside, which sounded magnificent.
Soon, it was time to return to the drawing room, and, after enjoying the refreshments Miss Bingley had reluctantly ordered, the Bennets departed. Although she had not been able to speak to Mr Darcy a great deal during this last part of the visit, she was nevertheless satisfied with the morning—and even more intrigued by him than she had been at the assembly.
Mrs Bennet had decided to arrange a picnic even before she met Mr Bingley, but—as she said many times in Elizabeth’s presence—she was especially glad she had because it gave her, ‘the most perfect opportunity to show Mr Bingley how glad we are to know him, his charming family, and that ever so handsome friend of his!’
Elizabeth’s feelings on the upcoming day were stronger than that, though she attempted to hide them when in her mother’s presence because she had discerned that her daughter liked Mr Darcy and, as she was doing with Jane and Mr Bingley, was already dreaming of them marrying.
“I shall die happy if only I can call both gentlemen my sons-in-law!” Mrs Bennet said one morning. She, Elizabeth, and her sisters were in the parlour, discussing the picnic. “Mr Darcy is so rich! Indeed, Mr Bingley’s fortune seems as nothing in comparison, but he is such an amiable young man, I do not suppose it really matters.”
“And four or five thousand a year is far more than Papa has,” Elizabeth whispered to Jane, who sat beside her.
“Mama, we have only just met them. None of us can have enough confidence in their characters to be thinking of being their friends in six months, let alone welcoming them into our family,” Mary said.
That might be true, Elizabeth supposed, but her sister was thinking with her head and not her heart.
“Oh, be quiet, Mary!” Mrs Bennet cried. “When such a man is paying you attention, your tune will change—especially if they have an earl for an uncle.”
“Jane is two-and-twenty,” Lydia said. “She had best hope Mr Bingley wants to marry her or soon she will be like Charlotte. Too old for any man to notice!” She laughed heartily.
“That was cruel and untrue,” Elizabeth asserted. “You had better be glad my father did not hear you, because if he had, you would find yourself back in the nursery.”
This led to an angry exchange that only ended when Elizabeth, Jane, and Mary left the room. While their younger sister went to practise the pianoforte, Jane suggested she and Elizabeth sit in the garden.
“You ought not to mind Lydia,” Jane said once they were comfortable on their usual bench, which, at this time of the day, was shaded by an overhanging beech tree. “She is young, and we all do and say foolish things at that time of life.”
Elizabeth was incredulous. “Do you expect she will be more sober and caring of others’ feelings when she is Mary’s age, let alone yours or mine? I do not.” Lydia had always been spoilt by their mother, and their father had long ago given up on correcting her behaviour, saying he trusted time would do the trick. “Oh, let us not speak of her further! Tell me, what do you think of Mr Bingley?”
Jane blushed. “I-I like him. I do not see how anyone could not. He is everything a young man ought to be, but, as Mary said, we hardly know him.”
“True,” Elizabeth agreed, but she very much doubted further acquaintance would change her opinion of Mr Darcy.