Chapter 4 #4
“My boy, to such a question I would know the answer in a blink of an eye if it involved a lady and me. If it is about you, you should seek the truth for yourself. You should feel the truth. I have heard that you have been enchanted by lovely young ladies many times. But may I ask — how many women have you loved?”
Bingley was puzzled. “Loved?”
“Yes, loved. That feeling that keeps you awake during the night and anxious during the day and makes your blood run through your veins and sets your heart pounding. That sensation that makes you unaware of the world around you except for one person.”
Bingley remained silent, thoughtful, bemused. “Well, I…I shall have to think about that.”
“You do so, my boy. As for the lady’s feelings, again, a man should know, should feel. From a smile, from a glance, from a shiver, from a mere gesture. You cannot be deceived if you seriously search for the truth.”
“And yet, so many men of consequence are misled by ladies’ demure appearances and gentle manners, induced to believe themselves in love and loved in return, only to find they were wrong when it was too late,” Darcy said severely.
“I do know several such cases myself, and I believe a man cannot be cautious enough in this regard.”
Bingley’s distress increased, and the admiral laughed even louder.
“That is because we men often allow our pride and arrogance and selfishness to guide our judgment. We consider ourselves to be superior to others, we appreciate our assets too much and others’ too little, and we see the faults in others but never our own.
Therefore, when we like a young lady, we have a tendency to assume she must like us too, and we judge her every action and gesture to support our assumption and to satisfy our vanity.
And when we find out we have been wrong, we claim she has deceived us, although in truth we have deceived ourselves. ”
“Perhaps,” Darcy said. “But you cannot deny that there are young ladies who would pretend to have more feelings than they truly possess to secure a husband.”
“I fear you have met more such cases than I have, and you seem far more worried by the notion than I am,” the admiral replied with amusement.
“Or perhaps you are more eligible and more desirable than I was. Darcy, I wonder how many ladies you have been smitten with and how many you have loved — if any.”
The question took Darcy by surprise, and he glared at the admiral reproachfully.
Until recently, he would have answered such a question lightly.
He had been enchanted a few times by some beautiful young ladies, but never more than a distant admiration that passed before it was even acknowledged.
Elizabeth’s presence in his life had changed that completely.
“It is very late. We should retire for the night before we open another debate. My life is completely uneventful, I assure you,” he responded more coldly than he wished to.
“Yes, I feared that would be the case,” the admiral said.
Bingley began to laugh loudly, despite Darcy’s frown and reproachful expression.
“I am glad you are entertained, Bingley,” Darcy said. “At least you do not look worried any longer.”
“I am still worried, but the admiral’s advice has helped me.”
“I am pleased to hear that, my boy. Regarding your concern — even if the lady does not return the same level of affection at the beginning of a marriage, if she is worthy of the effort, and the gentleman’s feelings are strong enough, he should pursue her and conquer her.
There is nothing more delightful than making a beautiful lady fall in love with you and enjoying your success.
Sadly, most gentlemen of the ton enter into arranged marriages and could not care less about their wives.
They only comply with their marital duties and put the effort into conquering others. ”
“I can easily understand your meaning, sir. And I truly enjoy listening to you. You speak so lightly yet so decidedly of these matters with the ladies,” Bingley said admiringly.
Darcy smiled to himself, more comfortable now he had ceased to be the subject of the conversation.
The admiral had always been a favourite with the ladies — more than the family would like to admit.
He had observed the man garnering much attention on each of the rare occasions they had attended balls and parties together.
In that regard, his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam was very much like the admiral.
“Bingley, one more thing, regarding Miss Bennet.”
“Yes?”
The older gentleman emptied his glass, while his younger companions looked at him enquiringly.
“You should be content that Miss Bennet does not have the proper connections to take her out into society. If she did, she would surely have many suitors, and you would have to face stiff competition.”
Bingley’s eyes widened at such a statement, and even Darcy was stunned. The admiral’s sincerity was equally pleasant and disconcerting, and he appeared utterly diverted, while his younger companions found nothing to say in response.
After another glass of brandy, all three agreed it was time to finally retire for the night. The next day, with the dinner at Longbourn, was expected to be at least equally entertaining and challenging.