Chapter II #2
Then she turned to look at Elizabeth, her expression full of some meaning that Elizabeth could not interpret. “Mr. Darcy is a man of society, and he will not wish to encourage close relations, but I suppose you must already understand that based on your experience with him in Hertfordshire.”
This was more the Miss Bingley they had known before. Elizabeth understood the woman’s inference all too well; as she had no expectations in that quarter, it was no trouble at all to appease whatever concerns she entertained.
“No, Miss Bingley, I cannot imagine Mr. Darcy wishing to concern himself much with us.”
A faint air of satisfaction hovered about Miss Bingley as she offered a regal nod.
From there, she directed the conversation to practical matters.
She discussed the plan to introduce Jane to her friends, speaking of small gatherings, dinners, parties, and gradually progressing to the more visible activities of the theater, balls, and other such amusements.
Then she turned her attention to their shopping excursion, inquiring into Mrs. Gardiner’s modiste and how long they could expect the sewing of their dresses to take—she appeared impressed when Mrs. Gardiner named the woman who created her dresses.
Through it all, Elizabeth listened, trying to understand what Miss Bingley was not saying.
It was a significant leap from a woman she had known in the autumn who had been, Elizabeth suspected, desperate to remove Jane from Mr. Bingley’s presence to one who now appeared determined to see Jane become his wife.
Yet Elizabeth noticed that she rarely mentioned her brother by name, and when she did, there was a casual note in her comments that seemed out of place.
“The trick is always to be seen in the right company,” said Miss Bingley when she had exhausted the limits of the conversation. “If one attends to that, a sense of belonging does the rest.”
This business of being seen in the right company was nothing less than vanity, of course, but to say as much would invite Miss Bingley’s anger.
“What of Mr. Bingley?” asked Elizabeth, wondering if she could induce the woman to reveal something she did not wish to reveal.
“Charles is in town, of course. Of late he has been much engaged, but he will be delighted to see you.”
“To own the truth,” said Elizabeth, “it is a surprise that he did not accompany you.”
“Yes, well, he is engaged,” repeated Miss Bingley. “You shall see him anon.”
Though Elizabeth wanted to ask after the nature of his engagements, she saw Mrs. Gardiner shaking her head and decided it was best to refrain, at least for the moment. Doubtless, they would learn the nature of Mr. Bingley’s activities in time.
At length, Miss Bingley rose to depart. She offered a credible expression of pleasure, though Elizabeth noted that her farewells to Jane were warmer than what she said to Elizabeth or Mrs. Gardiner.
Then, she departed, the sound of carriage wheels faded into Gracechurch Street, leaving three bemused women behind, looking at each other with interest.
Though the ladies spoke about Miss Bingley after her departure, the significant discussion occurred that evening at the dinner table.
The Gardiner children usually dined with their parents, but Mrs. Gardiner sent them to the nursery with the nurse for their dinners, not wishing to discuss certain subjects in their hearing.
Mr. Gardiner, the brother of Jane and Elizabeth’s mother, was proof that siblings’ characters were sometimes quite different despite common upbringing, parentage, and situations in life.
Mr. Gardiner was not subject to the deficiencies of his sister’s character, being both a keen observer of the human condition and a sober man of industry.
Their Gardiner relations had long been favorites.
“I am curious to learn the details of what transpired today,” said Mr. Gardiner as the servants placed dinner on the table. The look he gave them was no less than mischievous. “Are you both to become grand ladies of society?”
Elizabeth laughed. “I do not suppose that is possible, Uncle; Miss Bingley does not possess that sort of influence.”
“No, I do not suppose she does,” agreed their uncle. “Shall you not tell me how your visit proceeded?”
They ate dinner as they laid the matter before him, though there was not much to say unless they delved into their impressions of Miss Bingley’s visit. Elizabeth refrained from doing so for the moment, knowing the time for that would come later.
“Jane, my dear,” said Uncle Gardiner when they had related all. “This matter concerns you more than anyone else. What did you think?”
“I am encouraged, Uncle,” said Jane. “Miss Bingley was most kind and solicitous; she is eager to introduce us to her acquaintances.”
Uncle Gardiner regarded her for a long moment before he responded. “Yes, I must suppose that she was. The question I must ask concerns her sincerity.”
“There was something . . . intense about her behavior,” confessed Jane. “But there was nothing that suggested she is false.”
“With that much I agree,” said Elizabeth. “Miss Bingley wishes to recommend you to her brother—that much appears to be clear. What I must question is why she is now so passionate about it.”
“You suspect something, Lizzy,” said Mr. Gardiner.
“No, I shall make no accusations,” said Elizabeth, aware of her sister’s eyes on her.
“I cannot see into Miss Bingley’s thoughts and have no notion of why she has changed.
But I will assert that she has. From several things I observed in Hertfordshire, I deduced she was no friend to her brother’s interest in Jane. Now she champions it.”
“And Miss Bingley never spoke of her brother with certainty,” added Mrs. Gardiner. “Everything she said of him was heavy with implication. She appears ready to arrange everything, except for the one thing that matters.”
Jane, Elizabeth could see, was struggling with this.
Though she had no details, she knew Jane had spoken with their father before departing Longbourn, and had emerged from that meeting quiet and thoughtful.
Still, it was not in Jane’s nature to harbor such suspicion, though her sister was aware that something was off about Miss Bingley’s sudden change of heart.
“Jane,” said Mrs. Gardiner when she did not speak at once, “I have supported Lizzy’s observations based on my own, not because of any distaste for Miss Bingley.
We all want to protect you. Miss Bingley has offered you kindness, which you should not hesitate to accept.
Trust is another matter—you should not offer that without proof. ”
“That is prudent, indeed,” agreed Jane. “In November, I was convinced that Miss Bingley’s friendship was true, but the intervening months have taught me caution.”
“That is all we ask, Jane dear,” said Mr. Gardiner. “Your esteem for Mr. Bingley and his sister is not in question. All any of us suggest is that you greet these overtures with your eyes open.”
Jane smiled at them all. “That is what my father told me before we departed.”
“And good advice it is,” said Mr. Gardiner. He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “Bennet rarely involves himself in the affairs of his family, but when he does, his advice is sound.”
“More is the pity,” said Mrs. Gardiner to no one in particular.
“One more point I shall make,” said Mr. Gardiner. “Men who are engaged in London society are not always engaged in the sense that your mother might wish. Until you have a sense of Mr. Bingley, restraint is a virtue, not a vice.”
“I have another consideration to add,” said Elizabeth. “It strikes me that we have not come to London for Jane to meet Mr. Bingley. We have come for you to be placed in his path at a moment of Miss Bingley’s choosing.”
“I could not have put it better myself,” murmured Mrs. Gardiner.