Chapter 1.9
A rude blast of rain hit her window with frightening power, and she hid herself under the blankets, while pleasurable memories of the hours spent in a cottage four days earlier overtook her.
With a gentle knock on the door, Jane entered, smiling at her. “Good morning, lazy one. I cannot remember when you were last in bed at this hour. Did you sleep well?”
“Good morning, my sweet Jane. No. Truth to tell, I did not sleep very well, for I have dreamt all night long. But they were wonderful dreams.”
She indeed looked very pleased, and it was not difficult to imagine the reason for her happiness. “I am glad to see you so happy, Lizzy.”
Her voice immediately caught Elizabeth’s attention. “Jane, is something wrong? You seem upset.”
“I am not upset, it is just that…”
“What is it, dearest, please tell me?”
Jane tried to avoid a direct answer, but a new inquiry from her sister convinced her to reveal the truth. “I was looking at this dreadful rain and could not help being worried about Mr Bingley. I know London is not far away, but the weather is so bad and the roads…something horrible might happen.”
“Oh, Jane, please do not think like that! I am sure Mr Bingley will return very soon, and all your worries will make his coming back to you even more wonderful.”
Jane blushed deeply at her sister’s words and closed her eyes for a second to imagine that so-awaited moment. “I hope you are right, Lizzy. You know, the road to our house is already awash.”
Elizabeth jumped off the bed and went to the window; the view of the road under water made her heart throb.
She suddenly understood better her sister’s fear for Mr Bingley’s safety.
As Jane left the room, Lizzy began to dress herself; she soon joined her family at the breakfast table where everybody was in animated discussion about the ball.
As soon as she entered, Mrs Bennet’s attention turned to her.
“Lizzy, my child, I must confess I was very proud of you last night. You looked so beautiful and danced so well. Your whole appearance must have been suitably fashionable for a man like Mr Darcy to notice you and bestow such particular attention upon you.”
“Mama, I thank you, but I am sure you are exaggerating. I looked just as I always do, and Mr Darcy was only being nice to dance with me.”
Elizabeth blushed at her own lie and dared a glance at her father, only to see him hiding a wry smile behind his napkin. She turned her attention to her plate and began to eat in silence.
The hours passed, and the weather seemed to turn even worse.
With every minute, Elizabeth became more restless.
From the moment she departed Netherfield after the ball, she was anticipating seeing Mr Darcy again at dinner and was already fantasising about their exchanged glances, smiles, and teasing conversation.
With her book open in her lap, she allowed her thoughts to fly back to the Netherfield library, almost feeling his touch on her hands and his lips on her palms, and the simple memory made her heart leap.
She remembered how he flirtatiously teased her about why she was favouring him while they danced together. She remembered his voice whispering to her, “Wickham always tries to hurt people who are important to me…”
Feeling her cheeks becoming red and warm, she excused herself, retired to her room and threw herself onto the bed, embracing the pillow.
She could allow herself, finally, to admit that she was infatuated with Mr Darcy!
The thought of him brought forth feelings she had never known before, sensations she experienced not only when he was near her but also when he was far away.
His presence and his absence made her equally unsettled, and his features, touch and smell were deeply embedded in her mind and soul.
Was this love? She could not be certain after only a few days, but she knew she could think of nothing except him.
She hoped that he would come to call despite the horrible weather, but she prayed that he was wise enough not to come and put himself in danger.
He did not come, and soon the road to Longbourn was entirely submerged.
The rain eventually stopped the next morning, but the muddied road remained impassable for another day.
At last, on November 29, carriages could reach Longbourn with minor difficultly, and while John prepared for Mr Bennet to go to Meryton, the Bennets received callers.
The first to arrive were Charlotte and Sir William to spend several hours with the Bennets. Charlotte’s company was a balm to Elizabeth and helped her pass the hours easily until Mr Darcy would call.
Elizabeth knew, without any doubt, that he would call for dinner as he had been expressly invited to do so, so she prepared herself with extra care as she breathlessly anticipated his arrival.
In Mr Bennet’s absence, Sir William engaged himself in conversation with Mr Collins and graciously invited the parson to dine at Lucas Lodge.
As the prospect appealed to him, Mr Collins secured an invitation for himself for that very day, and Elizabeth did all in her power to encourage him to accept the invitation, thinking Mr Darcy would be more pleased without his fawning presence.
It was soon afternoon, and they were having refreshments and sharing opinions about the weather when a letter was delivered to Jane.
It came from Netherfield, and she opened it immediately.
The envelope contained a small sheet of elegant, hot-pressed paper, well covered with a lady’s fair, flowing hand.
Elizabeth saw her sister’s countenance change as she read it and saw her focusing intently on some particular passages.
Sensing her sister’s eyes scrutinising her, Jane soon recollected herself and put the letter away. She tried to join in the conversation with her usual cheerfulness, but anxiety affected her ability to attend to the discourse, and she paid little attention to her guests.
Sir William and Charlotte, accompanied by Mr Collins, took their leave shortly afterwards, and a glance from Jane invited Elizabeth to follow her upstairs. When they were in their own rooms, Jane took out the letter.
“This is from Caroline Bingley. Its contents have surprised me a good deal. The whole party has left Netherfield by this time on their way to town—without any intention of returning. You shall hear what she says.”
The shock of this news was so powerful that Elizabeth was forced to sit down and look at her sister in disbelief.
Jane read the first sentence aloud, which included the information that Mr Darcy had left Netherfield together with Mr Bingley the day following the ball, of their resolution to follow their brother to town directly, and of their intent to dine that day in Grosvenor Street where Mr Hurst had a house.
While Jane continued to read, Elizabeth forced herself to form no expectation at all of its contents, considering the source of it, but the news did cause her heart to shatter.
She seized the letter from Jane quite roughly and began to read it herself. With amazement did she first understand that Mr Darcy left together with Mr Bingley without believing any apology or acknowledgement—if not for her at least for her father—to be necessary.
“As you see, Lizzy, Caroline decidedly says that none of the party will return to Hertfordshire this winter.” But Elizabeth did not hear Jane, continuing to read the passage that drew her attention most:
Mr Darcy is impatient to see his sister, and to confess the truth, we are scarcely less eager to meet her again…”
“And, Lizzy, did you read the paragraph about Miss Darcy? Does it not expressly declare that Caroline is perfectly convinced of her brother’s indifference to me and of his preference for Miss Darcy and she means to put me on my guard? Can there be any other opinions on the subject?”
“Yes there can be. Will you hear them?”
“Most willingly.”
“You shall have my opinion using very few words. Miss Bingley sees that her brother is very much in love with you and wants him to marry Miss Darcy. She follows him to town in the hopes of keeping him there and tries to persuade you that he does not care for you. Indeed, Jane, we are not rich enough or grand enough for them, and she is all the more anxious to get Miss Darcy for her brother, hoping one intermarriage would bring a second. But, my dearest Jane, you cannot seriously imagine that Mr Bingley is less sensible of your merits than he was three days ago when he took leave of you.”
Elizabeth was firmly convinced of what she told her sister, and to Miss Bingley’s suggestion that her brother soon would be involved in a relationship with Miss Darcy she gave no consideration.
Beyond Mr Bingley’s obviously strong attachment and admiration towards Jane, the way Mr Darcy spoke of his sister never led Elizabeth to understand such a thing.
Events of the recent past at Ramsgate were her strongest proof that Miss Darcy had no tender feelings for Mr Bingley, or she never would have considered eloping with Mr Wickham.
She tried to represent to her sister as forcibly as possible what she felt on the subject and soon had the pleasure of seeing its happy effect.
Jane’s temper was not despondent, and she gradually let herself hope that Bingley would return to Netherfield and answer every wish of her heart.
But Elizabeth’s conviction of Mr Bingley’s return could bring no balm to her own distress and suffering.
She still could not believe and even less understand that Mr Darcy also had left and why he would have done such a thing when he explicitly asked for permission to call on her and openly accepted Mr Bennet’s invitation for dinner.
She was childishly hoping that Miss Bingley was grossly deceiving them and that Mr Darcy had never left Netherfield and would still come to call.