Chapter 5
The entrance of Mr Bingley and his sister produced a silence more eloquent than any speech could have been. For several moments no one moved, and the air in the elegant drawing-room seemed to thicken with unspoken astonishment.
Mrs Annesley, seated a little apart, offered a serene smile and a slight inclination of the head, as though the sudden arrival of two additional guests were the most ordinary occurrence in the world.
Mr Bingley’s eyes, however, had fixed upon Jane with an expression of pure astonishment that rapidly deepened into something far more powerful.
Colour flooded his cheeks; he opened his mouth, closed it again, and seemed for an instant quite incapable of speech.
Jane herself had grown pale; her hands, clasped tightly in her lap, trembled, and she could not raise her gaze above the floor.
Miss Darcy looked positively delighted; she rose with quiet grace and advanced a step, repeating her welcome.
“Miss Darcy, I… This is extraordinary,” Mr Bingley mumbled in apparent disbelief. “My sister told me she received your note and we came to greet you… I did not know Darcy was home…and Miss Bennet? Miss Elizabeth? How is it possible that you are here?”
Miss Bingley recovered too; she straightened, adjusted her elegant shawl, and surveyed the company with a look of cold displeasure that lingered longest upon Jane and Elizabeth. “Quite extraordinary, indeed,” she repeated.
Mr Darcy remained standing near the fireplace, and Elizabeth glanced at him; his countenance was carefully composed, yet the set of his jaw and the stillness of his figure betrayed a restraint that cost him no small effort. He inclined his head in greeting but offered no words.
“Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, and Mrs Gardiner are my guests,” Miss Darcy explained. “We were having tea together when Fitzwilliam returned, a little while ago. I sent the note asking about you, Mr Bingley, since they enquired after you and I had no news.”
“I see… I am glad you did, Miss Darcy. Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, I cannot believe we happened upon you here,” Mr Bingley muttered, his astonishment still etched on his face. “I was not aware you were in town. When did you arrive? And how…? I was not aware you and Miss Darcy are acquainted.”
“Our acquaintance is recent but very pleasant,” Miss Darcy answered, and Miss Bingley frowned, her eyes narrowing in a glare.
Elizabeth, whose spirits seldom failed her in moments of awkwardness, rose and stepped forwards with a brightness that was half courage and half defiance.
“Mr Bingley, Miss Bingley, how nice to see you! I just arrived in London a few days ago, sir, but Jane has been here for three months now. I assumed Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst had informed you since Jane visited them and they returned her call. May I introduce you to my aunt Mrs Gardiner? Jane has been staying with her since January.”
The effect of these words was instantaneous. Miss Bingley’s colour rose sharply; her lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyes flashed with barely suppressed fury. She cast a rapid, warning glance at her brother, who appeared too much absorbed in his own astonishment to notice it.
“Three months? What do you mean? Miss Bennet has been in London for three months?” Mr Bingley repeated, dumbfounded, turning from Jane to Elizabeth and then to his sister.
“Miss Bennet, you called upon my sisters? How is that possible? I was never told… Caroline, what happened? What is all this about?”
His outburst seemed to distress Miss Darcy, who looked rather lost.
Miss Bingley forced a brittle smile. “It is all a misunderstanding, Charles. I shall explain it to you later. We did meet dear Jane twice, only briefly, but you were busy with other engagements, and—”
“What other engagements, Caroline? How did I not know? Miss Bennet, I assure you, had I known you were in London, I would have come to greet you immediately. Oh, I beg your forgiveness. Mrs Gardiner! I am very pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“I am pleased to meet you, too, Mr Bingley,” Mrs Gardiner replied calmly.
“Is there something wrong?” Miss Darcy asked, her cheeks touched by paleness. “I am pleased we are all here together, but…have I done something wrong?”
“Indeed you have not, Miss Darcy,” Mr Bingley replied in a tone that failed to conceal his anger. “Your note arrived at the perfect time, and I am truly grateful for it.”
“Oh…I am glad to hear that. Then please take a seat. I shall order more refreshments,” Miss Darcy said with a serenity contradicting the general distress.
“Unfortunately, we cannot stay longer. I have somewhere to be soon,” Miss Bingley said. Her brother turned to her sharply.
“Where must you be, Caroline? You insisted that we should visit Miss Darcy and mentioned you had no other plans for today.”
“But, Charles, I forgot—”
“You seem to forget many things and quite often, Caroline,” Mr Bingley uttered. “Regardless, you may leave if you want. I am sure we shall survive your absence.”
His tone sounded unexpectedly rude to everyone, and his sister — clearly stunned by his response — looked undecided how to proceed further.
Despite the general awkwardness, Elizabeth could not conceal her contentment.
Mr Darcy glanced at her several times, and she could not suppress a smile of self-satisfaction. If Mr Darcy and the Bingley sisters had plotted to keep Mr Bingley away from Jane, fate — with a little help from Miss Darcy — had thwarted their plans.
Eventually, Miss Bingley took a seat, and Mr Bingley pulled up a chair to face Jane and Elizabeth. He looked as pale and distressed as Jane, except she was silent and he continued to speak.
“Miss Bennet, I beg your pardon — I was wholly unaware. Had I known you were in London, I should have— That is, I would most certainly have called—” He broke off, colouring still more deeply.
“Jane has been with us since January,” Mrs Gardiner said gently, her tone measured yet kind.
“And my sisters knew?”
Jane nodded, averting her eyes. “I wrote Miss Bingley as soon as I arrived in town…” she whispered.
“As I said, we had some other engagements, and—” Miss Bingley interjected.
“I was unaware your schedule was so busy, Caroline,” Mr Bingley said harshly. “Have you, by any chance, been involved in politics lately? Or in some secret business? I look forward to hearing more of your activities as soon as we arrive home.”
His response — rude and jeering — caused more distress to both Mr and Miss Darcy.
“Bingley, let us calm down for a moment,” the former suggested.
“I am very calm, Darcy,” Mr Bingley replied. “Only stunned to discover that Miss Bennet visited my sisters and I was not told about it. If not for Miss Darcy’s kindness, I would have still been kept in the dark like a fool!”
“Bingley! That is not the sort of language to be used around ladies,” Mr Darcy scolded him.
“Indeed it is not! And certainly not around Miss Darcy!” Miss Bingley uttered. “Even Mr Darcy agreed—”
She then stopped as if minding her words, glanced at Mr Darcy — whose countenance displayed his distress — then back at her brother. Mr Bingley seemed all astonishment.
“Darcy agreed? What did he agree to? When?”
“I believe this is a conversation we should postpone until later, Bingley,” Mr Darcy declared, his tone now severe. “We have ruined my sister and her guests’ tea party, and we must allow them to continue, while we mind our own business.”
“You are right, of course, Darcy. In fact, we all know you are always right, so why would this be different?” Mr Bingley replied with a trace of mockery that nobody missed. “I admit I did not expect you to conspire with my sisters, but I am glad to see you get along so well.”
“Let us try to calm down a little, as Mr Darcy suggested earlier,” Mrs Gardiner said in a composed yet determined voice.
“We are all here at Miss Darcy’s generous invitation, for which we are all grateful.
Mr Bingley, we are exceedingly happy to finally see you, and we would be honoured if you would call on us at any time you like.
I shall give you our address. Of course, this invitation applies to all of you, ladies and gentlemen. ”
The daughter of a shop owner from Lambton — educated and elegant in appearance and in manners — had immediately settled the argument and steered the conversation back to more suitable ground.
“Thank you, Mrs Gardiner,” Mr Bingley replied. “I shall call on you tomorrow, if that is convenient for you. Now my sister and I shall leave — we have much to discuss privately.”
“We shall be happy to see you again tomorrow, Mr Bingley,” Mrs Gardiner replied.
The gentleman took a step forward and bowed to Jane. “Miss Bennet, I hope you would not mind my call tomorrow?”
“Not at all, Mr Bingley. Quite the opposite,” Jane managed to reply with a little smile and a trembling voice.
Moments later, Mr and Miss Bingley left, and the rest of the party remained in an awkward silence.
Mr Darcy kept his usual expression — aloof, impassive — his gaze moving between his sister and Elizabeth. He struggled to appear calm, but his success was limited.
Miss Darcy, perceiving the general discomfort, endeavoured to restore ease by offering more tea.
“Forgive me — I have some letters to finish,” Mr Darcy abruptly said. “It was a pleasure to see you, ladies, and I apologies for disturbing your gathering.”
Before his sister had time to argue, Mr Darcy bowed and quit the room. His departure increased the awkwardness instead of diminishing it.
“I feel I have done something wrong and ruined everybody’s good spirits,” Miss Darcy said, wringing her hands in her lap.
“Not at all, Miss Darcy, I assure you,” Mrs Gardiner replied.
“I shall take the liberty of explaining the matter, just to put you at ease. Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst were not entirely honest with Jane and apparently not with their brother either. Today’s encounter simply revealed something that should never have been hidden. ”
“Yes, I assumed as much. Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst…they are… They can be difficult at times,” Miss Darcy said.
Mr Darcy can be difficult most of the time, Elizabeth mused but refrained from saying so aloud.
In truth, she felt relieved and pleased with the day’s outcome.
Mr Bingley had discovered his sisters’ deception and seemed thrilled to see Jane again.
He had even asked for permission to call on her.
What more could they have prayed for, at that very moment when Jane had lost all hope and descended into grief?
The conversation over another cup of tea proceeded with difficulty, utterly different from how it had been when they first arrived. Therefore, with proper thanks and gratitude, Elizabeth, her sister, and her aunt took their leave no longer than half an hour after Mr Bingley.
As soon as they were in their carriage, the discussion erupted around Mr Bingley — the subject of their mutual interest.
“I am so glad that Miss Bingley was finally exposed,” Elizabeth declared. “Her nefarious scheme to keep Mr Bingley away from Jane has failed, and I pray her brother will put her in her place! It was such a pleasure to see Mr Bingley angry and ready to confront his sisters!”
“That was pleasant to watch, indeed,” Mrs Gardiner agreed. “But I felt sorry for Miss Darcy — her intentions were entirely admirable, yet she found herself in the midst of a disagreement she could not understand. Her discomfort was painful to watch.”
“But we are not at fault for any of it, Aunt,” Elizabeth responded. “Miss Darcy’s distress was caused by her friends and her brother — who is certainly no stranger to Miss Bingley’s scheme.”
“Even so, I feel uncomfortable with how the visited ended, and I hope it does not affect Miss Darcy,” Mrs Gardiner uttered.
The conversation continued in the same manner until they arrived in Gracechurch Street.
Once at home, they were received by a most enthusiastic Sir William, who informed them Dr Green had declared he and Maria completely recovered, with no danger of being contagious, and therefore ready to continue their journey to Kent.
Although Elizabeth had waited for that moment with eager anticipation, now that it had finally arrived, her feelings became unsettled.
So many things had happened in the last few days, and Jane was in the middle of unexpected events that could change her life; staying in London was much more tempting for Elizabeth than spending time with the annoying Mr Collins.
But she had no real choice — the plan was made and she had to follow it, despite her curiosity in regard to Mr Wickham and Mary King, Mr Darcy’s opinion of his sister’s relationship with her, as well as Mr Bingley’s sudden change of character and his renewed interest in Jane.
It was discussed whether they would leave for Kent the very next day, but Sir William chose to write to Mr Collins and wait for his response instead of simply making an appearance at Hunsford.
That evening, for the first time since their arrival in town, Sir William and Maria joined the rest of the family for dinner, which made it tedious and annoying.
How would she suffer such evenings with both Sir William and Mr Collins, Elizabeth could not imagine.
However, her spirits improved the following day when, loyal to his word, Mr Bingley called around noon.
Regardless of his departure from Netherfield and his remaining in London for several months, time and distance seemed to have been unable to alter Mr Bingley’s admiration for Jane.
His first visit lasted almost two hours, and he asked permission to call again; Mrs Gardiner invited him for dinner, and the gentleman readily accepted. What else needed to be said?
Therefore, Elizabeth found the strength to leave London with an easy heart, relieved that Jane’s grief had come to an end and her broken heart was healed. There was nothing more Elizabeth could pray for; Mr Wickham and Mr Darcy meant little compared to her sister’s happiness.