Chapter 10
The days that followed Mr Darcy’s abrupt departure from Kent stretched before Elizabeth with a peculiar emptiness.
They were invited to dine at Rosings Park two more times, not because Lady Catherine enjoyed their company, but because she was bored and angered and she needed someone to be the recipient of her fury.
Those evenings were tedious for Elizabeth but still a joy for Mr Collins, who took them as a sign of the lady’s forgiveness and acceptance.
Even Charlotte seemed content and relieved to be allowed near Lady Catherine again.
It was not difficult to understand that, since the comfort of their lives depended on Lady Catherine’s protection and good humour, and both had been put on trial during the late weeks.
“When your father next visits, Mrs Collins, be sure he will not bring you any illness or any improper friend!” Lady Catherine told Charlotte repeatedly. Elizabeth fought the urge to answer; arguing with Lady Catherine was surely of no help for the Collinses.
Elizabeth’s spirits lowered and Charlotte occasionally teased her that she missed Colonel Fitzwilliam’s easy conversation; however, after a while, Elizabeth had to accept that she missed Mr Darcy’s silent and haughty presence far more than his cousin’s joyful one.
She received a letter from Jane the next day after the gentlemen’s departure.
Dearest Lizzy,
I did know about the elopement; Mr King appeared unexpectedly at Mr Darcy’s house when my aunt and I were visiting with the children.
Mr Bingley was also with us — he is so attentive and always offers to keep us company.
I am so glad that he and Miss Darcy seem to be nothing more than good friends.
Of Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst, I have seen nothing at all, as Mr Bingley is still angry with them and avoids their presence.
Miss Darcy is so sweet. The children adore her, and she seems to love them genuinely in return, as exhausting as the dear ones might be at times.
To return to my tale, Mr King arrived and requested to see Mr Darcy. His sister, of course, asked about his business. He was reluctant to reveal it at first, but since Aunt was there, too, he eventually disclosed that he needed to find Mr Wickham, who had eloped with his niece Mary.
You may imagine our shock — I was certain he had long taken Mary to Sussex and Mr Wickham was still in Hertfordshire. I am not even sure how he is allowed to leave the regiment when he pleases.
I am uncertain what to believe of this elopement; Mary is one-and-twenty and possesses her own fortune, so Uncle said that, by law, she cannot be forbidden from marrying whomever she wants.
Elopement is never a good thing, unless it is the result of a deep love and affection.
If that is the case, I wish them all the best.
What bothered me more was that poor Miss Darcy seemed utterly tormented by the news.
Since I have had the pleasure of knowing her, I have never seen her in such a state of distress, though she tried to conceal it.
Why she was so upset, I cannot imagine. Mr Bingley said she had known Mr Wickham her entire life, so she must have been concerned for him.
I shall visit her again tomorrow — only briefly to see how she is feeling.
But Lizzy, I am afraid Mr Wickham is not a good man. Mr Bingley told me again that he had treated Mr Darcy with dishonour and disloyalty. If this is the case, I feel sorry for Mary King.
I apologise if my letter is a little chaotic; I have all the children around me as they are waiting to go to the park.
Mr Bingley is expected to dine with us tonight, and he mentioned he wished to speak to Uncle privately.
I do not know the subject of this conference; my heart is pounding, but I do not want to speculate and to entertain vain hopes.
I trust Mr Bingley to act according to his heart and his character, which I have come to admire even more.
I am sending you my love and I miss you dearly. Do come to London as soon as possible.
Jane
All sorts of feelings stirred inside Elizabeth as she read. The news about Mr Bingley was wonderful, and she dared to hope she guessed the reason for his private conversation with their uncle.
What concerned her as much as her sister was Jane’s mention of Miss Darcy’s distress.
Mr Wickham had spoken very unkindly of her, but she seemed preoccupied for his wellbeing.
That was both unfair and further proof of the officer’s questionable character.
That he had treated Mr Darcy without honour and loyalty, Elizabeth tended to believe; even he had admitted that Mr Darcy had given him the thousand pounds left to him by his godfather, just not the living that was intended for him.
Well, if Mr Wickham’s actions had made Mr King reject him as a suitor for his niece and he had been prepared to elope, perhaps he was not the best person to run a parish.
Jane’s tone behind her words when she had mentioned Miss Darcy melted Elizabeth’s heart. The bond between the two seemed to have grown during the short weeks of their acquaintance, and Jane’s affection and admiration for their young friend was certainly deep and genuine.
To employ her time, Elizabeth often walked in the park, choosing the same path where she had twice met Mr Darcy.
Their first meeting might have been fortuitous, but the second one was certainly by design.
If only she could have met him a third time, he might have answered more of her questions.
Against her better judgment and common sense, Elizabeth kept listening for footsteps that never came.
Days passed, the early spring advancing with more greenery and even more colour blooming on flowers and trees.
In the solitude of those rambles her thoughts returned, unbidden, to the private conference that had drawn Mr Darcy away, to the troubled countenance with which he had left the dining-room with Mr King, and to the unexplained urgency that had sent him to London.
Surely, he had no reason, whether of law or of honour, to interfere between Mary King and the man she had chosen to marry.
A second letter from Jane arrived, filled with warmth and joy that overflowed the page.
My dearest Lizzy,
I scarce know how to express my happiness.
Mr Bingley did speak to uncle Gardiner last night, asking him for permission to propose to me, since he was my guardian in London.
How silly of Mr Bingley! Asking for permission to propose?
Who does such a thing? Uncle called me into the library and allowed us some privacy.
And Mr Bingley asked! Can you imagine? He told me he had intended to propose to me last December, and he has loved me ever since.
And he will return to Hertfordshire with us and re-open Netherfield!
What could be more wonderful? He and Uncle have already written to Papa for his blessing.
I am eager to return home, but I shall wait for you, Lizzy!
I am sure you wonder about dear Miss Darcy.
She looked a little better when I last saw her.
She speaks of you constantly and with such genuine affection that I feel we are all already sisters in spirit.
And you will not guess what else happened!
Mr Darcy returned to London — I assume you know that — and he invited us to have dinner with them as soon as you are back in town!
He specifically insisted on that — can you imagine?
I strongly believe he wishes to remedy his wrongs to you, as he did with Mr Bingley.
Mr Darcy seems to be an honourable gentleman who admits his errors.
He apologised to me for his actions that separated Mr Bingley from me all these months.
But who even cares about that, Lizzy? I shall adopt your philosophy and remember the past only if it brings me joy.
Even better, I shall only look to the future!
Mr Bingley insists he will make Netherfield successful, and Mr Darcy has promised to help him in that endeavour.
Dearest Lizzy, I hardly know what I have written so far and what else I should include.
I look forward to seeing you in London in a few days.
After all the uncertainty of last autumn, I am happier than I dared hope.
Miss Darcy’s company has been that of a true sister in your absence, and I long for the day when we three may be together again.
Your loving sister, Jane.
Elizabeth finished reading with tears in her eyes and a pounding heart.
Jane’s happiness was now complete, the fulfilment of every wish she had for her sister.
That Miss Darcy had formed so warm an attachment to Jane was an additional pleasure, especially since she knew Mr Darcy approved of it.
Yet even as she rejoiced, a quieter thought intruded: if Miss Darcy and Jane were now so closely connected, and if Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy remained friends, then a friendship between her and Mr Darcy no longer seemed so distant a prospect as it once had.
What had happened to her that she so strongly desired a friendship with the man she had loathed until recently?
As for Mr Darcy, he had invited her family to dinner after she arrived in London. It was not just generous of him but revealed his desire for her presence, Elizabeth concluded, her heart racing.
The remaining days at the parsonage passed with less tedium than she had feared.
Charlotte’s steady good sense was a constant comfort, and even Mr Collins’s elaborate discourses upon Lady Catherine’s superior understanding could be borne with tolerable composure when one had a letter from Jane to re-read in private.
Maria, still young and impressible, approved of everything her sister and brother said, yet Elizabeth found she could listen without irritation.