Chapter 3
On the morning after the ball, breakfast at Netherfield was served late, and the disposition of those around the table varied.
“Upon my word, I congratulate myself for renting Netherfield,” Bingley declared. “Besides being an excellent property — even Darcy admitted that — the neighbours are among the most pleasant people I have ever met.”
“You are too easily pleased, Bingley,” Darcy replied. “I have seen nothing but average country people with little class and questionable manners. I cannot understand your enthusiasm.”
“Indeed,” Miss Bingley said, “my brother is easily charmed by things or people that for others are barely noticeable.”
“You are as fastidious as ever, Darcy, and my sisters seem determined to emulate you. You are too difficult to please and find too little enjoyment in life.”
Darcy smiled to himself. The charming and intriguing Miss Elizabeth Bennet had pointed out how different he and Bingley were. The difference was obvious to anyone who met them both, and most people wondered about the friendship between two men with opposing characters.
“That is not quite true,” Miss Bingley added. “Unlike other occasions, Mr Darcy seemed to enjoy himself last night. I have never seen him before dancing with a strange woman, not to mention it was the first set!”
“I was surprised too, Darcy,” Bingley added. “But I suppose you had little choice, since Mrs Bennet tried any means to convince you to dance. Refusing would have been impolite, even rude to Miss Elizabeth.”
Darcy delayed his answer. Mrs Bennet’s insistence had been annoying, but he would never have allowed himself to be influenced by it.
However, her insistence had given Miss Elizabeth the chance to reply sharply and prove her wit, which he found enchanting and unique, unlike any other woman he had met before.
“If that is the case — if that woman does possess such extraordinary powers of persuasion — then we should expect Mr Darcy to marry soon. I heard Mrs Bennet is desperate to marry her daughters to any eligible man who happens to be in the neighbourhood.” Miss Bingley exchanged a glance with her sister.
“That is precisely why I am reluctant to dance at any balls unless I am forced to,” Darcy answered. “A lady’s imagination is very vivid, and it easily moves from a mere dance to marriage, which, I must say, for a man is quite ridiculous.”
“That is true,” Bingley supported him. “I cannot understand why it is so difficult for a woman to understand that a man might admire her, might enjoy her company, without having any intention of bonding himself to her forever. As long as the man behaves properly and does not expose the lady to improper or uncomfortable circumstances, there should be no harm in a simple dance.”
“Because,” Mr Hurst interjected unexpectedly, “for a woman, marriage is a goal in itself. It is their purpose in life to secure a husband, even at a young age. For a man, the prospect of marriage is not equally desirable.”
“Unless the marriage is the result of a deep, strong, and mutual love,” Bingley added. “In such a case, I am sure it is equally desirable for both.”
“Come now, Charles,” Mrs Hurst interjected, “we have all seen you in love often, and it came easily and went away even more so. Based on your theory, you should have been married at least ten times by now.”
“If it came and went easily, it was certainly not a deep, strong love,” Bingley replied. “When it does happen, I shall know. Would you not agree, Darcy?”
“I cannot say, Bingley. This is truly a subject on which I cannot claim any expertise at all. Therefore, I shall not give an opinion. Now, if you do not mind, I would like to go for a ride. Will you join me, gentlemen?”
“I shall,” Bingley answered.
“I am sorry, but I must decline. I find little enjoyment in riding unless there is hunting involved,” Mr Hurst said.
“If you go riding, we shall be forced to stay at home with nothing to do,” Miss Bingley uttered. “You made us leave London for the middle of nowhere. We shall die of tedium here in a few days.”
“Caroline, you may return to London whenever you please,” Bingley replied. “I did not force you to come, and I certainly will not keep you here against your will. Please feel free to do whatever makes you happy.”
Half an hour later, Darcy met Bingley at the stables, and they waited for the horses to be saddled.
“I am sorry if Caroline’s insistence annoys you, Darcy. I am not blind to her efforts to draw your attention, nor to your struggle to remain calm and polite.”
“It is I who should apologise if my manners are impolite. Especially now, when I am your guest. I do admire your sister’s qualities. She is a woman with many accomplishments, and I am sure she is admired by many, but to me, she cannot be more than my friend’s sister. That will never change.”
“I understand, Darcy. I have even tried to make her admit reality, but in vain. It pains me to see her hurt by your rejection, though I know it cannot be any other way.”
“I hope I have never been rude to your sister. However, I cannot show her as much friendship as I would like to, considering our connection, because I worry that she will imagine more than there is.”
“She probably would,” Bingley admitted. “But Darcy, may I ask… Forgive my boldness. I am just curious…”
“Do not worry, Bingley, you may ask me anything.”
“What induced you to invite Miss Elizabeth Bennet to dance the first set? She is beautiful, without a doubt. One of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. She and her sister, of course. But I have seen many beautiful women struggling to gain your interest with no success. Why that particular lady?”
Darcy needed a moment of reflection. He knew the answer, but it was difficult to express it in words.
“She is beautiful to be sure, but the reason I asked her to dance was that she was certain I would not. And because she showed no restraint in making sport of me. She did not care about my presence at St James’s or about my fortune.
In fact, she did not care about me at all. It was a refreshing change.”
“So,” Bingley asked, puzzled, “you liked her because she disliked you?”
Darcy smiled with genuine amusement. “Yes, that would be a perfect and brief statement to sum up the situation.”
“I understand. With her, I assume you do not worry that she might expect you to propose,” Bingley joked.
“Not at all. In fact, I am quite certain that, if I proposed to her now, she would refuse me in the blink of an eye. Of course, I have no intention of doing so.”
“Both sisters are exceedingly beautiful,” Bingley repeated. “However, as perfect as their resemblance is, they seemed different. In fact, they seemed the opposite. Miss Jane Bennet is an angel, truly! Her voice, her manners, her smile — they all are perfection.”
“Miss Elizabeth’s appearance is perfect, but her voice, her smile, and her manners are rather mischievous. Far from perfection, which makes her more intriguing and more appealing.”
“Perhaps to you, Darcy. I prefer sweet-natured women with the face of an angel.”
They finally mounted and began to ride, when Bingley added, “How strange that we admire the same face but opposite characters.”
“Quite strange, indeed,” Darcy admitted while his horse hastened its pace.
***
“My dear Mr Bennet, last night’s assembly was the best thing that ever happened to me!” Mrs Bennet declared in the morning.
Mr Bennet’s eyebrow arched in challenge.
“The best ever? Better than our wedding? Or than the birth of our daughters?”
“Come now, you know what I mean! Nothing you can say will ruin my disposition. Not after one of the richest men in Derbyshire, who is worth ten thousand a year and danced only once during the entire ball, chose our Lizzy! Can you imagine? And Mr Bingley danced two sets with Jane, but that was expected, since she was the most beautiful woman in the room, as always.”
“Mr Darcy danced with Lizzy?”
“Yes! Only with Lizzy. With nobody else! And he said he hates to dance, even when he is at Almack’s or St James’s! Can you imagine?”
“I certainly cannot,” the gentleman agreed. “Why did he single Lizzy out? Especially since they had only just met.”
“Papa, there is no mystery,” Elizabeth interjected.
“Mr Darcy is rather arrogant and not my favourite sort of man. I heard his party talking when they entered the assembly, and he said he would rather be anywhere else than at the ball. He obviously despised the company, and our party was far from what he was used to. I teased him a little, and, to his credit, he seemed to take my teasing, as harsh as it was, quite well.”
“You teased him, he despised the ball, but he still asked you to dance with him? This is rather peculiar. I am quite curious to meet this strange man.”
“I do not care why he asked her,” Mrs Bennet interrupted them.
“In truth, Lizzy was quite impertinent before the dance and very likely during the entire set. He will surely not ask her to dance ever again. But the satisfaction of seeing my eldest daughters opening the ball with the two most important men that have ever set foot in Meryton, and the jealousy of everyone who watched them, was priceless! I shall never forget that moment!”
“Mrs Bennet, please calm yourself before it affects your nerves,” Mr Bennet uttered. “I am glad you had a pleasant evening. Mine was perfect — home alone, in peace and quiet, with a book and a good brandy. What more could a man want?”
“We must send an invitation to Mr Bingley!” Mrs Bennet said. “You must do it, Mr Bennet! He said he wanted to return your call but was forced to leave for London.”
“If he said so, he knows where he can find us, in case he wishes to.”
“Yes, yes, but I am sure Lady Lucas and several others will invite him this week, so who knows when our turn will come?”
“And how can I change Mr Bingley’s plans, madam? He will go where he prefers. It is not for me to force him. I have already met Mr Bingley once. I have to say I am more curious to meet his friend, the peculiar Mr Darcy.”
The disagreement continued for a while, until Mr Bennet ended it to retire to his library. He had no time to do so, however, as a servant entered to announce, “Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy are here to see you, sir.”
The surprise stunned and silenced the ladies, and Mr Bennet signalled to them to behave. Then, he asked the servant to show the two gentlemen into his library and closed the door of the drawing-room, leaving his wife and daughters in ignorance.
Whispers were exchanged among the ladies, as heavy footsteps sounded in the hall. Although amused by her mother’s behaviour, Elizabeth had to admit that her heart was beating somewhat irregularly, and she wondered about the reason for such a strange response.