Chapter 4
The gentlemen’s visit lasted almost an hour — a reasonable amount of time for such new acquaintances. They did not meet the ladies, who only gazed through the window to watch them leaving. Afterwards, Mr Bennet returned to his family to provide the expected details.
“I have come to allow you to ask me whatever you like, or I shall not have a moment of peace. I know that very well.”
“What did they say? Why did they come?” Mrs Bennet enquired.
“They were out for a ride and happened to be in the vicinity of Longbourn. Mr Bingley decided to return my call, and Mr Darcy joined him.”
“And? What did he say? Did you ask him to come to dinner? How long will he stay at Netherfield? Will he spend the winter here?”
“Upon my word, madam, how can you imagine I could ask all those questions of a man to whom I have only spoken once? Not to mention his companion, whom I met today for the first time?”
“Perhaps not all those questions, but at least a few of them,” Mrs Bennet insisted.
“I asked Mr Bingley whether he was pleased with Netherfield, and he said yes. I exchanged a few words with Mr Darcy, whom I find to be a perfectly reasonable man. You wondered why he asked Lizzy to dance. As inconceivable as it might sound, he might have simply enjoyed dancing.”
Mr Bennet looked amused but soon lost patience with his wife’s enquiries and returned to his books.
Mrs Bennet was anxious, while Jane appeared nervous too.
To Elizabeth, it was obvious that Mr Bingley’s visit had pleased Jane; her sister usually concealed her feelings, but the gentleman seemed to have already made a strong impression on her.
Worrisome for Elizabeth, however, was her own nervousness at Mr Darcy coming to Longbourn. She had not the slightest expectation that his visit was in any way connected to her, and she was still uncertain whether she wished to see him again or not.
“I shall send Mr Bingley a dinner invitation, regardless of what your father has to say,” Mrs Bennet concluded. “This way, we shall see if he has any attachment to Longbourn at all.”
“Mama, is it proper for you to send the invitation instead of Papa?” Jane enquired. “I believe we should allow Mr Bingley time to adjust to his new property and not impose our friendship on him.”
“Jane, let me worry about what is proper. You must keep in mind that men are flattered by attention, and you would do better to show more than you feel, rather than too little.”
“Mama, I do not even understand what you mean,” Jane replied. “I just wish Mr Bingley to have a good impression of our family, that is all.”
However, Mrs Bennet was not to be deterred from her plan. She sent the invitation the next day, then waited for the reply with nervous anticipation.
“Mama, you will not believe what I heard from Maria Lucas!” Lydia cried later that day, as she and Kitty returned from Meryton. “A regiment of militia will be stationed in Meryton for the entire winter! Can you believe it?”
“Yes, I heard about the regiment from my sister Phillips a little while ago,” Mrs Bennet answered. “It might be diverting for you to meet handsome officers, but you must keep in mind that they rarely have the means to support a wife without a dowry.”
“Oh Mama, I do not intend to marry one of them, only to dance and flirt!” Lydia laughed, and Kitty supported her.
“You are too young to dance and flirt with the officers, child! And so is Kitty,” Mr Bennet interjected. “Sadly, I am too tired to fight with you and your mother about you being out at this age.”
“Mr Bennet, we live in such a confined society that being out means nothing here,” Mrs Bennet argued. “We know almost everyone. There are no strangers here — it is like a large family party.”
“Not quite, Mama,” Elizabeth interjected. “Not when there are new people like Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy, and certainly not when we are talking about a full regiment of officers.”
“Hush, Lizzy,” Mrs Bennet silenced her. “You are hardly entitled to speak about what is proper or not, since you only do what you like.”
Elizabeth exchanged a vexed glance with her father and ceased any argument; such discussions had been had many times since Lydia turned fifteen; Mrs Bennet favoured her youngest daughter and indulged her unguarded behaviour.
Three days after the assembly, Elizabeth and Jane finally left the house for a walk. After a succession of rain, the sky was still cloudy, but the sun showed its face briefly — enough for the sisters to enjoy a little exercise.
“Thank you for joining me, Jane. I know you are not fond of walking, especially in this cold.”
“I could not let you walk alone, Lizzy. Besides, it is a lovely change to be out of the house. Mama has such unreasonable expectations, especially regarding Mr Bingley, that she scares me.”
“I am more embarrassed than scared,” Elizabeth admitted. “But I cannot disagree with her. Mr Bingley’s admiration for you was quite obvious at the ball. And I dare say you were not indifferent to him either.”
“Lizzy, he is, without doubt, the most amiable man I have ever met. He seems so pleasant and unassuming—”
“And very handsome! You cannot deny that you like him.” Elizabeth laughed, and Jane blushed.
“I have no wish to deny it. But Mr Darcy is handsome too, is he not?”
“He might be, but in a very different way. Mr Bingley’s handsomeness is somehow…inviting, while Mr Darcy’s is cold and haughty.”
“But you seemed to have a pleasant time dancing with him.”
“I admit I did. He is an excellent dancer and a pleasant companion, but I suspect that happens only when he chooses to share the more amiable side of his character with us mere mortals.”
“Lizzy!” Jane began to laugh too, and the sisters continued to walk, arm in arm. The ground was muddy and difficult to traverse due to the lasting rain, so they stepped with extra caution.
They continued to talk, enjoying their time together, until Netherfield appeared in their sights.
A loud clap of thunder, followed by lightning, gave them a fright. The wind began to howl, and clouds immediately covered the sun.
“Well, our walk is over,” Elizabeth said. “Let us return home before we are drenched. Or should we take shelter at Netherfield?” she teased her sister.
“Do you hope to see Mr Darcy?” Jane replied with an unexpected sharpness to her tongue.
“Well, Miss Bennet, I did not expect such a reply,” Elizabeth admitted. “I should be more careful when I decide to tease you.”
They were laughing and walking, when suddenly, they were forced to stop at the sight of a man, limping and struggling, using a wooden branch to support himself.
“Sir, may we help you?” Elizabeth asked. The man turned to her and, with utter shock, they recognised him.
“Mr Darcy!”
“Miss Bennet? Oh, Miss Elizabeth…and Miss Bennet…”
“Sir, are you hurt? What happened?” Elizabeth asked.
“A silly accident. I was walking and leading my horse when he was frightened by the thunder. I tried to hold on to him, but he escaped, and I fell. I believe I have hurt my leg. Nothing to worry about.”
“Nothing to worry about? Does it hurt? If, God forbid, it is broken, you should not walk on it, as the damage might be disastrous.”
As she spoke, Mr Darcy appeared to lose strength, and he leant against a tree to rest. His countenance showed distress and obvious pain.
“I do not believe it is broken. It is painful, but I am sure it is only a sprained ankle.” He tried to stand up again, but a grimace of pain contorted his face.
“You should not walk any farther, sir. It is too dangerous, especially in this weather. You may fall again and make things even worse. It looks like it will rain soon.”
“I hope my horse has returned to Netherfield and someone will notice my absence and come to look for me. Until then, I shall wait here.”
“You cannot wait here, hoping for the best. If it begins to rain, you might freeze before you are found. I shall go to Netherfield and seek help.”
She expected opposition, but Mr Darcy only nodded.
“That would be of great help, but I know it is quite some distance away. I am ashamed to expose you ladies to such an endeavour.” His gaze, his voice, his countenance, all expressed remorse and humbleness.
“Do not worry, sir. It is a rather easy walk for me. Jane, you stay here with Mr Darcy. I shall walk much faster by myself, and I know several paths which will allow me to reach Netherfield in no time.”
Jane’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“But Lizzy…?”
“My dear, we have no time to argue. Take refuge here, under the tree, and let us pray it does not begin to rain before help has arrived.”
“Miss Elizabeth, if you go alone, you might be exposed to even greater danger, and I cannot allow that,” Mr Darcy intervened.
“Sir, you are in no position to allow me anything,” she said, adding a smile to her harsh answer. “Have a little patience and try to be as pleasant company for my sister as she will be for you,” she concluded.
She took a few steps, then turned her head, seeing Jane and Mr Darcy, both looking uncomfortable, gazing after her.
She smiled again, waved to them, and began to run.
It did not take very long, and after climbing a fence and struggling through some mud, she entered Netherfield Park, just as the rain began — heavy, cold, and growing stronger.
It took her longer than she thought to cross the park to the house, and the effort needed was great.
The footman who opened the door looked at her, clearly surprised by her appearance.
“I am Miss Elizabeth Bennet, from Longbourn. I must speak to Mr Bingley immediately, concerning his friend, Mr Darcy.”
“The master is not at home, miss. He and a few men went in search of Mr Darcy.”
“They did? When?”
“It has been quite a while. Mr Darcy’s horse returned alone, and they believed Mr Darcy might be hurt somewhere.”
“He is. Not badly injured, but he cannot walk. I have come to seek help.”
“You know where he is? Wait, miss, let me call someone!”