Chapter 29
THREE ENGAGEMENTS AND A WEDDING
Elizabeth was sitting in the parlour with her family the day after the assembly, when Sir William and Lady Lucas called with their eldest daughter.
Though it was the habit of the Lucas ladies to visit with those of Longbourn the day after an assembly, the presence of Sir William was as unusual as the absence of Maria.
All became clear when Sir William proudly announced that Charlotte was now betrothed to Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Mrs Bennet, possessing all the satisfaction of a daughter already engaged, and having never seriously considered the colonel for any of her other daughters, displayed none of the spleen which might have attended such an announcement in different circumstances.
Lydia’s expression at hearing the news was as sour as a ripe lemon, but her father’s presence seemed to restrain her, for she said nothing.
The remaining sisters were warm in their congratulations and sincerely happy for Miss Lucas.
“Did he propose this morning?” Elizabeth asked.
“Last night at the assembly,” Charlotte replied, smiling and blushing.
“We walked about the assembly rooms during the last set; he brought me underneath the mistletoe, kissed me, and asked me to marry him. I said that I would, and this morning he visited my father and received his blessing. We intend to marry in the third week of February, so that we might have at least a fortnight together before he is needed in Warwickshire to oversee the planting at the estate he is to inherit from his great-aunt, and of which he is to act as master from then on.”
This unexpected information created a clamour as great as the news of the betrothal.
Everyone demanded to know of this estate, and how the colonel’s prospects had undergone such a revolution.
Charlotte circumspectly replied that he had only recently been legally made the lady’s heir, and he had not liked to speak of the possibility before it was settled.
When the Lucases departed to call upon the Gouldings with their news, “Well! Had I known he was to have more than his half-pay, I should have tried to get him for one of you girls!” Mrs Bennet exclaimed, entirely forgetting that she used to be quite fond of militia officers with much less.
“Those artful Lucases had no business snatching up an eligible gentleman when I still have four daughters to marry off, and they have only two!”
“That attitude, my dear, is no doubt why the colonel chose to keep the truth of his situation a secret,” Mr Bennet remarked.
Despite the mutual avoidance between the Harringtons and their neighbours since the scandal broke around Miss Harrington, most of the four and twenty gentle families of the area appeared at the church for her wedding the next morning.
The bride was pale and trembling, the groom stiff and grim.
There would be no wedding breakfast. The unhappy ceremony had an effect on Lydia, who might so easily have found herself in a similar position; she was silent and solemn throughout and retreated to her room without a word when they returned to Longbourn.
Elizabeth felt a little sorry for her, for she thought that Lydia’s confidence that life must only hold good things for a pretty, lively girl had been well and truly shaken.
Though she did not expect this to have much of a lasting effect upon her sister, she did hope that some echo of this day might remain with Lydia when she was next in the company of a handsome man inclined to flirt.
Mr Bingley, it seemed, was not long to be outdone by his guest, for he presented himself to Mr Bennet later that very day, requesting a private audience with his eldest daughter.
The outcome of that interview could not be doubted by anyone, and the joy which greeted the announcement of Jane’s engagement was unalloyed with surprise.
Mrs Bennet, of course, was in ecstasy, and spoke of dividing her time between Longbourn and Netherfield when Mr Bennet was dead.
That gentleman—still very much alive, thank you!
—meanwhile exercised his wit upon the couple, teasing that they were so easy that every servant would cheat them and so generous that they would always exceed their income.
That evening, as they readied for bed, Elizabeth remarked to Jane that she must be firm early in her marriage, for both her mother and her future sister were likely to attempt to usurp her place as mistress of her husband’s home.
“I shall not allow anyone to prevent me from upholding my duties,” Jane replied. Elizabeth smiled; she had expected such a reply. Jane always wished to please those around her, but she would not be moved when she knew herself to be right.
“It is unlikely to be a concern for long, at any rate,” Jane added after a momentary silence.
“Oh?”
“Charles has spoken of wishing to purchase more to the north. He still has some involvement with his father’s business in Scarborough, and many relations there.
He mentioned the possibility of looking near Mr Darcy’s estate; that would place him two days’ travel from Scarborough, whereas Netherfield is five in good weather. ”
This gave Elizabeth the opportunity to confess her own hopes of one day residing in that neighbourhood.
Jane was only a little surprised, for though she had been wrapped up in her own courtship, she had not failed to notice the growing friendship between her sister and Mr Darcy.
It was the work of a moment for Jane to conclude that such a good and sensible man could not fail to admire and love her dearest Lizzy.
“How happy I should be,” Jane declared, “if we were to settle near to Pemberley and you were to be its mistress! We should see one another very often, and our children might be to each other as Mr Darcy and his cousin are. Do you truly think he means to make you an offer?”
“He has given every indication that he is courting me and intends to take his attentions to their natural conclusion,” Elizabeth replied with a pink-cheeked smile.
“And I shall happily accept. In disposition and talents, I can think of none more suited to me. We complement each other. I am lively, and he is serious; I lift his spirits, and he induces me to deliberation and prudence. We are each made better by the other.”
“That is wonderful, Lizzy. I am so happy for you, and will be even happier when all is settled between you and Mr Darcy. I hope…” She bit her lip and seemed uncertain.
“I hope I may be so important to Charles. I confess, though I know why I have come to love him so completely, I am uncertain why he has chosen me.”
“Do you fear he values only your beauty?” Elizabeth enquired, concerned.
“No,” Jane replied swiftly, to her sister’s relief.
“He listens to me, Lizzy. He truly listens to what I say, and he recalls it later, and on occasion, he has changed an opinion of his after I voiced my own. That is why I love him so dearly—no one has ever heard me so well or valued my thoughts, except you and our relations in London. I simply do not know what I have to offer him that another lady does not.”
Elizabeth shook her head. Jane’s modesty was becoming, but perhaps excessive.
“I think it cannot have been often, Jane, that he has met with a lady who is beautiful and intelligent, warm and caring, and who shares his distaste for a quarrel. In fact, I dare say he met none such, before you! But to all that I will add that you care for him, for the person he is, and not for his wealth and his connexion to the Darcy and Fitzwilliam families. His own sisters do not seem to think much of his opinions and his desires; they have tried to deflect him from paying his attentions to you, even after it became entirely apparent that his affection as well as his interest was engaged. I have seen it, and though you will deny it, it is true. They think of their own ambitions and not his happiness, but your first ambition is his happiness, and your own. I should say that is why he loves you. He knows that if he lost his fortune tomorrow and had to work as a clerk or the like, you would not forsake him.”
“I most certainly would not!” Jane was aghast at the very thought. “The only reason I should ever give him up would be if he said he did not want me any longer.”
“And that is what you have to offer him that few other ladies could or would.”
Jane regarded her seriously. “And is not that also what you offer Mr Darcy?”
“I suppose it is, and I hope he knows it,” Elizabeth replied thoughtfully.
“I suspect he began to like me because I treated him just as I would any other gentleman, and not as though he were some majestic creature who must be feted and praised. When he offended me, I was cold to him, and when he was polite, so was I. I believe it was the novelty which caught his attention,” she concluded with a laugh.
“And you were sympathetic about his difficulty with noisy places,” Jane pointed out. “I expect many would see that as a weakness in a gentleman, and mock or scorn him for it, as some have done to Papa.”
“I do not see why they should,” Elizabeth grumbled. “He cannot help that his hearing is unusually sensitive, or whatever it is that makes such a setting so difficult for him. It is like blaming someone for having… crooked teeth! One might wish it were not so, but it cannot be altered.”
“I agree with you completely, Lizzy. And unlike Mama, you will soothe him when he is troubled by it. I do not think he is quite as able to avoid social engagements as my father is, so he must look forward to having you by his side for them.”
“What strange dowries we have, Jane.”
Jane smiled. “But no less worthy for all that, I hope.”