by Tilly Davis
And as he watched Elizabeth and her sister happily picking flowers, he could not but think she was truly the most beautiful woman upon whom he had ever laid eyes.
At length Elizabeth and Jane continued their walk home to Longbourn, laden down with daffodils to arrange around the house, and Mr. Darcy continued his walk towards Meryton. It was a beautiful spring day and the air was fresh with the scent of wildflowers and the hedgerows. In Meryton, he penned a letter to his sister and dispatched it with the next mail coach, but as he was leaving the village his eyes met with those of Lydia and Kitty across the street. They were talking to Mr. Wickham with whom of course Mr. Darcy was well acquainted.
Not wishing to cause interference, and fearing for a scene if he did so, Mr. Darcy looked resolutely forward and walked briskly towards the path to Netherfield, but not before both Lydia and Kitty had observed him, and commented to Mr. Wickham upon the fact that it was Mr. Darcy whom Elizabeth had fixed her eyes upon in the church before running away in distress.
At dinner that evening the Bingleys and Mr. Darcy sat once more in semi-silence. It had been this way at dinner all week, Fitzwilliam brooding over his food, and Caroline Bingley baiting him with the occasional question concerning the Bennets. Only Mr. Bingley appeared buoyant though he himself anxiously entertained thoughts of his sister’s reaction should he reveal that he intended to pay a visit to Jane Bennet in the coming week.
‘She must have looked terribly distressed,’ Caroline said, as the brisket was sliced by Mr. Bingley, ‘one can only imagine, do you think she intended it all along, just to humiliate him?’
‘Caroline, please,’ Mr. Bingley said, ‘enough now.’
‘But surely she must have been mindful of her reaction, one does not just seemingly see a ghost and run. No, she must have planned it all, no doubt money was involved somewhere too.’
Mr. Darcy remained silent.
‘Such a silly girl, I could tell that when they came here to dine, she had nothing about her at all, at least the older one had something intelligent to say, well, once or twice, and as for the others, that silly mother, do tell us again how she reacted, Fitzwilliam.’
Still Mr. Darcy did not reply, and Caroline Bingley continued to bait him, each time issuing forth with further ridicule.
‘I’ve a wonder her father didn’t force her to marry him, surely he should have stepped forward and put a stop to her silly nonsense, it must have shocked Lady Catherine to be present for such an astonishing occurrence. I, for one, have never heard the like and I read all the society columns, don’t I, Charles?’
Mr. Bingley had also remained silent as his sister continued to extol the faults and foibles of the Bennet family, he could see Mr. Darcy becoming more and more agitated as his sister’s unrelenting tirade continued. But she was in her element and had found her topic of conversation for dinner that evening.
‘She in now damaged goods, of course, tarnished with a brush of her own making. No respectable man would ever take her now, she shall grow into a lonely spinster, a homeless one too once her father dies, and it is clear that he is not long for this world. She shall be forced to sell the family silver and live in poverty all her days, why I should say that she is …’
‘Enough!’ Mr. Darcy erupted, leaping from the table and sending plates and cutlery spinning to the floor. ‘Enough, Caroline, if only you could hear yourself, delighting in the misfortune of others, you are nothing but a gossiping old woman, judgemental, hard of heart, unmerciful,’ he was shaking with anger now, ‘I have had enough of your vile sentiments, you have nothing to say that is not cold and dark, delighting in the misery of others. Elizabeth Bennet is a kind, caring and most attractive young lady, and if you were only half her character then I should still wish to marry you, but since you are her opposite in every way, our engagement is called off, do you hear me, this is the end of our association. I am taking my leave of you this very night. Bingley, you will have my things sent on to London and, Caroline, I wish you well, for if any man can accept your bitter ways then he is a stronger man than I.’
And with that Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy left the dining room at Netherfield, and a shaking, sobbing Caroline Bingley behind, poor Mr. Bingley quite at a loss as to what to do.
The outburst we have just heard came not just as a result of Caroline’s immediate words that night but had been building in Mr. Darcy for some days prior. Usually he was a meek and mild-mannered man, not prone to violent outbursts. It was for that reason that he had refused his uncle, Brigadier Montague Darcy’s offer of a commission in the mounted cavalry. But Caroline’s constant attention upon the misery of the Bennets had shown Fitzwilliam her true colours. He had always known that she possessed airs and graces, the ability to look down upon others as though it were her right, and a fixation upon class and societal standing, but this was the first time he had truly witnessed such a repulsive and prolonging unpleasant side to her. Like Elizabeth, he knew that he could not marry a person such as this, far less come to love her, and so though his outburst was born of passion, his conviction was not. The engagement between Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Miss Caroline Bingley was now most definitely off, and the consequences of his actions that night were set to have considerable effect upon the gentleman’s future, for good or ill.
2
Departure and Excitement
Mr. Darcy wasted no time in saddling his horse, the stable boys surprised to see the gentleman at so late an hour. He was determined not to spend the night at Netherfield, lest Caroline Bingley should continue her venomous talk.
The lady in question was in a state of considerable shock in the drawing room, imploring her brother to go after Mr. Darcy at once.
‘Bring him back, Charles, how dare he speak to me in such a manner, he has disgraced me.’
‘I’m sure he meant nothing by his words, dear sister,’ Mr. Bingley said, unconvinced by his own words of reassurance.
‘Did you hear the way he spoke to me, what is that girl to him? Has she bewitched him against me!’
‘I fear you may have bewitched yourself through your talk these past days,’ Mr. Bingley said, causing his sister to let out a cry of distress.
At length, Mr. Bingley left her to her sorrow though she was such an arrogant woman that she could not see that it was of her own doing entirely that she now found herself without the man she had truly wished to marry.
As Mr. Darcy prepared to depart, his friend appeared in the stables to reason with him, but there was little more that could be said.
‘Come now, Fitzwilliam, won’t you come back inside, at least remain here the night? I’ll pour us a brandy in the library, I’m sure Caroline will apologise in due course, she’s always been a silly girl.’
‘Silly?’ Mr. Darcy said, ‘she is more than silly, she is a hideous creature, every word that comes from her has been poison, and these past few days I have seen her true colours. I meant what I said, Charles, the engagement is broken off.’
‘But it has been announced, think of the damage to your reputation and to Caroline’s.’
‘A damaged reputation is nothing to a lifetime of sorrow,’ Mr. Darcy said, ‘I shall write to you formally and dissolve the engagement, I do not wish this matter to impinge upon our friendship though I fear it will, if only because your sister will now seek to poison all against me.’
‘But where will you go?’ Mr. Bingley said.
‘To London now, and then I shall return to Pemberley, this district now holds only unhappy memories for me, goodbye, Charles.’
And with that Fitzwilliam Darcy left Netherfield, riding through the night towards London, as Charles Bingley sought to comfort his sister, devastated at a loss which was entirely her own doing.
‘I have seen nothing of any of them,’ Jane said, in response to her mother’s question at breakfast the next morning, ‘it would seem that Netherfield is a fortress from which they do not emerge.’
‘Well, Miss Bingley did not care for the district, did she
?’ Mrs. Bennet said, liberally spreading a slice of bread with jam, ‘and Mr. Bingley was not one to press forward with matters of a romantic nature, I doubt we shall see him if we have not done so already.’
‘Mother, I fear that your laying all hope upon Mr. Bingley as my suitor may come to nothing,’ Jane said, rising and embracing her mother around the shoulders as the rest of the family began to go about their daily routine.
‘We are going to Meryton, Mother,’ Lydia said, as she and Kitty tied ribbons into their hair before in the hallway.
‘It is very early to be going to Meryton, is it not?’ Mrs. Bennet called to them, ‘your aunt will not thank you for arriving at such an early hour, she is not an early riser like me.’
‘They won’t be going to see our aunt,’ Mary said from behind the paper.
‘Well, who else will they be seeing?’ Mrs. Bennet said, ‘be sure to be back by two o’clock, I have any number of jobs for you to assist with.’
‘We will,’ the two girls called, the sound of their laughter echoing back into the dining room.
Elizabeth remained lethargic, she had felt like doing little else except an occasional walk in the meadows with Jane these past few days, and today she wished little more than to sit and read in the drawing room, looking out upon the garden which was now coming into bloom, as spring gave way to summer.
She knew that eventually she would have to give up on her melancholy, the exact nature of which remained something of a mystery to her. She had not wished to marry Mr. Collins and now that she was not to do so, she kept telling herself that she should once again be happy. She had not wished to leave Longbourn, or her sisters, and now that she had returned she should be happy. But she was not.
For the image of Mr. Darcy on that fateful day seemed permanently imprinted upon her mind, the look upon his face, his deep, dark eyes penetrating her. It was as if at that moment both their hearts had spoken to one another, and expressed a desire for love, a desire which could not be accomplished whilst she was to marry Mr. Collins and he was to marry Caroline Bingley.
Now that she was, as they said, ‘damaged goods,’ no one would wish to marry her, and entertaining the fantasy of Mr. Darcy doing so was simply ludicrous. But it was these thoughts which kept her feeling so forlorn, as she contemplated her future, and that of the family, Mr. Bennet having taken to his sickbed, suffering from a chill.
That day she resolved to visit Charlotte Lucas and speak with her friend about all that had happened. She needed a different perspective upon events, and whilst she knew she could confide anything in her sisters it was her closest friend that could give a different view on what she might now do.
Having made her excuses, she set out for Meryton Lodge, the day bright and sunny. She greeted the farm hands on the road into the village and passed several of the regiment making their way out into the surrounding countryside. It was so good to be back at Longbourn, the familiarity of the surrounding countryside a source of great comfort and solace.
Walking briskly, it did not take long for Elizabeth to arrive at Meryton Lodge where she found Charlotte at home with her parents.
‘I was hoping you would call,’ Charlotte said, ‘if you hadn’t I was going to come to Longbourn tomorrow. You must get back to some sort of normalcy, Elizabeth.’
‘It is so hard though,’ Elizabeth said, ‘if I think too much about the events I find myself in turmoil, yet equally I feel something of a relief.’
‘You’re glad you did not marry Mr. Collins, aren’t you?’ Charlotte asked.
‘I am, yes, but I fear I have also lost any other possibility of happiness.’
‘Come now, Elizabeth,’ Sir William said, for he and his wife were also sitting in the library with Charlotte and her friend, ‘all is not lost, far worse to have been married and then run away than to call off the marriage before it has occurred.’
‘Father is right, you have not caused scandal, more surprise and intrigue, it will be a talking point amongst certain sections of society for a little while but soon forgotten,’ Charlotte said, ‘you cannot blame yourself for following your heart.’
‘Quite right,’ her father said.
‘But I am sorrowed too that I did not pursue any form of attachment to Mr. Darcy,’ Elizabeth said, ‘if I had been more forthright with my feelings then perhaps all this could have been avoided months ago.’
‘It is not your place to be forthright with your feelings,’ Sir William said, for he had always acted as something of a father figure towards Elizabeth, ever since she was a little girl.
‘Mr. Darcy has evidently made his choice to marry Caroline Bingley, and there is nothing you can do about. Do not dwell upon the past and what might have been, look to the future instead.’
And with that Sir William left, he having a pressing engagement in London that evening, leaving his daughter and her friend to continue poring over all that had occurred.
‘Do you think the Bingleys will be seen in the district?’ Charlotte asked.
‘Mother is still convinced that Mr. Bingley will seek Jane’s affections, though I hardly see that as a possibility,’ Elizabeth said.
‘Well, as long as none of us have sight of that odious Caroline Bingley then I am satisfied,’ Charlotte said, ‘I encountered her just once at the Assembly Room ball and that was quite enough.’
‘You were spared my misfortune then,’ Elizabeth said, laughing. ‘I am so glad that I still have you, Charlotte,’ she continued, ‘it was one of many things I felt sorrow for at the prospect of being in permanent residence in Hunsford.’
‘I too,’ Charlotte said, ‘from the moment we arrived I could tell that you were not happy there, and I so desperately wanted to implore you not to go through with the marriage, but I felt I could not, your mind seemed so set on duty.’
‘It was,’ Elizabeth said, ‘my only thought was to save Longbourn, but in fact it is Longbourn which has saved me, when I am here I feel so at peace.’
‘Then you must remain here,’ Charlotte said, ‘we shall become old maids together, can you imagine it.’
‘Oh no, I imagine you soon to marry a tall, dark, handsome stranger, no doubt one will come and sweep you off your feet, or perhaps one of the regiment?’
‘I could never marry a member of the regiment, imagine the upheaval, no, I shall stay here and have a comfortable life amidst my flower collections, and so long as I have you as a friend I shall want for nothing.’
The two women sat over their tea for much of the morning and it was later in the afternoon that Elizabeth returned to Longbourn, to find a new crisis having erupted, the family once more in upheaval.
‘Gone? What do you mean she is gone? Gone where?’ Mrs. Bennet cried, as Elizabeth entered the parlour after returning from Meryton Lodge.
‘Who has gone?’ she asked.
‘Lydia has gone off with Mr. Wickham,’ Kitty said, she was crying, her tear-stained cheeks suggesting that her sorrow had been prolonged.
Mrs. Bennet screamed, causing Mr. Bennet to now appear, wrapped in his night wear and a jacket.
‘Mrs. Bennet, whatever is the matter? Are you trying to wake the dead?’
‘Kitty, explain to your father immediately, we must summon a search party, call out the magistrate, I must go to my sister at once, whatever was she thinking in allowing her nieces to wander around the village when such men were abroad?’
‘Pray, Mrs. Bennet, desist from your exertion of emotion a moment and let Kitty speak,’ Mr. Bennet said in exasperation.
By now all of the Bennet sisters were gathered in the parlour as Kitty explained what had transpired in Meryton that day.
‘Well, Lydia and I have made the acquaintance of the officers billeted in the village these past months,’ Kitty began, ‘and in particular there is a Mr. Wickham who has been most gracious in introducing us to others of notable rank. He and Lydia have been corresponding, as well as meeting one another in the village. We were supposed to be doing just that today but
when we arrived I found that all had been arranged, she has gone with him to London this very day.’
At this Mrs. Bennet shrieked hysterically and even Mr. Bennet appeared a little shaken by the news that his youngest daughter was now making her way to the capital accompanied by a man whose intentions no one knew.
‘And did you not try to stop her?’ Jane asked.
‘I could do nothing, I implored her to reconsider but she just laughed me off, told me not to be silly and that she would write to explain once the arrangements had been made, it seems that they had been planning this for weeks.’
‘Planning for weeks? Well, will they marry, please tell me they shall marry.’ Mrs. Bennet said, leaning heavily back against the wall, Mary rushing to assist her.
‘Mr. Wickham is a most charming man, but I could not vouch for his intentions,’ Kitty said, ‘he is an officer though.’
‘But clearly not a gentleman,’ Mr. Bennet said.
‘What are we to do?’ Jane asked, ‘surely we must travel to London and see her returned.’
‘I shall visit the officers’ mess and ascertain where Mr. Wickham may have taken her, it sounds as though she is in no danger of immediate harm,’ Mr. Bennet said.
‘Except to her honour,’ Mrs. Bennet said, ‘but you cannot go there in your condition, Mr. Bennet.’
‘What choice do I have?’ her husband said, ‘my daughters are certainly testing the resolve of my nerves lately.’
And with that he returned upstairs, his wife continuing to interrogate Kitty as to the exact circumstances of Lydia’ disappearance.
Lydia had indeed been corresponding with Mr. Wickham for some months, the letters received discovered under the mattress of her bed. In them, her sisters found Mr. Wickham’s expression of his love and admiration expressed in no uncertain terms. Certainly then she was not in danger, but her actions could only lead to scandal, and it was imperative that she either marry Mr. Wickham or return home, the possibility for neither action to be enacted very real.