by Olivia Kane
“Just now, on the back terrace. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve such favor,” Jane cried, overcome with emotion and relief, tears brimming in her eyes.
“Dear Jane, you are more deserving than anyone. Where is he so that I can offer him my congratulations too?” Elizabeth looked at the doorway expecting Bingley to be following at Jane’s heels at this tender moment.
“He has gone to Father and Mother. I must join him now but I so wanted to tell you first,” she said, rising.
“Go then and find him! We will speak more later!” Elizabeth urged her.
“Won’t you come too?” Jane hesitated but Elizabeth demurred, promising to join her in a few minutes.
But instead of following Jane, Elizabeth slipped out a side door and down a deserted hallway and escaped outside. Wandering happily, she savored the solitude and opportunity to have her thoughts to herself. She smiled in triumph for Jane who had persevered against all the forces that tried to prevent her much deserved happiness. Forces named Caroline Bingley, Mrs. Hurst, and Mr. Darcy, specifically. Netherfield Park would have a new mistress, and she laughed softly as she envisioned the Bingley sisters hearing the news. Included in her thoughts were feelings of revenge toward Mr. Darcy. Despite his attempts to separate her sister and Bingley, he had failed.
Little by little, his influence was waning.
Chapter 21
With Jane engaged and Mr. Collins smitten with Mary, Mrs. Bennet turned her attention to Lydia’s quest to gain a title.
“Yes, Bingley is handsome and has money enough for Jane. And Mr. Collins and Mary may have Longbourn one day, but how I would love to have a daughter with a title. What a triumph it would be! Tell me more about this Viscount of yours,” she entreated, following after Lydia as she traipsed across the Longbourn lawn. It had been a week since Jane’s engagement and Mrs. Bennet’s head was now turned by the idea of Lydia marrying up so advantageously.
“What more do you want to know, Mamma?” Lydia said, adopting a formal tone she imagined was more fitting for the future wife of a viscount. “I’ve already told you that his father is an earl and is richer than Bingley.”
“And what a coincidence that his estate is in Derbyshire and next to Mr. Darcy!”
“It is not a coincidence, Mamma. Mr. Darcy and he are old friends and went to Cambridge together where they met Mr. Bingley and the rest and the group has stayed together since then.”
“And he comes to call this afternoon?”
“He said he would. No, Hill, put the chairs under the tree so we can have shade!” She was orchestrating a day outdoors on the lawn, which was a bit of hard work for the servants but well worth their efforts, Lydia felt, as she disliked being cooped up. “He was quite eager to come to see me at Longbourn. Rest assured I am determined to make him fall in love with me.”
“Oh my darling Lydia. Everyone always calls my Jane a diamond, and yes, she is a very pretty girl and has done very well by Bingley, but Lady Westinham rolls off one’s tongue so delightfully,” Mrs. Bennet said, lowering herself into the chair.
“Lady Westinham!” Kitty said. “I do love the name, even though it has a type of meat in it. However, ham is one of the most delicious meats and who doesn’t enjoy being reminded of such?”
“I shall have ham and chicken and beef for luncheon every day when I am Lady Westinham,” Lydia announced.
Kitty threw a picnic blanket at the feet of the chairs, plopped down and proceeded to stare at Lydia with envy. Elizabeth and Jane wandered out from the house with extra chairs, both unwilling to make Hill do all the lifting.
True to his word, Westinham rode over from Netherfield that afternoon, accompanied by Bingley. Upon inspection, Mrs. Bennet concluded that she would like the young man very much even without the title.
“This is a beautiful home, Mrs. Bennet,” he flattered her as he refused to take a chair and instead situated himself on the blanket at Lydia’s feet.
“It is no grand estate like yours, my lord,” she demurred.
“Yes but I compare ours to Pemberley and then it pales. All homes pale in comparison to Pemberley.”
“Mr. Bennet is invited to fish there as soon as a day can be arranged,” Mrs. Bennet bragged.
“So I heard! The fishing is superb! I am hoping to join them,” Westinham enthused, stretching out his legs leisurely.
“Mr. Darcy also invited my Lizzy but she is too obstinate to accept the invitation,” Mrs. Bennet said through gritted teeth.
Westinham turned to Elizabeth with wonder. “So you are Darcy’s Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth reddened as all looked at her and then back at Westinham. Realizing that he had spoken without caution, Westinham apologized for any awkwardness.
“Forgive me. I am impulsive sometimes when I speak and should not have said what I did. But since I have already broached the subject, let me be clear. What I mean to say is Bingley’s sisters teased him relentlessly about you when we were last in London together. Otherwise, I would not have known of you.”
Elizabeth sighed. Her instincts about Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Hurst were correct, but this time she felt no great pleasure in being right. “It is not your fault. I am acquainted with Miss Bingley and from what I know of her, I am sure she enjoys torturing Mr. Darcy about me.”
“Lizzy, what is this that you are talking about? Mr. Darcy? How is he tortured by you?” Mrs. Bennet was all confusion. “Somehow I have very quickly lost the thread of this conversation.”
Westinham spoke up. “Your beautiful daughter has made a very strong impression on Mr. Darcy and his women friends have noticed and taken to teasing him. As his longtime friend, I can tell you that it is a rare thing for Mr. Darcy to be so smitten. He is a very wealthy man and eagerly received by all he meets, particularly young ladies. But your daughter has shattered his pretensions.”
Jane, in a protective spirit, explained, “Elizabeth has her reasons for refusing him.”
“Reasons?” said Westinham.
Mrs. Bennet was quick to criticize. “Mr. Darcy was very rude to us when he first came to Meryton. I know he is your friend and all, but you might tell him that he should try harder to not be so sullen! Although I have to say his nature was much changed when he was last here. Two different people.”
“Ah, the famous Darcy pride! There isn’t a companion of his who hasn’t been witness to it. But thank goodness for it, because without it we would have nothing to tease him about and he would be an insufferable bore,” Westinham laughed.
“But why do you stand for it?” Elizabeth objected. “It is no good for him.”
“For a rich man, it is the least of evils, in my humble opinion. But others may feel differently, of that point I can acknowledge.”
“I used to think Mr. Darcy and Lizzy were the two crossest people I’d ever met and perfect for each other. But the last time he was here he was such a gentleman that I now like him very much. Lizzy, you are still very cross sometimes. But let’s stop talking about Mr. Darcy, can we?” Lydia cried out jumping up. “I set up the nine pins. Who wants to play?”
“Very well, I am quite content not to talk about him,” Elizabeth said. “And may I remind you all that he is to be married to his cousin.”
“That is an old story from university days. I dare say that will never happen,” Westinham laughed, standing up and following Lydia to the pins.
“My lord, as our guest you may roll the ball first,” Lydia said in a rare display of good mannered hospitality.
“But the date is to be set. So Miss Darcy said,” Elizabeth continued.
“Is it?” he asked in surprise.
“Yes, she was just here and told us so.”
“Well, then. Perhaps you know more about it than me. But now to the game, as I can see you are all anxious to begin.” Being a gentleman and anxious to impress, he let Lydia win.
To Elizabeth and Jane’s amazement, Lydia’s romance with Westinham moved rapidly from infatuation to a declared courtship
to a serious offer of marriage. This rapid chain of events was due to some lucky timing. Westinham had a propensity to treat life lightly, laugh loud and often, and to find humor in many a situation. His father, the Earl of Westinham, from whom he inherited his high spirits, recently began urging him to think about settling down and advised him to look for a suitable partner whose spirits matched his.
“There are many young ladies who will laugh and flirt upon first acquaintance but then, once betrothed, reveal themselves to be humorless bitties, angry at the world. No, life is serious enough my son and if I know you, that type of woman will leave you looking elsewhere for solace. Find yourself a partner from a good family with whom you can laugh at the challenges that are inevitable in a long lifetime. That is what I did with your mother,” he advised.
Admiring his parents’ marriage and amiable home life very much, he took his father’s advice and so came to Hertfordshire to begin his search. A search which began and ended upon meeting Miss Lydia Bennet, who was unmatched in silliness among her contemporaries. Westinham was more than happy to fall in love with this silly girl from a good family, knowing how it would please his father.
Unlike Bingley, once his affection was secured, Westinham refused to let anything separate him from his beloved. He stayed on at Netherfield Park after the university set departed, filling his days riding and wooing.
His offer of marriage to Lydia was snapped up with much laughter and jumping up and down. Mr. Bennet was pleased to give his consent and wisely refrained from trying to talk Westinham out of the union. Mrs. Bennet’s screams of joy at the engagement threaten to shatter the crystal and between her and Lydia a state of histrionics overtook over the household.
Included with the proposal was an invitation for the entire Bennet family to travel to Westinham’s home in Derbyshire immediately after the wedding of Jane and Bingley. “Introductions must be made to my parents and neighbors, and they insist on throwing us a ball. You must all come and see your sister’s future home. It will be great fun; there is room enough for all at Weststoke.”
Mrs. Bennet and Kitty accepted the invitation with rapturous assent. Even Elizabeth was intrigued and could not find a reason to object to the visit. Jane would be away on her wedding trip and Elizabeth would welcome the opportunity to travel and see the Peak District. On the surface, she was all excitement but privately she was slightly horrified by the Westinhams’ proximity to Pemberley. She feared Mr. Darcy would be in residence and they would surely meet; she did not fool herself into thinking that she could be so close and avoid his company. But she reminded herself that she had made her intentions perfectly clear, and he could read no ulterior motive into her accompanying her sister into Derbyshire at this happy time.
As a consequence of the excitement, Jane’s upcoming marriage to Bingley immediately lost its luster; in Mrs. Bennet’s mind, their marriage was something to be done with so that she could devote herself entirely to Lydia’s glamorous future.
“I don’t mind,” Jane confided to Elizabeth. “For a marriage to an untitled gentleman with a leased home three miles away must pale in comparison to a daughter becoming titled and moving to a family estate in the Peak District, ” Jane laughed.
“Oh Jane, Lydia’s wealthy match is such a puzzlement to me. Who knew that being so silly was the easier path to take in life?” Elizabeth confessed. “I have heard of such quick matches but never thought it would happen to one of us five.”
“I do wish you could be happily settled as easily as she managed to be,” Jane said. “Poor Lizzie. I pray that you find a Bingley of your own. He is out there, I am sure of it.”
“Do not worry about me, for now that you have Netherfield all will be well, for I will come to live with you when Mr. Collins kicks me out,” she said playfully.
Chapter 22
Jane and Bingley married in a simple ceremony celebrated in the Meryton church. The wedding breakfast at Longbourn, however, spared no expense, as Mr. Bennet was pleased with the match and opened his pocketbook liberally. Before settling into life at Netherfield, they embarked on a wedding trip to Edinburgh, stopping in at Mr. Bingley’s hometown on the way.
Although happy for her sister, Elizabeth missed her deeply.
“Life is changing so rapidly,” she thought with a tinge of melancholy.
She made a solitary trip to the mercantile to purchase her copy of Grey’s Guide to Derbyshire Walking Paths. Mr. Buxton had guaranteed that she would have the copy by the time they were to leave, even if he had to go to London himself to get it. Once the book was in her hands, the prospect of the trip, new company, and scenic walks buoyed her spirit. She found her steps lighter and her spirits higher than they had been in a long time. In fact, she reflected, she hadn’t felt this carefree since Mr. Collins walked into their drawing room for the first time so many months ago.
Her mother felt the same.
“Just think,” Mrs. Bennet recalled happily as she clipped the rhododendrons in her garden with her girls. “One year ago we did not know Bingley or our Viscount and now they are my two most favorite people in the world. Remember when we thought Mr. Collins our only option? But such wonderful suitors have come our way!”
“We have been blessed indeed, Mamma,” Mary agreed, taking the clipped flowers from her mother and gathering them into a wicker basket.
“If only we could find some young man for you, Lizzie. What about Bingley’s friends? Did any of them suit you?” Mrs. Bennet inquired.
“Sadly, no. They talked only of horses and riding,” said Elizabeth as she walked along bearing a full basket of blooms.
Mrs. Bennet turned toward Kitty. “And you?”
Kitty beamed. From her pocket, she pulled out a letter. “I was the lucky recipient of this letter from Captain Carter, yesterday! We have progressed from him not only remembering my name, but to him asking Pappa if he could write to me, and he has.”
“How perfectly nice that is. I know how much you liked him,” Elizabeth said.
“I wish all my sisters to be happily wed one day,” Lydia said, with a generosity of spirit not typical of her.
“Oh, what a year we are having!” Mrs. Bennet squealed. “Lady Lucas is so envious of my girls she can barely hide it. She despairs of Charlotte ever being made any kind of offer and here my girls have made such advantageous matches!”
Suddenly, Hill was heard calling from the house.
“Mrs. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet!
Hiking her skirt with one hand she held a letter in the other.
“An express, Ma’am, from Mr. Collins at Hunsford Parsonage!”
“An express?” Mrs. Bennet’s face lit up. An express was a sure sign that important, indeed even terrible, news was enclosed. She put down her shears, took her spectacles from her apron pocket and put them on, then opened the letter with no small amount of glee.
The letter was two pages, filled on both sides. Mrs. Bennet considered the long missive in front of her with no small amount of merriment.
“What does it say, Mamma?” Mary asked.
“Yes, read it aloud,” Kitty requested.
Mrs. Bennet scanned the first few lines with great curiosity. Then her eyebrows shot up in delight.
“Oh, my goodness!”
“What, Mamma!” Kitty cried.
“Oh good gracious! Oh my!”
“What is it?” Elizabeth asked impatiently.
“Tell us!” Lydia practically howled.
Motioning Lydia off the garden bench, Mrs. Bennet took her seat. Her daughters sat at her feet to listen.
“It’s from Mr. Collins. Listen to this: Dear Mrs. Bennet,
Best wishes to you and your family from Hunsford parsonage. I am in good health and have been studying daily, into the night, as advised by Miss Mary Bennet, whose good instruction has great value to me.
I write today, however, to inform you that my efforts toward intellectual improvement will be delayed through no fault of my own. Indeed, a terrible occurrence dema
nds that I abandon my studies and devote my entire existence to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who is at this moment suffering from a most grievous event that may well destroy her.”
Mrs. Bennet paused momentarily as she surveyed the rapt attention of her daughters.
“Go on, Mamma!” Elizabeth urged.
“Continue reading!” Lydia demanded.
“What can it be?” gasped Kitty.
“It is with great sadness I must report the terrible details of the past week. It is known that Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s daughter, Miss Anne de Bourgh, is set to inherit Rosings. Unlike your unfortunate situation, her daughter was not at risk of losing the family home upon paternal passing.
With this fact established, Lady Catherine rightly sought to ensure the stability of Rosings by joining her daughter with her nephew, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, in holy matrimony. Recently, she became concerned that Mr. Darcy’s commitment to the engagement was compromised by another young lady whose name I shall not mention but I will only hint that she is one of your daughters who is not married or engaged and was recently a guest of mine at Rosings.”
All eyes turned to Elizabeth.
“Elizabeth, is this true? That you are the reason Lady Catherine pushed for the wedding to occur?” Mrs. Bennet asked, perplexed.
“Only in her suspicious mind, Mamma. How mortifying,” Elizabeth said.
“Why am I always the last to know these types of details?” Mrs. Bennet huffed in exasperation.
“Read on! I want to know what is so shocking,” Lydia demanded.
“As she was not in the habit of ignoring her finely-tuned instincts, Lady Catherine wished to set a date for the nuptials and ensure the unity of the two estates. She had spoken to Miss de Bourgh of this necessity and I have personal knowledge that she wrote to Mr. Darcy requesting this action. With all eyes on the post, awaiting Mr. Darcy’s reply, we failed to notice the rising panic simmering within Miss de Bourgh.”
“Rising panic? How exciting!” Lydia said.
“Lydia, please do not interrupt. This is a very long letter and I am quite anxious to get to the bottom of it,” Mrs. Bennet scolded.