In a More Amiable Light

by Marley Fulton

  “Long, but pleasant,” Georgiana replied. "What a lovely home you have, Mrs. Gardiner.”

  "Thank you.”

  “Lovely indeed,” Bingley said absently, charmed by Jane’s smile.

  Elizabeth sat on the couch smiling politely.

  "Mrs. Gardiner, Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, I came today as I felt the urgency of a most important matter,” Bingley suddenly declared. “I must formally apologize to you all. It seems that my sisters have been meddling in my affairs. They did not inform me of your presence, nor that did you wrote to them. Even more, they also hid the letter sent by Darcy. I do apologize so for their abhorrent behavior."

  Jane blushed, Mrs. Gardiner offered a kind answer, while Elizabeth accepted the confession with relief, guilt, and shame. She felt like a complete simpleton who did not use any wit or reason before making unfair reproaches. So, Mr. Darcy had, in fact sent the letter. He admitted his errors and tried to remedy them. And she had accused him of lying, in his own home, no less! Her distress shifted from being angry with Darcy, to feeling guilty over the whole matter.

  Jane was thrilled to hear Mr. Bingley's apology, and hurried to assure him everything was forgotten. Mr. Gardiner arrived from his business and new introductions were performed and the visit lasted pleasantly for almost an hour.

  When the guests left, Jane had no doubts remaining regarding Mr. Bingley’s affection and his intentions, nor about any implied relation between him and Miss Darcy. She openly spoke of him and praised Miss Darcy’s accomplishments until late in the night. Elizabeth barely listened to her beloved sister, trapped in her own distress and self-blame as well as her wonder as to why was she so affected by having misjudged Darcy.

  Chapter 6

  For the next three days, both Elizabeth and Darcy remained distressed, each in their own part of the town. Darcy tried to get involved with business so as to take his mind off Elizabeth. Elizabeth tried to find a way to apologize to Mr. Darcy. She was certain it was the proper way to proceed, but she was unsure of how to accomplish her plan. Eventually, after much struggle, she decided to take the risk of an implied apology and found enough courage to write to Georgiana. She expressed her delight in meeting her, she inquired about her wellbeing and at the end of the letter, she wrote: "Please convey to Mr. Darcy mine and my relatives' best wishes and our hopes that we will see both of you sometime soon.”

  With a heavy heart she sealed the letter, sent it, and waited.

  On Park Lane, in Darcy’s house, Georgiana received the note with much pleasure and immediately showed it to her brother.

  He read it – several times - surprised by the letter and puzzled as to what to think of it. There was no doubt that it was directed to him. He wondered briefly it this was her way of apologizing for her accusatory behavior and her manner of acknowledging to him that she was aware of the truth. However, he did not dare assume too much, but instead, accepted the letter as simple common courtesy and told Georgiana that they might call on them again.

  Chapter 6

  Mr. Bingley came to Gracechurch Street again, with the Gardiners’ encouragement and blessing. Mrs. Gardiner decided to host a dinner party and an invitation was issued to Mr. Bingley and his sisters. He readily accepted but admitted that he was not aware of his sisters’ previous engagements. Mrs. Gardiner also extended an invitation to the Colonel, as well as to Mr. and Miss Darcy, sending a special note to them.

  Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner employed much time debating about Mr. Darcy. While both Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner had formed a most favorable impression of him, Elizabeth still had doubts. She regretted her accusation and was grateful to him for writing to Bingley when they first arrived in Town. Even more so, his behavior toward her relatives was beyond reproach.

  But she still recollected his haughty and disdainful manners in Hertfordshire and especially his outrageous and cruel treatment of poor Mr. Wickham. The notion that he had thrown his childhood companion into poverty and denied him the living left by the late Mr. Darcy was proof of a resentful and even merciless character. How could such faults be forgiven?

  “My dear Lizzy, we do not know the entire story between Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy. I do admit that Mr. Wickham is a pleasant and amiable gentleman and it pains me to know he is struggling to make a comfortable living. But I am sure Mr. Darcy had his reasons to refuse his late father’s wish. It must have been a condition or something behind that legacy.”

  “Perhaps, Aunt. But you must agree that even so, it does show a frightening cruelty on Mr. Darcy’s side.”

  “I do not agree, my darling. To us, Mr. Darcy was nothing but kind and friendly. We are only judging him based on what we witnessed, not on stories that we cannot probate.

  Mrs. Gardiner gave the matter much thought. She knew Elizabeth would be delighted to have Mr. Darcy’s company, but she could feel the growing tension between him and Elizabeth. Since the dinner was supposed to be for Jane and Mr. Bingley to advance their courtship, she did not want any unpleasantness at the table. She eventually decided that all unpleasantness could be avoided by the simple art of seating. She would intentionally seat her guests in such a way that all conflict could be avoided. But there was still a need for her to understand the root of the continuous conflict between her niece and one of the most worthy gentlemen she had ever met. His offense and refusal to dance with her at the Assembly was months ago and needed to be put behind.

  The Gardiners’ invitation was accepted gladly by Georgiana and reluctantly by Darcy. Colonel Fitzwilliam was out town with business and Darcy made the announcement to the hosts.

  Mr. Bingley's sisters were not so easily persuaded. They wanted nothing to do with either the Gardiners or the Bennets, and they told their brother this, but Mr. Bingley was forceful towards them, and he would not bend on his decision.

  "You will attend," he told them both. "And you will be polite and show them your best manners. You will be gracious guests, otherwise you risk dishonoring our entire family and I shall not speak to you ever again!"

  After much argument, and a small temper tantrum on Caroline's part, the two sisters begrudgingly agreed to accompany him.

  &&&

  On the evening of the dinner party, the ladies in Gracechurch Street prepared themselves with much care. The dinner was also given much attention, as it was meant to satisfy even the most severely pretentious tastes.

  Mrs. Gardiner put on a lavish feast of roast duck, boiled potatoes seasoned with rosemary, carrots and freshly baked bread. And for dessert, she was aiming to please and surprise her guests with canned peaches served with fresh whipped cream.

  The seating arrangements were a little awkward to decide upon at first, as Mrs. Gardiner was very cognizant of rising tensions among several of her guests; and as the hostess, it was her responsibility to ensure that everyone was comfortable.

  So, she sat the Bingley sisters and Mr. Hurst together, side by side, with their brother to the left of them. She ascertained that if they were to behave badly, at least they could do it together and have it quarantined to one small section of the table. She diligently placed Jane to the right of Mr. Bingley. This way, the Bingley sisters could have no direct contact with Jane personally, but Jane and Mr. Bingley could talk freely, and somewhat intimately if they chose. On the other side of the table, across from the Bingley sisters, she sat herself, then Elizabeth, Miss Darcy, Mr. Darcy and her husband Mr. Gardiner at the head of the table. This separated Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, which Mrs. Gardiner felt was prudent to the success of dinner, but it allowed for Elizabeth and Georgiana to engage in conversation, which would surely please both.

  Mrs. Gardiner was quite pleased with the arrangements, and was satisfied that everyone would be comfortable and that she had avoided any undue confrontations.

  The guests arrived, greetings took place and new introductions were made again. Caroline and Louisa embraced Jane with a lack of sincerity and expressed their joy in seeing her again. No one believed their words, not even the sweet
and trustful Jane.

  However, when it came time to be seated, everyone took their indicated places except for Georgiana, who took Elizabeth’s place. Entering the dining room last, together with Mr. Gardiner, Elizabeth took the remaining place, between Georgiana and her brother, politely, if not reluctantly.

  Elizabeth's cheeks burned and her uneasiness made her manners somehow awkward. The situation was still unresolved and uncomfortable, and sitting so close to him in a room full of people did not help much.

  Mr. Darcy, was also uncomfortable and uneasy – even distressed. His feelings for Elizabeth had been oscillating between affection, anger, and utter disbelief, and when his breath caught in his throat for a brief moment as Elizabeth took her seat, he became all the more confused and confounded. It had been a long time since he had been this close to her - not since Netherfield, and her close proximity made them both very aware of each other's presence. As such, they remained stiff at the table, and overly cognizant of their movements, so as not to accidentally come in contact with one another.

  Before the first course was served, Georgiana began chatting away to Mrs. Gardiner while Jane and Mr. Bingley engaged in their own conversation, full of smiles and blushes on Jane's part. The Bingley sisters said little, as they were closed out of the surrounding conversations. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy sat in silence.

  The first course was served, a delectable pea soup, and everyone, except the Bingley sisters exclaimed at how lovely it looked and smelled.

  Elizabeth reached for glass at the same time Mr. Darcy reached for his spoon, and the back of their hands brushed over each other ever so slightly.

  Mr. Darcy's breath caught in his throat again when their hands touched. Elizabeth quickly withdrew her hand, and Mr. Darcy turned his head toward her.

  "My apologies," he said softly, still looking at her. The candle light illuminated her face, making her features seem even softer and more beautiful, and he held her gaze a little longer than he had intended on doing.

  Elizabeth turned away, to Mr. Darcy's dismay, but before he could turn away, too, she suddenly returned to meet his gaze. "Mr. Darcy, I assure you that there is nothing to apologize for," she said in a quiet and soft voice.

  Mr. Darcy was amused by this statement. "On the contrary, Miss Bennet. It appears that there is plenty to apologize for," he responded, as he kept his eyes fixed on her. He was sure he saw Elizabeth blush ever so slightly.

  "Perhaps, but I do not feel it prudent to apologize for those things which were accidental in nature, or for that where there really is no blame to be laid," she responded. Mr. Darcy's face did not change, his look remaining serious and intense. Elizabeth looked away and reached for her glass again. Mr. Darcy reached for his spoon, this time intentionally brushing the back of his hand against hers.

  Elizabeth snapped her head towards him.

  "Am I to blame this time?" Mr. Darcy asked, a slight smile curling from the corner of his mouth.

  "Most certainly," Elizabeth said, and she was surprised to find that her heart was racing.

  "Then Miss Bennet, you will surely accept my apologies this time," Mr. Darcy replied.

  Elizabeth released a small laugh, drawing the Bingley sisters’ attention; then, she could not help herself. "Of course," she said, still smiling. "And now, if you would be so kind as to not reach for your spoon at the same time that I reach for my glass, we can avoid such accidental encounters and leave ourselves with nothing to apologize for. I would very much like to have my drink."

  Mr. Darcy nodded, and Elizabeth lifted her glass and took a sip while she nodded back at Mr. Darcy.

  Georgiana was discussing petunias, and Mrs. Gardiner appeared an apt listener, however, her eyes had been on Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy indiscreetly through the entire first course. She was pleased to see that they were both smiling, and that, somehow, the tension between them seemed to have lightened, if only for the moment. In fact, if she did not know better, Mrs. Gardiner would have sworn that she had just witnessed the blossoming of flirtatious behavior. It was not like Elizabeth to blush, which Mrs. Gardiner had clearly seen her do.

  "Will you not eat your soup?" Mrs. Gardiner asked both Mrs. Hurst and Caroline, who had barely touched their spoons. “I hope you are not displeased with it.”

  Everyone's attention then turned to Mrs. Hurst and Caroline, who were sitting stiffly, full bowls of soup still in front of them.

  "I am sure it is tasty," Mrs. Hurst replied, without even so much as a smile. "But peas do not agree with me. I am afraid they upset my stomach so."

  "As they do mine also," Caroline added. "Perhaps it is a family trait."

  It was bad enough that they had been forced to attend this awful dinner, but they could not bring themselves to enjoy even a single moment of it, even if Caroline's stomach was growling with hunger, and pea soup was, in fact, one of Mrs. Hurst's favorite types of soup.

  "Nonsense," Mr. Bingley said, turning to his sisters. "It was but just last week we had pea soup in our own home. And if I remember correctly, you both devoured it with the voracity of a starved horse. Perhaps you have confused peas with another vegetable."

  "You may be right, brother. It may have been a different vegetable. But alas, due to our confusion over which vegetables are disagreeable to our stomachs, our soup has now gone cold," Mrs. Hurst replied. She and Caroline were both extremely disgruntled by the fact that their brother had just likened them to starving horses; however, they would not give this company the satisfaction of seeing them upset.

  "It has not. My soup is still warm," Mr. Bingley replied. Jane had never seen him so determined before. It was clear that he had forced his sisters to attend, and to be polite, on her account. She blushed deeply as he defended her honor and forced his sisters to eat the soup. And for the very first time since she and Mr. Bingley had met, Jane no longer felt that his sisters were a threat, either to her and her family personally, or to her blossoming relationship with Mr. Bingley. This gave Jane such gratification, that she nearly grabbed Mr. Bingley's hand right then and there! However, she stopped herself just in time, as that would have been most inappropriate.

  The Bingley sisters sighed, but reached for their spoons. Like children being forced to eat a dish that they detested, they dipped their spoons into the soup, and gingerly took a small bite. The soup was, of course, wonderful, but they were adamant that they would give no inclination as to the delicious nature of the soup. Instead, they scowled.

  Mrs. Gardiner and Mr. Bingley seemed satisfied, and returned to their discussion. Darcy and Elizabeth smiled quietly.

  "I hardly think it is the soup that is cold," Elizabeth said, quietly under her breath.

  "I find that I must agree, Miss Bennet," Mr. Darcy replied, in as equally quiet a tone as Elizabeth. "The soup is warm. It is, perhaps, certain members of our company that are not.”

  Elizabeth stole a glance at him and, to her amazement, she noticed a dimple in his cheek as he struggled to conceal his grin. She was very surprised by Mr. Darcy's bold statement, and by the fact that he had agreed with her. She had expected him to protest, or to offer a comment about propriety and the societal status of soup, or something else of the like. But he had not. Quite the contrary, he sounded rather playful, something that Elizabeth would have never imagined.

  The dinner progressed nicely from there, and everyone was in good spirits, save for the Bingley sisters who clearly had no intentions of enjoying themselves, despite the pleasurable atmosphere. And although Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth did not speak directly to each other, they did relax and begin to enjoy each other's company at the table.

  Elizabeth felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her, and now, with all the previous misunderstandings of late aside, she was beginning to see Mr. Darcy in a new light. He was very reserved and proud, yes, but there was also a kind and loyal side to him, as shown through both his love for his sister, and his affection for his friends. Elizabeth decided that she had perhaps judged him too quickly and t
oo severely, and that she should take the time to better acquaint herself with him before making any more judgements or decisions about his character.

  Mr. Darcy, too, had had a change of heart concerning Elizabeth. She was direct and spoke her mind a little too often by societal standards, but he decided that society's standards were not the standards that he need judge Elizabeth by. She had great wit and sound intelligence, and she was anything but boring. And, if he were not mistaken, perhaps her feelings towards him were shifting a little. Maybe, with more time, she could learn to warm to him.

  Before the company departed, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth had one more conversation with each other. They spoke quietly while everyone else was engaged in discussion on several different subjects.

  "You once told me that my defect is willfully to misunderstand everybody. I admit that you might be right - and I apologize for that. I will try to improve myself," Elizabeth attempted to smile with embarrassment.

  Mr. Darcy was surprised by Elizabeth's apology and pleasantly amused that she recollected their conversation at Netherfield. The fact that she remembered their previous arguments was perhaps testament to the fact that she had, at one point, had some interest in him. He did not want to read too much into this, as he feared he could be wrong again; but none-the-less, her admitting that she had been wrong, and her memory of past encounters, gave Mr. Darcy the slightest sparkle of hope.

  He turned to face her and responded with a small smile:

  "And on the same occasion, you said that my fault is the propensity to hate everybody. I will try to correct that impression, which I assure you is not accurate."

  This little exchange was enough to dissipate the tension completely between them, and when they all retired to the parlor for more talk and drinks, Elizabeth found herself glancing more and more at Mr. Darcy. She was surprised that she found him more handsome with each look and she began to feel embarrassed by her own observations. Mr. Darcy noticed her glances, and was very happy to receive them. So happy in fact, that he had no choice but to admit to himself, finally, that Elizabeth was the woman he wanted. That evening spent with her with no misunderstandings, no arguments, no tension, no blaming – showed him how much he loved her company. Even more so, Georgiana’s openness to Elizabeth, their mutual liking, their growing friendship and genuine interactions were the last proofs that Elizabeth Bennet had stolen the heart of both Darcys. The idea that she could be part of their lives in the future started that very evening, in the Gardiners’ house in Gracechurch Street.