A Most Civil Proposal

by C. P. Odom

  Charles’s expression was unreadable as he stood looking at the two of them. At last, he said, “Had you called at my house, you would have been refused admittance. Had you called at the Gardiner house, they would have been more gracious, because your dearest Jane is much too well-bred to treat you as you have treated her.”

  Caroline was more shocked by this open expression of disdain than she had been by her banishment. She had never seen anything like it in all their life together. It appeared that, at least in the area of his future wife, her brother had become a completely different and much less amenable person.

  “I came to inform you,” he continued, “that Miss Bennet and I have set a wedding date for the second Saturday in June, the eighth. Whether either or both of you will be invited to attend is what I have come to speak of today.”

  Caroline looked at Charles in total surprise.

  Not invited? Her mind reeled in confusion. How could he not invite me? I am his sister! She looked at her brother with real apprehension, and this first sign of her weakening seemed to discomfit him. Before Caroline could interpret the softening of his face and act on it, Bingley reached inside his coat and retrieved a folded piece of paper. After looking at it for a few seconds, his face resumed its previous unreadable expression that had made her so uncomfortable, and he folded the paper and returned it to his coat.

  “Caroline,” Bingley said, “if you have any desire to be invited back to be mistress of my household until I am wed, either in town or at Netherfield, or if either you or Louisa wish to be welcome in the future, you would do well to listen carefully to what I have to say. First” —he held up one finger and looked closely at his two sisters— “you will remember that I am the head of this family, and I expect your manner to reflect that from now on. Second, I will tolerate neither disrespect nor insincerity to Miss Bennet, either now or after we are married. Third, the same pertains to her sister, the future wife of Mr. Darcy.” Caroline could only stare numbly at her brother after this unprecedented display of firmness.

  “If either or both of you are unable to amend your condescending and insincere behaviour toward the Bennet sisters, then you will neither be invited to our wedding nor Mr. Darcy’s, nor will you be welcome in either of our homes once we are married. Oh, yes,” Bingley said, seeing the look on Caroline’s face. “Mr. Darcy is well aware of my trip here today and even advised me on the manner in which to present the choices you face.” Here he patted his coat pocket with the folded paper before he continued, “In your case, Caroline, if you are unable to accept my conditions, under the terms of our father’s will, you will receive your inheritance when you turn thirty or when you marry. I will no longer provide an allowance. Until that time, I am sure the Hursts will at least offer you a room in which to sleep.”

  “But how will I live?” wailed Caroline.

  “That is up to you, Caroline,” he responded. “Change your manners, or you will not be invited to return.”

  Caroline was crushed by several mortifying realizations, not the least of which was that she would now be acquiring relations from Hertfordshire whether she willed it or not. Also, she would not, after all her effort, ever be mistress of Pemberley. But the most mortifying thought of all was the very real possibility that she would never again be able to manipulate her brother as she had done for years.

  Seeing that she had no real options, Caroline lost little time in pledging that she would honour Charles’s wishes, and her sister quickly did the same.

  “Very well, then. But I warn you both, that I will accept nothing less than your full compliance with our agreement. If either of you renege, you will be banished from my home permanently.” Neither of his sisters had any doubt of his sincerity since the brother talking to them in such a manner was not one that either had ever seen before.

  * * * * *

  And so, Caroline Bingley returned that afternoon and resumed her position as mistress of Charles’s house, at least until his marriage in a month’s time. She was uncomfortably aware that her future was not as rosy as she had previously thought, but the events of the morning had had a traumatizing effect on her. She now understood that she would never again be able to influence Charles as she had been wont to do previously, and that led to the dawning realization that events could have turned out worse — and could still do so if she did not change her ways. She vowed to herself that she would accept Jane, for Charles would stand for nothing less. In any case, Jane was really the most amiable girl, even if her relations were considerably below what she thought her brother deserved. The thought of doing the same with Elizabeth Bennet, however, was much more difficult to swallow since that simple country girl with the impertinent and self-sufficient attitude had gained what she had most wanted for herself.

  She also knew that Mr. Darcy was harder than stone compared to her brother, and if she ever wanted to be welcomed to Pemberley again, she would have to be as cordial to Elizabeth as she was to Jane. The thought was humiliating in the extreme, but there it was; there was no way to change it, and she would just have to submit to the inevitable with as much grace as she could summon.

  Her new resolution and that of her sister was put to the test on Thursday morning when the Miss Bennets came to visit at Bingley’s request. Caroline and Mrs. Hurst received the two sisters in the most civil manner although Mrs. Hurst left virtually all the conversation to her sister, who was almost as effusive in offering her congratulations to Elizabeth on her engagement as she was to Jane. Elizabeth could see that Miss Bingley was not truly sincere, but she could also see how hard she was trying, so she said nothing and repaid civility with equal civility. As they had tea and cakes and later were conducted on a tour around the townhouse, the difference between Caroline’s previous and present manner was so striking that both Elizabeth and Jane comprehended that some significant event must have occurred.

  However, while Jane attributed the change to Caroline’s realization of her fault in her previous behaviour and was thus endeavouring to make amends, Elizabeth somewhat more pragmatically believed that something had made Caroline recognize that she had pushed her brother too far and she would do well to make the best of the situation. Neither of them guessed that Mr. Darcy, during an afternoon in his study, had gifted Bingley with one final piece of advice, instructing and assisting him in preparing for his confrontation with his two sisters by committing his intentions to paper. Thus, the ever-affable Bingley was able to successfully confront his sisters regarding the conduct he expected towards his future bride. Though ignorant of the true reason for Caroline’s change of manner, both Jane and Elizabeth were certainly pleased with the results.

  * * * * *

  The Bennet sisters and their mother, along with Mr. Darcy and Georgiana, dined that same night with the Bingleys. Mrs. Bennet was duly impressed by the townhouse, but she was nevertheless quite free with recommendations and suggestions to Jane as to what needed to be changed. Jane simply smiled and nodded to her mother before returning to her conversation with Bingley. Darcy and Georgiana sat with Elizabeth, and it was obvious to Caroline that both brother and sister had achieved a most intimate and comfortable level of amity with the future Mrs. Darcy. She saw the easy manner in which Elizabeth and Georgiana laughed with each other and the way in which Elizabeth’s gentle teasing only made Mr. Darcy smile more fondly at her.

  He is as besotted as the most lovesick character from a romantic novel, Caroline thought, with emotions owing as much to regret as to mortification and disgust.

  With this realization, she began to see what she had cost herself in her single-minded pursuit of Mr. Darcy. Even though she had treated him with the utmost attentiveness and deference in the socially approved manner for a young lady of gentle birth seeking to attract a husband, she had not only been completely unsuccessful, but it was now clear that she had never had even the slightest chance of success. It was the common wisdom that a young lady must never be spirited, opinionated, and argumentative toward her chosen
object, yet Darcy had ignored her, Caroline Bingley, a young lady of substantial fortune and social prominence, and had chosen a bride who displayed all these unfashionable behaviours. Given the complete adoration and approval that he at present showed toward Elizabeth, he was apparently one of the few men at his level of society who desired something different than what she had to offer. It was all so perplexing!

  Clearly, her basic mistake had been to fix on Mr. Darcy in the first place, though she wondered how she could have perceived that he was not and would never be interested in a young lady who behaved in the socially approved manner that she had been taught. It had seemed so simple when she first selected him; he was a close friend of her brother, ensuring that she would often be in company with him, he was older than many other eligible young men, and he had control of his fortune and a sister who would need guidance when she was introduced to society. It had seemed so straightforward and clear, but it had instead been a waste of valuable time, during which she had not considered any other possible matches. If she was to secure a husband now, she would have not only to find one who was interested in what she had to offer, but she would have to search in areas other than she had heretofore searched. It had been years since she had thrown herself into a Season, and it was rather distasteful to consider it at her age and after the present evidence of her failure, but she knew of no better place to search.

  For a moment, she had a mental vision of herself in ten years’ time, an occasional visitor in the households managed by the two Bennet sisters, watching their children fill the house while she still searched with increasing desperation and decreasing hope for any chance of ever being mistress of her own establishment. The vision was chilling in the extreme, and her smile was brittle as she announced to her guests that dinner was now ready.

  It was truly, truly vexing!

  Chapter 22

  Friday, April 24, 1812

  Mrs. Bennet left for Longbourn on Friday morning, planning to return in the evening with her other daughters. She was well pleased at having done her duty to Elizabeth and having made a start on the more substantial task she had set herself for Jane’s own wedding clothes. Since Mr. Bennet would not advance any money for Elizabeth’s wardrobe, she was determined to spare no expense for her eldest daughter.

  Jane had declined to return to Longbourn with her mother, desiring to stay with Elizabeth this last day before their lives changed forever. Every night since Elizabeth had returned from Kent, the two sisters had sat up late as they had done so many times in their lives thus far, but in just one more day, Elizabeth’s home would be with Mr. Darcy, and these sisterly conferences would be a part of the past.

  Jane was particularly distressed that Elizabeth, though she continued to proclaim her contentment with the situation, could not say that she loved Mr. Darcy. She felt uncomfortable at not being able to rid herself of the notion that Elizabeth might be sacrificing herself in order to ensure Jane’s happiness, but whenever she expressed such an apprehension, Elizabeth would declare such considerations as nonsense and would often lean close to Jane, letting her eyes get wide, as she said in a low voice, “Jane, do you not realize that he has ten thousand a year?” This imitation of her mother invariably reduced Jane to impotent giggling, but it could not totally quell her concern.

  However, one subject did distress Elizabeth, and that was the fact that she had not received any communication from her father, despite the long letter she had written in which she explained in complete detail all that had happened and why, urging him to reconsider his ill will toward her future husband. She knew that her uncle had also written with equal lack of success. Mrs. Gardiner had shared with her, in the strictest confidence, that her husband had firmly chided Mr. Bennet for his uncharitable response to Mr. Darcy and had reaffirmed his own valuation of Darcy’s worthy character. Despite their efforts, Mr. Bennet, never the best of correspondents, had not so much as acknowledged the receipt of either letter with even the briefest note.

  After her mother left, Mrs. Gardiner took her two nieces on a private shopping expedition, just the three of them. In a secluded showing room, Elizabeth and Jane were shocked at what was brought to them at their aunt’s request—nightwear items for their wedding night and afterwards.

  Elizabeth’s face was bright red as she held up a gown made of a fabric both filmy and revealing. Further, the cut and tailoring was exceedingly immodest, with a neckline that would reveal much of a young bride’s bosom and even more of her back, not to speak of the way it would cling to her figure.

  “I cannot even imagine wearing such a nightgown,” she said in embarrassment. Jane’s response was quieter than Elizabeth’s, but her cheeks were equally red.

  “There will be ample time to purchase more sensible nightwear in future years, Lizzy, but you will only be a young bride once in your life and for only one man.” She smiled at her furiously blushing nieces and continued, “Your husbands will always remember and keep in their minds the memory of being freshly married to a beautiful bride in the full bloom of her youth, and as you grow old together, you will ever be in his eyes that same young girl. You both will want those memories in the years to come when you may have to face tragedies and trials that will make such shared memories more important than you can know at the present time.”

  “But Aunt Gardiner, what will Mr. Darcy think if he sees me wearing such a gown?” she asked in confusion, trying to balance her aunt’s advice against the strict mores of her society.

  “And Mr. Bingley!” said Jane, holding up another nightgown over her dress. The front of it plunged dramatically, and the back even further. Her face was red all the way to her ears.

  “Girls, are you afraid your husbands will think you wanton?” her aunt asked with a smile. Jane said nothing, but Elizabeth managed a small nod. Mrs. Gardiner laughed softly. “Have you considered that he will think of the compliment that you bestow by wearing such a nightgown for him and him only?” Elizabeth had to confess that she had not considered that.

  Her aunt smiled again, “And Jane, have you considered what you will do if, or rather when, he removes that gown completely? Have you, Elizabeth?” Elizabeth gasped at the very thought, and Jane could only look at her aunt in shock. A sudden vision came to Elizabeth of William sliding this filmy nightgown up her leg, placing his hand on her bare skin that the nightgown had formerly concealed, and of that same hand continuing to slide even higher . . .

  The very thought made her shiver, and she was grateful for the long sleeves of her dress, for she knew that she had just broken out in goose flesh all down her arms.

  “The intimacies of marriage are far more precious and endearing than what your mother has likely informed you,” their aunt continued, and both Jane and Elizabeth had to blush at this, for their mother had spoken more of enduring and closing their eyes than of anything precious and endearing. Elizabeth had believed that her mother could not be completely correct, but she had not been able to contradict one who had borne five daughters. “You and your husbands will know intimacies that only a husband and wife should know, and those intimacies are not only for the procreation of children but are also intended to strengthen and enhance the love you will share.”

  Elizabeth blushed again at this, for she had only to close her eyes to see William’s eyes darken into that penetrating gaze meant only for her. She could hardly imagine with what intensity he might look at her if she wore the gown she now held before her, but the thought was oddly pleasurable. While she was still not completely comfortable with her aunt’s advice, she was much more comforted than after the previous conversation with her mother, and she agreed to the purchases suggested by Mrs. Gardiner. Jane was equally anxious, but she was also agreeable to her aunt’s suggestions though she remained unsure she could ever wear what she was buying.

  * * * * *

  The rest of the day passed rapidly. Two new trunks had been delivered in the morning for Elizabeth’s clothing purchases, though only a portion had yet be
en delivered. The purchases already at hand were packed by the two sisters, each item being carefully folded and placed in the trunks in such a way as to minimize creasing. Her wedding gown was delivered after noon, tried on, and carefully hung up along with her gloves, shoes, and bonnet in preparation for the next day. Elizabeth spent part of the afternoon visiting with Georgiana and Darcy at the Gardiner’s home, and she could not complain about his attentiveness or courtesy. Nevertheless, the way in which he sometimes looked at her proved extremely disquieting, especially after the morning’s conversation. She could only wonder at those times whether he was repressing an eagerness to take her to his home and his bed, and she had all the nervous anxiety of an innocent virgin — wanting to flee yet, at the same time, wishing that he could quickly succeed in his purpose. Meanwhile, Darcy was the soul of discretion, limiting his intimacies to holding her hand when they were occasionally alone and a discreet kiss to her forehead when he departed.

  Elizabeth had grown to enjoy their time together over the past days and found that she missed his company when they were apart. She had examined and re-examined her feelings, believing that she ought to be developing a more tender regard for him as her enjoyment of his company increased, but she had no past measurement against which to compare her feelings. Therefore, she could not boast of stronger emotions than contentment for herself, concern for his well-being, and a distinct anxiety that she would not live up to his expectations as his wife. In this last, she was determined to do her best, and she little knew that Darcy himself was delighted at the pleasant and happy manner in which she conversed and jested with him.

  Mrs. Bennet, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia arrived that evening, and it grieved Elizabeth anew that her father was not with them though by this time she no longer really expected his presence. She very much missed his wry smile and dry wit at this time, especially since she still had no convincing explanation for his distaste for her future husband, nor could she forgive his harsh response when she accepted him.