Consequence of Jealousy: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Aubrey Anderson

  Chapter Six

  The next day, a note had been sent from in town. It was from her Aunt Philips, and it was an invitation to her card party. Despite the fluttering feelings of hope that had blossomed within her the night before, Elizabeth was loath to move about in Meryton society. She knew that the stares and whispers would not abate, even at the news of her engagement to Mr. Darcy. With a twist of her lips, she considered ruefully the reception that Mr. Darcy had garnered when he had accompanied Mr. Bingley to the assembly rooms in town. How her friends and neighbours, people she had known all her life, had gawked and sized up Mr. Darcy as though he were a prize stud being bandied about. Not only he, but Mr. Bingley as well.

  A few weeks ago, she would have made some sort of an amusing quip, and laughed heartily at her own wittiness. Indeed, she had performed that very action shortly after witnessing the stir Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy--especially Mr. Darcy--had aroused within Hertfordshire’s populace.

  “Lizzie!” Elizabeth startled for a moment as Kitty and Lydia sidled up to where she sat, enjoying what little peace and tranquillity she could get before her mama wished to quiz her about Mr. Darcy.

  “Yes, Lydia, Kitty, what is it?” she asked patiently, glad at least that her two youngest sisters had not altered their behaviour around her. Although Mary said nothing, as she could barely begin a particularly moralising sermon, before one member or another of the Bennet household interrupted her, she had begun to avoid Elizabeth. Elizabeth did not know if it was because she believed the rumours, or was more worried for their reputations until Mr. Darcy married her--so that the matter could be put to bed, so to speak. And as for her mama, even though it had been barely two days since she and Mr. Darcy had become engaged, Elizabeth often found herself almost tripping over her, who could not go more than five minutes without trying to insert Mr. Darcy into the conversation or congratulating Elizabeth upon her catch. Hopefully, she would get it out of her system before Mr. Darcy returned to Meryton.

  “We are walking to Meryton, you should join us!” Kitty begged prettily, playing with the ribbons that dangled from her bonnet.

  Elizabeth was about to decline their offer, when Lydia explained further, “We spoke to Mama and told her you wished for some new ribbons to go with the gown you were remaking, for Mr. Bingley’s ball! She gave us some extra money, and promised to leave us be for the evening while we fixed your gown!” Lydia grinned exuberantly, basking in her own cleverness.

  Elizabeth smiled gently at her sister, and stood to gather her bonnet and pelisse, half-heartedly listening to her two younger sisters chatter amongst themselves as they readied themselves for the walk. Beginning to climb the stairs in order to ask her elder sister if she wished to join them on their walk, Elizabeth was stopped by Mary, already dressed in her usual sombre brown and grey ensemble.

  “I have decided to join you, Lydia, and Kitty on your walk.” Mary announced lightly, as though she made a habit of walking to Meryton with Lydia and Kitty every day. While they preferred going to the barracks or to their Aunt Philips to hear fresh gossip, Mary was either in front of the pianoforte or hidden away in her room. Quite luckily, she was the only Bennet sister who did not have to share a bedroom, which gave her the privacy she wished for her reading.

  At her younger sister’s decision, Elizabeth decided to leave Jane where she was, and spend that short time with Mary. It was the first time, since the news had broken out, that Mary had been in her presence willingly, although Elizabeth acknowledged to herself that she had not been the most receptive to anyone’s presence, barring Jane’s. Perhaps now she would be able to acknowledge that to her sister, to all of her sisters. Elizabeth had never imagined that she would ever find herself in such circumstances, and there were bound to be questions that her sisters had for her, and only a brief amount of time in which to answer them.

  When Mr. Darcy returned from his business in London, she would have to speak with him about allowing her sisters to visit in the future, perhaps in pairs. He had a younger sister, a Miss Georgiana, she recalled, and perhaps the young lady would enjoy having someone nearer to her age. From Miss Bingley’s fawning, she remembered that she had felt very sorry for the young lady as she seemed to live a lonely existence. There had been no mention of friends or calls, but her mastery of the pianoforte and other skills. Elizabeth wished she could claim it a height of her imagination, but Miss Bingley had once spent above an hour describing the letters that a certain Miss Georgiana Darcy had sent her, while she, Elizabeth, and Mrs. Hurst took tea.

  “Lizzie!” her name was screeched by Lydia, “We shall not wait forever for you! Denny and the others are waiting!” At the mention of her current favourite, both Lydia and Kitty collapsed into giggles as they awaited their sister. When they saw that both Elizabeth and Mary met them at the front door, their giggles grew even more rapturous as they began to tease Mary.

  “Come for some ribbon as well, Mary? I shall have you know that the milliner has already laid stock for your wedding clothes, although it would be no different than wearing the drab ribbons you are wearing now!” Lydia sniggered, as she and Kitty eagerly waited for Mary’s reaction.

  “Lyda! Kitty!” Elizabeth chastised, “Apologise to Mary, this instant, or I shall tell Mama that you would both be served well to stay at home, so as to not embarrass Mr. Darcy!”

  Instantly, the two youngest Bennet sisters began to apologise rather noisily, if insincerely, as they had no desire to be out of favour with their mama’s current favourite. Mary accepted their apologies with the same feeling as they put into them, and so the walk was begun. Lydia and Kitty, despite their earlier excuse of inviting Elizabeth on the walk as a sisterly favour, had immediately separated themselves and began to chatter.

  When they had walked a decent amount of distance, Mary finally spoke. Elizabeth was surprised, as she had anticipated that the subject that Mary wished to speak to her about, would have fallen to the way side now, as Lydia and Kitty had bullied her before she was even able to get a word out.

  “Mr. Collins visited the other day, while you were in your room.” She stated rather nonchalantly, her gaze focused on the ground beneath her feet. “Mama did not wish to start another row, so she did not send for you when Mr. Collins was announced. Anyway,” she stated, as she carelessly kicked a small rock out of their path, “Mr. Collins was not there to harass you about your engagement to Mr. Darcy. He was calling on me. That is what Lydia and Kitty meant by their quip.”

  “How do you mean, Mary?” Elizabeth was gratified that her sister was opening up to her, as they had never been particularly close growing up. While Elizabeth had been nearly three years old when Mary was born, Mary had been born of a rather sickly nature and spent the first five years of her life bundled away from her other siblings, as she was the first to catch even the inkling of a cold from anyone in the Bennet household. “Mama was quite angry at Mr. Collins’ outburst, surely she could not be encouraging his suit.”

  Mary continued tonelessly, “He gave a grand apology to Mama, and she was more than satisfied when he hinted that his original purpose in coming to Longbourn was to find a wife amongst his cousins. You are…engaged, and Mama has informed him that Jane is as good as…….” here she trailed off, allowing Elizabeth to finish.

  “And you are as good as the next.”

  Mary gave her a tight smile. “Indeed, Sister.”

  Elizabeth grasped Mary’s hand. “I will not ask you if you wish to marry Mr. Collins. I believe I can tell your feelings towards him, and they are your own. But you do not have to marry him.”

  “Because of Mr. Darcy?” Mary ventured cautiously.

  “No,” Elizabeth stated firmly. Her engagement to Mr. Darcy may have left her questioning how much of him she had misjudged, but in this, she would not be swayed. “I accepted Mr. Darcy, because doing so would have ruined my sisters’ respectability and futures. I could do no less. Even if those horrid rumours had not spread, and Mr. Collins had still proposed to you, I
would tell you to follow what your heart tells you. If Papa had died, we would have been merely poor, not outcasts hiding alongside the fringes of society. That was something I could bear, if it meant I did not leave my mother, my sisters for a man that I did not love.”

  “And yet you are.”

  “I am.” Elizabeth turned her gaze to her sister, and gave a wry smile. “I have done a lot of pouting over the past few days. But last night, after I had managed to extricate myself from Mama, I confided in Jane about my feelings about this engagement and Mr. Darcy. We came to the conclusion that I had misjudged Mr. Darcy. At the very least, he is a most honourable man. I cannot say that I am any happier about having to marry him, but.I have misjudged his character, and now I can only wonder at what else I have been wrong about.” Elizabeth finished with a weary sigh.

  “I am not like you, Elizabeth.” Mary confessed. “I believe that we must bear the circumstances that we are in, and create our own happiness from within. That is the only method of control we have over ourselves, especially those of our own gender.”

  “But you must ask yourself,” Elizabeth pressed firmly, “if it a step that you need to take. How much happiness have you been able to create here, surrounded by your family? I know that there has always been a gulf between us, and that has created distance for some of us, but that could change. After I am married, I would like for you to visit. Mr. Darcy has a younger sister, who is Lydia’s age, and she also enjoys playing the pianoforte. I believe the both of you could become friends. Please think on it.”

  Mary smiled sadly, “Perhaps, Sister.”

  Nothing else was said on the topic, and they continued their walk in mostly silence, punctuated by inane observations. However, Elizabeth felt saddened that Mary, moralising Mary, had only cast aside her pride when being offered up as third best. It seemed engagements and suitors were the only manner in which the Bennet sisters could come together.

  When the village of Meryton had been reached, Elizabeth had not even needed to view the town sign, for Lydia screeched, “Denny!” and had taken off like a shot, with Kitty scrambling to catch up with her. Elizabeth and Mary joined them at a more ladylike pace, and the two of them greeted the very familiar Lieutenant Denny as they had always done.

  “And may I introduce my companion, Mr. Wickham?” he asked rather slyly, as he introduced a handsome young man of not much more than five and twenty.

  ***

  Given her new status, as the future bride of Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, in Derbyshire, her mama had quickly decided that Elizabeth could not simply attend her aunt’s rather informal gathering, as she always had. No, Elizabeth must wear the garnet and pearl earrings that had passed through the hands of seven mistresses of Longbourn, as well as Mr. Darcy’s gift. Mrs. Hill had repressed her gown, under the careful direction of her mama. No detail of her toilette was left to chance under the watchful eye of Mrs. Frances Bennet.

  “I do hope that the size of your gift does not reflect within your pin money!” Mrs. Bennet fussed, as she rearranged Elizabeth’s curls, as well as the position of the cross necklace as it lay in her decollage.

  “Mama!” Elizabeth whispered, completely mortified.

  Mrs. Bennet gave her a knowing look. “I shall speak to your father and tell him that he must not allow Mr. Darcy to be stingy with the amount of pin money you shall get! He is marrying one of the jewels of Hertfordshire, and he should do well to remember it!”

  “Mama,” Elizabeth countered furiously, glad they were having this conversation within the safety of their own home, and not in the middle of Sir William’s best parlour, “you know as well as I do, that I do not enjoy wearing a large amount of jewellry. I believe Mr. Darcy has--”

  Her mother broke out into a beatific smile, as she contemplated the meaning of Elizabeth’s words, before interrupting her daughter, “Why Lizzie, you sly thing!” and refused to hear Elizabeth’s protestations on the matter, “Yes, yes I see your point, my dear! I shall still speak to Mr. Bennet, mark my words, but indeed! Now, you must go into the carriage with your sisters, Lizzie, and be smart about it!” she said, as though she was not the one who had kept Elizabeth back.

  As a show of support, for her first introduction amongst Meryton’s more genteel society, after the rumours had spread, all of her sisters were accompanying Elizabeth to her aunt’s card party. It was all they could do to convince their mama that they needed her to stay at home, citing the need for Mr. Bingley’s ball preparations to begin.

  Normally, Mary and Jane stayed home, only rarely attending the party as they saw their aunt thrice weekly in her parlour for tea, and had no desire to play whist for five hours.

  Elizabeth was grateful to them, even to her mama, who, in her own way, had tried to make the past few days a bit more bearable. It was not enough to stop the dread from seeking deep into her belly.

  ***

  No sooner had they walked in, then when they were immediately met by a smiling Mr. Wickham, clad in the red of the militia.

  “Mrs. Philips,” he started, making sure to give Lydia and Kitty a roguish wink, “would you be so kind as to formally introduce me to your lovely nieces? We only met briefly yesterday.” He explained to the good lady, as she approached.

  After the introductions had been made, Lydia and Kitty, rather forwardly, secured Mr. Wickham’s hand for a game of whist, and began to beg for another partner. Before they could secure Lieutenant Denny, or some other officer about the room to finish their quartet, Jane had volunteered. Uncaring of exactly whom made up their game, as Mr. Wickham was the real prize, the three Bennet sisters went off to their game at the card tables that their aunt had already fashioned beforehand.

  When they were finally alone, the rest of the guests either caught up in their own games or willing to allow Elizabeth a few moments’ time before they descended upon her, her aunt spoke.

  “How are you Lizzie, Mary? I hope the last few days have not been troubling to you. I do not know how she has the energy, but your mother has been here three times in the last two days, in order to inform me of some ill-favoured event.”

  “I am well, Aunt,” Elizabeth stated. “A bit perturbed, but I believe I shall overcome it.” Mary applied somewhat the same, and Elizabeth wondered if their Aunt Philips had been informed of Mr. Collins’ interest by their mama.

  “Well,” Mrs. Philips stated with her mouth in a severe line, “I, of course, have culled a few invitees from my usual guest list for this evening. Your mama has informed me that Jane’s young man is giving a ball, and so I thought to allow the thoughtless gossips to seek you out there, on the arm of your fiance. Do you agree that it is a good plan?”

  Elizabeth could only smile. Mary Gardiner Philips was a less extreme version of her own mama, being their mama’s elder sister, yet no less protective.

  “Good! I shall leave the two of you, I must attend to my guests.” With that, their Aunt Philips left, leaving them to their own devices.

  “What shall we do, Mary?” Elizabeth murmured, as she saw the first Meryton inhabitant, a Miss Goulding, accompanied by a young woman that she did not know, make their way over to the Bennets.

  “I believe we must fall on our swords, Elizabeth.” Mary replied.

  ***

  Sometime later, their aunt had been able to persuade Mary to join her and a few others in a game of whist. Privately, Elizabeth believed Mary to be weary of the same overt questions and insinuations being made over and over again, and had taken the first escape that she could. Elizabeth could not blame her. Of all the Bennet sisters, “moralising” Mary had the lowest tolerance for anything deemed frivolous or gossip. Her dearest Jane had been able to extricate herself from her game, and had joined Elizabeth, to quietly sip punch.

  “Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth!” before them, Mr. Wickham gave a grand, swooping bow, which caused all the ladies watching him to giggle and titter behind their cards at his gallantry.

  “Sir. How may we help you?” Jane spoke first, her tone
sweet, but her eyes regarding him warily. It seemed he had waited for the first wave of gossips to disappear, before approaching his true target, ostensibly alone.

  Mr. Wickham seemed to know her thoughts on his approach, as his practised smile dropped to a perfectly serviceable one. “I simply wished to give my congratulations to you, on your engagement, Miss Elizabeth.”

  Elizabeth kept her reply short, as she was truly irritated at all of the questioning. “Thank you, Mr. Wickham.”

  A curious look passed over his face as he considered her. Taking care to drop the tone of his voice, Mr. Wickham leant in to effect an intimacy with the Bennet sisters, “I wonder, Miss Elizabeth, could you inform me as to how long your fiance has been here in Meryton?”

  Now truly annoyed, as the charming man had proved himself as big a gossip as anyone, Elizabeth replied tersely, “About a month, Mr. Wickham.”

  “Hmmm….” Mr. Wickham pondered her answer for a moment before stating with a detached air, “you must be an enchanting woman, Miss Elizabeth, for that is not the Darcy I know.”