On the way back to the house, however, something occurred to him. She had said “should not love you,” not ‘could not,’ or ‘cannot,’ or ever worse, something truly dreadful like “you are the last man in the world I would marry”. That would have been terribly decisive, but ‘should not’ suggested that she felt it possible to love him. Perhaps there was hope after all. But first, he must settle his own affairs.
From an upstairs window, Elizabeth had noticed him standing in reflection and wondered what was going through his mind. It was a long time before he went inside. Was he coming to a decision about his future?
Jane was sitting up in bed, feeling very much better. “Why do you keep looking out the window?” she asked, and Elizabeth sat down and told her sister everything, including the feelings which he had declared.
“He should not have spoken while under an obligation to Miss Bingley,” Jane agreed, “but consider, Lizzy, how dreadful all of this must be for him. To be in love with one person, yet forced to marry another would be a cause of great distress. I can make some allowance for his having told you how he feels. It is more shocking to learn how Miss Bingley has behaved.”
“It is indeed. Shocking but not surprising. To have taken advantage of Mr. Darcy and have so little thought for his feelings is exactly in her character.”
“But what of your feelings, Lizzy. Do you care for Mr. Darcy?”
“I do not know exactly what I feel for him. All my opinions of him have been changing recently, and I find that I like him very well now. Perhaps I might come to love him if I could consider myself free to do so, but I must not think of it.”
“Perhaps he may yet find his way out of this engagement.”
“I hope he does, for his own sake. As a friend, I would wish to see him more happily situated. It is awkward, however, to know of his feelings. I have been thinking, as you are feeling quite well, that it would be best if we go home tomorrow. I am sure that my very good friend Miss Bingley will oblige us with the use of her carriage.”
Jane agreed and it was arranged so. Miss Bingley protested at first, but then she learned that Jane felt well enough to come down to the drawing room in the evening. After that, she graciously gave in and willingly offered the carriage without Elizabeth even having to ask for it.
That evening, Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth said little to each other, both uncertain after all that had happened and feeling a great deal which could not be expressed. Jane’s presence in the drawing room did not do much to help since she was monopolized by Mr. Bingley. Miss Bingley did her best to fill in the conversation, but when Mr. Darcy did not respond, she suggested a turn about the room to Elizabeth.
“It is most refreshing. You would do well to join us,” she said to Mr. Darcy when they had completed a circuit.”
“Would that not defeat the object,” he protested. “Am I not intended to admire your figures as you go by?”
“Silly man,” she said in a contrived tone of affection. You may look forward to a whole lifetime of enjoying the sight of my figure.”
Elizabeth thought that Mr. Darcy flinched momentarily, but he did not say anything and calmly picked up his book. It looked as though provocation and bitterness were at end. She thought that a choice had been made and wondered which one.
CHAPTER 14
After church on the following morning, Jane and Elizabeth returned home, where they brought disappointment to their mother, who was not wishing to see them so soon, but their father was pleased by their return. They found Mary deep in some study as usual, but unusually, she did not produce any new extracts for their admiration. Nor did Kitty and Lydia have any information to relate concerning the officers, or gossip from Meryton. It seemed that nothing of note had happened lately, which was surprising since they could usually make something of the smallest piece of information.
On Monday morning, Mr. Bennet communicated an interesting piece of news concerning an addition to their family party. He was in expectation of that very day receiving the cousin who was to inherit Longbourn but had for some time been estranged from them. He read aloud the gentleman’s letter for the benefit of all, but it was only admired by his wife. She thought it gave indication of his being a very sensible and well-meaning person, which boded well for his treatment of them in the future.
To Elizabeth, who had many times heard her mother rail against this cousin, this was astonishing enough but even more surprising was the reaction of her younger sisters. She was inclined to think the man an oddity and had discovered a pompousness in his style, but it was remarkable to hear that they were in agreement with her.
“In point of composition,” said Mary, “his letter is quite defective, and the idea of the olive branch is an overused one, the use of which might be forgiven if it were expressed well, but in this instance, it is not.
“I quite agree,” said Lydia, “A complete lack of original thought, and such a pompous style. Asking our father to overlook the circumstance of his being next in the entail! What an absurd thing to write. Somebody has to be next in line. I think it a great pity, however, that it should not be a more sensible man.”
“Indeed, I have not much hope of our cousin,” Kitty agreed. There is a mixture of servility and self importance in his letter, which does not give one a great desire to meet him, speaking of which, Lydia, Mary and I have a great deal to do and must rush off now, but we shall be home in time to properly greet Mr. Collins.”
With that, all three of them rose from the breakfast table and hurried away, leaving Elizabeth to wonder over all she had just heard. Not only did she agree with all of their observations, something which had never happened before to her recollection, but she was of the opinion that they had grasped the important points and expressed themselves well. This acknowledgement of the rightness of being home in time for their guest’s arrival was another display of good manners, which reminded her of their behaviour at Netherfield. She had forgotten it for a time with everything else that had happened, but now she decided that there was most definitely something going on, and something which had brought about a noticeable improvement in her sisters.
“I hope this cousin of ours will not disrupt our studies too greatly,” Lydia said as they walked into Meryton.
“He could not have come at a worse time,” Kitty agreed. “Now that Jane is better, Mr. Bingley will be holding his ball soon, and I fear that my manners are still in need of much polish.”
“If he is such an oddity as his letter suggests,” Mary observed, “he may provide a challenge to test our manners, which we might consider as something of a lesson in itself. Still, I agree with you, Kitty, that his presence will be a hindrance, particularly in the evenings, when we may find our reading time curtailed by his desire for conversation.”
“I shall offer him a book and encourage him to read as well,” Lydia said firmly.
“I hope he likes reading,” Kitty said doubtfully. “The tone of his letter leads me to believe that he prefers talking, by which I mean holding sway over a captive audience. I suspect he is more inclined to express his own opinions than listen to others and engage in mutually agreeable discussion.”
On the way to their lessons, they came across a small group of the officers, with whom they conversed for a few minutes. They did so whenever they ran into any of these gentlemen, or even some of their wives, but these interactions were only brief and occasional. Lydia no longer received pleasure from the sight of a scarlet coat and had come to treat all the officers with polite indifference. Kitty still had an interest in one particular wearer of the regimental uniform, so when she heard on this morning, that there was talk of an upcoming wedding for one of the officers, her heart quickened. It came as a great relief to learn that they were referring to Colonel Forster, and not the lieutenant who was the object of her affections.
They also heard that Mr. Denny had gone to town and was intending to return on the morrow in company of a friend who was intending to join the regiment. “Denny tells us
he is a very good-natured gentleman, who will make an excellent addition to our happy company,” they were told. In turn, they declared that they would be happy to meet this new arrival and carried on to the place of their lessons.
At this same moment, Mr. Darcy was having a conversation with Miss Bingley. He had not been able to communicate his decision to her on Sunday, as it would go against the respect which that day commanded and the peacefulness which it deserved, but on Monday morning, he detached her from her sister and made her sit down in the library and listen to him.
He came straight to the point. “I am not going to marry you,” he said. “I do not care what you intend to do about it. I do not care what people say. Those who are my real friends will come to my support. The rest are meaningless.”
“You do not mean this,” she protested. “I know you care. This is a foolish waste of time. You need to see that we can be very happy together. We have always been of similar mind, and I already love Georgiana like a sister.”
“You do not know what love is, and I am certain that our minds are quite dissimilar, but that point need not be discussed. I do mean what I said. The only foolish waste of time was in not dealing with this at once, but I am done with it. There is nothing you can say to make me change my mind. Sue me if you wish. I really do not care.”
“I think you do,” she said with an unpleasant smile.
“Try me,” he said and walked out of the room.
He went to Bingley next for a conversation which gave him much more unease.
“It pains me to have to tell you this,” he began, “but I have put an end to my engagement to your sister.”
“Thank god for that,” Bingley said to his surprise. “I have been thinking for weeks that she would make you utterly miserable. You two can do nothing but argue. I do not know why you asked her in the first place.”
Mr. Darcy considering remaining silent upon that subject, but decided that openness was best and revealed everything. Mr. Bingley was horrified.
“My own sister behaved so disgracefully,” he cried.
“I am sorry to say that she did; however, there is still a matter of dishonour because it was I who ended the engagement. Under the circumstances, I shall have to leave, but I will be sorry to miss your ball.”
“I will not think of allowing you to go. I would rather have you here than Caroline. Indeed, I do not want her here anymore now I know how she has behaved. Besides, I have made up my mind to propose to Miss Bennet, and you know what she will think of that. Together, she and Louisa will make my life miserable. You must stay, and I will send both of them back to London.”
“But you will need a hostess for your ball.”
“One of my aunts would be happy to do the honours.”
“I did not know you had any aunts.”
“She comes from a side of the family which my sisters prefer not to mention. Not sophisticated enough for their taste, but I think them pleasant people.”
“That will solve your problems nicely, but I still think that I ought to leave. You see, Miss Bingley intends to sue me for breach of promise. That will make things awkward for you.”
“If she does, I will take your side, but I think that she will not. The solution to your problem is to have something to hold over her head, and I know the very thing. This conversation has put me in mind of it. Come with me and we shall settle this.”
He sought out his sisters and found Caroline complaining to Louisa of Mr. Darcy’s mistreatment of her.
“His mistreatment of you!” Mr. Bingley cried, hearing this as he entered the room. “It is much more the case that you mistreated my friend. I am now well aware of how your engagement was formed. I have no doubt you were in on this disgraceful scheme, Louisa. I am ashamed to call you sisters, and I am sorry to have inflicted you on Mr. Darcy. You will both go back to London tomorrow morning.”
“You would choose a friend over family?”
“He is a valued friend. You have plotted and connived.”
“You will not be able to have your precious ball to which the Miss Bennets are so looking forward.”
“I will manage, and I would just as soon not have a ball than have one at which you are present.”
“Very well, then. I shall go back to London. I wish to consult with our solicitor anyway.”
“I do not recommend that course of action to you. I am going write and inform him that he may choose between my business and yours. Secondly, I shall send a notice to the newspapers formally ending your engagement, and I expect you to tell anybody who asks that you changed your mind. Thirdly, you will only make yourself look foolish. If you have hopes of ever marrying, you would do better to keep silent. Furthermore, there will be consequences if you go ahead with a suit in spite of my objections. I will fill London with all the unfashionable Bingleys I can unearth, introduce them to your friends, and do my best to procure invitations for them to every party where you will be in attendance.”
“You would not disgrace us so,” Louisa cried.
“I certainly would. You know I have no discretion. You have often told me so.”
“I will guarantee that Caroline will not do anything,” she promised. “Not while she wishes to have a place to live in London.”
Miss Bingley gave her sister an angry look.
“I shall hold you to your word,” Mr. Bingley said. “As long as you see that Caroline behaves herself, I will refrain from inviting any of our relatives to London. Now, I have letters to write, and I believe you two have packing to do.”
“It is a good thing I only promised not to invite any relatives to London, he said to Darcy after they left the room. “I have been looking forward to this ball. Can you believe how well I managed my sisters?”
“You rose to the occasion very well.”
“I thought it would be good practice. If I am to be married, I shall be a father one day, and children sometimes need a firm hand.”
While Mr. Bingley sorted out his arrangements, Mr. Darcy rode into Meryton for the purpose of seeking out as many officers as could be found, and informing them of the change in his circumstances.
“Miss Bingley does not think we shall suit,” he said in the proper way, but they wondered about that. It was obvious what the lady had wanted from the marriage and it had nothing to do with suiting. Amongst themselves they agreed that Mr. Darcy had found a way to free himself. “A very good thing, too,” it was generally said, and nobody thought ill of him for ridding himself of such a lady.
He saw that he had lost nobody’s good opinion, and was grateful for the stroke of fortune which had brought him such loyal friends. After promising to undertake a role in Mr. Pratt’s latest scheme, which he did very cheerfully, Mr. Darcy went to find out how his pupils were doing.
He found the three of them at their French lesson, and was pleased to find that they had advanced to the point of being able to carry on simple conversations in the language. Lydia was the star pupil of the French master.
“Her pronunciation is excellent,” he told Mr. Darcy. “She is very capable of producing just the right sounds. If she works hard and applies herself to the grammar, I believe there is the potential for her to become reasonably fluent.”
Her Italian teacher had a similar opinion. All three girls were making a great effort, but it was Lydia who had displayed a feel for languages. “Her accent is exquisite,” Mr. Darcy was told. “She is not perfect in terms of usage, but I believe she will acquire it to a satisfactory extent.”
Their music teachers also gave a fine report. Without showing any particular talent, Kitty and Lydia were progressing nicely on the pianoforte. Their voices were steady and they could carry a tune well, so he thought they would soon be capable of performing for company as long they did not attempt anything beyond their abilities. They had been practising a few songs to have ready for that purpose.
Mary had presented a difficult case at first. Early in their lessons, Mr. Darcy had been told she had learned
everything all wrong and that would have to be undone before they could even make a beginning. Now, her teacher assured him that she had made an incredible improvement. With the upcoming ball in mind, he had been helping her with a piece which he thought would do her credit.
On the harp, none had excelled, but all three were said to be tolerable performers, which their teacher considered sufficient for such a complex instrument. They were doing well in their history lessons, and their teacher remarked that they had done an excellent job of working through their reading lists, which demonstrated great devotion. In their philosophy lessons, it was Mary who excelled.
“I believe she always had an interest in the subject,” the teacher said; “however, she had absolutely no idea how to approach it. Now she has a sound knowledge of basic principles and a framework within which to place her ideas. I have high hopes of her if she continues to apply herself so diligently to her studies. Indeed, I think she would not disgrace one of the colleges if such a privilege were allowed to women.”
He was of the opinion that her keenness had influenced her sisters, so they, without having her great interest, were also handling the subject reasonably well and gaining in their understanding of it. They would never reach their sister’s level of expertise, but he thought that the study of philosophy was improving their sense and rationality.
Since he had much greater hopes for Mary, he was now beginning to give her extensive lessons on an individual basis instead of the group ones with which they had started. She was now in a class of her own. It was the same situation with the lessons in military history for which Kitty had begged.
“She has embraced the subject in a way which I never expected,” Mr. Darcy was told. “Her interest is exceptionally keen. We have greatly expanded the scope of our studies, and she is taking a great interest in military strategy as well as history. I think there is potential for her to become quite knowledgeable.”
She was also praised by her drawing master for having a decent ability, but in this class and in painting, Lydia was again the star and the schedule had been made to accommodate extra lessons for her.
Mr. Darcy Dances: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Page 10