An Alternate Perspective
Page 20
Mr. Darcy echoed the sentiment, but in a distracted way. His eyes were fixed upon his fiancée. Elizabeth smiled with happiness for him and her other self.
“Goodbye,” she said. “It was a pleasure to know all of you for a little while.” And then she stepped into the portal.
Reunited at Last
Elizabeth was helped up by her fiancé, who pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. The Hursts had their own joyful reunion as well, and then the ladies hugged each other while the gentlemen shook hands quite vigorously.
After this, Elizabeth went upstairs to change into the clothes which her other self had worn to Netherfield. The others went with her, and the gentlemen waited in the hall while Mrs. Hurst helped her to quickly change. None of them wanted to be apart for long, but in those few moments, Elizabeth heard a brief account of what had happened at Netherfield during her absence.
“I am heartily ashamed to call her my sister,” Mrs. Hurst said, after admitting that Miss Bingley had tried to prevent Elizabeth’s return.
Elizabeth was quite shocked to learn of this. She had never expected that Miss Bingley was capable of such wickedness. She was sorry not to have been at hand for her friend in such a dreadful time, but it was a comfort to hear that her other self had been so helpful and sympathetic. It seemed that they had substituted for each other very well.
The two ladies hurried back to the gentlemen, and as they went downstairs, Elizabeth learned from her fiancé that Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham were both in Meryton in her reality as well.
“I expected Mr. Wickham,” she said to him. “Mr. Darcy told me that they have a similar history, so I thought that he might also have joined the regiment here. I am surprised that Mr. Collins is here though.”
“Your other self thought that he might have a desire to advance his interest with one of your sisters. She also said that he did not stand much chance.”
“No, I do not think he would. If he and his counterpart are anything alike, Kitty and Lydia would certainly never have him. I spent the last few days fearing that he was going to propose to me.”
“Really? I find that very offensive.”
“Well, he could not know that I was engaged, could he?” she pointed out reasonably.
“The other Elizabeth is not though,” he said thoughtfully.
“I am sure she will never have him. Do not worry. I believe Mr. Darcy’s hopes are quite safe.”
“You took a great interest in them, did you?” he asked with a smile.
She smiled back. “I could not help feeling that they belong together. I am sure you cannot tell me that you did not try to influence her a little in his favour.”
“Oh, I did. Just a little. I wanted him to be as happy as I am.”
They went into the drawing room, where Jane was pleased to see Mr. Hurst.
“I did not see you at all when I was last here,” she said. “I understand that you have been very busy.”
“Very busy indeed,” he said. “But I am done with that line of research, and I do not think I will be doing any inventing for a while. I have a great desire not to miss any more dinners with Mrs. Hurst or my friends.”
The Beginning of All That Could Be
The first thing that Elizabeth saw was Mr. Darcy’s anxious face as he helped her up.
“I am fine,” she said, feeling much more comfortable in his presence than she had ever done before. “You would think that a person might come flying out of a portal at a great speed after travelling between realities in an instant, but in actuality, something must slow one down.”
“Yes, it does. Mr. Hurst told me about it. He has been a very interesting companion these last few days.”
“I am glad you were keeping him company. His wife is one of the nicest people I have ever met. I was quite sorry to say goodbye to her.”
“I hope you do not mind being back here, where some things may be less pleasant.”
“Not at all. That was not my life. This is where I belong, and I do not regret the differences.”
“That is a very sensible attitude,” Mr. Darcy said.
Before leaving the library, Elizabeth attached the shoe roses that her other self had left behind for her. “How do I look?” she asked Mr. Darcy.
“I assume you want to know that your hair is tidy and your dress straight,” he said. “That is the case, but you also look very pretty.”
“Thank you,” she replied, blushing at the compliment, but feeling happy that he had paid it.
“Before you go out to join the company, I have been charged with telling you that you already have a partner for the first dance. It is your cousin, Mr. Collins, who has been visiting your family. Apparently, he made the request last week. Your other self asked me to tell you that she was sorry not to have been able to avoid it.”
“Some things cannot be avoided,” Elizabeth said. “But I have met the other Mr. Collins, so this one will not be a stranger to me. Are you aware of his connection to you though?”
“No. What connection do you mean?”
“I am assuming that it is the same. It might not be, of course, but the other one holds a living that was granted to him by your aunt, Lady Catherine.”
“How very strange.”
“Oh, I do not know,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “I have experienced much stranger things. Incidentally, I have met Lady Catherine as well.”
“She was at Netherfield?”
“Yes. Perhaps I shall tell you about it some time, and about all my experiences while I was away. That will be a very honest conversation though, and quite a lengthy one, so it had better wait for another day.”
They left the library one at a time, slipping into the crowd without being noticed. Elizabeth was soon afterwards claimed by her dance partner, who was like the other Mr. Collins in many ways, but more pompous and confident in himself. She quickly saw that trouble was brewing for her in this quarter.
While dancing, she looked about and could not see Mr. Wickham, which made her wonder if he was not in this Meryton, or if he was and had decided against showing his face at the ball.
She danced next with an officer, who mentioned that Mr. Wickham had gone to London, confirming the second of these ideas. This officer then started talking about what a pleasant gentleman he was. Elizabeth made no agreement with any of his statements, which brought this line of conversation to a swift end.
She felt a particular pleasure in being asked for the next dance by Mr. Darcy. They had only talked for a few minutes in the library, but she was already liking him much more. The concern in his eyes when he had helped her up had been revealing. He really was as caring a person as his counterpart. And when he had complimented her appearance, there had been a hint of tenderness in his voice. She now had a very good idea that Mr. Darcy’s wife would not want for thoughtfulness and affection.
They did not talk much at first, but she guessed that this was due to self-consciousness. She said a little to encourage him, and from there a pleasant conversation blossomed. Elizabeth wondered if they might have talked like this before if she had also made the effort. But the past was of no significance now. It only mattered how they moved forward.
The supper gave her all the usual reasons for feeling mortified. Kitty and Lydia were being sillier than ever, and her mother was talking loudly about Jane’s engagement and the wonderful opportunities it would bring for all her daughters to meet rich men.
Elizabeth looked to see how Mr. Darcy was taking this and guessed that he found it disturbing. Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley was looking at her family with obvious distaste, and they were very near to him.
But then, somewhat to her surprise, he came over to her and started another conversation. She was certain that he had done this to help her feel less uncomfortable, as well as to show that he was not as bothered by these things as he had once been.
In a short time, they were interrupted by Mr. Collins, who saw nothing wrong with introducing himself to the nephew of
his patroness. Elizabeth was shocked and mortified by this, but Mr. Darcy’s handling of the situation reduced her discomfort.
“Yes, I had heard of the connection,” he said, cutting Mr. Collins short. “You are quite fortunate. Kent is a delightful county and Hunsford a charming village, and I believe you have an excellent dwelling in the parsonage. I expect that my aunt has taken a great interest in your comfort as well and treated you with the greatest affability.”
Deprived of all these things which he had planned to say, Mr. Collins could only reply, “Yes.” Before he could think of something more, Mr. Darcy had cleverly extricated himself and Elizabeth.
She had been anticipating that Mr. Collins would wish to dance with her again, but that was also evaded with the help of her new friend, who spent a great deal of time talking with her for the rest of the evening, as well as dancing with her for a second time, which she welcomed. He was turning out to be very agreeable company and exceptionally likeable. He was also a very handsome man, which she had never fully appreciated before.
He was even a little more handsome than the other Mr. Darcy, she thought, but perhaps that was because this one was her own. And she was rapidly becoming persuaded that one day he really would be her own Mr. Darcy. Tonight there was something wonderfully enticing about him.
He smiled at her as they met in the dance, and she looked up at him and smiled back with all the promise of happiness to come.
Every Minute of Happiness
Elizabeth and Jane stayed overnight at Netherfield, but in the morning, they returned home, where Elizabeth found a note from her other self in her chamber. She read with gratitude a summary of things which Elizabeth had said to Lady Catherine. Mr. Darcy had already told her of that encounter, and she had felt quite dreadful about somebody else having to endure it in her place. But now she read, “You must not feel that I had too much to bear. I was very well compensated for any unpleasantness by the pleasure of spending a few days with Mrs. Hurst. You are extremely fortunate in your friends. While you were rejoicing to be with them again, I would have been thinking with great satisfaction of her reunion with her husband, and of yours with Mr. Darcy. He missed you very much, and I am glad that ordeal is over for him.”
Elizabeth smiled at this representation of what would have been future events at the time of writing.
“I can only thank you from the bottom of my heart for any influence which helped to further Jane’s engagement,” her other self concluded. “I wish you and Mr. Darcy many years of happiness.”
Mr. Darcy came to Longbourn a little later that day. “I could not go very long without seeing you again,” he said. “I have also come to discuss a plan with your mother. She is eager to go to London, but I do not care to let you out of my sight, so I intend to invite all of you to stay with me. And after you have satisfied her by purchasing a vast quantity of wedding clothes, I hope we can be married as soon as possible. I am just as eager to begin our married life as she is for lace and other finery.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I am also eager,” she said. “For the wedding, I mean, not the wedding clothes. I would gladly marry you without any finery. For a time, I was so afraid of losing you, and now I want to rejoice in every minute of happiness.”
Hopes Fulfilled
At the end of the ball, Mrs. Bennet contrived to have their carriage arrive a quarter of an hour after the rest of the company had departed. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst made it obvious that they were impatient to see their last guests gone as well, but Elizabeth was not as bothered by this as she would have been in different circumstances. Detached from the others, Mr. Bingley was happily talking with Jane, and Mr. Darcy was talking with her in the same manner. Some speech which Mr. Collins was making and her mother’s futile attempts at conversation with their irritated hostesses were only background noise.
Back at Longbourn, everybody made haste to their beds. They were all exhausted, including Elizabeth, but a note which she found upon her table was too interesting to be left for the morning.
She opened it and laughed when she read, “Dear Me.” That was how she had addressed her own note.
“I am sorry to write that I think it likely you will very soon receive a proposal from Mr. Collins. I have done none nothing to encourage him. Indeed, in the past few days, I felt as though my own distaste for him must have been obvious to anybody else, but I do not think that had any affect upon him. I can only hope that you will not have to suffer much, but you have probably already realized that he is inclined to long speeches.”
Elizabeth had indeed noticed that, but she had also observed Mr. Darcy’s cleverness in taking command of the situation.
“I also hope that one day you will receive a proposal far more agreeable to you. You may have guessed what my hopes are, and perhaps you have already learned that Mr. Darcy is not so disagreeable as you thought, but ultimately you must not be influenced by me or my Fitzwilliam. Choose only according to your heart, for I know that you will value love as I do.”
It was good advice, but Elizabeth thought that the stirrings in her heart that evening had been influenced primarily by Mr. Darcy’s behaviour toward her.
“On another note, I have made a suggestion to your father about looking into the wording of the entail. It may be different here, but I thought it worthwhile to encourage him to be certain, just in case he was not properly informed of how things stood.”
Elizabeth had been intending to do the same, but now she need not.
“You should know that Miss Bingley is aware of the truth about us,” she was surprised to read next. “She was keen for me to be gone. Apparently, I am a bad influence.”
Elizabeth grinned at that. It also helped to explain a strange remark that Miss Bingley had made that evening.
“I told you not to interfere,” she had said.
“Did you?” Elizabeth had asked. “I do not recall it.”
She had received a piercing look in return. Obviously, Miss Bingley understood that she was back.
“This has been an interesting experience,” she read at the close of her letter. “A rather difficult one, but Jane’s company made it easier to bear, and the kindness of Mr. Darcy. I hope that you managed equally well and did not suffer from your unfortunate accident. I wish you the very best for the future.”
Elizabeth smiled as she refolded the letter, and then she snuggled into a bed and was asleep in a matter of minutes.
In the morning, Mr. Collins lived up to the expectations of her other self. Finding her with her mother and Kitty, he asked for the honour of a private audience with her. With an eagerness to accommodate his request, Mrs. Bennet jumped up and hastened herself and Kitty out of the room.
“You need not go,” Elizabeth protested. “Mr. Collins can have nothing to say to me.”
But her mother insisted that she would hear him out and then left, shutting the door firmly upon the pair.
Elizabeth sighed and resigned herself to getting this over with as quickly as possible. Mr. Collins launched into his proposal, but after he had declared his intention of making her the companion of his future life, she seized upon the opportunity offered by his need to take a breath.
“You do me great honour,” she said, “but I must stop you here and let you know that I cannot accept your offer. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, I do not think that marriage to you will add in any way to my happiness. Secondly, I am quite convinced that your noble patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, would not approve of your choice. She would think me ill-qualified to be your wife. I am not unacquainted with the lady, so I say this with good cause. Thirdly, and most importantly, I have excellent reason to believe that I will soon be receiving another offer of a marriage, one which I believe will add greatly to my happiness. So you see, I do not consider myself to truly be at liberty to consider any other offer. That being the case, you will understand that this conversation can have no further purpose.”
“Oh,” said Mr. Collins.
“You must accept him,” Mrs. Bennet said. “I insist upon it.”
“No, Mama, I do not think I must,” Elizabeth said calmly. “Indeed, it would be foolish of me to do so. You see, I have reason to believe that Mr. Darcy is thinking of making me an offer. You would not wish for me to accept Mr. Collins instead, would you?”
“Oh, good heavens no! Mr. Darcy! How astonishing! Ten thousand a year! What carriages and pin money you will have! No, you must certainly not accept Mr. Collins. It would be a travesty if you married him instead of Mr. Darcy. But Lizzy, I had no idea that he liked you so much.”
“Neither did I at first, but while staying at Netherfield, I realized that he did. And since then, he has given me a hint of having some very particular intentions toward me.”
“Then you must wait for his offer. The rectory at Hunsford is nothing compared to Pemberley. And a house in town. Yes, you must marry Mr. Darcy.”
“If I decide that I like him well enough,” Elizabeth stipulated.
“What is there not to like about him?” Mrs. Bennet countered, instantly forgetting that she had ever disliked him.
“Nothing at all,” Elizabeth said. “I find that I like him very well. Indeed, I think that I could love him, but I need time to be certain of it.”
Her explanation saved her from hearing her mother’s wrath or being forced to hear any further appeal from Mr. Collins, but it also meant that Mrs. Bennet greeted Mr. Darcy effusively, when he came to ask if Elizabeth would walk with him that morning.
Elizabeth felt it necessary to give him an explanation, after which he only smiled.
“You do not mind?” she asked.
“Not at all. I do not think you would have said anything to your mother unless you were seriously considering accepting me.”