This was just what Elizabeth needed to hear. Darcy had said he valued her intellect, but that could have simply meant he would enjoy lively conversation about books, politics or scientific discoveries. It was deeply reassuring to hear that he wished her to be a true partner in the marriage. She would be moving into his world, where he was already established as master. It would be difficult to find her own place, and to establish her own authority with staff, tenants, family and acquaintances. She would bring nothing with her but her mind. If Darcy actually wanted her to use her intelligence, even when she used it to challenge him, then the future seemed far less daunting.
Mrs Bennet roused herself to order refreshments, and the party settled around the room with cups of tea, while plates piled with slices of pound cake and lemon tarts were strategically placed. This scene of relative domestic calm was interrupted by the arrival of a runner from the Meryton Inn bearing a note from Mr Collins. He required that his effects be packed and sent to that establishment, as he refused to step foot on Longbourn land until he was extended a full apology for the infamous manner in which he had been treated. Mrs Bennet ordered the staff to carry out Mr Collin’s instructions, and the visitors wisely refrained from commenting on the transaction. Indeed, they were each more agreeably occupied with exchanging sweet nothings with their particular Miss Bennet.
A Season of Courtship
Time flew for the engaged couples, and soon the gentlemen reluctantly took their leave. They were for London, to meet with their lawyers about settlements and to deal with those business affairs that had been their reason for departing the morning before. While in town, Darcy would write to his family advising them of his betrothal, and the gentlemen would jointly place a notice in the Times. In Hertfordshire, Mrs Bennet assured them, their fiancées would be busy with their trousseaux and preparing for the wedding itself. They had settled on a Saturday four weeks hence for the ceremony. Darcy and Bingley aimed to return in time to attend church for the first reading of the banns on Sunday. After waving their carriage off, Jane and Elizabeth returned to the parlour where their mother was already making lists of things to be done.
The two sisters eventually managed to extract themselves from their mother’s attentions and retire to their room. They quickly changed and readied themselves for bed, before climbing under the covers to talk. Jane cried, “Oh, Lizzie, can you believe it? In four weeks, we are to be married women! How shall I bear so much happiness?”
This time Elizabeth was able to enter into her sister’s delight, unalloyed by any fear for her own future. After listening at some length to a recounting of Mr Bingley’s proposal and a listing of all his good parts, Elizabeth told Jane of Mr Darcy’s words, both of compromise and of affection. True to her character, she instilled the tale with humour and a touch of sarcasm aimed both at Miss Bingley and at herself. “Jane, surely I am too happy; for what becomes of the moral if my comfort springs from two attempted compromises of a gentleman’s honour? This will never do.”
Far from seeing anything improper in such a chain of events, Jane found much to reassure her that Mr Darcy’s affections were genuine. “You need not distress yourself. The moral will be perfectly fair. Do you not see, Lizzy? In a moment of great distress, his thoughts turned immediately to you. It was your name he invoked to save himself. That shows a sincere regard. That yours was the name on his lips shows how much he was thinking on you. You can rest content in the knowledge that Mr Darcy is quite enamoured with you, dear sister. You are not indebted for your present happiness to any attempt at compromise, but to that gentleman’s genuine admiration of you, and your return of his regard.”
“Oh, Jane, how I wish I had your goodness. You see the best in every situation. I will endeavour to see things as you have described, although I admit I was angry at first, when Mr Darcy told me what he had done. It took great restraint to hear him out and let him apologise. You know me well enough to imagine that I was ready to upbraid him for his high-handedness, but his explanation was very good. I had to credit that he has found a solution for both our dilemmas, and it seems he really does have some affection for me.”
“Of course he does, Lizzy – anyone can see that from the way he looks at you! But you always disliked him so. Are you quite certain that you can be happy with him?”
Lizzy considered the question carefully, and looked her sister in the eye soberly as she answered. “I think so, Jane. It is all so sudden – such a new idea. In the last two days I have come to know a different Mr Darcy. So many of my ideas about him have been proven false. He is not perfect, but his good qualities by far outweigh his bad. My estimation of him has undergone so radical a change, but based, I think, on better information. I expect my regard for the gentleman will only increase with greater familiarity. I do believe we have every prospect of happiness.”
Jane smiled, “I am very happy to hear it. I could not be happy knowing you were miserable, Lizzy. But now we can be happy together.”
After a pause, Jane continued, “It was very bad of Miss Bingley to behave as she did, though. For Charles’ sake, I would try to forgive her, but for your sake and your Mr Darcy, I cannot help but be offended by her conduct. She will be my sister, so I cannot avoid her entirely. She has certainly been no friend to Charles’ acquaintance with me, which I cannot wonder at, since he might have chosen so much more advantageously in many respects. But when she sees, as I trust she will, that her brother is happy with me, she will learn to be contented, and we shall be on good terms again; though we can never be what we once were to each other. But do not mistake me, Lizzy. I will have peace in my home. When I am mistress of Netherfield Park, I will give Caroline a chance to show that she has learned the error of her ways, but I will not tolerate any dishonesty, any scheming or attempts to disrupt my family.”
“That is the most unforgiving speech,” said Elizabeth, “that I ever heard you utter. Good girl! It would vex me, indeed, to see you again the dupe of Miss Bingley's pretended regard.” After a moment of contemplation, she added, “Is in not a strange thing, Jane, that a young lady has to wait and hope for a gentleman to make an offer. The only stratagem a maiden has to secure a man is to stage a compromise, and Miss Bingley has demonstrated it is a risky stratagem indeed, for if the gentleman cannot or will not offer, she has gambled her reputation and lost.”
Both sisters were silent for a moment, Elizabeth thinking how lucky she was that her own maiden’s stratagem, though far from perfectly executed, had resulted not in disaster but in the promise of a joyous union.
Before long, her natural high spirits revived, and she observed, “But now that I think on it, Caroline Bingley has been of infinite use by provoking Mr Darcy to declare himself to me. That ought to make her happy, as it is an accomplishment of sorts.” Both sisters giggled at this bit of nonsense, and with happy speculation on their future felicity, passed several hours in talking before they eventually fell asleep.
~~~~~fin~~~~~
Other books by Margaret Gale
Pride and Prejudice inspired novels:
Words Spoken in Anger
A Singer in the Woods
Encounter at Pemberley
Pride and Prejudice inspired short stories:
A Little Encouragement
Ice and Fire at Pemberley
The Carriage Ride
A Floury Apron
The Maiden's Stratagem Page 10