Wild Goose Chase

by Sophie Lynbrook

  On returning to the house, he invited them to go back inside and take tea with him. Having recovered from her embarrassment, Elizabeth was willing. Her aunt and uncle glanced at her, probably wanting to determine her feelings on the subject. She answered the unspoken question with smiles and nods which sufficiently conveyed the message.

  Back in the drawing room, the conversation continued to be enjoyable. Elizabeth felt as comfortable as she might be with any of her closest friends. Mr. Darcy was more amusing and more engaging than she had ever realized.

  He continued to be very hospitable toward her aunt and uncle as well. Mr. Gardiner was invited to come back on the next day and fish with him. As they were talking of this, Elizabeth saw Mr. Darcy looking thoughtful. Twice he seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but then he stopped.

  When they began to talk of being on their way, however, he suddenly spoke up with an invitation for them to stay at Pemberley for the duration of their time in the neighbourhood.

  Elizabeth received more glances from her aunt and uncle to which she responded in the same manner as earlier. The invitation was not disagreeable to her. Neither was the man any longer.

  Mr. Gardiner accepted, and it was agreed that they would return in the morning since their dinner at the inn had already been spoken for, and Mrs. Gardiner wished to visit some old friends that evening.

  “I look forward to introducing you to my sister,” Mr. Darcy said to Elizabeth while walking them to their carriage. “She will be here tomorrow. So will Mr. Bingley, along with his sisters and Mr. Hurst.”

  The first part of this information was pleasing to her. The second not so much. It would be a pleasure to see Mr. Bingley, but not his sisters, who had often treated her with disdain. She could do without their company, but despite this prospect, staying at Pemberley still held a great appeal. It was evident that she had never properly made out Mr. Darcy’s character, and she looked forward to rectifying the errors of her former attempts at doing so.

  CHAPTER 3

  Mr. Darcy went back inside feeling happier than he had in many months. After his hopes had been dashed, he had spent a great deal of time thinking about the past and comprehending his own part in it. In Hertfordshire, he had begun badly and then made things worse with some unaccommodating behaviour. In Kent, he had offended Miss Bennet in a way he had been regretting ever since.

  He had left there determined to forget his feelings, but they could not be forgotten. Now fate had favoured him with one more chance. One which he did not intend to waste.

  He sat down again in the drawing room where the cups and saucers had already been cleaned away by his efficient staff. No evidence remained of the company which had been sitting here a short time ago, but he could still picture her smiling and laughing. And tomorrow she would be back. There was so much to look forward to.

  He could hardly believe that he had given that invitation or that it had been accepted. It had been done with some hesitation and a fear of rejection, but then he had seen Miss Bennet’s nod to her uncle. The simplest gesture had been the cause of such joy.

  There was only one small drawback. Last autumn, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst had not done much to disguise their hostility toward Elizabeth Bennet. And they held the Gardiners in contempt. Would they behave civilly toward these unexpected guests? There was good reason to doubt it.

  At Netherfield, he had been aware of her dislike for Miss Elizabeth and the jealousy which had been caused by noticing his admiration of another. He would not put it past her to try to make things uncomfortable now. At least she was not hostess here, but it would be a good idea to keep on eye upon her behaviour toward his other guests. Perhaps he should not have extended the second invitation at this time, but he could not regret it. The opportunity was too valuable.

  While Mr. Darcy was anticipating this awkwardness, Elizabeth was making an attempt to explain to her aunt and uncle that his character was not as bad as she had once sketched it for them. Not much was needed to persuade them, however. His friendliness that morning and his generous hospitality was all the convincing they had needed.

  She briefly mentioned that Mr. Wickham’s representations of him had been unjust but did not go into any detail. Nor did she reveal that Mr. Darcy had proposed to her in April, but it was really only necessary to clarify that her nods and smiles had not been misinterpreted. Her assurance of this allowed them to anticipate the greatest pleasure in this visit. Mrs. Gardiner had always admired Pemberley as one of the most beautiful places in England, and Mr. Gardiner was looking forward to the sport which was planned.

  Elizabeth, thinking how wonderfully amiable he had been and how much she had enjoyed their conversation, felt just as eager as her relatives. In the morning, however, she felt some misgivings. Could she and Mr. Darcy continue getting along so well? Perhaps her acceptance of his invitation had not been the wisest course. It had already been given, however. There was no going back now, and she really did want to know him better.

  Upon their arrival, she was soon set at ease. Mr. Darcy was again cordial and gracious. So was his sister, who arrived later in the morning. She was also shy and nervous, but even without saying much, she conveyed the impression of wanting to be friendly. On this occasion, Elizabeth trusted her first impression. Miss Darcy was nice.

  Miss Bingley and her sister, on the other hand, could have taken a few more lessons in graciousness from that school of which they were so proud. While Elizabeth and Miss Darcy were making each other’s acquaintance, they stood in silence, but their stares, glares, and frowns said it all, and they had plenty to say.

  “What a great surprise it is to see you here,” Mrs. Hurst said, in a tone which made it clear that she did not think it a pleasant sort of surprise.

  “It is very strange that you are in Derbyshire,” Miss Bingley said in a suspicious voice.

  “Not really, if one is in possession of all the facts,” Elizabeth said. “My aunt used to live in Lambton, which is why she and my uncle chose this area for our holiday.”

  That was not enough to satisfy Miss Bingley. “It is still strange that you should be at Pemberley when they have no acquaintance with Mr. Darcy.”

  He was the one who responded to this. “They do now,” he said. “I chanced to come across Miss Bennet yesterday, and the four of us spent a very pleasant day together.”

  Her surprise at hearing this was evident, along with her displeasure.

  Mr. Bingley spoke up now. “Are all your sisters still at Longbourn?” he asked.

  “All but one. My youngest sister is in Brighton, staying with Colonel and Mrs. Forster.”

  She saw Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley exchange looks of derision. No doubt they were thinking of Lydia’s propensity to flirt with the officers.

  “I expect that must be very agreeable to her,” Mrs. Hurst said with a sneer.

  “A holiday is always agreeable,” Mr. Bingley said, giving his sisters a disapproving look.

  Elizabeth appreciated his effort to contain them but considered that this was an impossible objective. They had never liked her in the first place, and she saw how distressed they were upon learning that she was actually staying at Pemberley.

  For the rest of the day, the sisters took many opportunities to make biting remarks to her. Miss Bingley was particularly hostile, but this was not surprising. She could not like seeing Mr. Darcy being so attentive to another, and Elizabeth was very much aware that he was being exceptionally attentive to her. It was no wonder that Miss Bingley’s dislike was greater than ever.

  Elizabeth accepted that this was going to add some awkwardness to her visit, but she could not regret having come. Not counting Mr. Hurst, who could easily be discounted since he said little, the rest of the company was very agreeable. Her aunt and uncle were evidently enjoying themselves, and she was finding Mr. Darcy more likeable with each passing moment.

  Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst could think and behave as they chose, but she was not going to let it spo
il her visit. She responded politely to them where necessary, ignored them where possible, and talked with Mr. Darcy as much as she liked, which was a great deal.

  Mr. Darcy was equally desirous of talking to her. Their conversations had always been stimulating, but now he found them to be particularly enjoyable without that undertone of animosity which had marked them in the past. The amusing manner which had first attracted him to her was also much in evidence, but instead of observing from a distance as he had done in the past, today he had the pleasure of joining her in lively banter.

  It was obvious that this displeased Miss Bingley and roused her suspicions. She was even more unpleasant than he had expected, which meant that his day was marred by the necessity to deflect her bitterness. She was also determined to interject herself into all his conversations, and she made obvious attempts to gain his attention, but she did not achieve her purpose.

  Her jealousy was obvious, as well as her suspicions, but he did not care what she thought. He could think of no reason to hide his admiration for Miss Bennet. His hopes were on the rise throughout the day, and if he could be so fortunate as to succeed this time, he would not be ashamed of his choice.

  CHAPTER 4

  Miss Bingley was not in a good mood.

  On the last stage of her journey, she had been looking forward to a very pleasant time at Pemberley. Her mind had been filled with delightful visions of intimate walks with Mr. Darcy, or the two of them sitting apart from the rest of the company while he hung on to her every word.

  She stepped out of the carriage in excellent spirits. Then she saw Eliza Bennet. Her joyful smile changed to a forced one, and her fingernails were digging into her palms as she stepped forward.

  How had the artful girl wormed her way into Pemberley? Mr. Darcy would never invite her. It could only be that Miss Eliza and her relatives had simply turned up uninvited and were now imposing themselves upon him.

  She heard the story of a coincidental meeting and thought that Mr. Darcy had been a fool. It was obvious that there had been no coincidence. Miss Bennet had contrived the meeting, probably in collusion with the Gardiners. They looked very pleased with themselves.

  Miss Bingley was disappointed that Mr. Darcy seemed to have forgotten that she had paid a call at the Gardiner’s, something which Charles must not find out. Fortunately, he did not observe that she required no introduction, but that was mainly because he was being ridiculously friendly. She looked on with exasperation as he declared his joy at seeing Miss Bennet and eagerly welcomed an acquaintance with the Gardiners. It was as though all her advice had completely gone out of his mind.

  This would set him thinking of Jane Bennet again, and that could only bring trouble. It had not been easy to talk him out of returning to Netherfield in November and several times since. Now the subject would arise again, putting her to the bother of having to reiterate all the reasons why he should not.

  This was obviously the purpose of Miss Eliza’s machinations. She would stop at nothing in her efforts to get Charles for her sister. She might pretend to be better than her mother, but they were really quite alike. The sooner she was gone from here, the better.

  Miss Bingley was ready to drop some hints of being tired after their journey and get rid of these unwanted people as quickly as possible. Then she learned that they had actually been invited to stay.

  Astonishment was now blended with anger. While they were here, her holiday would be absolutely spoiled. The intimate gathering that she had been anticipating was utterly ruined by these interlopers, whose presence was incomprehensible to her.

  Somehow, Mr. Darcy had felt himself compelled to offer an invitation. He could not really have meant what he had said about having a pleasant day. Nor could he actually want them here. He knew what these people were and why they should not remain here. She could only hope that their stay would not be a long one.

  Mr. Gardiner dashed that hope in no time. When they were all sitting down for some refreshments, he pulled a letter out of his pocket and opened it, giving the excuse that he had not had time to do so before leaving the inn where they had been staying. Miss Bingley wished they were still there.

  “This is excellent news,” he cried a moment later. “I am not needed back in London as soon as we expected.”

  His wife and niece were both smiling widely as he explained to Mr. Darcy that some business had curtailed the length of their holiday, but now it was postponed, which would allow them more time for pleasure.

  Miss Bingley was not taken in. She knew that Mr. Darcy could not be either and waited for him to make some excuse that would prevent any extension of their visit.

  “I am delighted to hear it,” he said instead. “Now we shall have plenty of opportunity for fishing. You must stay here as long as you like.”

  How could he say such a thing? She did her best to flash him a look of warning, but he did not turn his head her way. Instead, he carried on talking with Miss Eliza. Miss Bingley observed her with suspicion. She had never been so friendly in her address to Mr. Darcy in the past. Obviously, her sights were set upon gaining a wealthy husband for herself as well as one for her sister.

  That could never happen. Mr. Darcy was incapable of sinking so low. All the objections against the Bennet family would carry even greater weight when applied to his own case.

  Unfortunately, he did seem to have a strange enchantment with Miss Eliza in spite of her pert manners and plain appearance. While he would not marry her, it seemed that he was quite capable of enjoying her company, which Miss Bingley did not like at all.

  Her disgust increased through the day. They all went out to walk in the garden, and she could not manage to get Mr. Darcy to herself. He would walk with Miss Eliza, and down a narrow path which did not allow for a third person to walk beside them.

  He engaged in a keen discussion with her after dinner, giving little attention to Miss Bingley’s contributions. She jumped in with great enthusiasm when he and Miss Eliza disagreed about something, but to her disappointment, she could not get them to begin a quarrel on the subject.

  At the same time, Charles was causing her concern by talking with Mrs. Gardiner.

  She lent an ear to their conversation and did not like the turn it took. Her brother kept wanting to talk of Jane Bennet, and Mrs. Gardiner was much too willing to encourage him in doing so, as well as having far too much to say about her niece’s sweet nature and kind disposition. This confirmed all Miss Bingley’s suspicions.

  Even worse, the doting aunt told him that Jane had been in London during the winter.

  “I wish I had known,” he cried with far too much enthusiasm for his sister’s liking. “If I had, I would have called.”

  Miss Bingley held her breath, waiting to hear Mrs. Gardiner’s answer. It gave her some relief when the lady only said that he would have been very welcome, but she saw a sharp look thrown in her direction. It made her feel very strongly that these dangerous guests could not leave soon enough for her liking.

  “I cannot abide Eliza Bennet,” she said to her sister in the privacy of her own chamber later that night. “You will recall, Louisa, how she wormed her way into staying at Netherfield. Now it is obvious that she came here for the purpose of contriving an invitation. She is spoiling everything that I had planned for the summer.”

  Her notion of everything consisted mainly of finally receiving a proposal from Mr. Darcy. On the next day, she did her best to divert his attention toward her, but the effort failed completely. Once again, he was preoccupied with Elizabeth. Additionally, his sister, who had been mostly tongue-tied on the previous day, began to open up and talk a little more with her new acquaintances. She even laughed at a few things Elizabeth said.

  On top of this, the Gardiners were making themselves comfortable and would not take any hint of having interrupted an intimate gathering of friends. Between watching them warily and hearing her brother continue to talk of Netherfield and Jane Bennet, Miss Bingley was even more fed up by the e
nd of another day.

  “It is too much,” she complained to her sister that night. “We shall have no enjoyment while they are here, and I am quite sick of hearing Miss Eliza laugh. I do not see how Mr. Darcy can be so blind to her ingratiating ways.”

  “Gentlemen are never so perceptive as ladies,” Mrs. Hurst said.

  “I would have expected him to have more sense than most of them.”

  “They are all useless creatures. We have to do their thinking for them.”

  “I do believe you are right,” Miss Bingley said. “It seems to me that Mr. Darcy needs saving from his own folly. It is up to us to get rid of Miss Eliza and her relatives.”

  Mrs. Hurst leaned forward. “Have you a plan?” she asked eagerly.

  “I am thinking she could receive a letter appearing to be from her sister. There should be a letter from Jane Bennet among my things. I could use it to copy her hand.”

  “Oh, yes! An urgent message summoning her home at once. Her father might be ill, or perhaps her mother.”

  “Not Mrs. Bennet. I do not think Miss Eliza will take a serious view of any illness of her mother’s. One cannot imagine her really being ill for all that she talks of her nerves. She might suffer from a strained tongue perhaps.”

  They both cackled with laughter.

  “It had better be her father then,” Mrs. Hurst said once they had recovered. “Or one of her sisters?”

  Miss Bingley considered this and then shook her head. “It occurs to me that news of an illness might cause Charles to feel very sympathetic toward Jane Bennet. We do not want him dwelling upon her.”

  “You have a point. A letter to the uncle perhaps. His warehouses have burned down, and he is urgently needed.”