“Fanny, I apologize for sending you away earlier when you found Lizzy’s letter.”
“As well you should! This is just the time she needs her mother, to set everything up for her. She can have no use for you at all until Mr. Darcy comes to get your blessing.”
For the first time in years, Mr. Bennet paid attention to his wife’s words. He would address that matter later, but for now he must speak with her on his daughter’s erstwhile lover.
“Fanny, it is Mr. Darcy coming to ask for my blessing I must speak on.” He paused, feeling the guilt of his trespasses against his family. “You did not read more of the letter, did you?”
Mrs. Bennet shook her head, and he continued. “Mr. Darcy was not proposing.”
“Not proposing!” she shrieked. “Not proposing! Why, he has written Lizzy a love letter! The postman will have seen it, and you know Mrs. Long hovers nearby all day to hear gossip. And the servants! What does he want with her then? Oh, we are ruined! That headstrong, foolish girl! Nobody will believe that we were used so ill by him. He must think he can do whatever he pleases, he is so high and mighty!”
Taking her hand in his, Mr. Bennet spoke calmly. “Mr. Darcy has since written that he will arrive, and I will ask why he sent the first letter. I do believe it was quite some mistake though. You see, gentlemen may be in love and it not always lead to matrimony.”
Her shrieks turned to wails. “Yes, as we know with Mr. Bingley!”
“My dear, listen to me. A prudent man, one who would be worthy of our daughters and to whom I would give my consent, must think seriously about things. Our daughters have little money.”
“That entail! The dreadful Collins and now Charlotte Lucas to come and usurp our place!”
Ignoring her outburst, he continued. “And we have neglected their education. They have little but their charms to recommend them.”
“Neglected their education? Why, they are some of the most accomplished young ladies in our community! And all so fair! Charms indeed!”
“This pales in comparison to what men of Society may often find elsewhere.”
“Jane paling in comparison to someone! Impossible.”
“These new gentlemen we have met also associate with families of rank and circumstance.”
“Ah! So Mr. Darcy is too full of pride. He claims to love our Lizzy, but not enough to overlook an uncle in trade. And he took Mr. Bingley with him?”
“It is more than that. He worries about the behaviour of our family.”
Mr. Bennet knew this would be the most painful news of all to tell his wife. She prided herself on becoming a gentleman’s wife and on being a good mistress of one of the larger estates in the area. She was excessively defensive about her family’s origins, but to be told that they lacked in decorum was almost too much, he was certain. She was entirely speechless, her lip quivering and her face showing confusion.
“We have indulged our younger daughters too much as we were distracted by our own troubles. We ought to have hired a governess or been stricter with them. We have allowed them to be overrun with sensibility.”
“What do you mean to say, Mr. Bennet?”
“Mr. Darcy is coming to meet with me. I do not know if he will offer for Lizzy, whether or not the letters are known. I do not know if she will accept him if they are unknown.”
“She would not dream of refusing him!”
“I am rather sure she would.”
“Does she hate him so much? He loves her! How can she refuse a man who can offer her so much?”
“Lizzy has never cared for wealth and splendour.”
“But she does want esteem and love! I could not... Well, what is it you are asking of me?”
“I might persuade Mr. Darcy to stay in the area, until we are certain no gossip arises. During that time, perhaps we can improve his impression of our family, which I believe both Lizzy and Mr. Darcy consider an obstacle. Lydia and Kitty are not to be so flirtatious. Mr. Darcy’s letter also contained information about a new acquaintance of ours. It transpires that Wickham is a wild young man, a gamester and a seducer. He will not be welcome in my home again, and if I hear of my daughters speaking with him above the barest of civilities they will be harshly punished.”
Mrs. Bennet gasped. “He is such a charming young man! No, it must be some dreadful misunderstanding between him and Mr. Darcy.”
“You must pick your champion, madam. Either you desire Mr. Darcy to marry Lizzy or you will stand beside Wickham. He has abused the Darcys terribly and I fear if we stand beside him Mr. Darcy will never align himself with our family. You were in the room during Wickham’s call. He could barely keep his lies together.”
“There is that...”
“It is not just Wickham. Any of the officers may be wearing a facade of gentlemanly character. I will not entirely revoke Kitty and Lydia’s ability to enjoy amusements with their sisters, but there is to be no hopes of serious courtships and marriage for them.”
“But, the entail! How can you not think of us!”
“If Mr. Darcy marries Lizzy, I daresay you will be set up nicely after I am gone. Even more so if Mr. Bingley returns with him and offers for Jane. I would rather my daughters have to be taken-in by family than be pushed into unhappy alliances, and if any are seduced by scoundrels because they are out too young without the proper attention of their parents, then we are all ruined.”
The marriage of her five daughters had been Mrs. Bennet’s dearest wish since Jane was fifteen. She was now thrown into a state of shock and hardly knew what to do with herself, with two on the verge of matrimony and another two she could not fuss over.
“Now, you said earlier that an engagement is a time when a daughter needs her mother.”
“Yes, but I have nothing to plan, do I?”
“No, but we can improve our younger daughters and, if not these men, in time other suitors will arise. More than that, there is a task for you today.”
“Lizzy has convinced me that it is unfair for Mr. Darcy to return to the area with everyone hating him due to our own prejudice and Wickham’s lies, and for the town to be a victim to Wickham’s ways. She hopes you and your sister Phillips will be beneficial in turning our Society’s opinion of both men. Indeed, between you and I, such a change may improve Mr. Darcy’s opinion of us as well!”
A twinkle emerged in Mrs. Bennet’s eyes. “Oh! I would like that. Well, certainly it shall only be the work of a moment! Hill!”
Mr. Bennet laughed at her enthusiasm. “One more thing, my dear. Have you felt...lonely? Useless? Since our girls have grown up? Is that one of the reasons you have been so excited by the prospect of their marriages? A girl does need her mother at such times.”
A tear slid down Mrs. Bennet’s cheek. “Oh! You have been locked away in your library and refused to see how they have grown up. And … and since I was unable to give you more children and an heir, I have been so melancholy seeing them grow. So nervous over our futures. And I thought I was doing the right thing hoping they would marry well. Is that not what a good mother does?”
He drew her close, wiped her tear, and then kissed her forehead. “You are a very affectionate mother. I have wronged you by staying away from you, from the girls, but I could not bear my weakness.”
“Your weakness? All these years I thought you were disappointed in me! That I could not give you a son nor was I clever enough for you.”
“No, dearest. You might not be very clever, but you were my happy wife for many years. I saw how your anxieties grew but knew no way to ease them. Instead of talking with you plainly, I chose to hide until the storm passed, but it never did.”
“I have been very silly; caring more for gossip and the opinions of women in an effort to ignore the opinion of my own husband. You must regret your moment of infatuation which led to our marriage.”
She hung her head low, and Mr. Bennet raised her chin. “I can never regret our marriage—look at our girls! I regret some of my actions, or inaction, du
ring our marriage. I regret that I did not listen to you better, that I did not respect you enough to understand your concerns and cares. I still know you by heart. Let us show our girls a better way now.”
“Truly, Thomas?”
He smiled at the name she had not called him in years. “Yes, Fanny. Now, get dressed for you are to call on your sister with the girls, and we can begin to mend our errors.”
Chapter Five
Longbourn
1:30 pm
Jane Bennet saw her father and dearest sister leave the library. Curiously, her father went upstairs, and she heard him stop at the door she knew to be her mother’s. Before she could ponder what that could be about, Elizabeth approached her, clearly discomfited.
“Lizzy, are you well?” She looked as though she had not slept much lately. Few would guess from Jane’s countenance but the same was true for her.
“I hope to be, I hope to be,” was the only muttered reply she received.
Jane allowed Elizabeth a moment, knowing that in time whatever discouraged her sister she would overcome, if given a moment’s reflection.
Elizabeth’s confusion and unease cleared, and she drew herself up. “Jane, help me gather our sisters. We are to go to town to visit our aunt. We have important news to share.”
“News?” How unlike Elizabeth to wish to gossip!
“We were fooled by Mr. Wickham, I more than anyone else. He is a liar and a rake. Papa and I have determined to tell the area the truth of him and defend poor Mr. Darcy’s name.”
“Poor Mr. Darcy? Mr. Wickham so awful?” She put her hand to Elizabeth’s forehead. Surely she must be ill.
Elizabeth swatted Jane’s hand away. “Help me, please.”
“I can hardly help if I do not understand. What has happened? How can you know this of Mr. Wickham and why are you now protecting Mr. Darcy?”
Elizabeth let out a frustrated sigh. “Mr. Darcy wrote a letter...detailing the truth of Wickham. Such things as Wickham has done, Mr. Darcy would have no reason to lie about.”
“That is why you were speaking to him so! I was surprised we had not noticed the error in his story before, but then he must not want to admit how difficult he found studying the law to be.”
“He spent the money he received from his godfather and was compensated three thousand pounds for giving up the promised living by his own request. Even if he were a poor student and felt he must make his income elsewhere, he should have had plenty left over to buy a very nice commission. Instead, he must have gambled it all away!”
Jane gasped. Had they truly been so deceived? “My dear sister, can you be certain? Only yesterday you were certain Mr. Darcy used Wickham so badly. There must be some dreadful misunderstanding between them.”
“Do you not see there is only enough evidence to make one good sort of man. You may think as you please, but I am certain it is all on Darcy’s side and mean to let the neighbourhood know my mistake.”
Jane thought seriously for a moment. Her sister had always been stubborn and inflexible and yet she had very quickly changed her opinion on this matter. It seemed as though her father agreed. Surely he understood the particular of Mr. Darcy’s letter better than even Elizabeth did. It pained her to think so amiable a young man could be so terrible, yet she had recently learned another amiable young man could think so little of her feelings. She would not say she was treated cruelly by him or injured intentionally, but his sudden abandonment had hurt her immensely; she would learn from her mistake. A handsome face and charming manners could not be entirely trusted. If her father and sister, who both had exceptional sense, were certain of this path, then she would support them.
“Very well, but what are we to explain to our sisters? They are enamoured of Mr. Wickham! Nearly every girl in the area is out of her senses over him!”
“But why are they so enamoured? Because they think he’s handsome and charming? Well, his looks we can do nothing about, but even the silliest lady does not want a dissolute husband. Even Lydia would pay some attention to money and not only is he poor to start with, but he spends far more than he has.”
“But can you expect a girl in love to have so much more sense than her peers?”
She began to cry as a sudden revelation struck her. Bingley may have all kinds of sensible reasons to not marry her, but if he were truly in love would they matter at all? And what of her? If he returned today would she still love him despite losing her respect for him? It would hardly be sensible to trust him or marry him after such capriciousness, but then why wonder this at all? Bingley was not to return this day, and her decision may never be required as a thousand things may arise between now and the summer to drive her from his mind. But oh! How she hated to feel a fool and as though her vanity had led her astray. She could only hope time would also drive him from her mind.
Elizabeth embraced and calmed her. After drying Jane’s eyes, Elizabeth spoke. “There my dear sister. We shall be well. As you say, the pain will not last. They shall be forgot.”
Before being able to ask her sister just what she meant, she was tugged into the drawing room to help gather her sisters.
“We are to go and visit our Aunt Phillips when our mother comes down. Come, let us ready ourselves.”
“It is not our day to visit our Aunt! We always stay home on Tuesdays to receive callers! More officers may come!” Lydia complained.
“Yes! We have not seen Carter or Saunderson, yet,” Kitty agreed.
“Do you not wonder why some of the officers are so idle that they can spare time to visit us so frequently?” Elizabeth cried in vexation.
“Idle! Plenty of men and women do nothing but visit and gossip.” Kitty returned.
“But they are gentlemen and ladies of leisure whilst an officer must earn his income, and he can scarcely hope to distinguish himself if he is never at task.”
“Colonel Forster visits and entertains very frequently! He is even to be married!” Lydia exclaimed.
“And how old is the colonel, Lyddie? How long, even in a time of war, has it taken for him to save enough money to purchase a colonel’s position? Or if he has had it for many years, why not purchase a greater one? Do you not notice all the other officers are unmarried? They cannot afford it, and you better not be taken in by someone only promising love but never any bread on the table let alone ribbons for your hair and shoe roses for dancing. More likely you would be mending their uniforms and washing their smalls!”
“La! Who notices those things when you are in love? Lizzy, you begin to sound like Charlotte Lucas wanting to count a man’s purse before accepting his suit!”
Before she could reply, Mary broke in. “Love and infatuation are very different things. All that I have read convinces me that it is so. Infatuation lacks all sound judgement and is often times so extravagant it cannot last. Love requires great constancy for we are told husbands must love their wives as Christ did the church, as He laid down His life for it. An unselfish loyalty is the motivation of love.”
Kitty rolled her eyes. “Nobody wants your sermons on love! Lizzy, tell us more about your secret beau then. Someone must have caught your eye if you suddenly dislike the company of the officers. I know! It must be Mr. Darcy! Well, he’s got money enough for you then, and the rest of us can be as foolish as we like.”
Elizabeth’s cheeks burned scarlet, and Jane was surprised to hear such a poor attempt at logic from her Kitty and Lydia. Had they always been so ridiculous?
“Oh, yes! That will do very well. Mr. Darcy can read to you in Greek every night before you are to go to bed!” Lydia and Kitty giggled, and Mary glared harshly at them.
“Enough!” Jane cried forcefully, startling the entire room. “You have had nothing but love, flirtation and officers in your head for far too long now. Ask yourself how you could even be a wife. Do you not see Mamma going over the accounts and planning meals with Cook? You must learn to think on serious subjects or I should suggest you go back to the schoolroom! You, too, Kitty
.”
Kitty fairly whimpered, and even Lydia was astonished at their eldest sister’s tone. Jane trembled at her discomposure. She had never let herself feel anything so intense before in her life.
“Bravo! That is the most unforgiving speech you have ever made.” Elizabeth’s praise made the tension break, and all the sisters lightly laughed.
At that moment they heard their parents on the stairs.
“I do believe, Mrs. Bennet, that we have some of the silliest daughters in the country.”
“Mr. Bennet! How you tease!”
Such words were often said at Longbourn, but this time the tones of the speakers were so different that they drew the notice of all five daughters. Mr. Bennet took advantage of their attention.
“Girls, sit and listen,” he spoke with unprecedented authority.
To Jane’s amazement all her sisters obeyed.
“I must explain some news regarding an acquaintance. Mr. Wickham is not to be trusted and not to enter our home again. He has entertained us with lies and means to swindle the good people of our town from their money and their virtue.” He paused and looked each daughter in her eyes as they all blushed.
“Today we shall go to town and make his character known. I have had word, and Elizabeth was able to confirm through Wickham himself, that he was never qualified to receive a position with the church. In addition to providing the bequest from his father, Mr. Darcy very fairly compensated Wickham when he chose to give up the claim to the church. Additionally, Wickham has made little effort in the subsequent years to better himself or find a profession and has gambled all his money while living a life of dissolution. He leaves behind debts, is a gamester and harms young ladies.”
The three younger girls gasped with the news, but their father continued.
“Your mother and I have failed to protect you from him and, undoubtedly, other officers of less than savoury ilk. We have been negligent and concerned with our own affairs, but that will change beginning tomorrow. Kitty and Lydia, you will begin lessons with your mother to learn the sobering tasks of being a mistress of an estate.”
One Autumn with Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Anthology Page 12