by Eden Forster
From across the room, Elizabeth and the great lady made eye contact for a long, intense moment. Then Elizabeth saw her walk to where the Earl of Matlock, her ladyship’s brother, stood a short distance away with his wife, Lady Matlock. Casting a disdainful glance in Elizabeth’s direction, Lady Catherine asked, “What is she doing here?”
Lady Matlock said, “If you are referring to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, then she and her lovely sister, Miss Jane Bennet, are our special guests this evening.”
“Why on Earth would you invite people with such low connections to dine with you? Do you know nothing of her family?”
“By our son’s account, Miss Elizabeth was often a guest in your own home not very long ago. Are we not to be afforded the same privilege in forming an acquaintance with the young woman?”
“That young woman deserves no such consideration from any of us.”
“Pray lower your voice, Catherine. You’re making a spectacle of yourself. Besides, our nephew Darcy seems to be of a different opinion regarding Miss Elizabeth’s being here. I would have to say he is quite taken with her.”
“I will confess that I was given to believe that the young woman had drawn our nephew in with her arts and allurements. I made certain that she knew she would never be accepted by any of Darcy’s family, his friends, or his acquaintances should she aspire to make a match with him. How dare you undermine my will in this regard by inviting her here?”
A tall, proud man, the earl jutted his chin. “How dare you aspire to speak for the Fitzwilliam family?”
“Are you saying that you would condone such an unequal alliance? Do you have no consideration for Darcy’s obligation to our family?”
“I am certain our nephew knows what is expected of him. He is his own master,” said Lord Matlock.
Eager to be away from her sister, Lady Matlock said, “If you will pardon the two of us, the earl and I had better attend to our guests.”
When dinner was announced, Darcy escorted Elizabeth to the dining parlor. He was disappointed to find that they were to be seated at opposite ends of the table. Elizabeth and her sister were seated next to Colonel Fitzwilliam, the former to his left and the latter to his right.
The dinner progressed without incident. Lord and Lady Matlock were nothing at all like Lady Catherine de Bourgh. However, Elizabeth could not help wondering if there were a particular reason the earl’s wife had arranged the seating to accommodate the placement of a lovely young creature named Miss Granger by Mr. Darcy’s side. The arrangement seemed to have suited the young lady exceedingly well, Elizabeth supposed, if she were to judge by her manner of behavior toward her dinner companion. Elizabeth could not recall seeing Mr. Darcy being as amiable and agreeable toward any young lady. It was nothing like the cool civility he always afforded Miss Caroline Bingley when they were in Hertfordshire. Seeing this, she truly did not know what to think or how to feel.
After dinner, Elizabeth found herself the recipient of Lady Catherine’s indignation. Having avoided her ladyship for as long as the circumstances would allow, at length, Elizabeth and Lady Catherine stood directly before each other.
Lady Catherine said, “Pray you are not reneging on your promise made to me in Hunsford that you will not accept my nephew’s hand should he make you an offer, young woman.” This was voiced in a tone meant to intimidate Elizabeth.
“If your ladyship would recall correctly, then you will have no recollection of my ever making such a promise.”
“Pray what is that supposed to mean? Do you mean to threaten me?”
“I only say that I always have and I always will behave in a manner that constitutes my own best interest with little regard for the feelings of those so wholly unconnected to me as you.”
“I remind you, young lady, that I am not one to be trifled with. My nephew Darcy is off limits to you. I say the same as regards Colonel Fitzwilliam. I am aware that he is the reason you and your eldest sister were forced on our society this evening. Neither of you is worthy of my nephews’ considerations. Do I make myself clear?”
When the gentlemen joined the ladies, Darcy walked directly to where Elizabeth and his aunt were standing. “Pray you and Miss Elizabeth are enjoying a pleasant reunion, Lady Catherine. I, for one, could not be more delighted that Lord and Lady Matlock invited Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth to join us this evening.” He offered his arm to Elizabeth. “May I prevail on you to join me in a turn about the room, Miss Elizabeth?”
Accepting his arm, Elizabeth walked away with him, leaving her ladyship standing there aghast. The couple had not walked very far before Mr. Darcy’s chatty dinner companion put herself directly in their path. Approaching them and utterly ignoring Elizabeth, the young lady said, “Her ladyship is about to open the instrument and she insists that I exhibit. You know how much I rely upon you to turn the pages.” Placing herself between Darcy and Elizabeth, she laced her arm through his. “Come, we must not keep everyone waiting.”
Annoyed, Darcy said, “Miss Granger—”
The young woman cast a sideways glance at Elizabeth. “Surely you do not mind if I steal Mr. Darcy away,” she said and without pause looked at Mr. Darcy. “You see, that young lady is perfectly agreeable,” she retorted, leading him away.
Throughout the evening, Elizabeth got the sense that Mr. Darcy did not want her spending time alone with his cousin. She could not rightly suppose whether he was jealous or merely cautious where his cousin was concerned. The colonel does have in him that capacity to say whatever it is that comes to mind with no regard to the consequence. He is an open book and if Mr. Darcy is concerned then that can only mean one thing: he is a man with secrets he does not wish for his cousin to reveal, she considered.
With that in mind and wanting to gauge Mr. Darcy’s reaction, Elizabeth sought the colonel’s company. If there is anything to know about Miss Granger, the colonel will without a doubt tell me, she thought.
Indeed, as soon as they were face to face, the colonel said, “You may be wondering who Miss Granger is and what her connection to Darcy is. Allow me to put your mind at ease. That young woman is our cousin.”
“Oh!” Elizabeth could not help replying.
“Indeed. Although, the young lady is better described as a rather distant cousin. She is the granddaughter of our grandfather’s brother.”
“Then very likely she is someone of whom your aunt would approve, that is assuming she has given up on the notion of Mr. Darcy’s marrying her daughter, Miss de Bourgh.”
“I am afraid my aunt will never accept the idea that Darcy and Anne will not be married, despite his having told her so on several occasions. In fact, she is not particularly fond of Miss Granger for it is no secret that the young woman harbors the hope of an alliance with Darcy.” The colonel pursed his lips. “Perhaps I ought not to have said anything. You and I both know that the young lady’s hopes are bound to be disappointed, do we not?”
Just as she had expected, Darcy joined Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam as soon as Miss Granger’s exhibition was concluded and another of the young ladies at the party was called upon to exhibit. A slight nod of his head at his cousin sent the gentleman on his way. Darcy leaned close to Elizabeth and said, “I trust you know better than to give too much consequence to whatever my cousin has to say.”
“On the contrary, sir, your cousin is a fountain of information.”
“No doubt. Before this evening draws to a close, I should very much wish to have time alone with you. Will you meet me in the library?”
“Sir, I can have no way of knowing where the library is.”
“I am certain that Fitzwilliam will be more than happy to oblige—this being his father’s home.” Saying that, Darcy silently pardoned himself and strode away.
Indeed, the colonel was very obliging. He offered to give Elizabeth and Jane a tour of the grand house. Later, when Elizabeth could, she made her way to the library. Mr. Darcy was standing by the fireplace. He was expecting her.
“Thank you
for joining me,” he said, reaching out his hand to her.
“Your cousin kindly gave Jane and me a tour. Having familiarized myself with the rooms, I made my way here as soon as I could.”
“I am delighted to have this time alone with you,” he said, grasping her hand. He raised it to his lips and kissed her palm. Next, he pressed a lingering kiss on her wrist.
Her heart aflutter, Elizabeth said, “It was very kind of your uncle to send the carriage all the way to Cheapside for Jane and me.” Refusing to acknowledge his penetrating stare, she slowly withdrew her hand. “It is a shame that your friend Bingley is not a guest. I am sure my sister would have liked that very much.”
“Trust me, were this dinner party at my home I would have invited him as well as his sisters and Mr. Hurst. However, I am a guest tonight as well. Besides, a part of our agreement was that I would do everything in my power to reunite Bingley and your sister, which I did by bringing him to Gracechurch Street. We agreed that the rest is up to the two of them, did we not?”
“I find it odd that your uncle and aunt would invite Jane and me to dine with them here at Matlock House given that we are wholly unconnected with them, sir.”
“I believe you have my cousin to thank for that. I cannot help noticing how comfortable the two of you are whenever you are in each other’s company.”
“I am surprised you noticed anything at all, sir. You and Miss Granger seem particularly intimate.”
“It is a consequence of my having known her family for many years, I assure you.”
“She is indeed a handsome woman—more than capable of tempting you, I am sure.”
“No doubt you are referring to my carelessly spoken words to Bingley at the Meryton assembly. I apologize for having leveled such an unsolicited and undeserved, but most of all untrue, assertion when the truth of the matter is that it is you whom I find the handsomest woman of my acquaintance.”
“One would never know it, sir, by the manner of your comportment this evening.”
“I would rather have spent every minute of the evening by your side, but what of our agreement to be discreet?” Here again, he took her hand in his. “You and I have five weeks and six days before I once again offer you my hand. At which point, you will accept, and I will proceed to shout it from atop the tallest building. If, on the other hand”—he spoke tenderly, slowly raising her hand—”this is your way of saying you are ready to accept my offer of marriage—” he pressed his lips against her skin “—I am more than happy to oblige.”
Chapter Six
With so much to conceal from her favorite aunt, Mrs. Gardiner, Elizabeth was rather thankful her time in London had ended without incident. Elizabeth had not even confided in Jane all the events of those last days in Kent. Essentially, the invitation to dine at Matlock House had been a consequence of Elizabeth’s having made the earl’s second eldest son’s acquaintance in Kent. All things considered, such an explanation was for the best, she surmised.
Soon after Elizabeth arrived at Longbourn, her father requested to see her in his library. At first, he went on and on about his happiness that, with the return of his two eldest daughters, finally there would be others around him with whom he might enjoy intelligent conversation. At length, he asked her to tell him about the trip to Kent.
Elizabeth was not entirely forthcoming, which prompted Mr. Bennet to help her along. “You ought to know, my dear Lizzy, that I received a different account of things. Mr. Collins informed me that there was a bit of a misunderstanding between you and his noble patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He said the grand lady was most seriously displeased by the prospect that you have been the means of ruining her favorite wish for her daughter, Miss Anne de Bourgh. Did you know that young woman was fashioned for her cousin? Indeed, it seems it is the favorite wish of their family that the two young people are to be united in marriage. Is there any wonder that her ladyship, and in consequence Mr. Collins, would find the notion of her favorite wish being impeded by a young woman with no connection and no fortune intolerable?”
Few things pleased Elizabeth’s papa more than laughing at the ridiculousness of others. Typically Elizabeth enjoyed doing the same, but not this time. Mr. Bennet paused for a moment and studied his daughter’s expression. “You are not laughing, my dear. Is this not the silliest thing you’ve ever heard?”
Elizabeth said, “I am afraid her ladyship’s conjectures are not wholly unfounded.”
“What are you saying, my child—do you mean to suggest that you and Mr. Darcy are indeed engaged?”
“Not exactly, Papa,” Elizabeth said, lowering her eyes.
“Pray be frank with me for either you are or you are not.”
“I admitted to her ladyship that Mr. Darcy and I are not engaged, but what I failed to mention was that he had made me an offer of marriage.”
“Do you mean to say that you rejected him?” Here, Mr. Bennet paused in silent reflection. After a moment, he said, “I cannot say I am surprised. I know how much you have long hated the man.”
“I would never venture to say I hate Mr. Darcy, sir. It is more a case of my finding some of his past deeds objectionable. He has since apologized and offered to make amends. In return, I have agreed to allow him the chance,” Elizabeth replied. “I did refuse his offer at first. Hence, we are not engaged—at least not yet, but I cannot rightly say that it will always be that way. I have allowed him six weeks to earn my good opinion.”
“What will happen at the end of six weeks should your current opinion of the gentleman remain unchanged?”
“Then he shall remain silent on the subject forever. How could I not but agree to such a scheme, especially in light of my wishes for Jane and Mr. Bingley? At the very least, I should like to think Mr. Darcy and I will be cordial to each other for their sakes.”
“A man like Mr. Darcy does not strike me as someone who would give up so easily as that. Are you confident that you know what you are about?”
“Papa, I believe I owe it to myself to reconsider my former opinion of Mr. Darcy. Our situation is nothing at all as it was with Mr. Collins. If others’ good opinions of Mr. Darcy count for anything, then he is indeed someone I may very well come to esteem and respect.”
The next days were filled with anticipation and not only for Jane and Elizabeth, but for most of the ladies in the neighborhood; by then everyone knew that Mr. Bingley was returning to Netherfield Park. To Mrs. Bennet, this news meant but one thing—the gentleman was coming back for Jane.
Turning to her eldest daughter who sat next to her at the table that morning, Mrs. Bennet said, “Jane, you have been very sly in keeping the purpose of Mr. Bingley’s return to yourself.”
“I am afraid I cannot honestly say what can be his purpose in coming, Mama, other than he has every right to return to his home whenever he chooses.”
“Yes, but you did say that you had seen him in town and now he is returning to Netherfield Park. What else can it mean?”
Jane said nothing in response for there would have been no purpose in doing so. Her mother’s mind was made up. Soon, there would be a wedding at Netherfield Park.
The morning after the day of his arrival, Mr. Darcy went to Longbourn to call on Mr. Bennet. As best he could tell, his arrival had been largely without circumstance, which was just as he had hoped. He dearly wanted to see Elizabeth, but not before he had spoken privately with her father.
“Mr. Darcy, I had heard that you and your friend Bingley had returned to our quaint country society. And during the height of the London Season, no less, when young men ought to be paying court to young maidens in want of husbands. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
“Well, sir, I wanted to pay my respects to you. I fear I was remiss in not having called on you and your family when I was last in Hertfordshire.”
“Then you have come to make amends for your lack of proper decorum, have you?”
“In a manner of speaking, I suppose. There is also the fact that
I intend to spend a significant amount of time paying court to your second eldest daughter, Miss Elizabeth. I wish to inform you that my intentions toward your daughter are honorable.”
“A great deal of time, sir? How much time would you say constitutes a great deal of time? Would you say six weeks?”
Darcy colored. Before he could say more, Mr. Bennet continued. “As you probably have surmised, my daughter told me about your rather unconventional agreement, Mr. Darcy.”
“I pray it does not meet with your disapproval, sir. It is my greatest wish that Miss Elizabeth will agree to be my wife, and I most certainly believe that I will prove successful in winning her hand. What’s more, I will do everything in my power to see that she is well settled in life. I believe she will be exceedingly happy.”
“I know my daughter’s disposition very well, sir. She will be neither happy nor respectable in a marriage unless she truly esteems her husband. I know not the real basis for her reluctance, other than it is rooted in the unfavorable impression you left us with during your first visit. You somehow expect to overcome all that over the course of six weeks. I will ask you what I asked my daughter. What happens at the end of six weeks, should you not succeed in changing her mind?”
“Sir, it is true that my affection for Miss Elizabeth is deeper than hers is for me. Saying goodbye to her and walking away from her should I fail to—should I not succeed in winning her hand would be one of the hardest things I have ever done. However, that is indeed what I will do.”
Some hours later, Mrs. Bennet saw Mr. Bingley, from her dressing-room window, enter the paddock, and ride toward the house. Her daughters were eagerly called to partake of her joy. Jane resolutely kept her place at the table, but Elizabeth, to satisfy her mother, went to the window. She saw Mr. Darcy with Mr. Bingley, and she sat down again by her sister.