A Hasty Decision

by Wynne Mabry

  “There is no harm in trying. I do happen to know the uncle’s name. In fact, I shall go as well, and help you to find her.”

  This quest did not take very long. They only asked about a dozen people before coming across one who lived a few doors down from the Gardiners and was able to supply them with the house number. In the few minutes it took to travel there, Mr. Bingley could hardly contain his excitement. He practically leapt from the carriage and bounded up the front steps.

  Their timing was fortuitous. Jane was in solitary possession of the drawing room. The look on her face when she saw Mr. Bingley made it clear to Mr. Darcy that Elizabeth had been correct about her sister’s feelings. He had been very wrong in his assumptions as well as his actions.

  “I just need to go back to the carriage for something,” he said, slipping away and leaving the pair to settle their own future.

  The Joy of a Love Match

  Consumed by the pleasure of seeing Miss Bennet again, Mr. Bingley only vaguely heard Mr. Darcy excuse himself. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her face lit up with joy upon seeing him, which was very gratifying. She declared herself delighted to see him, and he saw that it was the greatest sort of delight. All his doubts vanished. As his friend appeared to have vanished as well, it was very easy for him to come directly to his point.

  “I only just learned that you are in London,” he told Jane. “My immediate desire was to see you at once. I was concerned that you must have thought I did not care enough to visit. That was never the case. I never stopped caring about you. Indeed, I care very much. I love you, in fact. When we were together last autumn, I wanted to ask you to marry me, but then I stupidly let myself believe that you did not feel the same way about me.”

  She did not say anything, but his confidence in her feelings did not waiver. Her eyes and her smile said everything. Obviously, she was silent out of delicacy because he had not actually asked the question, so he got on with it. She then found the words to accept him.

  After their excitement and joy had been thoroughly discussed, Mr. Bingley apologised further for not having returned to Hertfordshire the previous autumn. Being too good in his nature to blame anybody else, he said nothing of the contribution which others had made toward his lack of confidence in himself. That was all represented as his own fault, but she was absolutely forgiving.

  He could not entirely dismiss his sisters’ behaviour though. The slight that they had given was too obvious. He felt it necessary to tell Jane that he deplored their lack of attention to her, and to declare that he would not tolerate any future disrespect toward her.

  Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy had decided that a slow stroll along the street was the best way to past the time. His coachman watched in surprise as the master proceeded at a very slow pace, studying the architecture of this unfashionable neighbourhood as though it held the greatest interest for him. The servant gaped as the normally reticent and fastidious man nodded to all the common people who passed him on the street and even spoked a few words to some of them.

  There was definitely something strange in the air this morning. In fact, now that the coachman considered the matter more thoroughly, Mr. Darcy had been a little different in his manner for some months now. It might be love that had changed him, the man thought. Love did have a strange effect upon people.

  It certainly had a dramatic effect upon Mr. Bingley, who came galloping down the steps about twenty minutes after bouncing up them. “She said yes,” he cried, without noticing that Mr. Darcy was not there. “She is going to marry me.” Then he looked about, noticing the absence of his friend and the presence of only the coachman, at whom he stared awkwardly.

  “Congratulations, sir,” the man said to ease the moment. “This is excellent news.”

  “It is,” Mr. Bingley agreed. “I thought she might refuse, but she did not, and she has forgiven everything. All is well now.”

  The coachman could not think of anything to say in reply to this remarkable openness, but he was able to occupy himself in shaking Mr. Bingley’s hand, which had seized his own in joyous enthusiasm. In another moment, he was released from this strange situation by the return of Mr. Darcy, who had apparently run out of architecture to study.

  “I take it that your quest was successful,” he said, smiling at his friend.

  “It was. She is going to marry me.”

  “Congratulations.”

  There was more handshaking, and then Mr. Bingley asked, “Where did you go?”

  “For a walk. It seemed to me that you could propose better without me in the room. Perhaps I might pay my regards to Miss Bennet now.”

  “Yes, you must. She was wondering where you went.”

  “Ah, I see. She was the one who recollected me. You had forgotten about me altogether.”

  “Not completely,” Mr. Bingley said. “You were somewhere in the back of my mind.”

  Mr. Darcy laughed, but it occurred to him that he must take second place with his friend from now on. Things were going to be very different in the future. And they were each going to have very different marriages. It might sometimes be hard to see Bingley so happy, but he knew that he had done the right thing in helping to bring this couple back together. Determined to put a happy face upon it, he mounted the steps and went to congratulate Miss Bennet upon the good fortune which she might have guessed that he had once opposed.

  She was all graciousness, which he appreciated, although it had never really been in doubt. Her nature was too kind for anything else. He very much felt how little he deserved to be the recipient of such goodness.

  Before long, her aunt returned and was told the news. Mrs. Gardiner’s manner of receiving it showed Mr. Darcy that this was a lady of excellent character and no avarice. Her first reaction was to give Mr. Bingley a doubtful look. Obviously, his fortune meant nothing to her. She was evidently more concerned about the six months during which he had stayed away.

  After only about ten minutes of conversation, she had a very different expression. With his speech and actions, Mr. Bingley managed to earn himself her approval, and then she was able to talk very happily of the prospective marriage, as well as assuring Mr. Bingley that he was very welcome to remain for the rest of the day and to stay for dinner if he so desired.

  That was just what he desired. He told his friend that he would get home somehow or other, but Mrs. Gardiner had a different idea. Perhaps, if Mr. Darcy did not have other plans for the evening, he might like to return and join them for dinner as well. She made this suggestion without any the pushiness which he had so often disdained in Mrs. Bennet’s behaviour.

  Mr. Darcy decided that he did not have any other plans. Although unaccustomed to receiving invitations to dine in Cheapside, he accepted this one without reservation. After everything which had passed, the least he could do was treat Miss Bennet’s relatives with politeness, and if Mr. Gardiner was as sensible and agreeable as his wife, then it would be easy to do so.

  Some hours later, Mr. Darcy discovered that Mr. Gardiner was an exceptionally agreeable man, and completely different from his vulgar sister. Like his wife, he also appeared to judge the value of the engagement upon the happiness of his niece and the merit of Mr. Bingley. He immediately offered his congratulations, and then repeated them in an even more hearty manner after subjecting Mr. Bingley to some gentle examination.

  After that, he had some conversation with Mr. Darcy, who found himself well entertained. He was delighted to find that Mr. Gardiner was intelligent and knowledgeable, and for good measure, he had a sense of humour much like Elizabeth’s. There was plenty of laughter and rational discussion at the dinner table and quite late into the evening.

  Mr. Darcy had rarely spent an evening in such pleasant company. He felt some regret in turning down another invitation to dine with them the following week.

  “Elizabeth will be here then,” Mr. Gardiner said as an inducement.

  Mr. Darcy feared he had said too much about the time they had late
ly spent together, giving a mistaken impression that they were friendly. Knowing very well that she would not want to see him, he replied that unfortunately he would not be in town all of next week. “But I hope we may meet again some other time,” he added politely, not wanting them to think that he spurned their company.

  “Well, of course you will,” Mr. Bingley said. “You will all be at our wedding.”

  That was something which Mr. Darcy had not yet considered. He could not avoid seeing Elizabeth at that time. There was no question of letting his friend down on such an important occasion. But at least he could anticipate not having to say much to her. Considering their awkward history, she was likely to be equally desirous of avoiding any conversation with him.

  The Astonishment of Mr. Bingley’s Sisters

  On Thursday morning, Mr. Darcy went to court with his sister and their relatives. After so long a delay since the last drawing room, a great many people appeared at this one, and the long line progressed at a snail’s pace. It was a wonder that his cousin could bear standing for so long, being so unused to exertion, but she managed the task. The court dress was a poor complement to her small frame and pale face, but her mother was immensely proud.

  “I noticed that the queen looked most particularly at you,” Lady Catherine said afterwards.

  Mr. Darcy thought his aunt had only seen exactly what she wanted to see. He was just as proud of Georgiana, but for better reason. She walked into the room with admirable calmness, and her backwards retreat was exceptionally graceful. Mrs. Annesley’s instruction had done her well, and he thought that the amusement of those practice sessions had helped her to feel less nervous. The companion had contrived an unwieldy dress from sheets, and a tablecloth had provided a lengthy train. The need for a queen had then been perceived, and Mr. Darcy had fulfilled the role to much laughter.

  Mrs. Annesley had also been a useful source of information since she herself had been presented some years ago. Mr. Darcy was pleased to learn this fact, for it meant that she could join them at the court ball, an affair which was restricted to those members of society who had been presented.

  He had himself introduced Mr. Bingley at St. James’s, but his friend was not at the ball that evening. Presumably he was occupied with Miss Bennet. His sisters had never been presented, having nobody to sponsor them, so there was no chance of seeing them, but Mr. Darcy encountered the two ladies at another dance on the following night. They accosted him within two minutes of his appearance in the room.

  “The most dreadful thing has happened,” Mrs. Hurst said. “Charles has gone and proposed to Miss Bennet.”

  “Just two days ago,” Miss Bingley said. “But he has not spoken to her father yet. There is still time to put a stop to this. Miss Bennet is a sweet-natured girl. I am sure she would release him if we were to explain how unsuitable the match is, but Charles is being quite unreasonable. No matter what we say, he is determined to marry her.”

  Mr. Darcy felt very sorry for his friend, who must have had much to endure in the past couple of days. “Then you had better give up trying to persuade him not to,” he advised the sisters.

  “But he must be convinced,” Miss Bingley said. “It is for his own good. You must talk to him, Mr. Darcy. He will listen to you.”

  “I could not possibly advise him to treat Miss Bennet so disgracefully. Especially as I was the one who advised him to propose to her in the first place.”

  “You advised him to do it? You cannot be serious.”

  “I am quite serious. I told him that if marrying Miss Bennet would make him happy, then he ought to marry her.”

  “But you always agreed with us that he should be kept apart from her.”

  “That was before I realised what a disservice I was doing to both of them. He loves her, and she really loves him. I was wrong to think otherwise, but now I believe that they will be very happy together.”

  “What about her family? Do you no longer care about the inferiority of her connections? All the disadvantages of the match?

  “They are outweighed by the advantages. You must try to be happy for your brother. He will be marrying a lady of excellent character and temperament. I am very pleased for him.”

  “How can you be?” Miss Bingley cried. “You would not make such a foolish choice.”

  “I do not think it is a foolish choice,” Mr. Darcy said, thinking that he was the one who had been foolish. If only he could have had Bingley’s sense from the beginning. “Your brother has done what he felt was best for him. I recommend that you make no more mention of your concerns and welcome Miss Bennet into your family. Anything else will only cause dissention between you.

  “It seems that we have no choice, but I do not like it.”

  “That is life,” Mr. Darcy said. “One often has to endure what one does not like.”

  “Like that dreadful assembly last autumn,” Miss Bingley said. “I am sure you have not forgotten that.”

  “No,” he said, although he was not remembering it as the trial which she implied, but as a lost opportunity.

  “Were you at the court ball yesterday?” Mrs. Hurst asked, eagerly embracing a new subject. “We saw Georgiana’s name among the list of those who were presented.”

  He heard the hint of envy in her voice. The honour of presentation was not essential to a lady’s participation in society, but he suspected that their exclusion from court was still a sore point with them.

  “We were surprised to see your cousin’s name too,” Miss Bingley said. “I thought she was not well enough to come to town.”

  “Her health has much improved over the last few years. In fact, she is soon going to be living in London. Miss de Bourgh and I have recently become engaged, and we shall be married in another month.”

  They both looked surprised, but in Miss Bingley’s eyes he also saw severe disappointment. Her interest in him had been obvious for some time, but there had never been any chance of that feeling being reciprocated. This disappointment had always been inevitable, but he felt sorry for her in that moment.

  His sympathy was short lived though.

  “I see that you have not chosen foolishly,” she said with startling bitterness. “I am sure that your choice was based upon connections and fortune. How can you marry for such things and yet congratulate our brother upon choosing a lady who has nothing to offer him?”

  “I think that she has plenty to offer. And for what it is worth, I am not marrying for money or any other form of advantage. There are other reasons for my choice, but I have no intention of attempting to justify myself. Since you are obviously under a great deal of strain at this time, I shall do you the kindness of forgetting this remark, but I do hope that after you have had some time to think about things, you will choose to treat Miss Bennet and her family with a regard as great as you have for me and my relatives.”

  He hoped that she understood the hint behind those words – treat their brother’s bride well or else there would be no more invitations forthcoming from Mr. Darcy and his relatives.

  Mrs. Hurst seemed to immediately perceive the point. “I must apologise for Caroline,” she said. “As you say, she has been under some strain, but I am sure she does not want to offend you or Miss Bennet.”

  “I am sure she does not,” he agreed, feeling confident that he had just done his friend a great favour. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst would not like to risk the opportunities which were to be gained from their friendship with him.

  Much to Communicate and More to Conceal

  A week after Mr. Darcy had left Rosings, Elizabeth and Maria Lucas arrived in London, where they intended to spend a few days with her relatives before travelling on to Hertfordshire with Jane. The moment that the two sisters saw each other, Elizabeth knew that something momentous had happened.

  When they had last been together, Jane had shown signs of the broken heart for which Elizabeth had taken Mr. Darcy to task. Today, she appeared to be glowing with happiness.

  “So
much has happened in the last few days,” she said as they hugged each other. “You will scarcely believe me when I tell you.”

  Elizabeth could already make an accurate guess. In her opinion, there was only one thing that could have caused her sister’s radiance. Still, when her suspicion of an engagement was confirmed, her expressions of excitement were almost worthy of their sister Lydia, who was an exceptionally excitable young lady.

  “How did this happen?” she asked once they were alone in the room which they were to share for the next few days. “How did Mr. Bingley even know you were in London? His sisters would never have told him.”

  “No, they did not. It was Mr. Darcy.”

  “What! Mr. Darcy? But he deplores our family more than anybody.”

  “You must be wrong, Lizzy. Charles said that Mr. Darcy encouraged him to visit me and to propose. He was too modest to think that I loved him, but he believed it when Mr. Darcy said he was certain that I did.”

  “He takes his friend’s opinion for everything,” Elizabeth said, but with far less bitterness than she had felt a week ago. If Mr. Darcy had chosen to use his influence to undo the damage he had done, then she could not complain of it. This reversal of his opinion was remarkable, but she felt grateful that he had somehow been moved to it.

  “He does have a great regard for Mr. Darcy,” Jane agreed. “They are very close friends. Charles told me that they did not know our uncle’s direction, so Mr. Darcy asked strangers if they knew of us.”

  “That was a great act of friendship. I cannot imagine that he liked doing so. It does not sound at all like him.”

  “I do not think he is quite as proud as you always said. He stayed and visited with my aunt and me for quite a long time, and he accepted an invitation to dine with us.”

  “Mr. Darcy dined in Cheapside? You astonish me.”

  “He really was very nice, and exceptionally friendly toward our aunt and uncle. No, do not tell me that astonishes you as well. I can see that you were about to.”