by Jann Rowland
Shaking his head and still chuckling, Darcy said: “Then let me state my opinion without disguise. Yes, I consider the Bennets unsuitable. The family is uncouth and improper, they have close connections to the tradesman class, and they inhabit a sphere far below our own.”
“Fitzwilliam,” said Lady Anne in a reproving tone, alerting Darcy to the fact she was disappointed—she did not usually address him using his full name. “It is a rare thing when you speak words which sound like they may have come from my sister, or even from Miss Bingley.”
Darcy gaped at his mother, his mouth falling open, only to regain his senses when he heard Georgiana’s soft giggles. Then he became displeased. “I do not appreciate the comparison, Mother—though I know you are fond of your sister, I know it was not a compliment, to say nothing of likening me to Miss Bingley, of all people.”
“Can you deny it?” said his mother. “Miss Bingley has attempted to make those points ad nauseum since we arrived. Have I missed your meaning?”
“The fact that she spoke similar words does not make them untrue,” replied Darcy.
“Then let me enlighten you as to my opinion,” said Lady Anne. “Everything you said is true. There is much to be desired in the behavior of certain members of the family—of this, I am well aware. However, I doubt it is anything that cannot be resolved with a firm hand and a little education on the subject of proper behavior. Mrs. Bennet was not, as I understand, raised a gentlewoman. Is that not true?”
“It is,” replied Darcy. “But that is the problem. Mrs. Bennet may not have been raised with such advantages, but Mr. Bennet most certainly was, and yet he takes no trouble to correct that which he may influence.”
“That is unfortunate, indeed. That does not mean the family as an entity is beyond redemption. And really, William, is there anything you can say against the behavior of the eldest girls?”
“I thought them perfectly lovely,” ventured Georgiana.
“Which is what makes the family that much more puzzling. How did Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth avoid the weaknesses their younger sisters display?”
“I cannot say,” replied Lady Anne. “It may be there was some elder member of the family to guide them—perhaps a grandmother or elderly aunt. In the end, it matters not, for it is the eldest two girls who interest me.”
Darcy gazed at his mother, suspicion floating about the edges of his consciousness. Why his mother should take such an interest in those two girls was beyond his understanding. But then she moved to her next point and quite drove the matter from his mind.
“Your next point, I believe, was their connections to tradesmen. To refute that, I need only point to your association with Mr. Bingley, for is he not of that class?”
“Bingley is no longer active in trade,” objected Darcy. “This uncle of the Bennets is, by all accounts, proprietor of his own business.”
“Perhaps he is,” replied his mother. “Until we know more of him, however, I prefer to withhold judgment. If he is an unfortunate relation, what is it to us? It is not as if the Bennets are our family—they are friends, the eldest of whom I have invited to stay with us for a few months. It is on my mind, however, that this uncle may be a good man of business, and as the world is changing, a worthy connection.”
“If you think Mrs. Bennet’s brother is anything other than coarse and unrefined, I must wonder if you have taken the woman’s measure.”
“Like I am Catherine’s mirror image?”
That was a point Darcy could not refute, nor did he make the attempt. Considering the matter further, Darcy supposed he had made a rash judgment concerning a man of whom he knew nothing based on the behavior of a woman he did not respect.
“Your third point,” said his mother, pulling his attention away once more, “is that the Bennets inhabit a sphere far below ours. This point I cannot refute, for it is nothing other than the truth. I do not consider it an impediment, however, for less fortunate members of our society are often sponsored by those of a higher position. Regardless of the family or connections or the state of their father’s finances, I am convinced the eldest Bennets are veritable diamonds, ones which require only a little polishing before they will shine. I hope to know them better and assist them in meeting their potential.”
Darcy paused and considered his mother, wondering if there was something she was not telling him. Though he could say his mother was of a friendly temperament, he had not seen her take such an interest in any other young ladies who were so wholly unconnected to them. This entire episode was beyond his understanding of her, which made it impossible to fathom her motives.
At the same time, Darcy knew his mother and knew she would not be explicit if she did not wish to be, and in this instance, Darcy could see unmistakable signs of obduracy. Thus, he played the one final card he had at his disposal.
“What of Bingley?”
“Please be more explicit, William, for I do not understand your question.”
Convinced his mother knew to what he was referring, Darcy nevertheless explained: “Part of the reason for returning to London at this time was to remove my friend from the influence of Miss Bennet. Yet you propose to bring her into his sphere yet again.”
“Why would this be of concern to you?”
“Because Bingley is my friend.”
“Miss Bennet is unsuitable?”
“Perhaps, though that is not for me to decide,” said Darcy, beginning to feel the first hints of annoyance. “Miss Bingley would consider her so.”
“And she would be incorrect,” replied his mother with curt words and a frown. “Miss Bennet is the daughter of a gentleman and would be a step up for Bingley.” Holding out a hand to silence him when Darcy would have spoken, his mother continued: “Yes, William, I understand a woman of greater consequence and position in society would raise his position, something Miss Bennet could not do for him. But consider these two points before you propose to separate them:
“First, would a woman of higher society have your friend? He is still connected to trade, and unless he could find some impoverished noble who needs his money, I doubt any such woman will have him.
“Second, should Mr. Bingley not be afforded the opportunity to make his own choice in the matter? And if he chooses Miss Bennet, who can gainsay him?”
“If he chooses her, then there is nothing anyone can do,” said Darcy. “But you must consider that in such a situation, he would offer for her, not for those virtues society deems important, but for no other reason than pure inclination.”
“Yes, I understand this. What of it?”
“Why, Miss Bennet does not care for my friend, and would accept his proposal only because her mother would not allow her to refuse.”
Whatever rebuttal he might have expected, Darcy did not expect his mother and sister to share a look and then bursting into laughter. Feeling a hint of offense, Darcy regarded them, and his clear annoyance only made them laugh harder.
“I must think you a simpleton if you believe Miss Bennet does not care for Mr. Bingley,” said Lady Anne at last. “I was in their company for only five minutes when I saw it.”
“And yet, I have observed her and have seen no symptoms of particular regard.”
“Oh, Fitzwilliam!” exclaimed his mother. “What would you have her do? Should she throw herself at your friend, agree with everything he says, hang off his arm, clutching it in her talons like a hawk?
“She is reticent, my son, much like you, I might add. In company with him, she is perfectly proper, shows the correct degree of interest, and yet is modest and shy, and will not put herself forward. If you watch her when he is speaking, she hangs off every word he says, her regard for him clear in her eyes, her posture, her very being. I have never seen so promising an inclination as that shown by Miss Bennet.”
“You should believe us, William,” said Georgiana with an impish smile. “Who is better to determine the feelings of a woman other than another woman?”
“Who,
indeed?” asked Lady Anne. “In that vein, there is one more point I would like you to consider: would Miss Bingley be so eager to separate her brother from Miss Bennet if the affection between them was not so obvious?”
“Or perhaps she understands Mrs. Bennet as I do,” said Darcy. “Do you think Mrs. Bennet would allow her daughter to refuse a proposal of marriage with a man who may be her future salvation?”
“Just as Mr. Bennet would have allowed his wife to force Miss Elizabeth to marry that silly parson of my sister’s?”
Darcy started at the suggestion. “Mr. Collins? I saw no reason to suspect he will propose marriage to Miss Elizabeth.”
“I begin to wonder if your eyes have been closed your entire time here,” replied his mother. “Mr. Collins opened the ball with her and attempted to stay close to her the entire evening, and furthermore, my sister wrote to me boasting of how she had sent her parson to his family to marry one of the daughters. Has he paid enough attention to any of the other girls that may reasonably lead to a proposal to one of them?”
“Then you believe he will offer for her.”
It was a statement, not a question, for all that his mother treated it as the latter. “No, I do not believe he will. But if he did, I doubt Miss Elizabeth would accept him. As her father is a man who will not take his family in hand, can you imagine him taking the trouble to force his daughter into a marriage she did not want?”
A tightness in his shoulders eased and departed, leaving Darcy feeling relieved. “No, I cannot imagine he would,” said he with an absence of mind. “Particularly when she is his favorite daughter, by all accounts.”
“Then you must remember that it is the man who must approve a proposal of marriage,” said Lady Anne. “I will own I do not know Mr. Bennet well. However, I will also state that if Miss Elizabeth is his favorite daughter and Miss Bennet is Miss Elizabeth’s favorite sister, can you think he will insist upon her marrying Mr. Bingley if she did not favor him, despite her mother’s resolve?”
There was, Darcy decided little to refute in his mother’s logic. But his own observation would not be so readily put aside.
“It seems I cannot dissuade you, and as you have already extended the invitation, there is nothing to be done.”
“Thank you for seeing it that way.”
“Be that as it may,” continued Darcy as if his mother had not spoken, “my concerns are still valid. If I am correct about Miss Bennet, then we may be putting Bingley in a situation where he will make a grave mistake.”
“If I am incorrect, William, then I will join you in dissuading Mr. Bingley.”
Knowing this was the best offer he was to receive from his mother, Darcy nodded his agreement. After a few more moments of speaking of their departure the following morning, Darcy excused himself to see to his own final preparations. The rest of the day, however, he continued to think of what might have been, about the person of Miss Elizabeth, to whom he still felt an intense level of attraction.
She might have married Mr. Collins! The thought beggared the mind, how a bright, intelligent jewel of a woman could find herself shackled to a dullard. Of more concern was the thought that in a few shorts months, Miss Elizabeth would reside in his house, that she would intrude on his notice for more than just those few days at Netherfield. Darcy had no illusions by this time in their acquaintance—he felt more for her than he ought, for she fascinated him like no other woman he had met. The weeks before her coming he must spend preparing himself to resist her allure lest he forget himself and do something rash. Perhaps Anne’s presence during the season would protect him—in fact, it might be best to formalize their arrangement before he could contemplate doing something rash with Miss Elizabeth.
When the door closed behind her son, Anne turned to her daughter, her arched eyebrow prompting Georgiana to break into laughter. Anne joined in, enjoying the close companionship of her daughter, knowing they were quite alike, though Georgiana was a little shyer than Anne. It was good she had such a co-conspirator, for it raised their chances of success.
“Did you see the look on William’s face when you told him how Mr. Collins might propose to Miss Elizabeth?” asked Georgiana.
Anne shook her head and laughed harder. “It was priceless, was it not? Though how he missed it, I cannot understand.”
“Oh, I think he is so fixed on denying his interest in her that he cannot see anything else.”
That sobered Anne. “That is the problem. My son is adept at regulating himself, and while we might have penetrated his defenses, I am not so naïve as to assume we have won the battle.”
“It seems to me, we need not do anything to win the battle, Mother. When Miss Elizabeth is before him, I doubt my brother will have anything in mind but his attraction for her.”
Anne huffed in annoyance. “I am uncertain you are correct. Even now, he is no doubt attempting to shore up his defenses and considering if he might propose to Anne before Miss Elizabeth comes to London.”
“Then make sure to invite her before Aunt Catherine comes to London,” replied Georgiana. “You know Lady Catherine orders matters exactly as she wishes—she will come to London at the time of her choosing and will not come early for any reason.”
“Unless she suspects she might lose my son to a country miss.”
“William will not take any action to inform her. Unless I miss my guess, he does not wish to marry Anne—it is only he does not have a woman for whom he feels anything, so he feels it does not matter who he marries. And Anne does have benefits attached to her situation.”
Georgiana paused a moment, then she ventured: “The only part of this that concerns me is Miss Elizabeth. Though she has not been open about it, I do not believe she holds my brother in much regard.”
“That is possible,” said Lady Anne. “It is possible William showed himself in a poor light, as he has done so many times in the past.”
Mother and daughter shared a look, one fraught with meaning. It was unfortunate, for he was a good man, but William’s manners were such that he was often giving offense when he did not mean it. Others mistook reticence for arrogance, and because of it, his reputation was of a prideful man, disdainful of others. Anne knew her son knew of it, and often used it to his advantage to fend off fortune hunters and those seeking to curry favor.
“But William is a good man,” said Anne. “If we can induce him to lower his walls and act as he does with family and close friends, I believe he will win Miss Elizabeth’s affection.”
“Aye, that will be the trick.”
They then set about planning what they would do when the Bennet sisters joined them. Though each was eager to allow Mr. Bingley the ability to choose his own path in life, the greater concern was William and Miss Elizabeth. Anne knew her son, was familiar with his ways and his manner of thinking, and she was becoming more convinced that Miss Elizabeth was exactly what he needed to obtain true happiness. If there was anything she could do to ensure it came about, Anne was determined to do it.
Chapter III
For days after the Netherfield party left, nothing could distract Mrs. Bennet from the honor shown to her two daughters, and by the time a week had gone by, she was convinced this invitation to London would answer all her hopes for salvation. Thus, it was rare even an hour went by when she was not giving both Elizabeth and Jane some instruction concerning how they should conduct themselves when in Mr. Darcy’s home. It was unfortunate, but her mother’s words were often for Jane, rather than Elizabeth, as the one Mrs. Bennet had always thought would more easily find a marriage partner, and those words were not often to Jane’s liking.
“You must only put yourself forward,” she would say, “and I am certain you will attract some man of Mr. Darcy’s acquaintance. Lady Anne Darcy must know many of high position in society and can do much to promote your interests. Why, it should not surprise me if you were to catch a baron or even an earl!”
Then her eyes would slip to Elizabeth, who was her least unders
tood daughter, and she would add: “And you may attract some gentleman too, Lizzy, for you are pretty enough for any man, though not the equal of your sister. If you will only stem the tide of your words and not rattle on, I am sure Lady Anne may do much for you as well.”
Elizabeth cared not for Mrs. Bennet’s lowered expectations, and she did not expect that Lady Anne had invited them for the purpose of pairing either off with a duke. It was her mother’s constant advice which concerned her, especially given what ensued after Mrs. Bennet began her monologues.
“But, Mama, what of Mr. Bingley?”
“You must forget about Mr. Bingley, my dear, for you will now be put into a position which will see come into the sphere of men of much more consequence.”
“Mr. Bingley is the most amiable man of my acquaintance. I need not attract the attention of any other man.”
“Now, now, Jane,” replied Mrs. Bennet. “There are many amiable men in London, I am sure. Just make certain you find one who possesses a good fortune.”
Then Mrs. Bennet continued to speak, imparting other instructions of equal nonsense. It was fortunate to Elizabeth’s mind that Mr. Bennet was in the room on this occasion, for his amusement at his wife’s excesses was not unexpected, and his words after were welcome.
“Do not concern yourself with your mother, Jane, for if you recall, it is not she who must approve of any suitor. Should you be certain of your regard for Mr. Bingley, you may be assured you will have my blessing, for you do not require my consent.”
“Thank you, Papa,” said Jane, to which Mr. Bennet grinned and excused himself to return to his study.
Of more importance than Mrs. Bennet’s nonsensical ramblings was Jane’s opinion of what had kept Mr. Bingley in London when he had informed her of his return. Elizabeth possessed her own opinions on the matter, but she thought to inquire after Jane’s.
“There was something in London to keep him there,” replied Jane, not bothered about his loss despite her wish for his attentions. “Caroline informed us of the matter before Lady Anne extended the invitation, after all.”