Pride in Meryton, page 3
Darcy smiled and nodded his agreement, amused to observe Miss Elizabeth hiding a smile behind her napkin.
Miss Bingley feigned indignation: “How can you say such a thing, Charles! If course I thought of you every moment I was away!” she insisted.
Miss Elizabeth interjected: “Well, I suppose I must be parted from Jane at some point; we are getting older after all. But until that time, I shall always wish to be by her side,” she said with a dreamy smile. Her affection for her sister was unmistakable.
Yes, Darcy was very much captivated by her.
~~~
Immediately after dinner was over, Elizabeth excused herself to tend to Jane. She had slept only a few minutes that day, her cough and misery had kept her awake most of the time. Elizabeth ordered a fresh pot of tea and hot broth for her sister and insisted that she consume them both. The draught from the apothecary had finally been delivered and she mixed it according to the instructions and ensured that every drop was drained from the glass. Jane inquired about the company below stairs and Elizabeth knew that her main interest was in hearing about Mr. Bingley. She assured her sister that Mr. Bingley was deeply concerned about her health and that every consideration was to be given to her to assure her prompt recovery. Jane was well pleased by this report and was able to relax.
She read to her from a book of poetry that their host had sent and she finally had the satisfaction of seeing Jane fall sleep; the draught having its intended effect on her. Wishing to leave her sister in peace, she went down to the drawing room to spend an hour or so with her hosts.
Mr. Darcy immediately rose and inquired after Jane; she had the pleasure of telling him that her sister had finally fallen asleep and seemed to be resting comfortably. He smiled upon hearing this news and expressed his wish that she would soon see her sister well. She thanked him for the sentiment and offered a grateful smile.
Miss Bingley invited her to join in the card game but Elizabeth suspected that they were playing for high stakes and declined, preferring to read instead. She glanced at Mr. Darcy and observed that he had already settled in with a book himself. He gestured to a chair near his and she selected a book from the table and sat down.
What she supposed would be a quiet evening of cards and reading turned out to be nothing of the sort. Miss Bingley turned the conversation to books and attempted to draw Mr. Darcy in by complimenting his library. Elizabeth observed his frown at being diverted from his book and he responded as briefly as possible; however, Miss Bingley would not be ignored and continued to press him about his library collection, his sister, her accomplishments and anything else she could think of to retain his attentions.
Elizabeth put her book aside and turned her attention to the conversation. She was excessively diverted by her hostess’ need for attention and Mr. Darcy’s reluctance to provide it. Elizabeth prided herself in her discernment and, although she had only a brief acquaintance with the occupants of the room, she quickly judged that Miss Bingley greatly admired Mr. Dashing and his admiration of her was somewhat less so. She giggled to herself at this discovery; however, even someone less astute must be able to recognize his obvious avoidance tactics.
The conversation then turned to the accomplishments of all young ladies. Miss Bingley had decided opinions on what this entailed (music, singing, drawing, dancing, the tone of a young lady’s voice, her air and her manner of walking) and Mr. Darcy tended to agree with her. She attempted to delve into the conversation herself, stating that she had never met such a woman but the other ladies expressed their protests and Elizabeth, not wishing to further offend the ladies, let the matter drop. Not long after, she took her leave and retired for the evening. Finding her sister awake and miserable, she called for a fresh pot of tea and tended to her as best she could. She thought that perhaps Jane would benefit from a visit from their Mama. She decided that she would send a note home in the morning, requesting that her Mama come and visit Jane.
~~~
Darcy was excessively diverted by Miss Elizabeth’s contribution to the discussion of a young lady’s accomplishments; she had expressed doubt that he knew any lady who possessed all of the talents required to deserve the word ‘accomplished’. She had actually disagreed with him, challenged him and dared to express an opinion of her own. He had never encountered such a woman and found her all the more remarkable.
As soon as she had left the drawing room, Miss Insufferable immediately began her critique of the lady; her manners, her gown, her conversation, her style, her hair, her impertinence, her sense of propriety were all thought to be lacking. Darcy could not agree with such harsh opinions and hoped to remain silent on the issue but was pressed into responding by his hostess. “I rather find her quite astonishing,” he replied.
Charles agreed: “Indeed Caroline, I find no fault whatsoever in Miss Elizabeth. Her devotion to her sister is unmistakable,” he observed.
Darcy wholeheartedly agreed and soon after retired for the evening. Once upstairs, he passed by Miss Bennet’s chamber and heard a familiar voice reciting poetry. He lingered for a moment to listen, then moved on to his own guest chamber. How wonderful it would be to hear her read poetry to him, he mused. He imagined her sitting close to him reading his favourites by Robert Burns and William Wordsworth. He rang for his valet and submitted to his attentions as he was dressed for bed. After he snuffed the candle, he allowed images of the remarkable lady to flood into his mind and fell asleep.
~~~
Mrs. Bennet appeared at Netherfield the following morning with her two youngest daughters and went immediately to Miss Bennet’s guest chamber. Darcy had no doubt that this scheming mama had orchestrated the whole scene from the very beginning, sending her eldest daughter out into the pouring rain to the residence of an eligible bachelor. “What some mamas would not do to ensure a match for their marriageable daughters!” he thought with a chuckle. He wondered momentarily if Mrs. Bennet had also sent Miss Elizabeth to Netherfield to expose her other daughter to him. He could only suspect that she had and resolved to be on his guard every moment to ensure that nothing improper occurred while in company with the remarkable lady.
Mrs. Bennet came below stairs after visiting her daughter and thanked Bingley excessively for taking such prodigious care of her dear Jane. She went on at length about how ill her daughter was and then effortlessly diverted the conversation to her daughter’s beauty. “Oh yes,” thought Darcy, “there could be no question of her schemes.” He silently observed Miss Elizabeth as her mama voiced her opinion about her daughters, her neighbours and her love of country life; she seemed quite mortified by her mama’s vulgar statements and kept her eyes on the floor during most of the visit. She made several attempts to divert the conversation and was mortified in the extreme when her mama reprimanded her for expressing her own opinions. Darcy had to summon all of his self-control to keep from laughing out loud! “Imagine that vulgar creature reprimanding someone else for voicing her opinions!” he thought. As soon as Mrs. Vulgar had taken her leave, Miss Elizabeth returned to her sister’s guest chamber and remained there until the evening.
~~~
Elizabeth did her utmost to control her mama’s effusions during her visit, but to no avail; Mama insisted on praising Jane’s virtues in an effort to impress Mr. Bingley. Why she thought such praise was necessary was a mystery to Elizabeth; Jane’s beauty was easily observed, as well as her kind and pleasing manners. Mr. Bingley could have no other opinion. She could scarcely meet anyone else’s eye during the visit and chose instead to study the lovely floral pattern in the carpet.
As soon as her mama had gone, she escaped to Jane’s chamber and found her resting comfortably. Jane quizzed her about their mama’s visit but Elizabeth had not the heart to tell her the truth; she merely informed her of Mr. Bingley’s promise to take the utmost care of her while she was a guest in his home. Jane was comforted by this and allowed herself to drift off to sleep. There was no point in burdening her dear sister with the details of the uncomfortable encounter; she had spent a sleepless night and it would be best for her to rest. Elizabeth had enjoyed little sleep herself last night so she took the opportunity to recline on the chaise lounge and doze until Jane needed her.
~~~
Darcy was engaged in writing a letter to his sister when lovely Miss Elizabeth entered the drawing room after dinner. She greeted everyone and expressed her apologies for her absence at dinner but insisted that her duties to her sister took precedence over her duties as a guest. She was pleased to report that her sister was resting comfortably. Bingley expressed his relief and directed her to a chair where she could work on her needle project.
Insufferable Miss Bingley attempted to draw the attention of the room back to herself by commenting on the most inane topics; Darcy’s handwriting, the evenness and style of his writing, his pen, his constant need to write for business. He replied to her inquiries with polite brevity but she persisted by commenting unfavourably her brother’s writing. This had the unintended effect of drawing Miss Remarkable into the conversation; she instantly jumped to Charles’ defence.
~~~
Elizabeth attempted to remain silent during the evening discussion; she listened with no small amount of amusement to Miss Bingley’s attempts to draw Mr. Darcy into conversation. She had no desire to draw the ire of her hostess but when she criticized her brother, she was compelled to jump into the fray. How anyone could criticize a man with such a modest and unassuming manner as Mr. Bingley was beyond her imagination. She employed her sweetest methods to contradict Miss Bingley’s complaints and had some satisfaction in her success. Miss Bingley then expressed her desire for music and performed with Mrs. Hurst. Both ladies, in her opinion, were infinitely more talented than she and she resolved at that moment to decline any requests for her to display her talents on the piano-forte, should she be asked.
Miss Bingley then played a Scottish air and she found herself being addressed by the dashing Mr. Darcy: “Do you not feel a great inclination, Miss Bennet, to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel?” he asked, extending his hand to her.
With that disarming smile and those eyes beseeching her, she could not very well refuse: “I do indeed, Mr. Darcy,” she replied, taking his offered hand. He whisked her over the floor and the Hursts joined them while Mr. Bingley clapped along to the music on the side-lines. Mr. Dashing wore his most handsome smile while they danced and her spirits rose. Joy overtook her as the lively melody played and spurred her into the highest spirits; however, observing Mr. Bingley’s exclusion from the dance gave her pause. Despairing over seeing him excluded from the frivolity in his own home, Elizabeth grasped his hand and pulled him into their midst. He danced between them, enjoying himself to the fullest, but due to the odd number of dancers, confusion erupted and hilarity ensued. Miss Bingley seemed slightly miffed at being excluded from the fun and ended the reel and thus the dancing.
In fact, she realized, Miss Bingley seemed slightly miffed most of the time when Mr. Darcy was paying his attentions to Elizabeth. Although she dearly wished to linger in his company a while longer, she had no desire to anger her hostess so she dutifully thanked everyone for an enjoyable evening and took her leave, taking care to pay no special attention to the dashing gentleman.
Finding Jane sleeping comfortably, she curled up with a book near the fireplace; however, instead of reading, she found her mind enjoyably drifting to the dashing and charming gentleman below stairs. He was everything a young man ought to be, in her opinion; intelligent, kind, generous, devoted to his sister – besides being devastatingly handsome and an excellent dancer! She could not help but admire him but she knew that a man of his consequence most assuredly would not seek a match with a woman of her standing. Of course, she would welcome such an opportunity if it was presented but she reminded herself to be sensible; it most likely would not. This sensibility, of course, had no effect on the images that danced through her mind as she recalled the dashing and charming gentleman.
~~~
Almost as soon as Miss Lovely had left the room, Miss Insufferable began listing her faults, huffing with indignation. She was too thin, her complexion too dull, her nose too narrow, her lips too full, her eyes shrew-like, her beauty lacking, her dancing unrefined, her talents under-developed, her manners vulgar, her overall character unworthy of notice. She had not a single attribute worthy of praise.
Darcy rose from his chair and addressed his friend: “I am greatly relieved, Charles, that it would never occur to my sister to criticize a guest of mine within my hearing,” he stated, while never once glancing in the insufferable lady’s direction. He then bid them good night, took his leave of them and retired to his guest chamber.
Not long after, he regretted that he had spoken out of turn but when Miss Elizabeth’s character had been impugned, he felt compelled to speak. He had advised Charles on numerous occasions to better control his sister’s bold outbursts and her shameless flirtations but either his advice had gone unheeded or Charles’ attempts at control had been unsuccessful. In any case, he had grown tired of her constant schemes and was willing to withstand it no longer. Miss Elizabeth had more beauty and more character than Miss Bingley could ever aspire to, despite her lack of formal education or fortune.
He wondered then, why he had been so eager to defend Miss Elizabeth. Certainly he enjoyed her company; she was intelligent and witty, slightly impertinent and opinionated, but always conducted herself in an agreeable manner, never resorting to the unkind barbs and insults frequently employed by Miss Bingley. Miss Bingley on the other hand, employed every scheme and manoeuvre to gain his notice and divert his attention. He had no doubt that his fortune appealed to her above all else. No, he was unwilling to share his fortune, or anything else, with her; he would never consider offering for an obvious fortune hunter.
“What about the remarkable Miss Elizabeth?” he wondered. Would he ever consider offering for her? She was unquestionably the type of woman he had always hoped to meet during the numerous seasons he had endured in Town. The assemblies at Almack’s, the private balls and the promenades in the park had only presented him with intolerable or forgettable maidens; not a single remarkable lady could be found among them. Never would he have imagined that he would find such a woman in Hertfordshire. Of course, her family was entirely unsuitable and her station was decidedly beneath his own; no, it was best not to encourage her expectations. He resolved then to take his own advice and simply enjoy her smiles.
Chapter 4: Netherfield Departure
The next day, a scheme was formed to walk out to the grounds of Netherfield Park and enjoy the unusually warm November day. When Darcy arrived in the drawing room, only Miss Bingley had arrived as yet and she assured him that the others would join them presently. They made their way outside to the walking path and she took his arm: “Have you given any thought to when you might return to Town, Mr. Darcy?” she asked.
“Charles has mentioned that he has business to attend to next week; I thought I might ride with him and check on my sister,” he suggested.
“Oh yes, she must miss you terribly,” she replied, predictably agreeing with him.
“As I miss her but she knows that she only need send for me if she needs me,” he coolly replied.
She was undeterred from her pursuit: “I wish my brother was as obliging as you are, Mr. Darcy,” she sighed.
“You can have no doubts of your brother’s devotion, I am certain,” he said, contradicting her.
She was momentarily flustered: “Oh no, indeed, it is just that... You know, of course, that he wishes for me to plan a ball,” she replied.
“I would have thought that you would like nothing better to occupy your time while here in the country,” he countered.
“Yes, to be sure, I would,” she predictably agreed. “Of course the society here is somewhat other than to which I am accustomed. It would be infinitely more pleasing to hold a ball in Town.”
They were then met by Mrs. Hurst and Miss Elizabeth, who had come from another path. “There you are! You used us abominably ill! Running away without waiting for us!” Mrs. Hurst exclaimed, chiding her sister and taking Darcy’s free arm.
This left Miss Elizabeth to walk alone and Darcy felt their rudeness by excluding her. He suggested that they take another path so they could all walk together but Miss Elizabeth graciously declined, exclaiming that they were charmingly grouped and expressing her desire that they continue on without her. She curtsied daintily and disappeared down the path.
~~~
Elizabeth was thankful to be away from the trio. “If Mr. Dashing wishes to be held within Miss Bingley’s clutches, then so be it,” she thought with a merry giggle. Since she had not been out of doors for several days, she would like nothing better than a solitary ramble in the sunshine.
“Miss Elizabeth!” she heard someone call after her. “Please wait!”
She turned to find Mr. Darcy quite alone and rushing towards her. “Mr. Darcy! Are you not escorting the ladies?” she asked, observing them disappear down another path.
“I would rather escort you, if you have no objections,” he replied, offering his arm.
“None at all,” she replied, taking his arm. They walked on down the path. “I must admit, I am quite relieved to be out of doors. It has been some time since my last walk,” she told him.
“Do you frequently walk alone?” he asked.
“Oh yes, every morning if the weather permits,” she replied. Observing his troubled reaction, she continued: “I know that young ladies ought not to walk unescorted and certainly I would never do so in Town but I see no impropriety in walking on my own property,” she explained.
He offered no disagreement with her logic.
“Look there!” she whispered, pointing to a flock of noisy birds in the trees. “Do you see those squabbling sparrows?” she asked. He nodded at her observation. “Do you suppose one of the lady sparrows objects to another lady’s invasion of her nest,” she suggested with a sly smile.
