Chapter 12

W ith more smiles and farewells, the three Bennets and Mr Collins — elegantly dressed and apparently very eager for the ball — departed for Netherfield, while the guests remained at Longbourn, all of them caught in a peculiar situation, with their places unexpectedly changed.

To have Mr Darcy staying in her father’s room and Miss Darcy sleeping in her chamber was beyond imagination. And the fact that Mr Darcy had smiled at her and looked at her with admiration was even more astonishing and disconcerting. The dangerous part was that she kept thinking of him, that she had acted imprudently for the pleasure of spending a little time with him, and that she might be wishing for and assuming more than there was, exposing herself to ridicule and disappointment.

A week ago, Mr Darcy had been determined to go to London after the ball, with no intention of returning. Now, he had specifically told her he had changed his plans. Was the change due to the accident only, or were there other reasons adding to it?

She felt trapped in a storm of feelings — new, powerful, and overwhelming — stirred by someone whom a week ago she had considered proud, arrogant, and utterly unpleasant. Suddenly, his mere presence gave her more pleasure than any other man of her acquaintance. Would such a change of heart have been possible if not for the accident that threatened his life?

When the carriage stopped in front of Netherfield, Elizabeth’s musings had not ended but were overwhelmed by the din of voices and the musicians tuning their instruments.

Most of the guests had already arrived, and the Bennet family reunited. Mr Bingley was an attentive host, while his sisters displayed a proper yet cold politeness.

Mr Darcy’s accident appeared to be common knowledge and the main subject of conversation. Consequently, the Bennets were part of the general interest, and Mrs Bennet happily answered any questions about her involvement.

Elizabeth spent some time with Jane; then Charlotte Lucas joined them. Across the room, Lydia and Kitty were in the middle of a group with several officers, including Colonel Forster and his wife. Lydia was laughing about something Mrs Harriet Forster was whispering in her ear.

Discreetly, Elizabeth glanced about for Mr Wickham; he seemed to be absent, so she could finally relax a little.

The first set was about to begin, and Mr Collins approached them. Elizabeth assumed he would ask her, but he bowed to Charlotte Lucas, who immediately accepted. Although she felt relieved, Elizabeth was also puzzled; however, Mr Collins’s preferences were of no consequence to her, so she gave it little consideration. Mrs Bennet, however, looked positively displeased, while Lady Lucas rejoiced.

Then Mr Bingley took Jane’s hand, and they opened the ball together — which pleased Elizabeth and her mother equally.

Elizabeth danced the first set with the eldest Lucas son. Then for the second, Mr Bingley asked her.

However, during that second set, Elizabeth was stunned and appalled to see Mr Wickham make an appearance. She and Mr Bingley exchanged worried glances. The wrenched man’s audacity shocked Elizabeth. He must have known Miss Darcy had arrived and Mr Darcy was recovering. He must also have assumed Mr Darcy would remember his criminal actions. And still, there he was, like a cruel aggressor closely observing the effect of his actions.

“He probably waited to see whether Darcy or his sister would be here,” Mr Bingley whispered to Elizabeth. “I shall ask my servants to throw him out.”

“Sir, as far as I know, Mr Darcy would wish you to leave him alone. Unless he does something to offend you or your household, I would kindly suggest disregarding him and avoiding a scandal.”

“You are probably right. I wonder what he did that was so terribly wrong for Darcy to resent him so much. Darcy is a fair and honourable man. I trust his judgment.”

“I trust Mr Darcy too, sir. That is why I suggested we follow his instructions.”

For the rest of the set, Elizabeth felt Mr Bingley’s restlessness, and she was no better. As soon as the music ended, Lydia and Kitty ran to the group of officers and engaged in conversation with Mr Wickham. From afar, Mr Bennet stared at them, his eyes throwing sharp arrows.

Mrs Bennet was talking to Mrs Phillips, and Elizabeth joined them when Lydia and Kitty returned, apparently agitated.

“Mama, we were wrong, you know! Mr Wickham said he was not there when Mr Darcy suffered his accident. He said he just heard about it. We were mistaken. I told you he would not abandon a wounded man.”

Lydia spoke loudly enough that everybody could hear, and other people were pausing their conversations to turn and listen.

Elizabeth felt her blood boiling with anger at yet another deception.

“He said he was not there?” Mrs Bennet said in a tone that worried Elizabeth.

“Yes, Mama!”

“Did he, now? So we were all mistaken, were we? Were we wrong, Lizzy?”

“We were not, Mama. I am absolutely sure. But let him be. Do not allow him to ruin your evening.”

“Do not worry, I am sure I shall have a very entertaining evening,” the lady said, then she walked decidedly towards the group of officers. Panicked, after a glance at her father, Elizabeth needed a moment to recover before she followed her mother, together with Lydia and Kitty.

“Mr Wickham!” Mrs Bennet said loudly.

“Madam. What a pleasure to see you again. And Miss Elizabeth — you look lovely tonight.”

“I am glad to see you too, sir, as I have long wished to clarify a certain situation.”

“Of course. I am happy to help, if I can.”

“Oh, I am sure you can. Where there is a will, there is a way, is there not?”

The awkward dialogue captured everyone’s attention; even the musicians put down their instruments.

“I assure you, madam, I am more than willing to answer you.”

“Then please do. I was wondering how it was possible that I and three of my daughters saw you three days ago, at the place where Mr Darcy suffered an accident, and you left without helping him — or us?”

Elizabeth held her breath at the shockingly direct question. Mr Bennet approached them too, gently touching his wife’s arm to stop her.

Mr Wickham looked transfigured by feelings that were impossible to guess. He glanced at his fellow officers, including Colonel Forster and his wife, then cleared his throat before responding.

“I assure you, Mrs Bennet, that it was all just a misunderstanding. As I already told Miss Lydia, you must have confused me with someone else. I was certainly nowhere near that place.”

“Then perhaps all four of us suffered a case of sudden blindness. But we did call your name, and that person turned, then left. If it was not you, it was certainly one of the other officers, as the militia uniform cannot be mistaken.”

“I can only repeat that I was not there,” Mr Wickham said firmly.

“Well then, Colonel Forster, you find yourself in a difficult situation. One of your officers certainly found Mr Darcy unconscious and hurt and abandoned him there, in the cold and the rain.”

“Mrs Bennet, if that was the case, I assure you I shall investigate and take proper measures.”

“It was the case, Colonel. Fortunately, we arrived in time, and I waited there with Mr Darcy for more than half an hour while Lizzy ran home to fetch help. That particular officer should be ashamed of himself for acting in a less gentlemanlike manner than two women. I hope the men who are actually fighting in the war are braver.”

A general gasp of amazement was heard at such a harsh scolding. Colonel Forster looked mortified and glared at his officers, whose usual amiability disappeared.

“As I said, I shall investigate tomorrow.”

“I trust you will. You may wish to ask Mr Darcy himself. He might remember.”

“Just as you admitted you might have been wrong, how can we trust Mr Darcy’s recollection if he was unconscious?” Mr Wickham asked with increasing boldness. “He might accuse someone who was not at fault.”

“I am sure nobody would accuse anyone without proper evidence,” Mr Bennet interjected. “But I must ask, Mr Wickham, what sort of accusation do you mean? Abandoning someone in a dire situation is not a breach of the law, only of honour and morals. Accusations would be in order only if someone harmed Mr Darcy intentionally or caused the accident. Do you suspect anything of the kind?”

Unlike his wife’s agitated tone, Mr Bennet’s voice was calm, his countenance composed, his right eyebrow arched quizzically. Mr Wickham’s face darkened instantly.

“I did not mean anything in particular, and I suspect nothing because I know nothing. I was speaking in general.”

“Ah, it is good we clarified that too. We shall return to our seats now. Mrs Bennet has had her fill of amusement for one evening, and you young people must be impatient to begin the next dance.”

Mr Bennet held his wife’s arm and led her towards the chairs where Mr and Mrs Phillips, Mrs Long, and Mr Collins were all sitting in stupefaction.

Elizabeth followed her parents, taking Lydia and Kitty with her, while Jane and Mr Bingley accompanied them.

Mrs Bennet’s astonishing scolding of the officers was something nobody in Meryton would have imagined, and it caused an uproar of rumours, whilst the third set was delayed even more.

The officers were all gathered around Colonel Forster, talking animatedly.

Eventually, the music resumed, and pairs took their places in the line. Standing with Mr Collins was the worst situation for Elizabeth when she was still struggling to understand what had happened for her mother to act so imprudently.

Mr Collins kept talking, and Elizabeth nodded, glancing towards the officers repeatedly.

“What do you think, Cousin Elizabeth?”

“Excuse me? Mr Collins, I beg your pardon, but I cannot pay attention to the conversation. We have endured several exceedingly distressing days, and I am very tired. I believe I shall retire before the ball ends.”

“I understand, of course. I was talking to Miss Lucas, and she agreed that everything that has happened has been most difficult for your family. Miss Lucas is so considerate and wise, and she seems very reliable.”

“She is,” Elizabeth confirmed absently. “I have known Charlotte since I was very young, and I assure you she is the best friend anyone could hope for. And yes, she is exceedingly wise and reliable.”

“Dear cousin, it pleases me to know we are in agreement,” Mr Collins said with emphasis, and Elizabeth cast an apologetic glance towards Charlotte.

Shortly before the third set ended, everyone turned towards the door as a new guest entered. Tall and handsome, he drew the attention of the room, particularly as he was dressed in the uniform of an army officer.

Elizabeth looked at him, puzzled and intrigued, then Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst moved forwards to greet him. Mr Bingley, who was in the middle of the dance, bowed to his partner, then hurried towards the newly arrived guest.

Excusing herself from her own partner, Elizabeth left Mr Collins and went to Jane and her parents. Out of the corner of her eye, she observed Mr Wickham and Lieutenant Denny leaving through a side door.

Mr Bingley approached with the new guest. “Please allow me to introduce Colonel Fitzwilliam, Darcy’s cousin. Colonel, this is Mrs Bennet, Mr Bennet, and their eldest daughters Miss Jane Bennet and Miss Elizabeth.”

“It is a great pleasure to meet you,” the colonel said with a proper bow, “and to thank you on behalf of myself, my parents, and my brother for saving my cousin.”

∞∞∞

Colonel Fitzwilliam’s arrival had disrupted the ball even more. Elizabeth took a seat away from the dancing to avoid any further invitations. Shortly afterwards, Mrs Bennet’s nerves betrayed her, and she needed rest. Elizabeth and Jane took her to their chamber, helping her onto the bed Elizabeth had been using.

“Jane, you should return to the others. I shall stay with Mama,” Elizabeth said. “I need a little bit of rest too.”

“Lizzy is right — you must return to Mr Bingley!” Mrs Bennet interjected. “I have a terrible headache. I might need to sleep for a little while. It might be from Dr Bates’s medicine or because this entire evening has been so distressing! I am so upset with Lizzy for neglecting Mr Collins. Did you see how he danced with Charlotte Lucas? And Mr Wickham — such audacity to lie to my face! I shall not have it!”

“Dear Mama, please try to sleep,” Elizabeth begged her. “I shall bring you some tea and something to eat. You need rest.”

“I am upset with you, Lizzy! If only Mr Bingley had proposed to Jane sooner, I would not have worried myself so much. And now Colonel Fitzwilliam — is he the son of Lord Matlock? I wonder whether he is married. Such a handsome man — and the son of an earl!”

“Mama, I am going to fetch the tea. And you absolutely must sleep! We can speak of all this in the morning,” Elizabeth insisted before hurrying downstairs for the tea.

From the ballroom, the sound of the music was loud, even though it was on the other side of the house.

She looked about a little, trying to get her bearings in the large house that she did not know particularly well. After taking a few steps, she stopped, frozen in amazement. Mr Wickham, Mr Denny, and Mrs Forster were standing in a darkened corner, talking privately. Seeing her, they separated abruptly, and Mrs Forster said, “I was looking for my husband, but I think I must have become lost myself.”

Then the two men greeted Elizabeth and left, while the woman returned to the party.

Dumbfounded, Elizabeth finally found a maid and asked for some tea. She could have simply rung the bell in her room, but she had not wanted to cause more work for the already busy servants on the night of the ball, and if she had done so, she would not have witnessed the strange meeting that added to all the other dark details surrounding Mr Darcy’s accident.

With Mrs Bennet finally sleeping soundly, Elizabeth returned to her family almost an hour later. Supper was being served, and Jane informed her that their father had returned to Longbourn, together with Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was eager to see Mr Darcy.

“Mr Bingley insisted that we all — Mama included — remain at Netherfield to rest after the ball. I hope you approve?”

“I do, of course,” Elizabeth responded distractedly. “And the officers? I only see a few of them.”

“I have not seen Mr Wickham or Mr Denny for quite a while. Mrs Forster felt unwell, so she and the colonel left before supper. Dear Lizzy, this ball is so strange that I cannot wait for it to end. I wish Mr Bingley had cancelled it. I should not have allowed Lydia to insist on it.”

“It is strange, Jane, and quite tiresome,” Elizabeth admitted. “But let us try to bear it to the end. You should try to comfort Mr Bingley and perhaps dance another set with him to compensate for his distress, while I shall take care of Lydia, Kitty, and Mary.”

Despite Jane’s worry, the rest of the ball passed without incident, although the conflict between Mrs Bennet and the officers, as well as Mr Darcy’s accident, were further discussed between eating, drinking, and dancing.

Jane spent a lot of time in close company with Mr Bingley, which seemed to please both of them exceedingly. Elizabeth did little until the ball finally ended except think of Mr Darcy, as well as Colonel Fitzwilliam’s unexpected arrival and Mr Wickham’s sudden departure — which she believed must all be connected in some way.