Chapter 31

Drawing Room

Longbourn

21 st November, 1811

The seven ladies of the household sat disposed around the couch and chairs of the drawing room, enjoying a time of relaxation. Tea had been served, and scones and sandwiches, and they were each gratefully partaking after a morning filled with preparations of Mary's trousseau. They were determined that when she went to Kent, she would depart wanting for nothing. Her dowry might not be large, but she would not go into her marriage empty-handed.

But for now, it was time to rest, to slake thirst and hunger alike, with a little light conversation to while away the minutes. A bird perched in the tree outside the window and trilled, then flew hastily off as the door opened. The butler stepped inside, followed by Mr. Bingley, who was dressed in tan riding breeches and coat and stood with his hands clasped in front of himself. His eyes went first to Jane, who was sitting on the couch, and he smiled towards her, a bit nervously. Jane returned a smile of her own, expression and eyes alike warm.

"Mr. Bingley," Mr. Stewart announced lugubriously, and withdrew.

"Please do sit down, Mr. Bingley," Mrs. Bennet said. He did so promptly, and not surprisingly took his place next to Jane, who was still holding her needle and thread in her lap. A white linen tablecloth sat folded atop the workbasket at her feet, half- embroidered thistles and forget-me-nots visible on the corner folded uppermost.

"I hope you are all well today," Bingley said courteously.

"We are very well," Mrs. Bennet said cheerfully. "It is only a fortnight or so until Mary is wed to Mr. Collins, and thus we have been busy bees as we prepare her for life in Kent."

"How marvelous," Bingley replied enthusiastically.

He accepted a cup of tea bestowed on him by Mrs. Bennet, and the scone offered immediately after. Conversation turned to general topics. The weather was very pleasant lately, if chilly, the tenants of Netherfield were thriving with a new, concerned master and the goings-on in Meryton included an assembly next month, and with the officers from the militia stationed here, there would be no want of partners.

Elizabeth watched their visitor keenly. It seemed to her that, though his attention was largely on Jane as always, there was some new nervousness in his manner; a strange, slightly jerky way of moving, his smiles a little too quick to be natural, as if he was trying over hard to ensure that he was responding appropriately. He had, she concluded, the air of a man with scarcely hidden excitement mixed heavily with apprehension. It was not difficult to divine the origin of this unsettled state, and a glance at Jane showed her color rosy and a smile hovering on her lips. Elizabeth made up her mind to arrange that the courting couple be permitted to speak alone as soon as she could arrange it.

To that end, when all teacups were set down on the table and no one reached for another sandwich from the three remaining on the plate, she turned a bright smile on her family.

"Well," she said with relentless cheer, "we had best return to work, I suppose! Lydia, were not you and Mrs. Montgomery going to trim that one hat with the green ribbons? And Kitty, you know the blue muslin dress? I think the pocket is ripped. Might you be able to mend that?"

Both of her youngest sisters sighed and stood, not arguing despite Elizabeth cutting short their planned rest. The governess followed them out, the door whispering shut behind the three, and Elizabeth shifted her attention to Mary and their mother. Mary needed little prompting, her own focus turning to her upcoming marriage and departure, and she rose with a polite murmured excuse and departed.

That left only Mrs. Bennet to be removed from the room. Elizabeth shot Jane a reassuring smile and turned to her mother and said briskly, "Mamma, might I have a word with you? I had a new thought about food for the wedding breakfast."

Mrs. Bennet gave her a suspicious look but stood obligingly, and Elizabeth popped to her feet to join her mother.

"Elizabeth!" Mrs. Bennet hissed as her second daughter guided her out of the drawing room and into the corridor, whereupon she shut the door behind them. "Whatever are you doing?"

"Jane wishes to marry Mr. Bingley and needs to speak to him on the matter without an audience," Elizabeth replied softly.

Mrs. Bennet stopped abruptly in the corridor and turned distressed eyes on her daughter. "Marry him? When he admitted to conspiring with Mr. Darcy to test her?"

Elizabeth, gazing into Mrs. Bennet's anxious eyes, reached out and took her mother's hands in her own. "Jane considers it a good indication of Mr. Bingley's honesty."

"But…"

"Mamma, Jane is a sensible young woman. She knows what she wants."

Mrs. Bennet wrinkled her nose and nodded. "I know. I want so very much for you all to be happy."

"I believe that Jane will be," Elizabeth assured her, and she meant it.

/

Drawing Room

Mr. Bingley, suddenly alone with his angel, turned uneasy eyes on the lady. Was it possible that Miss Elizabeth, such a good friend to her elder sister, had deliberately emptied the room so that Miss Bennet could berate him?

"Mr. Bingley."

"Miss Bennet?"

The lady smiled her gracious, beautiful smile, and Bingley's heart beat faster. "I wished to tell you that I greatly appreciated your honesty in telling me about your arrangement with Mr. Darcy."

Bingley's breath whooshed out his lungs, and his entire body relaxed.

"I was afraid that it had given you a great distaste for me," he confessed.

Jane shook her head, her blue eyes soft with affection, and said, "The truth is that it made me feel much more certain of your honorable character. Mr. Darcy is, I am confident, too faithful a friend to share your arrangement with him without your permission. You could have concealed the matter entirely, but chose to share the blame. I find that most reassuring."

"I am glad," Bingley replied, beaming at the lady. "Very glad."

"Indeed," Jane continued, "I found it so reassuring that if you were, for example, to ask a certain question, the response will be different than it was the night of the Netherfield Ball."

Bingley was a reasonably intelligent man, but it took him a full thirty seconds to grasp the lady's meaning. When he did, he sucked in a rapid breath, turned pink, and stood up with gratifying immediacy.

"Miss Bennet," he said, looking down at the lady he adored. "I love and admire you with all my heart and soul and mind. Would you do me the very great honor of accepting my hand in marriage?"

Jane rose gracefully from her seat and smiled. "I do accept, Mr. Bingley. I know we will be very happy together."

Bingley, his heart bursting with joy, reached out to take the lady's hands in his own. For a moment, he relished the feeling of those slim fingers on his own, but it was not enough. He pulled her closer and bent his head, and their lips met. It was a delicate kiss that lasted not as long as he wished, but any more would be inappropriate.

Jane's face was rosy, her delicate lips curved up with pleasure, and she said, "Mr. Bingley ... Charles, I do believe that we should marry soon!"

"I quite agree," he said huskily and then shook himself a little. "I must speak to your father."

"Yes," his new fiancée agreed, and her expression grew serious. "As you know, my father can be rather prickly on occasion. I am, in fact, of age, and do not need his permission, and while I hope for his blessing, it is not absolutely required."

"I understand," Bingley responded simply, still caught up in the startling and wonderful events of the previous few minutes.

/

Netherfield Hall

"Miss Darcy, Miss de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy," Caroline Bingley exclaimed, hurrying into the vestibule of the mansion with an enthusiastic smile pinned to her lips. "Welcome back!"

"Thank you, Miss Bingley," Anne said with a slight curtsey. Georgiana curtsied as well, and Mr. Darcy bowed, and Miss Bingley curtsied in return.

With the necessary greetings completed, the lady of the house said, "I am certain you wish to refresh yourselves in your bedchambers, but when you are finished, I hope you will join me in the drawing room for tea and scones. It is quite chilly outside today."

"That would be pleasant," Anne agreed for them all. "Thank you."

"Oh, it is I who should thank you!" their hostess simpered. "If I must be trapped here in the countryside, it is such a relief to have truly distinguished companions; none of the locals are particularly worthy of our notice, after all."

Darcy glanced at his sister, who was looking affronted, and rolled his eyes dramatically, which caused Georgiana to smile in surprise.

"I must disagree with you," Anne said to Miss Bingley. "I find many of the local families to be charming, especially the Bennets."

Caroline Bingley turned pink with indignation, and Darcy said, "I believe we would like to clean the dust off. We will see you in a few minutes."

"Of course," the lady replied, recovering herself sufficiently to respond courteously. "Again, welcome back to Netherfield."