Chapter 5

Carriage

En route to Netherfield Hall

15 th October, 1811

"Really, Charles," Miss Bingley complained as the carriage shifted into motion. "I cannot believe you forced us all to attend such an insipid event. The locals are incredibly dull, with little beauty and no fashion, and I am confident none of us have the slightest interest in them!"

"I find them very interesting, Sister," Bingley retorted. "Indeed, I consider Miss Jane Bennet to be quite the most beautiful, gentle, kindly lady I have ever met."

"You always say that, Charles," Mrs. Hurst said in a sarcastic tone, and Darcy winced in the darkness of the carriage. It was true enough – his friend fell in and out of love easily – but it was discourteous for Bingley's sisters to berate their brother in his very presence.

"Miss Bennet is very pretty," Darcy remarked, "as is Miss Elizabeth. Do you know anything about the family, Bingley? Is there a Mr. Bennet?"

"There is," Bingley replied promptly. "He called on me … oh, it must have been about a week ago, the day before I returned to London to collect you and my family. He is some years older than his wife, but I am not certain how much. He is somewhat disabled and disfigured, though I do not know what caused his obvious injuries."

"Disfigured?" Miss Bingley exclaimed. "Whatever do you mean, Charles?"

"Why, he has a significant scar which runs along the left side of his face, close enough to that eye that it is permanently pulled. He also uses a cane and limps badly. Perhaps he was a military man and injured in war?"

"Poor fellow," Hurst grunted, which startled Darcy until he remembered that Hurst's younger brother had lost an arm fighting in the Peninsula.

"Yes, well," Caroline said, sounding a trifle deflated, "in any case, I think we can all agree that however beautiful the Bennet girls are, they are not worthy of a great deal of our attention."

"Why not?" Bingley demanded irascibly.

"It should be obvious, Brother! They are simple people, the so-called gentry of this area. None of them have good connections, nor can there be much wealth. No, we can, perhaps, spend some time in the company of the Misses Bennet, who are likely the most charming women in the area, but no more. Do you not agree, Mr. Darcy?"

Mr. Darcy did agree rather, but he also knew what Miss Bingley did not. For many years, he had been running interference for Bingley by flirting with the ladies who drew his friend's interest. They were always handsome women, usually with big blue eyes and blonde hair, and Bingley had been on the verge of offering for at least two of them, only to be discouraged, for when Darcy had turned his attention on the subject of Bingley's affections, each woman promptly discarded the tradesman's son in the vain hope of capturing Mr. Darcy of Pemberley.

Jane Bennet seemed a sweet, gentle, courteous lady, but if Bingley truly grew interested in offering for her, Darcy would do his duty and assist his friend by showing him that Miss Bennet was like every other woman, eager to discard an honest man's love in favor of grand connections and great wealth.

/

Elizabeth's Bedchamber

Longbourn

Midnight

"I admire Mr. Bingley very much, Lizzy," Jane said from her position on the window seat. She had changed into her nightclothes and was curled up, staring out at the bright stars of a chilly October night. "He is just what a young man ought to be; sensible, good-humored, lively; and I never saw such happy manners. He has so much ease, with such perfect admirable breeding!"

"He is also handsome," Elizabeth replied with amusement as she wrapped her night robe hastily around her, "which a young man ought likewise to be if he possibly can. His character is thereby complete."

"I was truly flattered by his asking me to dance a second time. I did not expect such a compliment."

"Did you not?Idid for you. But that is one great difference between us. Compliments always takeyouby surprise, andmenever. What could be more natural than his asking you again? He could not help seeing that youwere about five times as pretty as any other woman in the room."

Jane blushed in the candle and firelight and changed the subject. "What did you think of the rest of the party?"

"Well, I thought that Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst showed every sign of considering themselves above our company, Mr. Hurst seemed more interested in eating than dancing, which is no great surprise, as the refreshments were excellent as usual, and Mr. Darcy…"

She trailed off, and Jane turned to stare at her. "What about Mr. Darcy? I danced with him once, and while he was not as cheerful and outgoing as Mr. Bingley, he was perfectly courteous."

"He danced with me as well, as you know, and though he spoke little, he spoke with sense. He is also an excellent dancer. However, Mamma and I heard him say something odd."

Jane turned and peered at her sister. "What did he say?"

Elizabeth frowned, walked over, and sat down next to her favorite sister. "It was after the second set of dances. I was sitting out, and Mamma was in the chair beside me. Mr. Bingley said something about how I was handsome enough to tempt him, and then Mr. Darcy then came over and asked me to dance. It was peculiar."

Jane scrunched her brow and said, "It was not insulting, at any rate."

"No, not insulting at all. Merely odd. And perhaps, amidst the noise of the assembly, I misheard or misunderstood the context of their conversation."

/

Drawing Room

Longbourn

The Next Morning

16 th October, 1811

"My dear Lady Lucas, and Charlotte and Maria and young Silas as well!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed. "Come in, please, come in!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Bennet," Lady Lucas replied with a grateful smile. "I meant to leave Silas at home today, but our governess is a trifle under the weather, and Sir William is out. I did not wish to leave him home mostly alone."

"Of course," Mrs. Bennet said with a fond and vaguely envious look at ten-year-old Silas Lucas. The Lucases had been blessed with a large family of two daughters and four healthy sons, which seemed particularly unfair since Sir William, knighted a decade ago after a speech before the king, had previously been in trade, and his small estate of Lucas Lodge was not entailed away from the female line. "Would you like me to call Kitty and Lydia down to entertain Silas?"

"That would be kind," her neighbor said, and Silas, who had been looking sulky, brightened considerably.

"May we see the puppies and rabbits?" he asked eagerly.

"Indeed," Mrs. Bennet said indulgently. "Sally, would you kindly fetch Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia down?"

"Yes, Madam," the maid replied.

"Sit down, sit down," Mrs. Bennet urged. "Tea will be along soon. Now, I hope you do not mind if we forgo our discussion of the ball until the older girls return?"

"Certainly," Charlotte said immediately, though her mother looked disappointed.

"It will not be long," Mrs. Bennet assured her neighbor. "Elizabeth is tending to some business in the library, and Jane and Mary are visiting our tenants, the Glasses; Mrs. Glass birthed a fine baby boy yesterday, and they are bringing some food and baby garments for the child."

"Oh, how delightful!" Maria exclaimed. "I adore babies!"

The tea arrived at this moment, along with Kitty and Lydia, who promptly swept up Silas and departed to inspect cuddly creatures on the small Home farm. A few minutes later, Jane and Mary arrived, and two minutes after that, Elizabeth.

After the greetings had died down and Jane had described the new infant, the ladies settled down to discuss the assembly.

"I am entirely pleased with the Netherfield party," Lady Lucas declared. "Two fine, unmarried gentlemen now live among us, and the ladies – well, they are certainly very well dressed! I daresay that our young ladies will enjoy taking inspiration from them!"

"They must be quite wealthy," Mrs. Bennet remarked.

"Oh, indeed they are! Mr. Bingley has an income of four or five thousand a year, and his sisters each have a dowry of twenty thousand pounds!"

"In that case," Elizabeth said, "we will not be able to copy their clothing directly. They both have far more funds than we do."

"True," Lady Lucas admitted, "but if we are speaking of wealth, would you care to guess how much Mr. Darcy earns in a year?"

This drew the attention of all the Bennet ladies, and after a dramatic fifteen seconds, Lady Lucas said, "Mr. Darcy earns ten thousand pounds a year and owns a large estate in Derbyshire! He is also the nephew of an earl!"

This provoked wide eyes and gasps of astonishment from her audience, which pleased her.

"That is a remarkable fortune," Mrs. Bennet agreed and then wrinkled her nose. "I confess it is more discouraging than encouraging, though. With such great wealth and connections, he is unlikely to look here for a bride."

"What of Mr. Bingley?" Jane asked, blushing a little. "Is he also well connected?"

Lady Lucas exchanged an amused glance with her eldest daughter and said, "I understand that the Bingley family is a respectable one that hails from the north, and their fortune derives from trade, so the Bingleys are not nearly as well connected as Mr. Darcy."

Jane sighed and smiled, and Elizabeth said, "Well, I believe we can all agree, at least, that their presence in the neighborhood should prove a pleasant addition to our parties."

"I suspect there will be more parties, too," Lady Lucas said with a chuckle. "We plan to have a dinner in three nights and will invite the Netherfield party. You will, naturally, be invited."

"Thank you," Jane said immediately and blushed again.

"Yes, thank you," Mrs. Bennet agreed. "I hope we will be able to host a party sometime as well, depending on how Mr. Bennet is feeling."

"Of course," Charlotte replied quietly.

/

Mrs. Bennet's Dressing Room

Longbourn

That Night

Mrs. Bennet sank gratefully into the plush chair drawn up before her fireplace and looked toward the window. The moon was dark, barely a visible sliver, but the sky was bright with stars, shining like silver silk in the heavens. The house around her was quiet, the servants having finished their duties and retired to their quarters, while her daughters should be fast asleep in their bedchambers. She herself was weary, limbs leaden and her bed calling to her, but she took a moment nonetheless just to sit and breathe.

It had been a long day, but not an unpleasant one. Mr. Bennet had not stirred from his library, save for when the soft-spoken apothecary, Mr. Jones, had called to attend to him. Mrs. Bennet and her daughters had been free to go about their own pursuits without having to endure or field Mr. Bennet's vituperative tongue; Mrs. Bennet considered any day a good day when she did not have to draw her husband's ire to protect their girls.

For just a moment, she thought wistfully of many years ago, when Fanny, the solicitor's daughter, married Thomas Bennet, handsome and athletic and by far the most eligible gentleman in the locale. How delighted she had been, and how she had adored her new husband! How she had laughed at his teasing, as he poked gentle fun at all around him. She had been so proud of his wit, even when he turned it on her; was it not a grand thing to have such a clever husband?

Time and experience had altered Mrs. Bennet's perspective from that of wide-eyed, innocent Fanny. It was easier to see, now, that Mr. Bennet's mockery had never been as lighthearted and gently meant as she had thought in those early days. Still, he had not grown truly malicious until after the accident. The shock of losing his looks, along with his ease of movement accompanied by pain, had hardened his heart and turned a sharp tongue poisonous.

Mrs. Bennet sighed softly. With her marriage no longer a joyful union, she had focused on the estate and on their daughters, and she did her best now to be a good mistress and mother.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Mrs. Bennet looked up in surprise. It was not Mr. Bennet's knock, but who else would be up at this hour?

"Come in," she directed, and a moment later, the door opened to reveal Elizabeth, still dressed in her day attire.

"Lizzy, my dear!" she exclaimed. "Why are you not in your bed, my dear?"

"I need to speak with you, Mamma."

"By all means. Sit down next to me and warm yourself; it is rather a chilly tonight."

Elizabeth shut the door carefully behind her and hastened to her mother's side. Mrs. Bennet, watching her attentively, could see that something of import was on her second daughter's mind. She also knew that Elizabeth would tell her without prompting, which was not always true of Jane and Mary and Kitty, who needed encouragement to express what was on their hearts. Elizabeth was a forthright soul and that, along with her brilliance, was one of the reasons that Mr. Bennet often was at odds with his second daughter.

"When I was cataloguing the books today in the library, while Father was with Mr. Jones, I read a letter sitting open on the desk," Elizabeth finally announced, her gaze fixed on the flame dancing in the grate.

Mrs. Bennet suppressed a gasp of surprise. Elizabeth was usually careful to follow the mores of society, and to read another person's letters was entirely inappropriate.

Mrs. Bennet reached out her hands to take Elizabeth's chilly ones. "Written by your father or to your father?"

Elizabeth turned toward her now, her expression a mixture of shame and concern. "To Father. I realize I ought not to have read it, but I glanced at it, and I read so fast, and I noticed it was from Mr. Collins, and ... yes, I read it all."

"Mr. Collins. The heir to Longbourn?"

"Yes."

Mrs. Bennet tightened her grip on Elizabeth's hands. "I want to know what it said, Lizzy."

Her daughter relaxed and smiled; obviously Elizabeth felt guilty about reading the letter and needed her mother's permission to share its contents.

"Mr. Collins wishes to visit us and suggested a date of 18th November."

"He wishes to visit us?"

"Yes. I did not memorize it, of course, and do not remember all that was said. The man is a clergyman with a good living and spoke of his desire to alleviate our family's misfortune in losing Longbourn."

Mrs. Bennet rolled her eyes. "How could he alleviate our misfortune?"

"I gathered," Elizabeth said carefully, "and I may be wrong, that he has some intention of perhaps marrying one of us."

"Oh," her mother replied. "Well, I suppose that would be a way of ... but to choose a wife sight unseen? He does not seem a sensible sort of man."

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. "I do not think he is, Mamma, though I cannot be sure, of course; I only read his letter..."

She trailed off, and Mrs. Bennet, observing the flush on her daughter's face, smiled reassuringly and said, "I know it was uncomfortable for you to do what seemed discourteous, but I am grateful. Your father is sufficiently quixotic that he may send a refusal to Mr. Collins, but given his desire to marry you girls off, he will probably say yes. Thank you for telling me. I am thankful to be aware of the gentleman's likely arrival in a month."