Chapter 13

Longbourn, two weeks later

“M iss Bennet!” Elizabeth offered a gracious smile and turned.

“I am not Miss Bennet,” she retorted to her father, who observed her from the library window as she returned alone from her morning stroll.

“You could have been had Mrs Bennet been more discreet in her public display of hopes and dreams.”

“Papa, hush!” Elizabeth implored, hastening her steps towards the library. “Do you take perverse pleasure in discussing such matters, knowing full well that Mama could overhear?”

“Perverse?” Mr Bennet laughed heartily, as he often did at Elizabeth’s words.

Upon entering the library, Elizabeth arched an eyebrow in surprise to see Jane and Mary in their father’s company. True to her nature, Mary read in a quiet corner while Jane occupied a small chair beside their father. They appeared to have been awaiting her arrival.

“A familial gathering, it seems,” Elizabeth said, though she was not at all displeased. Since her return home, she had contemplated sharing her experiences in Kent with her family. Not necessarily with her mother but certainly with her father and Jane. Mary paused in her reading, her curious and affectionate gaze fixed upon Elizabeth, making her realise how unfairly she had often excluded her younger sister. She had a close bond with Jane, and Lydia and Kitty had their own, leaving Mary in the middle, often forgotten, or overlooked as they sometimes did not even see her. That had to change, forget the old relationships, sharing only news and gossip, and speak about intimate feelings and—why not?—also worries or dreams.

“Where are Mama and Kitty?” Elizabeth asked.

“They have gone into Meryton,” Jane replied.

“Pray, be seated, Lizzy,” Mr Bennet insisted with an unusual vehemence, for Elizabeth had a habit of fidgeting or pacing when they engaged in conversation.

“I see an important discussion is on the horizon,” Elizabeth remarked playfully.

“One might deem it important. I would consider it ordinary family discourse. You are all of an age where such conversations are fitting.”

“Certainly, Papa,” Elizabeth agreed, casting an affectionate glance towards Mary, who responded with a timid smile. “When Mary smiles, she bears a striking resemblance to Jane,” she remarked .

“Yes, indeed. Only she seldom smiles—something that must change. She can learn from both of you when to smile, when or how to speak, and…” Mr Bennet hesitated, “…how to dress, from Jane.”

“Papa!” Elizabeth protested, feigning offence, eliciting laughter from everyone in the room. Even Jane appeared more at ease and ready to participate in a discussion that was not about love or Mr Bingley.

“Lately, I have noted a change in Lizzy’s demeanour, or perhaps it is in her appearance…I cannot quite say. As the master of this house, I do not like being left out of important matters. I expected Lizzy to initiate this conversation. You have been home for two days, and we have barely seen each other. If I am not mistaken, you are avoiding us.”

Elizabeth did not answer, but she breathed deeply as she usually did when scolded by her father, though she was sure he could not possibly know what had happened in Kent. Besides, she was no longer a child, and she had made no mistakes—or perhaps her father knew better.

“Then I shall begin the discussion,” Mr Bennet said when she remained silent. “I wish you girls to become closer,” he asked, directing his gaze towards Elizabeth and Jane. Both nodded, as the message was for them to include Mary more frequently in their secrets.

“I plainly see the division within our family, even if, regrettably, I know it is unavoidable. As much as I esteem your mother, I admit that she cannot be included in certain secrets, and her actions must be closely watched when a confidential matter regarding our family is to be considered.”

“I do not blame Mama for what happened to me,” Jane murmured softly.

“Do not blame her but be aware that her interference must cease—it brought nothing good,” Mr Bennet insisted, and Elizabeth nodded.

“Unfortunately, those of us gathered here are too restrained, timid, or indifferent,” Elizabeth noted, glancing at her father, who accepted her reproach with a nod. “As a result, the image of our family is shaped primarily by the other half—vociferous, with a love of gossip, and highly regarded in Meryton.”

“And a simple mathematical calculation reveals that they constitute fewer than half of our family. Yet, they are the ones who represent us, and our image is largely defined by them. Furthermore, your mother wields the power to influence us and dictate the actions of some of you,” Mr Bennet added.

“Is this a revolution?” Mary asked candidly.

“No, it is a moment of clarity,” Mr Bennet said. “While I deeply admire and appreciate your mother’s role in managing this household, a testament to her talent and wit, I can no longer tolerate her meddling in your affairs. I intend to keep a close watch on her…and Lydia, if providence still gives me that chance and it is not too late for her.”

“Papa is correct,” Elizabeth whispered. “I shall be brief, as my memories from Kent do not fill me with joy. Firstly, I must tell you, Papa, that Jane and I made no error in not wishing to marry Mr Collins. I am sorry for Longbourn, but neither Jane nor I would have had the means to build a contented life with the gentleman.”

“Perhaps I should have tried,” Mary pondered aloud, and all eyes turned to her.

“No!” Jane said fervently, staunchly defending the notion of marrying for love.

“Let Mary speak,” Elizabeth urged.

“I find myself to be more like Charlotte,” Mary confessed.

“You are not!” Elizabeth replied. “You are a witty woman who has read more than anyone else I know. All you lack is confidence in your opinions and a more engaging approach to conversations and people.”

“Lizzy is right. It is essential to change your…” Jane hesitated.

“Your manner of speaking, walking, and dressing,” Elizabeth interjected, punctuating her remark with laughter. “And that last directive applies to me as well.”

“Less so since you returned from Kent,” Jane replied with a smile.

“Thank you, dear sister. Our aunt is prepared to introduce Mary and Kitty to some fine gentlemen, sons of her acquaintances in London. Henceforth, you will accompany Jane or me whenever we travel to London or elsewhere.”

“Thank you!” Mary replied with evident gratitude.

“Now that I have concluded my remarks on Mr Collins, apologising to Papa that we could not keep Longbourn in the family, I shall begin my tale. Mr Darcy asked for my hand in marriage, and I declined. ”

The news was met with such shock that Jane almost tumbled from her chair, while Mary sprang from hers to draw nearer to Elizabeth. No words were spoken, but the expressions on their faces conveyed their deep bewilderment.

The only relatively composed person in the room was Mr Bennet.

“Pray, do not tell me you suspected!” Elizabeth exclaimed, addressing her father.

“I guessed the gentleman harboured an interest in you,” Mr Bennet said with that smile which was always on the border between affection with jesting.

“When and how?” Elizabeth asked.

“When I learnt that Mr Bingley had departed without a word, while Mr Darcy came to find you, it became apparent to me that the gentleman had bid farewell in his own manner…yet, you were the sole beneficiary of this gesture.”

“But he had no intention of seeing me in the future,” Elizabeth lamented, her voice tinged with sorrow.

“Perhaps he could have decided not to search for you in the future, but feelings are not so easily kept under control. And when you wrote that he came to Kent knowing for sure that you were there from Lady Catherine, it became clear to me he had lost the battle with himself and had come to see you.”

“Papa!” Elizabeth exclaimed, her eyes welling up with tears. She came to sit on the arm of her father’s chair, just as she had in her childhood when she sought comfort. “Why did you not tell me?”

“I was wrong,” Mr Bennet admitted, his voice heavy with regret. “And this is precisely why I must talk to you three more often. In the past, I did not wish to immerse myself in those ladies’ discussions that did not interest me, but you are now grown up, and we must address important matters regarding your future.”

“I should have realised he had affection for me,” Elizabeth mused.

“Yes, my dear, you should have better understood your situation with him.”

“Why did you reject his proposal?” Mary interjected with her burning curiosity. “He is not Mr Collins!”

“No, indeed. He is a wealthy, intelligent, and distinguished gentleman, though his conceit is at least as great as his qualities.”

“Yes, that is true,” Jane murmured, a relatively unusual declaration for her, as she typically saw only the goodness in people.

“No, you are mostly mistaken,” Mr Bennet countered. “He may take pride in his ancestry and family, but I believe he could be amiable in any circumstance and within any circle…under one condition—that he finds the company agreeable.”

“But he did not like us, our neighbours, our family, Mama, Jane…”

“Me?” Jane gasped, her eyes wide with astonishment as she settled onto the sofa while Mary gently took her hand.

“Yes, my dear.” Elizabeth spoke with a newfound courage. “Your timidity and reserve did not serve you well. Mr Darcy assumed you had no affection for Mr Bingley…and, please recall, that Charlotte also reproached yo u for it.”

“So there must be some truth in it, must there not?” Mr Bennet spoke in a gentle and compassionate tone as Jane’s tears began to fall.

“It is merely how I am,” Jane whispered, her voice tremulous.

“Yet you encouraged me to change. Perhaps it is time for all of us to change!” Mary said with a sudden vivacity that had sprung from the exceptional conversation she deeply cherished.

“I showed him my feelings,” Jane said as if she had not heard her sister’s words. “I am sure he understood or sensed them,” she defended herself.

“Yet it was insufficient, for his sisters, at some point, turned against you, and then there was Mr Darcy—”

“Mr Darcy!” Jane exclaimed, stunned. “What does he have to do with all of this?”

Elizabeth hesitated to respond, her reluctance evident. She wanted to tell the truth, but at the same time, she did not wish her family to have a terrible opinion of the man she loved.

“Mr Darcy is Mr Bingley’s best friend, and he wanted him to find a lady who loved him. But you seemed indifferent, and—”

“Your mother talked too much—silly gossip all over Meryton.” Mr Bennet sighed with apparent regret.

“But we cannot blame her just because she is not present,” Jane said, her affection for Mrs Bennet evident.

“No,” Elizabeth replied firmly. “Not because she is absent but because she influenced you to make…imprudent de cisions…”

“Such as?” Jane asked.

“Such as riding in the rain when the carriage was at your disposal.”

“I did not protest. I was just as guilty as Mama in wanting to spend the night at Netherfield.”

“I regret to say that it was the most imprudent thing to do,” Elizabeth continued. “Not only did you become gravely ill, but your intentions behind that…scheme were apparent to anyone. His sisters and Mr Darcy did not see your love but rather your desire to secure a wealthy husband.”

“Oh!” Jane exclaimed, distraught. “I never considered it in those terms. I was so honest, so deeply in love.”

“That is not how others perceived it, and then Mama cast the final blow by spreading rumours of an impending wedding in Meryton.”

Jane gazed in despair at her father, who nodded in agreement with Elizabeth’s words.

“But that means she can never speak again in Meryton?” Jane asked, still determined to protect her mother.

“She must restrain herself to safe topics, not presenting her fancies as reality.”

“And Mr Darcy’s role?”

“Mr Darcy, along with the Bingley sisters, influenced their brother’s opinion of you in the manner I described.”

“Oh!” Jane whispered, hiding her face in her hands while Mary comforted her.

“Jane, you must accept your and our family’s shortcomings. You will never change if you hide your feelings and allow your mother to make decisions for you,” Mr Bennet said.

“Mr Darcy advised him to leave, and he did so. It was cowardly, I say,” Elizabeth murmured, pained to tell Jane such things. Nevertheless, she hoped the shock would prompt her sister to reflect on her own errors and those of Mr Bingley and, eventually, help her move on.

“After all, he is a grown man who should be capable of making his own decisions regarding his choices and commitments.”

“Elizabeth is right again,” Mr Bennet said.

“I hate Mr Darcy!” Jane declared. “You were right to reject him.”

“Let us not throw out such unequivocal statements, my dear,” Mr Bennet said, casting a glance at Elizabeth, as he suspected the story was not quite as straightforward, and his daughter’s persistent sadness since her return held many unspoken truths.

“We do not hate anybody. Mr Darcy had every right to offer his friend his counsel. It is our fault that his opinion of our family was so unfavourable—”

“You mean erroneous!” Elizabeth said.

“I should say unfavourable and largely erroneous—if we are to be honest with ourselves. Now, Elizabeth, tell us the entire story. From this point forward, it is all about you and Mr Darcy, and we shall leave everything else behind. Mr Darcy proposed…”

“And he was brutally candid and confessed that he had struggled within himself before proposing to me.”

“What a detestable man!” Jane exclaimed .

“Yes, a detestable man who proposed to your sister despite the inner turmoil he endured, while your extraordinary suitor fled without a word when his sisters urged him to do so—”

“Papa!” Elizabeth exclaimed.

“No, my dear. Jane must confront the truth in all its enormity for once. The truth about our family, her bearing and actions, the man she loves, and the man you love!”

“I did not say I loved him.”

“You did, Lizzy,” Mary protested, but her voice was only a murmur.

“It was unnecessary, dear. Your feelings are evident in every gesture you make,” her father said gently.

“It is laughable…like a second-rate play. I fell in love only after I rejected his proposal,” Elizabeth admitted in a rueful voice.

“That does not mean you did not have feelings for him.”

“Had I truly had feelings for him before he proposed, I would have handled the situation differently. On that fateful day, I was simply shocked and angered by his stupid inner struggles and, more significantly, by his role in Mr Bingley’s departure.”

“Allow me a moment, Lizzy,” Mr Bennet said, turning his attention to Jane, who continued to weep. “Wipe away your tears, my dear. I wish to pose an important question.”

Jane complied, wiping her tears dutifully, as she always did.

“If the roles had been reversed, with Mr Bingley advising Mr Darcy not to court Elizabeth, would you have said no to Mr Bingley’s proposal? ”

“No!” Jane answered without hesitation, blushing immediately.

“Do not be ashamed!” Mr Bennet declared, his voice unusually animated. “That is the correct response—not the one your sister provided.”

“You have not resolved anything, Lizzy,” he continued in an affectionate tone. “You remain unmarried, and that man’s unfavourable impression of us endures.”

“Now, Jane, what would you have told Mr Bingley immediately after agreeing?”

And once again, the timid yet wise young lady responded promptly, “That I would marry him, but he must first acquaint himself with Lizzy and see what a wonderful person she is and seek forgiveness for his mistake.”

“You are right!” Elizabeth said and began to pace the room. Mr Bennet said nothing as she was too upset. “That is what I would say today to Mr Darcy. But even though I did not accept him, two weeks after that disastrous proposal, I tried, in my own way, to change his opinion of us. It was the least I could do.”

Mr Bennet observed Elizabeth for a long time. Seeing Jane suffer had been torturous because in the same way as she could spread love, she also could spread her pain to everybody around her. Elizabeth was stoic in her sadness. She behaved like she always did. But that did not mean she suffered any less.

“I must speak to Elizabeth,” Mr Bennet said.

“No!” Mary protested, her emotions unusually fervent. “Please, Papa, let us remain and be part of your conversation. It is crucial for me to be present—this day has meant more to me than any other!”

“Stay!” Elizabeth implored.

Mr Bennet nodded, gazing at his daughters with an expression of astonishment. Suddenly, he saw them as grown ladies, filling his heart with joy, pride, and gratitude for the exceptional relationship he shared with them—with all three of them.