Chapter XX

E xpecting Lydia Bennet to relinquish something she wanted was a fool's errand. Given that truth, the speed at which Lydia accepted her fate was surprising.

The girl still engaged in copious railing against her parents' stubborn and unnatural refusal to allow her to make herself ridiculous with the officers, such that peace was a rare and treasured thing at Longbourn. By the next morning, however, she had calmed to a certain extent, her focus turning to the time remaining before the regiment departed, which was scheduled for a few days hence. In this, Kitty guided her.

"We should go to Meryton this very morning," said Kitty to her younger sister at the breakfast table that morning. "They will depart within a few days, so there is not an instant to lose!"

" My time would not be so limited if Papa would be reasonable," grumbled Lydia, shooting a censorious look at her father.

It should come as a surprise to no one that Mr. Bennet ignored her.

"But you are correct."

"Then let us away when we finish breakfast."

"Remember to comport yourselves as young gentlewomen, girls," said Mr. Bennet, peering at them from his position at the head of the table. "I understand you will miss your friends when they are gone, and you wish to spend whatever time is remaining with them. But I will not tolerate lapses in propriety and will confine you to Longbourn if you cannot behave yourselves."

The two girls offered their assurances with whatever solemnity they could summon. Then they hurried through their meal and excused themselves to their rooms with unseemly haste. It was interesting, Elizabeth noted, that the dynamic between them had changed. While Kitty was still a follower and likely always would be, she had been more assertive since the previous day.

"I suspect," said Mr. Bennet, "that Kitty realized she could direct some of their activities after she forbade Lydia from entering Mr. Wickham's coach. Lydia is still the leader betwixt them, but Kitty will not be so passive in the future."

This was what the next days would look like, thought Elizabeth, and she was not anticipating them at all. The two girls would be at Meryton every moment they could manage, but when they were at Longbourn, they would bemoan the coming loss of the officers' society. After those intrepid fellows quit the neighborhood, their protests would become more muted or so Elizabeth hoped. Yet the time until their departure could not come swiftly enough for Elizabeth.

"What do you suppose we should do when the regiment departs?" asked Elizabeth of her father that morning after breakfast.

Mr. Bennet regarded her, apparently understanding her reference at once. "You speak of their behavior beyond what we witness in the company of the officers."

Elizabeth nodded. "Preventing Lydia from going to Brighton will not reform her or make her more sensible, Papa. She and Kitty will still be ignorant, heedless girls—the coming of the regiment did not provoke their poor behavior."

"No, I suppose it did not," mused Mr. Bennet. "Kitty had only just come out months before the regiment arrived and your mother insisted leaving Lydia at home would be cruel; I recall one night in particular when Lydia returned from an assembly claiming to have danced every set and teasing Mary about her lack of partners."

"That was the first assembly the Netherfield party attended," replied Elizabeth. "Of course, Lydia overstated the matter. Mary rarely has many partners, and she prefers it that way, but she does dance, the same as any of us. I have stood up with her a time or two when gentlemen were scarce."

"In some ways, Mary is just as silly as Kitty or Lydia," observed Mr. Bennet.

"Perhaps she can be," said Elizabeth. "Yet Mary's deficiencies are not the lack of understanding or the prevalence of high spirits."

"No, in Mary's case, it is her reliance on Fordyce and her sonorous dirges."

"Papa," chided Elizabeth. "Mary would grow much if guided properly."

"Yes, I suppose she would at that," replied Mr. Bennet. "It is only that guidance requires effort, and I do not know if I possess the endurance to provide it."

"Then we should establish a more structured environment," said Elizabeth.

"You may be correct," agreed Mr. Bennet, appearing thoughtful. "Let us table this discussion for now, Lizzy. I shall need to think on it."

Elizabeth agreed and allowed the subject to rest. There was little reason to make herself unhappy about it, regardless of how much her sisters' lack of good behavior worried her. That her father had seen the necessity of barring Lydia from Brighton was the greatest relief. For anything else, she would need to wait, offer her opinion when asked, and trust that her father would not allow them to continue as they were.

After the departure of the two youngest Bennets, they received visitors at Longbourn. While Elizabeth was pleased to see Anne, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr. Bingley, and even Mr. Darcy, Lady Catherine's society was more often a trial than anything else. Of more immediate interest, however, was the presence of Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley, for Elizabeth had thought they were not to come to Hertfordshire. Of Mr. Hurst, there was no sign, leading Elizabeth to suspect he had not thought his presence on a morning visit was necessary.

"Mrs. Hurst, Miss Bingley," said Mrs. Bennet, showing the surprise Elizabeth felt. "Welcome to Longbourn. I had not thought you were in residence at Netherfield."

Miss Bingley sniffed with disdain, but Mrs. Hurst possessed a firmer grasp of proper behavior as she answered for the sisters. "My husband, my sister, and I arrived yesterday. As my brother does not have a hostess, joining him here was desirable, and we had no other urgent plans for the summer."

This was, Elizabeth knew, something of a fiction, for Mr. Bingley had sent his family to the north. It appeared they had decided against it, and Elizabeth was certain she understood the reason, not that she thought it would do Miss Bingley any good. Mr. Bingley, the moment he entered the room, approached Jane and greeted her, and while Miss Bingley made some attempt at a polite greeting, it was more distant and insolent than anything Elizabeth had ever witnessed toward her elder sister. Jane accepted Miss Bingley's gesture with a muted greeting of her own, thereafter concentrating her attention on Mr. Bingley. It was fortunate that Jane had allowed her experiences with this woman to guide her behavior, for Elizabeth would not have her sister taken in again.

Then Anne stepped close and greeted her, leaving Elizabeth with no attention for Miss Bingley. "It is wonderful to see you again, my friend. Had yesterday not been a day for resting from our exertions, I might have braved my fatigue and visited."

"Then it is well I prevailed," said Lady Catherine from where she stood nearby. "You know how you need your rest, Anne."

"Of course, Mother," said Anne, presenting the picture of a dutiful daughter to her mother. In Elizabeth's sight only, Anne rolled her eyes, much to her amusement though she endeavored to suppress it.

"Miss Elizabeth," said Mr. Darcy, stepping close after greeting Elizabeth's mother, "how do you do?"

"I am well, Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth. Then cheekily she added: "I did not travel from Rosings yesterday, so there is no need to concern yourself for me."

Anne's tinkling laughter met Elizabeth's statement, while Mr. Darcy only smiled and nodded. Thereafter, at Elizabeth's invitation, they sat together. It did not escape Elizabeth's attention that Miss Bingley did not appear to appreciate the proximity of either Mr. Darcy or Anne to her, but she decided she would not concern herself for the woman's ill humors. Miss Bingley instead sat close to Mrs. Hurst and whispered to her, barely deigning to say a word to anyone else.

"How are you today, Anne?" asked Elizabeth quietly, careful to avoid Miss Bingley overhearing, certain as she was that the woman knew nothing of the events from two days before. "I hope you are recovered from your adventure."

"Yes, I am very well," said Anne. "Though my mother often bemoans my lack of constitution, I am not nearly so sickly as she would like to believe."

"It comes from her experiences with your brother," supplied Mr. Darcy.

"Brother?" asked Elizabeth, intrigued. "I heard nothing of a brother."

"He died when I was naught but four," replied Anne. "I do not remember him well at all."

"I remember him better," said Mr. Darcy. "As I am three years Anne's elder, her brother was of an age with me, only a few months younger. So far as I recall, Peter de Bourgh was the picture of health until he suddenly took ill and passed away."

"And as I was always a sicklier child," said Anne, "Mother feared the same thing happening with me, and coddled me to prevent it."

"That is a sad story," said Elizabeth.

Lady Catherine, she noted, was sitting near Mrs. Bennet speaking in her usual instructional tones, pulling a nearby Mrs. Hurst into her need to educate others. To Elizabeth, Lady Catherine had always been a meddling, irascible termagant, a woman intent upon browbeating everyone about her to do as she wished. This new information gave the woman a softer, more human side. While she still could not agree with oppressing a child to the extent Lady Catherine had repressed Anne, she could understand her a little better now.

"What of you, Elizabeth?" asked Anne. "Are there any sorrows that affect your family?"

"Nothing of that sort," replied Elizabeth, "for we Bennets are not only of hardy constitution; we are fortunate to enjoy good health. I dare say the only sorrow is the lack of a son to inherit Longbourn."

"Thus, Mr. Collins's position as your father's heir," said Anne.

"Yes," replied Elizabeth. "Much of what my family is today directly results from that absence, for our situation is more precarious because of it." Elizabeth paused and shrugged. "Yet I cannot say we are not a happy family."

Though Anne responded readily enough and changed the subject to other matters, Elizabeth noted that Mr. Darcy's reply was more muted, and thereafter his gaze found Mrs. Bennet more often than she might have expected. Mr. Darcy had known about the entail, but he had not thought of it in such terms before, given the lack of a similar restriction on his own property. Mrs. Bennet was still a tiresome woman to endure, even for her daughters, but perhaps Mr. Darcy would now look on her with a friendlier eye. And well he might, for if he persuaded Elizabeth and obtained what he desired, her mother's support would devolve to him should her father predecease her mother.

With the morose subjects of death and the lack of heirs canvassed, they moved to other, more cheery subjects, and Elizabeth found herself well entertained. The obvious discussion topic was Miss Bingley's sudden appearance, but that was low-hanging fruit. As Elizabeth felt she already understood why Miss Bingley had come and what she hoped to accomplish, there was little reason to belabor the point. Mr. Darcy and Anne did not seem interested in raising the subject.

"If you will excuse me, Elizabeth," said Anne after a time of conversing pleasantly, "I do not see your youngest sisters. Are they engaged in some other activity?"

While it might be cause for mortification, Elizabeth now had a sense that Anne would not hold two spirited sisters against her, and that Mr. Darcy's opinion had largely altered. Thus, she allowed a wry smile to form on her lips.

"They left for Meryton soon after breakfast." She directed a sly look at Mr. Darcy and said: "You must remember how enamored with the officers they are."

"I do," said Mr. Darcy. "Though I will say that Fitzwilliam quite took me to task on the subject. It had come up between us, but Fitzwilliam told me he saw nothing of such tendencies in them."

"Then you simply need to inform the colonel that he need only appear in his regimentals if he wishes to provoke them. Within the next few days, the regiment will depart for their summer quarters, so he will be their full focus should he deign to show them the sight of a full colonel of the regulars resplendent in his uniform."

"I shall be certain to inform him," said Mr. Darcy, looking at his cousin where he stood speaking with Mr. Bennet.

"As for your particular question," said Elizabeth, "They feel they have not an instant to waste, given the inevitable sundering that must occur. Mrs. Forster invited Lydia to spend the summer in Brighton, but my father deemed it inadvisable."

The way Mr. Darcy regarded her, Elizabeth was certain he was thinking of a recent member of that corps. The gentleman nodded at her, confirming their aligned opinions.

"Then I am sorry for their pain," said Anne, clearly amused by it all. "As I boast a long acquaintance with a man of the scarlet, I am not at all impressed by nothing more than the addition of such ostentation to a man's wardrobe."

"Nor am I," replied Elizabeth. "There are interesting men of the local regiment, but I cannot say that I will repine their loss when they depart."

The arrival of Lydia and Kitty punctuated this discussion, bringing grins to the faces of all three participants. The girls' lamentations about what they found in Meryton fueled their amusement.

"All the officers are too busy with their preparations," bemoaned Lydia. "We barely saw Sanderson, and Denny was completely absent."

"The regiment is to move to summer quarters?" asked Colonel Fitzwilliam. "Of course, they are, for it is the season for such a move. Having been part of such relocations in the past, I can attest to the necessity of focusing on the task at hand. It is no small endeavor to move a regiment of soldiers across fifty miles, even if the roads are excellent and the weather good."

This reasonable explanation did not fit Lydia's mood, for she continued to sulk, her position on the sofa far too near Miss Bingley for the woman's taste. Miss Bingley was still near enough to hear Lady Catherine's pontificating, though she did not appear to be taking part to any great extent. The looks she kept directing at Mr. Darcy suggested she wished to be the focus of his attention, but Elizabeth did not think she would dare insult Lady Catherine by excusing herself from her company.

"I can see what you mean, Elizabeth," said Anne in an undertone.

Elizabeth gave a nod of longsuffering. "I hope that with the regiment's departure, we will see some improvement in them. My father is still considering our options."

With a nod, Anne again changed the subject. There were about fifteen minutes left in the morning visit, and Elizabeth felt no compunction at all about continuing to keep their company for herself. It was odd, she supposed, but she felt far more comfortable with Mr. Darcy than she might ever have thought possible. The gentleman spoke to her showing far more interest than he had before, such that she thought her mother would notice if it continued much longer. For the moment, Lady Catherine had her attention, thus allowing Elizabeth to escape her mother's awareness.

Perhaps Anne facilitated their discussion to a certain extent, but Elizabeth had the sense that she and Mr. Darcy were coming to know each other. That she had not understood him nor known much about him beyond her assumptions was a truth of which Elizabeth was painfully aware. The question of whether she could come to esteem this quiet gentleman enough to accept a proposal from him was yet open to Elizabeth's mind, but as she took these few tentative steps, she felt it was possible.

A little later, Anne left them to approach her mother, informing Elizabeth how much she had enjoyed their discourse. That she gave Mr. Darcy a significant look as she excused herself spoke volumes as to her good information about the gentleman's attraction. Mr. Darcy, however, ignored her, instead intent on focusing his attention on Elizabeth. The subject about which he spoke, however, was another one of those matters that had previously stood between them.

"Unless I miss my guess," said he, "I do not think Bingley and your sister have been apart for more than a few minutes in all the time since their reunion."

"Jane has not confessed her feelings to me, Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth. "Yet I can see them. There was a want of happiness in her behavior all winter—the return of Mr. Bingley brought life back to my sister; I have never seen her this incandescent.

"And before you say anything," said Elizabeth, not wishing the man to apologize yet again, "we exchanged all that we need to on this subject."

"Very well," said Mr. Darcy, appearing relieved. "I will say, however, that I now understand the justice of your assertions. Bingley's fascination was never in doubt; now that I understand her better, I cannot but suppose that your sister's feelings are obvious to anyone who observes them."

"Has Mr. Bingley said anything of his intentions?" asked Elizabeth, curious rather than concerned.

"Only in the most oblique terms," replied Mr. Darcy. "He told us that he means to have her as his wife, but he said nothing of the timing."

"That is well then," replied Elizabeth. "There is no question now of his determination; I am content."

"Mrs. Bennet," said Mr. Bingley at that moment, his voice drawing Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's attention away from each other, "I should like to repay your hospitality by having your family join us at Netherfield for dinner."

"Thank you, Mr. Bingley," said the Bennet matron. "We should be delighted to attend."

While Mr. Bingley made the offer, that office belonged by right to his sister, and one look at her informed anyone who cared to look that she was not at all pleased by the notion. Elizabeth supposed she might simply be unhappy that he had usurped her position, but at that point, it truly did not signify. Miss Bingley did not take the trouble to hide her opposition to her brother's designs; Elizabeth had known this since long before her appearance that morning at Longbourn.

"Please forgive me," continued Mr. Bingley, "for I have not yet spoken with Caroline to determine the date. As Mrs. Nichols is still hiring staff at Netherfield, it may be best to delay it until we rectify that deficiency. But I did not wish to depart today without issuing our invitation, given your kindness in receiving us when we appeared at your door without warning."

"Hospitality superior to anything I have ever known," said Colonel Fitzwilliam. "My family agrees with my opinion on the subject."

Whether Lady Catherine would consent to his assertion was an open question in Elizabeth's mind, though Anne and Mr. Darcy both spoke of their concurrence. Colonel Fitzwilliam did not mean to include Miss Bingley, for the woman had been absent on the occasion in question, and her dark look left no possibility of misinterpreting her opinion. Now that Elizabeth noticed her, she saw Lydia was quite close and was speaking with blithe unconcern, no doubt about her favorite subject. Miss Bingley did not appreciate such talk of the officers, yet it was clear something had caught her attention, for she did not move away.

"We are pleased to accept whenever convenient," said Mrs. Bennet.

Mr. Bingley looked to Mr. Darcy and asked: "Perhaps after your sister arrives?"

"Miss Darcy is to join you?" asked Mrs. Bennet.

"When we receive confirmation from my uncle," said Mr. Darcy, "Fitzwilliam and I shall escort George Wickham to his fate. I shall collect Georgiana and return with her to Netherfield Park."

"She is a wonderful girl," enthused Miss Bingley. "Louisa and I consider her quite the dearest creature in the world."

The woman paused, her gaze raking over them all. "I will say she is unaccustomed to such company, but I suspect it will do her no harm."

Mrs. Bennet understood the insult in Miss Bingley's words, yet for a change she did not deign to betray any overt sign of it. "I am certain my girls will be vastly pleased to make her acquaintance."

"As she will be to make theirs," said Mr. Darcy. "In Derbyshire, there are few girls her age. Before I came to Hertfordshire, Georgiana spoke to me of her eagerness to meet so many such agreeable young ladies."

"What sort of girl is your sister, Mr. Darcy?" asked Mrs. Bennet.

"She is reticent, much as I am myself," replied the gentleman. "Georgiana's retiring nature is more shyness, though she does not lack confidence."

"An excellent young woman to be certain!" cried Miss Bingley. "Why, Georgiana is grace itself, her manners all that is proper, her conversation interesting, and her performance on the pianoforte absolutely divine."

"If she plays the pianoforte," said Mary, "I believe I should like to make her acquaintance very much."

"As she would be to make yours," said Mr. Darcy with a smile at Elizabeth's younger sister. "Georgiana can talk about music, performance, and her favorite composers for hours if you allow it. Should you show the same interest, she will meet you with the greatest eagerness."

Mary smiled shyly and turned away, leading Mr. Darcy to direct his attention back to Elizabeth. "Miss Mary appears eager."

"Music and the pianoforte are among her passions, Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth. She did not think it was politic to explain the reason for Mary's affinity. "None of my other sisters play and as you know, I am not nearly so much an enthusiast as Mary. If your sister is willing, they may talk for hours on the subject."

"Miss Mary is eighteen?" asked Mr. Darcy.

"Nineteen in March," replied Elizabeth.

The gentleman nodded. "And Georgiana will be seventeen in August. With so slight an age difference between them and a commonality of interests, I imagine they will get on well together. I appreciate the notion, for Georgiana has often wanted for friends."

"Then we should encourage them," replied Elizabeth. "Mary can be a little shy herself. A little push should do wonders for their ability to find their common interests."

At that moment, the company rose, the time of the visit having elapsed. Mr. Bingley said a few words to Mrs. Bennet, promising to confirm the date of the dinner invitation at the first available opportunity, to which Mrs. Bennet replied with some enthusiasm. Miss Bingley, Elizabeth noted, regarded Elizabeth with what appeared to be asperity, and Elizabeth suspected she had overheard the end of her conversation with Mr. Darcy. When Miss Bingley saw Elizabeth watching her, however, a cruel smile appeared, nodding to her, her manner knowing, as if she had discovered some dark family secret. Elizabeth ignored Miss Bingley, content to say farewell to Mr. Darcy and express the wish of meeting him again soon. This time, it was not entirely a surprise to understand that she meant every word.