Page 12 of Drawn to Love

A month so full of events had never been known at Longbourn, nor in Meryton, and perhaps in the whole of Herefordshire.

Mr. Bennet called it a month of madness and protected his comfort by spending most of it in his library while his wife and daughters managed the entire affair.

After Lydia’s wedding, news of Mr. Bingley’s impending arrival threw the Bennets into another state of agitation.

Mrs. Bennet was constantly complaining of her nerves, and Jane was caught in a storm of emotions, as she confessed to Elizabeth, wondering about the reason for his return, who would join him, and how long he would stay.

Elizabeth was also deeply distressed—so torn between fears and hopes that she got almost no sleep.

There was no mention of Mr. Darcy’s coming to stay with his friend, and she assumed that, if he did plan to do so, Mr. Gardiner or even her father would have been informed.

And yet, her heart raced at the thought of seeing him again soon.

Mr. Bingley finally arrived, and reports began to spread immediately. It was said he had come alone — news that thrilled some of the Bennets and grieved others. Mrs. Bennet pestered Mr. Bennet to call on him, but she achieved nothing but a dinner spoilt by quarrelling.

By fortune, the next day, Mr. Bingley called himself. He smiled less than on previous occasions and perhaps looked slightly paler and thinner. He spoke to Mrs. Bennet, but his gaze often travelled towards Jane, who was silent, flushed, and overwhelmed by emotions.

“We are happy to see you, Mr. Bingley,” Mrs. Bennet said.

“Everybody wondered what had happened when you did not return from London in November as you said you would. We thought we would never see you again! But now that you are here, you must remember that you promised you would come to dinner, and you still owe me that!”

“I would like that very much, Mrs. Bennet,” he replied with apparent unease.

“To come to dinner, I mean. Some…circumstances kept me in town…but I have only recently found out that Miss Bennet was in London for a few months last winter. If I had known, I would have certainly called on her.” Again, he looked at Jane, who seemed puzzled.

Elizabeth knew that Mr. Darcy had kept his promise and revealed the truth.

“I believed you knew of my presence, sir,” Jane whispered. “I visited Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst…”

“Yes, I know. That is something I also discovered only recently. I am deeply sorry for the misunderstandings…” Mr. Bingley replied.

“Well, it matters not, now that you are here! You should come to dinner soon!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Bennet. Whenever you will have me, I would be happy to,” Mr. Bingley declared, giving much joy to at least two ladies in the room.

“Mr. Bingley, have you seen Mr. Darcy lately?” Elizabeth finally dared to enquire. “I know he expected you and your sisters to spend this month at Pemberley, but I assume your plans changed.”

“Yes, I saw Darcy about a week ago. And yes, our plans changed entirely, as I decided to return to Netherfield.”

“Did Mr. Darcy return to Pemberley? I hope he and his sister are in good health.”

“Miss Darcy is at Pemberley, with her companion, I was told. Darcy had some business in London as well as Kent. He has promised to visit me when it is complete.”

“Oh…” Elizabeth replied, feeling her cheeks burning and her heart racing.

“I hope Mr. Darcy will come to Netherfield. I look forward to seeing him again,” Mr. Bennet declared.

“Would you like to dine with us tonight, Mr. Bingley?” Mrs. Bennet insisted.

“I would like that very much, ma’am,” he said after a brief glance at Jane.

Mr. Bingley did come to dinner that evening, his eagerness causing him to arrive early, so he, Jane, and Elizabeth went for a walk in the garden. Less than half an hour was enough to prove to Elizabeth that the mutual admiration and affection between the two remained equally strong.

“Miss Bennet, I wish to tell you once again that I was kept in ignorance of your presence in town,” Mr. Bingley said.

“It was only a fortnight ago that I saw Darcy again, and he told me what happened. Please know that I would have come to visit you…I cannot apologise enough for my sisters, who chose to be dishonest with you and with me.”

“There is no need to apologise, Mr. Bingley. As hurtful as it was, all is well now…”

“No, it is not. I am most upset with my sisters, and I shall not easily forgive their deception or my foolishness. And I would understand if you could not forgive me either.”

“Your presence now is more important than your past absence, Mr. Bingley. If there was anything to forgive, I have already forgotten it,” Jane answered.

The expression of heartfelt delight on Mr. Bingley’s face was enough for Elizabeth to understand that her sister’s happiness was a certainty — a hope which would turn into reality very soon.

During dinner, Mr. Bingley acted in the same pleasant manner and with the same apparent admiration for Jane as he had done several months ago.

He left Longbourn rather late, and the next day he called again, then two days later he accepted another dinner invitation. Less than a week after his return to Netherfield, Mr. Bingley proposed to Jane, who happily accepted him.

Their long-due engagement made Mrs. Bennet forget about Lydia and Mr. Wickham, who were barely mentioned. The people in Meryton who a month ago had gossiped about the Bennets’ misfortune, now envied them, giving Mrs. Bennet the greatest satisfaction.

Elizabeth was torn between joy and distress, as her thoughts were mostly occupied by Mr. Darcy.

She wondered where he was, what sort of business was keeping him so busy for such a long time, and she feared the result of his visit to Kent.

Now that the dreadful situation with Mr. Wickham was resolved with so much trouble on his part, he did not seem eager to meet her again.

She looked at the two drawings every day, wondering whether he would ever finish the second one, after all.

One evening, when the entire family was gathered for dinner at Longbourn, Mr. Bingley arrived with his large smile, and with his friend, Mr. Darcy. Without warning, without news, the master of Pemberley was finally — suddenly — there, in Longbourn’s drawing room.

Elizabeth was so overwhelmed by the surprise, so overjoyed and so nervous, that she forgot to breathe, only pressed her hand over her heart to still its wild rhythm.

“Look who just arrived!” Mr. Bingley exclaimed. “He turned up an hour ago, and I cannot say how happy I am that he is finally here!”

“I apologise for my impromptu appearance,” Mr. Darcy said. “I told Bingley to inform you about my arrival tonight so I could call on you properly tomorrow, but he insisted on me joining him.”

“And we are so glad he did,” Mr. Bennet responded. “Mr. Darcy, you are most welcome, sir! I am very happy to see you.”

“Likewise, Mr. Bennet,” Mr. Darcy said, then he properly greeted the ladies. His eyes lingered upon Elizabeth a moment too long, and she barely found the strength to nod her head in acknowledgement.

Mrs. Bennet welcomed him with a tempered tone, different from her usual response, while Kitty and Mary seemed intimidated.

“We are very happy to have you here, Mr. Darcy,” Jane said with genuine warmth.

“Miss Bennet, allow me to congratulate you on your engagement. My friend is a fortunate man to be marrying the woman of his dreams.”

“Indeed, I am,” Mr. Bingley admitted as the party moved to the dinner table.

Each took their usual chairs, and Mr. Bennet invited Mr. Darcy to sit to his right — a place that usually belonged to Elizabeth. She moved down one chair, allowing the guest to sit between her and her father.

“I am sorry to take your place, Miss Elizabeth,” Mr. Darcy said in a low voice.

“I am not sorry at all, Mr. Darcy,” she responded. “Quite the opposite.”

She managed to speak and even smile a little, but she was far from comfortable.

He was there — finally — and she could not decide whether her happiness or anxiety was stronger.

He was close enough to her that she could feel the movements of his body, could inhale his scent, and could listen to his voice, even though he spoke mainly to her father.

Mr. Bennet was keen to engage Mr. Darcy in conversation, so most of the time, he was turned to his host. However, he kept glancing at Elizabeth.

He even filled her glass of water — a small, polite gesture, which increased Elizabeth’s nervousness, as she could sense the trace of his fingers on her glass.

She felt silly and embarrassed by her response, praying that the others would not notice her clumsiness.

As time passed, Elizabeth began to feel slightly more composed. She joined in the conversation and asked Mr. Darcy about his sister and the colonel. As he turned to her to respond, his arm touched hers. He smiled at her, and she quivered but smiled back.

After dinner, Mr. Bennet invited the gentlemen to the library for a drink and a cigar.

“I hope you will not be too disappointed with my library, Mr. Darcy. It is nothing to yours, and from what my brother Gardiner told me, I cannot even imagine how spectacular the library at Pemberley is.”

“Utterly spectacular!” Mr. Bingley interjected. “The entire property is stunning — not even Matlock Park can compare to it.”

“I shall not even deny that, as I am very proud of it,” Mr. Darcy admitted. “But you should not worry about me being disappointed, Mr. Bennet. Your passion for books is enough for me to appreciate your library, regardless of its dimensions.”

“I hope you will invite us to Pemberley after I am married. I am sure Jane would love it!” Mr. Bingley continued, and Elizabeth blushed.

“Of course I shall. It would be my pleasure to host you all,” Mr. Darcy replied.

“Well, I rarely travel, but that is one invitation I would not refuse,” Mr. Bennet said mostly in jest, leading the way while Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy followed him.

“Lizzy, do you believe Mr. Darcy was serious? Are we truly invited to Pemberley?” Mrs. Bennet asked in amazement when they were alone.

“We should not make any such plans, Mama,” Elizabeth said. “But I know Mr. Darcy is not a man to say things he does not mean. He might have been merely polite, though, as Papa and Mr. Bingley almost forced the invitation.”

“Wait until I tell my sister Phillips and Lady Lucas. I am sure Charlotte and Mr. Collins will never be invited to Pemberley!”

“Mama, we just discussed not making plans.”

“Yes, yes, do not worry. Well, Mr. Darcy is different from how I remember him, that is for certain. But he is still too scary to accept any invitation from him,” Mrs. Bennet said.

Elizabeth smiled. She wished to remind her mother that she had declared Mr. Darcy to be exceedingly handsome when they first saw him.

But it was not the time for such unpleasant memories from the past. That evening, he was just as she recollected—equally handsome and friendly.

And the touch of his arm on hers, though brief, had burnt her.

She needed to speak to him. To thank him.

If only they could find an opportunity for a private encounter, as had happened in the library at Pemberley.

The gentlemen soon returned, and Mr. Bingley hurried to sit next to Jane, striking up a conversation, which Mrs. Bennet soon interrupted.

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet sat near each other, speaking more calmly and quietly. Elizabeth waited for a little while, then she breathed deeply and daringly moved to sit next to Mr. Darcy on the sofa. He seemed surprised, and her father looked at her, puzzled.

“Yes, Lizzy? May we help you with something?”

“No, Papa. Yes…I wish to thank Mr. Darcy for his help and to say how grateful—”

She kept her voice down, but Mr. Darcy’s countenance immediately changed.

“Miss Elizabeth, please know that no gratitude and no thanks are necessary,” he interrupted her.

“Besides, this is not a subject for after dinner, Lizzy. If you wish to discuss it, I am sure Mr. Darcy will indulge you on another day. For the moment, we were discussing hunting. Would you like to join us?”

“No, Papa. I have no interest in it.” She smiled. “I do wish to speak to Mr. Darcy whenever he has a little time to spare.”

She felt embarrassed to request a private meeting in front of her father, but she did not wish to lose the opportunity.

“I assume Bingley will call again tomorrow. If it is agreeable to you, I could keep him company.”

“Very agreeable,” Mr. Bennet responded on Elizabeth’s behalf.

“I shall ask him when he plans to call, so I shall be at home. Whenever the weather is good, I enjoy walking towards Oakham Mount before breakfast,” Elizabeth said.

She glanced at Mr. Darcy, and their eyes met, locking for an instant. She noticed his countenance had warmed again.

“Upon my word, Lizzy, surely you do not expect that Mr. Bingley might call before breakfast and find us in our nightgowns,” Mr. Bennet replied. Elizabeth smiled and so did Mr. Darcy, though for other reasons than Mr. Bennet assumed.

Elizabeth returned to sit near Jane, suddenly at peace. She knew he understood her meaning and would come to meet her on her walk. She had been bold, perhaps even improper, but she could not bear another day without talking to him in earnest.

It was almost midnight when the guests finally left, and the family retired for the night almost immediately. However, neither Jane nor Elizabeth could sleep. The former was too thrilled and had too much to say, while the latter was lost in her thoughts and did not dare say much.

Jane was eventually defeated by tiredness, but Elizabeth remained restless till dawn. Despite it being very early, she dressed and left the house at an hour that made Hill arch her eyebrow.