Page 27

“Welcome to Longbourn,” Mr Bennet said with a grin.

He had been dragged kicking and screaming from his bookroom by Elizabeth to at least pretend to be polite to the new visitors.

While he kicked up quite a fuss, he was hopeful there would be some silliness to amuse him.

With Mr Collins, Lydia, and the Netherfield residents in one room, something was bound to go amiss.

“Thank you, sir. May I introduce my companions.”

“Naturally.”

Mr Bennet had missed the introductions the previous day, as had Mrs Bennet and the youngest sisters, so Darcy methodically introduced Georgiana and Fitzwilliam to the rest of the family.

Everyone sat down in the parlour. While Bennet assumed his wife would fire the first volley for his own amusement, she simply sat and made inconsequential small talk.

Miss Darcy was still a bit shy, but she had brought along several bonnets with her brother’s permission.

She went to sit with Lydia and Kitty, and the three of them set about speaking together in surprisingly quiet (almost decorous) whispers.

Bennet was not entirely certain he approved.

On the one hand, having his daughters be less hoydenish might make it easier to marry them off, but if they became too well-mannered the place would become dull as a tomb.

Darcy and Elizabeth sat next to each other, and Bennet saw that his daughter was far more comfortable with her awkward suitor.

The father reluctantly admitted he had probably milked that courtship for all the amusement he was likely to get, and it now remained for his daughter to get over her skittishness enough to gain him access to the Pemberley library.

Bingley looked like a mouse in a room full of cats, but he managed to pull off the idle chatter social rules required for a few moments.

He then seemed to work up his courage to speak. “I do not know if Darcy mentioned it, but I will be hosting a ball on the twenty-sixth, which is Tuesday next. I brought your invitation. You as well, Mr Collins.”

Bennet barely managed to restrain himself from laughing openly as Mr Collins made a long and obsequious diatribe about a ball of this kind, given by a young man of character, to respectable people, can have any evil tendency which the father took in his stride.

When the man finished by hoping to secure sets from each of his fair cousins, the look of horror was sufficient to make the entire morning’s excursion worthwhile.

The man even had the temerity to ask for Elizabeth’s first set, but when he saw the thunderous look from Darcy, he corrected himself at once, indicating he had misspoken and would like to dance with Mary.

That lady sighed in resignation and accepted, although she thought about it long enough to make the outcome uncertain.

According to the rules of propriety, if she declined the set, she could not dance all evening; but Mary would typically consider that more of a blessing than a curse.

However, she apparently did not want to hurt Mr Collins’ feelings, so she eventually accepted.

Elizabeth suggested he should focus on the daughters who were not in a courtship, followed by other ladies in the neighbourhood, and the cleric looked like he had just seen a bear trap snap shut an inch below his foot.

The younger ladies were very enthusiastic about the ball, and Kitty innocently asked, “What will you be wearing, Miss Darcy?”

Georgiana stuttered and stammered and finally looked down shyly. “I am not out.”

Kitty and Lydia looked horrified and were clearly working their way up to a remonstrance when Darcy intervened.

“You are not out in London Society. In smaller places like this, though, being out just means going to public events… is that not right, Mrs Bennet?”

Mr Bennet almost laughed at the transparency of the ploy but waited for his wife to say something silly… and waited… and waited… and waited.

She finally said, “Yes, that is the way of it. Nobody has come-out balls like you do in London. Most in this town come out between fifteen and seventeen, mostly going to dances with the people they have known all their lives. It is very different from London, I think.”

Darcy spoke surprisingly gently. “You have the right of it. I believe Georgiana can be out in Meryton society. Since she is new, I would hope you can put it about that Fitzwilliam or I must approve all dancers, and I will ask Elizabeth to ensure they are acceptable.”

“That seems fair, and I can certainly help with that,” Mrs Bennet said with something more akin to her usual enthusiasm, though hardly enough to excite her husband’s sense of amusement.

The discussion of the ball continued for another half-hour, while Mr Bennet noticed Jane and Bingley getting increasingly nervous as time went on.

He wondered what had occurred at Netherfield, but not enough to stick his nose in the middle of his daughters’ business.

They would ask him if they wanted his help.

The three younger girls eventually excused themselves to go to another room for an epic round of bonnet trimming, and Bennet used the distraction to make his own escape.

Mary contrived at the same time to drag Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr Collins, and Mrs Bennet from the room, leaving Darcy, Elizabeth, Jane, and Bingley, closing the door on the way out.

~~~~~

Elizabeth thought Mr Bingley looked like a first day politician who had been working on his speech for a week but then forgot it all when he was at the lectern. She decided to take pity on him, as Jane did not look the least bit likely to do so.

“Mr Bingley… May I presume you know about William’s apology?”

“I do,” he said suspiciously, as if afraid she would demand the same from him.

“You have no need for anything like that. Your offense, if any, is of an entirely different nature.”

“But I do owe the both of you an apology.”

“You do… but the offense is different, as should the remedy be.”

“What do you suggest?”

Elizabeth smiled, trying to reduce his nervousness, which was endearing but unhelpful. “Repeat after me.”

“All right.”

“Miss Elizabeth, I apologise on behalf of my sisters who are unrepentant termagants, and regret that my defence of the Bennets seemed inadequate at the time. I regret allowing my home to be a bastion of malicious gossip,” Elizabeth said with a flourish.

Bingley looked like she had hit him on the head but gamely repeated the words exactly as prescribed.

Elizabeth arose from the sofa and walked over to approach the gentleman, who stood up to meet her.

She smiled and curtsied. "I accept your apology, good sir. For myself, you are forgiven, and your business with me is complete.”

She then turned back to Darcy. “I suggest we retire over there, William."

While Bingley looked on in confusion, then wonder, Elizabeth took Darcy’s arm and walked over to a sofa in the far corner.

He very politely helped her sit, then sat beside her at the more or less appropriate distance.

They both diligently looked away from the other couple who were circling each other like tomcats on the other side of the room and started conversing quietly.

~~~~~

Charles Bingley sat thunderstruck with his carefully crafted speech entirely forgotten; while Jane Bennet looked as if she was not likely to give him any quarter at all.

He eventually came to his senses enough to know he had to say something. “I say, Miss Elizabeth dispatched me with alacrity.”

Jane gave the slightest nod of her head, which was enough for Bingley to notice she was as tense as a bowstring.

She seemed to be chewing on some unpleasant sort of gristle, but finally replied, “That is her way. Lizzy has always been quick to anger and quick to forgive. She went from despising your friend to courting him in half a day!”

“May I assume you are not… quick to forgive that is?” he said, then barely refrained from smacking his forehead at his own stupidity.

For a moment, he thought she might smack it on his behalf, but she relented slightly.

“I am quite the opposite—more akin to never to anger and never to forgive. Lizzy and I have carried the weight of whatever discipline this family has for as long as I can remember. Her anger has been a useful tool to get people’s attention when all else fails, while my calmness is useful for smoothing the waters. ”

“It sounds like you have been attempting your parents’ job?”

She looked at him carefully and relaxed a touch. “I suppose you understand?”

“I understand all too readily. My father made an enormous fortune, but at the expense of ignoring his family entirely… much as yours does.” Then he watched carefully to see if the statement made her angry.

She sighed and nodded but added nothing, showing neither agreement nor otherwise.

He seemed at an impasse, so decided to plod forward with what he had come to say.

“With the understanding that any forgiveness will likely be long in coming and must be earned, pray allow me to apologise profusely.”

“For what?”

He was uncomfortably reminded of the first moments when the ladies left Netherfield; with the only difference being that Miss Elizabeth was angrily asking the question of Darcy. On the one hand, it did not seem auspicious—but on the other, Darcy survived so perhaps there was hope yet.

“I cannot apologise on my sisters’ behalf because it would be disingenuous, since neither of them has any real remorse, and they are both grown women who should take responsibility for their own actions. I can, however, apologise for at least two distinct errors of my own if you will allow it.”

“Proceed,” she said softly.