Page 12 of Five Gentlemen at Netherfield (Pride and Prejudice Variations)
Dining Room
Netherfield Hall
Evening
Darcy ate another forkful of potatoes and steak, distantly noting and enjoying the taste.
The greater part of his mind was absorbed by a pair of fine brown eyes, sparkling in a lovely face flushed with exercise.
He had, rather to his surprise, thoroughly enjoyed the brisk walk to Longbourn that morning with Miss Elizabeth.
She had startled him on more than one count, not least the ease with which she had covered the three miles to Longbourn, and over rather rough and muddy terrain, no less!
Such habits of exercise were not common amongst the ladies of his acquaintance, and yet Miss Elizabeth had acted as though such effort were nothing.
Her energy and vigor were not the only surprises of their walk.
During his short acquaintance with the young lady, Darcy had noticed that Miss Elizabeth’s conversation was witty and her opinions decided.
However, he had rarely been her focus in any discussion, and he had not previously found himself on the receiving end of her ire.
He allowed himself to think again of her flushed, indignant face when she declared she would walk home regardless of his feelings on the matter.
He had relished their walk and their tête-à-tête very much.
It was most regrettable that her antecedents and connections were so poor, with her mother but the daughter of a solicitor, and an uncle in trade.
The best any of the Bennet girls could hope for as far as a husband was another country gentleman of no great wealth, or a wealthy man with poor connections wishful of marrying into the gentry.
He felt a stab of sorrow at the realization, because Miss Elizabeth intrigued him as no other society miss had ever done.
But as a Darcy of Pemberley, he had an obligation to his family, his name, his land, and his tenants, to marry a woman who would bring further wealth and connections and standing to Pemberley.
Miss Elizabeth would do none of that, a reality she no doubt recognized.
Miss Bingley's strident tones broke through his thoughts, and he restrained himself with an effort from letting his distaste show on his face.
There, Darcy thought rather derisively as he glanced down the table, was a lady quite blind to how ineligible her connections made her.
The Bennet sisters might be the granddaughters of a solicitor, but their father was truly a gentleman with an estate which had, if the rumors were true, been in the Bennet family for many generations.
Miss Bingley liked to forget that her father was but a tradesman, albeit a wealthy one, and that she was part of society largely because of her brother, his education at Eton, his congeniality, and his inherited fortune.
Miss Bingley preferred to contemplate that she was wealthy in her own right, with a twenty thousand pound dowry, and that she had attended a fine finishing school.
All throughout dinner, Miss Bingley, abetted by Mrs. Hurst’s noises and nods of agreement, had waxed at enthusiastic length about how much happier they all were now that the interloping Bennets had finally departed for their own provincial home.
She was full of criticism for their erstwhile guests, though rather grudgingly, she had little fault to find with their behavior as guests and instead focused on their lack of accomplishments and simple clothes.
Darcy, who was not by any means an expert on female attire, had nonetheless cast a jaundiced eye over Miss Bingley’s fine silk gown and expensive lace shawl and the bracelets lining her arms that clinked with her every movement, while jewels glimmered around her neck and upon her prominent bosom.
The Bennet ladies dressed very sensibly for the country, in his opinion, while Miss Bingley and her sister tended to dress as though for parties in Town.
“And I simply cannot believe that Miss Elizabeth walked all the way home,” Miss Bingley said with a sorrowful shake of her head.
“I know it is dreadfully muddy out there. She must have been a sight when she returned home. I daresay her petticoats were six inches deep in mud! Was that not so, Mr. Darcy?”
“I did not notice,” Darcy said in a repressive tone, and Bingley said, “While I am certain Miss Elizabeth would have been entirely safe walking alone, I am grateful that you went with her, Darcy.”
“It was my pleasure,” he replied.
Silence fell for a full minute, and then Miss Bingley said, “Louisa, shall we?”
Mrs. Hurst stood up, and the two ladies exited the room.
Once the door had closed behind them, there was a universal sigh from the gentlemen, and Colonel Fitzwilliam said, “Well, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst may be pleased by the diminution of the party, but I confess to missing the Bennet ladies already. They are an interesting and dynamic set of sisters.”
“I agree entirely,” Bingley said with a grin. “Miss Bennet in particular is truly remarkable, along with being incredibly beautiful.”
“She is lovely and charming,” Sir Quinton said as he picked up a bottle of Madeira and poured it into his glass, “but in truth, Miss Elizabeth is more attractive to me personally. She is not as pretty as her sister, but she is so intelligent and witty.”
Bingley frowned a little. “Miss Bennet is a better chess player than her sister.”
“I daresay that Miss Bennet is a better chess player than most individuals in England,” Lord Stanton said with a laugh. “I am not astonished that she beat me handily, but she overcame Darcy’s considerable intellect as well, which is no small thing.”
“I find Miss Mary pleasant as well,” Richard volunteered. “She is quieter than her elder sisters, but sensible and kind.”
“It is a pity, really, that they are all ineligible,” Lord Stanton said.
“Are they?” Sir Quinton asked, turning a curious look on the viscount.
Lord Stanton frowned and said, “Yes, of course they are. Their mother is the daughter of a solicitor, and they have an uncle in trade. Neither you nor I could consider such a match.”
The older man leaned back in his chair and said, “I can understand why you would not, Lord Stanton, but as for me, well, I already married a woman with excellent connections who frankly had little in common with me. We rubbed along well enough, I suppose, but I am not willing to sacrifice my own happiness in favor of duty should I marry again.”
Darcy, to his surprise, felt a genuine jolt of distress at these words.
“Are you saying that you intend to make an offer to Miss Elizabeth Bennet?” Lord Stanton demanded.
“No,” Sir Quinton replied promptly, and Darcy relaxed, only to tense as the baronet continued.
“I do not know her well enough to offer for her, but I am considering it. I am tired of the eligible ladies of the upper crust, who adjust themselves to what they think is my liking. Miss Elizabeth is a lady who knows her own mind and is not afraid to debate her views with others, though always cheerfully and courteously. Yes, I find her enticing indeed.”
“The only Bennet daughter I can reasonably wed is Miss Mary,” Richard volunteered, “and that is because of her fortune. I do like her rather a lot, although I am not yet even thinking in terms of an offer.”
“She is not nearly as pretty as her sisters,” Lord Stanton remarked.
“She is not, no, but then I am not a handsome man myself.”
“Nor am I,” Sir Quinton said. “Indeed, when I look at myself in the mirror, I am reminded that I am in fact quite ugly, but the ladies in Town are always willing to ignore that in favor of my money and position in society. Why should women not be afforded the same luxury?”
“Ugly women are, if they are blessed with fortune and position,” Bingley remarked, and there was another universal sigh.
“Well, I do not believe any of us are actually ready to make an offer,” Richard said cheerfully, “but I think we can all agree that the last days have been more enjoyable than usual with the Bennet ladies in residence.”
“To the Bennet ladies,” Bingley said, raising his glass.
“Hear, hear!” Sir Quinton exclaimed.
Darcy lifted his glass with the others, though he remained silent, his thoughts whirling.
Sir Quinton’s remarks astounded him. Surely a member of the nobility, even a mere baronet, understood the importance of connections and respectability.
Darcy might be related to an earl, but he was, after all, only a gentleman, albeit one of great wealth and high standing in society.
It was absurd that a baronet should have lower standards for a prospective bride than he did.
On the other hand, Sir Quinton was a widower, with experience of marriage.
It was plain that his experience had not been a good one, in spite of his wife’s compatibility in station and connections.
It should be no great surprise, after all, that he should have different views on marriage than the bachelors of the party.
But surely he would not really offer for Miss Elizabeth?
All that Sir Quinton had said of her was true, Darcy acknowledged, and she had proven it on their three mile walk that morning.
He had been astonished and even discomfited by her determination to set out walking to Longbourn, and doubly so by her refusal to heed his wise suggestions no matter how gently he put them.
And yet, he found her energy, determination, and firmness of mind admirable.
However unusual or appealing Miss Elizabeth was, his own duty remained.
Sir Quinton, a widower, could afford to follow his own heart and desires, but Darcy still felt bound by duty.
His bride must be worthy of Pemberley, a lady of impeccable breeding and pedigree and excellently connected, able to launch Georgiana successfully into society here in a few years.
On the other hand … would he not be wise to heed Sir Quinton’s warning?
Would it really be well for Georgiana if her elder brother were to marry a woman he could only tolerate?
George Darcy and Lady Anne Darcy had loved each other while both lived.
The Earl and Countess of Matlock, too, had affection between them.
Darcy had seen unhappy marriages, but they were not close to him, and he was more familiar with happy ones.
He wanted that as well, and he rather thought that, if he let himself, he could fall quite in love with vibrant, vivacious Miss Elizabeth Bennet…
He did not have to decide anything tonight. Darcy drained his glass, resolving to ponder the matter further over the following days.