Page 40 of Five Gentlemen at Netherfield (Pride and Prejudice Variations)
Drawing Room
Pemberley
A Few Minutes Earlier
Mary Bennet stared at her suitor, tongue-tied. She was not like Elizabeth and Jane, who spoke with ease and friendliness, and while she had been showered with male attention since she had inherited a fortune, this was the first time she had seriously considered marrying a man.
And she did not know what to say.
“How was your trip north, Miss Mary?” Colonel Fitzwilliam asked, leaning back with a congenial expression on his face.
“It was very pleasant,” she managed.
“I understand you spent two nights on the road, and put up at the Golden Daffodil and the Pelican,” the colonel continued. “Did you like both of them equally well, or was one better than the other?”
“I liked the Golden Daffodil better,” Mary replied promptly. “The Pelican was very comfortable, but it was closer to the main road and loud. Not at night, but in the evening and morning.”
“I assume the Golden Daffodil was particularly lovely when you stayed there?”
Mary blinked and then nodded. “Oh yes! There were a great many flower beds full of daffodils, though not all of them were golden.”
“I do not pretend to be an expert at gardening, but I would imagine a variety of colors are beneficial to show the beauty of the golden blossoms. I think that is what my mother would say, at any rate.”
“Is the countess interested in gardening, then?”
“She is, in the sense that she likes to design the flower beds of our family estate, and she even arranges flowers, but she is fortunate to have a large group of gardeners to do the actual work.”
“I like flowers, but I have neither arranged flowers nor designed flower beds,” Mary said, and then sighed and continued, her eyes downcast, “I do worry that I am not an appropriate bride for an earl’s son.
I am not comfortable in the company of strangers, and I do not know how to paint screens or design tables, or… ”
“Miss Mary.”
She looked up to observe Richard Fitzwilliam gazing at her.
“Yes?” she asked timidly.
“We have spoken of this in our correspondence, but I wish to say it again in person. I admire you very much for being a generous and devoted sister and daughter, and I also find you physically attractive. I have concluded that I would far rather find a bride from the country than a young woman from the higher echelons of society, as most of those ladies are more interested in connections and parties and the outward trappings of success than a congenial and happy marriage.”
She smiled, a trifle tremulously, and said, “Thank you for your encouragement. I confess to being tired, and perhaps that is what is making me so uncertain about this situation. But no, the truth is that I have never been in a courtship, and it all seems very odd to me.”
“I understand your fatigue, I assure you,” her suitor said, “as I am well aware of how difficult your last months have been at Longbourn. There is no rush for you to make any decision about our potential match. I hope that you and Miss Bennet will enjoy plenty of rest during your time here, and Mrs. Gardiner and your little cousins as well, of course.”
“Thank you,” Mary said gratefully.
***
Wilderness
Longbourn
The wilderness at Longbourn was charming, and at this time of year, it was filled with flowers and birds and insects and small mammals.
A stone hermitage, carefully built in a state of ancient dilapidation, peeped through the trees and provided shelter for a swarm of wild honeybees.
In the sky above, the sun played hide and seek among the scudding clouds, massive and majestic and pearly gray or white.
The path was alternately dappled with glowing golden light and pools of leaf-shaped shade.
It was in all respects a perfect day, and Bingley was blissfully happy as he wandered through the gardens with the beautiful Miss Bennet on his arm.
He had studied her with some concern before they had set out, and he continued to sneak sidelong glances at her delicate profile, assessing her state of health.
The three eldest Bennet daughters had been carrying the weight of their estate on their shapely shoulders for some weeks now, but with Miss Elizabeth and Miss Mary in Derbyshire taking a much-needed sabbatical, the fullness of those responsibilities fell entirely on Miss Bennet.
He had been relieved, as they stepped out of the house, that she still had roses in her cheeks, even if her eyes looked a trifle weary.
Her step was sprightly enough, though, and her enjoyment of the beauty around them was evident.
She had not, he thought, lost weight in the last months, which was a relief, as Miss Elizabeth had been noticeably thinner before her departure for Pemberley.
Bingley was thankful, as he had feared that Miss Bennet’s duties would be too much for her without her sisters to aid her.
They reached a fork in the path where a small stone bench was tucked into a hedged nook for those who wished to sit. Miss Bennet came to a stop, sat down, and gestured for Bingley to take his place beside her. He obeyed and waited patiently for her to speak.
“Mr. Bingley, I am grateful for your willingness to visit us almost every day of late,” she said with her usual glorious smile. “It has made this season of life far easier than it would have been.”
“It is my pleasure, of course, Miss Bennet,” he said, and then, after a moment of hesitation, continued, “I do not wish to pry, but are you well? I imagine that with Miss Elizabeth and Miss Mary at Pemberley, you have a great deal of responsibility.”
The lady tilted her head up so that the sun could bathe her countenance and then said, “I am doing quite well, thank you. Both Elizabeth and Mary were attempting to carry too much responsibility during their time here, and before my sisters left for Pemberley, my uncles Gardiner and Phillips sat me down and very seriously told me that I simply must refuse to allow my parents too much of my time. I solemnly promised to get adequate sleep and limit how much time I spend with my father and mother, both of whom have plenty of servants and caretakers to assist them. They said the same to Kitty and Lydia too. Kitty needed no such instruction, though Lydia remains almost as selfish as always. In any case, I think we are doing well enough.”
“That is very wise of your uncles,” he said and swallowed hard. She was so lovely, and so sensible, and so intelligent.
“Mr. Bingley?”
“Yes?”
She turned her luminous smile on him and said, “I know it has been many months since you asked for my hand in marriage, and I refused you. Are you still interested in perhaps marrying me, or…”
“Yes!” he interrupted, his eyes widened with joy. “Miss Bennet, I love you with all my heart, and I admire you, and I want above all things to become your husband.”
“I am glad,” she replied simply, her cheeks dimpled. “I am not quite ready to accept an offer, but I would be pleased to enter a formal courtship. I think that we will do very well together but wish for a little more time, if that is acceptable. I hope you understand?”
“I do,” Bingley said promptly. “Our time together has been odd, with your father’s illness and the confusion here at Longbourn. I am entirely gratified to enter into a courtship with you.”
“Very good,” she replied with a nod. “I will tell my mother about it, which will make her happy. Even though we sisters are no longer penniless, she greatly wishes for us to marry as soon as possible.”
“Ought I speak to your father as well?” Bingley asked carefully.
She shook her head. “I must request that you do not, as it will distress him. He is already upset that Mary and Lizzy have left Longbourn, and the thought of losing me would trouble him even more. I am of age, but if you wish to speak to someone, I would recommend my uncle Phillips in Meryton.”
“I will do that, thank you,” Bingley said.
“You are, as you said, old enough to choose your own husband, but I would feel badly if I did not speak to one of your protectors as well, out of respect for their care for you. But it does occur to me to ask ... will Mrs. Bennet not tell your father of our courtship?”
Jane wrinkled her nose and rose to her feet, and he stood as well, and together they began walking slowly toward the mansion again.
“She has not seen him in weeks, Mr. Bingley. She has never been able to manage illness well. When we were children, every time we were sick, she handed us over to the nursemaids until we were well again. She is, I think, frightened of seeing him in his current state.”
“That is hard on you and your sisters,” he said disapprovingly.
Jane shrugged. “I prefer that she stay away from Father. She would likely become hysterical at how thin and broken he is, and that would create additional work for us all.”
Charles Bingley could not help but gaze at the lady with adoration. She was one of the most handsome women he had ever laid eyes on, but there was strength and determination and wisdom in that lovely form, and it was surreal to know that he might yet win her hand in marriage.
***
Mr. Bennet’s Bedchamber
Longbourn
Two Hours after Noon
The fire in the grate crackled away merrily, warming the room and especially the invalid in the chair closest to the hearth.
Mr. Bennet sat in his favorite wingbacked chair, which had been drawn up near the fire, and the matching footstool with it.
A blanket was wrapped around his shoulders, keeping him warm. He was alert, smiling and expectant.
Kitty was still unused to that lopsided smile, as the left side of her father’s face was still paralyzed.
Nonetheless, she smiled back with all the serenity she could muster.
Odd as his countenance appeared, she knew that Mr. Bennet was signaling his current contentment, and that state was exactly what she wished to achieve for him.