Page 68 of Heiress of Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variations)
“It is not fair!” Lydia Bennet shrieked in outrage. “I will go to Brighton! I will, I will, I will!”
“No, you will not!” her mother informed her sternly. “Your father has forbidden it!”
Lydia’s face was bright red with outrage, but she managed to squeeze a few piteous tears out of her brown orbs. “Oh Mama, please, you must speak to Papa! I will die of boredom here at Longbourn, absolutely die!”
“Now, my dear, there will be plenty of enjoyment with the Netherfield party in the area…”
“All Mr. Darcy cares about is Lizzy and Mr. Bingley hovers continually around Jane! In Brighton there will be officers as far as the eye can see, and even if I am quite sure I do not wish to marry soon, there will be balls and flirting and shopping! Oh Mama, if you do not let me go, I will never, ever forgive you!”
The door to the drawing room swung open suddenly and Mr. Bennet surged through with wrath on his face, even as he demanded, “What is the meaning of this howling?”
Mrs. Bennet winced and gestured nervously toward her youngest child. “Lydia is upset that she is not to go to Brighton.”
“Upset? I am furious! It is so unfair! If you do not let me go to Brighton, I promise you will both regret it!”
She broke off as her father seized her arm and began pulling her toward the door. “Father! Let go of me! What are you doing?”
“I am taking you to your room, where you will remain until further notice,” Mr. Bennet informed her angrily. “How dare you shout at your mother and me in such a way? How dare you threaten us? I am aware that I have been greatly at fault in your upbringing, but that ends now.”
“Now Mr. Bennet,” his wife began weakly.
“No, Fanny, do not attempt to interfere! Lydia is entirely out of control and will be confined to her room until I have decided how best to deal with her despicable behavior.”
Lydia paled in shock as she gazed in horrified wonder at her father. Mr. Bennet had long decried her as the silliest of girls, but she had never cared so long as she was permitted to do what she wished. She had never before observed such a look of determination on his face and was aware of a sudden flutter of fear.
“But … but Father…”
“Be silent, Lydia!”
***
“Good morning, Miss Bingley,” Anne de Bourgh said to her hostess, who was standing next to a small table which was covered in papers.
Caroline Bingley was frowning down at a list in her hand, but at these words she looked up and pasted on a welcoming smile. “Miss de Bourgh, Miss Colby, good morning. I hope you both slept well?”
“Yes, very well. Miss Colby and I intend to go into Meryton for a short visit to a Mr. and Mrs. Philips, whom I understand are uncle and aunt to Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Miss Bingley pursed her lips in a most unattractive manner. “I have met them, a dull solicitor and his vulgar wife. I suspect you will not enjoy the call.”
Anne shrugged a little. “I do not need to enjoy it, merely to observe the couple to ascertain their characters. Since we will be in Meryton, is there anything we can purchase to assist with the ongoing arrangements for the ball?”
The woman hesitated briefly before plucking a neat list from the table. “In truth, there are several items which need to be picked up at the grocer, Miss de Bourgh. If you would permit Miss Colby to enter the shop and obtain these items, it would be a great help.”
“Of course!” Anne responded, taking the list as she cast an impressed stare at the other papers laid out neatly. “You are very organized, Miss Bingley.”
“A proper hostess must be organized,” Miss Bingley replied with a simpering smile. “Otherwise, vital details are lost. But I thank you for your compliment.”
Anne nodded before turning and striding out of the house with Miss Colby at her heels. A minute later, she was in the carriage with her companion across from her.
“Miss Bingley is obviously excellent at organizing society events,” Anne commented as the horses started trotting toward Meryton. “I have met duchesses who were far less accomplished in that area.”
“Yes, I took the liberty of reading some of the lists while you were speaking. Miss Bingley has an orderly mind,” Miss Colby agreed.
Anne stroked her chin thoughtfully before sighing. “It is really a pity we cannot recruit her for the League, but I do not think she would be interested.”
“No,” her friend concurred. “Miss Bingley is far too selfish a creature to care about women who are endangered or ruined by wicked men. Miss Bingley wishes to please you and Darcy, close relations to an earl, and she wants to flaunt her skills as a hostess to those she deems below her. She has the skills to be an agent, but not the character.”
“I quite agree,” Anne said regretfully, and then perked up as she continued, “All the same, she will make some poor baronet or gentleman a fine wife. She is attractive, wealthy, and a good hostess. There are many men seeking just that kind of a bride.”
***
“Are you familiar with pendulums, Mr. Bingley?” Jane asked as the twosome made their way slowly down the path, which led to a pond on Netherfield land. Up ahead of them on the same path, Elizabeth and Darcy were conversing enthusiastically, though the distance was such that they could only hear the occasional snatches of words.
Bingley, who was relishing the feel of Miss Bennet’s small hand tucked in his arm, hesitated briefly in surprise before answering, rather diffidently, “Are you referring to the mechanical devices that drive grandfather clocks?”
“Yes, precisely,” Jane responded, taking her free arm and swinging it dramatically in front of her and then behind her. “I feel like I am a pendulum now.”
Not surprisingly, her hapless suitor had no idea what to say, and thus he was relieved when the lady chuckled softly. “I daresay I sound quite mad.”
“Not mad, no, but I do not pretend to understand you,” Bingley admitted.
Jane sighed and tugged her companion toward a bench which was pleasantly situated under a nearby tree. “Shall we sit down? The entire pond is in sight from here, and thus Elizabeth and Darcy will be appropriately chaperoned, while they can cast an occasional glance in our direction for propriety’s sake.”
“Of course,” Bingley agreed eagerly as he took his seat beside her. In truth, it was quite warm today.
Jane was silent for a full minute before turning to peer into Bingley’s eyes, her expression determined. “For all my life, I clung to the idea that people are basically good at heart. Even when they have done something obviously unkind or even evil, I convinced myself that it was against their own better nature, and that given time and opportunity, they would make better choices. That was, truthfully, a remarkably stupid view of the world.”
“Why stupid, Miss Bennet?” Bingley asked worriedly. “I believe my own outlook is similar. It is hardly kind or right to think poorly of others without cause. I will freely admit that my sister Caroline tends to assume the worst about everyone, and that is hardly an honorable perspective.”
“No, it is not honorable, but to assume that the world is full of kindly, generous people is ridiculous. I find myself in a most peculiar state of mind, sir. When Lizzy told me of all that had occurred last year, when you left without a word of farewell, and your sisters and Mr. Darcy actually plotted to keep you away from me, the scales fell from my eyes. I suddenly realized that many people are not merely misguided, but actually selfish and even cruel.”
“Miss Bennet,” Bingley said miserably, “I can only say, once again, how very sorry I am for my failure to listen to my heart instead of to those I thought were giving me wise counsel.”
She waved a slender hand impatiently. “I am not berating you, Mr. Bingley, I assure you. I understand and even sympathize with your perspective now; you feared that I would marry without love because of the entail. I believe we share, or shared, at any rate, a similarly optimistic view of your friend and relations, and you assumed, naturally enough, that their warnings were for your own benefit. Regrettably, your sister is a social climber who was focused solely on her own desires for advancement, and Mr. Darcy was led astray by his pride and arrogant presumption that he could understand my heart. A number of factors came together to result in a most painful experience for me.”
“Do you forgive me, then?” he asked expectantly.
“I do forgive you,” Jane assured him rather absently.
“Miss Bennet,” Bingley began, his eyes glowing with hope, “thank you. Do you think that perhaps you and I…”
He trailed off as she held up a restraining hand. “No, Mr. Bingley, please let me continue. I spoke of a pendulum; only a few short weeks ago, I believed that individuals were largely selfless and kind. Now, I look at everyone with suspicion and even cynicism. Intellectually, I know the truth is somewhere in the middle …”
“Near the bottom of the pendulum swing,” Bingley finished. “I understand.”
Jane shook her head mournfully. “I am glad, sir. I find myself feeling quite confused, in truth, about my own view of the world, of my future. I still feel the necessity of … of settling my heart before I can even consider entering any kind of romantic relationship. I daresay I sound demented in some ways, but…”
“Not at all,” Bingley interrupted, daringly reaching forward to touch the lady’s gloved hand. “In truth, I honor you greatly for seeking wisdom and clarity. I realize that I, too, have been prone to be overly optimistic about others.”
“There is a Scripture verse that has come to mind more than once of late,” Jane continued, her eyes focused absently on the rippling water of the nearby pond. “‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.’ Our Lord Christ himself said that there would be wolves among us, and we should be sensible of such things, but not cruel or vicious in our response.”
“That is very wise,” Bingley responded softly, and felt his heart expand, if possible, with even greater love for this beautiful woman.
***
“Do you believe there to be hope for my friend?” Darcy asked Elizabeth, gesturing at the couple who were sitting on the nearby bench.
Elizabeth glanced briefly at Jane’s serious face and then turned toward her own suitor.
“In truth, I do not know,” Elizabeth confessed. “My sister has always been such a gentle soul, and her more acerbic view of the world has taken me by surprise. Not that I am denigrating her; indeed, our conversations of late have been both fascinating and challenging. I can only trust that with time, the Lord will guide her to the right path; whether that includes Mr. Bingley or not, I cannot say.”
He nodded solemnly, and they started their second circle of the pond. It was not a large body of water, but it was supplied by a small stream and ringed by pleasant rushes, and was thus very attractive. Miss Elizabeth particularly appreciated a threesome of turtles who were sitting on a fallen log basking in the sun.
“Is there any hope for me?” he suddenly blurted out.
She halted in place and turned to look up at him, her cheeks blushing rosily. “Yes, Mr. Darcy, there is hope for you. I have quite come to the conclusion that you are one of the very best of men.”
He felt heat rush to his head and his heart began thumping wildly. “Miss Elizabeth…”
A shriek interrupted him, and the couple turned in surprise and alarm as Jane rushed suddenly to the water’s edge. “Elizabeth, oh Elizabeth, look! Goldfish!”
Elizabeth turned her gaze on the water and laughed openly in delight at the sight of several colorful fish swimming in the water nearer Jane. “You are quite right, my dear! I wonder how they got there?”
“I daresay one of my predecessors stocked the pond with them,” Bingley suggested jovially. “Are you fond of goldfish, Miss Bennet?”
“Oh, yes!” Jane exclaimed, looking happier than Elizabeth had seen her in some time. “Are they not wonderful? I understand they originally came from the Far East. Have you ever seen such glorious colors in a fish?”
In truth, Darcy had seen beautiful goldfish before, in bowls which decorated the drawing rooms and parlors of wealthy acquaintances. He was mourning the loss of opportunity with his love when Elizabeth turned to him and lifted a gloved hand to boldly grasp his own. “I hope we can continue our conversation soon, Mr. Darcy?”
He smiled joyfully and nodded. “Yes, Miss Elizabeth.”