Page 8 of Mission to Meryton (Pride and Prejudice Variation #25)
“What do you think of Mr. Bingley now, Jane?” Elizabeth asked later that evening. The two eldest Bennet girls had helped one another out of their finery and were now resting in Jane’s bed, their bodies pleasantly weary after a vigorous evening of dancing and conversation.
Jane pulled her blanket more tightly around her and gazed out of the window. The dark fabric of sky seemed almost close enough to touch, with the twinkling stars cast across it like a host of fireflies.
“I like him very much, Lizzy,” she admitted. “He seems a genuine person. He is kind and unassuming and not ... not overly clever, which is welcome since I am not very clever either.”
Elizabeth lifted herself up on one arm and scowled ferociously at her favorite sister, “What are you speaking of, Jane? You are very clever!”
“No, I am not, not like you and Father, at any rate. You need not to be distressed; I am aware of my intellectual limitations and have accepted them.”
Elizabeth shook her head in bewilderment, “I confess to being thoroughly confused. I learn some things more quickly than you, but you have a remarkable ability with languages, after all. You know far more French than any of us!”
Jane shrugged, “Mr. Brisbane always said that learning languages was not particularly difficult.”
Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open briefly and then she leaned over with a hiss of outrage, “Mr. Brisbane? Did he tell you that you were ...”
“Ignorant? Stupid?” Jane asked with a pained smile. “Yes, but I am, Elizabeth, compared to him. He won prizes at Cambridge, you know.”
Elizabeth stared in horror. “You are saying that Mr. Brisbane, who asked for your hand in marriage, insulted your ability to think? To reason? That is dreadful!”
Jane sighed and said, “Father has said more than once that all of us are silly, uninformed girls, save you, that is. He does not think much of Mother’s intellectual abilities either, though he certainly respects her way with tulips.”
Her sister bit her lip and took a series of deep breaths to calm herself before answering, “I love Father, but he should never say such things, nor should you even think of marrying a man who would denigrate your abilities. Not all of us are called to be academics, and the ability to grow tulips is, practically speaking, of far more use than reading Greek.”
Jane looked down at her interlaced fingers.
“Perhaps you are right, Lizzy. It is striking how differently Mr. Bingley interacts with me than Mr. Brisbane. I suppose I thought my former suitor’s manners were normal; he praised my beauty, but had little positive to say of my mind.
Mr. Bingley and I enjoy many of the same things, and he is so courteous and kindly in his speech. ”
“The more I hear about Mr. Brisbane, the more thankful I am that he married that tiresome daughter of his tutor. You are far better off without him. As for Mr. Bingley, he is a fine gentleman, and I am certain there are many other decent men in London. We will meet many of them when we have our Season next spring.”
Jane hesitated, and then looked directly into her sister’s eyes, “I do not wish to have a Season, Elizabeth.”
“My dear! Why on earth not? I know you needed some time to recover from your failed engagement, but I thought you were ready.”
“Ready for what, Lizzy? I do not like large crowds of new people, nor do I trust my ability to differentiate the pearls from the swine. What does one know of another person when one meets him only on the dance floor? I fear with my outward beauty and substantial dowry, I will fall prey to another louse of a man. I would rather be single all my life than to be unhappily married.”
Elizabeth nodded gravely. “I see.”
“I am afraid to tell Mother,” Jane continued worriedly. “She has schemed and saved and plotted, and I know she thinks I will make a fabulous marriage but ...”
“You are not required to have a Season, Jane.”
“If I stay here at Longbourn, will you go to London yourself? I would quite despise myself if I caused you to limit yourself in any way, my bright and happy sister.”
“I am quite capable of having a Season on my own, I assure you. But come, do not worry about it now. Perhaps Mr. Bingley is indeed the man for you. And if not, there is no great sorrow in being a wealthy single woman; as you said, far better that than an unhappily married one. I did want to speak to you of something else, unless you need to sleep immediately.”
“No, go ahead, please.”
“Charlotte Lucas said something which concerns me; she suggested that Lydia’s poor behavior may stem from a lack of attention.
I am Father’s favorite, and you and Mary are Mother’s.
Kitty has her art, but Lydia has no particular hobbies save dressmaking, which is not considered a proper diversion for a gentlewoman. ”
Jane’s beautiful lips parted in concern, “Oh Elizabeth, I fear Charlotte is quite right! Poor Lydia.”
“Poor Lydia indeed. We must work together to encourage her, do you not think?”
“Indeed we must.”
/
“Darcy?”
Darcy looked up from the report he was writing and turned the papers over quickly, placing a paperweight on it for additional stability, “Yes, Bingley?”
Bingley walked further into Darcy’s private sitting room, closed the door behind him, and began pacing nervously. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes?”
Bingley took another turn before halting to gaze at his friend. “I find myself greatly drawn to Miss Bennet.”
Darcy stared up into his friend’s face in surprise. “Miss Jane Bennet?”
“Yes, Miss Jane Bennet. I trust I have not shown particular interest in any of the other Bennet daughters!”
Darcy groaned softly and massaged the bridge of his nose with two strong fingers. “Bingley ...”
“I know what you wish to say, but I believe Miss Bennet to be different from all the rest!”
“In what way? She is blonde with blue eyes and exceptionally handsome. How is that in any way dissimilar from Miss Anna Price, and the Widow Thompson, not to mention Miss Emma ...?”
“I know,” Bingley interrupted. “I realize that I am drawn to beautiful women with those particular attributes, but I am convinced that Miss Bennet’s character is entirely different from those other women.”
“How is she different?” Darcy demanded skeptically.
Bingley gazed into the fire, which was pleasantly hissing and crackling, and a soft smile lit up his genial features, “Miss Bennet is so ... so genuine, Darcy, she truly is! I have interacted with many a young lady in London, as you well know. A small number of them openly disdain me because of my ties to trade. Many more are attracted to me, not by my character or person, but by my wealth. Those ladies, in one way or another, all seek to impress me. They always speak of their fine homes, or their fathers’ extensive estates, or their accomplishments – especially of their accomplishments!
Most seek to subtly denigrate those around them in one way or another. ”
“Like Miss Bingley,” Darcy blurted out, and then looked horrified. Had he truly said that aloud?
Bingley looked briefly startled before agreeing, “Yes, very much like Caroline. Miss Bennet is, you must admit, one of the most handsome women you have ever beheld, but she is never critical of those around her, never seeks to make herself seem better than others.”
“Perhaps that is because Miss Bennet is not, in fact, accomplished in the least,” Darcy pointed out drily.
“And what if she is not?” Bingley demanded irritably, throwing himself haphazardly onto a chair across from his friend.
“I truly do not care if a woman can play the harp or draw or speak French – though in truth, I believe Miss Bennet does speak some French. When I marry, I wish to wed a kind woman who will be a companion to me and a loving mother to our children.”
Darcy shook his head in disapproval, “I would argue that you should seek more in the way of societal connections in the woman you marry, Bingley, but setting all that aside, I have observed no sign that Miss Bennet holds any particular regard toward you. You are, to use a vulgar term, quite a ‘catch’ with your wealth and handsome person. I would dislike seeing you marry a fortune hunter.”
“So would I,” Bingley agreed, suddenly sitting up, “and thus I beg that you will once again work your magic. Speak to Miss Bennet, dance with her at the upcoming ball here at Netherfield, and we will see if she quickly turns her attention on you. Miss Price and the Widow Thompson both abandoned all interest in me once they had the faintest hope of capturing the great Darcy of Pemberley.”
Darcy tapped his lips with one finger and nodded reluctantly. “Very well, Bingley, but I will not, of course, allow Miss Bennet to have any expectations of receiving an offer.”
His friend rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Of course not, Darcy. I would not wish you to harm the lady in any way. Merely be friendly, which I know you are capable of if you put your mind to it.”
“In truth, I can only do it by pretending that I am acting a part,” Darcy admitted. “It does not come naturally to me.”
“That makes me all the more grateful, then. I do appreciate your assistance. I believe that Miss Bennet will retain her interest in me and if not, if she is truly interested only in my wealth, the sooner I discover that, the better.”
/
“The estate system has a long and illustrious history here in England,” Darcy declared to his table companion.
“The master of an estate provides guidance and assistance and oversight, which enables the tenants to thrive in times of plenty and survive in times of difficulty. For example, two years ago, one of the tenant homes at Pemberley was devastated by fire. Whitley, the tenant, was injured in the fire rescuing his youngest son. Without assistance from Pemberley and the neighboring tenants, the family would have been destitute. As it was, the clan was able to move into the home of an elderly widower without children, and Whitley healed sufficiently to resume his farming duties after the house was rebuilt at Pemberley expense.”
Elizabeth Bennet nodded vigorously. “Yes, Mr. Darcy, but it is obvious that you are a diligent master. You know that some masters are not devoted to their estates, but instead seek to wrest every penny from the soil to use for their own spendthrift purposes. Such men do not pay for the drainage of fields, nor improve the cottages of the tenants, nor implement the latest agricultural methods. The tenants of those estates often suffer greatly due to the indolence of their master and have little recourse.”
“That is true enough,” Darcy admitted, his eyes fixed on Miss Elizabeth’s passionate countenance, “and I agree it is a travesty. Of course, there are times when it is not the fault of the owner of the estate; sadly, on occasion, the debts of the father are passed on to the son to the distress of all.”
“Yes, and I blame the entail system for that. Longbourn is itself entailed to a male heir and thus will go to a distant cousin, who will, at least, not inherit a pile of debts when he takes control. Only five years ago, a small estate north of Longbourn was cut up and sold off in its entirety when the entail finally reached an end. It would have been far better for Mr. Galpin if his father had been able to sell off a couple tracts of land to pay his debts, but he was prevented by the entail. By the time Mr. Galpin inherited and broke the entail, the debts and concomitant interest required that everything be sold. It was a blessing to our family as my father was able to purchase two additional fields along Longbourn’s northern border, but the Galpins have lost their ancestral home. ”
Darcy was amazed. “I confess to surprise that you are so well versed in such matters.”
The girl lifted her chin, her expression defiant, “My father was not blessed with sons, and thus his daughters have chosen to involve themselves in assisting with the estate, and especially in caring for the tenants. I daresay it is not a usual accomplishment for ladies, but it is far more useful to the farming families themselves than that we be experts on playing the harp or in painting in watercolors.”
“I mean no disrespect,” Darcy assured her, a smile gracing his usually austere features. “I believe it is to the benefit of every estate for the mistress and her daughters to concern themselves with the financial concerns which greatly affect all those under their care.”
Elizabeth nodded, mollified. “I entirely agree, Mr. Darcy.”
She broke eye contact with him as the discussion to her left came to a natural end, and turned to engage Georgiana in dialogue.
“Miss Darcy,” she said cheerfully. “I understand from Mr. Darcy that you are most accomplished on the pianoforte. Do you enjoy playing Beethoven or Mozart more?”
Darcy listened to the ensuing conversation for a minute and then relaxed.
Once again, Miss Elizabeth Bennet was proving a most adept conversational partner for his shy sister.
With a deep sigh, he turned toward Miss Bennet, who had been chatting happily with Mr. Bingley since the beginning of dinner.
He truly did not understand Bingley’s fascination with the young woman, who, while beautiful, seemed dull compared to Miss Elizabeth, but he had promised his friend that he would help.
Indeed, it would no doubt take but a few minutes to show Bingley that Miss Bennet was all too ready to transfer her attention to the master of Pemberley.
“Miss Bennet, I understand that you speak French?” he asked.