Page 29 of Moments Frozen in Time (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

ELIZABETH

T he next days passed in a blur. Jane joined the company that evening after dinner, appearing much better than she had in days.

I was pleased to see her spend most of the evening with Mr. Bingley, but I was disappointed that I was unable to speak very much to Mr. Darcy.

Miss Bingley was pointed in her attempts to keep the two of us apart, and whilst I could see frustration in Mr. Darcy’s eyes, neither of us wished to be openly rude towards our hostess.

We did not depart Netherfield until Sunday morning. Jane was not well enough to attend services, or, at least, we judged it best for her not to be in such a large company so soon after her illness. Instead, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy escorted us home after the services.

Mr. Darcy attempted to speak to Papa privately but was unable to broach the subject of our courtship. Papa had barely tolerated the introductions, and when Mr. Darcy requested a moment alone with him, he refused—insisting there was nothing between them that warranted a private conversation.

I found myself rather vexed with my father and sought him out later that afternoon for a word after our guests had departed .

“Papa, why did you refuse to meet with Mr. Darcy today?” I asked, my tone likely sharper than it ought to be.

He waved a dismissive hand. “What does it matter, Lizzy? Your mother insists that Mr. Darcy shows you some attention, but whilst she is determined to see all her daughters married, even she must admit that he is far above our station. Miss Bingley, she says, has hinted that an engagement between her and Mr. Darcy will soon be announced, perhaps as soon as this ball that has been mentioned.”

For a moment, I could only stare at him.

That Miss Bingley had made such a claim to me directly was troubling enough—but that she had also spoken so to my mother, a known gossip, was almost beyond belief.

I could have dismissed her earlier words as those of a jealous woman, but confiding them to Mama suggested a far more calculated scheme.

It seemed a deliberate attempt to trap Mr. Darcy, and I knew I would need to speak to him about it on the morrow.

“Mr. Darcy will not marry Miss Bingley,” I said firmly. “We have?—”

But my father cut me off with another dismissive wave. “He may have shown you some attention, Lizzy, but he is as good as engaged to Miss Bingley. You are young still. Consider this your first brush with disappointment in love. You will recover from it soon enough.”

Papa returned to his book, a clear dismissal. I made my way out of his study and went upstairs to my room to think.

More out of habit than anything else, I changed into an older gown, one that I did not mind getting muddy. That done, I returned downstairs, heading out of doors, only to be met by Lydia.

“Are you going for a walk?” she asked me. At my nod, she asked to accompany me. None of my sisters typically cared to walk the field like I did, but I nodded again to indicate my agreement to her request.

For several moments, neither of us spoke. Finally, it was Lydia who broke the silence. “Did you know that Miss Bingley called on Mama a few days ago, the day after we visited Netherfield? ”

I turned to look at my sister in surprise. “No, I did not know of her visit,” I said.

“We were all in the drawing room when she was announced. It was just her, not her sister, and after a few minutes, she asked if she might speak with Mama alone,” Lydia began, and I turned to gape at her.

“Yes, I was surprised at such a request as well,” Lydia continued. “Mama sent us all out of the room, but instead of going upstairs with Mary and Kitty, I went into the music room. I knew the door was open a little, so I stood at the doorway and listened to their conversation.”

I knew I ought to scold Lydia for eavesdropping, but I was also eager to hear what had been said.

Miss Bingley had never concealed her disdain for our family and had gone out of her way to avoid visiting Longbourn until now.

If she was indeed spreading rumours about her connexion to Mr. Darcy, I needed to know what she was saying—and what she might be planning—so I could help stop her from getting her way.

Lydia wasted no time in sharing what she had overheard.

In addition to “accidentally” revealing the so-called “secret understanding” between herself and Mr. Darcy, Miss Bingley had spoken at length about her own brother’s supposed inconstancy towards women.

This had clearly shocked Mama—until Miss Bingley proposed that the situation might, in fact, be turned to mutual advantage.

“She told Mama that Mr. Darcy was only trifling with you,” Lydia reported, clearly relishing the scandal, “and that your continued presence in the neighbourhood was proving a distraction to him. Miss Bingley claimed that the understanding between her and Mr. Darcy was widely known in town and that any disruption caused by you would damage both the Darcy and Bingley reputations within the ton . Then she promised that, if Mama would help prevent your relationship with Mr. Darcy from progressing, she would see to it that her brother married Jane. ”

Shifting where she stood, her usual smugness noticeably absent, Lydia continued her tale.

“Naturally, Mama agreed,” she said, her voice quieter than before.

“She said it was far better to secure a rich husband for Jane than to gamble on your friendship with Mr. Darcy—especially if it might end in disaster for us all. Jane is more deserving after all, she said.”

For several moments, I could not speak. My breath caught in my throat, and my mind reeled—caught somewhere between disbelief and fury. My thoughts collided and jumbled together so quickly that I could scarcely think coherently, let alone respond. My hands clenched at my sides of their own accord.

The audacity—no, the sheer gall—of Miss Bingley to make such claims!

To speak of a “secret understanding” with Mr. Darcy when any fool could see he barely tolerated her presence was ludicrous.

Mr. Darcy would no more have a secret understanding with Miss Bingley than he would with anyone, and why would it need to be a secret when he was residing with her family?

And worse, to propose such a bargain to my mother—offering Jane’s security in exchange for my removal from his path—was beyond outrageous.

It was deceitful. It was manipulative. It was vile.

Turning from Lydia, I began to pace, my skirts swishing in sharp bursts with every step.

My hands curled into fists at my sides, the nails biting into my palms as I fought to keep my voice steady.

The anger was not for my sister but for my mother and Miss Bingley, who could so heartlessly bargain away my future.

“So—that is her plan,” I said, the words tasting bitter, almost choking me.

“She cannot win his affection honestly, so she spins her lies and sends others to do her bidding. And Mama—Mama listened! She would sacrifice me as though my heart, my dignity, were nothing more than a pawn in her scheme to marry us off and save herself from ruin.”

Whirling back towards Lydia, I fixed her with a gaze that trembled more from fury than from fear.

“To claim that Mr. Darcy is merely toying with me and that I should be grateful to step aside for Jane’s sake?

As if my feelings mattered nothing? As if my happiness could be traded away like so much coin? ”

A short, bitter laugh escaped, brittle and without the faintest trace of mirth. “Yes, I want Jane to be happy. But she would never accept happiness bought at such a price. She is too good, too gentle, to condone this treachery. She would be horrified to know of it.”

My voice dropped to a murmur, but the anger in it remained. “And Mr. Darcy… he must know. He deserves to know what lies are being spoken in his name and what schemes are being plotted behind his back—he must be warned.”

I stopped my pacing and pressed a hand to my forehead, trying to quell the heat that surged through me. “I will not allow them to manipulate my life—or his—this way.”

“What will you do?” Lydia asked quietly.

“I do not know for certain,” I replied. “First, I must speak to Mr. Darcy. Lydia…” I paused, uncertain whether I ought to confess my secret to my youngest sister. “Can you keep a secret?”

Lydia stared at me, her mouth open in surprise. “You would confide in me?”

“I am uncertain,” I admitted. “Can I trust you to mention it to no one until the time is right?”

For a moment, Lydia did not speak, but slowly, she nodded her agreement. “I promise, Lizzy; whatever you tell me, I will tell to no one unless you give me your permission.”

I nodded and hesitated only a moment longer before I responded.

“Mr. Darcy asked to court me whilst I was at Netherfield. He wished to speak to Papa today, but Papa would not listen to him since he believes what Mama said about Mr. Darcy being engaged to Miss Bingley. Mr. Darcy has requested two sets from me at the ball at Netherfield, the first and the supper. Such a display ought to be enough to contradict any rumours Miss Bingley has started, and surely my friends in the neighbourhood would begin to question any rumours begun by Miss Bingley if he dances with me as he intends.”

“But what if Mama is successful in having you sent away before then?” Lydia asked.

Drawing in a deep breath, I considered these words.

“Lydia, if I, for whatever reason, am unable to attend the ball, you must speak to Mr. Darcy and inform him that it was not my choice. In fact, if I am unable to attend the ball, I would ask that you and my sisters dance those sets with Mr. Darcy in my place.”

I began to pace again. “I will need to make plans for several different scenarios. Amongst other things, I will write a letter for you to give to Mr. Darcy, explaining all of this in case I am forced to depart before I am able to speak to him in person.”