Page 20 of Mr. Darcy and the Mysterious “Miss B”

Elizabeth

E lizabeth had finished her morning chocolate when the commotion in the hallway announced the arrival of visitors. The familiar sound of her mother’s voice, raised in animated conversation with Mrs Gardiner, sent her heart racing.

She had written to her mother days ago, asking her to find a reason to delay Jane’s answer to James Morton which she had done.

In her reply, she had informed Elizabeth that she had met James Morton and told him Jane had caught a dreadful cold.

He had not been pleased, but left without bothering Jane.

She had also announced her imminent arrival at the Gardiners.

Given Elizabeth had only received the letter the day before, this was rather more imminent that she’d assumed.

“Lizzy!” Mrs Bennet swept into the sitting room, Jane following behind with her usual grace.

Elizabeth hugged them both but her mother hardly gave her a chance to ask Jane how she fared.

“My dear girl, your letter was most alarming. What is this about delaying Mr Morton? It has been done but you did not say why I had to delay him again.”

“In a moment,” Elizabeth said and embraced her sister, noting the shadows beneath Jane’s eyes and the pallor that had become her constant companion since Mr Bingley’s departure from Netherfield.

“Jane. How do you fare?”

“Well enough,” Jane replied, though her voice lacked conviction. “Lizzy, your letter was quite mysterious. What has changed?”

“Sit, both of you.” Elizabeth gestured to the sofa. “I have much to explain.”

Mrs Bennet settled herself with obvious anxiety, whilst Jane perched on the edge of her seat like someone expecting unpleasant news.

“Now then,” Mrs Bennet began, “what is this business about delaying James?”

Elizabeth took a steadying breath. “There has been a development. A rather extraordinary one.”

She began with the scandal sheets—Mr Darcy’s predicament, Caroline Bingley’s inspired decision to take advantage of the situation, the mounting pressure from his family. Both women listened with growing amazement as Elizabeth explained how desperate Darcy’s situation had become.

“Good gracious,” Mrs Bennet breathed. “The poor man, caught in such a snare. Though I must say, Miss Bingley shows cunning.”

“Indeed. Which brings me to my news.” Elizabeth paused, gathering her courage. “I have offered to help Mr Darcy escape his predicament.”

“How very charitable of you, dear. But what can you possibly do?”

“I have agreed to become engaged to him.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Jane’s face went white as paper, whilst Mrs Bennet’s mouth opened and closed like a fish.

“Engaged?” Jane whispered. “Lizzy, you cannot mean—”

“A false engagement,” Elizabeth said. “Temporary. A business arrangement to serve both our families.”

Mrs Bennet found her voice at last. “False? My dear girl, what on earth are you talking about?”

Elizabeth explained the entire scheme—how she would claim to be the mysterious Miss B, how their courtship would seem natural given their acquaintance at Netherfield, how Mr Darcy would pay off Longbourn’s debts in exchange for her cooperation.

When she finished, the room fell silent again.

“Lizzy,” Jane said at last, her voice shaking. “You cannot do this. The risks are too great. If you are discovered—”

“I will not be discovered,” Elizabeth said. “And Jane, this means you need not marry James Morton. You will be free to choose your own path.”

Mrs Bennet, who had been staring at Elizabeth as though she had sprouted a second head, suddenly leaped to her feet.

“Free to choose? My dear, brilliant girl!” She clapped her hands together. “This is magnificent! Absolutely magnificent!”

“Mama!” Jane looked shocked. “You cannot approve of such deception. Lizzy could be ruined.”

“Deception? My dear Jane, this is strategy. Elizabeth has found a way to save you from an unwanted marriage whilst securing herself the finest gentleman in England.” Mrs Bennet’s eyes gleamed with possibility. “Ten thousand a year! And such connections!”

“It is temporary,” Elizabeth said. “A few months at most, then we shall discover we do not suit.”

Mrs Bennet waved a dismissive hand. “Pish! Mark my words, this pretence will become reality before the summer is out. You will be thrown into Mr Darcy’s company for months, attending parties together, playing at courtship…

” she turned to Jane with triumph. “And you, my dear, will be free to marry Mr Bingley!”

Jane’s face crumpled. “Mr Bingley wants nothing to do with me, Mama. He left Netherfield believing me to me interested only in his money. He will have no interest in seeing me.”

“Ah, but that is where you are wrong,” Elizabeth said, her spirits lifting. “Mr Darcy has agreed to speak with Mr Bingley, to convince him that his concerns about your feelings were unfounded. That you adored him as much as he did you.”

“But what if he has moved on? Found another?”

“He has not,” Elizabeth said. “Lydia and Georgiana have renewed their friendship and she has spent time with her. Georgiana reports that Mr Bingley is utterly miserable.”

Jane frowned. “How does Georgiana know?”

“The Bingleys and Hursts are staying at Darcy House due to an unfortunate fire at their home. So, Georgiana sees Mr Bingley daily and assures Lydia he is quite miserable and speaks of you at times. You see? There is hope.”

“Hope indeed!” Mrs Bennet exclaimed.

“But if Mr Bingley believed it…” Jane’s voice broke. “If he thought I cared nothing for him…”

“Then Mr Darcy will convince him otherwise,” Elizabeth said with more confidence than she felt. “He owes you that much.”

Mrs Bennet, who had been watching this exchange with growing excitement, bounced in her seat. “Oh, this is even better than I hoped! Both my eldest daughters settled with the finest gentlemen in the county!”

“Mama,” Elizabeth said sharply, “you must understand—this engagement is false. I have no intention of actually marrying Mr Darcy.”

“Of course you don’t, dear,” Mrs Bennet said in a tone that suggested she believed nothing of the sort. “But consider what you gain even if it remains pretence. You will move in the highest circles, meet the most eligible gentlemen, establish connections that could benefit you for life.”

“I do not need connections. I need to save Jane from James Morton.”

“And you shall! But Lizzy, truly—you could not do better than Mr Darcy. Such a fine estate, such a noble bearing…”

“I would never marry him,” Elizabeth said flatly. “We do not suit in the slightest.”

Mrs Bennet smiled knowingly but said nothing more.

A knock at the door interrupted them. Mrs Gardiner appeared in the doorway, her face gave nothing away.

“Forgive the interruption, but Mr Morton has called. Shall I show him in?”

Queasiness swept over her. “Yes. It is time we spoke with him.”

“Uncle Morton is here?” Jane asked.

“Yes, I asked him to come because I wanted to discuss with him what I planned. He must expect a visit from Mr Darcy and he cannot be caught off guard. But now that you are both here, I would like us to speak to him together. I had hoped to convince him James is not who he sees.”

“Ah, Uncle Morton is an amiable man but gullible. He will not listen,” Mrs Bennet said.

“Then we must make him listen,” Elizabeth insisted. Before either could protest, Mrs Gardiner escorted him into the room.

Uncle Morton entered with his usual gentle manner, though Elizabeth thought he looked more frail than usual. His kind eyes moved from face to face, taking in the assembled ladies with obvious confusion.

Mr Morton entered with his usual gentle manner, though Elizabeth thought he looked more frail than usual. His kind eyes moved from face to face, taking in the assembled ladies with obvious confusion.

“My dear Mrs Bennet, Jane, Elizabeth. I confess myself surprised to find you all here.” He settled himself with obvious relief. “Elizabeth, your letter was most urgent. What has happened?”

Elizabeth heard her own pulse in her ear. “Uncle Morton, I asked you to come because there has been a development. A possible solution to Longbourn’s difficulties that does not require Jane to marry James.”

Mr Morton’s eyebrows rose. “Another solution? My dear, what do you mean?”

“I mean that Jane need not sacrifice herself for our family’s debts. There may be another way.”

“I see.” Mr Morton looked puzzled. “Does this mean you do not wish to marry James?”

The question hung in the air like a sword. Jane lifted her chin with quiet dignity.

“I never wanted to marry him, Uncle Morton. Never.”

Mr Morton looked genuinely shocked. “But my dear, I thought… that is, James led me to believe you were amenable to the match. He said you understood the necessity, that you welcomed the connexion… And it would be such a lovely way to unite the family and the entailment…”

“James told you what served his purposes,” Mrs Bennet said with uncharacteristic sharpness.

“I beg your pardon?”

Elizabeth leaned forward. “Uncle Morton, we must tell you some things about James that you may not wish to hear. But you deserve to know the truth.”

“What sort of truth?”

“James has not been honest with you about many things,” Jane said.

Mr Morton’s face grew troubled. “I do not understand. James is my heir, my only family. Surely you do not mean to suggest—”

“Do you remember,” Elizabeth interrupted, “when you were ill last winter? How James convinced you to change your will to leave him a larger portion of your estate?”

“Well, yes, but that was sensible. He is my heir, after all.”

“And do you remember what he told you to convince you? That our family was plotting to take advantage of your illness to secure a larger inheritance for ourselves?”

Mr Morton’s face went very still. “He said… he said he had heard troubling rumours. That he felt duty-bound to warn me. Of course, those rumours turned out to be false, as I discovered as soon as I made inquiries after my recovery.”

“There were no rumours, Uncle,” Mrs Bennet said. “James created that story to secure his own position whilst making us appear grasping.”

Mr Morton looked stricken. “Surely you exaggerate. James would not… he is family.”

“As are we,” Mrs Bennet said. “Yet which family does James choose to protect? He could loan us the money to pay off our debts with an understanding it will all be paid back. But he does not want to do that, of course. He would rather worm his way into Jane’s life and take Longbourn anyhow.”

“He felt it was not practical for him to make such a loan.”

“But when it came to marrying Jane, suddenly it was practical?” Elizabeth prodded.

Mr Morton sat in growing silence, his face aging with each revelation.

“I see,” he said at last. “I suppose… I suppose I have always known James was not quite what I wished him to be. But he is my only family. My only heir.”

“That is not true,” Mrs Bennet said. “We are your family, Uncle. We have always been your family.”

“You are kind to say so, my dear.”

“It is not empty words, Uncle,” Jane said. “We love you. Papa loved you. But the truth is, often James would come between us with his words and actions. It is not right. It is not right that he should manipulate you in such a way.”

The old man sat, lips pressed together. “I know it. In my heart of hearts, I knew it would not be what Thomas wanted, this marriage between you and James. But I wanted…I wanted…” His words trailed off and Elizabeth took his old, weathered hand in hers while Jane did the same.

“You meant well,” Mrs Bennet said.

“I did. I wish I had the funds myself but you said… there is another matter? Another resolution?”

“There is,” Elizabeth said. She explained her arrangement with Mr Darcy, emphasising the mutual benefit rather than the deception involved.

Mr Morton listened with growing amazement. “A temporary engagement? To save both families from unwanted matches?”

“Yes.”

“And Mr Darcy is willing to settle Longbourn’s debts as part of this arrangement?”

“He is.”

Mr Morton was quiet for a long moment, studying Elizabeth’s face with uncomfortable intensity. “My dear, are you quite certain you understand what you are undertaking? Deception on such a scale if discovered…”

“It will not be discovered,” Elizabeth said. “A courtship between us would surprise no one since we have a prior connection. Besides. I am Miss B.”

“And when the engagement ends? How will you find another husband with such a broken engagement?”

“It shall be quite alright. Do not fret, Uncle. In due course, society will move on. They are only interested anyhow because Mr Darcy has connections to the nobility.”

Mr Morton nodded. “It is irregular. Most irregular indeed. But if it saves Jane from an unwanted marriage…” he paused, then smiled suddenly. “I confess myself rather impressed by your audacity, my dear.”

“Then you will support the arrangement?”

“I will support whatever keeps this family together and happy,” Mr Morton said. “Now then, when do I meet this Mr Darcy properly? I suspect he and I have much to discuss.”

Elizabeth sighed with relief. “He will call on you tomorrow. I told him I would meet you today so you would be prepared.”

“Very well. I shall see your young man and if we come to an agreement, I will speak to James when he returns. He ought to be in Brighton for a little while.”

“Will he be very upset?” Jane asked.

“I assume he shall be. But I do not want to see you unhappy, Jane. But pray, are you not worried about finding a husband for yourself?” he asked. Jane looked at Elizabeth who beamed.

“Uncle, there is so much more to tell you. Will you not take tea with us?”

And with that, Elizabeth called for a maid to bring a pot of tea, for there was much, much more that needed to be addressed.