Page 8 of Mr Darcy’s Worth: Three Pride and Prejudice Variations

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley calling in Gracechurch Street was an event hard to believe even for Mr. Gardiner, who was a pragmatic man and not easily impressed.

“My dear Jane, I am so glad to see you happy,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “What a joy it has been to have Mr. Bingley here. He seemed to be everything we expected, and his admiration for you cannot be denied!”

“Oh…I am not sure about that, Aunt. But I was happy to see him. At least I know he was not aware of my being in London and was not avoiding me on purpose.”

“I never trusted Miss Bingley’s words, and her claim about Mr. Bingley being busy with Miss Darcy is as evil as it is ridiculous! Mr. Darcy seemed quite angry when I mentioned it.”

“It is no wonder. Miss Darcy is still very young and certainly not in search of a suitor,” Mrs. Gardiner added. “And Mr. Bingley’s interest seems to lie in one direction only!”

Jane blushed, smiled, and said nothing else.

“I hope Mr. Bingley will confront his sisters and rebuke them as they deserve. Which makes me admit that I was pleasantly surprised by Mr. Darcy’s willingness to reveal the truth to his friend.”

“Mr. Darcy has always been a loyal friend. Mr. Bingley has said that often,” Jane whispered.

“Speaking of that, I am still bewildered. To take tea with Lady Matlock and have Mr. Darcy calling at my house all in one week is something I would have never imagined,” Mrs. Gardiner said.

“I cannot even argue with you, my dear,” Mr. Gardiner said. “Even if Mr. Bingley informed you he would call, I did not expect Mr. Darcy.”

“Neither did I, my dear. What surprised me even more is that, while we all expected Mr. Bingley to be amiable, Mr. Darcy was the same, although Lizzy made us believe the opposite.”

“There is something distant and perhaps haughty in Mr. Darcy, especially compared to Mr. Bingley,” Mr. Gardiner added. “However, I agree that his behaviour was beyond reproach, even though he had no reason to be friendly with us.”

“Lizzy dear, I cannot imagine why Mr. Darcy made such a poor impression on you. Except that he refused to dance with you and that he disadvantaged your favourite, Mr. Wickham.”

Mrs. Gardiner’s irony touched Elizabeth, especially since she was equally puzzled by Mr. Darcy’s improved manners.

His behaviour was indeed beyond reproach; furthermore, he had apparently informed Mr. Bingley about Jane’s presence in town and had come to support him on his call, which could have only one purpose: a reconnection with Jane.

“I am as surprised as you, Aunt. I have never seen Mr. Darcy act as friendly as he did today.”

“You told Lady Matlock yesterday that you were more enemies than friends, Lizzy. And today, Mr. Darcy repeated your words — with apparent displeasure.”

“I said nothing but the truth, based on what I saw every time I was in Mr. Darcy’s company. He always looked at me to find fault. It made me most uncomfortable.”

“Well, something changed his mind.”

“Possibly, Aunt. However, as much as I appreciate his friendliness, it does not compensate for the cruelty he showed to his childhood friend Mr. Wickham, and it certainly does not justify his disregard of his father’s dying wish.”

“And may I ask how you know all this, Lizzy?” Mr. Gardiner enquired.

“Mr. Wickham related it to me. I told my aunt the entire story.”

“Do you have any other details, besides Mr. Wickham’s narration?”

“I do not, but it is enough for me. Mr. Darcy may defend himself if he wishes to!”

“Have you asked Mr. Darcy?” Mr. Gardiner continued, puzzling Elizabeth.

“Asked him? How could I do that? Mr. Darcy hardly spoke to me at all in Hertfordshire. There was no opportunity for me to discuss something so delicate with him.”

“How interesting. Then how did it happen that Mr. Wickham found the opportunity to reveal something so delicate and so personal to a stranger he had only just met? He knew nothing about your true character. Why would he confide such an intimate matter to you? Both I and your father find this story highly unlikely.”

Mr. Gardiner’s voice was light and his countenance relaxed, but his enquiries vexed Elizabeth. She had never taken the trouble to ask herself such questions, and being forced to answer them now made her feel uncomfortable.

“To me, the only important thing is Mr. Darcy’s behaviour towards me and my family,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “The Darcys are among the most illustrious families in Derbyshire, and I have never heard anything to question their honour.”

“And yet, Mr. Darcy left Mr. Wickham a living, which his son refused to give.”

“If there was a clear will, Mr. Darcy would have been obliged to follow it. So there must be something more behind this refusal,” Mr. Gardiner interjected.

“Besides,” Mrs. Gardner concluded, “if there was some misunderstanding between Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham, it is entirely their business and wholly unconnected to us. Unless you, Lizzy, have some particular interest in Mr. Wickham.”

“I have no other interest except compassion for a friend’s misfortunes.”

“I understand your reluctance in asking Mr. Darcy, Lizzy. I would not do it either. But there is something else I can do,” Mrs. Gardiner said.

“I may write to my cousin in Lambton and ask whether he knows anything about Mr. Wickham. He might know something of interest. In fact, I shall do that immediately.”

Elizabeth had no reason to oppose it. Her uncle and aunt’s arguments were common sense.

Indeed, she had trusted Mr. Wickham implicitly, from the first time they had spoken.

And he had treated her with a confidence that was not justified since he knew nothing of her.

She could well be a slanderer and betray the secret with no remorse.

As she reflected on this, Elizabeth realised that Mr. Wickham himself had ceased to keep the secret of his past dealings as soon as Mr. Darcy left Hertfordshire.

He had come to Longbourn and told his story, and half of Meryton as well as most of the officers were aware of it.

In the end, Elizabeth felt grateful for Mrs. Gardiner’s idea. Finding out some information from Lambton might be the missing link to proving whether she had misplaced her trust or not.

***

The day of Mr. Bingley’s visit seemed to bring Jane back to life, melting Elizabeth’s heart. It was not clear yet what had happened that had kept Mr. Bingley away from Jane for almost a month; however, during their reunion, his feelings were quite apparent.

Jane refused to admit more than a friendship with Mr. Bingley, but Elizabeth knew it was due to her fear that she might hope too much — as had happened before.

However, that changed the next day when they received an invitation for dinner from the gentleman.

Mrs. Gardiner read it out, and Jane seemed to forget to breathe as she listened.

“It says Mr. Darcy and Miss Darcy will attend, as well as Colonel Fitzwilliam. He did not mention anything about his sisters. He asked whether tomorrow would be convenient for us.”

“I believe so,” Mr. Gardiner responded. “Do you think the girls are feeling well enough to do without you for an entire evening?”

“I am sure they are. Neither has a fever any longer, and besides their governess, Janey and Thomas will be here all night. The children are as accustomed to them as they are to us. And they might enjoy it more because they are less likely to be disciplined.”

“Then it is settled. I shall write to Mr. Bingley and accept. I must say — since Lizzy and Jane arrived, there have been a succession of quite remarkable events,” Mr. Gardiner said.

“True, my dear. A few days ago, we were travelling down Grosvenor Street to catch a glimpse of Mr. Bingley’s house, and now we are invited to dine there. And with Mr. and Miss Darcy!”

“You anticipation is so amusing,” Elizabeth interjected. “I have never seen any of you so impressed by an invitation.”

“You may tease us as much as you want, Lizzy. We are not just impressed,” Mrs. Gardiner responded, “we are also delighted and pleased with how things seem to have progressed.”

Elizabeth could not argue with that. They had arrived in town with a heartbroken Jane, suffering from the loss and betrayal of the man to whom she had given her heart.

Just a few days later, there she was, blooming with happiness.

Whatever had led to such an outcome, she was grateful for it.

And apparently, if Mr. Darcy had played a part in Mr. Bingley’s separation from Jane, he had contributed to their reunion too.

After some intense preparation, the party from Gracechurch Street arrived at the Bingleys’ residence in the late afternoon and were warmly welcomed by their host.

Mr. Bingley came to the door to greet them, proving he expected them. In the drawing room were Mr. and Miss Darcy with another gentleman, as well as Miss Bingley and the Hursts. The introductions were performed, and Colonel Fitzwilliam immediately became a favourite due to his amiable manners.

His was a little older than Mr. Darcy and perhaps not so handsome, Elizabeth thought, but from his smile to his tone of voice, everything about him was likable.

“My mother has spoken so much about you since you met that I have looked forward to meeting you,” the colonel said. “This dinner is the perfect opportunity.”

The conversation developed easily, with the Bingley sisters contributing little to it. Mr. Darcy was not particularly vocal either — as usual — but he seemed to enjoy the company and interjected from time to time.

The meal was served; the table was large enough to accommodate the whole party but not so large as to limit conversation, so anyone could easily speak to everyone.

“So, Miss Elizabeth, I understand you were the one who suggested the walk that took you in front of my mother’s coach,” the colonel said. “I am not sure I know many young ladies who favour walking over the comfort of a carriage.”