Page 39 of Obligation and Redemption

“Pride is a very common failing, I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed; that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary.”

Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice

The Gardiners, who were the brother and sister-in-law of Elizabeth’s mother, arrived just before tea, having left their two youngest children at home, but brought the older boy and girl to witness the wedding of their favourite cousin.

The wedding was to be a simple affair with only Jane and Mr. Bingley as the attendants, but Elizabeth desired that her young cousin, Anna, a girl of six years precede her down the aisle as flower girl.

Considering that Mr. Darcy might disapprove of the daughter of a tradesman participating in their wedding, she chose not to tell him. He would learn soon enough.

Mr. Gardiner was Mrs. Bennet’s junior by ten years.

He was a handsome man, as was his sister, but added to his physical attractions were his keen intellect and amiable nature, as was unlike his sister.

All of these qualities combined to make him an astute and profitable businessman.

Due to his successes in the trading industry, he was able to provide his family, which included his nieces, opportunities to enjoy the cultural offerings in London.

His wife, née Margaret Eleanor Pennington, originated from the small town of Lambton in Derbyshire, a daughter of the local rector.

After her father’s death, her family had moved to town to live with her grandfather on her mother’s side.

She was admitted into a school for ladies, the same as Bingley’s sisters, and upon coming out, met her future husband at the theatre.

They had attended with mutual friends and during the same Season, became engaged.

Theirs was a love match, but advantageous to both, for he had already begun to amass a fine living, and she had the education, decorum and benevolence to support him in all of his endeavours.

Mrs. Gardiner held on to her youthful beauty and natural elegance.

Since Elizabeth and Jane had come out into society, they had each spent no less than three months per year in town visiting the Gardiners.

This arrangement was mutually beneficial, for the Bennet sisters had the opportunity of exposure to a family where decorum and kindness were in abundant supply.

The Gardiners received a reprieve from the pressures of rearing children and enjoyed the company of two thoughtful and intelligent young ladies.

Although Elizabeth longed to have time for a private audience with her aunt Gardiner, she found no opportunity during the course of the afternoon.

Elizabeth had hoped to gain insight as to her duties as a wife.

Her mother had not yet spoken of such matters, which although providing some relief from the woman’s vulgar commentaries, left Elizabeth in complete ignorance and apprehension as to the prospects on the occasion.

Elizabeth’s aunt knew her well and had planned on making time to explain what to expect on the wedding night and to provide some sense of solace for her innocent, yet inquisitive niece.

As it happened though, Mrs. Bennet, not usually in tune with others’ needs, monopolised all of Mrs. Gardiner’s time with talk of the wedding and the wedding breakfast.

Elizabeth and Jane each had taken exceptional care when preparing for the ball, but for different reasons.

The latter wished to inspire the attachment to which her heart had already been bound.

The former had determined that even if she were not handsome enough to tempt the illustrious Mr. Darcy, she would make a good showing nonetheless.

Perhaps after her obligatory dance with her fiancé, she would find other amiable partners who might overlook her deficiencies.

Elizabeth felt that she needed one final day to enjoy the felicity of being a carefree maiden.

She had been obliged to remain indoors that morning as her father forbade her from walking out alone for fear of the possibility of encountering the handsome Mr. Wickham.

She had seen him once before on one of her morning jaunts, and although she understood her father’s caution, she was despondent about the deprivation.

She had been unable to walk out on several mornings due to the heavy rain and had hoped to have one last opportunity to say goodbye to her favourite haunts that she knew quite as well as her own chamber at Longbourn.

Fortunately for Elizabeth, preparations for the ball took her mind off of her disappointments of the morning.

Elizabeth wore a white satin gown with a low, yet modest décolletage that was highlighted by small ivory coloured flowers made of silk, stretching across the squared neckline, and below the bosom, the green ribbon that she had recently purchased contrasted beautifully with the gown, while complementing her eyes.

The dress gathered in the back below the high waist with a grouping of similar silk flowers, but larger in size.

The sleeves were short with a slight puff, carrying the same theme as the rest of the gown.

The dress was overlaid with a sheer and shimmering netting, one of her recent additions to reform the ensemble.

Her white silk gloves reached to three inches below the edge of the sleeves.

Her hair was held in place by pins tipped with the same silk flowers that balanced exquisitely with her chestnut locks.

Her curls framed her face in the front with one long curl cascading down and across her right shoulder.

She felt uncommonly good-looking and considered that she might even surpass the elegance of the Bingley sisters.

Elizabeth gazed at her reflection in the looking glass and was pleased with what she saw.

Jane came up behind her, smiling, and said, “Lizzy, how lovely you are. Mr. Darcy cannot help but admire you.”

Laughing, Elizabeth replied, “Jane, I am afraid you may be overestimating my appeal, but please continue. I must not see myself through his eyes, but yours, as you, dear, were always my faithful admirer. Oh, Jane, what will I do without you to make me feel pretty?”

“What can you mean? Mr. Darcy is not so blinded by his pride not to notice his beautiful bride. You must not take his remarks as a personal affront to you. He is a man used to having his way. This must be difficult for him. Mr. Bingley says that he is master of his own estate in Derbyshire, but also has a home in Dover as well as the one in town. Mr. Darcy has hundreds of servants and tenants who answer to him and whose livelihoods depend upon him. Surely having no say in whom he will marry must come heavily for him. We must show him grace not anger, Lizzy. If you are to have a happy life, surely you see that you must exert kindness not judgement.”

“Sweet Jane. Leave it to you to find something charitable to say to soften my heart. For your sake, I will not assume that he will look down upon me. And whether he does or not, I will attempt to avoid censuring him based on his past assumptions against me.”

“I know you will. You have always been fair and willing to move past disagreements.”

“Jane, since when have we had disagreements? You are the most amiable person I know. If I had any troubles with you to overcome, I am sure I do not remember them.”

Jane smiled and hugged her. “You are the best of sisters, and I will miss you terribly.”

“Perhaps his friend will soon make you an offer, so that we might visit more often than otherwise. I fear that I will not be spending much time at Longbourn in the future. I doubt that I will be allowed to see my family at all.”

“Surely not! He is too honourable for that course. Mr. Bingley has spoken to me of his fairness and generosity to all under his care. He could not require his own wife to disown her family for his sake.”

“You must be right, Jane.” Elizabeth finished the conversation, not wanting to disagree with her sister, thereby causing each of them pain.

Jane could not think less than the very best of all of her fellow creatures, no matter the situation, and Elizabeth was not keen on disabusing her of the notion on this particular occasion.

The Bennets were required to travel by two trips to Netherfield, as there were too many people to fit in the carriage at one time.

They decided that Mr. Collins would go in the first group with Jane, Elizabeth, Mary and Kitty.

The carriage would then return for Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner and Lydia, who complained bitterly of the misfortune of arriving after the others.

The ball was to start earlier than the usual hour due to the early wedding the following day; however, due to the lateness in the year, it was full dark before they left Longbourn.

Mr. Collins somehow managed to sit next to Elizabeth on the rear-facing seat; Elizabeth thought it odd that a man engaged to one woman would choose to sit next to another when given an opportunity to do otherwise, but she soon forgot about it owing to her understanding that Mr. Collins would always be an oddity to her.

She sat across the carriage directly in front of Jane but could not see her.

Usually Mr. Collins would rattle on concerning whatever happened to enter his head, for if he were to think it, it must be news of some import.

However, on this evening he was rather silent.

The four others in the carriage were grateful, for although Mary was pleased with her fiancé, she did have her limits, and he had been unusually agitated since his unexpected arrival.