Page 37 of The Countess and Her Sister

Mr. Bingley was perfectly capable of putting Jane at ease, whispering her assurances that once the respectable period for a call had been satisfied, he would inform Bennets that he and his guests had other plans to attend to.

Elizabeth watched with relief and gratification as he worked his charm on Jane’s anxious disposition.

When Mr. Darcy appeared satisfied to leave his sister Georgiana with Mary, he approached Elizabeth.“You are concealing your displeasure very well, Lizzy, but I would be happy to escort you to the garden if you would like to vent your wrath on a few shrubberies; Mr. Bingley need never know.”

Elizabeth laughed as she gazed up at him with a look of such adoration as surprised them both. “I should rather like that, Mr. Darcy, but I cannot leave Jane alone with that woman.”

Mr. Darcy nodded. “Your sister Mary might prove a fine friend for Georgiana.”

“I am glad you think so – thank you,” Elizabeth said, letting out a heavy breath.

She had not realized just how she required some affirmation from him, for since coming out at fifteen she had been used to Mrs. Bennet’s efficacy in driving away her suitors.

“My sister and I hope that we might do something for the girls without having any dealings with Mrs. Bennet. My aunt told me that she shared our history with you.”

His jaw clenched. “If they had come to Pemberley, I would not have received her, Lizzy.”

Elizabeth let out a happy hum at her name spoken in his delicious voice; she could hear the way he enjoyed using the appellation. “I cannot fault Mr. Bingley for hesitating to make a scene by turning them away. I must apologize for her impudent questions, sir.”

He took her hand in his, eliciting a malicious glare from Miss Bingley across the room. “There is nothing Mrs. Bennet could say to me that would alter my regard for you, Elizabeth, nor my respect for your sister. Bingley’s affections are equally unshakeable, I believe.”

Elizabeth was moved by his reassurance, which was put to the test ere long.

Mrs. Bennet came to speak with Elizabeth, giving Mr. Darcy a simpering smile.

“You must not keep Mr. Darcy all to yourself, Lizzy, when you have not greeted your own mother! Forgive my daughter’s impertinence, sir – my Jane is too gentle and obliging to correct her.

Jane was always so admired in Meryton, for she was so lovely, then!

And now – well, she is a very grand countess, and has a fine son, though it is a pity he is not here, for I long to see him!

Jane, come here, my child! Come and speak with Mr. Darcy – I suppose you shall see Pemberley while you are in the country?

My sister Gardiner has spoken of the place before – I understand it is grander even than Matlock! ”

Jane furrowed her brow and frowned at Mrs. Bennet, not moving from Mr. Bingley’s side. Mrs. Bennet linked her arm through Mr. Darcy’s and dragged him toward Jane, and Elizabeth pursued them.

“It is fortunate you have brought your fine friend to advise you, Mr. Bingley, if you have never had an estate of your own. Cameron Court is a quaint little place, very like Longbourn, my poor husband’s manor – just the sort of house my dear Kitty and Lydia have been brought up to manage.

We get on so well at Montrose! You must bring little Thomas to visit me there, Jane. ”

“Madam, I have come into the country to entertain my guests and friends,” Jane said coldly.

“I should be delighted to call on your daughters when they visit Matlock Hall,” Lady Susan said, entering the fray.

“I am fascinated by the two eldest, though my acquaintance with Lady Gardiner has taught me how Lady Jane and Miss Bennet might have grown into such excellent women. Of course, their Mamma, Lady Augusta, has been an equally excellent influence. Your youngest may yet hold the same promise.”

“I am sure they do very well already, without any assistance from somebody I have read of in the scandal sheets,” Mrs. Bennet sniffed.

Jane stiffened. “Lady Susan is Mr. Darcy’s cousin, and my particular friend – she is also Mr. Bingley’s invited guest. Furthermore, you may address me as Countess .”

“Oh, pish, Jane – it is perfectly natural that we should call on our new neighbors whenever we choose! A former tradesman will surely not stand upon ceremony, though you would give yourself such airs, Jane!

Mr. Bingley scowled at Mrs. Bennet, and then at his sister, who looked on with curious glee.

“Madam, I have no wish for such unpleasantness to tarnish an afternoon when I had planned considerable amusement for my friends here. My sister was not thinking properly when she admitted unannounced visitors to our party, and I am sure she will not make the same mistake again. I must ask you and your daughters to take your leave.”

Mrs. Bennet looked affronted. “Mr. Bingley, I am sure you have no wish to have your name besmirched about the neighborhood by such inhospitable ill humor! I am sure I shall tell everyone in the village that you have slighted my younger daughters to curry favor with the countess, and think yourself above the company of your own neighbors!”

By now, nobody in the room could convincingly pretend to be unaware of Mrs. Bennet’s shrill protestations.

Caroline Bingley looked mortified at her brother’s rebuke; everybody else looked ready to turn Mrs. Bennet to ash with the sheer force of their collective glaring.

Even the youngest Bennet girls seemed to understand their visit had gone awry and ought to come to an end.

Mr. Darcy looked as if he was poised to deliver a scathing down, and Elizabeth braced herself for what may become an entirely disgraceful ordeal, but Rebecca gave Mr. Darcy a pinch and cocked her head toward Mr. Bingley.

Their affable host was angrier than Elizabeth could have ever imagined possible, and fairly purple from rage.

He rested his arm around Jane and drew her protectively toward him as he addressed Mrs. Bennet.

“Madam, I do would a great deal to earn the favor of the countess; certainly I should protect her from any unwanted company that was forced upon her against her wishes. I ought to have turned you away at once, though I hoped not to make a scene.”

“And who are you to speak for my Jane? I am her mother! Tell him to cease this ill-bred nonsense at once, Jane – indeed anyone can see that Mr. Darcy is his superior in manners as well as station.”

Tears welled in Jane’s eyes as she clenched her jaw and glowered. After a moment, she walked over to Lady Augusta and said, “Will you walk with me in the garden, Mamma?”

Mr. Bingley called for his footmen. “ I will walk with you in the garden, Lady Jane. Mrs. Bennet has insulted me in every possible way, and can have nothing else to say. She is leaving now, even if the servants must throw her out. Your sisters who are old enough to be out in society may remain.”

Lady Susan smiled at Mary. “I believe that means you may remain, if you choose it.” But Mary only shook her head and took a stumbling step toward Kitty. Lydia stifled laughter.

Mrs. Bennet rounded on Elizabeth and grabbed her roughly by the arm. “You have done this, Lizzy – you have turned her against me,” she hissed.

As Elizabeth wrested herself free, Mr. Darcy stepped between her and Mrs. Bennet. “Madam, if you have any care for your youngest daughters’ future prospects, you will leave this place with a modicum of dignity.”

Sir Edward had watched the scene ashen-faced and silent with ire; he stepped forward now and took his sister by the elbow. “Come, Fanny, you shall enjoy no welcome here – best not muddy the waters for Kitty and Lydia.”

Her shrieks and wailed carried through the marble entryway as Mrs. Bennet was led from the room by her mortified brother.

Mary, Kitty, and Lydia cast their elder sisters looks of apology before hastening after their mother.

Those who remained in the room stared nervously at Jane, who turned her pink, teary face away from them.

Mr. Bingley clapped his hands briskly before offering Jane his arm.

“At any rate, I think it is time we all promenade in the garden. Lady Jane, you are the guest of honor, and I mean to have your excellent company for as long as you shall permit me the pleasure.”

Elizabeth followed Jane with Mr. Darcy at her side, though she scarcely knew what to say to him after such a spectacle.

She could only be relieved that he still wished to speak to her, and she attempted to acclimate calmly to the prevailing silence that had overtaken their party.

But when they began to wander the garden and separate from the rest of the party, Mr. Darcy spoke warmly.

“Your sisters seem sweet and lively, though one or two may not yet be of age for society. They are sure to improve, once removed from their mother’s influence.”

“I am so sorry you had to encounter that horrid woman,” Elizabeth said, her voice choking with emotion.

“I am only sorry that you had to endure her mistreatment. There is nothing she can say to me that is worse than that. But your sisters need not be lost to you. They are all of them promising creatures.”

Elizabeth looked up hopefully, and was met with a gentle smile as Mr. Darcy drew her around the side of the hedgerows.

He softly stroked her cheek. “We Fitzwilliams are a welcoming clan, are we not? Just as you and Lady Jane have blossomed amongst us, so too might they. Miss Mary seems much in want of a friend like Georgiana; they might share many interests and bolster one another’s confidence.

Their reticence may be balanced by Miss Catherine and Miss Lydia, who shares the same boundless energy and capacity for conversing easily and with great amusement that you possess to complement Lady Jane. ”

Elizabeth gazed up at him with wonder for a moment, and then she began to laugh.

He joined her, though his brows furrowed with silent query.

“I am only thinking of Mr. Bingley – that perhaps he may be telling Jane how our sisters may prove suitable companions for Miss Bingley. That I should very much wish to hear.”

“I hope he is telling her that he shall have his sister installed in Bedlam after making such an ordeal possible. I am sure she must have meant some mischief in admitting them to the house.”

Elizabeth laughed ruefully. “If there is anybody whose manners can render Caroline Bingley’s more reasonable by comparison, it is surely Fanny Bennet. She makes me rather miss your aunt.”

“I shudder to imagine the pair of them in a room together,” Mr. Darcy drawled with a playful smile. “But let us have no more of that when there is so much to admire.”

Elizabeth had just begun to look around at the first blooms of spring when Mr. Darcy tipped her chin up with his fingertips and met her lips with his own. It was just the thing to make her forget the troubles of the day.