Page 24 of The Talented Daughters of Longbourn
Netherfield
“Mr. Bingley is in his office, sir,” the butler said.
“Thank you,” Darcy replied, and walked briskly toward the southwest corner of the house.
He had woken up later than usual and had missed Bingley at the breakfast table.
After his meal of ham, eggs, toast, and coffee, he had tracked down his sister and dragged her off to her private sitting room, intent on making certain that his darling sister was not greatly distressed over her encounter with Wickham the previous day.
Georgiana was still rather disturbed, but she seemed better than the previous night.
She and Richard were currently ensconced in the east parlor playing piquet together, and Darcy, with a guilty glance at the clock, realized that he was a full twenty minutes late in meeting Bingley to go over the estate books.
Not that his friend would mind; indeed, it was proving a challenge to incite any sort of diligence in Bingley, who would far prefer to play billiards or ogle the lovely Miss Bennet than study ledgers, but Darcy had come to Netherfield partly to tutor his younger friend in the management of an estate, and he had no intention of failing in that endeavor .
He opened the door to the office and halted in surprise. Bingley was already present; moreover, he was seated at the desk, a pencil in his hand, a ledger laying open in front of him.
The younger man looked up and Darcy felt a twinge of unease. Bingley appeared odd, his face grim and his eyes strangely blank.
“Darcy,” Bingley said. “Thank you for coming.”
“I apologize for being late,” Darcy said, considering the young master of Netherfield with uncertainty.
“It is quite all right,” Bingley replied, rising to his feet and marching over to the decanter of brandy sitting peacefully on a small table nearby. “Would you care for a drink?”
“Yes, thank you,” Darcy replied politely. Bingley was acting in a most peculiar way, but without more information about what was happening, he did not even know what to say or to ask.
Thirty seconds later, Darcy took the glass from his friend and lifted it to his lips just as Bingley said conversationally, “I asked Miss Bennet to marry me this morning.”
Darcy, who had just taken a sip of alcohol, choked, and then coughed forcefully until his lungs were clear.
“ You what? ” he demanded when he had recovered.
“I asked Miss Bennet to marry me,” Bingley repeated and threw down the rest of his drink before continuing, “and she refused me.”
“She what? ”
A reluctant smile formed on Bingley’s face and he said, “Thank you, Darcy. It is kind of you to think it a surprising development, though perhaps I ought to have expected it.”
Darcy just stared, his mouth slightly open, and then hurried forward to pour himself another drink. He was shocked that Bingley had made an offer of marriage without consulting him first, but he was absolutely incredulous that Miss Bennet had refused his friend.
He took another gulp of brandy and said, “I am astonished, Bingley. You are wealthy, handsome, and congenial. What more could Miss Bennet want?”
The younger man sighed deeply and ran his left hand down his face.
“Miss Bennet ... well, I asked her why she refused me; politely, of course, because she has every right to marry or not marry as she wishes. She is very beautiful and a gentleman’s daughter.
I wondered if it was my lineage, or my ties to trade, that were the concern, but. .. ”
He heaved out another sigh and said, “The truth is that she does not respect me. She said that I do not have sufficient control over my sister, nor do I work hard enough to manage this house and estate. She is right, of course; Caroline often makes rude remarks to and about those around her, and I never remonstrate with her, not directly. I am too easy going, too afraid of conflict, and I realize that I am lazy as well regarding the needs of Netherfield. My failings have lost me the woman I love.”
Darcy opened his mouth to protest, or to comfort his friend, or to declare that Miss Bennet was being irrational, but he closed it again without speaking, because for all that he was sympathetic, he could not argue with Miss Bennet’s logic.
Bingley was a charming and kindly companion; indeed, that was partly why he had so many friends!
Unlike Darcy, Bingley was easy in company and always knew what to say to keep a conversation flowing smoothly.
But Bingley’s congeniality had a darker aspect; namely, that the man was indolent, and he certainly did not act as master of his family.
Not that Darcy thought a man ought to rule his female relations with a rod of iron, but Bingley was more like an overcooked noodle.
“I can see that you agree with her assessment,” Bingley said, his gaze now fixed on his older friend’s face .
Darcy bit his lip and then said carefully, “You do not like debates and unpleasantness, my friend, but that is not a terrible thing, after all. Indeed, I am shocked that Miss Bennet refused you; she is lovely, but poorly dowered, and you are very eligible.”
Bingley pinched the bridge of his nose and walked over to take his seat at his desk again.
“I am wealthy, yes,” he agreed, his eyes on the ledger in front of him, “but I do not want a woman to marry me for my money. Truly, for all that my heart is full of sorrow, I am thankful that Miss Bennet is a woman of integrity and cannot be won based only on monetary concerns. Now, would you be willing to help me go over these columns regarding wheat and corn? I may not be able to marry Miss Bennet, but at the very least, I can change to be a better man.”
“Of course,” Darcy replied, setting aside his amazement for the moment. “Let me see.”
/
Mr. Bennet’s Bedchamber
Longbour n
A fire crackled quietly in the hearth. The room was already stiflingly warm, yet Mr. Bennet lay buried beneath a pile of blankets, pale and still on his bed.
A cup of tea on the bedside table had long since ceased to steam, but sat awaiting the addition of the tincture of laudanum to ease his pain when it flared.
The only sound competing with the fire was Elizabeth’s voice, low and steady as she read. The brown leather of her father’s Bible rested carefully on the folds of her green dress where she sat in the chair beside the bed.
Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Elizabeth fell silent, tears welling in her eyes, and peered at her father, whose breathing was now regular. He was, she thought, asleep again.
She glanced at her father’s valet, who was standing nearby, his own face grave, and Mr. Anderson said, “I will look after him, Miss.”
“Thank you,” she responded, closing the Bible carefully and setting it by her father’s side.
Mr. Bennet had long been a great reader, but he was now too tired to focus on the written word for long.
He liked when Elizabeth read to him, and he especially enjoyed the passages of the Bible which spoke of eternal life.
When he preferred lighter fare, Elizabeth read Gulliver’s Travels , which provoked more than one chuckle on that pale, thin, sometimes pain wracked face.
She moved over to kiss her father’s forehead, adjusted the blankets, and glided quietly out of the room.
She crossed out of the east wing and into the west one, where she spent a quiet half hour in her own bedchamber, shedding a few tears.
It would not be long now before her father was gone, though Mr. Jones was hopeful that Mr. Bennet would survive at least until Mary’s wedding two days hence.
A soft knock on the door interrupted her, and she called out a welcome. To her relief, the intruders were Lydia and Kitty, not Mrs. Bennet.
“Kitty, Lyddy,” Elizabeth said, and she then felt her heart sink.
Both girls wore uneasy expressions, and at this moment, she suspected she could not bear yet another problem.
She was aware of a craven impulse to send them to Charlotte or Jane, but no, Charlotte was weary from her pregnancy, and Jane was closeted with Uncle Josiah discussing sculpting and money and the like. “Is something wrong?”
“Not precisely wrong ,” Lydia answered, stepping into the room, and after Kitty had also come in, shutting the door.
“However, we need to tell you something. We called on Aunt Phillips today, and she and Mamma have decided that our aunt will host a dinner party celebrating Mary’s wedding.
Aunt Phillips intends to invite some officers, along with the Longs and the Lucases, and Mamma is very excited. ”
“A dinner party?” Elizabeth asked. “When?”
“The very evening of Mary’s wedding day,” Kitty said .
Elizabeth groaned softly. It was not that there was anything wrong, precisely, with a dinner party on a wedding day, but with Father dying, it was rather inappropriate.
“I will speak to Uncle Josiah,” she said. “I am certain he can convince Mother that a dinner party is not at all the thing at such a time as this.”
The younger girls exchanged glances, and then Lydia hopped up on the bed and said, “Actually, we wish to go and wanted to know what you think. We know Father is very ill. We know he is dying. Perhaps it is cowardly, or wrong of us, but I hate sitting around waiting for him to die, and Mamma still refuses to admit the reality of what is happening. It would be terrible to sit at home with our mother wailing and carrying on that she was forced to miss a party. But if you think it would be improper for us to go, I daresay we will bear it.”
Elizabeth considered and then said, “I understand, my dears. I suppose it does not matter all that much, though I cannot go because I must stay with Father, and Jane, well, we will see. Perhaps Uncle Josiah and Charlotte can come, though it depends on how our aunt is feeling. As for Mary, I hope Mamma does not think she will attend. I expect Mr. Turnball will carry her away immediately to his home after the wedding breakfast.”
“I believe he intends to do exactly that,” Kitty said and blushed .
“I am glad you believe it is all right, for I very much wish to go,” Lydia said. “Of course I am sad about our father, but truly, he only wants you and Jane in his bedchamber now. Besides, I wish to make the acquaintance of one particular officer at the party, and I know he is to be invited.”
Elizabeth, who had been thinking of other things, turned a sudden, suspicious stare on her sister. “Which officer?”
“His name is Mr. Wickham,” Lydia said. “He joined the regiment only yesterday.”
There was a strange note in the girl’s voice, and Elizabeth, who knew Lydia as well as anyone, grew even more wary.
“Lydia, what are you up to?” she demanded in a scolding tone.
Lydia allowed her pretty lips to stretch into a grin, and she said, “Mr. Wickham is something of a mystery, Lizzy! Maria Lucas told me that she met the gentleman in Meryton when he first arrived, and he seemed quite the perfect man – incredibly charming, handsome, a fine figure, a friend of Captain Denny’s, and so on.
But! He was speaking to Maria and Miss Long when who should come along but Mr. Darcy, Miss Darcy, Mr. Fitzwilliam, and Mr. Bingley on horseback, and as soon as Mr. Darcy laid eyes on Mr. Wickham, he leaped off of his horse, rushed over and punched Mr. Wickham in the face! ”
Elizabeth stared at her youngest sister in disbelief and shook her head. “You are teasing me. You must be!”
“Indeed I am not! Maria was quite shocked by it all! Mr. Darcy is always so stately, you know, so calm! I do think Mr. Wickham must be a great villain if Mr. Darcy struck him publicly.”
“And there was no explanation of such violence?” Elizabeth demanded, her mind whirling. It did seem counter to her understanding of Mr. Darcy’s character, that he would attack a man without obvious provocation.
“None,” Lydia said with obvious enjoyment. “So you see why I wish to make Mr. Wickham’s acquaintance.”
“No, Lydia, I do not see! Not at all!” Elizabeth said in exasperation. “The man sounds very disreputable, and you should not be near him!”
“Oh, but Maria says that in his speech and manner, he is absolutely perfect,” Lydia said with assurance.
She saw the look on her older sister’s face and continued persuasively, “Indeed, Lizzy, you know I will be perfectly safe in our aunt’s drawing room.
I merely wish to know more. I like the Darcys very much, and if their enemy is in town, well, I think we need to be on guard!
I have no doubt that an enemy of Mr. Darcy’s is not a good man. ”
There was some truth to this, and Elizabeth, after cogitation, slowly nodded her head. “I trust you both not to wander off with any of the officers. You will always stay in public, and you will always be together?”
“We will!” the girls chorused.
“I will ask Uncle Gardiner or Uncle Josiah to go too,” Elizabeth said, and then she smiled a little. “I confess to some curiosity as well.”
“Thank you,” Lydia said. She slid off of her sister’s bed and lurched forward to embrace Elizabeth.
“We will be careful, I promise, and will keep Mamma busy and happy, which is, I think, the most useful gift we can give to Father. Now, I know I am the youngest of us all and ought not to tell you what to do, but I think you look very tired. Will you not take a nap?”
Elizabeth returned the hug and said, “I am exhausted, and yes, I will!”