Chapter 6

 

November 6, 1812

 

Kitty had always felt like the David of the Bennet sisters. Jane had been born with beauty which was, as everyone knew, the single most important feature in a woman. Lizzy had intelligence and wit, which was not necessarily much of an advantage, but it did seem to appeal to some gentlemen. Mary was accomplished and, given that she was the first, and only, daughter to secure a husband, this was a trait Kitty had seriously underrated. And Lydia was bold, good natured, and outgoing, all of which would certainly secure her a husband, even if Lydia needed to direct the man to ask for her hand.

Kitty did not naturally possess any qualities that she felt would enable her to secure a husband. She reasoned that her two eldest sisters had advantages acquired at birth. She, herself, could not hope to improve her appearance or intelligence by association. Her other two sisters had charms that could be learned and, of the two options, Lydia's skills seemed both easier and more entertaining to attempt to cultivate. Kitty had lived under Lydia's shadow and tutelage for several years, and, while her ability to engage in conversation when with one of her sisters and a single male had developed wonderfully, she had found that she still suffered bouts of shyness when in the presence of a large party. This had caused her to worry over her romantic prospects until yesterday. Steven Lucas had always been of interest to Kitty. He was a bit older than she was and, he was very handsome. But it was obvious to anyone who was observant, that Mr. Lucas only had eyes for Jane.

Kitty did possess one skill that, although not a quality that would attract a spouse, she felt was a somewhat lacking in her sisters. Kitty was observant. For instance, Kitty had seen that her mother was hiding something from Jane when they had returned from their stroll yesterday morning, and she could tell that between breakfast and gathering in the parlor, Jane had discovered this secret. Kitty could also see Jane was angry with their mother, and their mother, aware of Jane's discovery, was attempting to give Jane a wide berth.

It was this ability to observe, that had told Kitty when Jane's spell over Steven Lucas had been broken, and this same power of observation convinced Kitty that Mr. Lucas was now as much enamored with her as she was with him. Kitty had been most surprised by this turn of events. Not only had her marriage prospects, having previously been nil, increased by an infinite percentage, she might actually find a match that could bring happiness and possibly even love. Of course, Kitty knew Mr. Lucas was still making his way in the world, but Kitty could be patient if given the right incentive. Not wanting to risk ruining this newly formed attachment, Kitty had asked Jane to keep quiet about the turn of events on the previous day's outing. Kitty had observed how their mother's exuberance over her daughters' futures had negatively impacted Jane and Lizzy's marital prospects, though, in Lizzy's case, Kitty thought the interference might have been appreciated, had Lizzy been aware of her situation. Regardless, just to be safe, Kitty wanted to strengthen her relationship with Mr. Lucas before her mother, or anyone else, discovered there was a relationship at all.

Something that Kitty had not mastered was the art of masking her emotions. In fact, with the departure of Mary, this was a skill that all of the women of Longbourn lacked, in varying proportions. It was for this reason that Lydia now sat in the parlor perplexed. Lydia could see that the atmosphere in the room was tense, almost foreboding, but she had no idea why. Kitty looked nervous, like she was waiting to be caught for a previous misdeed. Mama seemed as if she had just been caught for a misdeed. Jane seemed… angry? That sounded like an oxymoron. Could Jane truly be angry? And Lizzy seemed as if she was waiting to be ordered to slop the pigs. This was agony. Lydia needed to escape.

“We should take a stroll down to Meryton! I heard some new ribbons have been delivered,” Lydia suggested brightly.

Mama immediately responded, “No. You will all sit here and finish your projects.” Mrs. Bennet quickly looked to see what Lydia was working on. “Your hat won't decorate itself, Lydia.”

Now Lydia knew something was amiss. She didn't need to wait long before the pieces of the puzzle began falling into place. Their servant entered the room not ten minutes later with a card. Mrs. Bennet took a look and said to the servant, “Show him in.”

“Who is it, Mama?” Lydia asked. Her sisters were acting as though they did not care, but once she had asked the question, they all paused and listened for the answer.

“Mr. Lucas has returned again this morning,” Mrs. Bennet said, directing her answer more to Jane than to Lydia. “Lizzy, would you not be more comfortable reading over there near the window? You could have more light that way.” Lizzy was seated next to Jane and looked first at Jane and then at Kitty. Jane did not seem to mind if Lizzy left her side, but Kitty looked very upset at the suggestion.

“No, Mama,” Lizzy said acting oblivious as to her mother's intentions. “The light here is fine, but, thank you!”

Mr. Lucas came into the room and, all hopes Kitty had of keeping her budding romance a secret were dashed. He scanned the room, and the second his eyes fell on Kitty, an enormous grin erupted on his face. His eyes lit up and, if Mrs. Bennet did not know any better, she would have thought he had grown two inches upon entering the parlor. Mrs. Bennet's mind raced. Her first question was, why had no one told her of Mr. Lucas' shifting affections, but this thought was quickly replaced with more urgent thoughts. This development was actually quite advantageous now that Mr. Bingley was firmly back in the ring. Initially, Mrs. Bennet hoped Mr. Lucas might serve to make Mr. Bingley jealous, but if she could eventually marry him off to Kitty, that was an even better use of resources. But what to do to force Mr. Bingley to act swiftly? Mrs. Bennet smiled. Mr. Lucas might have shifted his affections, but there was no need to announce this shift. If Mr. Bingley continued to believe Jane was in danger of being caught by another, Mrs. Bennet was under no obligation to correct him.

Before Mr. Lucas had even been able to set down his hat, Mrs. Bennet called from across the room. “Kitty, Lydia, didn't one of you just say you needed to go into town? Perhaps Mr. Lucas would be so kind as to escort you?”

“I'd be delighted,” he said beaming up at Mrs. Bennet.

Lydia looked around the room at her sisters, but none of them showed any indication that they were surprised by their mother's sudden change of heart. Kitty, however, looked impatient to leave, so Lydia set down the hat she was decorating, grabbed her coat and bonnet from the stand, and was ready to set off.

As they were hustled out the door by Mrs. Bennet, she called out to the party, “Take your time. It's a lovely day. You want to be sure to enjoy it!”

Mrs. Bennet could now wait with her daughters until Mr. Bingley and Mr. Kent arrived. Hopefully, Mr. Lucas would not return until after Jane had reacquired Mr. Bingley's affections, something that she suspected had already been achieved, and, he had managed to gain Jane's forgiveness.

Mrs. Bennet's mood was suddenly improved and her jubilance could not help but take the edge off of Jane's anger. Having completely forgotten that part of Jane's anger was directed toward her, Mrs. Bennet stopped pacing the room once she was behind Jane's seat, bent down, and gave her daughter an affectionate squeeze. The action was so unexpected, and yet, entirely natural. The effect was that Jane completely forgave her mother and, with both her mother and sister in good spirits, Lizzy found she too was able to get over her trepidation at again visiting with Mr. Kent.

The three women spent the next hour enjoying each other's company. They were actually taken by surprise when their servant again entered the room, this time, bringing two cards. Mrs. Bennet's face paled slightly as she read the names but she told the servant to show the gentlemen in.

“Mr. Bingley is here, and he has brought his arrogant friend, Mr. Darcy,” Mrs. Bennet informed her daughters before quickly composing herself and waiting for their arrival.

The gentlemen walked into the room, and the cheerful mood the women had worked so hard to construct evaporated.

Jane's jaw reset into a hard line, and her eyes narrowed into an icy glare.

After initial greetings were made, Lizzy was the first to speak. “Mama,” Lizzy said standing up from her seat next to Jane, “I think you were right about that seat near the window. The room seems to have a bit of a chill. I believe I would enjoy feeling some of the sunlight's warmth.” Lizzy moved across the room leaving the seat next to Jane unoccupied.

Mr. Darcy also crossed the room and stood near Elizabeth. “It is good to see you again, Miss Bennet,” he said.

Lizzy, trying to find a reason to avert her eyes and ears from Jane's conversation, was grateful for Mr. Darcy's efforts. “And you, Mr. Darcy. Although I believe we saw each other just yesterday.”

“I do not wish to contradict you, but I am certain that had I the pleasure of your company, I would have remembered the occasion, and I confess I do not.”

“Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth smiled slyly, “I did not say we had spent time in each other's company, merely that we saw each other. I believe you were watching out the window when Mr. Kent and I returned to Netherfield from our outing with your aunt. I am certain you were watching us. You had the most intense look on your face. I admit I am most curious what thoughts were going through your mind.”

Mr. Darcy was flustered. He had been standing a ways back from the window and believed his person to be obscured by the curtains. His face reddened slightly but his features were schooled in remaining unaltered. “I regret to say, I cannot recall that incident. I had been writing letters yesterday afternoon. I may have taken a break to stretch my legs. Perhaps, I happened past the window when your outing was concluding and glanced outside to investigate the commotion. I simply cannot say, but I am sure my thoughts were of no particular interest.”

“Writing letters?” Elizabeth asked with mock indignation. “I had thought you were given strict instructions by your aunt to entertain your cousin Miss de Bourgh.”

“Yes. Well, your sister's wedding proved to be most exhausting for my cousin, and she decided to use her morning to recuperate from the prior day's celebrations. I am afraid I was unable to coax her out of her room.”

“That is indeed shocking.” Elizabeth smirked. “What with your abundance of charm.”

Mr. Darcy sensed that Elizabeth might be teasing him, but before he could inquire, they were both drawn to the scene across the room by the sound of Jane uncharacteristically raising her voice. It was only a few words. Then she regained her composure and her conversation with Mr. Bingley returned to a quiet murmur. But Elizabeth noticed that their mother was obviously doing her best to eavesdrop, and judging by her sister's expression, Elizabeth knew that this was a conversation Jane did not wish to share.

“Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said, loud enough that the rest of the room could hear, “my sister Lydia had mentioned earlier this morning that one of the shops in Meryton received a new shipment of goods. I am most anxious to peruse the items before they are sold out. Jane?” Lizzy called out, grabbing her sister's attention. “Do you not also wish to drop by town this morning?”

Jane looked around and realized that her mother must have been listening to her conversation. Jane did long to speak privately with Mr. Bingley, so she nodded in her sister's direction.

“Mr. Darcy. Mr. Bingley. Would you gentlemen be so kind as to accompany us?”

And so it was that, to Mrs. Bennet's great annoyance, the Bennet household was empty of eligible women when Mr. Kent arrived thirty minutes later.