ImageChapter 26

 

April 13, 1813

 

The threat of encountering Miss Bingley alone was an effective deterrent from again venturing from the confines of his room. Nearly half an hour after hearing what sounded like Charles leaving his bedchamber, Darcy rang the bell and asked the servant if Mr. Bingley was indeed awake. Hearing that he was, Darcy joined his hosts at the breakfast table. After the meal was complete, Bingley gave his guest a knowing smile and asked if he would care to join him for a ride.

Miss Bingley's eyes darted between the two men. She knew of her brother's tendency to visit the Bennet residence in the mornings, and she was not happy to watch him encourage Mr. Darcy to join him. She had intended to help Mr. Darcy come to his senses. “Charles, I was thinking of doing some shopping this morning. You could both accompany me into town and visit the book sellers.”

With a simple, “Thank you, Caroline. Perhaps another time,” Miss Bingley's hopes for the morning were dashed.

On the way to the stables, Darcy was finally able to ask the question that had driven him to Bingley in the first place. “Bingley, how should I begin?”

“I am afraid I do not understand your meaning”

“I assume we are on our way to Longbourn?” Bingley nodded his response. “What am I to say to Miss Elizabeth when I see her? Should I confess my love and ask for her hand? Would it be more appropriate to request a courtship? Do I simply speak to her of the weather? I know not how to approach this.”

“I am afraid I am no expert in such matters, but I have observed that we have both suffered gravely by being too guarded. It seems it is the human condition to be plagued by misunderstandings especially when it comes to matters of the heart. I think you should be as open and honest as possible. I know it was only once I confessed my true feelings that I was able to recapture Jane's affections.”

“You are a man of wisdom, Bingley. I was fool enough to ignore your sound advice when we last met, and I shall not make the same error twice.” The rest of the journey to Longbourn was made in silence. Darcy would ask for Elizabeth's hand that very morning and put himself out of the misery he had suffered since first departing from Hertfordshire. He practiced and refined his proposal as he rode, but no amount of preparation prepared him for the anxiety he faced when the estate came into view.

As the men approached the house, Darcy needed reassurance. “Bingley, do you think there is a possibility that she might reject my offer?”

Bingley stopped his horse and looked at his friend. “How long have I known you, Darcy?” It was a rhetorical question and Darcy recognized it as such. “In all the years I have known you, Miss Elizabeth is the only woman that you have spoken to who has not immediately started to plan your wedding.”

“You use hyperbole, Bingley, but I concede that the mercenaries acted aggressively when I provided even a minimal amount of attention. I do not see how this is relevant unless you mean to point out Miss Elizabeth shows no interest at all.”

“Quite the contrary.” Smiling, Bingley shook his head. “My point is that you are considered a prime catch, my friend. While we have the freedom to marry for love, if we so choose, few are as lucky. Most marriages are business arrangements, and with your wealth, status, and connections, very few women would be willing to refuse you.”

“If your speech is meant to inspire me, I am afraid you are doing a very poor job of it.”

“I am merely trying to be practical. No woman would reject you because of your wealth alone. To do so would be irrational. But that does not mean that you do not offer more. You are kind, intelligent, loyal, and caring. You don't have my stunning good looks, but I suppose some women appear to find you tolerable.” With his last comment, Bingley was attempting to use levity to bolster his friend's mood. After further consideration, Bingley decided he did not wish to injure Darcy's self-confidence at such a crucial time, so he quickly added, “Who am I kidding? Your mere appearance turns heads wherever we go and I have overheard both of my sisters claim you are the most handsome man they have ever seen. Although before you get too insufferable, be aware that this was said many seasons ago, and they have since met more men. Any woman would definitely accept you for practical reasons. I have no doubt that after you are married, any woman you chose for your wife would come to love you, once you revealed your true self.”

Darcy furrowed his brow. “A simple, 'no, she would not reject you' might have been preferred, Bingley.” The gentlemen again began riding but after a few feet, Darcy stopped his horse. “Are you trying to tell me that she is not in love with me, Bingley?”

“Well… I have never asked her. She has not seen or heard from you in months. Before that, your encounters were never intimate and you gave little indication of your interest…”

“I told her I was in love. We had an understanding.”

“Much like she said she was engaged, I suppose. You do know that an understanding requires two parties? I have not seen or heard any evidence to suggest Miss Elizabeth was aware of any understanding. I am not an expert, and I have not deposed her, but as an observer, it would not appear to me that you both shared an understanding.”

The minutes passed. The words sank in. Darcy shook his head, looking utterly lost. “Oh God, what am I to do?”

Bingley looked confused. “I thought that was settled. You are going to propose.”

“And how am I supposed to do that now, after what you've just said?”

“What I have said? I said to be honest with her and that she will agree to marry you. I also said, after you are married, you will get her to fall in love with you.”

“But you are waiting until you know Miss Bennet loves you before you propose.”

“Yes, but I can elicit feelings of love without the aid of trapping a lady in the same house as me and making her legally obligated to spend time by my side. I have charm. Charm makes things like that possible. I do not believe I mentioned charm on your very long list of attributes.”

Darcy looked even further dejected.

“Come now, stop looking like that. Everybody envies you. You have nearly every positive trait a gentleman could want. Surely you cannot expect to have them all. You are not charming, but you are very lovable. You just … well, you make it very hard to see it. She will eventually fall in love with you, I promise.”

“You are absolutely terrible at boosting morale, Bingley. I cannot emphasize that enough. I am not sure you could have written anything more discouraging. I do not know if I can face her after all you have said.”

“Now I resent that. I just had to convince someone I care about to do something that would alter the rest of his life. That is a lot of pressure and I was put on the spot. I was just being honest and I cannot imagine that you would do a better job even if you were to practice what you wished to say.”

“Of course I would. What sort of ignorant fool would speak so freely of the truth to someone they cared about?”

“Well, I apologize for shocking your sensibilities, but I urge you to propose. You cannot risk another Mr. Kent trying to snap her up. If it will help matters, and you wish me to say it, I am certain she is madly in love with you and will most graciously accept your hand.”

“Your sincerity is inspiring, Bingley.”

“While at Cambridge, I did in fact star in the first year's version of Hamlet, as you might recall.”

Darcy decided it was best to say nothing further. As he walked his horse forward he felt utterly unsure what he should do next.

 

 

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“Yes, Mama, they have been sitting on their horses outside talking.”

“What are they talking about Lydia?”

“I cannot hear them. They are too far away. But Mr. Darcy is looking more glum by the second. He has always been so stern and grumpy, but he looks like someone just shot his favorite horse.”

“Oh, move aside, child, and let me see.” Mrs. Bennet pushed Lydia away from the window as she peeked through the small opening between the two curtains. “They are on the move again.”

Lizzy was walking down the stairs and noticed her mother and sister crouching by the gap in the curtains. “What is so interesting in the front gardens?”

Lydia turned to her and said, “Mr. Bingley has come to call on Jane again, and he has brought Mr. Darcy with him this time.”

“Mr. Darcy?” Lizzy could not believe it. He had disappeared to God only knew where and had suddenly reappeared in her front garden. Did Georgiana know? She had to see for herself to make sure they were not mistaken. She pushed her mother out of the way and peeked outside.

“They are stopped,” Lizzy reported, rather confused.

“Again?” Lydia asked. “Oh, I do hope they are close enough now that we can hear them.” She ran over to the door and pushed her ear up against the keyhole. Her face fell. “Still too far away.”

“What is wrong with Mr. Darcy?” Lizzy asked, taking in the man's expression. “He looks like he has been sentenced to the gallows.”

“Maybe he is thinking of you,” Lydia said sticking her tongue out at Lizzy in jest. “It must be quite upsetting having to spend time with an un-tempting, tolerable woman who lacks so many of the qualities of an accomplished lady.”

“Very funny, Lydia. Believe it or not, his sister claims he has an abundance of respect for me.”

“Yes. That is what I used to say about Kitty when I spoke to my friend Rachel Wiste. She believed me too, until Kitty walked over and poured the ink on her hair and told her, in no uncertain terms that she had always hated her and would continue to do so until the day she died.”

“That was a very long time ago, Lydia,” Mrs. Bennet chimed in. “Please refrain from recounting the unpleasant events from Kitty's past when Mr. Lucas comes calling.”

“Actually, Mama,” Lydia said putting on her sweetest smile, “might I visit our aunt and uncle today? Mr. Bingley seems to be trying to drag Mr. Darcy in, and Lizzy just mentioned that he has an abundance of respect for her. I am sure he would prefer her company to mine.”

“Yes, very well.” The words were out of Mrs. Bennet's mouth before Lizzy could slip in any protest.

Lizzy stood up from her vantage point at the window and spun around to face her mother. She looked indignant. “But I was just going for a walk!” She said looking down at her attire as if to indicate to her audience the obvious. She quickly realized no one had been looking at her the entire time she had been downstairs.

Lydia had dashed away as soon as she had her mother's permission. Mrs. Bennet took Lizzy's place at the window but before she bent down to watch the men in her front garden, she turned to Lizzy. “Well if you are so intent on getting a walk, maybe you can walk upstairs and tell Jane to get ready. If that silly Mr. Darcy stops stalling, they will be here any second.”

Elizabeth walked upstairs to get her sister. While Jane was pinning a few stray hairs back into place and Elizabeth was changing back into her house slippers, they heard the knock on the front door and knew that the men finally managed to make it up the drive.