Alias Thomas Bennet (6 page)

Elizabeth continued feeling flustered; she waited for an appropriate pause in her father’s reading then stood abruptly and said, “Please excuse me, Father, Mr. Darcy, I must . . . I have forgotten . . . Please excuse me.”

She quickly made her curtsey and rushed from the room. Darcy, who had risen to make his bow, looked at her father in confusion. Bennet offered the book he was reading to Darcy then politely excused himself to follow her.

“Lizzy, are you ill?” he called to her as she neared the landing of the staircase. She stopped and turned to her father with a face much calmer than she felt.

“No, Papa, I am well. There is no need for concern on my account. Mr. Darcy has owned he is not accustomed to young ladies speaking plainly about such topics. I thought my absence would help him feel more at ease, and you have suggested I refrain from my impertinent challenges to him.” She smiled at the last.

“Yes, I have, Lizzy, but not to stifle your queries. However, at the moment I must thank you for your sensibilities. Are you to return?”

“No, I thank you, but I will ponder my philosophies on my own. Please convey my apologies to Mr. Darcy.”

“I shall do as you wish, my dear.” He watched as she turned to continue up the stairs before returning to his guest.

“Is Miss Elizabeth well?” Darcy enquired as Mr. Bennet took his seat in the library.

“Thank you for your concern, Darcy. Lizzy is quite well. She apologises to you for her abrupt departure but she desired a bit of solitude for thoughtful reflection.”

“I feel no need for apologies, sir. May we continue our discussion? I would like to understand this treatise better, and you have had more time to consider it.”

The gentlemen spoke for quite some time on subjects of general interest to both, changing topics occasionally, much as would have occurred with Elizabeth and her father.

Elizabeth closed the door to her bedchamber and sat heavily on her bed.
What happened? Why did I feel I had no choice but to be away from Mr. Darcy? Was I ashamed of my meagre fortune? Or was I embarrassed that he might think I was suggesting I want a rich husband? Was I hoping he would not think I am a bluestocking? Does he think ill of my impertinence? Why am I so concerned about what he thinks of me?

***

Mr. Bennet was suspicious of Elizabeth’s reaction to Darcy. She was jealously competitive and disapproving of him at first but lately seemed somewhat less so. While Elizabeth was still confident and argumentative as their acquaintance continued, Mr. Bennet sensed a conflict in her feelings. Over a game of chess, he broached the subject with her.

“What do you think of our new neighbours?”

“Mr. Bingley is all easy manners and makes friends effortlessly. He pays Jane a great deal of attention, and she seems to enjoy his company a great deal. He is well-liked in the community, and I would be delighted if he decided to stay at Netherfield.” She completed her latest move feeling quite pleased with her cunning, and continued, “His sisters are another matter. I find their supercilious airs annoying but also amusing. I am glad Mama has taught us better manners.”

When Elizabeth did not elaborate further, Bennet allowed her some time since he was also examining the situation of his pieces on the board. Finally, he made his move and asked, “And the other gentlemen? What are your impressions of them?”

“Mr. Hurst keeps to himself and is somewhat unsocial and taciturn,” she said without looking up. “He does not complain, though, and is very complimentary of the meals he enjoys. Mr. Darcy is also rather quiet. He is clever, but too proud.”

“What do you mean by ‘proud’?”

“He shows a kind of vanity and conceit about himself. He cares not about anyone below his station and has no intention of being agreeable to our Meryton society.”

“He seems to have no qualms about visiting
our
family. In fact, he is as much a fixture at Longbourn as Mr. Bingley.”

“We are the only family he ever would deign to visit.”

“He is amiable enough to us and also to the Lucas family. He plays chess with all of us. I know you enjoy the intellectual contests you have with him; your arguments are too enthusiastic for me to believe otherwise. You vigorously question him on every point, and I think you cannot deny it enhances your own understanding.” There was a long silence as Elizabeth contemplated her next move. Bennet decided to continue his path to discovery of his second daughter’s odd mix of reactions to Darcy.

“I am under the impression you like him as much as any of our other acquaintances,” Bennet said, further delving into her feelings.

“I cannot say I dislike him. I just wish he were not so smug in his opinions.”

Lydia interrupted them. “Papa, your wish to remain the Longbourn champion is in vain. Your impatience has caused you to move too quickly, and Lizzy is going to win in the next three moves. Come; join us in reading a story. Mary and Kitty have agreed.”

“What is this story? Is it Shakespeare again?” Mr. Bennet asked, suppressing a sigh at his loss of the match.

“It is called
Sense and Sensibility,
and was written by a lady!” Lydia said with enthusiasm. She knew she had the most pleasant reading voice with excellent timbre, and her animation and inflection brought the story to life. She even joked she should become an actress, and her family frequently obliged her by enjoying her performances.

Bennet was sorry he had not been especially successful in understanding why Elizabeth was so affected by Darcy, but he quickly forgot it as his interest was diverted by the lively entertainment.

1
Although the steam engine had been invented and was in limited use in 1811, the thermodynamic theory behind its operation was not understood; however, it played a critical role in the start of the Industrial Revolution. Also at that time, the knowledge of science that we today take for granted was then in its infancy. What we now refer to as the periodic table of the elements contained only oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorus, mercury, zinc and sulphur, as well as including ‘substances’ of light and caloric. Caloric theory is an obsolete heat theory.

Chapter 4:
Darcy attends the Lucas soiree and engages in a war of wits with Miss Elizabeth.

October 1811
Hertfordshire

Mr. Darcy left the Lucas soiree angry with himself. Following their intellectual discussions in her father’s library, he was enthralled by Miss Elizabeth Bennet and obsessed with the need to speak with her at every opportunity and feel her approbation. He had planned to converse with her almost exclusively that evening: to flirt and be flirted with, to enjoy her as a woman who intrigued him, to welcome her attention.

His intentions were bolder than his actions. He spent the first part of the evening watching Elizabeth, considering how to approach her and initiate a drawing room conversation. Shortly after divesting himself of his outerwear, he noticed her at the doorstep attending to Miss Mary, whose bonnet ribbons had become entangled, but he was already being announced at the drawing room and required by politeness to enter; thus he had to wait until an appropriate time to greet her. Twice, he tried to approach her when she appeared to be available, but both times he was interrupted by others, and then he was thwarted when he asked her to dance. He would have to content himself with the next occasion where he would see her to try to understand this fascination.

Mr. Darcy was an enigma to Elizabeth. When he visited Longbourn, he willingly entered into uplifting discussions about science and philosophy, and he was a worthy adversary when arguing almost any point, even if he had a fair bit of pride regarding his depth of knowledge. She begrudgingly conceded his greater information; he had a university education, and he had travelled in the world. No home education could compete with that. Still, she liked that he was not off-put by her ability to converse intelligently on topics usually forbidden to a woman, and she found herself drawn to him in a way that was frightening to her. But she was unsure of his regard and felt in danger of wanting his attention too much.

She noticed him watching her from across the room. She was not sure whether it was in disapprobation and hoped for the compliment of a positive regard, but she could not be sure; his expression was unreadable as was usual in public situations. When he approached her group and she made a banal statement, he responded in a way that could have been construed as flirtatious but also might be interpreted as his comparing her with every other simpering woman who lived for trivial entertainment. She did not want to be seen as sweet and fawning, and viewed the use of feminine wiles as frightfully resembling the cloying Caroline Bingley, whose type of flirtatiousness did not seem to attract him. Thank goodness Charlotte opened the instrument, for she was feeling all the inelegance of her inability to come up with a clever rejoinder.

There was no question she was confused at his request to dance when plied by Sir William, and she felt embarrassed at having no idea whether he really wanted to dance. She was mortified that he no doubt felt forced to ask, similar to when Mr. Bingley tried to coerce him into dancing with her at the Meryton assembly. Her feelings were hurt over both situations. Privately, she admitted that she yearned for such a handsome and important man to want her company of his own accord, but those feelings were in conflict with her insistence upon being cross with him for his rude comments and for usurping her position as the cleverest in the Longbourn drawing room. These thoughts left her sleepless for yet another night while she wondered about her obsession with his handsome countenance, his friendly if reserved manner, and her own burgeoning appreciation for his fine eyes.

***

Not many days later, while the Bennet family was enjoying their breakfast, a note addressed to Miss Jane Bennet was brought in by a footman. Jane shared the contents with her family: Miss Bingley was inviting Jane to Netherfield for dinner to help reduce the boredom she and Mrs. Hurst might feel whilst the men of their party dined with the officers.

“It is a compliment to you to be considered a favourite from such a short acquaintance. Of course, you must agree to visit,” said Mrs. Bennet with no little enthusiasm. “Thomas, we must allow her to take the carriage, for it looks like it might rain.”

Mr. Bennet agreed, and Jane attended a lovely dinner with stimulating conversation, even if Miss Bingley chose a little too often to ask questions intended to provoke embarrassment regarding Jane’s fortune and connections. Although she should have been offended, Jane’s kindness allowed her to maintain admirable composure under the interrogation.

***

The entire Netherfield party was invited to dinner at the Bennet home to reciprocate the generous invitation to Jane. When the gentlemen rejoined the ladies after the meal, Lydia Bennet, kindly thinking of her elder sisters’ opportunity for an enjoyable pursuit, politely reminded Mr. Bingley of his earlier suggestion to hold a ball at Netherfield Park and asked when such an event might take place. Before he could respond, Miss Bingley asserted herself indecorously and argued against the idea of a ball, implying that some members of the Netherfield party would consider it a trial to bear. Her brother refuted her opinion and declared a date would be set as soon as his cook could prepare enough white soup.

“I should like balls infinitely better,” Miss Bingley added, “if they were carried on in a different manner, but there is something insufferably tedious in the usual process of such a meeting. It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing were the order of the day.”

“Much more rational, Miss Bingley, I dare say, but it would not be near so much like a ball,” Mrs. Bennet responded in a serious tone but with a twinkle in her eye.

Darcy ignored Miss Bingley’s comment. “Bingley, a ball is just the thing to help establish you into your deserved place in the county’s hierarchy with the appropriate level of respect and deference.”

Mr. Bennet nodded in agreement. “Indeed, Mr. Bingley, your hospitality will do much to generate friendship and ensure respect among the local gentry.”

Bennet then turned to Darcy. “Mr. Darcy may not like dancing, but he can join me in watching the festivities from the side.” Darcy nodded, and the two men returned to discussing a book Bennet had shown him.

Miss Bingley was frustrated; she could not dislodge Mr. Darcy’s interest from the book he was holding. She rose and walked elegantly past the gentlemen. Darcy, at whom this antic was aimed, remained inflexibly studious in his discussion with his friend. Mrs. Bennet watched the drama unfold as she attended to her work.

Irritated by the lack of response, Miss Bingley resolved on one more effort and turned to Elizabeth. “Miss Eliza Bennet, let me persuade you to follow my example and take a turn about the room. I assure you, it is very refreshing after sitting so long in one attitude.”

Elizabeth was surprised but agreed immediately. Miss Bingley succeeded no less in the real object of her civility; Mr. Darcy looked up. He was as much awake to the novelty of attention from that quarter as Elizabeth herself could be and unconsciously closed his book. Mr. Bennet’s attention followed.