Consequences (33 page)

Even though she might confess to an increased respect for his general character, there remained a core of disapproval, and she sometimes wished she had given him the refusal that was her first inclination. But she made herself repress those thoughts; they could too easily lead to a general attitude of censure on her part, which could not be concealed from Mr. Darcy.

Elizabeth had only to consider the impropriety of her father’s behaviour as a husband to see the results of such unseemly intercourse between husband and wife. As much as she loved her father, she always saw the continual breach of his duties as a husband with pain. He was first attracted to her mother’s youth and beauty as well as what he believed to be her good humour. But he later lost all real affection for her as her lack of understanding, coupled with her insufficiency of intellect, became evident. Though he had not sought the comfort of a mistress or those other pleasures which too often console the unfortunate for their folly or vice, he had been content to laugh at his wife and thus expose her to the contempt of her own children. At this time of heightened emotion in her own life, she was more fully aware than ever before of the evils arising from her father’s misuse of his considerable talents. Had he so wished, he might have applied those capabilities toward preserving the respectability of his daughters, even if he could not manage to improve the mind of his wife. She was determined not to make a similar mistake in her reaction to her future husband. If she performed her duties as a wife without fail, she trusted Mr. Darcy’s honour enough to be certain he, at the very least, would respond in kind. So she resolutely banished such remorseful thoughts from her mind.

On Thursday, it was in this state of mind that she received a very thick letter from Jane and a very thin letter from her father. She was expecting the letter from Jane since she worked it out in her mind that Mr. Darcy must have delivered her letter to Jane on Sunday or Monday at the latest. She was not expecting a letter from her father at all, given his unreliability as a correspondent, so she made haste to open that one first, wondering whether it contained any unexpected news regarding Darcy’s visit.

Sat. Apr. 11

Dear Daughter,

Mr. Darcy visited early Saturday afternoon, bearing your letter and asking for your hand. Shocked as I was by what he told me, after I read your letter, I could do little but give him my consent. Not only is he the kind of man to whom I should hardly dare refuse anything he asked, I also had your letter, which showed that you had carefully considered the alternatives before making your decision. Yet, as carefully as you stated your reasons, I still wonder, Lizzy, if you are out of your senses to be accepting this man. But, done is done, and we shall have to hope for the best.

I will compliment the fellow’s nerve, however, since he voluntarily remained while I informed your mother of the news. I am not sure I should have been capable of doing the same. Her reaction was rather unexpected; she simply sat there for upwards of ten minutes in a state of stupefaction so extreme she could not talk until well after Mr. Darcy departed. Unfortunately, that capability returned all too soon, and the whole household—as well as the whole neighbourhood!—has been in a frenzy ever since! Mr. Darcy’s reputation, as you know, is not of the best, but the news of your impending marriage has done much to rehabilitate his standing. To say our entire circle of friends is all atwitter, as your mother would say, would be a monumental understatement.

I also advised Mr. Darcy that it would be best to set a firm and early date for the wedding, else Mrs. Bennet should be easily capable of spending half a year in preparations. He saw the sense immediately, and we agreed to May twenty-third at Longbourn chapel.

Dearest girl, I hope you may find some measure of happiness with this man. I dare to hope so, for he was more affable on his visit to me than I had ever heard report of before. It may well be, as I have been told, that his private demeanour is much more pleasant than his public guise. However, since I have followed your instructions, all is in the hands of the two of you.

Affectionately, your loving father,
T. Bennet

Elizabeth could not repress her smile after reading her father’s missive. It might have been the longest letter she ever received from him, and she could almost see the surprise on his face as Darcy asked for her hand. It appeared the two of them got on better than she expected, though it surprised her Mr. Darcy waited while her father informed her mother. It further surprised her to find the two of them agreed so readily on a date for the wedding, a date that was barely a month and a half away. She shook her head in bemusement at how rapidly her life was changing!

Those thoughts took but an instant, and, so eager was she to read Jane’s letter, she immediately put down the one and opened the other.

Monday, April 13, Gracechurch Street,

Dearest Lizzy,

Not only do I believe I have never been so surprised in my life, I have never seen so many surprises come in one day! And without a single word of warning from you! I shall be demanding some very direct answers from you when you arrive, dear sister!

First, to start the many surprises, Mr. Darcy called on us on Saturday around five o’clock. James brought in a card and announced, “Mr. Darcy to see Miss Bennet.” Both Aunt and Uncle Gardiner looked at me with the greatest astonishment, but mine was even greater. I took the card, which read “Fitzwilliam Darcy” in rather simple print, though the paper was quite excellent. On the back, it said, “I have a letter from your sister, Miss Elizabeth. F. Darcy.” I showed it to Uncle Gardiner, who was as mystified as I, especially at the familiarity of the signature, given what they knew of our acquaintance, and he told James to send the gentleman up so that we could find answers to our questions.

When Mr. Darcy arrived, he greeted me most pleasantly, and I then introduced Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. He was equally pleasant to them, and he told us he was newly arrived from visiting his aunt in Kent, where he also renewed his acquaintance with you. He then gave me your letter, and I only thought it was very civil of him to deliver a letter which could equally well have been delivered by post. Then he delivered the first shocking surprise; the letter, he said, would contain the news you and he were engaged!

We did not have a chance to recover from that revelation before he announced he had already visited our father earlier that morning, had obtained his consent, and the wedding was scheduled for May the twenty-third at Longbourn chapel!

My uncle recovered himself first, though it was difficult, and asked Mr. Darcy if he had the time to sit with us and elaborate on the most surprising news he had brought. Mr. Darcy quickly accepted, though he allowed he must not stay long since he had to acquaint his sister with the news. He was very pleasant, more agreeable than I ever saw him as he answered our questions. I believe he was quite taken by the manners and conversation of our uncle and aunt, and he would have stayed longer, but he finally said he really must depart to inform his sister. Since we still had so many questions, my uncle asked if he might return to dine with us that night.

Lizzy, as you know, I have never felt any real hostility toward Mr. Darcy, but I was certain he would give a polite refusal, given the difference between his social standing and our own. But he agreed most readily, asking only if he might bring his sister. To this, my uncle instantly assented, and Mr. Darcy left us with a plan of returning at seven o’clock.

Hardly had he ridden away than both Aunt and Uncle Gardiner were full of questions for me, believing I must have had some knowledge of how this engagement had been accomplished so very quickly. But I told them I was as surprised as they were but your letter might provide some illumination. So I quickly tore it open and made them aware of its contents.

Do not be alarmed, dear Lizzy, at any thought I simply read them what you wrote, for certain parts of it would have shocked them, as I am sure you know. But I read those parts that explained your surprise at Darcy’s interest in you, but once he had made his proposal, you decided the many advantages of the match were too excellent to reject. I did not tell them one of your main concerns was to secure the financial future of our mother and our sisters, but I did not have to. Our uncle saw it immediately, and commented this match would be a great relief to him since he had worried often of what might happen to us all if our dear father were to pass on too soon. His only worry was whether you would be happy in the marriage, given what he knew of your previous opinion of your future husband. But I gave him no further information, though your writings left me with more than a few concerns of my own.

The next surprise occurred when Mr. Darcy and his sister arrived for dinner, and it is one I cannot explain, Lizzy, given what Mr. Wickham told you of Miss Darcy. I expected a very proud, haughty, and disdainful girl, somewhat like Miss Bingley, but that was not the case at all. She was very shy, so shy I could hardly get a word from her. She was not reserved; she was just very quiet. She stayed close to her brother’s side when they first arrived, but I believe my aunt succeeded in calming her qualms as the evening went on. Just before they left, Miss Darcy did say she was very happy to see her brother getting married and was most anxious to meet you. But it was the longest sentence she spoke the whole evening, and I do not believe she said another word before they left.

After they were gone, both Aunt and Uncle Gardiner were very complimentary towards both Darcys, saying Mr. Darcy was obviously very protective of his sister. They were surprised to learn that he had almost the sole care of her since his father died five years ago, and my aunt said such a guardianship was a great burden to carry at the young age of twenty-two or twenty-three. Both of them did complain, however, in an amused fashion, that they had not learned all they wished since Mr. Darcy seemed to only desire to talk or hear about one subject, and that was you, Elizabeth!

The next morning, a card arrived after church inviting us to dine at the Darcy home in the evening, to which my uncle promptly returned his acceptance. Mr. Darcy gave us a tour of the home before supper, and I must say it is a very pleasant house. The furnishings are quite elegant and tasteful, and all of us thought well of it. It appears very comfortable, not at all as you described his aunt’s home. I believe you will like it very much, Lizzy! And he especially sought my advice and that of my aunt regarding the furnishings for your rooms, which he said had been closed off since his mother passed on many years ago. He asked for your favourite colours and what you might prefer in the way of wall coverings and furniture, though he said he would wait for your opinion before making any final changes.

In addition to your bedroom and a very nice dressing area, there is also a pleasant sitting room opening off the bedroom. That room looks over the park across the street, and I believe you will find it a very comfortable room in which to read and take tea with your visitors, one of which will certainly be me!

After the meal, Miss Darcy felt comfortable enough to play several songs for us on the pianoforte, and her skill is quite excellent—far beyond my own meagre talents, I assure you! But Mr. Darcy told us quietly that she plays for him often but very rarely will play for visitors. He complimented our aunt on her skilful efforts to allay his sister’s natural reticence. Towards the end of the evening, Mr. Darcy inquired as to whether we enjoyed the theatre, and when my uncle answered in the affirmative, he asked if we might be interested in seeing the final performance of Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ on Monday night. Both Aunt and Uncle Gardiner were quick to accept his kind invitation, so we will be attending the play tonight and sharing his private box. I am so looking forward to tonight, Lizzy, and I only wish that you were here to attend with us. I am sure neither of us has ever seen the play performed, though I believe that you have at least read it.

My aunt and uncle are already very taken with Mr. Darcy, after having been cautious when he first arrived. I cannot tell whether he has changed since we knew him in Hertfordshire, but I do remember Mr. Bingley said he is much more comfortable in a private setting with his friends than he ever is in public. But, whatever the reason, I must tell you he has charmed the whole household, including the dear children. He called this morning and accompanied me as I took our cousins to the park, allowing our aunt to stay at home. All the children wanted to hold his hand and asked him questions about how he met you, whether he owned horses and ponies, and whether they would ever be invited to visit when it was snowing. To all their questions, Mr. Darcy was quick to give a laughing answer. He soon found out Alice is ticklish, and he also determined Sarah loves being hoisted up high and whirled about. She was laughing so hard that tears were running from her eyes when he stopped, and she threw her arms about his neck and kissed his cheek!

So there you have it, Lizzy. I cannot know whether Mr. Darcy has changed or was always this way. I would like to think it is his love of you that has been responsible, for he certainly gives every indication of being in love. I feel certain he will be as solicitous a husband as any woman could wish, and I would only ask you respond to him in a more kindly and less calculating fashion than was indicated in your letter.