Miss Bennet & Mr Bingley (35 page)

Charles glanced at his pocket watch
and saw to his astonishment they had in walking for over an hour. ‘Jane, we
must turn back, we must be several miles away from Longbourn. They will be
sending out search parties if we do not go back soon.’

On their return he discovered that
his friend and Elizabeth were still absent. He and Jane had been gone almost
three hours, but there was no sign of the others returning.

 
* * * *

‘Charles, where can Lizzy and Mr
Darcy have got to? I am certain they would not have continued on to visit Maria
with Kitty. I do hope they have not met with a mishap. Do you think you should
go out and look for them?’

He shook his head. ‘I do not think
Darcy would appreciate my appearance as if he is not capable of conducting a
walk without assistance. I am sorry, my dear, but I cannot stay with you longer
at the moment. I have business to attend to in Meryton, but, as always, I shall
join you for dinner and spend the evening in your company.’ He raised her hand
to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss upon her fingers.

Surprised that he had abandoned his
friend in this peculiar way, she went inside, avoiding the breakfast room where
she could hear her mother talking to Mary. Instead she retreated upstairs and
sat in the window seat watching the paddock to catch a glimpse of her sister
and Mr Darcy returning.

As it happened she was with Sarah,
getting ready for dinner in her dressing room and did not see Elizabeth arrive.
By this time she was most concerned that her sister had been absent so long for
Kitty had returned some time ago. They met on the stairs.

 
‘My dear Lizzy, where ever can you have you
been walking to for so long?’

‘We wandered about and lost track
of both place and time. I must hurry upstairs and change for dinner. Mr Darcy
has galloped off to do the same.’

With that unsatisfactory answer
Jane had to be content for the present. On joining her family in the
drawing-room she was not surprised to see that neither Charles nor Mr Darcy
were yet present. Kitty was full of details about the time she had spent with
Maria and this filled the time until Elizabeth came in.

Jane had already explained why her
sister had been so long away and little more was said on the subject. Charles
and his friend arrived shortly afterwards and she became so immersed in
conversation with him that nothing else was of any importance.

‘It is very mysterious, my love,
Lizzy will not tell me where she went all day with Darcy. Did he tell you why
they were gone so long?’

He glanced in their direction and
smiled knowingly. ‘I have no idea, but I am sure that your sister will explain
it all to you when you are private. Now, can you guess where it was I went this
afternoon after I left you?’

She shook her head. ‘Tell me at
once, you know that you are bursting with news.’

‘I have spoken to the vicar and the
wedding date is set for the end of October. We have to decide where we shall go
for our wedding trip, do you have any preferences, my darling?’

‘I do not wish to go too far,
November can be treacherous. Perhaps we could stay in your town house? I should
love to visit the theatre and opera with you at my side.’

‘Are you sure? Would you not like
to travel to Scotland and see the mountains? We could spend Christmas and the
New Year in Edinburgh, it is a grand city, albeit somewhat cold.’

‘A month in town is all that I
require, then we can return to Netherfield and plan our celebrations. I would
like to have my first Christmas with you in our own home, with my family around
me. By the by, we must now think about wedding guests, do you have many
relatives you wish to ask?’

‘My two sisters, and Hurst are the
only relatives I have. Apart from Darcy and Georgiana, of course, they are as
close as family to me.’

‘I am afraid that I have dozens
that will expect to be invited, most of which you have already met. Mama will
wish to organize that, so I must leave it all to her. As long as we are
married, I care little about the details.’

The evening came to a close far too
soon for her. With promises to be at Longbourn immediately after breakfast
Charles took his leave. She was still thinking about her wedding tour and
whether she should be more adventurous in her choice when she retired.

 
‘Tell me, Lizzy, what do you think? Should we
go to the Lakes or perhaps to the coast, or remain in London as I have
suggested to Charles?’ To her surprise, she found that Lizzy was not listening
to her. ‘Lizzy? Lizzy? Are you wool gathering?’

Lizzy looked up her expression
distracted. ‘I have something to tell you, Jane, that I am certain will astound
you. I hardly know how to begin. It is very difficult, but still I must, and I
am sure that as you love me so you will want me to be happy.’

Jane was bewildered. What could
Lizzy mean?

‘Well, the truth is . . . Darcy and
I are engaged.’

She could not believe what she had
heard. She had had no suspicion that her sister was in love with Darcy. ‘You
are joking, Lizzy. This cannot be! Engaged to Mr Darcy! No, no, you shall not
deceive me. I know it to be impossible.’

‘This is a wretched beginning
indeed! I am depending on you, as I am sure nobody else will believe me, if you
do not. Yes, indeed, I am in earnest. I speak nothing but the truth. He still
loves me, and we are engaged.’

Jane looked at her doubtingly. ‘Oh!
Lizzy. It cannot be. I know how much you dislike him.’

‘You know nothing of the matter.
That
is all to be forgotten. Perhaps I did not always love him so well as I do now,
but in such cases as these, a good memory is unpardonable. This is the last
time I shall ever remember it myself.’

Jane still could not believe her
sister now loved Mr Darcy. ‘Are you quite sure you are not jesting?’

‘Oh! Jane, why should I wish to do
so? No, it is the truth. I see I will have to convince you. You know that I
took a great dislike to him in Hertfordshire, but you know also that my
feelings to him started to change when he told me the truth about Wickham, and
again when he helped Lydia.’

‘Yes, but I did not know they had
changed so much.’

‘I hardly realized that I had
fallen in love with him myself, until recently. I am not surprised that you are
disbelieving.’

‘Was it the fact that he helped our
sister that changed your mind about him?’

‘Not really, it is because he is
the most honourable, decent and wonderful man I have ever met. I cannot
understand how prejudiced I was against him when we were first acquainted.
After all, did you not tell me often enough that Bingley would not have him as
a friend if he was in any way unpleasant.’

‘It was not a sudden thing, Lizzy?
I knew the first moment I set eyes on Charles that he was the one for me.’

 
‘I know you did, but we are not alike in that
respect. But we have arrived at the same destination nevertheless. Darcy and I
have both changed over the year and are finally of the same opinion, that we
love each other and wish to be wed.’

‘Good heavens? Can it really be so!
Yet now I must believe you. My dear, dear Lizzy, I would, I do congratulate
you, but are you quite certain? Forgive the question, are you quite certain
that you can be happy with him?’

‘There can be no doubt of that. It
is settled between us already, we are the happiest couple in the world. But are
you pleased, Jane? Shall you like to have such an impossible brother?’

‘Very, very much. Nothing could
give either Charles or myself more delight. We considered it, we talked of it
as possible. Do you really love him quite well enough? Oh Lizzy! Do anything
rather than marry without affection. Are you quite sure you feel as you ought
to?’

‘Oh, yes! You will only think, I
feel more than I ought to do, when I tell you more.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Why, I must confess, to loving him
better than I do Bingley. I am afraid you will be angry.’

Jane threw her arms around her
sister and kissed her. ‘My dear sister, now please be serious. I want to talk
to you in earnest. Let me hear everything that I am to know, without delay.
Will you tell me how long you have loved him?’

The rest of the night was spent in
exchanging secrets with her sister. When Elizabeth told her that Darcy had been
Lydia’s saviour, not their Uncle Gardiner, she was not surprised.

‘He is a good man, and I am
delighted for you both. If you love him half as much as I love Charles then you
shall be happy indeed. Lizzy, let us insist on having a double wedding. As soon
as Mr Darcy speaks to our father, we can start planning.’

‘Are you sure, Jane dearest, I do
not wish to intrude upon your special day. I should be happy to wait until
after you and Bingley have married.’

‘No, Lizzy, we shall do it
together. I am certain that both Charles and Darcy shall be as happy at the
suggestion as we are. And it will mean our father only has to provide one
wedding breakfast, and not two. However, we have set a date for the end of
October. Will that be too soon for you?’

She saw her sister blush
becomingly. ‘It cannot be soon enough for me.’ Giggling together they fell into
bed, not voicing what had caused the laughter but both knowing they were
eagerly anticipating sharing
everything
with their husbands.

Eventually conversation was at an
end and Jane fell asleep, her head full of plans for their shared nuptials,
trips to London to purchase the materials for their bride clothes and whether
she should change her mind and ask Charles to take her to the coast. She had
never seen the sea, even in the winter it would be an exciting prospect,
especially if she was sharing it with him.

 
* * * *

Charles was already dressed and
pacing the drawing-room at Netherfield when Darcy eventually returned. One look
at his face was enough to tell him his mission had been successful.

‘Congratulations, I wish you
happiness, Elizabeth will make you the perfect bride.’

‘Do you know, Bingley, until she
accepted my offer I was still uncertain. I begin to feel the same euphoria as
you, I can scarcely gather my thoughts. I am to be married to the most
beautiful woman in Hertfordshire, and to my astonishment she loves me as much
as I do her.’

Charles slapped him vigorously on
the back. ‘I beg to differ, my friend.
I
am marrying the most beautiful
girl in Hertfordshire, but Elizabeth comes a close second. Now, you must go and
change, the carriage is outside and we are going to be embarrassingly tardy.’

Eventually on their way Charles had
questions he still needed answers to. ‘Well, my friend, when are you to speak
to Mr Bennet? It is going to be difficult maintaining the pretence that you are
at Longbourn to accompany me and for no other reason.’

‘I think after supper, when he
retires to his library, I shall follow him. If we spend the day out of the
house, on another long walk, I think it might be possible to maintain the
fiction for a while longer.’

‘Mrs Bennet holds you in extreme
dislike, and the two younger sisters are too afraid of you to speak in your
presence. It is hard to tell Mr Bennet’s opinion, but I think he is a sensible
man, it is from him both Elizabeth and Jane have their good sense and impeccable
manners.’

Mr Darcy laughed out loud. ‘I do
not think you understand your future mother-in-law, Bingley, if you do not
realize that as soon as I become her daughter’s intended her dislike of me will
vanish. The thought of my wealth and status will turn me instantly into her
favourite person.’

He grinned, not sure if it was
quite proper to poke fun at what was soon to be his family, after all. ‘It will
be hard for you, enduring the eulogies from Mrs Bennet, and her friends and
relatives. But, you have the best of it, my friend, you will be removing to
Derbyshire, I am obliged to live within three miles of Longbourn.’

‘I must write to Lady Catherine,
and also to Georgiana and tell her the good news. I shall meet you outside in an
hour; we can then ride to Longbourn together.’

Jane received a polite note of
congratulations from Caroline which she showed to her sister. ‘I am glad that
she has written to me, but I can assure you, Lizzy, I shall not be taken in by
her again.’

‘I am glad to hear say so, she
treated you abominably and although she is to become family it does not mean
you have to be bosom bows.’

‘I have no need of other friends
when I have you. I shall write her a kind letter and that shall be the end of
the matter. Charles does not wish to invite her to spend Christmas with us at
Netherfield, which is a great relief to me.’

The letter finished, Jane went to
join her sister who was examining fashion plates with some enthusiasm. ‘Are you
looking forward to going to London tomorrow? I could not believe that Papa gave
us permission to travel unchaperoned in a carriage with Darcy and Charles.’

‘As he will be travelling in the
Longbourn carriage with Mama at the same time he could hardly raise any
objections. After all we shall be chaperoning each other.’ She tossed aside the
magazine. ‘These gowns are far too ornate for my taste. I have no intention of
wearing a dress smothered in frills and rouleau just to be considered stylish.’
She pointed to the drawing she had discarded so suddenly. ‘Look at that, Jane.
Would you wish to walk around wearing something that resembles a coal scuttle
on your head?’

‘It is fortunate that we do not
intend to parade around in the
ton
or we should be obliged to look as
ridiculous as that.’ She yawned. ‘I think it is time we retired, we have to
make an early start tomorrow.’