Mrs. Bennet ordered everyone to arrive early at the Meryton Assembly, and Mr. Bennet did not have the right of refusal this time. Kitty and Mary dressed particularly well, as news of their pending weddings circulated through the neighborhood so much so that Penelope and Harriet Harrington wrote to Lydia to confirm its truth. Jane and Elizabeth bore their mother's cutting insults tolerably well, even now as she lamented at the insult of her plainest daughters marrying first. Lydia immediately escaped to her friend's side and retold with vigor of her visit to Aunt Phillips. Everyone but Maria Lucas burst into giggles at the idea of soldiers swarming Meryton.
Mr. Bennet sought out Sir William Lucas and Mr. Robinson, and soon the three men turned their attentions to Sir William's oldest son, Jonathan. At the age of three and twenty, he favored no one explicitly. He danced twice with Lizzy, once with Kitty, avoided Lydia and accepted Harriet for a dance. At this time a hush fell over the assembly, the ladies parted, and Mr. Charles Bingley accompanied by three ladies and two men presented themselves to Meryton. Sir William made to greet them while Mr. Robinson revealed he too visited Mr. Bingley for his daughter's potential future as mistress of Netherfield. " The young man with him is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, 10,000 per annum. He is a prominent young man of Derbyshire, owns half of it,"
" Then Miss Rowley will attempt to appeal to him, as no one present in Hertfordshire suits her,"
" At the mother's will, I suspect my wife will join them although Lavinia and Leah carry with them the inducement of 18,000 a piece," He livened a little at the prospect.
Of the three women that accompanied him, Mrs. Hurst was the only married woman. Her husband, Mr. Hurst proved to Hertfordshire he preferred drink to dancing with his wife. The unmarried sisters, Caroline and Emmeline, presented opposite characters that everyone loved the younger and considered the elder rude. Immediately Mr. Bingley claimed Jane for a dance, while Emmeline spoke with Elizabeth and Charlotte Lucas.
Mr. Darcy hovered at Emmeline's side, the attentive guardian. " A dance is very amusing and entertaining. You can always tell who is the most artful and who is the most tactless. The observations are almost more amusing than the dancing," Emmeline announced with complete non-judgment.
Taken in by her honesty, Elizabeth laughed. " I do find dancing more amusing but you do raise an interesting point,"
" Aye, and my brother enjoys your company, Eliza, were it not for Lydia, you would expect an offer too,"
" The lady dancing with Mr. Long?" Emmeline inquired.
" Yes," Charlotte answered. " Johny has quite the infatuation with Eliza," She held Mr. Darcy's gaze. " Mr. Darcy, how do you find Netherfield?"
Taken back that he'd actually been addressed, he cleared his throat. " It is pleasant,"
" The last owner of the home welcomed my father as a quest, and they enjoyed many hunts together until he passed. His son now owns the estate and collects the rents, I believe, but resides in another county with his wife," Elizabeth shared with Emmeline and Mr. Darcy. " I hear the house is fine,"
Mr. Darcy nodded.
Emmeline placed a hand on Charlotte's arm. " I hear that your family is quite affluent as well. I would very much admire the dresses that once came from his shop,"
Charlotte and Emmeline talked for a whole half hour on her father's former shop. Mr. Darcy excused himself after half that time to walk the walls in search of the elusive peace. Elizabeth sighed and found herself very much amiable to a marriage with Jonathan Lucas. Her gaze snapped up at the mention of her name.
"…and Eliza is a most accomplished pianist. She played for us last visit and had my brother in raptures,"
" Charlotte!" Elizabeth hissed.
Her protest went on ignored.
" Come off it, Eliza, at least admit he does direct his attentions toward you. Even now his gaze is called over here," Indeed, as Elizabeth glanced his direction, he looked away.
Suffering the teasing of her companions for the rest of the ball, Elizabeth occasionally escaped into the company of Jane and Mary. After Mr. Bingley failed to move Mr. Darcy to dance with anyone besides Mrs. Hurst and the two Miss Bingleys, Mr. Darcy sat with her at the side in what became a comfortable silence. All in all, she enjoyed herself thoroughly and wished to better know Emmeline Bingley. Charlotte Lucas's comments about Jonathan did not fail to reach their mother and Lady Lucas either, as for once in her life, Ruth Bennet corrected Lydia after she made a fool of herself on the dance line.
By their return to Longbourn, Kitty's constant stream of intelligence prevented Lydia from controlling the conversation. As Jane rarely spoke of her own feelings and inner most thoughts, except to Elizabeth, she remarked in accordance to whatever Kitty said. Mary held Elizabeth's hand and rested her head on her sister's shoulder. " And Lizzy should really go with us to London when he is to attend schooling for his barrister training,"
" I thank you, Kitty, but your Mr. Rowley must agree to this first-" She shifted her arm around Mary's shoulders after removing their hands from each other. " – and even if he did agree to this, I would much rather hear it from him, as would Papa,"
" I would gladly let you go," Mr. Bennet announced quickly, much to the vexation of Mrs. Bennet, who hoped Catherine would take Lydia with her.
Left without an escape (As throwing oneself out of a perfectly safe carriage did not set well with her,)Elizabeth sighed. " I would still rather have Mr. Rowley extend the invitation. His sister already calls us fortune hunters,"
" What does Miss Marina know? She is more mercenary than anyone else, including Miss Lavinia, Miss Leah, Miss Edith, and Miss Adelaine," Lydia finally got to speak, and speak the truth she did. No man in Hertfordshire interested in them, and all of them were afforded at least a season in London, with the exception of Marina. " And why should we care?"
" Because word can circulate of our character, Liddy," Mary answered her, snuggling into Elizabeth. They'd been close once, but then Mary discovered Fordyce and Elizabeth tired of the sermons being used as conversation and by consequence condemnation of everyone. Elizabeth found by comparison Fordyce to be a pious, self-centered, overly self-important man who thought little of anyone but himself just by his teaching. The way he spoke of women settled poorly with her. That a man should expect his wife to obey in everything – if their mother obeyed their father in everything, they might have one less silly parent in exchange for two equally lazy parents unwilling to do anything for themselves or their children. " And not all of us are fortune hunters, although a rich husband would save us. In fact not even you are a fortune hunter-"
" The point is that her word will hold more weight," Jane grounded Mary's tired answer in brevity. " And we must present our best selves,"
Elias admired the bond between his daughters. Even when they hated each other, they all found a way to keep the peace. Now they held together even as society threatened to tear them down and apart.
The matter quite settled, the carriage fell silent. Mr. Bennet retired to his bookroom as his daughters retired to bed. The following morning promised a review of the assembly where Kitty's many dances with Mr. Rowley held more interest than Lydia's many dance partners. Mary remarked that Mr. Darcy acted very strange, and Jane withstood her mother's remarks on Mr. Bingley. On her part, Jane intimated to Elizabeth while Mr. Charles Bingley was all that a young man ought to be, she felt no particular interest in him. " I know Mama will be disappointed, but if he were to offer, I would not refuse. And love, while desirable, rarely means security,"
" He strikes me as the type of young man who is charming but unprepared. I know you prefer the men who are purposeful in their pursuits," Together they took their ribbon baskets and departed for the garden. The Lucas carriage approached as they took a seat on the stone bench in the center of the wild garden. " I support you in whatever you do,"
" You know I can not love a man, Lizzy. Mama expects me to make the fortunes of everyone, but why must I? Why not you? Or Lydia?"
" I do not try to understand Mama," Elizabeth admitted. " And it is unfair for that burden to be placed on you, but we know why Lydia will never bear that burden. She is too childish and younger than the rest of us,"
" Why does Mama hate that you are quicker of mind than us? Does she not realize that not much of society views her with much respect?"
Lady Lucas paused on the other side of the wall of trees and shrubbery that excluded the wild garden. Charlotte patiently waited at her side, wishing her mother not to abuse the confidence of others.
" I believe she dislikes Papa's respect for me as you know our father does not respect her,"
" That may be but you have never treated her as less," Jane sighed, " How soon should we re-enter? I do not want to hear talk of marriage anymore than I do listen to Lydia whine about the consequences of her bad behavior,"
The elder sisters laughed and lamented their misfortune in sisters.
Motioning Charlotte to follow her, Lady Lucas lead the way back inside. Mrs. Bennet immediately seized upon the assembly and Mr. Bingley's attentions to Jane. Charlotte, permitted a lone compliment, tried to engage Kitty and Mary in distracting conversation. Lydia ruined that by asking directly if Jonathan really wanted to offer to Lizzy.
" He does wish to offer, Lydia," Lady Lucas answered her.
Her curiosity satisfied and honor wounded, Lydia Bennet's infamous pout finally made its appearance. " And why hasn't he?"
No one said a word. Charlotte finally summoned the courage to state the obvious. " My brother will offer when he is prepared, and should he offer, I am certain that he will choose Eliza if she is not already betrothed or married,"
" And why hasn't he offered yet, Charlotte?"
Mrs. Bennet paled. The impertinence of her youngest child, especially in the face of respected company!
" Because he is waiting for you to marry first," Now Lydia did not know how to take it. " Once you are married, he will offer,"
" How odd of Mr. Lucas," Lydia finally recovered enough to sulk and accept the reality that she'd have to take second place in her mother's praises. " Well, I hope Lizzy is happy with him," She stabbed a straw doll with pins used for their various crafts. This particular day they were drawing.
For the remainder of the visit, Charlotte bluntly deflected Lydia's rudeness. Mrs. Bennet mentioned Mr. Darcy's odd behavior with agitation. " Mrs. Long said he slighted Mr. Robinson, a man who rarely socialized, and then Mrs. Long later asked him how he liked Netherfield,"
" Both Eliza and I tried to talk to him of Netherfield as well," Charlotte said. " Eliza! Jane! Might I persuade you to walk with me down the lane and back while our mothers finish conversing? I find my legs in want of exercise,"
Allowing Charlotte to lead the way, the elder Bennets left the ladies to the more veiled competition between Mrs. Bennet and Lady Lucas.
Safely in the company of the Bennet sisters, Charlotte relaxed finally. " I can not begin to tell you how pleased I am to be away from Lydia. Why is she so eager for Johny to marry you?" The idea of them being sisters by marriage certainly excited Charlotte, but by no means did she want her brother to rush into something he did not desire wholeheartedly.
" Her pin money will increase with each of us marrying," Elizabeth answered. " Mary will be married within three months and Kitty likely by a month and half. Mama will likely spoil her and spare the rod,"
" My mother has forbid Maria from associating with her at all,"
" I suspect that the Harringtons are also forbidden from association with her," Jane shared, shocking both Charlotte and Elizabeth. " Mary overheard Harriet's complaining that they were only permitted to receive visitors and to communicate by letters. Penelope blamed Lydia's association, and now Penelope is not permitted in the neighboring county for some time,"
" What did she do?" Charlotte wished to hear more than good manners permitted. Clutching her hands together, she wondered who would dare take an interest in Lydia.
Uncomfortable with insulting another lady, Jane sidestepped the answers. " Of that, I have no satisfactory answer. I do know that Lydia will be an obstacle to us all,"
" Not so much an obstacle but a stain on our reputation. Mr. Rowley is already aware of our family, but Mr. Markus is curiously wealthy. 9,000 a year. He must've inherited…"
" Is that envy I detect, Eliza?" Charlotte teased. Jane smiled.
Elizabeth held her head high. " I am only glad that it is Mary and not Lydia who will be his wife. Lydia would flaunt it whereas Mary sees no use for wealth aside from sheet music, pianoforte, and the occasional crafting material,"
" Lydia can be unbearable at times," Jane reluctanty admitted. " Charlotte, what of you?"
They walked from Longbourn to the end of the lane, from the end of the lane to Longbourn, and now Lady Lucas intercepted them to reclaim her daughter wishing them well.
Their mother called them back into the drawing room to complain of Lady Lucas's highhanded insult to Lydia. " I daresay she told him to withhold the offer to Lizzy – though I know not why he wants you – by unjustly believing that Lydia would ruin herself,"
Mary and Kitty shook their heads as Lydia complained of the ill treatment. Jane and Elizabeth, seeing they could not reason with their mother, said nothing.
Saved an hour by the Miss Bingleys and Mrs. Hurst, talk turned to the Netherfield home, its previous occupants, the current owner, Mr. Hurst's interest in game hunting, and the oft repeated desire to repeat their visit. Elizabeth wasn't fooled for a moment by Caroline and Mrs. Hurst, and Emmeline's open character, full of life and optimism, pulled even Lydia into its web of appeal.