Chapter 7

Disclaimer: It all belongs to Jane Austen!

Eleven months after the tragic death of Mr. John Harrington, Mr. Bingley made his way to Mrs. Harrington's home. Mr. Bingley had just returned to London after a four month absence from London; and since he knew Mrs. Harrington was to leave London for Hertfordshire again, he wanted to bid her good bye. It would be the first time in four months since he had seen her, and before that, six months.

After Mr. Harrington had been laid to rest, Mrs. Harrington and Miss Bennet left for Hertfordshire so that Mrs. Harrington could mourn her husband's death. She remained with her parents for five months before returning to London. When she returned, Mr. Bingley called on Mrs. Harrington to take his leave: he would be absent for four months. This had been the last time they had seen each until now.

When Mrs. Harrington and Mr. Bingley met this time, they did so with much friendship. They greeted each other with warmth, and immediately began to inquire of each other's family.

"Mrs. Harrington, how is your sister, Miss Bennet? It has been almost five months since I have seen her."

"She is well, I thank you. I am to bring her with me when I return from Longbourn after the holidays. I hope, sir, that you shall be able to see her then." Elizabeth smiled at Mr. Bingley. It was quite obvious to her that he missed her sister very much. "And how are your sisters, sir? I have not had the pleasure of their company."

"Thank you, madam, they are well. They have not been in London much since the last time you met," said Mr. Bingley with an apologetic expression.

"I hope that we shall meet soon then, Mr. Bingley. How does Mr. Darcy? I have not seen him this last year, Mr. Bingley."

"He is also doing well. Mr. Darcy tends to work too hard, Mrs. Harrington. He has been busy with this family and managing Pemberley. Unfortunately for him, he has not been in town the times you have, Mrs. Harrington." Elizabeth only smiled and thought that perhaps her home was not grand enough for Mr. Darcy to visit.

At the end of the call, Mr. Bingley and Mrs. Harrington said their goodbyes. They wished each other well, and hoped to see each other after the holidays. Mr. Bingley only hinted at possibly them meeting sooner than that.


A week after Mr. Bingley's call in her London home, Elizabeth was settled in the room she slept in while she lived in Longbourn. She had been back to her childhood home for four days, and she was already weary of her mother. Despite Mrs. Bennet's good intentions, she never ceased to direct her second eldest daughter on how to get her sisters married. She would advise Elizabeth on taking all her sisters to London for the season, and to present them to all the single young men she knew. Mrs. Bennet did not want to accompany them because her poor nerves would suffer.

"Mama, you know very well that I would be glad to take my sisters to London when I return; however, I will not take both Lydia and kitty at the same time. You know too well their behavior would cause a scandal with the London society. I cannot risk our family's reputation," said Elizabeth on the fourth day of her stay. She had been adamant on this point and would not change her mind.

"But you know Lydia and Kitty are inseparable. You cannot take one and leave the other, child. I insist of all of your sisters going to town with you. If you leave one behind, I will nerve hear the end of it," Mrs. Bennet said while looking out the window of the parlor. She watched her two youngest who were walking towards the house.

"Mama, we shall discuss this when the time for my departure nears. However, my mind is made up: I will not have both in town with me."

The Miss Bennets entered the parlor as Mrs. Bennet was to respond to her second daughter's obstinate retort. When she saw her other daughters, she completely forgot her reply, and began to fuss over the state of the youngest' dress.

Later that day, after Mrs. Bennet, Catherine, and Lydia had visited their aunt Phillips, the ladies returned in a flurry. The eldest sisters were busy with their needle work when Mrs. Bennet entered the parlor room.

"Girls! What great news. Your aunt Phillips has just reported that Netherfield Park is let at last. What wonderful news for you girls!"

"Why, mama? How is it wonderful for us?" asked Mary, the third eldest.

"Oh, the person who is to live in Netherfield is a young man. He is rich to be sure." Mrs. Bennet smiled at her daughters while she spoke. They all looked back at her with confused expressions. When she saw they did not comprehend her, she added, "He is single, girls. He will marry one of you!"

"Mama, how are you so certain he means to marry? And even if he did, it is his choice to make, and he may well choose from another family," commented Elizabeth. She was accustomed to her mother's plans of marrying off her sisters. Unfortunately, this conversation was very familiar to one they had the last time a gentleman took a house in their part of the country. Elizabeth shivered and kept quiet.

"Oh Lizzy, none of the girls here are beautiful as my daughters. Jane is the belle of the county to be sure. You must make sure, dear Jane, to look as beautiful as you can possibly be when in his presence," said Mrs. Bennet to her eldest daughter. Elizabeth could not help but roll her eyes in exasperation.

For the remainder of the day, all Mrs. Bennet could talk about was about the gentleman who was to take Netherfield Park. By the end of the day, the sisters were not sure whether to believe that the young man was a duke or an earl, as Mrs. Bennet liked to assure anyone listening. What great luck for her girls!

Elizabeth was certain her mother was exaggerating on the young man's status. The last time a man came to their neighborhood, the man turned out to be a simple gentleman. She hoped that whoever was taking Netherfield did not turn out like the gentleman who entered their neighborhood.

The next day, Meryton and Longbourn learned the gentleman's name. Mr. Bingley was the man who was to take Netherfield Park. Jane and Elizabeth looked at each other with raised eyebrows. They had never mentioned their acquaintance with the Bingleys because they knew how their mother would react.

"Can it be the same Mr. Bingley? Miss Bingley never mentioned anything in her letters," said Jane to Elizabeth once they were by themselves.

"Can you consider her notes as letters? I am sure that if Miss Bingley knew of Mr. Bingley's leasing an estate so near you, dear, she would have done all in her power to stop him from taking Netherfield."

"Dear Lizzy, what do you suppose she has against me? You are always criticizing her about her behavior. For all we know, she is a busy woman and cannot spare much time to write lengthy letters." Jane looked worried as she spoke. Elizabeth tried to soothe her sister. Jane knew Miss Bingley was being uncivil, but she tried to give her the benefit of doubt.

What made the situation worse was that the infrequent and short letters Miss Bingley sent were always filled with information about Miss Darcy. She was expecting Miss Darcy to become her sister soon and Elizabeth suspected that the only reason Miss Bingley had not dropped their correspondence was because of Mr. Bingley.

Jane and Elizabeth had confided to Mr. Bennet that they had an acquaintance with Mr. Bingley from London and that Jane and his sister corresponded occasionally. They explained that they did not make their friendship known to the family because they did not want Mrs. Bennet's expectations to rise, and they were only admitting to it now because he had taken Netherfield.

A few days later, Mr. Bingley was said to have arrived in Netherfield. Despite having assured Mrs. Bennet that he would not visit Mr. Bingley, Mr. Bennet made his way over to Netherfield two days after the young man's arrival. After meeting the young man, Mr. Bennet was certain that Mr. Bingley felt more for Jane than friendship. He was almost certain that he had come to Netherfield because of her. He liked the young man well enough to invite him to call on him and his daughters.

A few days after Mr. Bennet's welcome, Mr. Bingley returned the call. Fortunately, he only found Mr. Bennet and the three eldest Bennet sisters home that morning. Upon seeing Miss Bennet, Mr. Bingley decided he must court her. She was possibly more beautiful than what he remembered.

"Are you to attend the assembly in Meryton next week, sir?" Elizabeth asked Mr. Bingley. She knew that Jane and he would enjoy dancing at least one set together.

"If you are to attend, then I shall as well. Miss Bennet, may I solicit the first two dances?" Mr. Bingley looked pleadingly at Miss Bennet when he asked for the first set.

Jane blushed, but smiled at the handsome young man. "Yes Mr. Bingley, I shall be happy to dance the first set with you."

After asking for a set from Mrs. Harrington as well, Mr. Bingley let the ladies know that his sisters, brother-in-law, and Mr. Darcy were to come in two days to stay to at Netherfield. He confessed that his sisters did not know about Netherfield, and intended it to be a surprise for them. Mr. Darcy had helped him find the place, and therefore knew about the surprise.

Because the Netherfield party arrived the day before the assembly, Elizabeth and Jane did not see them until the event. Unlike the ball that they met the Bingley party in, they arrived on time. Mr. Bingley did not hesitate to find Miss Bennet and make his way towards her. He had to almost drag his sisters along to meet the Bennets.

Jane and Elizabeth had decided the day before to enlighten their mother on their acquaintance with the Bingleys. Jane informed her mother that Mr. Bingley had asked for the first set, and she assured her that he was only being civil in asking her. Jane did not want her mother's expectations to rise because of a dance. Thus informed, Mrs. Bennet was not surprised to see the young man make haste to meet the Bennets. After everyone was introduced, the music started and the couples took their places. All Bennet sisters were fortunate enough to have a partner for the first set.


Upon arriving to the hall, Mr. Darcy wasted no time in searching for Mrs. Harrington. He found her conversing with her sister and another lady and looking more beautiful than he remembered. Her smile was intoxicating and her eyes were bright. Though he was not one to notice a woman's dress, he noticed how very well her dress fit her, and the color of her dress made he complexion more radiant. He hoped that one day he would find a woman who could live up to Mrs. Harrington.

Mr. Darcy watched as Bingley and his sisters made their way over to Mrs. Harrington and Miss Bennet. The ladies were standing with a handsome older woman, whom he assumed, was their mother. He debated with himself on whether he should ask Mrs. Harrington to dance. After watching her dance with another, he decided he wanted to dance with her.

Sir William Lucas, helpful as ever, decided he would introduce the quiet young man to all the principal people in the hall. The social man thought Mr. Darcy only desired to be introduced to the neighbors to become lively. Mr. Darcy however, was not one who enjoyed meeting many people that he did not care about. He sighed as he was introduced to many people who were just whispering about his income. When he was thankfully released from Sir William, he danced his obligatory dances with the Bingley sisters, and waited for the next opportunity to ask Mrs. Harrington for a set.

Unfortunately for Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Harrington was a popular lady. As the night progressed, he became more irritable with everyone, especially when he kept hearing the whispering about his estate. Sir William Lucas once again approached the handsome man just as Elizabeth walked to his side of the room. Mr. Darcy became so upset about this lost opportunity, that he became rude towards Sir William.

Sadly, Mrs. Harrington heard part of their exchange. She decided that Mr. Darcy was too proud for her liking. She walked away from the men and sat down to refresh herself directly being them. She could not help but hear as Mr. Darcy endeavored to rid himself of Sir William Lucas's company. She smiled at herself while she questioned Mr. Bingley's and Mr. Darcy's friendship

After spending two whole sets with Sir William, Mr. Darcy finally escaped. He did not remember seeing Mrs. Harrington dancing during his torture, so he thought perhaps that was the best moment to request a set from the lady. When he found her sitting near where he had previously been standing, he saw that he was too late. Some other gentleman walked her to the floor. He watched angrily as she danced the last two sets with two other gentlemen who were faster than he.

Mr. Darcy's angry glares did not go unnoticed. Elizabeth felt his eyes on her the entire night. She wondered why he was so decided to find fault with her. She could not imagine what she had done to the gentleman to induce such stares.

When the Bennets arrived in Longbourn, Elizabeth and Jane wasted no time in meeting in Jane's room. Both were very happy with how the evening had turned out. Elizabeth questioned her sister relentlessly on Mr. Bingley. Jane blushed and smiled, but still Elizabeth could not get any insight on her feelings for Mr. Bingley. Jane told her everything that occurred, but naught of her feelings for Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth loved her sister dearly, but she disliked her reserved nature. She only hoped Mr. Bingley could understand Jane as well as Elizabeth understood her.

She bade Jane goodnight after many unsuccessful attempts to get information on Jane's feelings towards Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth laid her head on her pillow and thought of the evening. She smiled when she recalled conversations with the Longbourn neighbors. Then she remembered Mr. Darcy's glares. He spent the entire night scowling at her. She frowned when she wondered on why he was so set against her. Perhaps she was not as beautiful as other young ladies, but she did not think herself so hideous to receive such glares from a handsome young man. She laughed. Why did she care what a proud man thought of her? She fell asleep with these thoughts in her head.