Chapter 15

Mrs. Gardiner was seated embroidering a handkerchief for her son while thinking about all the events of the previous day. The evening had begun with the news of the engagement of Mary and Mr. Mortimer, everyone was very happy but no one was surprised by the news. Robert had danced the second set with Jane and they both looked radiant that she couldn't help but feel excited. Even her husband, Mr. Gardiner had mentioned how happy Jane looked.

But the wonderful night had started to get complicated the moment Mr. Bingley appeared with his sister at the ball. At first, she thought that they would stay away from her party. Later, she saw Lord Maxwell approach them for a few minutes and after exchanging a few words, he abruptly walked away from them. She did not know what happened but assumed that probably Miss Bingley had said something inappropriate.

When Jane had stopped dancing with her future brother-in-law, and came over to talk with her and Mrs. Mortimer, Mr. Bingley joined the group, and with longing eyes, he greeted Jane with such affection, that it was hard to believe that he was the same man who had abandoned Jane without even saying goodbye a few months ago. She was a bit worried that her niece was feeling overwhelmed by the situation, but seeing that she greeted him politely but in a neutral way, she calmed down. Jane introduced mister Bingley to her aunt and Mrs. Mortimer greeted him saying that they already knew each other for a long time.

Mrs. Gardiner was also impressed to see that Mr. Bingley seemed unaware that Jane did not wish to continue talking to him, and he kept speaking very animatedly. But the worst was yet to come, because as if it had not been enough to have to put up with Mr. Bingley when no one wanted to converse with him, at that moment Caroline approached the group. With a face of contempt, she told her brother, ignoring Jane and the rest of the ladies, to come with her because she wanted to introduce him to someone. Mrs. Gardiner still remembered the face of horror with which Mr. Bingley looked at his sister, he was appalled at such a lack of manners of Caroline. He tried to make his sister at least say hello to his friends, but she just ignored him.

Mrs. Gardiner couldn't recall being in such an awkward situation in a long time, but fortunately Robert, surely knowing what was going on, approached the group and saved the uncomfortable moment

"Dear Miss Bennet, I hope you have not forgotten that you promised me and Sophia that you would dance at least two sets with me, and you still owe me one", said Robert to Jane.

"I have not forgotten my Lord, and I always keep my promises", answered Jane while smiling to Robert.

Caroline was shocked to see how the Earl treated Jane with such familiarity, and she was horribly jealous that a woman as simple and unrefined as Jane Bennet, caught the attention of an important man like Lord Maxwell, while she had danced with only insignificant men, and Lord Maxwell had practically ignored her.

Charles Bingley was also very surprised to see that Jane Bennet was openly courted by Lord Maxwell in front of him, and she seemed not to care. He never thought that a woman like her could so quickly forget everything they had shared just a few months ago.

When Jane and Robert were leaving towards the dance floor, Caroline seeing his brother's disappointed face, somehow took out her frustration, and she said, "Stop being stupid Charles! It is clear, that social climber changed you for someone better. Apparently, money is not enough for her, she also wants a title".

Mrs. Gardiner was a mild-tempered woman who knew how to control her emotions very well, but she was so furious that she thought that she should say something to Caroline. When she was ready to speak her mind, it was Mrs. Mortimer who intervened. Just remembering what had happened last evening, made her laugh.

Mrs. Mortimer had told Caroline that she had better be cautious with her words, that Miss Bennet would soon be part of her family, and if she wanted, just a word from her was enough to make her not to be accepted by any polite society. Furthermore Mrs. Mortimer told Caroline that the Bennets were close friends to Lord Maxwell, and that he was very protective with the people he esteemed and loved. So she recommended her to drink some punch and to enjoy the rest of the evening or go home to insult her pillow. After that both, brother and sister left and they could continue enjoying the rest of the evening in peace.

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"I had never felt so humiliated in my life Louisa", Caroline said to her sister red with rage. "If you would have seen that damn Jane Bennet hanging from Lord Maxwell's arm as if she were the queen of the ball. Poor fool if she thinks a man of his rank would want something serious with her. Surely he is thinking of making her his mistress, what more can you expect from those vulgar women", finalized Caroline with a triumphant face.

"What I do not understand, Caroline, it is why Mrs. Mortimer said that Jane would be part of her family, if Jane strolled triumphantly on the arm of Lord Maxwell?", asked Louisa.

"I do not know, Louisa! It seems to me that one of his sons, the youngest one who has always been kind of weird, is interested in the plain Bennet . Honestly, I do not care about that woman or her son!", Miss Bingley finalized.

Mrs. Hurst took a deep breath and told her sister very carefully, because her angry sister was unbearable but her very angry sister was almost torture. "Caroline, the Mortimers are one of the richest families in the country, you should take her warning seriously. Besides, those Bennet chits are finally out of our life, so we do not have to care about them anymore", concluded Louisa.

"Louisa, I am happy that Jane did not enter our family as she intended, but I cannot bear that she thinks she won, that it was she who left our brother to go in search of someone better. If I accept that, what can happen next, Eliza Bennet marrying Mr. Darcy?".

For his part, Charles Bingley listened to his sisters talk about him, as if he were not a few steps away from them, regardless of whether their words hurt him or not. He was not sure if he had been in love with Jane Bennet, but when he saw her yesterday he realized that he admired her very much, and could not help but feel sorry for not having taken the time of knowing her better. Also, he regretted having allowed his sisters and his friend interfere in his life. He had reflected that after he had shown keen attention to her, he had left without even saying goodbye, and yet Miss Bennet had greeted him courteously. It seems that what Caroline always told him was true, and he was nothing more than a fool.

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Mr. Darcy wrote a letter to Elizabeth, in which he explained his reasons for having advised his friend not to return to Netherfield and all his dealings with Mr. Wickham, even those involving his sister. The next morning he went looking for her, and when he found her walking, he handed her the letter, asked her to read it, and left. Later that day he and his cousin left Rosings.

Lady Catherine for her part was furious that her nephew, once again, had not proposed to her daughter. She accused Anne of being the culprit of that, that if she were more affectionate with him, surely Darcy would ask her to marry him immediately. Anne bravely endured all the attacks, but once her mother retired to take her nap, she left the house in the company of Mrs. Jenkinson in search of some peace.

At the same time, Jonathan had arrived at the parsonage, tomorrow he and Elizabeth would leave for London back to his parents' house.

Upon entering the house, he found Charlotte alone reading some letters from her family. He asked his friend where Elizabeth was, and she told him that she had gone for a walk. She also let him know that since the previous afternoon, Elizabeth had not felt well and had decided to go out to breathe fresh air and relax, and since she did not like to walk that much, she had preferred to stay home. Jonathan told Charlotte that he would go looking for her, that he had also been locked in his carriage for a long time, and that some exercise would do him good.

When he was looking for his cousin, Jonathan saw Miss de Bourgh and Mrs. Jenkinson and decided to go to greet them. He really wanted to talk to Anne, although he wasn't sure what to say to her. He knew that it would be inappropriate to tell her that he had thought about her all those days that he had not seen her, and that he had returned a day earlier than expected because he did not wish to return to London without being able to see her one more time. When he spoke with them, he noticed that Anne was very sad and he dared to ask her if she was alright.

Anne always used her supposed illness as a protection mechanism. She had done it with her mother for years, and now she was doing it to protect herself from Jonathan. She knew that a man as handsome, successful and intelligent as him, she would soon meet a beautiful woman and get married, and that very day she would die of grief. For this reason, she preferred never to see him again, not to know anything more about him and only to keep the memory of her first and only love.

"I know it sounds selfish, but I just want to be at peace, I do not have the energy or emotional capacity that is required to run a house or raise children, but my mother refuses to see it", she concluded while some tears rolled down her cheek.

Jonathan was impressed by such a confession, most women aspired to marry but it was clear that in that, Miss de Bourgh was different too. He couldn't help but admire even more ,and also he felt horribly sad at the same time. He didn't know why her words had hurt him so much, if he had always known that a beautiful rich heiress like her, could never even have a friendship with a tradesman like him. Once he managed to recover, he asked, "and what does your cousin say about this situation?"

"He doesn't say anything, he listens to my mother and ignores her. I know that he does it to avoid a conflict with her, as I told you, my mother is usually very insistent and even impertinent when she has a fixed idea. Darcy prefers to spend two quiet weeks, because he leaves afterwards, and although my mother sends him letters continuously insisting on our supposed engagement, I'm sure he did not even read them". She explained in a discouraged voice.

Jonathan already had a low opinion of Mr. Darcy, and after listening to what Miss de Bourgh told him, he felt very disgusted towards this man he did not even know. Jonathan decided to change the subject to make Anne felt better, and told her that he had read her story, and that he had loved it, that she was very talented and if she ever decided to try to publish something, that she could contact him through Mrs. Collins because he knew some people who could help her.

Anne felt very grateful and she wanted to say so many things, but she could't. After a minute of silence, she finally spoke with a broken voice and told him, "You know, Mr. Gardiner, I hope that in the future it may be possible for a single woman to be friends with a single man. Thank you for being so kind to me, you and Miss Elizabeth have been the only people, not counting Mrs. Jenkinson and Mrs. Collins, whom I can consider friends. I know that tomorrow you are leaving, so I'm glad I saw you today. You are a great man and I wish you well", concluded Anne.

Mrs. Jenkinson had stayed away from them so as not to interrupt. She knew her dear child very well and she knew that she had fallen in love at first sight with this very charming man. For their part, Anne and Jonathan had stopped talking, it seemed that neither wanted to say the last goodbye. Finally Jonathan got to his feet and Anne met his eyes for the first time since he had come to converse with her. They stared at each other for a few seconds until Jonathan said, "Goodbye Miss de Bourgh, it was really a pleasure to have met you."

Jonathan said goodbye to Mrs. Jenkinson, and feeling sorrowful left thinking about what Anne had said. If friendship were possible between them, he would have loved to be able to write and receive her letters and above all, to have the possibility to continue reading her stories and knowing about her. Without a doubt, meeting Miss de Bourgh had been an unforgettable experience.

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Jonathan had continued walking for a few minutes when he found Elizabeth. She did not see him arrive, so he had the opportunity to observe her for a moment. He saw that she was reading something that looked like a letter, and from time to time she was wiping her tears. He approached very concerned and asked her what was wrong, and she immediately put the letter in the pocket of her pelisse.

"Jonathan, I didn't know you had arrived, we were expecting you tomorrow" Elizabet said, trying to sound as normal as possible but she couldn't fool her cousin.

"I'm very sorry Lizzie, but I'm not going to move or say anything until you tell me what happened to you, and if it is related to what you were reading", Jonathan said to Elizabeth in a firm voice.

Then Elizabeth told him everything that had happened at the parsonage last evening, and how Mr. Darcy had proposed to her and how she had rejected him. Jonathan could not contain his anger and without thinking he said "Damn man, how dare he treat a woman he supposedly admires like that, I'm going to kill him".

Elizabeth was silent for a moment and more calmly explained to her cousin some things. "At first when I heard his words, I felt exactly like you do now, and although I do not regret having rejected him, I think reflecting a little better, I cannot ignore that some of the things he said have some truth. It is true that my family has always exhibited reprehensible behavior, that only those who love us can ignore. I also know that it is true that Jane is shy and for some, that shyness may seem indifference. But I accused him unjustly regarding Mr. Wickham, you were right, he is a man who cannot be trusted"

"Elizabeth that man's attitude is inexcusable, and I don't want to hear you defend him anymore. Regardless of whether or not you were wrong in judging Wickham, he never did anything to earn the respect of anyone" Jonathan said to her cousin without still being able to contain his anger.

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The next day Elizabeth and Jonathan said their goodbyes and thanked Mr. and Mrs. Collins for their hospitality. As they were about to board Jonathan's carriage, Miss de Bourgh appeared to bid Elizabeth farewell and thank her for her company during her days in Kent. She was kind to Jonathan, but distant, and he said a courteous goodbye and said nothing more.

On their trip to London, they traveled mostly in silence, and Elizabeth could feel her cousin tense. She asked him not to discuss with his parents what had happened between Mr. Darcy and her, that she did not want to talk about it with anyone. He promised that he would not say anything, and they continued in silence the rest of the way. It seemed as if Jonathan was very unhappy but at the same time enrege, as if he was planning something.

When they arrived at the Gardiners' house they found their family, Aaron's parents, Lord Maxwell and Sophia celebrating and they were told that two days ago, at Robert's ball, Aaron had proposed to Mary and she had accepted him. Elizabeth and Jonathan were delighted and happily joined the celebration.

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The next day, immediately after breakfast, Jonathan left his house. He spoke to some acquaintances and managed to get Mr. Darcy's address and immediately he headed to his house. Once he arrived at the luxurious mansion he stopped for a moment and before knocking on the door he said, "Now you are going to find out you damn coward that my cousins are not alone!".