Mr Bennet takes an interest

by sysa22

What might have happened if a year earlier Mr Bennet had become more involved with the lives of his family. Could things have worked out differently?

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As was customary for the ladies of Meryton, the day after an assembly they would meet and discuss in detail all the happenings of the night before.

Lady Lucas and her daughters were the first visitors at Longbourn.

Mrs Bennet was eager to hear all the news, since her daughters never provided enough particulars of these events.

'Jane tells me that Mr Bingley singled out Charlotte for his first dance.'

'He did indeed, but I suspect it was because Sir William introduced him to Charlotte first. After that he danced twice with Jane. The only lady whom he paid such a compliment.'

'I overheard Mr Bingley speaking to Mr Robinson,' Charlotte added. 'When Mr Robinson asked who Mr Bingley thought was the prettiest girl at the assembly, he replied the eldest Miss Bennet, beyond a doubt; there cannot be two opinions on that point.'

'Did he indeed. That was very decided. I wonder if anything might come of this.' Mrs Bennet was pleased to be provided with such encouraging intelligence.

'Mr Bingley was exceedingly amiable and gregarious. He danced every single dance. The same cannot be said about his friend, Mr Darcy. He appeared very put upon having to attend our ball, and never danced even once, despite the dearth of gentlemen. Although he did speak briefly with your husband and Eliza.'

'Lizzy, why did you not tell me? What about did you speak?'

'He was speaking to father about Uncle Reggie, who it appears is Mr Darcy's godfather, and since he missed being introduced earlier, he asked father to introduce us.'

'I heard that Mr Darcy actually asked you to dance.'

'He did, but I had to decline, since all my dances were already spoken for.'

'Since when are you so popular, Lizzy?'

'Lizzy has always been popular, Mama, but there is always such a crush at these assemblies that it is hard to see who is dancing.' Jane, always the peacemaker tried to cover the fact that her mother did not pay much attention to her second and least favourite daughter.

Mrs Bennet, remembering her husband's strictures about denigrating his favourite, replied. 'You are quite correct, dear Jane. It had quite slipped my mind. I do not know what is happening to my mind of late.'

'Do not distress yourself, my friend. I know what it is like to be in your situation.'

'Mama, since you have Lady Lucas for company, perhaps Charlotte would like to take a stroll through the garden with Lizzy and me?' suggested Jane.

The matrons found the suggestion eminently acceptable, since it gave them a chance to speak freely without what would be suitable for their daughters to hear.

~~~o0o~~~

'Now that our mothers are not listening, tell me, what did you think of Mr Bingley?' Charlotte asked Jane.

'He is just what a young man ought to be, sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners. He is so much at ease with everyone,' enthused Jane.

'He is also handsome, which a young man ought to be to make him perfect,' Elizabeth teased.

'I gather you like him a great deal?'

Jane blushed. I do, but I will not get my hopes up that he feels anything other then happy with pleasant company.'

'Would you like him to feel more then?' Charlotte was curious. It was unlike Jane to be so affected by a gentleman. She was very reserved and guarded her heart. Charlotte suspected it was due to her mother's determined efforts to see her married.

'I do not yet know. After all, we only danced twice. I know nothing of his character and cannot say whether we would suit each other.'

'At least he is much more pleasant than your previous suitors,' Elizabeth commented. Unbeknownst to their mother, Jane had already received two proposals, other than Mr Coopers', both of which she had politely declined.

'Sometimes I wonder if there is any man out there whom I can love, and who will love me in return,' sighed Jane. At the age of two and twenty, although she was five years younger than Charlotte, she was starting to get concerned about her future prospects. But she was not yet ready to give up her dream of marrying for love.

'You never know, but perhaps Mr Bingley will be your knight in shining armour, who will sweep you off your feet, and carry you off to his castle. He certainly looked at you as if he would like to do just that.' Charlotte was adamant. 'But tell me, Eliza. why did you refuse to dance with Mr Darcy? I saw you speaking to him before your dances with your father, and I am convinced that Mr Bennet would have allowed you to change partners.'

Elizabeth hesitated. She had not yet told anyone about what had prompted her introduction to Mr Darcy. But, deciding that she could trust her dearest sister and her dearest friend, she related the events of the previous evening.

'How dare he,' fume Jane. 'Insulting you like that. I shall…'

'…do nothing, dearest sister. All is well. Truly. Mr Darcy apologised and even asked me to dance. I simply felt that he is too used to getting his way, and needed to feel like the rest of us mortals. Apart from that, I have not yet seen Mr Darcy dance. Why would I trade a known, exquisite dancer for a potential disaster? I gather Mr Darcy does not often dance. It could very well be that he does not like dancing, or because he is not proficient.'

'I must confess, many young ladies envy you your father, Eliza. Not many of their parents are so light on their feet.'

That comment raised appreciative chuckles from the sisters.

~~~o0o~~~

Despite getting to bed late the night before, Mr Darcy woke at the break of dawn as was his habit. Knowing that his hosts kept town-hours, he luxuriated in the comfortable bed for a few minutes, before leisurely rising and getting ready for the day.

Parker, his valet, assisted him into his riding outfit, since Darcy planned to give his stallion a good run after breakfast.

When Darcy entered the dining room, a selection of his favourite dishes awaited him on the sideboard, since Parker had alerted the staff at Netherfield to his preferences, which included rising early.

Mr Darcy was just finishing a final scone with raspberry preserve, when Mr Bingley walked bleary eyed into the room.

'Good heavens, Bingley, what is the matter with you? exclaimed Darcy in amazement.

'Nothing is wrong with me, I am simply still half asleep,' mumbled his friend as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

'I was not speaking about how you look, but the fact that you are already out of bed.'

'You told me that the best time to get things done is early in the morning. If I am to learn how to be a good manager, I suppose I must learn to deal with country hours.'

'I commend you for your conscientiousness,' Darcy complimented his friend. Seeing that Bingley had made the effort to rise early, Darcy changed his plans and decided to wait for his friend. He poured himself another cup of coffee and watched his friend devour his meal.

Darcy noticed that his friend kept glancing at him. 'Is something the matter, Bingley? Do I have preserve on my face?'

'No, there is nothing on your face. I simply wondered if you would wish to leave?'

'As a matter of fact, I have planned to go for a ride after breakfast.'

'No, I meant back to town.'

'Why would I go back to Town? I only arrived yesterday.'

'I thought that after being taken to task by Mr Bennet you might wish to remove yourself from this area.'

Darcy closed his eyes briefly at the reminder of how badly he had behaved the previous evening. 'Bingley, Mr Bennet was completely within his rights to speak to me the way he did. I was abominably rude.' He gave his friend an apologetic smile. 'And not only to the people of Meryton, but also to you. I have become more of a grouch every year, and I apologise for taking it out on you.'

'Please Darcy, do not fret. I know that I should not have pushed you to dance, since I am fully aware how you despise the activity.'

'As it happens, I do not despise dancing, but I do object to the majority of potential dance-partners. I am afraid that I raise expectations whenever I ask a lady to dance.'

'You know, Darcy,' Bingley said around a mouthful of ham, 'if you danced more often, it would not be such a noteworthy event. Then you could enjoy yourself without raising expectations. Look at me. I dance almost every dance, but no one expects anything of me.'

'Unless, of course, you ask a lady for a second dance.'

'Well, there is that. But I only ask for a second dance, if the lady is exceptional.' Bingley decided to change the subject. 'But to get back to the question I was asking before. Are you quite content to remain and teach me to manage the estate?'

'I see no reason to leave. While Mr Bennet, rightfully, objected to my behaviour, he was discreet enough not to make it public. Remaining will also give me the opportunity to relearn my manners without the scrutiny of Town.'

'In that case, what are our plans for today?'

'I thought we could go for a ride until you are fully awake, and then continue on, to inspect the estate.'

'Thank you for giving me a chance to wake up properly before expecting me to pay attention to anything. I believe your temper is already improving.'

Darcy smiled, but refrained from saying, my temper always improves when your sister is asleep.

~~~o0o~~~

'Louisa, you must help me. We simply must get Charles out of this savage town and back to London where we belong,' Caroline Bingley demanded of her sister.

'But you know that our father wanted Charles to purchase an estate and raise our social position. But before he does so, he must learn how to manage an estate.'

'All he needs is a trustworthy steward. All the best people in town are doing so. They do not waste their time languishing in the country.'

'Some of them do that. But have you noticed who those people are?'

'Not particularly.'

'Then it has probably escaped you that the ones who rely on a steward, are either so very rich that even with mismanagement the estates produce sufficient income for them not to care. The others are selling their estates bit by bit to fund their lifestyle. Then they try to find a wife with a large dowry to squander.'

'How would you know? Charles has never mentioned anything like this to me.'

'I do occasionally speak to my husband. His parents are managing their estate themselves, to ensure that there will be something for Mr Hurst to inherit. Many of the landowners, who rely entirely on stewards, usually only leave debts to their children.'

'Mr Darcy has a steward.'

'Indeed, but he is in frequent contact with the man, and he spends many months each year at Pemberley.'

'Well, once we are married, I shall insist that we shall reside in town for most of the year. In summer, of course, the London air becomes unpleasant. At that time, it will be just as well to be at Pemberley, and give house parties.'

'Caroline, how long have you known Mr Darcy?'

'It must be just on five years. I met him during my second season. Why do you ask?'

'During those five years, Mr Darcy had plenty of opportunity to court you and offer for you. He has not done so. Why do you think that is?'

'You know that he is shy. I believe he is just waiting for the right opportunity.'

'Caroline, you are deluding yourself. Mr Darcy has had years to offer for you, and he has not done so, because he never will. I know that he would never marry the daughter of a tradesman.'

'But our family is no longer in trade.'

'Our uncle still is. At present we are simply nouveau riche. Apart from that he despises your character and your supposed sense of fashion. You heard him last night. He praised the local ladies for their good taste.'

'You know perfectly well that men know nothing of fashion, but I am certain that I can teach him.' Miss Bingley, as usual, ignored everything she did not wish to hear and flounced off to the dining room, hoping to catch the gentleman at his meal.

But she was doomed to disappointment. Mr Darcy had finished his breakfast, as had her brother, and both gentlemen had gone out to inspect the estate.

After all, Mr Darcy was one landowner who took his duties seriously, and he was teaching his friend to do the same.

~~~o0o~~~

Dinner at Netherfield was a most uncomfortable affair for the gentlemen.

Miss Bingley was in full flight airing her complaints about the estate which needed redecorating, to make a fashionable home; the staff of Netherfield were clumsy and did not seem to understand her orders; the town did not have a single fashionable shop; and most of all, the population who were country mushrooms at best.

And then there were her particular complaints about the Bennet ladies.

While Miss Bennet was pretty enough, Miss Bingley was convinced that she was a fortune-hunter, who only smiled at her brother because he was rich.

Miss Bingley had noticed that Mr Darcy had spent the whole evening at the assembly avoiding her, but had deigned to speak and even smile at Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Therefore, Miss Elizabeth came in for the lion's share of vitriol. How could a woman with such crooked features dare to show her face in public? Her hair was wild and she had no grace. Her dress was not only years out of date, but it was also exceedingly immodest, and clearly designed to attract the worst kind of attention from gentlemen.

It had apparently escaped Miss Bingley that her own bosom was considerably less covered than Miss Elizabeth's had been.

The gentlemen gritted their teeth and tried to ignore her harangue, so as not to spoil their dinner.

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Mr Bennet takes an interest by Sydney Salier, Copyright © 2021