Mr Bennet takes an interest Chapter 5: 5 - Visit, a pride and prejudice fanfic

I would like to point out that in canon Bingley also did not rein in his sisters, and Darcy even agreed with Caroline. Why would you expect me to change that? 😉

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Visit

'I say, Darcy, I believe it would only be polite if I called at Longbourn. Mr Bennet and his family were most gracious at welcoming me to the neighbourhood,' Mr Bingley declared at breakfast, which he consumed heartily and again at an exceedingly early hour, by his standards.

Darcy had already been up for an hour and gone for a ride, to while away the time until his host would make an appearance. Bingley's eagerness to visit their neighbours explained why his friend again joined him in the dining room, when Darcy had barely started to eat.

'By all means. I quite agree that Mr Bennet is an exceptional conversationalist,' Darcy teased his friend, who coloured slightly at the obvious misinterpretation of his intent.

Bingley knew that Darcy was observant, and had noticed his interest in Miss Bennet. He decided there was no sense in prevarication. 'I am hoping to become better acquainted with Miss Bennet. She was an exceedingly pleasant dance-partner.'

'Is she to be your latest angel, whom you will abandon again a month from now?' While Darcy valued his friend for his easy going manners, he was getting concerned at the ease and frequency with which he went from one lady to the next. 'Bingley, please do not raise the expectations of yet another lady. Will you not grow up and learn that your behaviour can easily be misconstrued?'

'Am I truly so inconstant?' Bingley was upset that he could have hurt the feelings of any lady. He was even careful not to hurt the feelings of his younger sister, who certainly did not care whom she might hurt.

'Miss Price, Miss Smithers, Miss Cartwright, Miss…'

'Stop, Darcy. you have made your point.'

'Those were the ladies whom you met only this year.'

'Why am I saddled with a friend who has such a cursed good memory?'

'Because one of us needs to be sensible.' Darcy smiled to take the sting out of his words. 'But since we are on an uncomfortable subject, I need to raise another one… Your sister.'

'Has Caroline been making a pest of herself again?'

'At the assembly it took a major effort on my part to pry her hand off my arm. Her grip was so strong that I was afraid I might break her fingers.'

Bingley sighed. 'She is determined to be your wife.'

'You mean she is determined to be Mistress of Pemberley, but that will never happen.' Now it was Darcy's turn to sigh. 'I have to warn you that no matter what she tries, I will never marry her. The very idea of having to touch her…' Darcy shuddered visibly. 'If she attempts a compromise, it will be her reputation that will be ruined. Please make certain that she understands the situation.'

'I will try, but you know that she does not listen to what she does not wish to hear.'

'In that case, I will have to leave. I will not be importuned by her any longer.'

'Maybe if you were to get married… to someone else, of course… she would search further afield.'

Darcy gave his friend an offended look. 'I will not marry for your convenience,' he mock growled, although that comment called to mind a pair of eyes sparkling with humour. 'But since you will not be here to protect me, I believe I shall accompany you on your visit.'

'You want to make certain that I do not raise Miss Bennet's expectations,' accused Bingley.

'Naturally,' Darcy lied with a straight face.

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The visitors were warmly welcomed at Longbourn by Mr Bennet and his two oldest daughters. 'You must excuse us for not welcoming you properly, but my wife is indisposed at present, and Mary is sitting with her. I am afraid you will have to make do with us,' Mr Bennet greeted them cheerfully.

'I hope it is nothing serious, but if it is, I could send for my physician from London,' Mr Darcy offered.

'That is exceedingly kind of you Mr Darcy, but it is not necessary. Mrs Bennet will be back to her usual self in no time at all.'

Since her mother was absent, Jane took over the hostess duties and arranged for tea.

Bingley had chosen a seat next to Jane, in an effort to get a chance to speak to her, but once the opportunity presented itself, he became tongue-tied, remembering Darcy's admonishment.

Jane, noticing the gentleman's sudden discomfort tried to make him feel at ease. 'How do you like Netherfield Park, Mr Bingley?'

Relieved to have a neutral subject, Bingley waxed eloquent about the beauties of Hertfordshire in general, and Netherfield Park in particular.

'I am exceedingly lucky that Darcy was available to visit. He is trying to teach me how to manage an estate.'

'I am all astonishment that Mr Darcy is as knowledgeable in this matter. He seems very young to be such an expert.' Jane enquired.

'Unfortunately, like myself, Darcy lost his father some five years ago. Since then, he has successfully managed Pemberley, which is probably the largest estate in Derbyshire.'

'That would explain his expertise. You are indeed fortunate to have such a friend.'

Meanwhile this friend was taking the opportunity to converse with Mr Bennet and Elizabeth.

'Mr Bennet, I am grateful to you for your words the other evening. I have given the matter considerable thought, and realised that over the last few years I have developed some rather bad habits. I was raised to be better than that, but I had forgotten my teachings. Thank you for reminding me.'

'We all go astray at times, Mr Darcy, but as long as you try to improve, when you find out that you have made a mistake, people should not hold it against you. We are all imperfect.' Mr Bennet sincerely told his guest, remembering his own epiphany the previous year.

'I do not know if this makes it better or worse, but I have been behaving badly everywhere. Town, country, it makes no difference.'

Elizabeth tilted her head, giving the statement some thought. 'I believe it is both. Both better and worse. Better, because you did not single out our community for your disdain. Worse, because you let yourself became too…'

'Proud?' Darcy supplied.

'No, I would have said arrogant. A certain amount of pride is permissible for a man in your situation, but that should not make you arrogant and disdainful.'

'You make an excellent point, Miss Elizabeth.' Darcy sighed.

'Mr Darcy, at the assembly I had the impression that you did not wish to be there, and you were decidedly uncomfortable.'

The gentleman looked as if he could not decide whether to be uncomfortable at having been so transparent, or relieved that Miss Elizabeth had discerned his true character. 'You are quite correct,' he admitted.

'I suppose comments like ten thousand a year must get rather tedious.' Elizabeth mimicked the shrill whispers of the matrons to perfection.

Darcy bowed his head in acknowledgement of her perspicacity. 'As you say. Society appears to take it amiss that I have avoided marriage at my advanced age.'

'Of course, it is a well known fact that a man of great fortune must be in want of a wife. How could you possibly resist all the blandishments of the debutants,' Elizabeth teased with a smile.

'Indeed. It is most remiss of me not to fall into every trap those ladies set. They refuse to understand that I do not appreciate being prey, and expect more from a wife than just a pretty face and the ability to pour tea.'

Turning serious again, she asked, 'Mr Darcy, please forgive me for saying so, but is not marriage amongst the first circles a matter of business? I would have expected that a man in your position would weigh up the candidates based on their eligibility, rather than their personality.'

Darcy blushed. He had evaluated the available ladies based on their wealth and status, but those who met those criteria, had personalities which he found intolerable. The idea of producing an heir for Pemberley with any of them had been repugnant, but that was not a topic to discuss with a young lady. Especially with one who was anything but repugnant. Even more so, since her father was listening to their conversation.

Eventually he offered, 'my parents married for affection. I remember that, when my mother was still alive, I observed a level of comfort and understanding between them which I would like to have for myself.'

'I wish you luck in your search, Mr Darcy. But if I might be allowed to make a suggestion…'

'Suggest away.'

'You might be more successful if you did not scowl at everyone. While you push everyone away, you will never meet anyone who will respect your wish to be left in peace… because they will respect your wish, and they will leave you in peace. As a consequence, you only meet ladies who are not put off by your demeanour, since they do not care about you, but only your wealth and position.' Elizabeth smiled as she raised a challenging eyebrow, daring him to argue with her evaluation.

Darcy stared at her for a moment as he absorbed her advice. 'Hoist by my own petard, it seems,' he groaned.

Elizabeth's smile became even more brilliant. 'Precisely.'

Darcy's chagrin was interrupted by Mr Bennet's laugh. 'I should have warned you, Mr Darcy. My daughter has a very analytical mind. She is always trying to work out why something happens the way it did.'

'I consider that an admirable attribute in anyone, Mr Bennet.'

'Do you indeed, Mr Darcy?'

'I do, although I find it a rare attribute, even amongst gentlemen. To find a lady with such an accomplishment, is a rare pleasure. Perhaps Miss Elizabeth would be kind enough to assist me.' Darcy turned his attention back to Elizabeth.

'Miss Elizabeth, do you have any other suggestions?'

'You might try conversing with ladies. Politely, of course.'

'Therein lies the difficulty. I never know what to say.' Darcy gave her a sheepish smile.

'You could always ask the lady about her own interests; you might find that you have something in common.'

'And what are your interests, Miss Elizabeth?' Darcy asked with a small smile, which could have been perceived as mischievous on anyone, who was not as serious as this gentleman.

Not wanting to stifle the gentleman's attempt at following her suggestion, Elizabeth answered with a smile. 'I enjoy books and taking long walks in the country.'

'Miss Elizabeth, we do indeed have common interests. I enjoy spending most evenings, when I am at Pemberley, ensconced in the library with a book. My sister often sits with me, and while we frequently each read a different book, at other times one of us will read aloud to the other.'

'What kinds of books do you enjoy reading, Mr Darcy?'

'I have rather eclectic tastes, although I do still enjoy reading Robinson Crusoe.'

'Why, Mr Darcy, so do I. As it happens, I only just read it again last month, when we had several days of rain, and my parents would not allow me to go for my usual walks.'

They fell into an animated conversation about their favourite scenes from the book, while Mr Bennet sat back and listened for a time. Their lively debate soon attracted the attention of Bingley and Jane, who were also familiar with the story, and added their opinions on the book.

The group enjoyed their conversation, and did not realise how quickly time passed, and they well and truly exceeded the time for a polite visit.

They were eventually interrupted by Mrs Hill, who announced, 'Miss Lucas is here to see you.'

At that point Darcy and Bingley realised how long they had stayed, and started to apologise.

'Nonsense, we all thoroughly enjoyed this discussion,' declared Mr Bennet, and offered, 'come back anytime, particularly if you want to discuss Plato.'

Darcy bowed and said, 'I will hold you to that, Mr Bennet. Thank you for a most enjoyable visit.'

Bingley added his thanks, before both gentlemen made their farewells.

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On the ride back to Netherfield, Bingley commented, 'I must say, Darcy, that was probably the most enjoyable time I have ever spent in the company of ladies.'

'I too cannot remember a more pleasant visit,' Darcy agreed. He had followed Miss Elizabeth's suggestion on the spur of the moment, and discovered not only that it was an excellent way to start a conversation, but he had also found out that Miss Elizabeth was a delightful conversationalist. She also seemed to enjoy many of the things he did, although she had disagreed with him when she had a different opinion.

'You surprised me though, Darcy. Usually, it is I who draws you into a conversation, but this time it was the reverse. I have never before seen you so animated, unless it was in company of Colonel Fitzwilliam.'

'It should not be so surprising, Bingley. You know I love a good discussion about books. Although I must admit that I was surprised to find such well read company in this area. I congratulate you on choosing such an excellent location for your country home.'

'Now I just have to try and remember what I can about Plato.' Bingley grimaced. 'You warned me to pay more attention at school. I should have listened to you.'

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