The remaining time of the Meryton Assembly was tortuous for multiple parties. Lizzy was desperate to speak with Jane, but she could not do so until they had privacy. Georgiana simply wanted the solitude of her room where she could contemplate the revelations that had occurred that evening. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst were bored, and Colonel Fitzwilliam felt caught in between all sides.
Darcy and Bingley were aware of Lizzy's repeated looks, and they couldn't help but feel that they were being talked about, but not for their fortunes. And in fact, they were correct. Lizzy had made it known to her various acquaintances that the gentlemen had not behaved kindly to Jane in the past. No details were made known, and Jane was mortified when she discovered what Lizzy had done. Lizzy remained firm, however, that their general acquaintance should be on their guard from the newcomers.
Finally the assembly came to its conclusion. Both the Longbourn and Netherfield carriages carried silent passengers on the way to their respective estates. Each occupant had much to consider.
Upon arrival at Longbourn, Lizzy rushed inside to prepare for bed. Once she had completed her toilette, she entered Jane's room. Mary and Kitty soon followed; although they were not aware of the history between Jane and Mr. Bingley, they had been aware of the tense atmosphere at the assembly.
Jane turned accusing eyes to Lizzy. "Lizzy, why would tell others about what happened between Mr. Bingley and myself?"
"I didn't share specifics, Jane," Lizzy defended. "I merely said that he was unkind to you once when you were in London."
"But why?"
"Because I do not believe them to be trustworthy," said Lizzy firmly, "and our general acquaintance deserved to be informed before they accepted any of them into their homes."
Kitty spoke up. "What did happen?"
Jane let out an unladylike huff, surprising her sisters. "When I was fifteen and in London, Mr. Bingley paid his attentions to me. He introduced me to Mr. Darcy one night, and I never saw either of them again until this evening."
"It wasn't as harmless as that," insisted Lizzy. "You forget, Jane, that I saw you when you returned from London. He paid his attentions to you and then left without a word after requesting to speak to you about a particular subject. He broke your heart."
"Which has since been repaired!" cried Jane in exasperation. "Lizzy, what happened was seven years ago."
"If you are so untouched, then why did you react so strongly when they appeared?" questioned Lizzy.
"Because I had not anticipated the meeting! For few brief moments I felt all of those feelings of hurt and abandonment and betrayal. After the initial shock wore off, I realized that they were no longer present. Yes, he hurt me in the past, but he does not continue to hurt me," explained Jane.
"But if you truly loved him –" began Lizzy.
Jane threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "I do not know that I loved him, Lizzy! I was only fifteen years old. Fifteen. That is the same age as Lydia is right now. I felt strong feelings for him, yes. He was kind and amiable. But I did not know much about him or his character. In many ways, he did me a service by leaving when he did."
Mary interrupted at this point. "Lizzy, I know you were trying to help Jane and protect our neighbors, but you also acted out of prejudice. As Jane pointed out, that was seven years ago. We have all changed much in seven years."
Lizzy sighed in resignation. "I see your point, Jane, Mary. However, what's done is done. It may not have been the most rational course of action. I apologize, Jane, for sharing your confidences."
Jane smiled at her sister. "I accept your apologies, Lizzy, and I appreciate your dedication in ensuring my happiness. I am happy. I would much rather remain unwed than to have married a man with so little firmness of purpose."
"I'm glad you didn't marry him," Kitty chimed in. "Poor Colonel Fitzwilliam, to have such disagreeable family members."
The girls fell silent for a few minutes as they contemplated how differently their lives would have turned out had different choices been made all those years ago.
Finally Lizzy said, "Very well, I will make an effort to be pleasant towards the gentlemen."
"I am eager to get to know his wife," said Kitty. "From what little I saw, she appeared to be very kind. She had a lovely smile."
"She also appeared to be rather young," Mary pointed out.
"I am less eager to know his sisters," Lizzy said with a wry grin. "They were better pleased with themselves than anything they saw at the assembly."
"Perhaps they were uncomfortable in company?" suggested in Jane.
Her three sisters looked at one another, then they began laughing. "Oh Jane," said Lizzy in between giggles, "if only I were as good as you."
"They most certainly were uncomfortable in our company," added Mary.
"Well, maybe they will improve upon further acquaintance," said Jane hopefully.
"Possibly," said Lizzy doubtfully, "but I believe we have more important things to speak of than the Netherfield party."
Her three sisters looked at her in confusion. "What?" asked Kitty.
"Not what – whom. Mr. Jones!" exclaimed Lizzy.
"Why is our apothecary more important than the Netherfield occupants?" Kitty asked.
"Not our Mr. Jones, but his son," said Jane. "He appears to be courting Charlotte Lucas."
"What do we know about him?" inquired Mary.
"He has been married before. His wife passed away in childbirth, and he was left with a sickly daughter to raise who is now six years old. She does not breathe very well in the winter near London, so they have come here for the cold months to see if her health improves," explained Lizzy.
"What does that have to do with us?" questioned Kitty.
"We simply cannot allow our dear Charlotte to be united with a man who will treat her poorly!" Lizzy stated firmly. "Just as we did with Mr. Collins, we must discover if the younger Mr. Jones is a good match for our friend."
"What do you have in mind?" asked Mary.
"Nothing too elaborate," Jane said warningly.
"No, not at all. I simply want to see what the servants have to say about his character. We already know the elder Mr. Jones to be a kind man. It is difficult to think he would raise his son to be anything else, but it is always good to be sure," said Lizzy.
"I can try flirting with him," said Kitty, "and see if he responds."
"Only if Charlotte is aware of the reason," Jane cautioned. "Otherwise, she may believe you are in earnest, which would wound her."
Kitty assured them that she would not act without having first sought Charlotte's approval. With this plan of action having be settled, the girls bid each other goodnight, unaware that conversations of a similar nature were being conducted at Netherfield.
Once back at Netherfield after the assembly, the ladies all retired to their rooms. Georgiana eagerly sought the privacy of her chambers to reflect on all that had happened that evening. Mr. Hurst followed his wife and Miss Bingley up the stairs.
The remaining gentlemen retired to the billiards room. Colonel Fitzwilliam eyed Bingley and Darcy as they waited for a servant to bring the refreshments and depart. Once alone, Colonel Fitzwilliam released the pent-up fury he had been containing ever since he had overheard the eldest Miss Bennets while dancing.
"Would one of you care to explain the complete and utter idiocy the two of you displayed?"
Startled, Darcy and Bingley eyed one another. "To what do you refer, Cousin?" Darcy asked cautiously.
"To what do I ref-…? No, this will not do. I am not uninformed of the behavior the two of you exhibited seven years ago. The sheer and utter gall of making love to a lady, Bingley, and then abandoning her after promising to return for a proposal –"
"A what?" exclaimed Darcy.
Bingley looked down at the floor, face a brilliant red. "I may have told Miss Bennet that I would return after escorting you out in order to discuss particular matter," he muttered in shame.
"You never told me that!" Darcy said furiously.
Bingley looked up and gave Darcy a hard look. "Would it have made a difference?"
"Yes, Bingley! Your honor was engaged!" Darcy said defensively.
"Whether or not I had told Miss Bennet that, my honor had already been engaged by the marked attentions I had been paying her for weeks. You knew that!" Bingley retorted.
"Enough!" shouted Fitzwilliam. Darcy and Bingley stared at him in shock, both having forgotten that he was in the room.
"It appears to me that both of you are to blame," Fitzwilliam said harshly. "I have spent time with the Bennet family. While it's true that their youngest sister is a flibbertigibbet and their mother is coarse, the daughters themselves are above reproach."
Chastened, Bingley and Darcy fell silent. Fitzwilliam continued berating his cousin and his cousin-by-marriage. For a full quarter of an hour, he gave them a dressing down that neither man had experienced in their lifetime, not even as trouble-making lads.
Neither Darcy nor Bingley interrupted. For the first time, both men were confronted with the hypocrisy and shameful behavior that both had exhibited. Once his tirade had finished, Fitzwilliam put down his empty glass. As he went to leave the room, he turned and gave them both one last hard look. "One last thing: Georgiana is as familiar with the situation as I am, as she also had the misfortune of being on the dance floor with me to overhear the two elder Bennet sisters discuss your presence. I have counseled her to give you, Bingley, a day or two for contemplation. If you do not discuss the situation with her, she will approach you. And if she has to initiate the conversation, I can guarantee that it will be much less pleasant for you."
On that note, Fitzwilliam exited the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
Bingley jumped at the harsh noise of the slamming door. After a few minutes of silence, he said, "He's right, you know."
"Pardon?" asked Darcy. He had been so caught up in his own thoughts of self-castigation that he could not comprehend what Bingley had said.
"Fitzwilliam is entirely correct," Bingley repeated. "We deserve every single thing he said to us, and worse. I behaved so dishonorably that I cannot even bear to look upon my behavior without abhorrence. I paid court to a genuine young woman and left without a fair-thee-well."
Darcy shook his head. "Bingley, it is more my fault than yours. I was an arrogant, jaded young man who took the worst that society had to offer and placed it on the shoulders of an innocent young woman who did nothing more than try to ease my discomfort in society. I looked only for worst in her actions, which caused me to misread her every word and action."
"But I was the one who allowed myself to be easily led," Bingley argued. "You had only spent a few hours in her company, whereas I had spent weeks admiring her. You had no evidence other than your own suppositions, and I paid more heed to your opinions than what I saw with my own two eyes."
Darcy was silent for a few minutes, then said, "I think, Bingley, that we are both to blame. We both behaved abominably. Our behavior was no better than Wickham's in treating someone else's feelings with complete disregard."
Bingley nodded soberly. "We need to make amends. I know we cannot change things, and I daresay even if I were in the position to do so, I doubt Miss Bennet would have me."
Darcy looked at Bingley sharpy. "Kindly remember that you are married to my sister."
Bingley looked at him in shock. "Of course I remember that! By amends, I mean to say that we should start with an apology. After that, I am not certain what the best course of action is. I do not thing we are any condition to make that kind of decision tonight, anyway."
"We are tired," Darcy admitted.
"And drunk," Bingley said, gesturing to the now-empty decanter that had been full when the conversation began.
"We should retire and speak again on the matter tomorrow," Darcy said.
"Agreed," said Bingley. He hesitated, then said, "And I plan to discuss the matter with Georgiana as well. We are married, and as much as I believe in making reparations for past sins, she is my first priority. I will not take any action without her input and guidance."
Darcy nodded in agreement. He took the last swallow from his glass, and the two headed to bed.