Elizabeth and Jane were almost overwhelmed by all the attention they received over the next two weeks. Word of their attendance at the ball at St. James's Palace and the attention from Prince Augustus Frederick had spread quickly, especially after the newspapers had written about them with such complimentary descriptions. Their popularity was guaranteed by Jane's beauty and Lady Elizabeth's title and estate. Everywhere they went they were the center of attention, especially from gentlemen, not all of whom were young or handsome or even unattached. Elizabeth welcomed the frequent presence of Mr. Darcy and the Matlocks as they made sure to introduce them to many people and to warn them of others. Elizabeth assumed that their frequent presence resulted from the fact that they were prominent members of the highest level of society. At the end of those first two weeks, they were both tired and welcomed their weekly quiet evening with the Gardiners.
That night, when they had gone up unusually early to try to catch up on their sleep, Jane had to make a confession to her sister. "Lizzy, I had thought that I would really enjoy going out every night to different events. However, I have to admit that I am not enjoying them nearly as much as I had anticipated. Every night over the past two weeks, we met new people who constantly asked personal questions about our backgrounds. They do not seem to be very interested in us as people, they are only trying to determine what our wealth and connections are.
"Lizzy, I am ready to give up on all this. I want our quiet life back. I would just like to go back to Longbourn."
"Jane, I know what you are saying. Having to keep smiling no matter how impertinent the questions are is beginning to bother me as well. However, what about Mr. Bingley? You have seen him only twice in the past two weeks, and one of those occasions was at the opera. All the attention we are receiving might be discouraging him from pursuing you. Have you missed him?"
"I have to admit that I have. After meeting all these gentlemen who have paid so much attention to me, he seems even nicer now. He liked me in spite of our family situation."
"Jane, do you remember when Charlotte said that women should let men know how much we think of them; even to show more affection than we actually felt? I have never told you, but that is what she said she did to secure her husband." She knew that she could not tell Jane all the details, but she wanted to see her sister happy and thought that Charlotte's example might help her. "She said that when she and Mr. Carlyle found themselves alone, she actually took his hand and smiled at him. That was all the encouragement he needed and they ended up engaged that very night." She could not stop herself from blushing when she thought of the rest of Charlotte's story.
"Jane, if you like Mr. Bingley as much as I think you do, take Charlotte's advice. I know your nature and this will be difficult for you to do, but remember that he is also very reticent and may be too bashful to make the first move without some definite encouragement from you.
"Do you think you could do this? Even just taking his hand and smiling at him when you are alone might do the trick. Is he worth it to you? Do you want him as your husband?" She did not want to push her sister too much; she just wanted her to be happy.
"I will think about it. Lizzy, I am not sure I could do it, but I might try."
Early the next afternoon, they were all surprised when Mr. Bingley came to Gracechurch Street as he had not come here recently. It was fortunate that it was too early for the sisters to begin to get ready for their evening's entertainment. After greeting them all, he sat on the sofa beside Jane. To Elizabeth, he appeared to be quite uncertain of his reception.
"Mr. Bingley, how good to see you. It has been far too long." Mrs. Gardiner also wanted to encourage him. She was well aware of Jane's blushes at his nearness.
"It is good to see all of you as well. I have not come around recently as I know how busy you all are with your social life."
They could all see that he was looking longingly at Jane. Elizabeth had told her aunt about Jane's dissatisfaction with their busy social life and they had decided to help the couple however they could. Aunt Gardiner decided that this might be the opportune time for them to settle their affairs. "Lizzy, could I ask for your help with the children for a moment?" She said this while winking at her niece. Elizabeth caught on immediately.
"Of course. Jane, Mr. Bingley, please excuse us for a moment." She and her aunt then left them. They were tempted to eavesdrop just outside the door, but they managed to restrain themselves. They carefully closed the door when they left the drawing room.
When they left, neither Bingley nor Jane said anything at first. Jane was looking down at her hands, thinking of what Lizzy had told her. She finally found sufficient courage to do what Charlotte had done. She reached out her hand and put it on top of his, which were resting on his lap. "Mr. Bingley, we have missed you. We were hoping that you had not forgotten us." She could only whisper these words; she was so embarrassed. She still could not look up at him when she said this.
"Miss Bennet, I could never forget you. I just did not want to interfere with your socializing. I know how busy you are."
She finally managed to look up at him. When she did this, she smiled her warmest smile. "We would never be too busy for you."
"Miss Bennet; Jane, do you really mean that?" She could only nod at him. She could feel a tear run down her cheek. This just happened without any effort on her part. "Jane, my dearest Jane, I wanted to wait until you were ready to go home to speak to you, but I cannot wait. I have missed you so much. I never want to be separated from you again. I love you so much; I am not happy unless I am with you."
Here, his natural modesty seemed to come into play. "My dearest Jane, do you feel any affection for me? Please tell me if I should stop."
"Charles, I do care for you. These last few weeks, meeting all those gentlemen, I realized that none could compare with you. They made me appreciate how special you are and how much I felt for you. I knew then that I only wanted to be with you."
"Jane, I love you so much. Will you make me the happiest man in England and agree to be my wife?"
"Yes, I will; with all my heart." She lifted her chin and willed him to do what she wanted. He must have felt what she did as he bent down and gently kissed her, just for a brief moment. When their lips parted, she let out a sigh, "Oh, Charles! Please kiss me again."
What red-blooded man, gentleman or not, could resist such a plea? Certainly not Charles Bingley. He did not even try to resist. They had to break apart when they heard footsteps approaching the door. However, Jane would not release her hold of his hand.
When Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth re-entered the drawing room, they immediately knew something special had taken place from the embarrassed smiles they saw. Elizabeth could not restrain herself, she decided to tease them just a bit. "Jane! What is going on? Do you have something to tell us?"
"Lizzy, Charles, I mean Mr. Bingley, asked me to marry him and I said yes."
"That is wonderful news! I am so happy for you. I know you will be happy; you are perfect for each other. Congratulations!"
The three ladies all had to hug and kiss with this news while Mr. Bingley sat there blushing. Elizabeth smiled to herself, hoping her advice to her sister helped. She knew she would find out the details of what Jane had done to encourage him later.
Their outing that evening was an invitation to attend the theater with the Matlocks, so Elizabeth was confident that their hosts would not mind an additional guest when they heard Jane's news. Mr. Bingley stayed all afternoon but had to leave to dress for the evening. He promised to pick them up to escort them in his carriage.
When they arrived at the theater and managed to descend from the carriage, Lady Elizabeth and Jane were immediately greeted by a number of their new acquaintances, even though Jane had a firm grip on her betrothed's arm. By their wide smiles, it was obvious that something momentous had occurred between them, but no one had the temerity to ask.
They finally made their way to the Matlocks' box where Elizabeth was pleased to see that the Darcys were there. Elizabeth knew she had to explain Mr. Bingley's presence. "My Lord, My Lady, Mr. Darcy, Miss Darcy, I hope you will pardon me for inviting Mr. Bingley to come with us. I could not dream of separating him from my sister as they became betrothed this very afternoon."
That was all she needed to say before all the others began to congratulate the couple. Their excitement was obvious to other patrons nearby in the theater as the Matlock box was soon crowded with well-wishers who wanted to hear what was causing all the noise. Word quickly spread throughout the theater that the more beautiful Miss Bennet was no longer on the market.
Lady Elizabeth managed to have a quiet word with Mr. Darcy. "Mr. Darcy, I hope that this announcement meets with your approval."
"It does. From what I know of the both of them, they are perfectly suited for each other. They are both so complying that nothing will ever be resolved; so easygoing that every servant will cheat them; so generous that they will always exceed their income. I assume that Bingley will return to Netherfield with your sister very soon so he can ask for your father's blessing? Have they set on a date for the ceremony?"
Lady Elizabeth had to chuckle at this apt description of the couple. "They have not mentioned when they will leave, but I also assume it will be quite soon. Neither have they set a date, but I imagine our mother will want several months so she can arrange for the fanciest wedding that Hertfordshire has ever seen. However, they will likely want it to be much sooner. I will be needed at Longbourn as well for all the planning that Mother will insist on having."
Darcy had not considered this and it upset him. He had long appreciated Lady Elizabeth's attractiveness, intelligence, and personality. His initial reluctance to think of her as a suitable candidate to be his wife evaporated when she was made a baroness and was given her own estate. Recently, he had hoped beyond hope that she would not find a life partner in this her first season. He had been toying with the idea of finding out if her feelings for him were growing. He first realized that she had some tenderness for him when he and his sister were rescued from the blizzard at Hinckston Abbey. Now he had to find a way to learn what she felt for him as they would be parted sooner than he had expected.
The box emptied of guests when the play began. It is doubtful that either Jane or Bingley knew what was happening on stage as they had eyes only for each other. Darcy was also quite distracted as he began to worry. Lady Elizabeth appeared to be paying attention to the stage, but she was quite distracted by the tall gentleman sitting beside her.
At each intermission, more visitors came to the box to congratulate the happy couple and to be near the Earl, the Countess, and the Baroness. Darcy felt that he was being ignored, which was quite a novelty for him. To compensate for this, he occupied his time speaking to his sister. She seemed to be the only person paying attention to the play—the one on the stage.
At the end of the play as they were slowly leaving the building, Darcy was getting desperate as he was not aware of any future times when he would be at the same entertainments as Lady Elizabeth. "Lady Elizabeth, I wonder if you might be interested in going for a drive one day? You seem to be so busy each evening that I am not sure when I might see you again before you leave for Hertfordshire."
She had been aware of this same problem. "I would like that. I imagine that I will be in town for only another couple of weeks as I will not be able to put my mother off much longer than that."
They discussed possible times for this and finally found a time when they both were free of other commitments. They then parted, but not before he stole a kiss on her hands as he handed her up into Bingley's carriage.
That evening, the sisters talked long into the night. Their main topic of conversation was Jane's happiness, but she tried to get Lizzy to speak about her own future, with little success. Finally, she had to ask a direct question. "Lizzy, what about you? I have seen how Mr. Darcy looks at you. Have you thought much about him? I know how many gentlemen you have met since we have been here. You could likely pick any one of them, but have you met any that are as compatible with you as Mr. Darcy is? The only thing that I believe he lacks is a title, but you have that."
"I do admire him more than any other gentlemen I have met. My feelings for him are certainly different from what they were when we first met at that Assembly. I am beginning to worry that my title and his lack of one might be a problem for him."
"You know that I followed the advice that you and Charlotte gave me about encouraging Mr. Bingley. I was sure of how he felt for me and how I returned his regard; I did not want to lose him. Do you think you might have to do the same with Mr. Darcy? Lizzy, if you want him, you may have to take the lead just as Charlotte and I did."
"I will consider doing that." They then retired for the night, each to dream of her special gentleman.