Chapter 3 An Invitation to Netherfield
"What dreary weather Hertfordshire has presented us with, Miss Bingley."
"Yes, Mrs Darcy, perhaps we should all remove to London. It has been raining for three days and with nothing to entertain us..."
"I am glad you think so, I would like to invite the two eldest Bennet sisters to stay with us for a few days, Georgiana wants for company of her age and they may prove entertaining."
"Mrs Darcy, I am two and twenty," Miss Bingley kindly reminded.
"My point exactly, Miss Bingley. Two and twenty while I doubt Miss Elizabeth is more than eighteen."
"She is nineteen, according to Sir William."
"Good, then it is settled. We shall call upon them this morning. The gentlemen are out hunting, the ladies must suffice except Mrs Knightley who is under the weather this morning. She has a weak constitution, poor thing."
"Yes, Mrs Darcy."
Caroline Bingley seethed while she ordered the carriage readied, she could not very well contradict her guest but a visit to Longbourn was rather low on her list of pleasurable pursuits. Their lack of refinement was obvious, the behaviour of the youngest girls appalling and the threat the two eldest formed towards her heart's desire was daunting. Mr Darcy had engaged both for a set at the Meryton assembly. She would need to act wisely if he was not to slip out of her fingers. Attending his mother was only one of her chores but that was not going as well as she would have liked. Mrs Darcy was a fiend to her goal and the most accomplished flirt in all of England. Everyone did her bidding no matter how ridiculous her request was, she was never questioned.
#
Kitty was staring gloomily out of Longbourn's parlour window, hoping for some of the rumoured officers of the militia to come calling. A dashing colonel in his red coat and winning smile. Preferably looking for a wife with next to no fortune and very few accomplishments apart from embroidering.
"There is a carriage coming down the driveway. A black barouche, do we know anyone with such a carriage?"
"Oh my goodness, Kitty. Have you not heard that Mrs Darcy has a black barouche, everyone must pitch in to tidy up and hide those ribbons?"
A frantic Mrs Bennet urged her daughters to tidy up the mess from the morning's activities. The girls hurried about the room tucking the clutter away, stuffing it anywhere it would fit.
"Not under the pillow, Lydia! Someone may choose to sit there and find them. In the drawer, make haste. Kitty, find your embroidery. No, not upstairs! Just take something from the charity basket, it is not as if you need to do any sewing, it suffices to make the appearance of it. Elizabeth, the paper, honestly you will be the death of me. Here, take this novel, at least that is a ladylike occupation. Mary? Mary!"
"I am here, Mama."
"Honestly, Mary, hiding behind my back like that. At least you have found a suitable occupation, even if it is Fordyce's sermons. Very well, sit down and behave naturally."
The Bennet ladies derrière had just touched their seats when Mrs Hill opened the door and pronounced their visitors.
"Mrs Darcy, Mrs Hurst, Miss Darcy and Miss Bingley to see you, mam."
The Bennet ladies rose and curtsied in rehearsed synchronisation; their guests returned the courtesy.
"How very glad we are to see you, Mrs Darcy, Miss Darcy, Mrs Hurst and Miss Bingley. It has been a great many days since we last saw you. I am sure this dreadful weather has kept you as cooped up as we have been. I was delighted to see that the rain had finally relented so that we could expect callers."
"What a delightful family pose," Mrs Darcy interrupted Mrs Bennet's tirade as she stepped further into the front parlour. All of the five Bennet daughters were waiting serenely with their mother, each with embroidery or a tome in their hands, scattered across the room.
"Could I offer you some tea?" Mrs Bennet inquired.
"No, thank you, do not trouble yourself we have only a moment. May I beg of you the pleasure of your two eldest daughters' company, Mrs Bennet? We are quite in despair of entertainment after three days of this dreary weather. Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth, if you would oblige me for a few days at least, possibly a week at the most?"
"Certainly, Mrs Darcy." Mrs Bennet answered on her daughters' behalf. "Are you certain you would not prefer my youngest, Lydia, she is the liveliest of my daughters?"
Lydia preened at her mother's praise but her pleasure was short-lived.
"No, thank you, Mrs Bennet. I cannot bear brazenness in young ladies and a child should only be seen, not heard. May I suggest that you send Lydia back to the nursery until she learns proper comportment? I was appalled at the assembly, as were most of your neighbours, Mrs Bennet. They have not my honesty nor courage to speak their mind. As you are the most prominent lady in the neighbourhood, you should set an example for the rest of Meryton society to follow. At present, you are not succeeding."
Mrs Bennet was utterly speechless for the first time in her life although she claimed the affliction often enough, it had never before come to fruition.
Elizabeth was not certain if she should applaud Mrs Darcy's true but offensive tirade or condemn her for speaking the truth without consideration for her mother's feelings. A philosophical question she needed more time to ponder. Mrs Darcy appeared not to own a disingenuous bone in her body, her candidness was bordering on daunting.
"Yes, of course, Mrs Darcy. Whatever you say."
"Good, I will send my carriage to your house at three sharp. Make sure your daughters are ready, I despise tardiness."
"Certainly, Mrs Darcy, I will make sure they have packed and are ready to depart at three."
Mrs Darcy nodded, turned and left as swiftly as she had arrived.
"Oh my, she is a formidable woman." Mrs Bennet lamented as soon as the door had closed. "Jane, Lizzy, you must pack at once. It is a great honour Mrs Darcy has bestowed upon you. You must be at your best behaviour at Netherfield while securing Mr Bingley's and Mr Darcy's affections. It would not surprise me if both of you became engaged before the week is over."
#
Netherfield
The Bennet sisters had not been to Netherfield since the previous owner, Lord Westerfield, removed to Surrey three years ago. They were sadly missed as their daughters had been dear friends but their father had inherited a barony and the position of the magistrate which rendered the move necessary. Although they now must live the better part of the year in Surrey, they had no intention of selling Netherfield. Elizabeth hoped that they would return in the not-too-distant future but for now, she was well pleased with having Mr Bingley as a neighbour, especially since Jane seemed so taken with him.
The young ladies were welcomed by Miss Bingley and immediately escorted to their appointed room.
"I will leave you to get ready for dinner," Miss Bingley curtsied and was gone.
"That is two and a half hours away, what are we supposed to do with ourselves in the meantime?" Elizabeth lamented.
"I guess we must unpack and hang our gowns before they wrinkle," Jane sensibly suggested.
Elizabeth sighed, it had to be done but it was not one of her favourite pastimes.
Their unpacking done, they decided to adorn their hair with elegant but time-consuming braids. There was nothing better to do as the lady's maid they shared with their three other sisters had not accompanied them to Netherfield. The result was impressive as they strolled arm in arm into Netherfield's parlour.
The gentlemen were not there as they had been invited by Colonel Foster of the Derbyshire militia to join the officers for dinner. He was a previous acquaintance of Mr Darcy.
"Dinner is served, Miss Bingley," the Netherfield butler announced.
Miss Bingley led the seven ladies to the smaller dining room, a more intimate setting for their little party. She and Mrs Darcy sat at each end of the table with the Bennet sisters on one side and the Darcy sisters with Mrs Hurst between them on the other.
The soup was served with a third-degree interrogation.
"Have you much family in Meryton, Jane?" Miss Bingley enquired.
"Yes, our uncle and aunt, Mr and Mrs Phillips live in town."
"I cannot remember having been introduced to a Mr Phillips at the assembly?"
"No, my uncle rarely attends, he prefers intimate dinners at home to the throng of an assembly. My aunt was there, she is our mother's sister."
"Mr Phillips, is that the same attorney that handled Charles lease of Netherfield?"
It was obvious to Elizabeth that Miss Bingley knew all the answers to her questions and her purpose must be to disparage the Bennet sisters.
"Yes, he is an attorney."
"Have you no other family?"
Elizabeth thought that she was fishing and she was going to take the hook, line and sinker because she had no reason to be embarrassed by her relations.
"We have an uncle, aunt and four cousins in London, Miss Bingley. He is my mother's younger brother, living in Gracechurch Street, near his Cheapside warehouses."
That should be the end of the interrogation of Jane and leave her to enjoy her dinner but the smile on Miss Bingley's countenance was most disconcerting.
#
After dinner, Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst entertained on the pianoforte. Both were most proficient; Elizabeth was hoping vehemently that she would not be requested to perform her meagre skill to sludge and slur her way through a much simpler piece than Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst had mastered. She was initially relieved when Mrs Darcy urged her youngest daughter to perform but that was before she observed the sheer terror in Miss Darcy's eyes. She looked about to faint when Elizabeth offered to turn the pages for her. Georgiana nodded and patted the piano stool beside her for Elizabeth to sit. Georgiana began playing rendering Elizabeth stupefied, she almost forgot to turn the page. She played beautifully, there was no reason for Miss Darcy to shun performing at the pianoforte, her playing was exquisite.
#
Elizabeth was left to ponder the incident after the ladies retired for the night and Jane had fallen asleep. Georgiana reminded her of Jane's shy and reserved nature. It could not be easy with such an outspoken mother. Mrs Darcy shared her outspokenness with her own mother although she owned that Mrs Darcy had much more sense but still. Could they not see how uncomfortable they made their daughters?
She could hear the gentlemen returning from their evening amongst the militia officers, they were not particularly quiet. She suspected there had been an ample amount of wine with their food and surmised they probably had consumed something stronger after the meal had ended.
#
None of the gentlemen joined the ladies in the drawing-room before midday had passed. Mr Darcy went to the writing desk in front of the window and sat down, pulling out a sheet of paper and dipped the quill in the ink.
Where Mr Darcy went, Miss Bingley predictably followed. He had hardly put the pen to paper before she commended his writing.
"You write uncommonly fast, Mr Darcy."
"I do not, I write rather slowly," came the terse answer."
"That will not do as a compliment for Mr Darcy, Caroline. He uses too many four-syllable words to write with any kind of speed."
"While you use too few to write intelligible," Mr Darcy grinned. "Your letters are a conundrum to decipher between the blots, grammatical errors and missing words but I do believe you write very fast indeed."
"Thank you, I aim to please," Mr Bingley.
"I would be pleased if I could read your letters without getting a headache from all the squinting."
"My thoughts flow so rapidly; I must write them down promptly or they shall be lost."
"Yes, I can tell," Mr Darcy replied before he returned his attention to his letter with Miss Bingley hovering over his shoulder.
"How many letters you must have occasion to write, Mr Darcy. Letters of business too, how odious I should think them."
"It is a good thing then, that I am writing to my cousin."
"Oh, the viscount?"
"No, the Colonel."
"Miss Bingley?" Mrs Darcy came sailing into the room with her daughters in tow. "You should hold a ball and invite all your neighbours. It is important to claim your place in the society of the neighbourhood. I always hold a harvest ball at Pemberley, it is a little late for that but I believe it should be held before the Christmas tide."
"Just name the day, Mrs Darcy, my sister will gladly throw a ball. I have hankering for a night of dancing myself," Mr Bingley interrupted while throwing a not-so-subtle glance in Jane's direction which prompted Jane to blush becomingly.
"I am not sure if there is a need for a ball so soon after entering the neighbourhood, mother."
"If you do not like a ball, Darcy, you may retire early," Mr Bingley promptly replied. Earning him disapproving looks from both his sisters and Mrs Darcy.
#
The next day the gentlemen had left early in the morning to hunt, Elizabeth and Jane got a chance to get better acquainted with the eldest Darcy sister, Mrs Knightley, as her husband had joined the gentlemen. He rarely left his wife's side, Elizabeth suspected she knew why. Mrs Knightley was typically under the weather in the mornings.
Mrs Knightley was a confident woman, the polar opposite of her younger sister both in character and looks. While Miss Darcy was timid, short with brown hair and eyes, Mrs Knightley was a blonde with blue eyes and a vivacious personality but there were similarities shared between the sisters as well. Their lips, brows and the shape of their countenance made them look alike. In reality, Elizabeth and Jane were more dissimilar, they shared hardly a feature nor a character trait apart from kindness. Mrs Knightley also shared a character trait with Mrs Bennet as Elizabeth was about to discover.
"Mr Bingley seems to like your sister very much."
"Yes, he does, does he not? He could not have bestowed his admiration on a lady more deserving. You would probably deem me biased but she is an angel, both on the inside and the outside."
"She is but does she like him? Her feelings are much more difficult to discern."
Elizabeth was left with a conundrum. She should not reveal what her sister had mentioned in confidence but she could not let the Netherfield party believe that she was deprived of feeling.
"My sister is shy and reserved, Mrs Knightley. She hardly reveals her feelings even to me but in this instance, my observation has convinced me that the admiration is returned."
There, she had managed to reveal her sister's sentiments without disclosing what had been related to her confidentially.
"I will see what I can do. I have met with great success in the area, my former governess is now happily married to a Pemberley tenant. Your sister might be my second success."
"Oh, please do not intervene. I am sure if it is meant to be it will develop naturally."
"Of course, I would not dream of intervening but sometimes nature needs a little nudge in the right direction."
Oh no, what had she just done? Mrs Knightley seemed a tad more invested than she ought to be but it was nothing to be done with it at the moment so Elizabeth quickly changed the subject to a more neutral ground, the upcoming ball.
#
At dinner, the gentlemen were back and their success was displayed in the coveys served with the meal. Afterwards, they all sojourn to the parlour as Mrs Darcy believed that one needed not to have a separation of the sexes after dinner when in a small intimate gathering. Miss Bingley did not dare to gainsay her.
The card tables were quickly brought out but Elizabeth begged off, she could easily imagine the stakes at the tables being higher than what meagre funds she had brought would allow. She found a stack of books on a shelf and leafed through them until she found one that tempted her.
"Preferring books to cards, Miss Elizabeth? How singular," Mr Hurst could not imagine a book could hold his interest.
"Yes, Miss Eliza is an accomplished reader but not much else holds her interest," Miss Bingley tittered.
"I deserve no such praise nor such censure. I am not an accomplished reader and I derive pleasure from many things," Elizabeth defended herself.
"I am amazed at how many accomplishments all the young ladies of my acquaintance have mastered, I would not have the patience," Mr Bingley interjected.
"Not all ladies are truly accomplished, Charles. One must have thorough knowledge about the modern languages, drawing, sewing, singing and dancing, master at least one musical instrument and have something in her air and manner of walking if the name should be half deserved," Miss Bingley chirped in.
"Yes, those are the most common accomplishments but I often hear it used about a lady who knows little but how to net a purse or paint a table. Should a lady not also broaden her mind by extensive reading to deserve the appellation?" Mr Darcy added to the debate. "I would be pressed to name half a dozen truly accomplished ladies amongst my entire acquaintance."
"Oh my, you certainly comprehend a great deal in it!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"Oh certainly," cried his faithful assistant. "No one can really be deemed accomplished have they not the skills to paint screens and..."
"Poppycock," Mrs Darcy interrupted.
Elizabeth had noticed that Miss Darcy's eyes had widened in horror of all she must learn, comprehend and master.
"I certainly know none such ladies and good riddance I say, she would certainly be a fearsome thing to behold. If you have some understanding of the world, can sew your husband a shirt and entertain your friends, one should be happily satisfied," Elizabeth claimed with a smile at Miss Darcy.
"I wanted to learn Chinese," Mrs Knightley offered. "My father and Mrs Darcy thought it an unnecessary accomplishment. Would you not have been entertained if I could argue with you in Chinese, Mr Knightley?"
Her husband smiled lovingly at his wife but did not acquiesce with her argument. He never seemed to placate his wife although his deep admiration was obvious. It was a trait Elizabeth thought of as an example to follow by gentlemen in general.
Miss Darcy appeared at her side and sat down.
"Would you like to play a duet, Miss Elizabeth?"
"Only if I am forced! I own no false modesty, Miss Darcy, when I claim no great accolade at the pianoforte. Your prowess will be drowned in my fudges and slurs."
"Nonsense, I suspect that you play quite well, Miss Elizabeth."
"I will just have to prove you wrong then, Miss Darcy." Elizabeth smiled and followed Miss Darcy to the music room for a pleasurable evening with lots of laughter albeit by no means a stellar performance.
#
Elizabeth and Jane arrived home at Longbourn with an invitation to a ball a fortnight hence but no engagements to announce. Her mother was delighted at the thought of a ball but not to an extent that overshadowed her disappointment in her two most deserving daughters' failure to secure any of the gentlemen.