A guest reviewer left a comment apologizing because they thought I don't like guest reviews. That's not the case at all, bring 'em on. All are welcome.
Also, I'm going to keep calling canon Mr. Darcy 'William' in text to avoid confusion with the elder Mr. Darcy, who will reappear later in the story. And, honesty, he is William to me now. I can't call him Mr. Darcy.
Now, time for William to meet Lizzy.
(JLC, 06/21/2022)
~~PoR~~
Longbourn, 1809
"Netherfield Park is let, and at a most unfortunate time, too," a disappointed Mrs. Bennet complained to her husband.
Mr. Bennet put his newspaper down, "Unfortunate time? Has something befallen us?"
"It is a young man of considerable fortune that has taken Netherfield and Jane is in London with her aunt and uncle. It will be at least another three months before Jane can leave Madeline and the babe. Why, he could be engaged before she even gets back."
"How do you know he is not married already?"
"My sister tells me that he is bringing his mother and younger sister. She made no mention of a wife. Oh, Mr. Bennet, what are we to do? Jane should not lose this opportunity. Perhaps Lizzy can go and take her place."
"Or perhaps Lizzy can remain here and embrace the opportunity herself. You have more than one daughter, Mrs. Bennet."
"It is only proper that the eldest should marry first," Mrs. Bennet said, as if this was her motivation for favoring Jane over Elizabeth.
"We both know you would allow Lydia to be out at thirteen if it was acceptable. I would think you would be happy for any of your daughters to meet the gentleman. And, for all we know, Jane has met somebody in London."
Mrs. Bennet dropped down into a chair as she considered this. "A gentleman in London might be preferable. This gentleman does not even have his own estate if he is leasing Netherfield. But we must not be complacent, I will write my sister this very evening about sending Lizzy in Jane's place. And you must go to meet him and while you are there you must invite him and his family to dinner."
"Must I?" Mr. Bennet was well used to his wife's commands, as she was well used to his refusals.
Mr. Bennet had no intention of complying with his wife's wishes, but she finally wore him down and he found himself in in the drawing room at Netherfield Park shortly after their arrival. He accepted a cup of tea from Lady Anne Darcy.
"Thank you and thank you for your hospitality. I am sure you have had many visitors these past few days."
"We have had a few," Lady Anne admitted. "But we are delighted to find the community so welcoming. I believe we will be quite comfortable in Hertfordshire."
"Are you new to the county?"
"We are. My family's estate is in Derbyshire. We spend most of our time either there or in London. My sister is in Kent, and we are frequent visitors there as well," Lady Anne explained.
"We are looking forward to making a home here. Its proximity to London makes it quite convenient for my work," William added.
"What is your profession, Mr. Darcy?" Mr. Bennet was surprised at this casual mention of a profession. Mother and son were obviously of the first circles. She was a Lady, after all, and as far as he knew, William was her only son.
"I own a publishing company. We specialized in the classics and their translations and other scholarly works. Moss & Co., perhaps you know it."
"Know it! I contribute far too much of my income to your profits. Is it a family enterprise? Moss & Co. has been around at least forty years." Mr. Bennet thought he could grow quite fond of his new neighbor.
"I had just begun studying law when Mr. Moss, one of my late grandfather's friends, contacted me. He wondered if I might like to become his partner and eventually buy him out. He wanted to move to America to be with his daughter and her family. Moss & Co. has been mine for the last two years.
"Very admirable. We shall have to have a chat. My daughter, Elizabeth, has claimed my copy of Iphigenia In Aulis as her own. If I get her a copy, mine might find its way back to my library."
"Your daughter is a student of Euripides?" William asked, impressed. "What translation is your volume?"
"Oh, no translation, it is the Greek, the 1767 Welch imprint." Mr. Bennet replied.
"By any chance did you have Madivan as a don at Oxford?" William wondered.
"Indeed! You, too? I thought him very aged when I had him, but he was probably no more than fifteen years my senior. He must be quite elderly now."
"He is but insists he will meet his maker at his desk. And he still requires Welch, considers everything else inferior." William and Mr. Bennet carried on for over an hour comparing notes on their Oxford experiences. Lady Anne was amused at being so forgotten but also pleased given how much William seemed the enjoy the afternoon.
"If you will excuse me, Mr. Bennet. I promised Ana a walk this afternoon." Lady Anne was sorry to interrupt the conversation.
"It is I who should be making my excuses, Lady Anne. I fear I have overstayed my welcome. Before I go, my wife would like to extend a dinner invitation to your family for Thursday."
"I am happy to accept for myself and William, but my daughter is but fourteen and not yet out."
"We are quite informal at Longbourn. All our children dine with us. We would be happy to welcome Miss Darcy to our table. She might like to meet my youngest girls. Kitty is fifteen and Lydia is thirteen."
Lady Anne looked at William, who nodded. "Thank you. I am sure Ana would love to meet your daughters."
"We shall see you Thursday evening then, if not before. Good day." Mr. Bennet left mother and son alone.
"Hmm, a daughter that reads Euripides and in Greek. How old do you think Elizabeth Bennet is?" Lady Anne asked.
"Mama, are you going to play matchmaker?"
"I am so glad that your Oxford education was not in vain. I may do exactly that." Patting her son's cheek, she left him to his own thoughts.
William took to his horse early the next morning to explore Netherfield's lands. As he reached the low stone wall that he knew marked the southeast border with neighboring Longbourn, he saw a dark-haired woman of about eighteen. She had her hair swept to over one shoulder in front of her. She was mindlessly braiding it as she walked. He was struck by how content she looked. He wondered if he were close enough if he would hear her humming or singing. She seemed the type to do so. He watched her until she was out of sight. He realized he had no objection to his mother's matchmaking if the girl he just saw was Elizabeth Bennet.
~~PoR~~
Seeing the pretty brunette again in Longbourn's drawing room added to William's anticipation of the evening. Thus, when he stated his pleasure and gratitude for the invitation to Mrs. Bennet, he was telling the absolute truth. However, he was unable to speak to Elizabeth directly, beyond introductions, until they sat down to dinner. He was pleased to see they were seated across from each other. He met his mother's eyes and she smiled at him. He was unable to read Mrs. Bennet's expression, but she seemed to be scowling at the seating arrangements, which he found odd, as Mr. Bennet had particularly invited him to sit beside him.
"How are you enjoying Netherfield Park, Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"So far, I like it very much. The house and lands meet my needs quite well. I think my mother and sister will be happy here as well."
"I am glad. I realize it cannot compare to what you must be accustomed to, but I hope your assertions are correct."
"Pemberley and Matlock are quite large and, I confess, quite impressive, but the warmth and comfort I find in Netherfield Park far eclipses their grandeur in my mind. I am proud to be able to provide such a lovely home to my mother and sister on my own terms."
Elizabeth sensed there was much left unspoken but despite her curiosity she did not ask any of the questions that came to mind.
"Well, I hope Netherfield Park proves to be all you wish for, the neighborhood would certainly be pleased if you decide to purchase the estate and make you presence permanent. Though you should be wary if you aim to preserve your bachelorhood. New gentlemen are scarce in the community. Meanwhile, marriage-minded ladies are thick on the ground."
"Do you include yourself in that warning?" William was perplexed at her words. Despite his unfortunate paternal lineage, he was quite eligible. Was this her way of discreetly alerting him that her interests were engaged elsewhere.
"I think most young ladies are marriage-minded to a certain extent but the only reason I am seated here is because my sister, Jane, is in London. My mother would much rather see her in this chair for she believes Jane a far more deserving candidate for a young man's attention. My sister is very beautiful, you see." Elizabeth glanced quickly at her father to see his reaction. He did not contradict her or seem upset at her.
William was speechless for a moment. His experience was far different from Elizabeth's, but he was sensitive to displays of favoritism. He wished he knew what to say to her, but she continued before he could find any words.
"I am sorry Mr. Darcy. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable. I must remember to think before I speak. You must excuse me as I propose an obvious change of subject. My father said you are an Oxford man. He is pleased to have someone with whom to exchange stories."
"As am I, the rest of the men in my family attended Cambridge so I sometimes feel a bit of an outsider." He shared a few anecdotes, and he was increasingly fascinated with Elizabeth. She was truly interested and asked intelligent questions and made incisive comments.
"I think you would have been a much better scholar than many of my classmates," he said in admiration.
"I always thought I would have loved to attend university. I imagine years dedicated to learning to be the greatest luxury." William nodded in agreement. "However, my father has taught me at his knee, and I have received a wide and liberal education on a number of subjects."
"Including reading Euripides in the original Greek, I am most impressed."
"You should not be. My education may be wide, but it is also shallow in most areas. I know just enough to be dangerous," Elizabeth grinned.
"I shall keep that in mind," William laughed.
Excited at having a Lady dine at her table, Mrs. Bennet had seated Lady Anne and Ana on either side of her at the far end of the table. At William's laughter, all three glanced toward the couple. Mrs. Bennet cleared her throat, trying to signal to Elizabeth not to be so forward, even though she had no idea on what topic the two had been speaking. Elizabeth frowned and focused on her dinner.
Mr. Bennet was dismayed to see Elizabeth so muted. He had listened as she spoke with William but stayed out of the discussion. Now, he took part in order to temper his wife's indignation at Elizabeth sharing a friendly conversation with William. From what he knew of the young man, he was well suited to Elizabeth, certainly much more so than Jane.
"Mama, Mama, can Ana stay with us during the assembly?" Lydia asked at that moment. She and Kitty had become fast friends with their neighbor since the moment they met, earlier in the evening.
"Oh, yes, the assembly! You must come. We would be happy to introduce you those you have not yet met." It would be quite the triumph for Mrs. Bennet to introduce the newcomers to the rest of the neighborhood. "And then, my Jane will be back, and you may have the first set with her, Mr. Darcy."
"I thank you for the kindness, Mrs. Bennet, but I have already made arrangements for the first set. If Miss Bennet has, indeed, returned I shall be happy to ask for another." William turned toward Elizabeth and smiled, hoping she would follow his lead. "I very much look forward to our dance."
"You should know that Lizzy may be departing for London soon. Is that not correct, Lizzy?" William did not allow Elizabeth to answer her mother.
"If we cannot have a dance, perhaps, I can escort you to London in my carriage. With a suitable chaperone, of course. I will be going to London quite frequently." William did not even glance at Mrs. Bennet, as he spoke.
"Em, perhaps we should just wait and see." Mrs. Bennet was miffed at the attempts to deter her efforts.
"That is probably for the best," William conceded as his mother engaged Mrs. Bennet once again and asked about the local families.
"Did you even know about the assembly, Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth whispered.
"No, but the result is the same. I would have asked for a dance. And I hope you will not prove me a liar. May I have your first set?"
Elizabeth nodded. "It will be my pleasure Mr. Darcy."