Chapter Seventeen: Indignation
Mr. Bennet was, in most cases, obliged to be the philosopher of a situation; and the present one was no exception. He was not deaf to the wild suppositions and comments of his spouse. He had not been certain that her convictions were very well-founded, as they hardly ever were; but, he was considering that perhaps even Mrs. Bennet struck it right every now and then. He was certainly very unwilling initially to suppose Mr. Darcy partial to his favorite daughter, Elizabeth; he could not believe that any man was worthy of her, and had always thought Mr. Darcy very disagreeable. But, as he fulfilled his duty of the observer, he could not but feel that he judged, with an objective eye, that perhaps Mr. Darcy truly was besotted with his second daughter. It was not at all improbable, as he was certain his dear Elizabeth possessed qualities which would charm and bewitch any man; he had just not supposed that this man would be the proud Mr. Darcy. All of his mannerisms, looks, and inclinations were those of a lover. He stared a bit too long at Elizabeth, stood a little too closely to her, and even smiled at her jokes (which was a considerable feat, as there was little that could induce him to not appear solemn and taciturn). He had originally, upon this discovery, found that it almost made him angry; but after several weeks' trepidation, he began to come to terms with it.
Mr. Darcy certainly did have his merits, especially of his station in life, which Mrs. Bennet was hasty to point out; and he had never acted in such a way which Mr. Bennet thought was disgraceful or disloyal. He had distinguished his having a real regard for Elizabeth; and if he truly did love her, and Elizabeth were prevailed on to accept him, he felt that he could not possibly decline. However, he was left in some doubt to if Elizabeth returned Mr. Darcy's affections. He was not willing to quarrel over that aspect with Mrs. Bennet, because he had, in a momentary lapse of good judgment, mentioned his doubts to his wife—doubts which were violently contradicted. Mrs. Bennet went so far as to say that Elizabeth had confessed to her that she was in love with Mr. Darcy; but Mr. Bennet could hardly believe it; for she had also said, several years back, that he had promised to fund a holiday to Scotland, which he had certainly never done. He was fully aware that Elizabeth was skeptical of her mother's ability to keep a secret (so such would prevent her from telling a secret), and thought that such skepticisms were also rightly founded.
Mr. Bennet flattered himself that he had raised his daughter well enough to make good decisions; and therefore, was not in fear of her accepting Mr. Darcy, if he did pay his addresses to her, for solely mercenary purposes. He reflected with a bit of dissatisfaction that she had daily proof of the effects of an unequal marriage; and would certainly never wish upon his favorite daughter the situation to which he had willingly sentenced himself. As he sat in his library, deep in reflection, he found that he could be quite satisfied; and though he had a more moderate stance than his wife, could find a match between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth perhaps agreeable.
The Westerham Ball had been much anticipated by Mrs. Bennet and the two youngest Miss Bennets; and now that the night was upon them, nothing could satisfy them other than talk or preparation for the ball. It was not to be grand, nor with many who traveled in first circles; but there would be gentlemen dancing with ladies, and that was enough to excite the interest of Kitty and Lydia. Mrs. Bennet had taken it upon herself to persuade Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam (though especially the former) to attend, and had found her task surprisingly easy, despite Elizabeth's warnings that Mr. Darcy hated balls. But, when Elizabeth looked back on her arguments afterwards, she found that he certainly would have had to oblige her eventually, if only to keep her from raving on about the benefits of dancing, and allusions to his dancing with Elizabeth.
Elizabeth felt that their engagement at Rosings the previous week had gone off remarkably well; she had prevented her mother from saying anything which might be completely improper (as most of her remarks did border on what was proper), and had found that almost everyone was in very good humor, despite Miss de Bourgh's never being inclined to speak. They happened upon the Rosings party again at church, where afterwards she observed Mr. and Mrs. Collins engaging in lively conversation with Lady Catherine, which seemed much to the interest of the latter. What they spoke of, Elizabeth was not certain, though she did not imagine it to be of any harm; but so invigorating did the subject seem, that even Mrs. Bennet felt that she ought to add her own commentary. After this happy party had broken up, then, Lady Catherine approached Elizabeth herself, and, with a sly smile, invited her to take tea with her on Thursday of the following week. Elizabeth knew not what to attribute this singling out, this distinction; and she knew not whether to be flattered, or to mistrust its meaning. Mrs. Bennet, however, appeared to be expecting it according to her behavior as they all walked back to the parsonage, and found that it was something to derive pleasure from. And though Elizabeth was highly curious as to what she could attribute this private invitation to, managed to think the best of it with some encouragement from Jane, and could withhold her curiosity enough to enjoy herself in Kent.
Elizabeth had a regular correspondence with Charlotte; she had found that nothing remarkable occurred in Hertfordshire, though could not ignore Charlotte's frequent mention of a Mr. Bathurst, who was apparently staying with some relations in Meryton for a month or so.
"Well!" cried Lydia, emerging from her dressing-room with her hair half done in curls, "What an agreeable night we shall all have! Dancing, music, food; what more could one wish for? Kitty and me were just saying how much we should like to meet some young men. We have seen nothing but the de Bourghs and Lady Catherine's nephews lately! Very tiresome, and do not seem inclined for dancing at all! Mary was even playing a lively tune on the pianoforte (which is does not occur very often, you know), and neither Mr. Darcy nor Colonel Fitzwilliam asked one of us to dance! We were excessively disappointed. But la! There shall be so much dancing tonight; and I hope to dance till I can no longer stand! And when we were all shopping the other day, I declare that I saw some very handsome young men."
Elizabeth smiled at her sister's comments, but did not have much to say on the subject. She found that a ball would be invigorating, and a good way to get out for a night; but on the negative, she found that she would probably know next to no one; and might be requested to dance by Mr. Collins, who had proven himself to be no proficient on that head. She did hope that Colonel Fitzwilliam might be prevailed on to ask her to dance; knowing him better only improved her opinion of him, and he seemed to pay particular attention to Jane. She did not fancy that he was in love with her, but certainly seemed to prefer her best of herself and her sisters; but supposed that a bit of a rendezvous with Colonel Fitzwilliam might allow her sister to think less of Mr. Bingley. No, she could discern no love; but perhaps a preference?
It was not long before a carriage was ordered for them all, and they were on their way to the ball. Elizabeth had had little choice in her apparel; her mother had ordered her a white dress, as promised, and Mrs. Bennet would not hear of her not wearing it. Her mother's character left a bit wanting (especially when tact is considered), but she certainly did have good taste in dresses. If it was something trifling that could aid her in matchmaking, she was sure to be excellent with it; though if it was anything of true importance, she was wholly without talent.
The carriage pulled up to the assembly hall, and soon all were entering inside. It was not unlike the assembly hall in Meryton; there was a small group of musicians assembled upon a balcony; and though it was certainly a little overcrowded, the air was quite cheery and festive. Lydia and Kitty immediately spotted a handsome young man who nearly encompassed all of the good physical qualities which a man could possess for them—in fact, all he needed were regimentals to have him be the perfect object of desire. They ran over, and demanded an introduction; though Elizabeth walked on with Jane, searching about for a familiar face.
They soon both came upon Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam; and Elizabeth was almost happy to see even the former, for at least he was known to her. They greeted each other with the utmost civility, and stood about and chatted for a little, till it was nearly time for the first dance to begin.
"Would you do me the honor of the first two dances, Miss Elizabeth?" asked Mr. Darcy politely. Elizabeth was contemplating an excuse, when she perceived Mr. Collins approaching, and, finding that although Mr. Darcy might not have been the most agreeable partner she could have acquired, he could certainly dance ten times better than Mr. Collins.
"Yes," she said hastily, relieved to have escaped her cousin. Colonel Fitzwilliam accordingly asked Jane to dance, which was gratefully accepted.
It had been circulated around the room by this time that Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy were nephews of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who was established among Westerham's citizens to be very wealthy, and very respectable. There were many who were envious of the Bennet sisters, then, when they observed the two eldest Miss Bennets standing up with the two aforementioned gentlemen; and there were a great many whispers, and suppositions, as this was seen. They did, indeed, visit their aunt every Easter; but never had they been prevailed on to attend a public ball, till this very year; and many of the women whose characters were not unlike Mrs. Bennet's thought that they must have come only because of Jane and Elizabeth.
Gossip, it is known, is typically without sufficient foundation, and typically ridiculous; but this piece of gossip was in fact not so very far from the truth. Mr. Darcy, as Elizabeth had once informed her mother, hated balls, especially public ones, and would never have even considered the idea had he not known that Miss Elizabeth was to attend. Colonel Fitzwilliam was not so much inclined; he had never fancied any idea of marrying Miss Jane Bennet; and only distinguished her because the two eldest sisters were the only ones with any sense, and his cousin had made it quite clear to him that Miss Elizabeth was out-of-bounds.
The two half-hours which Elizabeth was confined to the company of Mr. Darcy, and any other surrounding people, were spent tolerably well. There was awkward conversation, as could be expected, and Mr. Darcy was really too bewitched by Elizabeth's mere presence to think entirely correctly. Mrs. Bennet, however, had the advantage of looking on, and could not have asked for anything to give her more delight. Ah! She knew how it would be! She wanted only a confidant among the other participants of the ball so that she might boast of her good fortune in finding a very eligible suitor for her daughter.
When the two dances had ended, Elizabeth declared that she was a bit tired, and wished to sit down, and so she did. She was surprised to see Mr. Darcy then standing up with Jane, as she could not have imagined him exerting himself to dance with anyone—though he had asked herself, as he had at the Netherfield Ball—but she found it better to not bother herself by thinking of his intentions. She was soon joined by Colonel Fitzwilliam, who said warmly,
"What an excellent ball this is! I do not know why either Darcy or I have never come to this place before. I have already been introduced to a Miss Smith, who seems very agreeable. In fact, I probably would not have gone, if it had not been for Darcy supposing it would be a good idea; I am at his disposal, you know."
Elizabeth was quite diverted by Mr. Darcy's attempting to persuade anyone to attend a ball, when he disliked the amusements so much himself. What was less surprising to her, though, was Colonel Fitzwilliam's being at his disposal; for she had observed that he seemed to enjoy having someone as such, whether it was Mr. Bingley or Colonel Fitzwilliam.
"I can imagine your cousin bringing you down with him chiefly for the sake of having somebody at his disposal. I wonder he does not marry, to secure a lasting convenience of that kind. But, perhaps his sister does as well for the present, and, as she is under his sole care, he may do what he likes with her," replied Elizabeth.
Colonel Fitzwilliam's reply was to enlighten her that he was joined with Mr. Darcy in the guardianship of Georgiana Darcy. Elizabeth persisted to tease him on Miss Darcy being troublesome, as she imagined that she truly was so if Mr. Wickham's word was at all trustworthy. This seemed to disconcert the Colonel a bit; but Elizabeth hastily assured him she had never heard any harm of her, and that she was a great favorite with Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley. Colonel Fitzwilliam, on being asked, said that he was acquainted with Mr. Bingley a little; and agreed Mr. Darcy took a prodigious deal of care of him, and that he believed Mr. Bingley to be very much indebted to Mr. Darcy (though he could not ascertain that Mr. Bingley was an involved party).
"What is it you mean?" asked Elizabeth with the utmost curiosity.
Colonel Fitzwilliam then informed her that (assumingly) Mr. Bingley had gotten himself into a bit of a scrape the previous summer, and was rescued by Mr. Darcy from an imprudent marriage. This began to make Elizabeth feel a little uneasy, as she observed her sister and Mr. Darcy coming down the dance; and then, after further inquiries, learned that there had been "strong objections against the lady", and though he knew nothing else, found that this was enough to make her a little angry. Her heart swelling with indignation, Colonel Fitzwilliam asked as to why she appeared so thoughtful.
"I am thinking of what you have been telling me," responded she. "Your cousin's conduct does not suit my feelings. Why was he to be the judge?"
"You are rather disposed to call his interference officious?"
"I do not see what right Mr. Darcy had to decide on the propriety of his friend's inclination, or why, upon his own judgment alone, he was to determine and direct in what manner that friend was to be happy." "But," she continued, recollecting herself, "as we know none of the particulars, it is not fair to condemn him. It is not to be supposed that there was much affection in the case."
"That is not an unnatural surmise," said Fitzwilliam, "but it is lessening the honor of my cousin's triumph very sadly."
This was spoken jestingly; and Elizabeth, realizing that she would have to contain some of her sentiments, swiftly changed the subject, though she could not quite look at Mr. Darcy the same way the rest of the evening. And though she had entered the ballroom in tolerably good spirits, she departed feeling slightly betrayed. To have ruined her sister's and friend's chance for happiness, and not feel the least bit of regret! To go so far as to then be perfectly easy in dancing with poor Jane! Was that, perhaps, his form of reconciliation? She was sorry to be only within a short walk from where he stayed. But, she could not allow herself to completely sink into low spirits—Jane, at least, would notice, and she did not wish to explain—and she could still anticipate her invitation with Lady Catherine, which, if not ending up to be an entirely pleasant experience, promised to be somewhat amusing.
