It was not long before Countess Matlock came to the group after she had greeted the last of her arriving guests. "Miss Bennet, Richard told us how he enjoyed the company he met in Hertfordshire. Did you see him often?" She was trying to be subtle in finding out if this lady was the lady that he had admired there, although from their last meeting she was quite sure that it was her sister.
"We did. He was quite popular among the neighbours, so we saw him almost every time we were invited out. He also came to our estate with Mr. Bingley a number of times."
These words confused the Countess as she was not sure which gentleman was interested in her—her son or Mr. Bingley. From the way Mr. Bingley was looking at her, she suspected that he was the one. She would have to ask Darcy about this. If it was Mr. Bingley, she could not think of any reason why he would not have continued to pursue her.
The Countess made sure that the Gardiners were not left alone for long even though she was required to circulate among the guests. She was surprised to see that Mr. Gardiner knew some of the gentlemen who were present, but she assumed that his business contacts were quite extensive. She was well aware that the Gardiners were in trade, but they did not appear to be out of place among her guests.
Jane had a wonderful time at the ball as she was so popular. She did not realize that the attention she received was for two reasons: her natural grace and beauty and the attention that Baron Glenwood was paying her. His attention was made obvious as he danced the first set and the supper set with her.
Poor Bingley did not have a good time at all; he did not realize his behaviour that night was just like Darcy's, stalking around the edge of the ballroom glaring at the ceiling and the floor. Normally he would have tried to dance every set, but his heart was just not in it tonight. He could not fathom why Miss Bennet treated him the way she had. Why was she not as excited to see him as he was to see her?
The Countess found an opportunity between sets to go to her nephew, who was not dancing. "Darcy! Why are you not dancing? There are a number of attractive unmarried ladies here who would be pleased to have you ask them."
"Aunt, you know that I do not like to dance unless I am well acquainted with the lady."
"I suppose no one can be introduced at a ball?" She looked quizzically at him. "Why did you accept my invitation then?"
"Bingley normally loves to attend balls as he rarely sits out even one set. I am just glad that you did not extend the invitation to his sisters." They both knew why they had not been invited as the Countess had heard about them.
"What is wrong with Mr. Bingley tonight? He does not seem to be enjoying himself. He is acting as bad as you, stalking around the dance floor. Is it Miss Bennet? Is there a story there?"
"You noticed. Yes, while we were in Hertfordshire, he paid a lot of attention to her, but then he came to town and has not seen her for several months. Seeing her with Baron Glenwood must have rekindled his attraction. He asked her to dance but she refused him."
She was pleased that Miss Bennet had refused him as the Baroness had told her about their hopes for this lady. "So, why did he not return to Hertfordshire if he thought so much about her?" She saw that Darcy had a sheepish look on him. "Darcy! Do not tell me that you convinced him not to! Why on earth would you do that? If she is good enough for Baron Glenwood, she is certainly good enough for Mr. Bingley. I have known Lady Metcalf for many years and she is a good judge of character. If she thinks Miss Bennet is good enough for her son, that is all I need to know. Darcy, what have you done?" The Countess could see that her words struck home.
"The Bennets are from a minor family with virtually no dowries and no significant connections. Bingley's sisters want nothing more than to rise in society, and associating himself with them would not help them. In addition, I did not see any special regard for him in the way she acted. However, I will admit that her normal manner is one of serenity; she does not show her emotions outwardly." Darcy tried to justify his advice, but even to him his words sounded lame, even as he said them.
The Countess was not pleased with his excuses and shook her head at him. "I can only say that I hope that Lord Metcalf is successful with her; from what I have seen of her, she will be a good match for him. His mother likes her; she wants to see her son happy. Mr. Bingley's loss is Lord Metcalf's gain.
"Darcy, tell me something. I know that Richard had met a lady while he was in Hertfordshire and seemed to be quite attracted to her. Was it Miss Bennet? I can well believe that Richard would have been attracted to her."
"No, it was her younger sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Collins. She is almost as attractive as her sister and is a widow whose young son will inherit their estate. I am somewhat worried that Richard expects that the estate's income would be available to support him and his lifestyle if he marries her. However, I am not sure that it would be. I am quite certain that there were no promises made to her before he left; at least, I hope not. I have to say that Mrs. Collins is an exceptional lady, one of the most intelligent and impressive that I have ever met. Unless Richard changes his lifestyle and attitude, she will be disappointed in him if he does marry her. I doubt that the estate's income is sufficient to support both him and the Bennet family."
His aunt immediately realized that this was the very first lady that Darcy had ever complimented so effusively; she hoped that this Mrs. Collins would not cause a rift between him and her son. She then wandered off to greet other guests, hoping that her son would act as the gentleman he was raised to be and not treat this 'impressive' lady improperly. She left her nephew to think about what he had done and whether the advice he had given to Bingley was a mistake or not. In any case, she knew that the Baron was a much better match for Miss Bennet than Mr. Bingley.
This conversation with his aunt made Darcy think about his own situation. He had always thought that he needed a wife from the highest level of society; one with a significant dowry and good connections. But did he really need this? It was obvious that his friend Glenwood was considering this lady not for her wealth and connections but for her personal attributes. He thought that his friend was looking only for a match that would make him happy. The Countess's apparent approval of this lady made him rethink his own position.
Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by that very person. Glenwood came up to him. "Darcy, I see that your habits have not changed. Have you danced even once yet?" He was shaking his head.
"Not yet, but I might. Tell me, I saw that you came with Miss Bennet. Are you getting serious about her?"
"I am; she is the most remarkable lady. Darcy, I know that you spent some time at her home in Hertfordshire. What did you think of her and her family?"
"I have never seen her act in anything but the best behaviour; she is a complete lady. If she has a fault, it is that she seems to think only the best of everyone. She and her next oldest sister are admirable in everything they do. I never saw anything improper about them. However, their other three sisters are not in the same category; they are young and quite immature.
"Do you know about her family's troubles over the past few years?"
"I do. When I first began to think about Miss Bennet seriously, I had an investigator look into her background and family. I wanted to make sure she is as good as she seems. I know all about how her father died and their cousin came immediately to claim the estate. He then forced her sister to marry his son. It was fortunate that Miss Bennet was in town during this time or I am sure that he would have chosen her instead. I know that Mrs. Bennet is a gossip and I heard that her younger sisters are young and immature. However, no one had anything negative to say about the oldest two. In fact, her sister is praised for having taken over the management of their estate. Apparently she has been able to raise its income substantially. She must be some lady."
Darcy could not help but silently agree with this.
The Baron continue, "Does all this conform to what you learned?"
"Yes, it does, completely. Your investigator must be very thorough. I gather that her sister's marriage was a disaster as Collins Junior was anything but a gentleman. The only good thing to come out of all this is that she has a son who is the heir to the estate. Knowing her to some extent, she will raise him to be a good steward of it."
"Darcy, there is something else I would like to know. I saw how Bingley reacted when he saw Miss Bennet. Was there something between them when he was in Hertfordshire?"
"I am not sure how serious he was, but he did pay a lot of attention to her. I am quite sure that they have not been in contact since he returned to town." Darcy was not willing to breach any confidences of his friend.
"I gathered that Miss Bennet had a bad experience with someone recently. If that was Bingley and if he hurt her in any way, I just might call him out. However, his loss is my gain."
"What are your plans for her, if you do not mind my asking?" Darcy realized this was quite an impertinent question, but he hoped he would receive an honest answer.
"I am going to ask her for a courtship. She is just what I always dreamed of finding for my wife. My parents married for love, and I intend to do the same. I hope that she will accept me and that our friendship will grow into love. Just like you, I have had to fend off many ladies who were only interested in my title and estate. Miss Bennet has not asked even once about my income or estate. In fact, she seems to be worried about becoming a baroness. Mother is sure she will do us credit once she learns what is expected of her."
Once again, Darcy had to think deeply about his own situation. He could not help but envy his friend. He then thought of his cousin and Mrs. Collins. He was sure that his cousin did not deserve her and worried that they would not have sufficient money to support the lifestyle that he was used to enjoying. He wondered how he was doing in Canada. From the little news coming from there, the American forces were stirring up the natives to keep pressure on the British in the frontier areas. He could only hope that he could come out of that area unscathed.
Darcy saw that Bingley was still moping around the edges of the room. He went to him. "Bingley, what is the matter with you tonight? Usually you do not miss even one set, but I have not seen you dance at all."
"Darcy! What have I done? Just seeing Miss Bennet reminds me how much I thought of her. She is an angel! I never should have listened to you and my sisters. I should have gone back to Netherfield when I said I would. We could have been married by now. When I saw her with Glenwood and the way he looked at her, I knew I had lost her. How can I compete with a baron?"
Darcy began to sympathize with his friend's predicament.
"She refused to dance with me! That told me right then and there that she is lost to me. Darcy, I never should have listened to you. Just leave me alone. I am going home." He turned away and went directly to the door without saying farewell to his hosts.
Darcy wondered if he had been wrong. He had never before thought that advising Bingley against returning to Miss Bennet was a mistake. Now he could not think why he had agreed with his friend's sisters about the need to separate them. Seeing how devastated his friend was tonight, he realized that he might have misjudged the depth of his admiration for this lady. Was he so mistaken to have thought that Miss Bennet was just another of Bingley's angels?
Then he wondered if Miss Bennet chose the Baron over Bingley because of his title and greater wealth. If this was so, then his advice would be correct; however, he was not sure about this. Nothing he had seen of her had given him any indication that she was mercenary. In fact, she was quite the complete opposite of Miss Bingley. He would have to think very closely on this. He vowed to himself never to interfere with any other person's personal life.
His thoughts about them were interrupted when the Gardiners came up to him. After asking if he was enjoying the evening, Mrs. Gardiner said, "Mr. Darcy, I grew up in Lambton and even met your parents several times. They were very well thought of in the area and we were all very sorry when they passed. I even recall seeing you several times when you were quite young."
They spoke about Lambton and some of the residents they both knew. Darcy then added, "Mrs. Collins mentioned that she had relatives from Lambton and that you had been considering making a trip that way when you could find the time. If your plans do come to fruition, I hope that you will let me know. If I am there, I will definitely want to see you. You will be very welcome at Pemberley.
"I hope that I am not out of place when I add that I hope that you will be able to convince Mrs. Collins to come with you. From what I saw of her in Hertfordshire, she has been working very hard with the estate and could use a vacation. I was very impressed by the success she has made managing it."
Mr. Gardiner then added, "As a matter of fact, I am optimistic that my business will allow me to take enough time off this summer to take that trip. If I feel that I can be away long enough, we will try to see the lake country; if not, we should be able to get to Derbyshire for a week or two. My wife has often spoken about how impressive Pemberley is, so we will definitely want to tour it if you are in residence."
"When were you thinking that you might be able to go?"
"Probably late July or August is when we should not be too busy at my business."
"I expect that my sister and I will be there then, so do let me know. You will be very welcome to visit Pemberley."