Chapter 26
Netherfield
A Few Days Later
Darcy looked about the table, pleased and contented. It was well-filled with turkey and pheasant, asparagus and peas and mashed potatoes, apple pie and light cakes. It was as not as lavish a dinner as those at the parties in Town, but then, this party was small and intimate. Bingley, himself, the Hursts and the Bennets; all family and close friends. Bingley, seated between his sister, Louisa, and Jane Bennet, kept glancing adoringly at his fiancée. Miss Bennet and Louisa Hurst were enthusiastically discussing changes that would be made at Netherfield after Bingley's marriage, with the man himself contributing only occasional comments.
Mrs. Bennet, further along the table, chatted garrulously to Mr. Bennet, who was both listening and responding with unaccustomed patience. At the end, Mary was sandwiched between her younger sisters, hushing them occasionally as their voices rose in excitement. Darcy could not bring himself to judge them too harshly; he could only imagine how Kitty and Lydia must have missed each other these past several days.
He himself missed his sister very much. He wished he could bring Georgiana to Netherfield, to spend time in the quiet of the country among people who would be kind to her. But he would not expose her to Wickham: the man's presence forbade Georgiana's.
At least, he reflected, Caroline Bingley was no longer present. The pleasantness of the dinner party was greatly increased by her absence, and no one had questioned it much. The excuse presented – that an emergency had sent her to their Aunt Cynthia in Bath – had been graciously accepted. The entire household was more peaceful now, kindlier, and Darcy had slowly realized, to his shame, that Miss Bingley's constant criticism of the local gentry had poorly influenced his own opinions. Indeed, the locals were quite congenial.
"Would you kindly pass the potatoes, Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth said from his left.
Darcy jerked to attention, reached out a long arm, and passed it to the lady, who smiled with pleasure and put a large dollop of the dish onto her plate.
"Mrs. Bryant is an excellent cook," Elizabeth said after taking a bite, and then added, "I confess that until Longbourn burned, I had no idea how much was involved in making the kind of meals that Mrs. Hanson provided with such apparent ease."
"I believe your undercook remains at Longbourn, while the cook is currently situated at the Hunting Lodge?"
"Yes, exactly. Mrs. Carter is not quite as experienced as Mrs. Hanson, but more than that, the summer kitchen is not well suited for more complex dishes. We are well fed at Longbourn, mind you – I know how fortunate we are – but this meal is a special treat."
"We are very pleased to have you here," Darcy said with a smile.
Elizabeth smiled back and said, "I hope that Miss Bingley made it safely to Bath?"
Darcy cleared his throat and said, "Yes, I believe that she did. It is not that far."
His companion wrinkled her nose as she took a bite of beef, and then said, "It must be at least one hundred twenty miles, which is quite a distance."
"That is true," Darcy agreed, "but there are many pleasant posting houses along the way."
"I would like to go to Bath someday," Elizabeth confided, "though I would like to see the ocean even more."
"Given how much you enjoy the out of doors, then truly you would delight in the beaches and oceans," Darcy said.
"I have no doubt you are correct. I have read accounts of the fish and shells, and of the beaches and waves. It sounds marvelous indeed. Of course, so do the Lakes up north, and Scarborough on the northeastern coast. There are many fascinating place in the world."
"That is true enough," Darcy remarked. He had a brief vision of Elizabeth dancing in the rippling waves of a beach, her dark hair flowing in the breeze, and he gulped.
"You said that you were once at the Sistine Chapel," the lady continued, obviously unaware of his thoughts. "Would you kindly describe your time there?"
He did so, and the conversation continued throughout the rest of dinner. Not for the first time, he found himself impressed by Miss Elizabeth's queries about the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, and the history of Rome. While the lady had not traveled far, she had read widely, and as was usual, she asked pertinent questions and debated her points with vigor.
A burst of laughter from the head of the table caused Darcy to briefly turn away from Elizabeth's face to focus on Bingley and Miss Bennet; the latter's beauty was only accentuated by her obvious happiness, and Bingley looked nearly dazed with delight.
Darcy wanted that for himself, he realized. He wanted to marry a woman he truly loved and admired. He wanted to marry Elizabeth Bennet.
/
On the carriage ride back to Longbourn
"Oh Jane," Lydia said, "I am so very happy that you are marrying a wealthy man. Dinner was delectable today."
"I am not marrying Charles for his wealth, Lydia," Jane said. "I love him."
"Oh, that is entirely obvious," Elizabeth said, "but Lydia is right that it is pleasant to marry a man who can well provide for his wife and children."
"Yes, it is," Jane agreed, though inwardly she felt a trifle ruffled. She did not care to be considered avaricious.
"No one who knows you well would imagine you are marrying Charles for his money," Elizabeth said fondly. "Indeed, I believe you and he are perfect for one another."
"I quite agree," Mr. Bennet said, speaking for the first time since they had entered the carriage. "Now girls, your mother and I spoke at some length this afternoon, and we are in agreement that she, Mary, and Kitty will move back to Longbourn after Christmas."
"Do you think that Longbourn will be sufficiently repaired by then?" Elizabeth asked in surprise.
"Yes," Bennet replied, "though I will need to make a trip to London to purchase a number of items to finish the new kitchen. Your uncle Gardiner has agreed to help me with the arrangements, but I will need to be there. Given that your mother is able to walk easily, she will come with me, and we will leave Mary and Kitty at the Hunting Lodge with the servants to look after them. Now, do you three feel comfortable staying at Longbourn for a few days while I am away?"
The girls exchanged quick glances, and Jane said, "I think we will do very well, Father. The servants will be with us, of course."
"Yes, I have no doubt you will do very well," Mr. Bennet agreed. In truth, his daughters had largely been on their own for many years. He had been in the house, of course, but had provided precious little guidance and direction.
"I saw you conversing with Mr. Darcy tonight," Jane commented, looking at her next younger sister. "It seemed you were having a pleasant discussion."
"Indeed we did," Elizabeth said enthusiastically. "He traveled to Italy about a decade ago, and we had a marvelous talk about the great sights of Rome. He is well traveled and well read."
"He probably went on the Grand Tour, though given Napoleon's activities these many years, a restricted one to avoid France," her father commented. "If so, it seems he learned more than most young gentlemen, who are more interested in parties and drinking than actually learning about the wonders surrounding him."
"Did you go on a Grand Tour, Papa?" Lydia asked curiously.
"Oh no, my dear, no," Mr. Bennet replied, "though I would probably have enjoyed myself. No, the Grand Tour is for the nobility and very wealthy gentry, and Longbourn, while a good estate, is small compared to the grandeur and wealth of Pemberley."
Lydia considered this and then turned toward her second eldest sister. "You should marry Mr. Darcy, Lizzy."
Elizabeth, who had been contemplating her recent conversation with the gentlemen in question, jerked in astonishment and felt her face heat up.
"Lydia!" she protested. "You should not say such a thing!"
"Why should I not?" Lydia demanded unrepentantly. "He obviously likes you, he is good looking, and he is bookish, and so are you."
Elizabeth looked to her elder sister for support and was surprised to observe Jane smiling knowingly.
"Jane!" she cried out. "You know that Mr. Darcy does not even like me!"
"Lizzy, my dear," her father said unexpectedly, "I fear that your claims on that matter are demonstrably false. Mr. Darcy looks at you often, gravitates to your side whenever we are in company, and obviously enjoys your conversations with you. Undeniably he likes you very well."
His second daughter, to her embarrassment, felt tears spring to her eyes.
"He is so very rich and well connected, Papa," she said. "I do not think there is any hope that…"
She trailed off, and Jane looked stricken, while even Lydia was abashed.
Mr. Bennet sighed and reached out to take Elizabeth's gloved hands in his own. "My dear, it is true that Mr. Darcy is socially above us, but he has chosen to make Mr. Bingley, the son of a man of trade, his close friend. I think there is hope, if you are interested, that is."
His daughter compressed her lips before saying, "I like Mr. Darcy very much, but I do not wish to even speculate that he might … I truly think it is unlikely, Father. Indeed, Mr. Collins mentioned once that Mr. Darcy is engaged to his cousin, Miss de Bourgh of Rosings."
Her father considered this thoughtfully. Given Mr. Darcy's demeanor toward Elizabeth, Bennet was inclined to think the gentleman admired his second daughter very much. All the same, these high born gentlemen, with ties to the nobility, were often motivated more by connections and wealth than by true affection.
"You may be correct, Lizzy," he said finally. "We will see. In any case, we can both enjoy the company of such an interesting, intelligent man."
"Indeed," Elizabeth replied, wiping her eyes, and then turned a glower on her youngest sister. "Lydia, you must not say a word about this conversation, do you hear? I would die of shame if gossip should spread that I am pursuing Mr. Darcy. The Lord knows that the poor man is chased often enough for his fortune and his place in society. I would be sorry to make him feel uncomfortable in my presence."
"I will not say a word on the matter," Lydia said, and she meant it.
/
The Kings' House
Meryton
"And how is Mr. King today?" Wickham asked solicitously.
"Oh, he is very ill indeed, Mr. Wickham," Miss Dodd declared, her plump face drooping with worry. "It quite goes to my heart to see him in so much pain."
"He is not always suffering," Mary King said quickly. "Mr. Jones is giving him a tincture with laudanum, and that helps a great deal."
"That is a good thing," Wickham murmured and decided that was quite enough about Mr. King. The man was failing, it seemed, but not quite at death's door.
"Miss King, might you be willing to play on the pianoforte?" he invited with a charming smile.
"Oh, yes, that is, if you are truly interested…" Mary fluttered.
"Of course I am," Wickham declared. "You are truly a most accomplished woman, as well as lovely."
A lie, of course; the girl was no more than passable at playing the pianoforte and far from lovely. But she and Miss Dodd eagerly lapped up all his adept flattery. Poor plain Miss King, so surprised at the admiration, so very pleased to be receiving at last the attention and affection she craved. Easy pickings, he thought cynically, too easy, already so open to the least gesture of kindness. It would not be long now, he knew, before he was able to convince her to run away with him. A few honeyed words, a gesture or two, perhaps a trinket, and she would be his.
Mary King reminded him much of Georgiana Darcy, who had been equally dazzled, equally easily played. Georgiana could have taken the role of Mrs. Wickham that Mary King would now fill, if only her fool of a brother had not intervened!
Wickham seethed for a moment over Darcy's ill-timed interference. He would very much have liked to have taken Georgiana to wife, as shy and unobtrusive and pleasing to the eye and wealthy as she was. Nor was Darcy's campaign of persecution over. A mere few days previously, Wickham had been unpleasantly surprised by the cow-faced owner of the Pig in the Poke informing him blandly that there was now a two pound limit to all charge accounts.
Wickham fumed. It was obvious that Darcy had made known Wickham's proclivity to leaving debts. It was unfair! If Darcy had not denied him the living that should have been his, he would not need to struggle to feed himself and purchase necessities.
It was essential that he seduce Miss King into elopement and soon. The pittance he received from the militia would not be enough to pay down his accounts, and he needed her fortune. His fellow officers had grumbled, but they all, gentlemen's sons, had an allowance from home. Wickham had only his looks and his charm, and he intended to use them to his own advantage.
The cessation of the pianoforte's plunking roused him from his reverie, and he rearranged his expression from one of grave interest to one of blatant admiration.
"That was exquisite, Miss King," he says to the lady sitting behind the pianoforte, "You are truly accomplished."
Mary blushed. "Thank you, Mr. Wickham."
/
/
Author Note: Two chapters posted today - cheers!