Chapter 2: A Conversation
"It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense." ― Robert G. Ingersoll
Bingley had barely led Jane down the steps of the carriage as the carriage returned to Darcy House.
Darcy had barely risen from his seat when he glanced over to Elizabeth. She had moved closer to the window, and her face turned away, obscured the night's shadow.
He reached for her hand and she turned to face him. Elizabeth pressed her fingers into his, sharing all the warmth and affection her gesture could convey. Darcy glanced back at her, his lips turned upward slightly, an indication of his gratitude.
"Are you well?" He asked in a quiet whisper.
"As well as one could expect." She tried to return his smile and did so with greater effort.
He gave a slight nod and turned to disembark from the carriage and offered his hand to help Elizabeth and they walked up to their home, greeted by the stately butler and footmen.
"Well, what a night!" Exclaimed Bingley.
Darcy offered up a solemn, "Indeed," as the footman took his beaver hat.
"I might need the whole of the morning to recover from tonight's exuberance," Charles grinned at them.
"It was good to meeting your cousin," Jane said. "She is very charming and every welcoming."
"I am sure we shall be in her company again during your stay," Elizabeth shared, her smile wan. "But as for now, we must retire, I fear today's activities has finally caught up with me."
"It has been a busy week, and the week has yet to conclude," Jane observed as Elizabeth came to hook her arm in hers.
The sisters began their assent up the grand stairs, Darcy and Bingley following after their respective wives as they talked of all that they had accomplished thus far in addition to the activities for tomorrow. Calls would be made, guests would be entertained but in this moment, both were glad to pause the festivities of town for a night's rest. And so they parted a kiss to the cheek exchanged by the Elizabeth and Jane, and the couples went to their own chambers with Darcy to his own dressing room and Elizabeth to hers.
She found her maid there, Clara Hitchens whom she had met at the Red Lion the previous summer during her stay at Lambton. Elizabeth had found her to be insightful, discerning, and kind - all necessary qualities for a lady's maid. At one time, she had considered hiring an abigail from the general route of posting for the position but had decided against it.
"It is true you can consider to promote one of the maids from within Pemberley, or Darcy House." Darcy had offered. "However, your maid is loyal, first of all to you - not to me nor Mrs. Reynolds."
"I could ask Sarah to come with me." Sarah was one of the two Longbourn's maids shared amongst herself and her sisters. She had suggested to Sarah about the to move to Pemberley. But the idea was discarded when Sarah had related of her own desires to stay close to her family, who had been tenants for two generations going to three on Bennet land.
During her betrothal to Darcy, she had visited town to shop for her trousseau and also meet Darcy's titled relatives, she had paused to interview for a lady's maid. Mrs. Rogers, the housekeeper in town, as per now-husband's request had put posts for the position. So she had talked to a several but in her heart of hearts, none appealed to her. Some for their recommendations were experts in their profession but her hesitancies were pinned on the mere fact that many, like herself would be come from the outside. She had wanted someone who had some familiarity with Pemberley and yet removed enough to serve her needs. In coming to this conclusion for herself, Elizabeth then informed Darcy to have the search expanded around Derbyshire. Several more candidates had applied, including Hitchens. From Mrs. Reynold's posts, she was informed of the candidates and after her wedding, and first days from her honeymoon, had conducted interviews and had decided on her abigail. Hitchens was able to begin her service nigh a fortnight after her arrival to Pemberley. And for the past four months, Elizabeth had come to value her expertise.
And so it was on this night as she passed through the door leading to her dressing rooms that she found Hitchens, ready for her arrival.
"Good evening, ma'am. I trust you had a wonderful evening."
"Hello." Elizabeth smiled, though tiredly, "It could have been better, but here is neither the place and now not certainly the time to expound to tonight's events."
Mrs. Darcy turned to her back as Hitchens helped her proceed with her nightly absolutions. They did exchange pitter-patter. A few ongoings in her absence. The deliveries of food, a recently hired maid had taken a slight cold, what to expect for the morning, and which outfits to be laid out.
Elizabeth welcomed this conversation, the minutiae of life - her life now - and the role she had on running her husband's estate, thus adding on to her happiness. For now, it was a welcomed balm to her unsettled soul. Hitchens had finished her work and after exchanging a nightly adieu, disappeared through the servant's entrance.
From her dressing chambers, Mrs. Darcy proceeded to the master's chambers, a room she had come to inhabit with greater frequency than those assigned to the lady of the house. Darcy had expressed his desires early on for them to have an uncommon marriage.
"Ours will be a marriage of inconvenience." He had said not long after their betrothal, and thus far it had.
Darcy found her in this condition, lost in her thoughts and seated beautifully under the tall window overlooking the gardens now covered under moonlight. Her hair, a riotous wave streaming downward her back and in great contrast to her cream coloured dressing grown of soft fur, shimmering in the candlelight.
He came to her silent and sat on the remaining half of the unoccupied bench. Their eyes met as it usually wont and they exchanged smiles, though now the cover of propriety removed and once again, they had been restored to the comforts and privacy of their own home.
Darcy's eyes roamed her face, catching the small spark of her fine eyes which had captivated him from the very first. But her countenance, and those details which had been hid in the shadow of the carriage came in full force.
He reached out, his fingertips brushing the side of her face as she leaned into his touch. "You are pale, my love."
Elizabeth smiled at his conscientiousness, "nothing a good night's rest will not solve. It has been a trying evening."
Her profile turned somber and her eyes lowered to their joined hands and he equally frowned.
"Elizabeth?" He called with concern.
She glanced back up at him. "I would hope that in asking you of this request that you do not find me too impertinent beyond my natural capacity but I find that I am not as tolerant of Lady Mamebe's company despite all of Miss Bingley's arrears to civility. Her cousin seems incapable of reciprocating kindness in truth."
Darcy's brows furrowed trying to decipher her words.
"Fitzwilliam, not long after we had separated from the dining room and relocated to the parlour and I found myself needing the powder room. As I was returning, I found them talking not too far from the entrance. They were discussing reaction the play which she wished for you to read. The play she wished you to play is based on our suffering; of what would have happened had you not found Lydia and Wickham. Of my father's death. And Lady Maembe was sharing with Miss Bingley a particular scene which she had recently added with much glee of having killed Georgiana!
Darcy startled, "Georgiana de-" He could hardly contemplate pairing such words together. "Yes, she went on about how she had tried to befriend your dear sister and found her to be a little mouse, needing to removed once and for all had either she or Miss Bingley had won your hand!"
"Good God," Darcy muttered.
"I was hardly myself hearing such wretchedness from them - such scheming and evil as to wish Georgiana such destruction and with her child."
"I returned again to the room this time with some semblance in equilibrium and tried to find the script they had shared betwixt each other. I did my part, briefly playing the part of enquiries to our activities and when both Miss Bingley and Lady Maemba were distracted, found myself reading parts of what the latter had written.
"Oh Fitzwilliam!" She cried, "had I known that so much wickedness existed in such a person, I would have burned that invitation from the first. She created herself as the eldest Barnett sister with four others following after her, as if an angel of light. She wrote Charles marrying a woman of ill-repute, of her having residing in Rosings Park under the guise of tending to Lady Catherine. Of speaking ill of her own sisters. Of Georgiana's death and that of her young child. From the last words she had hoped to meet you in Hyde Park, apparently whilst taking her young cousin to fly kites at Hyde Park - my Gardiner cousins!"
Darcy could hardly form the words to express his anger and fury at Lady Maembe. She like Miss Bingley had at one time sought to attentions and courtship - though the elevation of rank and Pemberley were the greater inducement not his person and character.
"Are you certain Elizabeth? It is all true that one would have such times for idleness and malice to wish our family greater calamity than you have suffered?"
"As true and certain as I sit before you, husband."
Darcy stood and marched to the fireplace and returned to Elizabeth, reflecting on all that she had shared and how he should respond to such attacks on his family and the expense and caustic nature of Lady Maembe's nature.
He came and leaned before her, "that is why you were so vigorous in your silent communication earlier this evening?"
"Yes." Elizabeth hiccuped, "I know you, my love, I know you do not suffer fools easily and had you known the context of how Lady Maembe wanted to take advantage of your ignorance in that moment, you would not have withstood such foolishness a moment longer."
Darcy raised his hands and pressed a kiss on both her knuckles, "You are right on that score, dearest. My reaction would not have been fit for company neither my rebuke to our hostess from this evening."
Elizabeth sighed and leaned into his arms, desperate for his embrace. "I knew when you married me that not everyone in your family nor your acquaintance would wish our union well. That some would live in jealousy but the mendacity and mockery as I witnessed tonight, the duplicitous nature of the Bingley cousins I can hardly countenance all of it."
Darcy could only comfort her and wrap his arms even tighter about her frame before releasing her and looking her firmly in the eyes. "You need not to," Darcy said with a steely resolve. "Women such as Miss Bingley and Lady Maembe can never - will never - understand my love for you and why after nigh a decade in high society amongst women with equally sordid character as theirs, I would give my heart to you.
"They are threatened by your strength and sense of purpose, of your love for life and care for others; for the spark and light in your eyes and the easy smile often readily fetched on your lips. They can never comprehend the life you bring to my presence to Darcy House, to Pemberley - to me and Georgiana. For your gentle teasing way, for your engaging impertinence and for the challenge and joy you bring to those around you. Miss Bingley is certainly not capable of that, neither is Lady Maembe nor the Jane she has written in her story. I would soon be in a mausoleum than a loving, lively home. For so long I have know quiet, duty, purpose and in marrying you I chose love and liveliness; a women who is my equal in every capacity not the rubbish and nonsensical ideas of a jealous woman who can write such a travesty."
Elizabeth could only smile and lean into his embrace once again as their lips met to seal their love and the reassurance they both sought from the physical comfort they could offer each other.
A/N: I hope I captured Mr and Mrs Darcy's eternal love. Consider the following:
The point of Darcy's arc is that he is a forceful, clever, kind, overbearing man who needs a strong hand to manage him.
Jane, on the other hand, is a beautiful classical heroine in the passive mould. Jane would be completely overwhelmed by Darcy's personality and never make a decision of her own.
He'd be miserable. He loves clever, witty, spirited Lizzy, and Jane, for all her many, many terrific qualities, is not witty or spirited or capable of fencing with him as her sister does.
She'd be miserable. She loves kind, sweet, laidback Mr Bingley, and Darcy, for all his many, many terrific qualities, is not laidback or capable of gently amusing her the way Bingley does.
They'd both be aware that the other was miserable and have no idea how to fix it. He'd still fall in love with Lizzy, she with Bingley, and can you imagine the mess that would cause?
Lizzy changes Darcy for the better. She forces him to confront his flaws, to come to terms with the fact that he's a good, clever man but that doesn't mean he isn't also an offensive dolt at times, and to act to remedy his mistake with Wickham.
Jane is incapable of challenging his self-perception like that. We don't know if, like Lizzy, she would have had the resolution to refuse to marry a man she doesn't love, but it's likely she has already had to fend off a few proposals as she is the most beautiful girl in the neighbourhood and the daughter of one of the best-positioned landowners. We don't see her have to turn down Mr Collins, but I think she would have with Bingley on the scene. I don't think she could have withstood Darcy's force of personality or wealth, however, and would have said yes to him out of a sense of duty.
Darcy's occasionally sharp tongue would lacerate her, and he would then lacerate himself because he is not intentionally cruel or heartless.
She would not have, as Lizzy did, point out his numerous flaws, excoriate his manners, or generally tear his character to pieces. At best, he would have received a tearful and doe-eyed refusal that would not have led to any self-reflection or the bettering of his character.
Lizzy, for Darcy, is a completely necessary driving force who makes him re-examine all he has been told and read, dismiss whatever insults his own soul, and thus his very flesh becomes a great poem, with the richest fluency.
So NO, Darcy was definitely right not to marry Jane. By doing so, he would have made her, Lizzy, Bingley, and himself all miserable.