Mr. Darcy rode over to Netherfield and got directions from Mrs. Nichols, the housekeeper, to the field in which Mr. Bingley was working. He rode there and found his friend, dressed in rough working man's clothes, his fair face radished by too much sun, raking hay with a large wooden rake. He got off his horse and walked up to Mr. Bingley.
Mr. Bingley watched Mr. Darcy approaching but did not say anything.
"What are you doing?" Mr. Darcy asked.
"Raking the hay," Mr. Bingley replied as he continued raking the hay as it lay in the field.
"Why?"
"Well, you want to turn the hay so it dries; if you put it in the stack still wet it might …"
"I know that. Why are you doing it?"
Mr. Bingley stopped raking and leaned on his rake. "I'm learning how to farm. If I'm to be an estate owner and one of my tenant farmers tells me 'I did impeticos thy gratillity' and thus can't pay his rent I had best know what he is talking about."
"I was going to teach you what you needed to know about being an estate owner," said Mr. Darcy.
"Yes, you were, weren't you." Mr. Bingley scowled at Mr. Darcy. "But then you deserted your post and conspired with my sisters to keep me in town."
Mr. Darcy flushed. "I have apologized for doing that."
"Yes, you did, but here you are bringing it up again." Mr. Bingley tilted his head at Mr. Darcy. "So why are you here?"
"It's a long story."
Mr. Bingley gauged the time by looking at the position of the sun in the sky. He gestured to some trees by the edge of the field. "Well, I could use a break. Come, let's sit down in the shade and you can tell me." He put his rake over his shoulder and started walking. Mr. Darcy followed him.
-}{-
Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy each leaned against a tree in the shade. Mr. Bingley ate his lunch – hunks of bread and cheese, and some green onions, washed down by lukewarm tea from a stone flask (Mr. Bingley had offered to share, Mr. Darcy had declined) – while Mr. Darcy told the story of his love affair, such as it was, with Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
Mr. Bingley had not visibly choked on his food when Mr. Darcy announced his engagement to Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
When he finished Mr. Darcy waited on Mr. Bingley's reaction. He hoped for congratulations. He worried that he might be castigated for his hypocrisy in marrying one Bennet daughter when he had warned his friend off another one. He was surprised, and a little disappointed, at the reaction he did receive.
"Why are you here?" asked Mr. Bingley.
"Well, I, ah, the wedding is not until the end of September, and I cannot stay at Longbourn, and I was wondering if Georgiana and I could …"
"Certainly, you can stay at Netherfield. Here I'll write a note to Mrs. Nichols telling her to give you the run of the place." Mr. Bingley reached in the canvas bag his lunch had been in and pulled out a notebook (used to record things he learned about farming) and a pencil. He carefully tore out a page, wrote out the note, and gave it to Mr. Darcy.
Mr. Darcy read the note and raised his eyebrows at how legible it was. He did not say anything about that; he was impressed but he did not compliment Mr. Bingley as he was annoyed that he had not received congratulations from his friend on his forthcoming nuptials.
"The Bennets would like to thank you for rescuing Lydia from Wickham," said Mr. Darcy.
"There's no need. I just provided her with transportation."
"What did you do to Wickham to make him …"
"Nothing. He just ran away."
"There must be more to it than that."
Mr. Bingley shook his head "No" and got up. Mr. Darcy followed.
Mr. Bingley started walking back into the field. "I'll see you later."
"Aren't you coming with me?"
"Sorry, old chap, the hay won't rake itself."
Mr. Darcy held up his hand. "Wait, I almost forgot. Elizabeth told me that Miss Bennet wanted to see you."
That stopped Mr. Bingley. "Oh?"
"She just wants to apologize to you and thereafter you and she can continue on as indifferent acquaintances."
"She said that. Indifferent acquaintances."
"Yes. That is what Elizabeth said she said."
Mr. Bingley shook his head. "Would you please ask Miss Elizabeth to convey to Miss Bennet that she has no need to apologize, she was entirely justified in what she said to me."
"Will you not tell Miss Bennet yourself?"
Mr. Bingley shook his head. "I can never be indifferent to Miss Bennet. Seeing her again would just tear open the wound in my heart which is so slow in healing. Now excuse me, I've got to get back to work."
Mr. Bingley walked into the field and started raking the hay, somewhat more forcibly than he had before.
