Chapter 2
Elizabeth was enraged with her mother for sending Jane on horseback, knowing it would rain. Also, she was disappointed with her father for letting her mother do such things. Because of her mother's machinations, Jane was ill and had no one to care for her.
Elizabeth walked more than three miles in the middle of the field, and her boots and petticoat were muddy. But she did not regret it because she could not stay at Longbourn waiting for news; she wanted to know if her sister needed assistance.
Before entering the house, Elizabeth cleaned her boots and fixed her hair to look her best. She knew how judgmental Mr. Bingley's sisters and his friend could be.
When Elizabeth entered the drawing room, she immediately saw Louisa and Caroline's contempt and the censure in the arrogant Mr. Darcy's gaze. Mr. Bingley acted surprised but was kind, and Mr. Hurst simply ignored her. There was also an elegant lady in the room whom Elizabeth had never seen before. At least, the lady just looked at her with curiosity and even smiled at her. But Elizabeth thought if she was a friend of Miss Bingley and her sister, there was no doubt that she would be proud and arrogant.
"Miss Elizabeth, please come in. How nice that you were able to come," Mr. Bingley said as he received Elizabeth.
"Did you come alone? We did not hear any carriage approaching," Miss Bingley added scornfully.
"I came alone, Miss Bingley; I walked, Miss Bingley," Elizabeth explained.
But Mr. Bingley's sisters asked Elizabeth all kinds of impertinent questions that she tried to respond to in the most courteous manner possible.
For his part, Mr. Darcy just watched without intending to participate in the conversation. Elizabeth looked prettier, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glowing by the exercise. At that moment, he wondered how he could ever think that Elizabeth was just tolerable. He only hoped she would leave soon so he would not be compelled to interact with her.
A little exasperated by so many questions, Elizabeth preferred to focus on the reason for her visit. "It would be possible to see my sister. I would like to know if she feels better."
"Of course, Miss Elizabeth. But first, let me introduce you to our guest..." Mr. Bingley presented Eleanor, and Elizabeth greeted her with great respect.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Elizabeth," replied Eleanor, and she could not help but look at Elizabeth curiously.
To prevent Elizabeth from stealing Lady Campbell's attention, Caroline and Louisa offered to accompany her to Jane's room.
The three men excused themselves and went hunting, and Eleanor was left alone thinking about everything that had happened in the last hour. The girl she knew as a child was ill, resting in a room. Elizabeth was probably the one in Fanny's womb when she had that horrible accident and left Longbourn.
She tried to imagine what Jane would be like as an adult because, as a little girl, she was a lovely and sweet girl. Elizabeth was, without a doubt, pretty and independent. With a bit of fortune, perhaps she could get to know her better.
Eleanor did not know what Thomas had told the girls about her. So, before revealing her identity, she had to speak with Thomas. But she felt that she was not ready to do that yet. Later in the day, she might have a chance to converse with Elizabeth and learn how much they knew about her.
When the housekeeper told her that her room was ready, she decided to retire to rest and think about what she should do.
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After resting for a few hours, Eleanor returned to the drawing room to converse with her hostess. The men had already returned and were all gathered together chatting, except for Mr. Darcy. He was reading a book in a corner of the room.
At first, the sisters did not realize that Eleanor entered the room. So, they were making poisonous comments about Elizabeth, her physical appearance, her walking three miles, and how wild she acted.
"Mr. Darcy, I hope that her behavior did not affect your admiration for her fine eyes," Caroline said mockingly to Mr. Darcy.
Without looking up from his book, he only replied, "Not at all. They were brightened by the exercise."
Eleanor was curious about their comments. It was clear that Miss Bingley was interested in Mr. Darcy, and for some reason, she saw Elizabeth as a possible rival.
Mr. Bingley's sisters continued to make derogatory remarks against Elizabeth and her family. They laugh because one uncle was a country attorney, and the other was in trade and lived near Cheapside.
Mr. Bingley felt a little embarrassed. His sisters' behavior was appalling. So, he intervened to prevent them from continuing to talk in that disrespectful manner.
"If they had uncles enough to fill all Cheapside, it would not make them one jot less agreeable."
"But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration in the world," replied Mr. Darcy.
Eleanor was stunned. Never in her life had she heard such pretentiousness in so few minutes. Mr. Bingley's sisters and Mr. Darcy were undoubtedly conceited and believed themselves superior. She concluded that the uncle who lived in Cheapside must be her old friend Eddie Gardiner. She wanted very much to know how his life was. He was a little over a year younger than her, and they had always been good friends. Edward was intelligent and very dedicated, so different from his sisters.
Caroline, noticing the presence of Lady Campbell, decided to explain herself. "I am sorry, my Lady, but in this place, the people are not sophisticated, and some are even a bit wild. They are ordinary people, unlike those we are used to socializing in London."
"Do not worry, Miss Bingley. Regarding people, I think like Mr. Bingley. I judge people for who they are, not for their family."
Caroline did not like the Baroness's answer. Still, she would not contradict a Lady of higher social status in front of Mr. Darcy. "I understand my, my Lady."
"Without a doubt, you are very generous," Louisa added to escape the awkward moment.
Fortunately, Elizabeth entered the room to inform Miss Bingley she was leaving and thank her for her hospitality. Mr. Bingley, knowing that Jane was still ill, invited Elizabeth to stay to care for her if she so desired.
"Thank you, Mr. Bingley. I appreciate your generous invitation," Elizabeth said, a little mortified. She noticed that Louisa and Caroline were unhappy with the news. Also, she did not like the distinguished lady looking at her with such interest.
"It will be an honor to accommodate you for as long as necessary," Mr. Bingley replied with a considerate smile.
A note was sent to Longbourn to notify the Bennets that Elizabeth would be staying as a guest at Netherfield and requesting clothes. Elizabeth thanked Mr. Bingley again and left the room to care for Jane.
Mr. Darcy was a little uncomfortable with the new situation. But, he told himself that deep down, it did not matter if Miss Elizabeth stayed as a guest because he planned to ignore her.
Eleanor noticed how Mr. Darcy looked at Elizabeth and began understanding Miss Bingley's hostility towards her. But she did not like that a gentleman who openly despised her niece, when he believed no one was seeing him, looked at her with admiring eyes. She did not know Mr. Darcy or Elizabeth, but it was clear he did not intend to make her his wife but something much less honorable.
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Elizabeth saw that Jane was asleep and decided to join the rest of the party in the drawing room. Dinner had been quite unpleasant because Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurts made all sorts of offensive remarks, and Mr. Darcy, as always, just looked at her disapprovingly.
Fortunately, Lady Campbell had been pleasant enough in what little they could interact. At least in the group, she could converse with two friendly people.
Elizabeth knew she could not stay locked in the room with Jane, and she was expected to spend time with the family.
When she arrived at the room, Lady Campbell was not there, so she decided to read. Although she tried not to interrupt, Caroline did not hesitate to make hostile comments directed at Elizabeth, and Mr. Darcy joined her. In their own way, both wanted to make her feel she was not accomplished, and she could not care less about their opinion.
Fortunately, just at that moment, Lady Campbell entered the room. Even though she managed to hear just part of the conversation, she suspected that Miss Bingley was, once again, trying to attack Elizabeth to gain the attention of the Derbyshire gentleman. Eleanor took the opportunity to sit next to her niece and begin a subtle interrogation. After asking about Jane's health, she began inquiring about the rest of the family. "Do you have any more siblings, Miss Elizabeth?"
"Yes, I have four sisters. Jane is the oldest, and I am the second daughter," Elizabeth explained.
Eleanor felt overwhelmed. Her irresponsible brother and the nervous and foolish Fanny had had five daughters, and they had not managed to produce an heir. Presumably, the poor girls did not even have a dowry or receive any formal education. At least Elizabeth was beautiful and probably intelligent, but her chances of finding a husband were still limited. At that moment, she thought that perhaps her return to England would allow her to help her nieces somehow. "Miss Elizabeth, I would like to meet your sister before I leave tomorrow. Do you think it is possible?"
"Of course, it is boring to be in bed all day, and your visit will help Jane to have some distraction." Elizabeth was content and very grateful to Lady Campbell for taking the trouble to talk to her when the rest of the party ignored her.
Eleanor noticed that while they were conversing, Mr. Darcy did not take his eyes off Elizabeth, and it seemed she was not aware of his regard. Moreover, it appeared that she was uncomfortable with the gentleman's attention. Eleanor felt more at ease, knowing that the attraction was not mutual. At least Elizabeth was safe. She did not want any of her nieces to make the mistake she had made so many years ago.
After chatting with Eleanor, Elizabeth excused herself and returned to the room with Jane. Eleanor also left because she was exhausted, and Mr. Bingley and his family continued playing cards while Mr. Darcy wrote a long letter to his sister.
That night, it rained, and the following day, Mr. Bingley informed Eleanor that the roads were in bad condition. So, he recommended that she stay at least one more day, and Eleanor did not have any other alternative but to accept and thank his hospitality.
After breakfast, Lady Campbell accompanied Elizabeth to Jane's room to meet her. When she saw her beautiful niece, she felt excitement and nostalgia. They had been very close until she fled away from Longbourn.
"Jane, this is Lady Campbell," Elizabeth told her sister. She was surprised by how the Lady looked at Jane. She even believed that Lady Campbell had to hold back tears.
Eleanor took a deep breath and moved closer to Jane to get a better look at her. "It is very nice to meet you, Miss Bennet. Your sister told me so much about you that I could not help but be curious to know you."
"The pleasure is mine, my Lady. Thank you for taking the trouble to visit me," replied Jane sheepishly.
After a few minutes, the three women began to talk and chatted in a friendly manner. Eleanor was pleasantly surprised with her two nieces. They were beautiful, intelligent, cultured, and refined. She thought that maybe, this time, her spineless brother had done something correct. Perhaps after she left, he was forced to mature and change.
Eleanor stayed in Jane's room for almost two hours and just left because Jane needed to rest. She could not wait to meet the rest of her nieces and planned to talk to her brother before returning to London. She needed to agree with her brother about when would be best for him to introduce her to his family.
An hour later, Mr. Darcy looked out the window as Elizabeth walked through the garden. If he could do whatever he wanted, he would go to the garden and walk with Elizabeth. He could probably walk for hours listening to Elizabeth's witty comments and impertinent opinions.
Mr. Darcy was so distracted looking at Elizabeth that he hardly realized that a carriage arrived with Mrs. Bennet and her two younger daughters.
Eleanor was in the drawing room listening to Caroline and Louisa's ridiculous remarks. She could not recall meeting two superfluous and vain women like Mr. Bingley's sisters. He also seemed superficial, but he compensated his lack of intellect with spontaneous sympathy and a good heart, unlike his sisters.
Louisa and Caroline's conversation was abruptly interrupted when Mrs. Bennet and her two daughters entered the room with Elizabeth.
Elizabeth introduced Eleanor to her mother and sisters, but Fanny was more concerned with flattering Mr. Bingley and inspecting the house than meeting that Lady. So, she hardly noticed Eleanor.
For her part, Lady Campbell was astonished; Fanny was even more silly and vulgar than she remembered, and the two youngest daughters behaved very similarly to her mother. The youngest was even more brazen than her mother.
Eleanor thought that her two youngest nieces behaved like the daughters of Thomas and Fanny and wondered what miracle had happened to make the two older so different. She was sad to see how Fanny, Kitty, and Lydia mortified Elizabeth, particularly when Caroline and Louisa could not hold back their laughter while listening to the atrocities that Fanny told.
"Mr. Bingley, you must organize a ball for all your neighbors, and you must invite all the officers," said Lydia.
"What a good idea, my dear Lydia. This house must have a beautiful ballroom... once you get married, Mr. Bingley, you will have a hostess, and you could invite friends and organize balls," Mrs. Bennet added as she looked at the room decoration with greedy eyes.
"When Miss Bennet has recovered, I promise I shall set a date for the ball," replied Mr. Bingley.
Mrs. Bennet was going to continue saying nonsense, but Elizabeth interrupted her. "Mother, I think it is time for you to return home."
Mrs. Bennet had no choice but to say goodbye and leave, but not before inviting Mr. Bingley and his family to dinner.
Once Fanny left, Eleanor immediately went to her sitting room and spoke with her secretary. She asked Mr. Taylor to visit Longbourn and deliver a message to her brother. She needed to talk to him urgently. Thomas and Fanny were hopeless, but she would do her best to help her nieces. Perhaps that way, she could reconcile with her past and finally be able to forget and leave behind so much pain.
P&P
Mr. Bennet was happy enjoying the books he had recently purchased. His wife and two younger daughters were not home, and he could enjoy the peace. But his tranquility was interrupted when the butler knocked on the door.
"Sir, this message arrived for you. The person who brought it said you needed to read it immediately." Mr. Hill explained as he handed his master the note.
Hill withdrew, and Mr. Bennet opened the message and began to read it. When he finished, he was pale and surprised.
'Eleanor?'
The following day, at the agreed place, Mr. Bennet arrived to meet his sister, who was waiting for him.
"Before we talk about the past and clarify some matters, I desire you to tell me what your family knows about me. I have asked you directly and want a sincere response," Eleanor said while staring defiantly at her brother.
"For the whole family, you died twenty years ago. Ella, after so many years without knowing anything about you, I also came to think that you had died."
Lady Campbell could hardly contain her rage and replied, "You never responded to my letters; that is why I stopped writing. But I think that is not important anymore. I must travel north in two days to resolve some pending business, but I shall return in a month."
"What do you want, Ella?
"When I return, I want you to introduce me to your daughters. I do not know what you will say to them or how you will explain my presence. But you will introduce me as their Aunt, Lady Campbell."
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Thanks to everyone who follows the story with enthusiasm and leaves supportive comments.
In the next chapter, we will go back twenty years to learn about a part of Eleanor's past and why she had to leave Longbourn.
See you soon!
Saludos,
Yo