Conversation 3 - Darcy and the Bingley family
Meanwhile, at Netherfield Mr. Darcy has also come to the end of his patience. He felt as though he was the one in charge at Netherfield, meeting with the steward, making decisions, and working endlessly for the betterment of the estate Bingley was leasing. He was consulted by the housekeeper, making decisions that by all rights should have been made by the mistress, but Miss Bingley had no clue how to be an effective mistress on an estate and was, instead, planning unreasonably elaborate menus, requesting foods that were not only out of season, but were beyond the capabilities of the kitchen staff. Why would anyone want to see a stuffed peacock on their dinner table? Especially with the feathers spread wide, drooping into the sauces, and making a mess of the table. Darcy knew Miss Bingley was trying to emulate something she had heard third-hand about an event she was not at, and, of course, by the time she heard the story, it resembled nothing of the actual meal. Darcy was tired of dealing with such nonsense while Bingley was busy mooning over all of the pretty girls in the area, Mr. Hurst was passed out on the nearest piece of furniture, Mrs. Hurst supported any and every asinine idea of Miss Bingley, and Miss Bingley was coming up with more and more outlandish ideas with each passing day.
It was now early afternoon and Darcy knew the Bingley party was gathered in the drawing room. As it was just past their luncheon, Darcy also knew that Mr. Hurst would be somewhat coherent, so after giving some instructions to his valet, he went to the drawing room, hoping to have everyone's undivided attention, at least for a few minutes.
He strode into the middle of the room, took a deep breath, and said, "May I have everyone's attention for a brief conversation. I have something that needs to be said and now is the time to say it."
He turned to Bingley to start the conversation. "Bingley, I am sure it will come as no surprise to you when I tell you that you are not the head of your family. Your sister is. She leads you around by the nose, spends your money as well as her own, and has essentially placed herself in charge of your life and has become the true head of your family. I have been trying for a long time to assist you and encourage you to take control of your family but all you seem to be able to do is to moon over any pretty girl that crosses your path. You follow one around constantly until a different one crosses in front of you, and then you immediately alter your course to follow the new one. Frankly, it is embarrassing to go to a function with your family. You chase after every pretty woman you see, we require assistance to pour a drunk Mr. Hurst into a carriage when it is time to leave, your sister Miss Bingley insults everyone near her, and no one wants to be near her unless it is to stare in disbelief as to what she is wearing. Your other sister seems to do nothing but agree with Miss Bingley, no matter what inanities fall from her lips. I am sorry to have to tell you this, but I have finally reached the end of my patience."
During Mr. Darcy's speech, Miss Bingley had jumped up as if to add her share of the conversation. She started to agree with Mr. Darcy, until she actually heard and understood what he was saying. Then, she had nothing positive to contribute and was at a loss as to how to agree with everything he was saying without denigrating herself in the process. Bingley stopped thinking about pretty faces long enough to absorb what Darcy had said before stating his own opinions.
"I say, Darcy, that is rather harsh of you. I do not follow ladies around constantly. I cannot be blamed for noticing the pretty ones. That is what all gentlemen do."
"No, Bingley, that is not what all gentlemen do. They are polite to ALL ladies, not just the pretty ones. Also, I was under the impression that you wanted to learn about estate management while we were in the country. If that is so, why am I doing all of the estate management work and you are chasing after the ladies? I am not your servant, here at your beck and call to do the work that you are not inclined to do."
Now, that was a statement Miss Bingley could build on. "Of course, Mr. Darcy, you are entirely correct! Charles, you need to spend more time working on the estate and less time raising false expectations from the ladies of the neighborhood. You do not need to give them such focused attention. They are no better than peasants and deserve no such attention from their betters."
As Mrs. Hurst was preparing to agree with Miss Bingley, Darcy turned to her and said, "Miss Bingley, I am afraid that my admonishment to your brother holds for you as well. It is obvious to me that you do not know how to properly be the mistress of an estate. You feel it is beneath you to concern yourself with tenant issues, you make demands of the kitchen staff that they are not able to comply with, and you treat the servants horribly. I have seen you treat the books in the library better than you do the servants, and that is saying a lot since you are not one who reads. The prescribed social order in this country is that landed gentry are higher than those that work in trade. You ARE from a family that works in trade. It matters not how much money you may or may not have. The families that we have been interacting with, calling on, and dining with, are all above you. Yet, you conduct yourself as if a visit to the royal family would be beneath you. Your selfishness, your disdain for the people in the town, and your lack of knowledge as to what the mistress of an estate actually does …"
Miss Bingley angrily interrupted, "I know exactly what my duties are as mistress of this estate. I drop pearls before the swine and display elegance in everything. I try to show them how to dress properly, how to engage in superior conversation, and how to serve elegant meals. They are uncouth enough not to even appreciate it and follow my example. These peasants are not even aware enough to know that I am only trying to bring some sophistication into their drab little lives. They ignore my exemplary example and for that reason, among others, I feel we no longer have to associate with any of them. I will not waste my time any further trying to bring culture to these, these … peasants!" With that pronouncement, Miss Bingley flounced back into her chair, with a triumphant look on her face, as if she had just won the debate.
Darcy turned to Bingley. "Do you have anything you want to add to this conversation, BIngley?"
Bingley just stared at Darcy for a minute as he tried to gather his thoughts. For a moment, Darcy thought that Bingley was going to turn to his sister and ask her what he should think about this conversation.
As Bingley was still searching for a thought that he could contribute to the conversation, Darcy said, "Never mind Bingley. Do not hurt yourself trying too hard to think. It is past time for me to leave and for you all to sink or swim on your own. I have instructed my staff to gather my things. I will be moving to the inn for a few days. I have some things to do before I leave the area. It gives me sorrow to say this to all of you, but do not presume upon our friendship any longer, particularly since we no longer have a friendship."
As My Darcy made his way out of the room, both his heart and his footsteps felt lighter. He felt a bit sad that he would no longer associate with the Bingley family but he grew weary from the constant headaches he endured from beating his head against that particular wall.