Mrs. Bennet lamented over two things: Firstly, Mr. Bingley's departure from the neighborhood, though he had done it in good standing, sending poorly written notes to all the families. Though the handwriting was terrible, through the affection the man garnered, this was attributed to an endearing quirk. Many neighbors had joked to give the man writing lessons upon his return. Mrs. Bennet was not as happy as her neighbors.
However, with Jane's recommendation to allow Elizabeth and herself to visit London, perhaps to see the Bingleys, the matron's eyes lit up with plotting. Yes, that was just the thing, to send her to him! Her spirits rallied, until the second news came.
Mr. Collins was engaged to Miss Lucas! Mrs. Bennet would wail and cry, blaming Lizzy for her fathers death. Her father would respond with a different joke each time, looking to Lizzy for a laugh.
But Jane knew Elizabeth was hurt over the matter. With Mrs. Bennets many complaints, and the impending lose of her friend, Lizzy was almost morose. Unfortunately, Elizabeth frequently turned to anger to hide her sadness. And to see such a friend tie herself to such a buffoon was understandably heartbreaking. Thus Elizabeth spent many miles and many hours in anger, to avoid her grief.
Jane happened to be within the house when Charolett came over.
"Is Lizzy here?" Charlotte called.
"No, she is walking, you know Lizzy," Jane said sadly. Charlotte sighed and folded her arms.
"She hasn't seen me since I told her about the engagement." Jane could hear the bitterness and injury in her voice. Jane tilted her head in sorrow for the lady. She thought to turn the conversation to pleasanter matters. But her success with reading Mr Darcy had emboldened her. So Jane turned to the sad conversation instead.
"I wish you would marry for that kind of love Lizzy believes in, and sometimes I wish you'd wait for it. But I understand your anxiety, that it must be frightening to be so dependent on your parents," Jane said. Charlotte nodded and looked at the house with a forlorn expression.
Jane was then shocked to see the strong, iron-cored Charlotte melt into tears. In almost panic, Jane immediately rushed to her and held her tight.
"I wish for that too, Jane!" Charlotte cried, "but ten years have come and gone. Even Maria has better prospects than I!" Jane sucked in her bottom lip, but eventually started to cry with her. Poor, romantic Charlotte, to have her hopes dashed and replaced with fear every year, for ten years. Jane wept that Charlotte felt the need to settle for such a man, and to have to give up on that childhood dream.
Jane held Charlotte and cried for a quarter of an hour before discovering they had come to be sitting on the grass. It was good, because she felt exhausted, as she dug out her handkerchief, seeing Charlotte already clutching her own. They sat quietly for ten minutes more, the silence only interrupted by loud sniffs.
"Do you think Lizzy will ever forgive me?" Charlotte asked, avoiding Jane's eye. Jane sniffed back a sigh. She knew that fear. She didn't have much, but she had Lizzy's love, and felt dependent on it. Perhaps Charlotte felt the same.
"She will," Jane said eventually, "she could never not love you. But maybe she feels as sad about this as you and I do. And you know Lizzy, she'd rather be angry than sad." Charlotte snorted in mild amusement and nodded.
They sat in silence a while longer.
Charlotte slowly stood up with a sigh, saying her mother would be expecting her. Jane stood up and embraced her again, before she left. They may never be the greatest of friends, but their relationship had sweetened, and matured suddenly.
Jane wondered if she would have noticed Charlotte's plight, if she wasn't so secure in her feelings with Charles.
OOXXOOXoXXx
Darcy was attempting to sneak from Bingley's home, without running into Miss Bingley. He had nearly made it to the door, when he heard her voice.
"Mr. Darcy, a word, if you please," she called from the parlor. Darcy, after checking the presence of two servants, entered the parlor. He didn't say much, he didn't know what to say.
"Mr. Darcy," Miss Bingley said, "you must convince my brother not to go back to Hertfordshire." Darcy was unsurprised, but curious as to what the woman thought. Her brother seemed happy, and Miss Bingley had declared Miss Bennet a sweet girl. His curiosity spoke.
"Why?"
"You know our new position is precarious, and you know Charles. He'll move on quickly. Hopefully this time to one of higher rank. You must tell him not to return" Miss Bingley said, standing up to pace.
"She is a gentle woman, and they seem fond of each other," Darcy said, not liking being told orders. Before he could get angry, Miss Bingley sighed sadly. This surprised him as he had rarely heard a genuine sound from the lady.
"That is the most unfortunate part. She is a sweet girl, regardless of her horrendous family. I hate to see her hurt. But she's so delicate that it's best to prune this relationship in its infancy. And! Let's say they did marry, she is so delicate, she would do nothing to strengthen our fragile rank."
"You seem quite fond of rank," Mr. Darcy said simply. Miss Bingley snorted in amused disbelief.
"Can you imagine why? With our wealth, but no titles or even history," she grinned bitterly, gesturing towards him. "We are stuck between worlds, Mr. Darcy. Our children will inherit our positions, and the Bingleys have an awkward position. I know you think the tradesmen will rise, but I do not believe that titles will lose their power. A destitute duke will always carry more influence than a rich tradesmen. No, I think it's best for everyone, even if it hurts for a few months, to make a clean break. And we have the added benefit of getting away from that unscrupulous family."
"You've mentioned your sentiment on the family before, I wonder at its intensity," Mr. Darcy said as he watched her pace.
"Simple!" Miss Bingley said with a smirk, turning to look at him. "They're loud, rude, uncouth, domineering, and they send the pleasantest among them into a terrible storm on horseback. To which she gets so ill that I actually thought dying was a possibility. But the family hardly cared." Mr. Darcy wished to say something, but for a moment, was frozen by the assessment.
"The second pleasantest," Miss Bingley continued, "is a sarcastic wit who tipptoes the edge of politeness. She only entertains when she chooses and willfully disregards contrary evidence."
"I didn't see such a thing," Mr. Darcy said a little defensively.
"Please, fine eyes or not" Miss Bingley said dismissively, "there are other ladies who are better fitted to be mistress of Pemberley." She cast her eyes towards him meaningfully. Mr. Darcy felt his skin crawl and pushed down a shudder while he spoke.
"The mistress of Pemberly must have a self sustained contentment, as I do not wish to be in town any more than necessary. If she were ambitious or climbing, she would be harshly disappointed." Miss Bingley shrugged her shoulders at that.
"It is the world we live in," she said without a hint of remorse. "Not all of us are so fortunate to feel so secure in our seats. Help Charles maintain his place by keeping him in London."
Mr. Darcy, feeling irked, only bowed and left. Without saying another word. He could not change the woman's mind, so why argue? Miss Bingley wouldn't even pretend to believe a different perspective, unlike Elizabeth.
Elizabeth would have laughed and given him a ridiculous argument, but so well founded, that, for a second, he would miss the facetious nature of it. As he was thinking of an equally ridiculous rebuttal, her eyes would gleam mischievously, awaiting his response. Sometimes, he would forget to respond.
He pressed a hand to eyes as he sat down in the carriage. The longer he was away from her, the harsher the melancholy became. He found himself throughout the days wistfully thinking: What she would laugh at, what she would say, what look would she give.
He both hoped and feared that she would come with Miss Bennet.
OOXXOOXoXXx
The day finally arrived. Jane would leave for London, and happily, Elizabeth came with her. Papa had protested, but when Jane mentioned finding a suitor from Mr Bingley's friends, Mama would not be placated until Lizzy packed to go to London.
"Well Jane! Finally the day has come," Lizzy laughed, sitting next to her, "we have escaped Mama's matchmaking using the ruse of matchmaking." Jane laughed, too happy to even know what guilt felt like. She hoped to match Mr. Darcy to Lizzy.
They had seen Charlotte married. Lizzy had rallied enough to shower Charlotte in affection. So much affection that Jane felt twinges of jealousy, but stamped it down. Charlotte needed all the support she could get. And so Jane threw in her own, though less vibrant affection for Charlotte.
Jane glanced at the other joyful occupants of the carriage. The Gardiners had spent Christmas at Longbourn and were taking the two of them to town. It was a tight squeeze with their three children, but well worth the company. Mrs Gardiner smirked at the comment.
"From what I understand, perhaps matchmaking is not as fictitious a ruse," she said, smiling at her husband mischievously. Jane was frightened they knew her plans for Lizzy and Mr. Darcy.
"Of course!" Mr Gardiner laughed, "Mr Bingley has been known to me for quite some time, but suddenly, after his stay in Hertfordshire, he is much more attentive." Jane blushed, but smiled.
"Mr Bingley certainly impressed the neighborhood. They were quite sad when they were able to decipher his departure," Lizzy laughed
"That part of his character is very well known: happy manners, clever investor, horrible penmanship. He ought to employ a scribe," Mr Gardiner said.
"What else have you heard about the man uncle?" Jane brought herself to ask, ignoring Lizzy's gleefully arch look.
"Nothing too terrible," Mr Gardiner said thoughtfully, "he makes friends everywhere he goes, seems a little light minded, but his successes suggest otherwise. Anything on your front, darling?" Mr Gardiner nudged his wife.
"A slight issue," she admitted, to Jane's dismay. "He pays great attention to some lady or other, only to forget about them within a month. Seems an unfortunate habit, but his reputation, and the ladies, have always emerged pristine." Mr Gardiner looked a little grumpy with this report, saying he'll have to keep both eyes on the youngster. Lizzy laughed heartily. Jane felt a little uneasy with this report, and was about to fret before Lizzy spoke.
"Well aunt, you'll be pleased to know Mr Bingley spent more than one month enamored by Jane, so perhaps there is hope for him yet."
Jane laughed a little, her fears brought back under control. She had missed Lizzy and her joyful ways. With her contemplative state after their argument, and then Charlotte's marriage to that unfortunate groom, the sunny Lizzy was rather scarce. However, the arrival of the Gardiners had revived her. Jane could only look at Lizzy with deep affection.
The conversation was bright and happy all the way to London, where the family ate dinner and made plans to visit the Bingleys the next day.