Elizabeth read Jane's letter for the second time with a slight smile on her face. She was happy that her cousin wanted to resume their friendship. As an only child and orphan, her only family was her grandfather and the Bennets. Since she was a little girl, Jane held an important place in her heart, and she missed her very much.
4th January 1812
London
Dear Lizzy,
I hope you and your grandfather are well. I am distressed that our relationship has become so distant, and I sincerely wish we could resume our close friendship.
I am staying at the Gardiners for several weeks. If you agree, I want to see and talk to you.
With love,
Jane Bennet.
Elizabeth promptly replied to the letter. Jane visited her at her grandfather's house two days later, and they had tea. Mr. Thompson greeted Jane politely but didn't join them for tea. He understood that if his niece and Jane really wanted to mend their friendship, it was essential they had a private and sincere conversation about the past and their feelings.
Even though Elizabeth and Jane tried to put the past behind them, their conversation was tense, especially when Jane asked Elizabeth questions about Mr. Darcy and her doubts.
"Lizzy, I want to understand why you didn't tell me about your meeting with Mr. Darcy in Oakham Mount. I felt deceived."
Elizabeth sighed. "Forgive me, Jane. I did not intend to deceive you or hide it from you on purpose. Honestly, it didn't seem important to me since it was a chance and brief meeting, and we didn't talk about anything of substance."
Jane nodded and sighed, "I wish you had told me. Maybe we could have avoided some misunderstandings." After hesitating, Jane asked, "Lizzy, please tell me the truth. Have you ever talked to Mr. Darcy or Georgiana about me behind my back?"
Elizabeth looked at Jane like she had three heads and adamantly shook her head. "No, Jane. I swear I never talked about you behind your back. I knew you were interested in Mr. Darcy, and for a while, I honestly thought he was interested in you."
"I thought he was interested in me, too. My mother was convinced he was in love with me and he would marry me." Jane's eyes filled with tears, and she tried to hold them back. "I was so sad and disappointed when he didn't even ask me to dance at the Netherfield ball. However, he asked you to dance that night, and I confess I was jealous of you."
Elizabeth squeezed Jane's hand, "I am so sorry, Jane…"
They talked for a few more minutes about Mr. Darcy, and Jane finally concluded that Elizabeth was not responsible for the gentleman's loss of interest.
On the other hand, Elizabeth sadly concluded that Jane was still heartbroken and disappointed by Mr. Darcy's desertion and still had feelings for him. Elizabeth couldn't accuse Mr. Darcy of toying with Jane's feelings and emotions, even though he had undoubtedly shown some interest in her for a few days. Yet, he had never done anything to imply he wanted to court Jane.
According to her grandfather, it was likely that Mr. Darcy was initially physically attracted to Jane, but after getting to know her better, he lost interest.
They parted ways on much-improved terms, but for various reasons, they only saw each other three times in the following two months. They both came to the sad conclusion that their friendship would never be the same again.