Finally, the anticipated engagement party of Mr. Collins and Mary arrived. Mrs. Bennet was well-known in the neighborhood for being an excellent hostess, but she was confident of outdoing all expectations on this special occasion.
The Netherfield Park party was among the first to arrive. Immediately, Mrs. Bennet proudly introduced them to her future son-in-law. Mr. Collins. At first, Mr. Collins was astonished, he hadn't expected to meet the famous nephew of his patroness in this place, and with a low bow, he greeted Mr. Darcy.
"Mr. Darcy, it is a pleasure to meet you at last! Let me tell you that the last time I saw your esteemed aunt, Lady Catherine De Bourgh, and your lovely fiancée, they were both in excellent health."
Jane blanched at the word "fiancée," and Mrs. Bennet glared at Darcy accusingly.
Darcy frowned. He hated gossip and replied, annoyed,"Mr. Collins, I want to clarify that I have not been and I am not engaged to my cousin. Please refrain from making such claims if you are not sure they are true."
"But Lady Catherine said..."
Darcy glared at him and exclaimed, "Enough Mr. Collins! I repeat myself; please refrain from making such claims! I am not engaged to my cousin!"
To divert the awkward situation, Lady Maria asked Mrs. Bennet a few questions about the beautiful flower arrangements on the tables. That led to Mrs. Bennet praising Jane's dedication and good taste in putting together these arrangements for several minutes. This was followed by several comments about the excellent qualities of all of her daughters, and especially Jane. Elizabeth was used to her aunt's exaggerations and listened to her speech without flinching. Meanwhile, Jane blushed and listened with embarrassment to her mother's praises while surreptitiously glancing at Mr. Darcy. Caroline listened with a false smile, but no less annoyed, to Mrs. Bennet's exaggerated and ridiculous monologue. Bingley and Georgiana just nodded their heads politely, and Darcy honestly didn't care in the least what they were talking about.
As expected, Mrs. Bennet arranged the cards on the table, so Jane sat next to Darcy. Elizabeth, as always, was seated next to Charlotte and John Lucas.
Elizabeth hadn't seen the Lucas siblings in several days and was happy to see them that night. John had been in London for a few weeks and stayed with friends, and had just returned the day before. For a couple of years, his feelings of friendship towards Elizabeth had been transformed into something much deeper and more tender. Unfortunately, he believed that his affection was not reciprocated. To Elizabeth, he was just Charlotte Lucas's brother. In London, he tried to forget her and considered courting the sister of a university friend. He had met the young lady a few months ago and liked her very much. However, he finally decided not to pursue her because when he closed his eyes and imagined his future wife, the face that always appeared in his mind was Elizabeth's and not that of the other young lady.
After dinner, Darcy immediately approached Elizabeth to tell her that he had just bought the book, "The Lady of the Lake" because a few days ago they had been talking about Sir Walter Scott. Elizabeth very enthusiastically asked him several questions about his impressions of the story. The conversation turned to Scottish history, followed by contemporary authors that both favored, such as Wordsworth, Coleridge, and to a lesser extent, Lord Byron.
Jane was not a great reader, but she had recently started reading some books she knew were Mr. Darcy's favorites. Unfortunately, she had not read any of the books he was talking about with Elizabeth, and she didn't know anything about Scottish history. She listened to the lively debate with a forced smile without saying a word. Until that day, she had never had any reason to be jealous of Elizabeth since her cousin was an orphan and, according to her mother, she was not as beautiful as her. However, her thoughts about her cousin were not very cordial at that moment.
John Lucas was also looking at the scene with great concern. He did not trust Darcy since, in London, a friend told him the story of a beautiful young gentlewoman from a good family that Darcy and his best friend had ruined on a bet, using lies and deception. In the end, they abandoned her, ruined and pregnant. Although Darcy wasn't the main culprit, he supported his immoral friend and directly contributed to the downfall and subsequent death of the naive young woman.
He knew Elizabeth was no fool, but he was still afraid that Mr. Darcy, who, in his opinion and despite Mrs. Bennet's claims - seemed more interested in Elizabeth than in Jane, was a scoundrel and wanted to take advantage of his friend knowing that she was an orphan.
On the other hand, Mr. Collins had clearly said that Mr. Darcy was engaged to his cousin. Although the gentleman was offended by such a statement and denied it. However, he knew very well that some men denied being engaged or married to amuse themselves with a young woman by promising her marriage in exchange for her virtue.
PPP
After the party was over, an upset Mrs. Bennet and Jane went to Elizabeth's bedroom to reproach her for her behavior.
Without a preamble, Mrs. Bennet said, "Lizzy, I'm very upset with you. You shouldn't have imposed yourself on poor Mr. Darcy like that. You must leave him alone. I am sure if it were not for you, he would have made the courtship with Jane official today. I am not going to forgive you if Mr. Darcy abandons Jane because of your impertinence."
Elizabeth, stunned, listened to her aunt's accusations and tried to defend herself from such an attack, "Aunt, it was Mr. Darcy who came to talk to me..."
Jane, disappointed, replied, "Lizzy, the last few times we were with the Darcys, I felt like you were trying to divert Mr. Darcy's attention from me. You conversed about particular subjects with him that I am not acquainted with!"
"Jane, you are wrong, Mr. Darcy…"
Mrs. Bennet interrupted her, "Lizzy, I am tired of your selfish attitude. I forbid you from interfering in Jane's relationship with Mr. Darcy again..."
When her aunt and cousin left her alone, she wrote a letter to her grandfather, requesting that she be allowed to leave Longbourn as soon as possible.
PPP
Elizabeth couldn't sleep all night thinking about her aunt's unfair and even cruel accusation. She believed that in less than ten days, her grandfather would be in London, and if life with the Bennets continued as it was, she would ask to stay and live with him permanently.
She dressed quickly and, as she was used to doing on days when she felt sad or melancholy, she headed for Oakham Mount to see the sunrise.
Although he had slept very late, Darcy woke up early that morning. He had slept little; the conversation with his aunt left him restless...
"Nephew, at dinner, I listened with great concern as Mrs. Bennet spoke to Lady Lucas about your great interest in Miss Jane Bennet. She was sure her beautiful daughter would soon be married."
Darcy was shocked at his aunt's comments. Although he had initially felt a certain attraction to Jane Bennet because she resembled Diana Stevens, and for a few days, he was interested in getting to know her better, he never hinted that he had any intention of courting her. In addition, that incipient attraction had disappeared entirely some time ago.
Seeing her nephew's astonished face, Lady Maria added, "I know very well you are not interested in Jane Bennet, but you showed interest in her for a few days, and you should be more careful now and in the future. While I cannot be certain, I believe Miss Bennet has tender feelings for you."
Darcy's eyes widened in surprise, and Lady Maria added, "You should not converse too much with her since it would be a shame if she gets her hopes up about something that is not going to be."
Shortly before dawn, he rode towards Oakham Mount to clear his head, as that place reminded him of Pemberley. Perhaps subconsciously, he was expecting to see Miss Elizabeth in that place again. Arriving there, he tied his horse and sat on a smooth stone with a nice view to wait for the sunrise.
When Elizabeth arrived at Oakham Mount, she saw Mr. Darcy was there again. At first, Elizabeth thought of turning away, remembering her aunt's cruel words and Jane's disappointed and sad face. However, Darcy greeted her cordially, and finally, she decided to stay. In a few days, she would return to London, and probably she would not see Mr. Darcy again for a long time.
They watched the sunrise in companionable silence, and after the sun was above the horizon, they chatted for a few minutes about their favorite places in Hertfordshire and Derbyshire, respectively, the advantages of country life over the city and London's cultural attractions.
PPP
Jane slept very little that night, feeling mixed emotions: confusion, disappointment, and sorrow. It wasn't easy to accept her mother's statement about Elizabeth. Her cousin had always been her best friend, and she didn't want to think ill of her. Their conversation was too fresh in her mind...
"It's Elizabeth's fault! Mark my words; I'm sure she's using her arts and allurements to separate Mr. Darcy from you. It is the only possible explanation, Jane. You are more beautiful than her. She is nothing compared to you! Besides, Mr. Darcy danced with you and looked at you in such a way."
Jane shook her head, uncertain, "Mother, I don't believe Lizzy…"
Mrs. Bennet shook her head and interrupted her, "Jane, you are too good! Elizabeth wants Mr. Darcy for herself! I saw with my own eyes that he was talking with you, and she interrupted your conversation and didn't leave him alone for the rest of the night."
"But it was Mr. Darcy who asked her.…"
"No, Jane! Elizabeth imposed on him!"
She needed to talk to Elizabeth as soon as possible. She hoped her mother was wrong and it was all a misunderstanding.
PPP
A few minutes after Elizabeth returned to Longbourn, Jane invited her to stroll in the garden while Cook finished preparing breakfast.
Only when they were a fair distance from the house and out of earshot of anyone else did Jane finally say, "We have been best friends for so many years, and I don't want to quarrel with you, Lizzy."
Elizabeth smiled and replied, "Neither do I."
Jane paused and looked at Elizabeth closely before she continued, "Lizzy, please be honest with me. Are you interested in Mr. Darcy?"
Elizabeth was stunned by Jane's question. She shook her head and replied, "No, Jane. Why do you ask me that question?"
"Because, on some occasions, when Mr. Darcy was conversing with me, you joined our conversation and started to discuss topics with him that you knew I was not familiar with." Jane sadly replied.
"I swear, I never intended to separate Mr. Darcy from you. The few times I joined your conversation was because Mr. Darcy asked me a direct question."
Jane nodded slightly. She knew deep down that what Elizabeth was saying was true. They talked for several minutes about Mary's engagement party and returned to the house, both feeling much better.
PPP
That same morning at breakfast, Bingley excitedly commented to his table companions, "Next week, Georgiana and I would like to invite our neighbors to a ball at Netherfield Park."
"A ball? Why?" was Caroline's reply. She wanted at all costs to minimize Darcy's chances of seeing Jane and especially Elizabeth Bennet.
"Because we want to celebrate our impending wedding with our neighbors who have welcomed us with open arms. Remember Caroline, in a few days, we will travel to London for the wedding, and surely, we will not return to Netherfield Park for several months," Smiling Bingley answered.
"I think it is an excellent idea. Count on me to help you," was Lady Maria's reply.
So, it was agreed that a great ball would be held at Netherfield Park in just six days.
The next day, they began to send invitations to the ball. Even though she was going to meet Elizabeth and Jane in two days, Georgiana insisted on personally delivering the invitation to Longbourn.
Lady Maria offered to accompany Georgiana. Surreptitiously, she suggested to her nephew to stay away from Longbourn.
Mrs. Bennet and Jane were pleased to see their neighbors but disappointed by the absence of Mr. Darcy. On the other hand, Elizabeth was happy that he didn't come. Although she liked the gentleman very much, she preferred to avoid being in his company in Mrs. Bennet's and Jane's presence. The unjust accusations of her aunt still hurt her, and she didn't understand how her aunt could think she was trying to sabotage Jane's happiness.
Kitty and Lydia, hearing there was a ball the following week, joined the conversation with great enthusiasm.
Mr. Collins, happy to be included in the invitation, promised Mary - and everyone gathered in the drawing room - that he would ask his esteemed patroness for permission to extend his stay at Longbourn for two more days.
Half an hour later, Georgiana and Lady Maria left Longbourn to deliver the final invitation to Sir William's house.