“It should not be a problem,” said Mr. Bennet. “With Jane marrying and certain measures of economizing, we can absorb the added expense.”
“It is well that you see the need, Mr. Bennet,” replied Lady Catherine.
“I avoided the subject for too long,” replied Mr. Bennet. “Thank you for bringing it to my wife’s attention.”
While Lady Catherine nodded regally, Elizabeth exchanged glances with her companions and shared a quiet laugh. Mr. Bennet’s meaning had been that Lady Catherine had convinced Mrs. Bennet without needing to engage in a protracted argument had he attempted to convince her. That Mr. Bennet never would have done so was ancillary, and not a subject to raise with Lady Catherine.
“Then again,” said Mr. Bennet, his eyes finding Elizabeth, “there may be additional funds available before long.”
His meaning was lost on no one. It was fortunate in Elizabeth’s opinion that all ignored his comment, though Lady Catherine appeared unconvinced and Miss Bingley morose.
“I still say this is all nonsense,” grumbled Lydia. “There is no need for anyone to teach me how to capture a husband, for I already know what I must.”
“That, child, is why you must have a companion,” said Lady Catherine. “Unless we are honest with ourselves, we never know when our knowledge is lacking. You had best be silent and accept that your parents will decide what is best for you. When events prove them correct, you may appropriately offer your thanks.”
That Lydia felt such a day would never come the girl did not scruple to hide. Thankfully, Lady Catherine’s forthright manner of expressing herself ensured there would be no response. Lydia, who rarely practiced restraint, huffed and turned back to her conversation with her sisters and Georgiana. It was interesting to Elizabeth that Georgiana was speaking to them earnestly, likely relating to them something of her own experiences with her companion. Perhaps they would accept her account, for despite what anyone else told them, they continued to bemoan their fate.
“Shall you travel to the north with us?” asked Elizabeth, turning her attention back to Mr. Darcy and Anne. “Since you are to return yourself, it would be agreeable if we made a party of it.”
Mr. Darcy appeared to consider this. “While I cannot imagine traveling with you would be anything other than pleasurable, I have seen many of the sights you mean to tour on your way. There are some compelling reasons to go straight to Pemberley.”
“And those are?” asked Anne with some mirth.
“I have been away for some time,” said Mr. Darcy honestly. “If I go there early, I can handle any business that has arisen in my absence. Then when Miss Elizabeth and her family arrive, I candevote my attention to them.”
“You need go to no special trouble on our account,” said Elizabeth.
“On the contrary,” replied Mr. Darcy, “I believe I must. Though the lady will understand I am putting my best foot forward, still I would not wish to show her anything but the warmest welcome on the occasion.”
“I think I would also prefer to go directly to Pemberley,” said Anne, interrupting what was dangerously close to Elizabeth focusing her attention on the gentleman and forgetting about Anne altogether. “The journey here was tiring, such that I believe I would prefer to rest before you arrive.”
“Then we shall call it settled,” said Mr. Darcy. “Lady Catherine, Georgiana, Anne, and I shall go directly to Pemberley. You and your relations may come at your leisure. I hope,” continued he, “that you will not blame me if I long for your arrival long before I have a right to expect it.”
“While I have no notion of this mention of ‘right,’” responded Elizabeth, “I believe I shall hope for an early arrival myself. Miss Bingley has given your home such a good name that I believe I shall not be happy until I see it.”
“There are many places I can show you, Miss Bennet,” said Mr. Darcy. “While at Pemberley, we may content ourselves with the estate and certain locations of interest nearby, or we may even take a day trip to the peaks.”
“That would be agreeable, sir,” said Elizabeth. “It is unfortunate that my uncle’s concerns prevented him from going to the lakes, for I would have liked to see them.”
“Trust me, Miss Elizabeth, that I do not repine it at all. If you accept me, my family has long owned a lodge on Lake Windermere, and I shall be happy to take you there at the first opportunity and invite your aunt and uncle at a time convenient to them.”
“That would be lovely,” said Elizabeth. “Not that I am accepting anything just yet.”
Anne giggled. “You should take care, Elizabeth. My cousin is shifty. That statement of yours was tantamount to an acceptance; many more comments of such ambiguity might just provoke him to take your consent as a fait accompli.”
While Anne continued to laugh at her jest, the previously threatened state of attention between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy settled over them at that moment, and Elizabeth had no notion of anything else her friend said. She did not even notice when Anne went away soon thereafter, joining her sisters in their conversation. Had Elizabeth noted anything of her pointed finger at them or the giggling her words engendered, she might have found herself embarrassed.
None of these things captured her attention, however, for the gentleman before her consumed her every thought. The part of this that did not escape Elizabeth’s notice, however, was that Mr. Darcy had no attention for anyone else. That, she decided after a moment, was a fine thing, indeed.
Chapter XXXII
As such things tend to happen, the time passed ever more swiftly, flowing ever faster on wings of the idyllic days in which Elizabeth existed. Talk at Longbourn soon turned to weddings and other such trappings, and while Elizabeth was relieved that she was not as much a part of them as her sister, she took note and dreaded the time when it might be her turn to be the focus of her mother’s plans. Jane was as serene as ever, enduring such ubiquitous talk with nary a complaint, though Elizabeth noted she was far firmer in insisting on her preferences than she might have thought.
In those days, Elizabeth continued to receive her friends and return their visits, growing closer to Anne and Georgiana, and coming to esteem Mr. Darcy more than she ever thought possible. The ladies were easy to appreciate, but Elizabeth’s attention more firmly fixed on the gentleman as time wore on. The memory of her previous opinion and the preceding year’s interactions faded with time, and if they returned at all, it was with a sense of wonder that she had been so mistaken. It was a testament to how badly Georgiana’s near miss with the detested Mr. Wickham affected him when he was here the previous autumn, for Elizabeth soon concluded that he was truly an amiable man when the occasion permitted it.
The neighborhood, that had greeted the return of Mr. Bingley and the addition to the party at Netherfield Park with amazement, soon accepted the change in the Bennets’ fate, many proclaiming their sure knowledge of Mr. Bingley’s esteem for Jane. Acceptance of Elizabeth’s growing understanding was slower in coming, not only because of the gentleman’s prior behavior but also of Elizabeth’s oft-stated opinion of him.Elizabeth could not control what others said, and she could not direct their thoughts. Should others convict her of altering her opinion for no other purpose than to attract the attention of a wealthy man, so be it. She was not about to concern herself with the approval of the neighborhood, other than a few close friends who she knew would congratulate her.
The one friend who offered vociferous approbation was Charlotte, for whom even four sheets of paper were insufficient to state her pleasure with the news of Elizabeth’s new closeness with Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth had not been explicit in her letters to Charlotte, so she attributed her information to the Lucases, and perhaps more particularly Maria. Along with Charlotte’s congratulatory letter, there was another missive that was not so approving.
