“Well, my dear, I hope you stole some of this Mr. Darcy’s knowledge of managing an estate, as I could really use some improvement in my very poor skills.”
“Not quite, Papa. I mean, not from Mr. Darcy. I rarely spoke to him in person, but I did learn a lot about how his householdwas managed from what the housekeeper Mrs. Reynolds and the butler Mr. Farrell told me.”
“I am glad to hear that. If you have any suggestions or ideas that may be worth applying to Longbourn, please feel free to tell me.”
“I certainly will, Papa.”
“My child, joking aside, I hope you know that you have saved your poor father from shame and your sisters and mother from likely poverty. I admire your strength and I am very grateful for your hard work.”
Elizabeth embraced him affectionately. “Papa, I hope you know I would do anything for you and for our family! As for my effort, knowing how much I enjoyed my time at Pemberley, I would have gladly gone there and offered my assistance without any payment.”
“How lovely. I have rarely heard you speaking so animatedly about an estate or a house, as rich and impressive as it was, Lizzy.”
“It is not just an estate or a house, Papa. And it was not just rich or impressive. It is truly the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Really.”
“I hope you did not grow too attached to it, Lizzy,” Mr. Bennet said. “Surely you know that, as well as they treated you as an employee, your situation in life would not allow you to be true friends with that family.”
“I am well aware of my situation in life compared with theirs, Papa,” Elizabeth answered, with a pain in her heart that she tried to conceal from her father’s scrutiny.
However, with regards to Miss Darcy, she had no reason for concern. Georgiana had written to Elizabeth twice and she had responded each time, without delay.
In her first letter, the girl had conveyed her best regards from everyone, assured Elizabeth that she was missed and told her about how beautiful Pemberley was in the autumn.
In the second letter, Miss Darcy informed her that her brother had found her a new companion, a Mrs. Annesley, with whom they were exceedingly pleased. She also mentioned that she would be staying in London for the winter, together with her new companion, in her own townhouse and asked Elizabeth if she believed she could come to visit her sometimes, as her special guest, perhaps bringing along her sister Jane too.
The friendly and affectionate letter, instead of delighting her, tormented Elizabeth exceedingly. She was tempted to immediately ask for her father’s permission, and that deeply frightened her, as she knew the reason behind her excitement was not entirely due to Miss Darcy, and therefore not entirely proper or wise either.
So she fought against her wishes and wrote back with genuine gratitude, assuring her friend that she must stay with her family for the time being, but that she missed her dearly.
In the middle of her own torment, with little she could say about it to her sister Jane or to her father, Elizabeth found no peace and had scarce interest in the new proprietor of Netherfield, of whom everybody spoke.
To the reports of Netherfield’s new tenant was added the happy news that an assembly would be hosted in Meryton on October 18th, raising everyone’s excitement, especially that of the ladies.
The only one more distressed than pleased was Mrs. Bennet, who feared her girls might not dance with Mr. Bingley, as Mr. Bennet had refused to visit him. She had a true burst of joy that put her nerves in great danger when Mr. Bennet took pity on her and confessed he had actually been among the first to callon the young gentleman, who had seemed like an amiable and handsome fellow.
“Oh, my dear Mr. Bennet, how good you are! I knew you loved your daughters too well to neglect such an acquaintance. How pleased I am! You were such a tease to never say a word about it until now! But I shall forgive you for everything immediately!”
“I am glad to hear that, my dear, for I shall not attend the ball with you. And please do not trouble me with any arguments, I am determined.”
“You may do as you please, sir! You have done enough and now we can speak to Mr. Bingley directly! I might invite him to dinner, even before the ball! How lovely that would be! And you say that he is handsome? How old do you suppose he is? And amiable, you said?”
“Mr. Bingley must be in his early twenties. He is handsome, with fair hair and he smiles quite a lot. And yes, very amiable. These are the last details I am willing to provide about this subject and I beg to not be disturbed further.”
Mrs. Bennet was so happy and confident, that such a harsh conclusion did not affect her much.
“Do not worry, I shall write a note to Mr. Bingley in your name, inviting him to dine with us whenever he pleases, this week.”
Mr. Bennet tried to oppose the idea, but he soon abandoned any attempt at an argument. In five and twenty years of marriage, he had rarely won any dispute with his wife.
Mrs. Bennet’s invitation was unfortunately rejected. Mr. Bingley kindly wrote back, expressing his gratitude and regrets and explaining that he had some unfinished business that required his presence in London. He said he would return only a day prior to the assembly, and that he would be honoured to dine at Longbourn any day afterwards.
Mrs. Bennet was equally upset by the failure of her plan as she was thrilled for the invitation being accepted in advance—an opportunity she would surely not miss.
***
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy stared through the window of the carriage, trying to pay attention to some of his friend’s words and to entirely ignore Caroline Bingley’s constant demands for attention. He had been friends with Charles Bingley, who was five years his junior, since Cambridge, and appreciated the young man’s loyal friendship, his honest character and generous heart, as well as his amiable manners, so different from Darcy himself.
However, at that moment, Bingley was a true annoyance to Darcy. His friend had just rented a property, which had been checked and approved by Darcy’s solicitor. Immediately after he had taken over the place, Bingley had returned to town to fetch his sisters and his brother-in-law and had insisted that Darcy join them too, if only for a couple of days. As much as he tried to refuse, Bingley kept begging, even delayed his departure for one more day, repeating that the place was close enough to London, until Darcy agreed, with the mention that he would return to town in less than a week.