What Would Mr. Darcy Do?

Chapter 3

They reached Longbourn by dinnertime of the next day. Elizabeth was very glad to see Jane, who greeted them with alternating smiles and tears, and perhaps even gladder the long trip was over, for it had left her far too much time to dwell not only on the painful subject of Lydia, but on her recent meetings with Mr. Darcy, which caused such feelings that it was difficult to determine whether pleasure or pain bore the greatest share. Unaccustomed to struggling with such conflicting emotions, she was determined to keep her thoughts concealed, but all too often she had found the perceptive eyes of her aunt and uncle upon her, and she feared that they might be observing more of her struggle than she would choose.

Jane had no news from London to report, but was able to impart to them all the details of Lydia’s flight and Mr. Bennet’s plans for discovering her. Mrs. Bennet had secluded herself in her rooms with greatly shaken spirits.

In the afternoon, the two elder Miss Bennets were able to be for half an hour by themselves; and Elizabeth instantly availed herself of the opportunity of making many enquiries, which Jane was equally eager to satisfy. For her own part, however, she told very little of her travels and adventures, and nothing at all of Pemberley. Though she longed to unburden herself to her dearest Jane, she knew that it would only add to her sister’s distress. That night, as she was preparing for bed, she held Darcy’s handkerchief in her hand for a long while, thinking back on all her history with him. Then, with a firm resolve, she folded it and carefully tucked it away in the box which held his letter to her from Kent. I cannot allow myself to dwell on these thoughts, she told herself resolutely. Either I shall see him again someday or I shall not, and for now my family needs all my energy and affection.

The whole party was in hopes of a letter from Mr. Bennet the next morning, but the post came in without bringing a single line from him. His family knew him to be on all common occasions a most negligent and dilatory correspondent, but at such a time, they had hoped for exertion. They were forced to conclude that he had no pleasing intelligence to send, but even of that they would have been glad to be certain. Mr. Gardiner, having only waited for the post, set off for London, promising to write as soon as he knew anything.

Mrs. Bennet, to the relief of her daughters, continued to be in seclusion; Mrs. Gardiner was most valuable in taking turns sitting with her.

On the following afternoon, Elizabeth and her sisters were in the drawing room, working predominantly in silence, when the sound of hoofbeats in front of the house was heard. Kitty immediately rushed to the window—she was having difficulty enduring the restriction to home, and dearly wished to go to Meryton—and said loudly, “Now what is he doing here?”

“Who is it, Kitty?” asked Elizabeth.

“It’s Mr. Bingley!” Kitty cried.

Jane dropped her sewing, the color draining from her face. “It cannot be!” But a moment later they heard his familiar voice greeting the servant at the door. Elizabeth quickly handed her sewing back to her, and by the time he was shown in, a semblance of calm had been restored.

“Why, Mr. Bingley, what a surprise! I thought you still at Pemberley!” Elizabeth greeted him as he was shown in, covering for Jane’s confusion.

“I was indeed, Miss Bennet, but some urgent business called me to Netherfield, and here I am!” His eyes drifted immediately to Jane.

“You must have left Derbyshire soon after I did, then.”

“Just a few days. I have only arrived here today.”

Elizabeth risked a glance at Jane, whose face was still pale, but composed. What could it mean, that he had only just arrived and was already calling at Longbourn, without even the prerequisite call to Netherfield by Mr. Bennet? Surely it must be because of Jane!

“I hope that the business which brings you here is not an unhappy one, Mr. Bingley,” Elizabeth said.

“Ah… Nothing serious, just some… matters of the estate. I… ah… have not truly had a chance to assess the situation yet. I have another task, you see—I was asked to deliver a letter to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, so I thought I had best call here as soon as possible.” This excuse might have been more credible had he not been gazing at Jane the entire time he was speaking.

“A letter for me?” Elizabeth asked, looking far more calm than she felt regarding an unexpected letter from Pemberley so soon after her own departure.

“From Miss Darcy,” said Bingley. “As soon as she heard I was departing for Hertfordshire, she at once decided she must write you.” He handed Elizabeth an envelope.

Jane, still ignorant of Elizabeth’s encounters in Derbyshire, shot her a strange look.

“How lovely. I thank you for the service, sir. You are far more prompt than the post, and more welcome,” Elizabeth said. “But, since you have already come so far, will you not stop with us for a bit of refreshment?”

Bingley beamed. He looked at Jane, noticed the empty seat beside her, and it was decided.

Estate business indeed, Elizabeth thought. Why is he really here? Darcy must have said something to him after their meeting at the inn. Her cheeks flushed at the memory of those moments with Darcy. How shocked Jane would be if she knew! She turned the letter over in her hands, wondering at its contents.

It was fortunate that Jane had by now sufficiently recovered herself to be able to carry on the conversation with Mr. Bingley, since now it was Elizabeth’s turn to be distracted. Mr. Bingley’s smiles at Jane continued unabated until his departure, with many promises to meet again soon. As soon as he was gone, Elizabeth walked out to recover her spirits and to find privacy to read her letter.

Dear Miss Bennet,

I hope this letter finds you well, and I hope you do not mind my seizing the opportunity to write to you since Mr. Bingley is traveling to Hertfordshire. My brother had told me that I might write to you if I wished, but I was not sure of the direction, so Mr. Bingley is performing a very useful service!—I hope your sister is better, I was most concerned when my brother told me that she was ill and that you had to go home immediately.—We have been all astir here.—Immediately the day after you departed, Fitzwilliam received news from London and had to leave for there on an urgent basis. Then the very next day, Mr. Bingley announced that he had business that could not wait in Hertfordshire, and would be leaving on the following day, so our party is quite depleted!—I confess that I wondered briefly about this rash of urgent business, especially as I had not known Mr. Bingley to have received any word from Hertfordshire—but I must have been unaware of it. But I realized I had been foolish—had there been any conspiracy, I am sure it would have been my brother who would have gone to Hertfordshire, and Mr. Bingley to London!

This situation has led me to some concern, though, and I hoped I might beg your advice on it. I hesitate to ask Fitzwilliam, since he would worry so, but I know that you would be the one he would want me to consult in his absence. I am sure my brother would expect me to solve this on my own—but I lack confidence in my solutions. Here is my concern—as you may know, my companion, Mrs. Annesley, has taken leave to visit her family during my stay at Pemberley, since I was to be with Fitzwilliam, but then of course he left, but Mr. Bingley is such a dear friend of his, and one I have known for years, that I felt all would be well. Now that he is leaving as well, but his family show no inclination toward going with him, nor returning to London, I have concern about being left the hostess here for Mr. and Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley.—It is, of course, quite improper for me to entertain anyone since I am not out.—I know you will respect my confidence when I tell you that Miss Bingley makes me most uncertain of myself. She asks so many questions of me, and I sometimes do not know how to answer, especially when her questions are about Fitzwilliam—and I know that she asks the servants as well. And Mr. Hurst’s acquaintance with drink is something I do not know how to handle—how am I to behave?—But I also do not feel that I can ask them to leave. My brother said that he did not know when he would return, but that it might be several weeks. So any advice on what I should do would be most greatly appreciated!

I must tell you how very much I enjoyed meeting you. You are everything Fitzwilliam led me to expect, and I look forward to having the chance to get to know you much better.—Please do write soon.

Yours, etc.

Georgiana Darcy

It was well that Elizabeth had formed no expectations of the letter, as its contents were quite unforeseen, and excited a contrariety of emotions. That Bingley had no true business at Netherfield was hardly a surprise, though she was glad to have it confirmed. But it was clear Miss Darcy thought her relationship to Mr. Darcy was much closer than it in fact was. What had her brother been telling her, that Miss Darcy would approach Elizabeth so much as a family member? And had he spoken of her to his sister enough for her to have expectations, even before she came to Pemberley? Her thoughts whirled with all that Miss Darcy had let slip unknowingly.

It was then necessary to fend off the inquisitiveness of her family regarding her letter. She chose to say only that Miss Darcy was a sweet girl, and that they had agreed to correspond after meeting briefly in Derbyshire, though this explanation drew questioning glances from Mrs. Gardiner.

Elizabeth’s curiosity regarding Miss Darcy’s concerns would not rest; she resolved to write back to her that very same day, and was able to send her response with the next post. She was not overly surprised, then, to receive another letter as soon as could be expected, only a day after her father’s discouraged return from London.

Mr. Bennet took the occasion of the arrival of Georgiana’s second letter to Elizabeth to tease her about her conquest of the Darcys. “Mr. Gardiner could not say enough good about Mr. Darcy while I was in London, though I certainly do not know what he could have seen in him. He went so far as to suggest that Mr. Darcy might be partial to you, Lizzy! But I assured him that he was imagining things, given your pointed dislike of the man and his perfect indifference to you.”

Elizabeth, who was by this time tolerably well acquainted with her own feelings about Darcy, forced herself to smile. “Well, he does improve upon acquaintance. My uncle was no doubt struck by his condescension in allowing his sister to correspond with me.”—among other things, she added to herself. She blessed Mr. Gardiner’s discretion regarding the episode at the inn. She felt quite unready to discuss that with her family.

Miss Darcy’s letter contained thanks for Elizabeth’s good advice; Georgiana had, as advised, spoken with Mrs. Reynolds about finding a woman of good repute in Lambton to be her temporary companion, and was much relieved by this. She reported that Mr. Darcy remained in London, and that Miss Bingley grew daily more vexed with his absence. There were no references this time to Mr. Darcy holding Elizabeth in special regard, a fact which caused Elizabeth more distress than she cared to admit. She wrote back a cheery note—far more cheery than she felt, given the circumstances—detailing life at home with her sisters and the visits of Mr. Bingley and his obvious partiality to Jane—though Elizabeth cautioned her not to breathe a word of that to Miss Bingley.

The next day’s post brought a letter from Mr. Gardiner with the happy news that Lydia and Wickham had been found, and that preparations were underway for their wedding. The relief this brought to the household was great. The violence of Mrs. Bennet’s transports of joy was enough to make Elizabeth seek refuge in her own room, where she might think with freedom.

Although she rejoiced at Lydia’s recovery from shame, Elizabeth found herself in an unusual lowness of spirits. Hard as it had been to bear the dread of Lydia’s infamy, it was the more difficult when she thought of her last meeting with Darcy. The more she considered it, the more she saw in Lydia’s elopement and marriage a probable end to her hopes. Although Darcy clearly had not given up all affection for her, Elizabeth’s vanity was insufficient to believe that he could overcome, for a woman who had already refused him, a sentiment so natural as abhorrence against any relationship with Wickham. Brother-in-law of Wickham! Every kind of pride must revolt from the connection. Even if he could tolerate it, how could he ever expose Georgiana to the possibility of Wickham as a relation? She could see no hope. As she began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man, who, in disposition and talents, would most suit her, she mourned that it was not to be.

She was distracted briefly from these thoughts when Jane confided to her in delight that Mr. Bingley had at long last proposed to her, and she attempted to rally her spirits lest Jane notice her state of mind. She would likely have been somewhat less than successful in this endeavor, had it not been for the fact that the household was all in an uproar with preparations for this new wedding with a date set for a little over two months hence, making it rather simple to disguise her feelings.

When the next letter from Miss Darcy arrived, Elizabeth found herself reluctant to open it at all. She found that she both longed to hear of Darcy, and feared it with the same thought. Any word of attachment on his part would bring up the pain of missing him; a word of indifference would be devastating.

Dear Miss Bennet,

What a pleasure to hear more about your family! How wonderful it must be to have so many sisters! Meryton sounds like a charming place.—I am glad to report that we are back to normal here since my brother returned from London three days ago. I am so happy to have him home, not least because Miss Bingley does not pester me so much when he is here! He brought me home two lovely volumes of poetry which I am looking forward to reading. I gather that the business in London did not go well, since he must return in a fortnight, and he seems quite displeased with it, which is so unlike my dear brother.—He has promised me that the Hursts and Miss Bingley will not stay past his departure, which is a great relief, and he asks me to send you many thanks for your good advice. He seemed very pleased to hear I had been writing to you. I must admit I have found that I so enjoy the company of Mrs. Denniston, my new companion, that I think I shall beg Fitzwilliam to have her stay anyway, at least until Mrs. Annesley returns. I have been working on a new piece of music by Mozart which is very challenging, and she has been so encouraging when I am frustrated.—It now appears that I will be staying here at Pemberley until Christmas, which means I shall not have to miss any of the lovely autumn here. The Peaks are so beautiful in the autumn—I hope I can show them to you some day!—My brother asks me to send you his very best regards and his compliments to your family. I am sure he would prefer to deliver them in person!

Yours, etc.

Georgiana Darcy

Elizabeth wished she could be as certain as Miss Darcy. She wondered how much of Georgiana’s enthusiasm for her brother’s esteem of her arose from wishful thinking on her part rather than from anything he might have said, and these painful thoughts led to a tearful retreat to her room, where she found comfort in holding Darcy’s handkerchief.

That night she decided to open her heart to Jane. She started by telling her about meeting Darcy at Pemberley, and their several meetings there. Jane was perhaps less surprised by parts of this than Elizabeth had anticipated, having already concluded from a variety of evidence that her sister was concealing a great deal.

“You never mentioned seeing Mr. Bingley on your journey, then, the day he first arrived back at Netherfield, you said that you had thought him still at Pemberley,” said Jane. “And you never said anything about Miss Darcy either, and then she was suddenly a regular correspondent. I still owe all my information of your acquaintance with her to another source.”

“There are parts of the story, though, that Mr. Bingley would not be able to relate to you, which will perhaps explain why I have been so reticent. But I must warn you, this will not reflect well on me, and you are likely to be shocked and disappointed.”

Jane promptly reassured her dear Lizzy that nothing could change her high opinion of her, but she did prove to be somewhat shaken when Elizabeth told her of her encounter with Darcy after receiving the news of Lydia’s elopement. However, a moment’s reflection allowed her to find a point of view which rendered near guiltless all of the people of whom she was so determined to think well. She earnestly explained to Elizabeth that clearly she had not been herself at the time, owing to the severe shock of Lydia’s behavior; Mr. Darcy, of whom it was now a matter of anxiety to think well, was perhaps distressed beyond himself by the prospect of losing Elizabeth for a second time. Her poor aunt and uncle had no doubt been overwhelmed by the simultaneous problems of their two nieces.

Elizabeth had to laugh at this picture. “Dear Jane, you cannot have us all so clear of conscience, I am afraid. That Mr. Darcy and I were both in distress I will grant you, and it might possibly excuse our initial encounter, but the second must simply be put down to bad behavior on both of our parts. And I do not believe the Gardiners were overly distressed about the outcome; they came out of the entire episode thinking so highly of Mr. Darcy that they are now his greatest advocates.”

“But Lizzy, how distressed you must have been about all of this! Whatever will you do when you see him again?”

“I believe that a wide range of options are possible. Being civil seems a possibility, though hiding or running away in a panic might be more appropriate. Or, if all else fails, I could always behave badly again.”

An earnest entreaty to be serious had the desired effect, and the next hour was spent in conversation.

It did not take long for Elizabeth’s natural high spirits to begin to reassert themselves after this event, and she soon seemed restored to her usual teasing, cheerful self. She was able to reply to Miss Darcy with a newsy account of Jane and Bingley’s happiness. If sometimes she seemed to be taking longer walks than usual, or on occasion a shadow seemed to pass behind her eyes, no one but Jane seemed to notice. If from time to time she put her hand over her pocket where a particular handkerchief lay, no one could attach a meaning to it. By the time Georgiana’s next letter arrived, Elizabeth felt prepared to read it with a tolerable degree of composure, if not necessarily the degree of inward calm she would prefer.

Dear Miss Bennet,

It is always a pleasure to hear from you, but I must admit the arrival of your letters is becoming quite a source of entertainment in itself. My brother thinks I do not notice how he watches for the post now, but how could I miss the way he hovers in an agony of suspense over me when I read your letters until I finally take pity on him and allow him to read for himself, and then he spends no less than half an hour admiring your letter, for it cannot possibly take him so long to read it! It is a shock to see Fitzwilliam act in such a distracted way, he is usually so dignified. If I had your courage, I should tease him about it, but as it is, I can only hope you do not keep him in suspense for too long, as I wonder how he will survive it!—I hope you do not mind my teasing you a little on this matter; you are far less intimidating than my brother can be, and I must tease someone!—I am so pleased for Mr. Bingley and your sister; Fitzwilliam says they have been in love for a long time so I know they deserve all of their happiness. Of course we shall be there for the wedding! I am so looking forward to meeting your family, especially your sisters. I hope they will like me! Please do tell me more about them; I feel that I am getting to know them already!

Yours etc.,

Georgiana Darcy

Elizabeth had to re-read this letter several times before she could take in its contents. She could hardly believe Miss Darcy’s description of her brother, yet it was inconceivable that the shy, quiet girl would invent such a story. It was delightful to see Georgiana begin to express herself with more confidence, but could it be true that Mr. Darcy still held so active an interest in her, and made no effort to disguise it? Her heart hammered at the thought.

She thought long and carefully before crafting her reply.

Dear Miss Darcy,

I am impressed at the progress you are making in your ability to tease if you can already even consider teasing your brother! But I will be happy to give you further instruction in how to proceed, since Mr. Darcy is certainly in need of a great deal of teasing. If your brother is again watching you as you read this, be sure to give an occasional gasp, and to say “Oh, no” from time to time, or perhaps “she couldn’t possibly!” Then, when he asks you what is the matter, explain that you could not possibly tell him, since the letter is full of secrets that I have begged you to hold in confidence. Then, if he keeps asking, you may tell him that he may perhaps read the last few sentences, but only if he promises not to look at the rest of it. You may, of course, choose to elaborate on these ideas if you feel inspired!

Elizabeth continued the letter with news of the household, then impulsively added an invitation to Georgiana to visit at her home for a week or two before the wedding if she wished to discover what it was really like to have so many sisters.

She was very pleased with this letter, feeling it struck a delicate balance between acknowledging Georgiana’s points without putting any overemphasis on Mr. Darcy’s behavior.

Georgiana’s reply came a few days later with an enthusiastic acceptance of the invitation to visit. For once, she barely mentioned her brother, which disappointed Elizabeth until she turned to the second page and saw, underneath Georgiana’s signature, several lines written in a firm hand which she knew well from her many perusals of Mr. Darcy’s letter to her at Hunsford. Her heart beating quickly, she jumped ahead to read the postscript:

My dear Miss Bennet, I certainly hope you had as much enjoyment in crafting your last letter as my sister had in reading it, although I, as the proposed victim, must admit to a certain trepidation if you continue to encourage Georgiana in this manner. Thank you for making her laugh; she still does it too rarely. I look forward to seeing you again next month, even if you and Georgiana have had some days together in advance to plot my downfall—I shall attempt to face it with dignity. As ever, yours, FD