“I thought you already had.”
On the ride to Longbourn, Charles thanked Darcy for lending him his support. “I saw Caroline and Louisa looking to you for assistance, but since you did not express any objections to the match, they may yet change their minds, especially Caroline, who looks at you as if you were the Delphic oracle. They truly mean well. It is just that they have become obsessed with status and ignore everything else.”
“You have no need to thank me,” Darcy answered, ignoring the comment about Caroline. He tried to say as little as possible about the lady because he would be hard-pressed to find anything positive to say about someone so petty and mean. “It was impertinent of me to attempt to impose my views on you. Like your sisters, I, too, was eager for you to make a good match, but since I have observed how greatly Miss Bennet and you complement each other, I can comfortably say that you are, in fact, marrying well.”
Darcy realized his withdrawal of any objections to the match was a complete about-face from his earlier position that such a marriage would greatly harm his friend’s chances to advance in society. But then Darcy thought back to the most recent season. Although he never missed a ball, his friend had avoided the more intimate card parties and dinners because most of the conversations were laced with spiteful comments from those ladies who were not yet married and replete with sexual innuendo from those who were, and Bingley had shared with Darcy that he had found London’s closed society to be repressive, almost suffocating.
As Bingley had said, he was not a Darcy, the grandson of an earl, and as such, he was not shackled with preserving a line that went back to those who fought with the Conqueror. His obligation to all of those Darcys who had preceded him required that he produce a male heir or Pemberley would pass to his cousin, David Ashton, and it would no longer be Georgiana’s home. So Bingley would marry Miss Jane Bennet, and they would remain in the country at Netherfield and have a house filled with laughing children while Darcy would return to London and Miss Montford. If he could not marry for love, then why not Letitia?
“Do you have a particular date in mind when you will make Miss Bennet an offer?” Darcy asked.
“Oh, it will be very soon. Very soon indeed,” Bingley answered, grinning from ear to ear.
“Bingley, are you saying that you are on your way to Longbourn for that very purpose? If so, I shall turn back immediately and not interfere with such important business.”
“Yes, I am going to Longbourn to propose, but I wanted you there because you are my closest friend and because it is a house full of women. I need more than Mr. Bennet’s presence to balance the equation. And speaking of engagements, how do things go between Miss Montford and you?”
“Slow but steady.”
“I only met her the one time, but she seems to be quite pleasant. She even meets Caroline’s definition of an accomplished lady.”
“She is very pleasant, truly accomplished, and according to my sister, paints tables like no other.”
“Will there be an announcement soon?” Bingley asked, but found his friend lost in thought, and his question went unanswered for many minutes.
“If only she was less serious. If she had more… If she was able to…” Darcy finally gave up searching for words to cushion Miss Montford’s defect: She wasn’t very funny. “It is the humerus that is supposedly responsible for our sense of humor, and like Adam and his missing rib, Miss Montford lacks a funny bone.
“You would think with all the ladies out in society,” Darcy continued, “I could find one woman of marriageable age who is attractive, accomplished, and witty. Is that too much to ask? Apparently, it is. And I absolutely refuse to consider the eighteen-year-old girls who have recently debuted.”
Most of those young ladies were friends of his sister, and Darcy shook his head at the memory of a procession of debutantes, all dressed in white, who were being paraded before London’s eligible bachelors for the purpose of marrying them off as quickly as possible.
“Georgiana, who protested when I enrolled her in Mrs. Bryan’s Academy because of its arduous curriculum, thanked me for doing that very thing after listening to the conversations of her peers. Unlike my sister, these ladies were coached by their governesses on the few topics that they might safely engage in while talking to a prospective suitor: the weather, the number of couples in attendance, the splendor of their surroundings, et cetera, et cetera.”
“Darcy, is it necessary that you look for a wife exclusively from among the aristocracy?”
“Yes, of course. Every decision must now be made with my sister in mind. If I do not marry well, it may adversely affect her prospects.”
“Are you saying that someone as lovely, intelligent, accomplished, engaging, and, I might add, wealthy as Georgiana will be ostracized if her brother marries, say, a gentleman’s daughter?”
“Again, yes. The women, the select few, who rule during the London season are unforgiving of those who deviate from their rules. Besides, I paid Miss Montford sufficient attention so that she is entitled to think that an offer will be made, and once I return to London, I will get about the business of making it. And no more about me, Bingley. You are about to become betrothed, so let us pick up the pace so that we might arrive at Longbourn before dark.”
Chapter 6
Shortly after breakfast, Lydia and Kitty announced they would be going into Meryton to buy ribbon to trim their bonnets. Mary indicated she would like to visit the circulating library, and the idea proved attractive to her two older sisters. The sun was shining, and even some of the deepest puddles were finally drying up after weeks of rain and gray clouds. Because of the break in the weather, the streets were crowded with people from the village as well as many of the militia officers and their families.
When Mary, Lizzy, and Jane emerged from the library, they found their younger sisters talking to Captain Denny and his friend, Lieutenant George Wickham, who had recently joined the regiment. In a few minutes of conversation, the handsome Mr. Wickham had succeeded in impressing upon his company that he was well educated, self-assured, and quite charming. His arrival in Meryton would definitely make Lydia and Kitty happy as they were becoming bored with seeing the same faces at the dances and dinners and had expressed a desire for some new blood to be added to the mix.
It was Lizzy who first sighted Mr. Bingley and gently tapped Jane on the arm. When Jane saw him, she broke out into a broad smile, prompting everyone to turn around to see what she was looking at. Lydia, who was only interested in men in a smart, well-tailored uniform, announced the obvious: The two men, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, were not officers.
Both gentlemen had dismounted before they recognized the man who was with Captain Denny. After bowing to the ladies, Darcy excused himself and quickly retreated into the bootmaker’s shop. It was an uncomfortable few minutes before Wickham and Denny departed, and although it seemed as if an explanation was in order, Mr. Bingley said nothing. When Mr. Darcy returned, he too made no comment.
“Miss Bennet,” Charles finally said, ending the impasse, “Mr. Darcy and I were coming to Longbourn to inquire after your health.”
“I am well, sir. My sister’s excellent care and your attentions resulted in a quick recovery, and I am free of all complaints.”
With the two lovers staring at each other, Lizzy turned to Mr. Darcy. “Sir, we were just making our way home after visiting the library. Will you join us for tea?”
This offer was met by protests from Kitty and Lydia, who declared that they were not ready to return to Longbourn.
“Lydia, it would be helpful if you went ahead to tell Mrs. Hill that we will be having two visitors for tea,” Lizzy said in a voice that made it clear it was not a request. Kitty, who was somewhat more mature than her sister, tugged on Lydia’s sleeve, indicating they needed to return home, and together with Mary, they made their way toward Longbourn.
As they had done at Netherfield, Mr. Darcy walked beside Lizzy leading his horse by his reins. Unlike their previous encounter, the gentleman was not in the mood for conversation, and they walked side by side in silence. When they finally reached the house, Lizzy let out a sigh of relief.
