Chapter 3: It Had to Be Done
Standing on the pathway where she left him, he briefly explored the possibility of persuading his friend to return to Netherfield. That was what Elizabeth wanted. The Bingley sisters would rightly protest. And, Mrs. Bennet would pounce as soon as Bingley showed his face. The poor man might be leg-shackled by Michaelmas and sorely regretting his vulgar new connections by Christmas.
It would be a far different proposition were Darcy to pursue Elizabeth. Unlike Bingley, he understood the burdens inherent in such a course. He could keep the Bennets at bay. Poor, affable, naïve Bingley would be helpless against their demands and improprieties. So permanent and final a thing as marriage was not to be lightly risked. Darcy said aloud, “I cannot do that to a friend.” There were other women as beautiful as Jane Bennet, who came with less odious encumbrances.
If only Elizabeth had not heard about what he did for Bingley . . . He spent a few miserable minutes, his face pressed in the palm of his hand, trying to divine why his cousin had betrayed him. Darcy had mentioned it to no one else, and he concluded that the colonel must have rambled on to her in his usual fashion without knowing the identity of all the parties involved. He could not have done such damage on purpose.
But Darcy had realized something else in his conversation with Elizabeth. His problem was greater than her anger about her sister. Much as it hurt when he had seen she liked his cousin more, it was far worse now to see she disliked him, so much so that she disdained to request a favor she very clearly wanted.
If she had asked him to change his advice to Bingley, he would have been able to reply, “I am sorely tempted to do it for the sake of pleasing you, but I believe it would be wrong. I hope I might please you in other ways, if you would consider my suit.” Instead, his only choice was silence when her eyes eloquently said that she would have no patience for pretty sentiments from him.
Ultimately, rather than the colonel, whose propensities he knew, he had to blame himself for having spoken of separating Bingley from a young lady. The incident had been on his mind, and perhaps he needed to reassure himself he had acted rightly. Still, he was surprised that whatever Miss Bennet had said to her younger sister would seem to suggest she felt injured. Certainly, he intended her no harm, and on the contrary, she, as a victim of the crass machinations of her matrimonially ambitious mother, should have appreciated what he did.
He had seen, not merely once, but time and time again in watching his quickly enamored friend with her, how Bingley bored her. Hopping around her like an overeager puppy, he would grin and talk on and on, and she would listen with cool serenity, her responses always perfectly appropriate. She gave the same smile to all the young men who approached her.
Bingley rather pathetically thought she shared his feelings and he needed to be schooled in reality. Some two months after the Bingleys left Netherfield, Darcy also knew what to do when his friend’s sisters described the horror of an unexpected Jane Bennet in their London drawing room.
*************
They told Darcy the minute they could get him alone, when Bingley went off with his brother-in-law Hurst to confer on family business. Mrs. Louisa Hurst looked saddened as she related it —“We could hardly have turned her away, but it was awkward. She should not have come here”— while Miss Bingley was frankly indignant. “Obviously, she hoped to find Charles. Shocking! I was sure I had seen the last of that awful family at the Netherfield Ball in November. Who would think any Bennet would turn up in London, especially now? You recall how that odd Mr. Bennet was so proud of saying he avoided town during the Season.”
Darcy's heart beat faster with the first question that leapt to his mind. As soon as he could get a word in, he asked as casually as he could if Miss Bennet was alone. “Her sister did not by any chance accompany her? Her sister Miss Elizabeth?”
“No, we can at least be grateful for that,” Miss Bingley replied with a crooked smile that unpleasantly twisted her lips higher on one side.
Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s strength and delicacy, of course, would keep her from doing anything that hinted of crassly pursuing a man. Unfortunately, her poor older sister was made of softer stuff. Her appearance must have been masterminded by Mrs. Bennet. “She is more cravenly determined than I gave her credit for being. Shameless!”
“I’m not sure I would call Jane shameless but she is more determined than I expected she would be,” Mrs. Hurst said mildly.
“I mean her mother,” Darcy said impatiently. “She has tired of waiting for your brother to return to Netherfield and has sent her daughter out to stalk him.” Mrs. Bennet had boldly declared her expectations the night of the Netherfield Ball. “Such a promising thing for my younger girls, too, you know. With Jane marrying so greatly, it will throw them in the way of other rich men.” When Elizabeth had asked her mother to show a care because Bingley’s friend could hear her, she seemed to speak louder: “What is Mr. Darcy to me, pray, that I should be afraid of him? I am sure we owe him no such particular civility as to be obliged to say nothing he may not like to hear.”
“Scheming, shameless woman. You would think that after the letter I sent Jane saying we would not return to Netherfield, she would give up,” Miss Bingley said.
Aghast, Darcy asked, “You did what? Why would you write such a thing? Did you consider how her mother would respond if she thought Bingley was not returning?”
The sisters exchanged looks. The younger said defensively, “I certainly did not think she would send her daughter to London! Especially after I ignored all of Jane’s letters to me. Some people cannot take a hint.”
Darcy asked, “Why did you ignore all of Miss Bennet’s letters? What did she write?”
“She was attempting to continue the acquaintance, of course. I am sure it was only because of her mother, exactly as you say. I tried to do what you would if faced with a similar problem.”
“I? Whatever makes you think I would ignore a friend? I thought from seeing you with her that you considered her that.” He turned to the older sister, who at least had the good grace to look embarrassed.
Mrs. Hurst said, “We both thought it would be better for Jane to let the relationship go. Ignoring her seemed the kindest thing to do.”
Miss Bingley added eagerly, “Yes, it is just as you did in not letting all those people presume on you in the dreary neighborhood where Charles has his estate. We could not let her presume on an acquaintance now that we have left. We agree, do we not, that Jane Bennet is not the right woman for my brother?”
He most certainly did not think his treatment of Bingley’s neighbors could be rightly likened to their behavior toward Miss Bennet. He realized his face probably gave away what he felt because they both looked alarmed.
He took a breath and, as patiently and gently as he could, said, “You must see that your tactic had the opposite effect from what you desired. Mrs. Bennet sent her daughter to town because she feared she was losing her grip on the fatted gander. Had you continued writing, poor Miss Bennet would have been left alone and her mother would have patiently awaited your brother’s return. By the time she realized he was not coming back, perhaps Miss Bennet would have found another suitor to please her.”
Mrs. Hurst cleared her throat and replied, “We see the reason in what you are saying. Ignoring Jane’s letters was the wrong thing to have done. As the elder, I should have known.” She looked at her younger sister with an unmistakable look of accusation that seemed at odds with her words.
It made him wonder what had gone on between these two women, but he shrugged it off and noted, “I agree that your brother’s feelings are cooling — he barely ever mentions Miss Bennet now — but if he sees her, he may start to think himself in love again. How did she seem when you saw her?”
Miss Bingley rushed to answer. “As sweet, gentle Jane always is. The pity is, we really do like her. I am sure as are you that she is only doing this because her mother is making her. I told her Charles is very busy with you and — that is, with you, sir.”
Something about Miss Bingley’s last sentence made the fine hairs on the back of Darcy’s neck stand up. Bingley was not seeing any new woman, although they had gone to the theater several times and been occupied with other activities available to young men of wealth. Ignoring the disquiet that whispered he should ask what else she had told Miss Bennet, he merely commented, “Charles is at the time of his life when it is to be expected he will be constantly making new friends. Let us hope she tells her mother as much when she does not see him on any of her visits to you, and the woman will have to give up. When do you plan to return the visit?”
Incredulously, Miss Bingley repeated, “Return the visit? Her uncle, who is in trade as I think you will recall, lives near Gracechurch Street. Perhaps right above whatever shop or the other he owns. Oh, Mr. Darcy, I fear that such encouragement might deceive her that we view her as an equal, and then she will expect to see Charles eventually.”
The cruel contempt of her words repulsed him, and made him uncomfortably recall a remark he had once made at Netherfield. Speaking of the two elder Bennet sisters, Bingley said, “If they had uncles to fill all of Cheapside, it would not make them one less jot agreeable.” And, he had replied, “But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration in the world.”
It was still a fact, but hearing Miss Bingley voice her opinion made him wish he had never spoken in front of her. A thing did not need to be said simply because it was true and certain opinions were not worthy of the air it took to utter them. He could have pointed out to Miss Bingley that while her fortune was rooted in trade, Miss Jane Bennet was gently bred. While true, it would be as unkindly objectionable for him to say to her as her remark had been regarding Jane Bennet.
His fondness for the good-natured Bingley made him quiet. There was also Miss Bingley’s marvelous ability to ignore all hints that she was a newcomer to the ton. He thought he could probably tell her that all day long and she would never hear it. Looking past her, he said crisply, “I do understand your reluctance to travel to that part of the City. But I see no reason for concern that your brother and Miss Bennet will meet while she is town. Mrs. Bennet would not send her eldest daughter to look for him in my home.”
Miss Bingley started to say, “But, Mr. Darcy—“ Her elder sister spoke quietly as if she had not heard her, “I think this is excellent counsel. After the acquaintanceship we have had in Hertfordshire, we could hardly ignore her visit. We certainly recognize that while the Bennets are not very wealthy or fashionable, they are a gentle family — and that is to be respected.”
With a sniff and a shrug, Miss Bingley said, “I suppose it is safer to return the call than to have her turn up suddenly here at Louisa’s again — perhaps with some excuse that she thought I must be ill. I will let her know with finality that I have no wish to continue the relationship. Mr. Darcy, you will not mention to Charles that she is in London, will you?”
“If he asks me, I will not lie. But I see no reason he would ask.”
*************
The sickening feeling of recognizing an error in judgment threatened to overwhelm him. His meeting with Elizabeth might have been more pleasant if he had chosen differently in his meeting with Bingley’s sisters. At Netherfield, he had thought Miss Bingley liked Jane Bennet and sincerely wanted to protect her brother from a lady who cared too little for him. The two women were friends and would know each other’s feelings. Even when he had realized in London that was a mistaken assumption, he continued to support the sisters to keep Miss Bennet away from their brother. He admitted now what he could not or would not then. Desire to avoid personal temptation had mingled, in some small portion at least, with his desire to protect Bingley.
But, he reminded himself, he also had not relied upon Miss Bingley’s word. He had seen Miss Bennet’s indifference with his own eyes and he could not subject Bingley to a lifetime of that. The close quarters of marriage is more likely to make an indifferent heart colder than to seduce partners to fall in love after marrying. Familiarity can breed contempt. If Jane Bennet only tolerated Bingley now, years could easily harden that into something worse.
And, even were he willing to trade Bingley for Elizabeth’s approval, Darcy did not think it would earn him her sudden affections. He loved her with all the strength a rational man gives his feelings, but that same rationality would not allow him to indulge futile wishes. She wanted nothing from him and, to add an inadvertent insult, preferred his cousin. For a moment in his unhappy musings, Darcy conveniently forgot that his cousin was probably his most loved friend in the world. He grumbled that it did not speak well of her to like that rattle so much. How could she even countenance his constant chatter.
He did credit the colonel’s sagacity in one important respect. The choice of Elizabeth as a bride would not have been easily accepted by any number of their relatives and connections. Darcy had been prepared to ignore all of that. For her sake, he was willing to put aside considerations of heritage, family, rank. And, she did not care. Repeating this to himself, he strained to drown his sorrow with indignation. Really, it was she who was disappointing him in this affair by misunderstanding his good intentions.
It had all turned out for the best. Bingley was certainly better off without the Bennets and he — well, in time, he would forget Elizabeth Bennet.
Standing on the pathway where she left him, he briefly explored the possibility of persuading his friend to return to Netherfield. That was what Elizabeth wanted. The Bingley sisters would rightly protest. And, Mrs. Bennet would pounce as soon as Bingley showed his face. The poor man might be leg-shackled by Michaelmas and sorely regretting his vulgar new connections by Christmas.
It would be a far different proposition were Darcy to pursue Elizabeth. Unlike Bingley, he understood the burdens inherent in such a course. He could keep the Bennets at bay. Poor, affable, naïve Bingley would be helpless against their demands and improprieties. So permanent and final a thing as marriage was not to be lightly risked. Darcy said aloud, “I cannot do that to a friend.” There were other women as beautiful as Jane Bennet, who came with less odious encumbrances.
If only Elizabeth had not heard about what he did for Bingley . . . He spent a few miserable minutes, his face pressed in the palm of his hand, trying to divine why his cousin had betrayed him. Darcy had mentioned it to no one else, and he concluded that the colonel must have rambled on to her in his usual fashion without knowing the identity of all the parties involved. He could not have done such damage on purpose.
But Darcy had realized something else in his conversation with Elizabeth. His problem was greater than her anger about her sister. Much as it hurt when he had seen she liked his cousin more, it was far worse now to see she disliked him, so much so that she disdained to request a favor she very clearly wanted.
If she had asked him to change his advice to Bingley, he would have been able to reply, “I am sorely tempted to do it for the sake of pleasing you, but I believe it would be wrong. I hope I might please you in other ways, if you would consider my suit.” Instead, his only choice was silence when her eyes eloquently said that she would have no patience for pretty sentiments from him.
Ultimately, rather than the colonel, whose propensities he knew, he had to blame himself for having spoken of separating Bingley from a young lady. The incident had been on his mind, and perhaps he needed to reassure himself he had acted rightly. Still, he was surprised that whatever Miss Bennet had said to her younger sister would seem to suggest she felt injured. Certainly, he intended her no harm, and on the contrary, she, as a victim of the crass machinations of her matrimonially ambitious mother, should have appreciated what he did.
He had seen, not merely once, but time and time again in watching his quickly enamored friend with her, how Bingley bored her. Hopping around her like an overeager puppy, he would grin and talk on and on, and she would listen with cool serenity, her responses always perfectly appropriate. She gave the same smile to all the young men who approached her.
Bingley rather pathetically thought she shared his feelings and he needed to be schooled in reality. Some two months after the Bingleys left Netherfield, Darcy also knew what to do when his friend’s sisters described the horror of an unexpected Jane Bennet in their London drawing room.
*************
They told Darcy the minute they could get him alone, when Bingley went off with his brother-in-law Hurst to confer on family business. Mrs. Louisa Hurst looked saddened as she related it —“We could hardly have turned her away, but it was awkward. She should not have come here”— while Miss Bingley was frankly indignant. “Obviously, she hoped to find Charles. Shocking! I was sure I had seen the last of that awful family at the Netherfield Ball in November. Who would think any Bennet would turn up in London, especially now? You recall how that odd Mr. Bennet was so proud of saying he avoided town during the Season.”
Darcy's heart beat faster with the first question that leapt to his mind. As soon as he could get a word in, he asked as casually as he could if Miss Bennet was alone. “Her sister did not by any chance accompany her? Her sister Miss Elizabeth?”
“No, we can at least be grateful for that,” Miss Bingley replied with a crooked smile that unpleasantly twisted her lips higher on one side.
Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s strength and delicacy, of course, would keep her from doing anything that hinted of crassly pursuing a man. Unfortunately, her poor older sister was made of softer stuff. Her appearance must have been masterminded by Mrs. Bennet. “She is more cravenly determined than I gave her credit for being. Shameless!”
“I’m not sure I would call Jane shameless but she is more determined than I expected she would be,” Mrs. Hurst said mildly.
“I mean her mother,” Darcy said impatiently. “She has tired of waiting for your brother to return to Netherfield and has sent her daughter out to stalk him.” Mrs. Bennet had boldly declared her expectations the night of the Netherfield Ball. “Such a promising thing for my younger girls, too, you know. With Jane marrying so greatly, it will throw them in the way of other rich men.” When Elizabeth had asked her mother to show a care because Bingley’s friend could hear her, she seemed to speak louder: “What is Mr. Darcy to me, pray, that I should be afraid of him? I am sure we owe him no such particular civility as to be obliged to say nothing he may not like to hear.”
“Scheming, shameless woman. You would think that after the letter I sent Jane saying we would not return to Netherfield, she would give up,” Miss Bingley said.
Aghast, Darcy asked, “You did what? Why would you write such a thing? Did you consider how her mother would respond if she thought Bingley was not returning?”
The sisters exchanged looks. The younger said defensively, “I certainly did not think she would send her daughter to London! Especially after I ignored all of Jane’s letters to me. Some people cannot take a hint.”
Darcy asked, “Why did you ignore all of Miss Bennet’s letters? What did she write?”
“She was attempting to continue the acquaintance, of course. I am sure it was only because of her mother, exactly as you say. I tried to do what you would if faced with a similar problem.”
“I? Whatever makes you think I would ignore a friend? I thought from seeing you with her that you considered her that.” He turned to the older sister, who at least had the good grace to look embarrassed.
Mrs. Hurst said, “We both thought it would be better for Jane to let the relationship go. Ignoring her seemed the kindest thing to do.”
Miss Bingley added eagerly, “Yes, it is just as you did in not letting all those people presume on you in the dreary neighborhood where Charles has his estate. We could not let her presume on an acquaintance now that we have left. We agree, do we not, that Jane Bennet is not the right woman for my brother?”
He most certainly did not think his treatment of Bingley’s neighbors could be rightly likened to their behavior toward Miss Bennet. He realized his face probably gave away what he felt because they both looked alarmed.
He took a breath and, as patiently and gently as he could, said, “You must see that your tactic had the opposite effect from what you desired. Mrs. Bennet sent her daughter to town because she feared she was losing her grip on the fatted gander. Had you continued writing, poor Miss Bennet would have been left alone and her mother would have patiently awaited your brother’s return. By the time she realized he was not coming back, perhaps Miss Bennet would have found another suitor to please her.”
Mrs. Hurst cleared her throat and replied, “We see the reason in what you are saying. Ignoring Jane’s letters was the wrong thing to have done. As the elder, I should have known.” She looked at her younger sister with an unmistakable look of accusation that seemed at odds with her words.
It made him wonder what had gone on between these two women, but he shrugged it off and noted, “I agree that your brother’s feelings are cooling — he barely ever mentions Miss Bennet now — but if he sees her, he may start to think himself in love again. How did she seem when you saw her?”
Miss Bingley rushed to answer. “As sweet, gentle Jane always is. The pity is, we really do like her. I am sure as are you that she is only doing this because her mother is making her. I told her Charles is very busy with you and — that is, with you, sir.”
Something about Miss Bingley’s last sentence made the fine hairs on the back of Darcy’s neck stand up. Bingley was not seeing any new woman, although they had gone to the theater several times and been occupied with other activities available to young men of wealth. Ignoring the disquiet that whispered he should ask what else she had told Miss Bennet, he merely commented, “Charles is at the time of his life when it is to be expected he will be constantly making new friends. Let us hope she tells her mother as much when she does not see him on any of her visits to you, and the woman will have to give up. When do you plan to return the visit?”
Incredulously, Miss Bingley repeated, “Return the visit? Her uncle, who is in trade as I think you will recall, lives near Gracechurch Street. Perhaps right above whatever shop or the other he owns. Oh, Mr. Darcy, I fear that such encouragement might deceive her that we view her as an equal, and then she will expect to see Charles eventually.”
The cruel contempt of her words repulsed him, and made him uncomfortably recall a remark he had once made at Netherfield. Speaking of the two elder Bennet sisters, Bingley said, “If they had uncles to fill all of Cheapside, it would not make them one less jot agreeable.” And, he had replied, “But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration in the world.”
It was still a fact, but hearing Miss Bingley voice her opinion made him wish he had never spoken in front of her. A thing did not need to be said simply because it was true and certain opinions were not worthy of the air it took to utter them. He could have pointed out to Miss Bingley that while her fortune was rooted in trade, Miss Jane Bennet was gently bred. While true, it would be as unkindly objectionable for him to say to her as her remark had been regarding Jane Bennet.
His fondness for the good-natured Bingley made him quiet. There was also Miss Bingley’s marvelous ability to ignore all hints that she was a newcomer to the ton. He thought he could probably tell her that all day long and she would never hear it. Looking past her, he said crisply, “I do understand your reluctance to travel to that part of the City. But I see no reason for concern that your brother and Miss Bennet will meet while she is town. Mrs. Bennet would not send her eldest daughter to look for him in my home.”
Miss Bingley started to say, “But, Mr. Darcy—“ Her elder sister spoke quietly as if she had not heard her, “I think this is excellent counsel. After the acquaintanceship we have had in Hertfordshire, we could hardly ignore her visit. We certainly recognize that while the Bennets are not very wealthy or fashionable, they are a gentle family — and that is to be respected.”
With a sniff and a shrug, Miss Bingley said, “I suppose it is safer to return the call than to have her turn up suddenly here at Louisa’s again — perhaps with some excuse that she thought I must be ill. I will let her know with finality that I have no wish to continue the relationship. Mr. Darcy, you will not mention to Charles that she is in London, will you?”
“If he asks me, I will not lie. But I see no reason he would ask.”
*************
The sickening feeling of recognizing an error in judgment threatened to overwhelm him. His meeting with Elizabeth might have been more pleasant if he had chosen differently in his meeting with Bingley’s sisters. At Netherfield, he had thought Miss Bingley liked Jane Bennet and sincerely wanted to protect her brother from a lady who cared too little for him. The two women were friends and would know each other’s feelings. Even when he had realized in London that was a mistaken assumption, he continued to support the sisters to keep Miss Bennet away from their brother. He admitted now what he could not or would not then. Desire to avoid personal temptation had mingled, in some small portion at least, with his desire to protect Bingley.
But, he reminded himself, he also had not relied upon Miss Bingley’s word. He had seen Miss Bennet’s indifference with his own eyes and he could not subject Bingley to a lifetime of that. The close quarters of marriage is more likely to make an indifferent heart colder than to seduce partners to fall in love after marrying. Familiarity can breed contempt. If Jane Bennet only tolerated Bingley now, years could easily harden that into something worse.
And, even were he willing to trade Bingley for Elizabeth’s approval, Darcy did not think it would earn him her sudden affections. He loved her with all the strength a rational man gives his feelings, but that same rationality would not allow him to indulge futile wishes. She wanted nothing from him and, to add an inadvertent insult, preferred his cousin. For a moment in his unhappy musings, Darcy conveniently forgot that his cousin was probably his most loved friend in the world. He grumbled that it did not speak well of her to like that rattle so much. How could she even countenance his constant chatter.
He did credit the colonel’s sagacity in one important respect. The choice of Elizabeth as a bride would not have been easily accepted by any number of their relatives and connections. Darcy had been prepared to ignore all of that. For her sake, he was willing to put aside considerations of heritage, family, rank. And, she did not care. Repeating this to himself, he strained to drown his sorrow with indignation. Really, it was she who was disappointing him in this affair by misunderstanding his good intentions.
It had all turned out for the best. Bingley was certainly better off without the Bennets and he — well, in time, he would forget Elizabeth Bennet.