“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.