“What else does he say about me?” Robert asked.
“It would only give you pain.”
“I can guess well enough. I do not stand upon my dignity. I have no stomach. I fight no duels. I am too much like my mother. I am shocked though that he has decided that you arenottoo much like your mother.”
“There is a philosophical discourse in the letter upon the benefits of mixing two strong bloods together. It makes for a poor marriage, but a good child. He advised me that when I marry, I should make certain to rule over my husband, as Lady Catherine always ruled over his brother. He says that he is sure I would not be happy if I allowed him to place me in such a position of subordination as he placed my mother. I was also advised to always keep my gun in a place easily accessible after I marry, so that I might threaten my husband with it.”
Elizabeth glanced around. Both Papa and Mr. Darcy looked agog at this.
“No, really, did he say that?” Darcy asked slowly. “And do you intend to follow this advice?” Then he laughed in a way that made him handsome and young. “And was there anything else written?”
“Not of importance, always maintain the dignity of the house and name, always demand my rights. Oh, he hopes that I shall name my first son Rochester.”
Papa laughed to hear that. “And will you?”
“No, my first son will be Bennet—" Elizabeth carefully did not look towards Darcy as she added, “that is if, when I should marry, my husband is amenable.”
“I like the sound of Bennet,” Darcy said. “It is a good name.”
Elizabeth looked towards him. Blushed. Looked down again. She could not stop the warm smile from spreading across her face.
“I also like it,” Papa said. “I like it very much.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Darcy failed to make his proposals to Elizabeth during the first day after his conversation with Hartley.
In the morning, he had opportunities to speak privately with Elizabeth, but the moment never seemed propitious. Perhaps fear held him back.
The afternoon was too busy. First, the interviews with the solicitor, and then the eager discussions and speculations about the information the Collinses had brought.
Elizabeth was thecertainpossessor of an even greater fortune than theprobableone that he had supposed to be hers the day before.
It made Darcy feel an echo of that same guilt, but at least there was no uncertainty: He wished to believe that he would have eventually asked her to marry him if he had not known her birth; he wascertainhe would have asked if her fortune was merely an uncertain forty thousand.
Not very long after breakfast a decent crowd of Bingley’s neighbors descended upon his house for the promised food and entertainment. The long tables with food were set up and laden with good things, the lawn had been arranged for bowls, and areas paced out and marked for shuttlecock and races. Under Jane’s direction a set of targets had been set aside for archery, and under the guidance of Netherfield’s game warden a range had been set up for shooting.
Everyone, of course, spoke about the astonishing turn in Lady Elizabeth’s fortune. Everyone, of course, scrupulously used the “Lady” before “Elizabeth”, as they exclaimed in shock, “Fifty thousand pounds!”
It was too much like what happened to Darcy when he entered a new neighborhood.
Elizabethappearedto take this vast increase in deference and attention easily and with grace. She always kept at least one person who she was close to nearby. But otherwise, Elizabeth cheerfully talked with everyone, was always polite, and always condescended to make concerned murmurings about servant troubles, sick children, the dearness of every article of civilized life. Likewise, she always made polite statements of congratulation about prize horses, prize hounds, and prize guns.
Elizabeth spoke in a way that created a clear distance between herself and people who had never cared a whit for her when she had been nothing. This was especially the case with the gentlemen who now crowded about. John Lucas, Thomas Goulding, and Frank Henry. The three men who Darcy had understood were the most eligible resident bachelors, and they all wished to impress her.
Elizabeth was clearly unimpressed, and, from how her smile became thinner overtime as those stood about her, cheerfully arguing with each other about which of them was the most impressive, she was becoming a little uncomfortable.
In hopes of sending them off Darcy adopted his haughtiest glare and stood nearer Elizabeth in a proprietary manner. This sent off Mr. Goulding and Mr. Henry. Mr. Lucas, however, was made of sterner stuff, or possibly he only was too familiar with Elizabeth from the close association of the Lucas family with the Bennets.
When the contests started, Darcy took Elizabeth’s arm and asked if she wished to try the bow and arrow. With a half wave at Mr. Lucas that was barely polite, they walked off.
Jane was very happy to spend twenty minutes letting Elizabeth practice with the bow and arrow, but after that little time she could only consistently hit the pile of hay bales that the target sat on. The bull’s eye was still a distant dream.
“And I imagined that in twenty minutes I would gain real proficiency,” Elizabeth said laughing and handing the bow to the next lady in line. “I give up the quest for today, but do not worry, I liked this enough to play at it a little more. Next time I will hit the outer ring one shot out of two, I promise.”
Then Elizabeth wandered over to where a range had been set up for shooting, with pieces of wax for the gentlemen to put in their ears to protect them. She watched with more interest than she had shown for the bow and arrow.
Then after the group of gentlemen who had come around to test their aim against each other had finished the first round of shooting, a queer expression went over Elizabeth’s face. She shrugged, and walked over to Bingley’s game warden, who was managing the whole line of the contest and asked for him to load a piece for her to take a turn at the shooting.
