“Mrs. Bennet, I have selected this volume as our first subject of study. It is a book of poetry by Felicia Hemans.”
He opened to a marked page and read aloud:
“There is in all this cold and hollow world,
No fount of deep, strong, deathless love;
Save that within a mother’s heart.”
“Tell me your thoughts on this passage,” he said.
The couple discussed the poem for nearly an hour. When they had finished, Mr. Bennet handed her the book. “Read the next poem, my dear, and we will discuss it tomorrow at the same hour. As for your lessons in propriety, we shall begin with the fundamentals. During the dinner hour, you will refrain from speaking except as necessary. You will offer no opinions, judgments, or unsolicited remarks. Mr. Collins and I will carry the conversation; you will listen and learn. If you have a questionregarding anything said, you may ask, but otherwise, you will learn the art of silence.”
He regarded her steadily. “My dear, I fear that silence is a condition you have never learned, but you will learn it now. Once you have mastered restraint, we shall proceed to the art of polite conversation. Do you have any questions regarding this task?”
Mrs. Bennet drew herself up, affronted. “Mr. Bennet, are you implying that I do not know how to make polite conversation?”
He raised a brow. “I am not implying anything, madame. That is precisely what I am saying. I cannot tell you how often you have embarrassed our two eldest daughters.” He hesitated, then added, “Indeed, I correct myself for Mary has also understood your failings. Our three eldest have all suffered shame on account of your public remarks. If you do not learn to govern your tongue, I will not permit you to leave my side during Sunday services, and you shall remain home on assembly nights.”
He gave her another steady look. “Do you have any other questions?”
“Mr. Bennet, I do not understand why you are making such a great matter of this now.”
He considered how best to explain. “Mrs. Bennet, your company is acceptable only to your elder sister. Everyone else has merely tolerated your foibles. But now you must learn to ingratiate yourself with the heir to Longbourn. In your case, this will best be accomplished through silence until you learn to converse with grace. That begins with learning to think and reason, which may best be cultivated through the study of poetry. Have you any further questions?”
She rose. “No, sir. I understand. I am to keep silent.”
“Ah, one last thing, my dear. Mr. Collins wishes to dine with Mrs. Tolbert and Miss King on the morrow. Please send the invitation and plan your dinner accordingly.”
Frances Bennet flushed a deep red, but she pressed her lips tight, curtsied, and withdrew. A few moments later, he heard the front door open and close. From the window, he saw his wife walk slowly into the rose garden, where she seated herself and remained for more than an hour, apparently deep in thought.
Chapter 12: Netherfield
“Louisa, how can this have happened? Is he going to marry Eliza? I can hardly bear to think of it.”
Mrs. Hurst frowned at her sister. “Caroline, I shall be honest with you only this once, and will never throw it at your head again. You are the reason Mr. Darcy is now obliged to marry Miss Elizabeth.”
Caroline lifted her head from the pillow and sat up. “I? How can I be responsible for this atrocity?”
Louisa’s voice was sharp. “You repeated Mr. Darcy’s insult against Miss Elizabeth in company, at the ball, and within her hearing. She was distressed, and I do not blame her. In her place, you would likely have struck out at any person who had repeated such a thing in your presence and in public. She fled to the library to compose herself and was found alone with her cousin, who was trying to comfort her. She was compromised, and marriage was her only remedy. Mr. Darcy sacrificed himself because it was his words that brought this harm upon her.”
Louisa leaned closer, twisting the knife. “You repeated them. You meant to wound Miss Elizabeth, but instead you injured yourself. Now, Mr. Darcy is lost to you forever. He will never be free to marry you.”
Caroline buried her face in the pillow and burst into loud, miserable sobs.
The next morning, Louisa sat in Caroline’s bedchamber, attempting to console her. Caroline had been pacing the room, and now turned to complain.
“Louisa, how could Charles allow this intrusion upon our privacy? To be saddled with Miss Bennet and Miss Eliza is insufferable. What could he have been thinking?”
Louisa stood at the window, watching Mr. Darcy’s carriage approach in the distance. “They have been close friends since university. You know how kind Mr. Darcy has always been to our brother. When the other boys mocked Charles, Darcy defended him. It is the only reason Charles was able to remain at university. Once Mr. Darcy stood up for him, he was accepted, and now he is a favorite in higher circles. Charles owes him much, and so do we. Doors have opened to us because of his influence.”
Caroline huffed. “A high price for entry into society, if it means opening our home to Eliza Bennet, the woman stealing my intended.”
Louisa sighed. “Mr. Darcy was never your intended, Caroline. Wishing does not make it so. I do not believe he ever had any intention of marrying you. The wisest thing you can do is turn your attention elsewhere. Charles has introduced you to several of his friends. If you would only make yourself more agreeable in company, you might easily attach one of them.”
Caroline frowned. “I do not want one of Charles’s friends. I want Mr. Darcy. He has the finest house in London and the largest estate of any of our brothers’ acquaintances. I could not do better unless I married a peer.”
Louisa sighed again. “Do not let such nonsense take root. We are too closely tied to trade for you to aim that high. If you had a dowry of fifty thousand pounds, perhaps you could secure an impoverished peer, but otherwise you have no chance, so do not think of it.”
