“If such a thing is necessary,” replied Mr. Darcy, “I promise I shall not be unwilling to meet my obligations as a gentleman without delay.”
“Yes, I am certain you will at that,” said Mr. Bennet.
With a final flurry of goodbyes, Elizabeth and Mary expressing their eagerness to see Anne and Georgiana again, the ladies entered the carriage, except only Lady Catherine. The lady, rather than follow them, turned to say a few words to Elizabeth.
“As you know,” said she, her manner as haughty as usual, “I wished for my Anne to marry Darcy.”
The lady’s demeanor softened, and she raised a hand to Elizabeth’s cheek, touching it in a show of affection. “As my children have taken it into their heads to be difficult, it appears my wish is destined for disappointment. I declare you will be a most suitable substitute.”
Lady Catherine then leaned close and, in a whisper, said: “But you must assist me in finding a suitable husband for Anne!”
Elizabeth laughed and kissed the lady’s cheek. “I shall be quite happy to do so, Lady Catherine, for Anne’s happiness is important to me.”
With a regal nod, Lady Catherine turned and entered the carriage. Mr. Darcy bowed over Elizabeth’s hand once more,bestowing a lingering kiss on it, before he, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Mr. Bingley all mounted their steeds, and the carriage set off, the three gentlemen escorting it to Netherfield Park in the distance. The Bennet family waited outside, watching the carriage retreat until it was no longer in view. Then they turned and entered the house.
“They are as fine a family as I ever met,” said Mrs. Bennet. It was entirely unsurprising that Mrs. Bennet should speak first given her character. “I would not have suspected it from meeting Mr. Darcy last autumn.”
“It is curious how events can alter one’s first opinions,” said Mr. Bennet.
“It is,” agreed his wife. “Yet I will say it again: they are an excellent family. It will be no hardship to greet them as relations.”
Elizabeth saw the look her father gave her, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. Mrs. Bennet had spoken several times of her improved opinion of Mr. Darcy, but this time, she said nary a word about the gentleman’s wealth.
Chapter XXXIII
Pemberley was everything her friends had told her it was. Therein lay Elizabeth’s dilemma.
Elizabeth had never considered herself to be any more virtuous or immoral than the next woman, though she had always known her motives regarding the marriage state were far more laudable than most of her level of society could boast. With Jane, she had always resolved to marry for nothing other than the deepest love; marrying for pecuniary reasons, status, or other such concerns was repugnant. Life was far too short to waste it with a man she could only tolerate for reasons of begetting an heir, or because he could support her.
Yet, as she walked the grounds of Pemberley, drinking in the sights and sounds, the beautiful vistas spread out on every side, how could onenotbe affected? To be the mistress of such a place as this must be something, indeed!
Thus, Elizabeth contended with her feelings, trying to sort through them until convinced she knew her own heart. The first and most important point was the state of her affection for Mr. Darcy, and she knew she must separate those feelings from her impressions of the man’s home, or she would never understand what she must do.
The others of the company were certainly no help. Their journey to Derbyshire had not been precisely the leisurely meandering path they had originally intended. Mrs. Gardiner had convinced her husband to make for Derbyshire with, while it might not be all haste, they did not take in all the sights they had thought to see before. Mr. Gardiner had not been at all disinclined, for he had been interested in meeting Mr. Darcy and seeing Pemberley. While they made a few stops, most notably atBlenheim Palace, it was only five days after they departed when they rolled onto Pemberley’s drive. Then the most amusing scene took place.
“Miss Elizabeth,” Mr. Darcy had said as he assisted her from the carriage, Mr. Gardiner stepping back to allow it. “And Miss Mary. How wonderful it is to welcome you to my home.”
“I am certain at least part of that is correct,” said Mary, a rare jest issuing from her lips. “As Lizzy is who you wish to see, I shall greet Georgiana.”
The company laughed and Mary exchanged enthusiastic greetings with her friend. Thereafter, Elizabeth provided the introductions, her head still full of Mr. Darcy’s affectionate greeting and the impression of his lips on her hand. When the party were all acquainted with each other, they entered the house, the travelers to their rooms to refresh, and then gathered in the sitting-room.
The house was, of course, imposing, impossibly fine, and even beautiful. What set it apart from Blenheim or any other great house Elizabeth had ever seen—especially Rosings Park! —was the homey feeling it exuded, as if the place were a beloved dwelling rather than some dusty monument to a family’s history. Soon after they gathered, Elizabeth made this observation to Mr. Darcy; she could see at once that she had pleased him immensely.
“That is the wayIsee Pemberley, Miss Elizabeth. Tourists visit every summer, and Mrs. Reynolds, I dare say, enjoys praising the house, the grounds, and the family more than any Darcy. But while they see a large house finely furnished, I see a home every time I look upon it.”
It was an insight into Mr. Darcy’s character, and one Elizabeth did not think she would get anywhere else. The gentleman was, she had noted, more at ease in his home, even with the Gardiners, with whom he had never been acquainted. WithMr. Gardiner, he seemed at ease at once, likely due to her uncle’s excellent manners. With Mrs. Gardiner, he exchanged some comments about Lambton and the people who lived there, provoking Mrs. Gardiner’s eagerness to see the sights and meet those people of her youth with whom she kept in contact. Mr. Darcy even promised a phaeton with which she and her husband could tour the grounds—Mrs. Gardiner was no great walker.
Returning her attention to Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth watched him as he conversed with her uncle, all her previous notions of his pride and superiority overthrown for good. She had known of his better nature than she had initially supposed for some weeks now, but the relaxed, slightly animated Mr. Darcy was a man with whom she was not familiar. It became him well, she decided before five minutes had passed. Elizabeth did not need a lively man, for she was lively enough for them both. What she wished to have was a kind and thoughtful man, a man who would greet her relations with respect and dignity, who would treat her with the same and love her as she wished to love him. For perhaps the first time, even more than those few short weeks in Hertfordshire, she understood Mr. Darcy might be that man.
In retrospect, Elizabeth knew what happened next should not have surprised her. After all, she had ample experience, both in Rosings Park and in Hertfordshire, of Lady Catherine’s determination to know everything, to tease the most insignificant details of a person’s life from their unwilling lips. Lady Catherine already had a firm grasp on the elements of Elizabeth’s immediate family, having taken their measure and imparted her brand of advice intended to improve them. From the letters Elizabeth had received from home, Kitty and Lydia had settled in with their companion, Mrs. Grant, and were hopefully learning what they would need to learn to become creditable young ladies.
No, the Bennet family was no longer a concern in LadyCatherine’s mind. It was the extended relations, those who existed in the detested realm of trade and who were, apparently, in no hurry to leave it. In Lady Catherine’s mind, she must determine if they were suitable to be relations of her dear nephew, and Lady Catherine was never one to shirk from a self-imposed duty. For the first few hours after their arrival, the lady was quiet and watchful, taking their measure and learning what she could of their manners. It was only after dinner that her interrogation began.
“Mr. Gardiner,” said the lady, addressing her uncle, “I heard it said you are the proprietor of a prosperous business in London. Might I ask what manner of business it is?”
Mr. Gardiner, no fool, had expected the inquisition, for he was not slow to respond. It seemed Mr. Darcy had not either, for while he shook his head in exasperation, he listened and took part in the ensuing conversation. For her part, Anne was near laughing several times, and the looks she threw at Elizabeth had the effect of prompting Elizabeth’s mirth. After all, it was much better to laugh than to react with anger, and as Elizabeth had often said, she dearly loved to laugh.
There appeared to be little of which to concern herself, for while Lady Catherine’s questions strayed into prying, she was unfailingly polite, and Elizabeth’s relations gave a good account of themselves. From Mr. Gardiner’s business, they spoke of his background, that of Mrs. Gardiner, and several other subjects besides. The Gardiners proved their amiable natures by speaking with no hint of hesitation or any wish to hide anything, such that by the end of their discourse, Lady Catherine appeared satisfied. The lady could not, of course, allow such matters to rest there, for she was ever eager to ensure everyone else understood her sentiments.
