“Yes, I can understand why that might be desirable,” was all Mrs. Bennet said. “Might I ask after the cost? We are not wealthy, after all.”
“The cost is secondary, Mrs. Bennet,” stated Lady Catherine. “This is a requirement of all gentle families—many others in your position do the same. You may be required to economize to ensure you can afford it, but if I may be blunt, you cannot afford to refrain. In the society your daughters will move when they come out, good behavior is not a luxury. Ensuring they know what they must is essential.”
Lady Catherine continued to expound on the subject, enumerating the benefits of companionship for young ladies, leaving the conspirators to congratulate each other on the success of their plan. She spoke at length, not only extolling Mrs. Jenkinson and Mrs. Annesley but also recounting at length some behaviors she had noted in the youngest girls and how a companion might help them improve. This last Elizabeth thought inspired, for it appeared Lady Catherine had well and truly opened Mrs. Bennet’s eyes to how others perceived them when they did not act as they ought.
“Well, Miss Elizabeth?” asked Mr. Darcy when the Netherfield party rose to depart. “Do you suppose that will be enough?”
“I think it is almost guaranteed to succeed, Mr. Darcy,”replied Elizabeth. “I have never seen my mother appearing so thoughtful.”
“And your sisters? What do you suppose will be their response?”
Elizabeth fixed the gentleman with a wry smile. “They will wail and cry, but if Mama and Papa unite, they will surrender in time.”
“Excellent. Perhaps the incentive of moving in society outside Meryton will prompt them to learn what they must more quickly.”
“You forget that I have not yet accepted you,” was Elizabeth’s arch reply. “For that matter, you have not even proposed.”
Elizabeth left off the last word “again” much to Mr. Darcy’s amusement. He did not seem affected at all when he fixed his resolute gaze on her and said: “Yet.”
Not trusting herself to speak, Elizabeth settled for a nod. Thereafter, their new friends went away, leaving Elizabeth with hope for the future. Mr. Darcy’s part in that future was not yet written, so she tried not to consider it. The notion was not so onerous as it had been before, leaving Elizabeth eager to discover what was to come.
Chapter XXVI
Some things, it seemed, never altered, regardless of events that might make them seem unlikely to continue. While the sentiment Darcy felt upon returning to Netherfield Park that day echoed Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s upon her return from Kent, his opinion was as true as hers had been. This time, however, the winds of change were blowing, and while he could not know if the situation would transform for either of them, he hoped that at least the seed they had planted in Mrs. Bennet’s mind that morning would bear fruit. In marrying Miss Bennet, Darcy understood the need to take her family as his, but that did not change the absolute requirement to improve the behavior of certain members.
The return to Netherfield, however, brought new challenges, and the behavior of the Bennets necessarily retreated to the back of his mind. It was nottheirconduct that brought these recollections to mind.
As was typical, the company often gathered after a morning visit, and that day was no different from any other. What changed was his sister’s presence, her excitement for the new acquaintances she had made that day, and her expectations for future association with them. The presence of Lady Catherine, Fitzwilliam, and Anne was also different from the previous autumn when Darcy alone had been present.
The older members of the family watched indulgently as Georgiana chattered about her friends, though there was a pinched quality about Lady Catherine’s eyes as if some vestige of the proper distance between the classes still lingered. Lady Catherine appeared to have the sense not to make an issue of it, given Darcy’s stated intention to make Miss Elizabeth his wife; itwas pointless to protest when such associations were inevitable. There was one, however, that did not appreciate their neighbors and, against any reasonable hope, had not yet accepted the futility of her designs.
“I hope we may continue our association, Brother,” said Georgiana at length, after she had extolled what she believed to be her new friends’ virtues to the skies. “Kitty and Lydia appear to be so much fun, and Mary shares a common interest in music with me. I anticipate coming to know them better.”
“What of the elder sisters?” asked Darcy, amused. “They are most often praised as the jewels of the family.”
Georgiana ignored Miss Bingley’s snort—it appeared she was not yet ready to interject her opinion. “Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth appear to be everything lovely.” The girl grinned. “I understand your interest in Miss Elizabeth, for you spent the entire visit by her side! With so little opportunity to speak with either, I cannot claim any special connection yet.”
This proved too much for Miss Bingley’s sensibilities. “Dearest Georgiana,” cooed she, immediately putting Georgiana on her guard, “you should take care speaking of such things as ‘special connections’ and unwarranted ‘interest.’ The Bennets are not a family you would wish to emulate.”
“My brother introduced me to their acquaintance,” was Georgiana’s defensive reply. “I cannot consider them unsuitable. You may speak of unbecoming behavior, but I saw little of it. Besides, even if you expect them to misbehave, as you insinuate, I am not so lost to poor behavior that I would allow them to affect me.”
Darcy watched with pride in Georgiana’s convictions, knowing this association with the Bennets and her desire for friends drove her defiance. Miss Bingley, it appeared, expected a retiring Georgiana who would not respond if she did not agree, for her shock at being so contradicted was unmistakable.
“Georgiana knows how to behave,” added Lady Catherine.
For a moment, Darcy mused at what the lady would say if she knew anything of Georgiana’s adventure with George Wickham the previous summer. Nothing good for certain, as that was the reason they kept any hint of it from her ears.
“No one is questioning your ability to practice restraint, Georgiana,” said Miss Bingley, eager to pull back from her perceived error. “Certainly not I, for I know your qualities.”
“Then what was the point you were trying to make, Caroline?” asked Bingley.
Miss Bingley shot her brother a look and then shrugged as if the matter was of supreme indifference to her. “It is simply a surprise that a gentle family is not conversant with such things as training their progeny to move in the world in which they live. Some might say that they are poor gentlefolk if they do not understand such basic facts.”
“It is not so unknown as you might think, Miss Bingley,” said Lady Catherine. “I have seen the same in many such families; where the means do not exist to hire the appropriate instructors for their children, poor behavior can sometimes result.”
Lady Catherine shrugged. “I act to assist, to place guidance with certain families, commensurate with their ability to afford it. In other cases, the family does well to educate their children themselves, though I do not recommend it in general.”
Miss Bingley snorted with utter disdain. “One cannot look at the Bennets and suggest they educated their children as they ought. The behavior of the youngest Bennets put an end to any such notions the moment they erupt in loud giggles or chase after any man they espy who has the misfortune to be wearing red.”
