Elizabeth shook her head, disgusted—Jane understood when she spoke again that her annoyance was all for herself. “If Mr. Wickhamissuch a man, then it puts his communication regarding Mr. Darcy in a different light altogether.”
“Yes, I believe you are correct.”
“That does not mean I believe Mr. Darcy to be a good man,” asserted Elizabeth, meeting Jane’s eyes with all the fire her sister possessed. “Mr. Darcy still did not portray himself well while he was here, and I am yet convinced he played a large role in preventing Mr. Bingley’s return.”
“Perhaps that is as you say,” replied Jane. “Even so, I would have you recall that there may be some extenuating circumstances that, even if they do not exonerate Mr. Darcy, may at least explain something of his behavior.”
“With that, I will not argue, Jane,” said Elizabeth. “I shall endeavor to think on the gentleman as I have before, though I will discount everything Mr. Wickham said about him. I do not suppose it matters, as I am not likely to meet Mr. Darcy again.
“Then again,” added Elizabeth, with a mischievous grin, “with Mr. Hurst’s appearance in Meryton, perhaps a reunion between you and Mr. Bingley is not as impossible as we all thought.”
“The same thought had occurred to me,” confessed Jane. “If you will pardon me, I shall not hope, for I do not wish to be disappointed. Then again, it may be for the best that Mr. Bingley has disappeared, for I am not certain he would make a good husband.”
Elizabeth looked up, curiosity in her gaze. “What do you mean?”
The sisters spent more than an hour speaking of Jane’s epiphany about Mr. Bingley, Mr. Hurst’s return, and the Netherfield party. Jane promised she would take care not to judge Mr. Bingley harshly should she ever see him again, and Elizabeth agreed it would be best to be certain of his worth as a husband before accepting his courtship again. When they settled for the night in Elizabeth’s bed, Jane was content. Having Elizabeth’s support meant the world—if Mr. Hurst’s presence brought about the return of Mr. Bingley, she knew Elizabeth’s opinion would inform much of her own. The love of such a discerning sister was no small matter.
BEFORE FALLING ASLEEP, Jane and Elizabeth agreed it was best to warn their sisters about Mr. Wickham’s behavior the night before. Knowing Kitty and Lydia, Elizabeth expected their words would fall on deaf ears; what they had not expected was to receive support from an unexpected quarter.
“Oh, la, Lizzy!” exclaimed Lydia when Elizabeth told them all of what happened. “How droll you are to throw a shade at Mr. Wickham. Do you not know he is quite five times as handsome as any other man in the regiment?”
“You must have misunderstood,” chimed in Kitty. “Excessive drink will alter the behavior of any man.”
“That is the point,” said Elizabeth, praying for patience when dealing with two such vapid girls. “How a man behaves when drink suppresses his inhibitions shows much more about his character than the practiced face he shows the world.”
“That is discerning of you, Lizzy,” said Mr. Bennet, giving her an approving nod. “This Wickham has shown something of his true character—we should believe him when he proves the sort of man he is to us.”
“Mr. Wickhamisan excellent man, Papa,” insisted Lydia. “Why, no man possessing such a handsome mien could be evil.”
“Thatis how such men can pass themselves off as good, Lydia. If all evil men squinted and drooled and lacked half their teeth, they would have much less ability to mislead.”
“But Papa—!” cried Lydia, but Mrs. Bennet interjected into the conversation.
“Quiet, child. Lizzy, are you certain of how this Mr. Wickham behaved toward you?”
“Do you suppose I could be mistaken about it?” demanded Elizabeth, ignoring Lydia’s huff of outrage.
“No, I suppose not,” agreed Mrs. Bennet.
“If he is such a man,” said Jane, “the danger of ruination exists for any young lady caught in his web.”
It was an inspired comment. Mrs. Bennet, though she wanted her daughters to marry and was not choosy about the identity of their future husbands, would not tolerate her daughters ruining themselves. If one of them suffered a loss of reputation, it would affect the prospects of them all, renderingthe chance of them finding good marriages and support for the rest of their lives impossible.
“Yes, Jane, I believe you are correct.” Mrs. Bennet turned to her youngest daughters, her expression serious. “I require you to stay away from Mr. Wickham, girls.”
“But Mama!” shrieked Lydia.
“That is enough, Lydia,” interrupted Mrs. Bennet. “As you are not old enough to see the danger, your elders must guide you. In this, you will obey me; else, you will find yourself denied access to society. Remember that we allowed you to attend the same events as Kitty, but you are not out. We can rescind that permission any time we wish.”
That ended Lydia’s whining as Elizabeth had known it would. The way Mrs. Bennet glared at her daughter suggested she had known it too. It was a facet of the relationship between mother and daughter that played out but rarely, and proof her motherhadthe ability to control Lydia if she so chose. The problem was that she did not exercise the authority she held and rarely understood the need.
Later in the day, when the ladies had all been together, though engaged in different pursuits, Mr. Bennet returned from his study, where he had retreated that morning, accompanied by Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Hurst. Mr. Gardiner was no surprise, as he often sat with Mr. Bennet in his study, but the entrance of Mr. Hurst came as a surprise to the Bennet ladies; they had not known of his visit.
“I hope you will not mind, my dear,” said Mr. Bennet, “but as Hurst is the only resident of Netherfield Park, I suggested he dine with us rather than alone.”
“If it is quite convenient, Mrs. Bennet,” Mr. Hurst roused himself to say. “As it is a late application, I understand the imposition.”
The way Mrs. Bennet regarded the gentleman, Elizabeth was certain her mother would consider itmuch lessof an imposition if it had been Mr. Bingley who joined them. When her mother glanced at Jane, Elizabeth knew she was not blind to the possibilities in Mr. Bingley’s brother-in-law dining with them and agreed at once.
