“Colonel Fitzwilliam is a good man. Even after one night in his company, I can say that with no hint of hesitation.”
“Perhaps you can, Lizzy,” replied Mr. Bennet. “Colonel Fitzwilliam may be as he appears—I do not deny it. However, I will remind you all that we thought Bingley was an excellent man, and yet he left without a backward glance after two months of making love to Jane. Colonel Fitzwilliam may not be such a man as he, but we know nothing about him, after all.”
“With that, I cannot but agree,” said Elizabeth, her gaze finding Jane’s.
“Do not concern yourself, Papa,” said Jane, speaking for the first time. “I have no intention of allowing Colonel Fitzwilliam to charm me as Mr. Bingley did. If he wishes to know me, he must prove himself.”
“Good,” said Mr. Bennet, his gaze across the table, daring his wife to protest. Mrs. Bennet said nothing—for once—sensing that her husband was in earnest.
After such a conversation, some would think it unnecessary to approach Jane to offer counsel, but Elizabeth wished to do more than merely advise her sister. Later that morning, when Jane returned to her room, Elizabeth followed. It was no surprise when Jane divined her purpose at once.
“You need not pester me, Lizzy,” said Jane, though her affectionate smile belied any notion of offense. “Colonel Fitzwilliam appears to be an excellent man, but I have only known him for one evening.”
“I never thought you were already enamored of him, Jane,” replied Elizabeth. “Yet I cannot help but notice the similarities between the two events, especially the behavior of the two men in question.”
“Not at all, Lizzy,” said Jane with her understated humor, “for I met Mr. Bingley at an assembly where he could not take all my time. I dare say I was in Colonel Fitzwilliam’s company five times as much as I was on that first night with Mr. Bingley.”
The evidence of Jane’s ability to jest heartened Elizabeth. “Which only proves my point. Jane, I do not mean to pry, but I would not have you hurt again by a man we hardly know.”
“You are such an excellent sister,” replied Jane with obviousaffection. “Then I shall settle your mind. Colonel Fitzwilliam struck me as an excellent man, but as you and Papa pointed out, I have not known him long. I shall not fall in love without reason, Lizzy.”
“And Mr. Bingley?” asked Elizabeth.
Jane sighed. “Mama has a point, though I am aware she arrived at it only because Mr. Bingley has not seen fit to return. Mr. Bingley has absented himself and does not appear eager to appear again in our midst. When Mr. Bingley was here, I found him the most amiable man of my acquaintance, and I will own that his attentions moved me. However, I do not mean to replace him with the next amiable man who compliments me.”
“Good,” said Elizabeth, echoing her father. “Should Colonel Fitzwilliam prove his interest and provoke your esteem, I give you leave to like him as much as you want. Until then, it would be best if you guarded your heart and did not allow him to steal it.”
The way Jane regarded her, Elizabeth knew her comments had diverted her sister. “I believe that I am being quite rational about the situation, Lizzy. What I cannot account for is your apparent conviction in his interest.”
“Colonel Fitzwilliamdidappear interested in you, Jane. Did he not spend the entire evening with you once he claimed your company?”
“Perhaps he did. But one night in pleasant conversation is not tantamount to an imminent engagement.”
“Nor do I suggest it is. What I will reiterate is this: there was a striking similarity last night between Mr. Bingley’s initial interest in you and Colonel Fitzwilliam’s behavior. If there is one difference, I suspect that Colonel Fitzwilliam will be much more mature about it.”
“What do you mean?”
Elizabeth considered what she had thought the previous night. “Mr. Bingley appeared eager, but his manner, now that I consider it in retrospect, spoke of infatuation. Colonel Fitzwilliam’s interest appears more genuine, more mature, if I may use the term.”
A slow nod was Jane’s response. “Now that you have said it, I cannot say you are incorrect. It is no good portrayal of Mr. Bingley’s character.”
“That is not necessarily true,” replied Elizabeth. “A man may be infatuated with a woman, a sentiment that can grow into a deep, abiding love. Mr. Bingley appeared to be well on his way before he left. I do not censure or praise him; I only attempt to convey my honest opinion.”
“Then I shall take your advice in the spirit you intended it, Lizzy,”replied Jane. “Colonel Fitzwilliam will not engage my heart until he makes his sentiments known to me.”
IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED, Elizabeth could not help but observe the quiet effect Colonel Fitzwilliam had upon the Bennet household. He was no intruder—in truth, the family received him as if they had expected him to appear. Even her father, often guarded with new acquaintances, seemed to welcome the colonel’s dry wit and military tales, though Elizabeth suspected part of his enthusiasm lay in watching Kitty and Lydia hang on every word the colonel uttered about cannon fire and cavalry charges.
Yet for all the colonel’s easy camaraderie, it was toward Jane that his attention most frequently drifted. It was never intrusive—he did not press himself upon her or contrive to monopolize her company—but his eyes often sought her across the room, and when they spoke, the ease between them was unmistakable. Elizabeth, remembering her conversation with Jane, said little and observed much.
On one morning, she came upon him in the drawing room with Kitty and Lydia, who had begged for tales of battlefield glory with such persistence that even Mr. Bennet appeared to pity his plight. That he weathered it all with good humor only improved her opinion of him.
“Jane,” said Elizabeth as she sat beside her elder sister, who was watching Colonel Fitzwilliam with the girls, a faint sense of indulgence hanging about her. “I see they have claimed his attention again. When I consider how often this has happened these past days, I wonder when your jealousy will emerge.”
The sisters had been intimate long enough for Jane to know when Elizabeth was teasing. “At present, I have no reason to be jealous of anything.”
Elizabeth grinned and nudged her sister. “That is strange, Jane, for in my estimation Colonel Fitzwilliam prefers your company above that of anyone else.”
The way Jane looked at her—censure mixed with exasperation—Elizabeth knew she had teased her sister enough.
