“She must have had several ghosts advising her, and it seems certain some counselled her in the strongest terms to accept a life of ease and luxury, and another chance to protect her family. She evidently picked one and took their advice, but from the very last person in the world I would have expected.”
“Who would that be?”
“Our mother.”
He looked doubly confused, as if the concept of anyone taking advice from Mrs Bennet was too much to comprehend.
“How could you possibly know that?”
“The advice she followed,” Jane replied. “What an odd thing. She followed Mama’s advice. Who would have thought!”
“Could you be more specific?” Darcy asked desperately.
“Very well. This is important for you to understand. For as long as I can remember, my mother has tried to ‘correct’ Lizzy’s deportment. I have no idea why Lizzy is her least favourite child, but it is so. There have been many different, often contradictory, bouts of ‘advice’, but most common is some variation of this:”
As Darcy had before her, Jane sat up straight, raised her voice to a screech, and mimicked her mother.
If you cannot say something nice, say nothing at all!
Everyone looked at Jane. “My mother had a dozen variants.”
If you cannot be pleasant, at least be silent!
A true lady is polite and demure under all provocations!
“Lizzy was a bit impertinent, but mostly she is very intelligent and unwilling to spend all day nattering about nothing, or listen to absolute nonsense without challenge—nor is she willing to appear stupid just to attract a man, and makes no bones about it. All this quite vexes my mother.”
Everyone paused for a moment, before Jane continued, “She probably pushed Lizzy over the top with her all-time favourite.”
Jane raised her voice to emulate her mother again.
“Well, Miss Lizzy Bennet! If you cannot say something nice, say nothing at all and take yourself elsewhere until you learn to keep a civil tongue in your head!”
Jane stared at her hands. “It sounds as if Lizzy seized upon that one.”
Darcy’s mouth fell open. Jane glanced up and stared at him, waiting for the gentleman to put two and two together, hoping he came up with four.
“She left to avoid saying somethingnotnice?”
“Exactly.”
Darcy looked at her in consternation and asked sheepishly, “How, not nice?”
Jane looked pained. “Unless her feelings changed significantly from the time the colonelboastedof your skill at pulling Mr Spineless Worm away from me—which was less than four hours—we are contemplatingvery-very not nice!”
Darcy hung his head, looking as though he might revert to weeping again.
He took a deep breath. “I imagine I should answer your first two questions then.”
“You may as well.”
“There is nothing wrong with your family or you. Not a single thing!The fault is entirely mine. As my mother warned me, I filled myself with pride over my wealth, my position, my history, my family, and my perceived superiority of mind; all of it complete nonsense when compared to your sister. As to your second question, I convinced Bingley that you did not hold him in particular regard merely because I listened to your mother boast about ‘capturing’ him loudly and publicly, then watched you for a few hours, seeing no sign of particular regard in your eyes—as if any proper lady would let another man see that.”
Darcy sighed.
Jane said, “It was arrogance and presumption to guide Mr Bingley, but he is a grown man and made his own choices. I am better off without him.”
Darcy leaned forward. “That it ended well does not mitigate the presumption and heartlessness of the act. I could have insisted he take his leavelike a man. Your lack of censure does not mitigate the wrongdoing. I do not believe it.”
