Chapter 10
It was raining heavilyin the morning and there was no chance of going shooting with Mr. Bennet. Darcy was surprised at the deep sense of disappointment he experienced. He had hoped at least to encounter Elizabeth, even if he did not know how matters could be mended between them.
Left without purpose, he did not join the others downstairs; he was in no mood for company. He fetched himself a book from the library, and endeavored to read it, without much success. He wrote another letter to Georgiana, although he had not yet heard back from her.
Somehow, the grey, heavy day passed.
By the time the rain stopped, and the clouds came out, the afternoon was well advanced, and the pheasants had already settled in the hedges and it was too late to ride over to Longbourn.
He was brought out of his room by a great commotion and a slamming of doors. Surprised and reluctant to be involved, he hovered at the top of the stairs to see if he was needed. The front door was open, and Caroline Bingley was shouting after her brother.
“Come back here at once, Charles!” said Miss Bingley. “You will rue the day you did this! Do not do anything hasty! We will discuss it further!”
She spotted Darcy at the top of the stairs and called out to him.
“Oh, Mr. Darcy!. You will never guess what my foolish brother intends to do! He says he is riding to Longbourn to propose to Jane Bennet.”
She burst into tears.
Tears made him nervous, but he could not very well turn and go back to his room, so he came down the stairs to see if he could at least stop Bingley from leaving. He looked out and found Bingley setting off down the driveway.
“Mr. Bennet invited us to shoot with him,” said Darcy, trying to placate Miss Bingley, though he knew it was unlikely. “I shall be heading in that direction myself.”
“I do not believe that for an instant, Mr. Darcy. Charles said very clearly that he was going to ask for her hand, and that we should not expect him for dinner.”
Well. Darcy had not expected that.
“He might have said that to annoy you, because he is tired of being told what to do and what not to do,” he suggested.
It was a sentiment Darcy could relate to. He himself was heartily sick of the threats that had been drilled into him, and the dire warnings of ancestors turning in their graves. Why must some long-dead predecessor have a say in his life?
“I wish you would not discount the possibility, Mr. Darcy. Charles said he had to go now because he wants to speak to Mr. Bennet before he journeys to Gloucestershire.” She grasped the corner of his sleeve. “You cannot allow it. You must go after him at once and stop him before he ruins us all.”
A week ago, he would have done so, but now he felt it was a losing battle. Darcy had stayed up most of the night pondering Mr. Bennet’s words. He no longer considered Miss Bennet or Elizabeth complicit in their mother’s scheming. While he could not yet regard what Mrs. Bennet did as a harmless prank, he was very glad she had intervened. The very thought of Collins marrying Elizabeth made Darcy’s stomach curdle. Mrs. Bennet had put a stop to a marriage that could have brought nothing but misery to both parties.
Happiness in marriage was not something discussed very often in the upper echelons of society. In the feudal times, marriages were alliances intended as a means of consolidating power. He understood that. The Darcys had maintained their position since the Norman Conquest because they had chosen these alliances wisely. But was that the only way to do it? Through marrying someone who would never be anything but a stranger?
Surely happiness should be a consideration between people who intended to share a lifetime together.
Fortunately for Bingley—unlike Darcy—he did not have ancestors who would haunt him if he diminished the Darcy fortunes. Bingley might well improve his standing if he married a lady who was highly placed in society, but it would be a cold, mercenary marriage. Was it fair to expect Bingley to throw away a chance to find joy in his life?
“I will go after him, Miss Bingley, but I will not prevent him if he is really determined to take this step. I do believe Miss Bennet will make your brother happy.”
Miss Bingley shook her head angrily.
“I do not know how the Bennets managed to have you both in their thrall. I wish we had never come to Meryton. It has been nothing but a disaster. Do you realize that I have no prospect now of finding a husband who is well placed in society?”
“I do not know if that is the case, Miss Bingley. I am sure your sister can introduce you to one of Mr. Hurst’s acquaintances, though I do hope he might be a little more animated than her own husband.”
“A lady cannot always choose. Time is not on our side.”
It must be difficult to be a woman, he reflected, knowing her fate depended on securing a husband.
