“And you are not Mr Bingley,” Mrs Gardiner replied kindly.
She was very fond of Jane’s husband, but she knew him to be a man who trusted too readily. Jane did the same. They were perfectly suited to one another, and Elizabeth was right in one respect: few people loved as they did.
“I am not Mr Bingley, but is it so terrible to resemble him? He may have been weak when listening to others, but he loves so deeply that even the ocean seems shallow beside him.”
“I have observed Mr Kendall, and he is very different from Mr Darcy.”
“And if I ever decide to forget Mr Darcy, it will be someone very different that I seek. I do not wish to replace Mr Darcy with another Mr Darcy.”
“You wish to replace Mr Darcy?” Mrs Gardiner asked, this time with genuine alarm.
“I do not know! I have only just arrived in London. Allow me a little time to adjust.”
“A moment ago, you declared you had no desire to adjust to this society.”
“Do not pay attention to everything I say! I am enjoying London, but it also frightens me. I enjoy discovering new things, but I do not wish for life to become permanent. I do not want my daughters raised with the sole ambition of gaining admission to Almack’s on Wednesdays. Still, I should very much like to go there once.”
“You were far more decided in the past.”
“Because before Uncle Thomas arrived, life offered me very few possibilities. My future began and ended in Meryton. Now it feels as though everything lies open before me. Even today, I met another gentleman.”
“Yes, but until now, you have not spoken of young Wimborne. Yet I can see you are not indifferent to Mr Kendall’s appearance.”
“Mr Kendall is like me. For years, he did not even know he was the grandson of a duke. He was raised in a tradesman’s household, without rigid rules or elaborate manners.”
“Please do not forget that he is not as refined as Mr Darcy.”
“How can you say that after a single dinner?”
Mrs Gardiner could have offered several reasons.
“He is polite, but he lacks polish. He is well-read, but not cultivated. Things of that sort. And, of course, he does not possess a fortune.”
“Perhaps that is exactly what appeals to me now that Mama is no longer urging me to secure a husband with a large income,” Elizabeth replied with a smile.
“You were never interested in wealth, Lizzy.”
“No, but before it was only a dream. When I refused Mr Darcy in Kent, one of my regrets concerned my family. Idefended their honour, yet I denied them the prosperity his offer might have brought. It was a very strange situation.”
Mrs Gardiner nodded. She understood only too well the anxieties Elizabeth referred to. She herself had discussed them many times with her husband. What would become of the Bennets when Mr Bennet was gone, and Longbourn passed into other hands?
“Lizzy, permit me to say something that you may not like to hear.”
“Anything, dear aunt.”
A slight hesitation appeared upon Mrs Gardiner’s countenance, but she continued, convinced that the truth ought to be spoken.
“Remember, Mr Wickham.”
Elizabeth blushed and lowered her eyes, but remained silent.
“For a short time, you were interested in that gentleman, and there was nothing wrong in it. A young lady may enjoy admiration before marriage—”
“Do you think that is what I am doing?” Elizabeth asked, genuinely troubled. She had always associated such behaviour with Lydia and considered it far from proper.
“Yes, and I did the same when I was young.”
“But Jane is different.”
