“I do not think so,” Papa said. “You have not seen them for years.”
“I wonder. I think that my determination to never take anything that could reduce their dowries was a matter more of pride than of love.”
Darcy looked at Elizabeth, and he said seriously, “Pride that leads to acting to help others cannot be despised.”
“Yes, yes,” Elizabeth said. “But we must always do what we can for each other. It is not good to always refuse to seek help. That was my mistake.”
“I am delighted to hearyousay so much.” Papa said, “I may be as surprised as you were when you heard that I had saved some three thousand pounds.”
“I am proud of you, Papa, for doing so much,” Elizabeth smiled at him.
“What would you do for Georgiana, if she were your charge?” Darcy asked Mr. Bennet.
Elizabeth was a little surprised to hear her husband ask Papa for such advice.
After thinking for a period of time, Papa said, “I do not know. I would be extremely angry at myself, which—”
“I assure you,” Elizabeth said, taking Darcy’s hand and squeezing it, “that has already been attempted, without improving matters.”
“You have been kind to her.” Papa said, “Kinder I think than I would have been.”
“You have been kind to me,” Elizabeth said.
“I had years in which my temper had time to cool. There were at least three months when I intended to delight in the observation of your misery as you came to understand my superior wisdom, but alas, too late.”
Elizabeth laughed, though she perceived that Darcy was not at all amused.
“My dear Papa,” she said.
“It is a hard thing. A hard, hard thing,” Papa said. “No matter what you think of her, there shall be the judgement from the public. The easiest thing, perhaps, would be if you can see her married well, before any child is born. But…I would not force anyone to marry when they are unsuited, and with such an urgency.”
“My friends, acquaintances,” Darcy said, “even total strangersfeteme—I always was well respected, but people think highly of me in a whollydifferent way now. I hate it. There are some who see the matter as a tragedy, and view me as a murderer, and I like them better for it. ThoughIgained honor and renown by killing a man in a duel, everyone thinks far worse of Georgiana than before. Her character is ruined in the eyes of theton…the duel was also to protectherhonor. But that is not what happened.”
“Where did you gain that notion?” Papa said. “Duels are never aboutthat. The purpose of the duel is to prove to others that you cannot be trifled with—why do you think that many fathers will savagely beat their daughters for an intimate connection with a man they dislike? In many countries, though fortunately only rarely in England, the ordinary course is for a woman’s brothers to murder her if she is found to have lost her virtue—this is not to protect thewoman. It is to prove the murderous virtues of the man.”
“Yet…yet…I was filled with rage at how he had hurt my sister. And he was filled with his own rage towards me. And that is why it happened.”
That evening Mrs. Bennet threw the first of many parties that were to be held in Elizabeth’s honor.
It was clear that she was afascinatingcreature to her neighbors.
The unpleasant part was that it seemed to her that the story that Mr. Darcy had killed Mr. Wickham so that he could marry her was generally believed. It wasoddto Elizabeth how a tale so clearly without foundation could spread so easily.
In the end Elizabeth tried as much as possible to adopt Papa’s view of the matter:What do we live for, but to make sport of our neighbors and be made sport of in turn.
The chief joy of the evening had been renewing her acquaintance with Charlotte Lucas.
The next day Charlotte came to Longbourn to visit in the morning.
After twenty minutes conversation in the drawing room, and a demand from George to Papa Darcy and Elizabeth totogetherread to him the new book that his grandfather had given him, Elizabeth and Charlotte went out following the children and Georgiana running back and forth excitedly inthe yard. Mr. Darcy retreated to the library with Mr. Bennet to either play chess or argue about a report of a barrow excavation that was described in a journal they both subscribed to.
“I do hope,” Elizabeth said, “That Mr. Bingley likes the neighborhood, and Netherfield. He is a dear friend to Mr. Darcy, andIfound him handsome, personable, and an easy delight to converse with.”
“And,” Charlotte said with a smile, “I imagine that you have other motives.”
“You certainly,” Elizabeth cried, “cannot imagine that I have already married all four of my sisters to him at once.”
Charlotte grinned. “I meant that you might find it preferable to stay at Netherfield than at Longbourn when next you visit the neighborhood—it appears crowded.”
