Mr Bennet handed her back the envelope and reopened his book, a generally clear sign that the discussion had ended.
“Thank the man and be happy, madam,” he said. Though Mrs Bennet still lingered in the library, his attention had already returned entirely to the volume in his hands.
Seeing her husband absorbed once more in his reading, Mrs Bennet rose slowly. She was not yet entirely certain what ought to be done, but already plans were beginning to form in her mind. She had become determined that something must be done for the uncle who had given them so much.
That very afternoon, she and her sister discussed every widow and unmarried lady in the neighbourhood. Their conversation extended as far as St Albans, and even a few names from London were introduced. Yet none of the possiblecandidates appeared worthy of Uncle Thomas’s education, experience of life, and above all, his natural benevolence.
“I shall have a serious conversation with him and discover his preferences,” Mrs Bennet declared.
“But, my dear, are you certain the gentleman even wishes for a wife?” Mrs Phillips asked.
“Show me a man who does not wish for a lady in his house,” Mrs Bennet answered, whilst her sister shook her head.
“A lady is not the same thing as a wife,” Mrs Phillips replied daringly, looking rather insinuatingly at her sister.
Both ladies blushed, though they were long past girlhood.
“That I cannot allow beneath my roof,” Mrs Bennet said firmly, though no such thing had actually been suggested aloud. “He requires a wife.”
And with that, the discussion ended, leaving Mrs Bennet even more determined to visit every eligible lady in the neighbourhood. She already regarded the matter as a duty.
Chapter 7
Elizabeth strolled in silence with Uncle Thomas. He invited her for walks quite often, as besides his nephew, her company pleased him most of all. She was mature and intelligent and had received the sort of comprehensive education that Mr Bennet had more than likely wished to give to a son. Yet nothing had been lost. The beautiful young lady was superior to any nephew he might have had.
It was a rare pleasure to feel comfortable in another person’s company without having to fill every moment with chatter. Elizabeth liked being alone with him so much that she enjoyed both silence and conversation, and it never required effort to pass from one to the other.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I had a fascinating discussion with Jane the other day,” he replied, as though he had not heard her question.
“Oh, she told you her unhappy story?” she asked, rather astonished that her discreet and shy sister had opened her heart to someone she had known only a few weeks.
“Yes, she did, and about that property near Meryton which we saw from a distance the other day.”
“Netherfield?”
“Yes, I should like to see it more closely than we did last time.”
Elizabeth was curious, though she tried to restrain her eagerness to know more. She was certain Uncle Thomas would eventually explain himself.
“Jane also told me about a certain gentleman—”
“Mr Bingley?”
“No, a guest of Mr Bingley’s.”
This time, Elizabeth stopped in the middle of the road and turned towards him. “Why did she tell you such a thing?”
Thomas also stopped, trying to see her face from under her parasol. He had to accept that ladies knew how to manipulate that particular object very skilfully; they could hide their faces whenever they wanted.
“What could she possibly have to say about him?” Elizabeth asked, and the annoyance in her voice made the older gentleman smile. Plainly, he had already begun to uncover something regarding that gentleman, and he wondered whether even Jane understood her sister’s interest in him.
“She merely told me that you had some spirited disagreements and observed how easily you defend your opinions, whilst she cannot.”
Elizabeth lowered the parasol enough for him to see her eyes. Concealment had become useless. Her face bore traces of strong emotion, far stronger than the mere recollection of a gentleman she had once met ought to provoke. They had scarcely spoken of him, yet the effect upon her was unmistakable.
“Shall we continue our walk?” he asked, offering his arm.
