Chapter 12
A month so full of events had never been known at Longbourn, nor in Meryton, and perhaps in the whole of Herefordshire.
Mr. Bennet called it a month of madness and protected his comfort by spending most of it in his library while his wife and daughters managed the entire affair.
After Lydia’s wedding, news of Mr. Bingley’s impending arrival threw the Bennets into another state of agitation. Mrs. Bennet was constantly complaining of her nerves, and Jane was caught in a storm of emotions, as she confessed to Elizabeth, wondering about the reason for his return, who would join him, and how long he would stay.
Elizabeth was also deeply distressed—so torn between fears and hopes that she got almost no sleep. There was no mention of Mr. Darcy’s coming to stay with his friend, and she assumed that, if he did plan to do so, Mr. Gardiner or even her father would have been informed. And yet, her heart raced at the thought of seeing him again soon.
Mr. Bingley finally arrived, and reports began to spread immediately. It was said he had come alone — news that thrilled some of the Bennets and grieved others. Mrs. Bennet pestered Mr. Bennet to call on him, but she achieved nothing but a dinner spoilt by quarrelling.
By fortune, the next day, Mr. Bingley called himself. He smiled less than on previous occasions and perhaps looked slightly paler and thinner. He spoke to Mrs. Bennet, but his gaze often travelled towards Jane, who was silent, flushed, and overwhelmed by emotions.
“We are happy to see you, Mr. Bingley,” Mrs. Bennet said. “Everybody wondered what had happened when you did notreturn from London in November as you said you would. We thought we would never see you again! But now that you are here, you must remember that you promised you would come to dinner, and you still owe me that!”
“I would like that very much, Mrs. Bennet,” he replied with apparent unease. “To come to dinner, I mean. Some…circumstances kept me in town…but I have only recently found out that Miss Bennet was in London for a few months last winter. If I had known, I would have certainly called on her.” Again, he looked at Jane, who seemed puzzled. Elizabeth knew that Mr. Darcy had kept his promise and revealed the truth.
“I believed you knew of my presence, sir,” Jane whispered. “I visited Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst…”
“Yes, I know. That is something I also discovered only recently. I am deeply sorry for the misunderstandings…” Mr. Bingley replied.
“Well, it matters not, now that you are here! You should come to dinner soon!”
“Thank you, Mrs. Bennet. Whenever you will have me, I would be happy to,” Mr. Bingley declared, giving much joy to at least two ladies in the room.
“Mr. Bingley, have you seen Mr. Darcy lately?” Elizabeth finally dared to enquire. “I know he expected you and your sisters to spend this month at Pemberley, but I assume your plans changed.”
“Yes, I saw Darcy about a week ago. And yes, our plans changed entirely, as I decided to return to Netherfield.”
“Did Mr. Darcy return to Pemberley? I hope he and his sister are in good health.”
“Miss Darcy is at Pemberley, with her companion, I was told. Darcy had some business in London as well as Kent. He has promised to visit me when it is complete.”
“Oh…” Elizabeth replied, feeling her cheeks burning and her heart racing.
“I hope Mr. Darcy will come to Netherfield. I look forward to seeing him again,” Mr. Bennet declared.
“Would you like to dine with us tonight, Mr. Bingley?” Mrs. Bennet insisted.
“I would like that very much, ma’am,” he said after a brief glance at Jane.
Mr. Bingley did come to dinner that evening, his eagerness causing him to arrive early, so he, Jane, and Elizabeth went for a walk in the garden. Less than half an hour was enough to prove to Elizabeth that the mutual admiration and affection between the two remained equally strong.
“Miss Bennet, I wish to tell you once again that I was kept in ignorance of your presence in town,” Mr. Bingley said. “It was only a fortnight ago that I saw Darcy again, and he told me what happened. Please know that I would have come to visit you…I cannot apologise enough for my sisters, who chose to be dishonest with you and with me.”
“There is no need to apologise, Mr. Bingley. As hurtful as it was, all is well now…”
“No, it is not. I am most upset with my sisters, and I shall not easily forgive their deception or my foolishness. And I would understand if you could not forgive me either.”
“Your presence now is more important than your past absence, Mr. Bingley. If there was anything to forgive, I have already forgotten it,” Jane answered. The expression of heartfelt delight on Mr. Bingley’s face was enough for Elizabeth to understand that her sister’s happiness was a certainty — a hope which would turn into reality very soon.
During dinner, Mr. Bingley acted in the same pleasant manner and with the same apparent admiration for Jane as he had done several months ago.
He left Longbourn rather late, and the next day he called again, then two days later he accepted another dinner invitation. Less than a week after his return to Netherfield, Mr. Bingley proposed to Jane, who happily accepted him.
Their long-due engagement made Mrs. Bennet forget about Lydia and Mr. Wickham, who were barely mentioned. The people in Meryton who a month ago had gossiped about the Bennets’ misfortune, now envied them, giving Mrs. Bennet the greatest satisfaction.
Elizabeth was torn between joy and distress, as her thoughts were mostly occupied by Mr. Darcy. She wondered where he was, what sort of business was keeping him so busy for such a long time, and she feared the result of his visit to Kent. Now that the dreadful situation with Mr. Wickham was resolved with so much trouble on his part, he did not seem eager to meet her again. She looked at the two drawings every day, wondering whether he would ever finish the second one, after all.
