Mrs. Bennet stared at him. “You are rather finely dressed, Mr. Bennet!” she exclaimed.
“Well, my dear, it occurred to me that you always look so elegant; the least I can do is to not appear shabby by your side,” he replied.
“Hmph,” was his spouse’s only response, as she sailed into the entryway and then out to the waiting carriage.
“Well done, Papa,” Elizabeth whispered as they walked outside together.
Chapter Twenty
Mr. Darcy apprised his appearance in the mirror; he was satisfied with what he saw. He was no dandy, but he felt that tonight he should look his best. He had rather astonished Evans when he had expressed a wish to wear his best waistcoat and newest Hessians.
It was still too early to expect the Bennets, but he nonetheless descended to the drawing room to wait for Bingley’s guests calmly.Calmly, he stressed to himself. There was no need to be nervous, was there?
Mrs. Bingley was already in the drawing room and she welcomed him warmly. “Mr. Darcy, I must tell you that my husband cannot stop speaking of how delighted he is to have you here.”
He bowed to her. “Mrs. Bingley, I am grateful for your kind welcome, as my visit is long overdue.”
“Yes, my sister told me that your mother had asked you not to come last fall. I hope she was not unwell?”
How could he explain this? “Not unwell, precisely, but we lost my father three years ago, and she has not quite recovered herself.” Was that true, he wondered. Or had she used the death of her husband to force him to do her bidding? No, surely not. He pushed the thought away.
Mrs. Bingley’s thoughts might have been running along similar lines, as her brow was furrowed and she regarded him for a minute in silence. Finally, she said, “It is doubtless hard to lose a husband.”
He inclined his head, grateful for her words.
Then she said, “Might I tell you a bit about my family before they arrive?”
“Please do,” he replied. “Miss Bennet told me a little, but truth be told,youwere her chief topic of conversation when it came to her family.”
She laughed, softly. “Lizzy and I have always been very close. In any case, my father is a gentleman, with an estate called Longbourn. It is not three miles from Netherfield. Though he is a landowner in fact, he is a scholar at heart, so the estate is not his primary focus. Elizabeth has done a good deal to help matters at Longbourn by reading about farming techniques and engaging my father in discussions on the subject. She then helps him plan how to implement what they agree would best suit the tenant farms.”
“I find it astonishing that a young lady would, by choice, read about farming techniques,” Mr. Darcy observed.
“By choice? No, by choice my sister would read history or poetry; she reads about farming so as to help our family and our tenants.”
“It speaks well of her.”
“It does, indeed. But to continue – my mother is the daughter of an attorney, so she was not raised to be a gentlewoman. As a result, she has not known how to bring up her daughters in that higher sphere.”
Mr. Darcy objected, “But you and Miss Bennet are absolutely perfect!” He blushed at his own words, but continued on. “Your manners, your bearing, your speech – you both exhibit the very epitome of lady-like behaviour.”
“I thank you for that, Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth and I were fortunate enough to spend a good deal of time with our aunt and uncle in town, the Gardiners; there, we were taught proper manners.”
“Your sister mentioned relatives in town.”
“And I am certain that she was looked down upon for having relatives in trade, but it was those very same relatives who taught my sister and I how to behave properly. In any case, by the time our younger sisters were of an age to spend time with the Gardiners, we had little cousins, and my aunt and uncle no longer had the time – or the energy! – to teach Mary, Kitty and Lydia.”
“You are telling me, then, that the behaviour of your younger sisters is not the equal of yours and Miss Bennet’s.”
“I will include my mother in that category, Mr. Darcy, though I blush to do so. That said, she is a warm-hearted, open-handed mistress of Longbourn. She is famed for her dinners; no one in Meryton will ever turn down an invitation to dine with us. My middle sister is religious, which would be considered a virtue in many households, though not in ours. And my two youngest sisters should be in the nursery, not out in society, but that was not my choice to make.”
“I honour you for your candour, Mrs. Bingley.”
“One last thing, Mr. Darcy. My father knows that Lizzy was forced to abandon her visit because of your aunt; my mother was told only that she had become homesick.”
Mr. Bingley appeared, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Hurst. Mr. Darcy rose to his feet.
“Darcy! There you are,” Bingley said.
