“Very well; convince me that it is rational to marry only for love!” Mr. Darcy declared.
Elizabeth frowned at him. “Husbands have complete control over their wives, do they not?”
“Well…”
“You cannot deny it, sir. We both know that coverture law is still in effect.”
“I fear it is so.”
“That being the case, a woman has no recourse once she has put herself, body and soul, into the hands of a husband. She may be beaten by him; she may be starved by him; any money or property she once possessed now belongs to him. The only way that she may assure herself of decent treatment is if he cares for her.”
“Under that rationale, the issue is not so much that you love him, but that he loves you.”
Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide. “But given that the wife must spend a good deal of her time in her husband’s company, might her life not be a good deal sweeter if she loves him as well?”
“I had not thought of it from the female perspective before.”
“That is because you are a man!” she said, smiling up at him.
“Quite so; I needed an intelligent and well-spoken female to explain it to me.”
She smiled. “A very rational response. Now, then, Mr. Darcy, have you seen William Blake’s painting entitledNewton?”
“I have; it shows a – well, an undressed figure staring at a scroll, using a compass to measure a diameter. It is a rather odd portrait, to be sure, as I suspect that Newton’s arms are longer than would be anatomically accurate.”
“But what is Newtonnotseeing?”
“Why, he is rather intent on his compass…”
“And so does not see everything around him! What a lovely rock he sits on! And the plant life, the small creatures around him! He is completely oblivious to the beauty of nature. That is the point.”
“And you believe such oblivion to be the nature of rationality?”
“I believe that rationality, without the leavening of tender emotion, leads to a sterile life. I also believe that you are not as solely motivated by rationality as you would like to think.”
Mr. Darcy drew himself up.
“No, no, do not feel insulted. This is as great a compliment as I can give, I assure you.”
“But why do you say so?”
“Why, because you have recommended my sister to Mr. Bingley.”
They both immediately looked at the couple just mentioned, and saw that they were looking at one another a good deal, both faces wearing wide smiles.
“It is not a rational match, say what you will; but you want your friend to be happy.”
Mr. Hill then announced the arrival of Miss Lucas, and the company rose to greet her. She was soon settled on Miss Elizabeth’s other side, putting an end to intimate conversation. Mr. Darcy found himself rather glad of it, as he knew he was paying far too much attention to Miss Elizabeth, which would doubtless give rise to comment.
He had danced with Miss Lucas at the assembly, and had found her to be eminently sensible. He liked her very much, and was sorry that she was likely to remain unmarried, much like Miss Mary. If only there were enough gentlemen for all the worthy unmarried ladies of his acquaintance!
***
As Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley returned to Netherfield, Mr. Darcy was treated to a paean of praise on the subject of Miss Bennet, ending with, “Darcy, you were absolutely right. She is perfect in every way!”
“Your sister will not be happy, you know, Bingley.”
“Hang it, Darcy! I am my own man, am I not?”
